Willow Ridge pups and cougars don't mix

In moments they were around her, swarming her. She could hear the cries of Angier, his worry, his desperation in the tone of his voice. It shuttered her, pulling her from the stare she had locked on Guiness now lifeless face. She found herself shifting a few quick steps backward, back towards her three new sons which so desperately squirmed around the base of the willow tree in search for their mother's warmth and comfort. She had yet a moment to fully clean them, only clearing them away from the grim of afterbirth and yet, blood of their mother, and even a bit of Guiness, tarnished the brightness of their coats. Her pale eyes moved up to meet Angier's attention to hear his question, a question which was followed by then another there after, yet by the voice of Adelaide as she arrived to the scene of both birth and crime. Elettra's jaw quivered, her body giving a hard shake as she turned to the three boys. Instead of speaking, she merely nodded her head in agreement to the question 'Are they alright?', though it was obvious Elettra was not. Mentally, at least, having just witnessed the murder of her long, loyal Guardian and Second and not being able to do anything to help him... In but moments after this more wolves of Willow Ridge came teeming in - her children (though Skoll was not yet seen), the newest member, Rowan, and even the Lowest amongst the ranks. It seemed almost everyone had come to her cries, savor Senka and Coquina. @Senka was a hunter of the pack and Elettra asked of @Coquina, upon the Spring, for her to take up the task of hunting as well. Perhaps the pair were far outside the lands of Drooping Willows attending to their jobs.

"Asriel..." The words murmur from her lips, though her attention is distant from her son, even as she sees him, even as she directs the Subordinate, Adelaide, to keep her distance from the new born pups. Pups which, in time, she might have the task of helping care for as a certain 'pup sitter'. But not now, not whilst they were still so vulnerable... Her eyes were set to Guiness and the cougar, watching as the newest member within their ranks, Rowan, did his best to pull the cougar away from their fallen comrade, a subtle act that put a mental smile to Elettra, even as her outward features were dull, tired, and shocked by what had just occurred. She nods to Morganna, knowing full right that the pups should not be out in the open, not on the chilly floor or in the wind with yet still wet coats. Still, her concern lies to her fallen comrade. "We can't leave him here." This much was obvious and, trying her damnest to gather herself before the crowd of her followers (though it was obvious she was not her normal self, having not snapped at anyone that approached her or her pups), Elettra's attention snaps fully onto Jaromir. "Lowest." Came the heated snap of his title, not bothering to gain his attention by name. "I'd like for you to help Rowan carry Guiness body. He will be laid to rest where Skana died." Skana had been a great member to this pack. A Second at the side of Guiness for far longer then anyone else had. She wanted Guiness to be remembered and why not laid at the side of where Skana's own death bed lie, long buried and rotten to the earth? Had she known @Skoll was here, she would have recommended he guide the pair there, knowing full well that Skoll knew of the location and knew it well.

Eyes shifted between Adelaide and Asriel questioningly then. She knew Asriel knew of the place though perhaps he wanted to help with the pups, though it would be impossible if Adelaide did not know the place. Ether way, it left Angier, Morganna and ether Adelaide or Asriel to carry the children (whichever did not escort Rowan and Jaromir). Elettra found herself to shaken up, much to tired and pained from what had happened to even trust herself to carry the pups. What if she stumbled and fell with one? What if her her trembling, her grip hit down to hard? She breathed in deep, once more trying to steady herself as she lifted off the ground fully, ready to go.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

The boy continued to bristle as a few other wolves arrived. Though he could not see or smell Skoll, who lurked in the distance, he did find himself wondering if his brother was spying on them. There was no way to tell- but it had become safe for him to assume that his brother was always lurking somewhere, like a panther. He found himself becoming irritated by the unknown male who'd approached the intertwined bodies of the cougar and their loyal guardian, but he told himself to remain calm and still- as he took upon himself the task of pulling the wretched creature off of Guiness' body. Asriel watched him with steely eyes as he did so, before those fiery eyes flitted only for a moment to the torn and bloodied body of the knight who'd saved his mother. It was a sight that appalled him. That could have easily been his mother. Had it not been for Guiness, the cougar would have killed her. It wasn't a fit death for someone who'd protected their queen.

He was softened slightly when Morganna appeared, and drew closer to their mother. He trusted her and felt no tension when she spoke up, stating that they should get the pups back to the den where they would be safe and warm. Though he was aware the pups couldn't see, and would never be able to remember the carnage of their birth day, he too wanted to take them far away from this place. He wanted to get his mother far away from it as well, so she too would be safe. His mother stirred, and spoke of Guiness, who seemed to be her primary concern. "Mother..." He said quietly. He wanted to say that they needed to focus on the living- but he too wanted a better resting place for Guiness, the man who had saved his mother's life- as well as the lives of his new siblings. Two males were commanded to carry Guiness to his resting place, and at that moment, Asriel knew that another would have to accompany him. Only he, Guiness and Skoll had witnessed Skana's burial. He looked up, to see if Skoll had joined them- but he was still out of sight. He then looked to the remaining pack member who was not of their family- Adelaide. And he didn't want her to be the one to aid his mother in his place.

So he drew toward her and extended his muzzle to her ear. He quietly whispered the whereabouts of Skana's grave to her before he pulled back. "Take them there." He said in a soft voice, but loud enough for the males to hear that Adelaide would be their guide. He gave a glance to the two males who had become Guiness' pallbearers, and nodded to them. If he heard of either of them taking one misstep or in any other way disrespecting Guiness' body, he'd tear them limb from limb- if his mother didn't get to them first. He then turned and moved to his mother's side as she stood. It was only then that he could see the pups clearly- three of them, two dark like his mother and one bearing markings which more closely resembled Angier, who was without a doubt the largest of the three. Before he even touched his siblings, though, he pressed his muzzle to his mother's cheek and uttered a soft rumble of a growl, an affectionate and sympathetic sound. He looked down, then, at the three small pups on the ground. They looked so soft, so delicate. And it was with the gentlest mouth that Asriel reached down and picked up the strongest-looking of the three, the agouti boy. He was inexperienced, yet instinct kept his grip firm but gentle, and his movements fluid as always. This was family he was carrying; the future of their line. There had never been a greater responsibility for the boy who longed to be king, and he embraced it.

It seemed she was perfectly fine - just exhausted from the event of birthing and possibly in shock from witnessing the battle that had unfolded right in front of her. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the cougar's bloodied throat, having meant to only look at the dark yearling (whom he had thought was Sköll). The way Alexander Dieudonné's body flew through the air, taking the mountain cougar with him down the slope of Mount Dire, flickered before his eyes and he trembled. Had he been the superstitious sort, as his brother Borden had been, he might have taken it as a sign. As it stood, he clenched his jaw to keep it from quivering. Adelaide and Asriel were quick to arrive soon after him; he did nothing but stand there, only drawing a little closer to Elettra as though to physically voice that he as there to protect her from any unwanted guest.

It seemed that he and Asriel shared the thought and, as the eldest prince growled toward the gray-eyed woman, he merely observed as the Sköll lookalike separated the fallen Guardian from the big cat - something he was grateful for since he felt that he could not bring himself to even touch the clawed creature even for the briefest moment. The scent of Elettra's second-born son came to him on the breeze, accompanied by Morganna as she showed up in turn, suggesting right away that they bring the newborn Lyalls somewhere safe and away from the borders of their lands.

Another dark-coated figure appeared; he, also, looked like Sköll, large in physique, but he was much too light in coloring and behaved nothing like the young royal. While he had been aware of Jaromir, this was the first time Angier had ever seen the man. His eyes watched as the Lowest paced and he waited for him to obey Elettra's order before returning his gaze back to his Queen and her children who had come to assist her. The Lyall, himself, he figured would escort and walk alongside her when she was ready, to give his shoulder and side for support. The sooner the pack removed themselves from the scene of the fight the better, if a herd of deer had possibly been attracted to such a commotion, who knew what else might turn up?

Swallowing the lump in his throat and trying hard to cast away the shock that was settling in his joints, he moved in a way to assist Elettra, matching her step for step as they made their leave. With Adelaide as a guide, Jaromir and Rowan he knew could be trusted to do as they were told and to give Guiness the burial and resting place he deserved.

Are you watching closely?
Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

His sister was next to arrive but instead of walking past, ignoring him as she went to join the others, she stopped to acknowledge him with a touch of her muzzle to his chin. At his side she, too, came to drink up the scene with eager eyes; but then she moved forward and Sköll stepped back towards the trunk of the tree when she parted the veil-like branches to approach the gathering of wolves that had assembled around their mother. His ears came back. He felt bad- truly, he did. First Skana was gone and now Guiness. Aside from Angier and his mother and siblings, who else could he trust now? Surely not Adelaide or this character that was seemingly anxiously pacing about, or that other yearling who had showed up. Maybe Senka - maybe - but no one else.

He listened attentively as orders were given and Asriel whispered something to Adelaide. Then, as his mother began to get up, he noticed as Angier moved to her side. Asriel and Morganna both moved to take the "Lyall"-looking boy in their grasp but as Asriel made off with the boy and Morganna left to take another one of their brothers, Sköll emerged from his hiding place. He didn't even bother to look at Guiness or the cougar or Adelaide and the two males who would bear Guiness to his resting place beside Skana - he didn't want to memorize any detail of it all, he wanted to remember the Guardian as the one who had been there when the den had been flooded and saved him and his siblings, the man who kept their borders, and the one who had guarded his mother's life and put her before his very own... not the lifeless and unseeing corpse, bloodied at the muzzle and neck (which was very, very different and unsettling compared to the peaceful, almost dreaming expression that had been left on Skana's face).

Instead, his pale eyes went to the scrawniest of the three, whose coat was just as dark and his body was as willowy as his. To be frank, the kid reminded him of himself; and, while the sentiment both inspired jealousy and awe, Sköll wanted to make sure that he was well taken care of... and not cast away like he was prone to enduring. Placing his jowls gently around the boy's ruff and lifting the cub so that his small body instinctively curled up in a ball as he was carried, Sköll followed suit after Asriel, bearing the child who would soon be a both an apprentice and partner in crime...

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

He was not ready for her voice,the harsh snapping of her jaws. The cruel and severe sound snapping his title, his lowly title. He was not sure or even ready for such an important task. He did not did not know the guardian to his queen well enough to lay him to rest. However his queen, his Lady ordered him to. He stood and looked at his queen. He bowed his head.

"As you wish M'Lady," he said and went to Guiness' body. He took in the scene of the brute, so brave was he to give his life to save the queen. He did not know him well but the event, this sad,horrible event made him think and this event made him sad. Elettra was obviously not going to be okay. She just lost someone extremely close to her.

He looked to Rowan and @Adelaide waiting for them to step up ant help and guide. He looked at the guard's body again and a thought occured to him. They should wash the blood from the brute's neck, make the wound look like it did not exist. They should make him look like he did before the battle that ended his life, to Jaromir's knowledge, ended it too soon. His dipped his head the shifted Guiness' upper body onto his shoulders, gently supporting the guard. He found it rude and wrong to put his teeth into the guard's scruff so that is why he carried him the way he was. Jaromir glanced at Rowan, waiting and said gently and quietly."Shall we?"

(This post was last modified: May 23, 2014, 04:28 PM by Jaromir.)

His ears tilted to hear the matriarch's words, but he did not relent in his task, not until he caught his name. Help Rowan carry Guiness' body. The boy looked up to see which Lowest she had commanded, surprised to see a large chocolate-hued wolf approach. The wolf was taller than Rowan and much sturdier too. Carrying the swarthy Guardian would need strength, thus he was a suitable partner to the task. Rowan saw a formidable wolf, and wondered what he could've done to have been stripped of respect, but quickly hushed the thought to the recess of his mind. First he would perform - then maybe he could see to camaraderie.

Another yearling appeared through the branches of the willows, prompting Rowan to bristle instinctively. Only when he saw his bee-line path and smelled his familial relation did the Attaya boy lower his head and look away. Was that it for family now? He tried to sniff out if anyone else was near, but only picked up the nearby smell of deer, stomach churning with irony. If only they were gathered here for a pack hunt and not this. Though despite the horrific scene the air did not team with it previous chaos. The pack coordination impressed him, how very well things would work out. He and the lowest would serve as pallbearers for their fallen Guardian, and the family would look after Elettra and their newest brothers and sons on the way to the den. That was most important now. The Archers and Lyalls could later pay their respects to the grave.

The eldest Archer child, the one who had been first to his mother's side, gave a hushed direction to the she-wolf who had been at the outskirts of the scene. To Jaromir's question the gold-eyed boy would grunt his approval, slapping the cougar's arms away with his muzzle to nose the fallen warrior's body into an appropriate position for carrying. With Jaromir he would follow Adelaide carefully, all the way to the gravesite where Guiness could be laid to rest.

Adelaide was quickly put in her place, and it was with little offense that she took multiple steps back, distancing herself from the mother and her brood, both new and old. She felt rather useless, though knew that the feeling was pointless. Their Lady had more than her fair share of help. Her eyes descended towards her paws as the family moved about and she only waited for an order. Slowly, more wolves arrived as well, clearly alerted by the sounds that had since passed. One of those wolves was Jaromir. Adelaide had been somewhat aware of his presence, simply by scent, though had not really interacted with him since before his entrance into Willow Ridge. She felt somewhat unsettled by his presence, knowing that he was here now, truly.

By Elettra, the man and another, Rowan, were commanded to move the departed guardian's body. Adelaide looked towards the stranger, Rowan, a youth, then back towards Elettra. Would it be her task to guide them to Skana's resting place? She'd never met the woman, but found a certain sadness lingering in the pit of her stomach. However, she...didn't know where the woman had been laid to rest. Her tail swayed, of its own accord, uncertainly across her hindlegs. One of Elettra's eldest, Asriel, approached her, whispering directions into her waiting ears. She gave a small nod, and exhaled, turning to the men. With a slightly harsher nod,--she was their superior, in a sense--Adelaide led the men away to complete the deed.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

((sorry short post))

When they arrived at the site Jaromir gave his silent respects for the fallen wolf that lay here already. Even if he never met or knew her it was still polite to give respects when at their grave site. The brute turned to Adelaide and politely asked "Do you think you could bring us some water? I'd like to wash the blood from Sir Guiness' neck before we lay him to rest.." with that said Jaromir lowered his half of Guiness' body to the ground then began to dig a hole next to where the other wolf laid. Jaromir did not know this but he had a feeling these two wolves he was united in death were either very close friends or lovers. He let a sad smile cross his lips as he dug the hole and waited to see if Adelaide would in deed bring him the water or not. If not then he'd clean the blood off as best he could with either his tongue or paws. He wanted the guard to look peaceful before he was laid to rest.

In the presence of the dead, Adelaide never found herself too affected. Even seeing her own dead children had filled her with more anger than disgust or sadness. Even now, seeing this deceased man, left cold at the claws of a feline to save his queen, she felt quite empty. A cold numbness. She didn't know the man, but pondering over any relationship they might've shared left her drained. She wanted nothing more than to return to Elettra's side now, ensure the safety of the pups at her breast. But she would not be allowed so close, not for many weeks to come. Until they could see and speak and hear, Adelaide would keep her distance unless otherwise invited. And she could not quite imagine what use they would have for her yet.

In a dead silence, she led the men along, until she reached the spot that Asriel had spoken of. Her hindquarters fell slowly to the ground and she would watch quietly when they buried him. But there was a delay, a question from the man she was weary of. Her eyes were like hard steel as they turned on him, wondering what reason he might have to break the silence of the dead now, of all times. Elettra had not commanded him to speak. Her nostrils flared, and she rose without another word, fishing some soaked clumps of moss from a nearby stream to drop at the man's paws, before returning to her spot, back turned to the males, quietly waiting until she was needed to bring them back.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention