The Wildwood sound the alarms

I thought I would get the second round going real quick. Still on the list to join is @Kiche, @Kade, @Angier, @Destin, and @Eden. Feel free to have them pop in at any time and as well, there is no posting order. Just post.

This was big. BIG. Though the meeting was by far not one of the largest she had been a part of, still this was an event to remember. It was she which had sent her members out to give word, gathering all these wolves here this afternoon, wolves of all packs (savor Grizzly Hollow, which she quickly noticed) which for the most part, sat and turned her attention towards her for answers. The swell of pride was inevitable as she looked to them, sniffing out both stranger, friend and brief encounters good or bad. She swallowed any ill feeling aside in order to discuss the manner on neutral ground in a same neutral state. Elettra would seek those to be leaders, ones she ether knew to be or ones she assumed to be by body language alone. Nina and her wolves of the Woodland were open and kind, Elettra greeting herself to Iopah instantly before addressing Sloane with a nod and agreement to his words. Two different groups that smelt of the mountains were here, confirming the knowledge of a new mountain pack having been created. And then there were the River wolves, those which Elettra had only encountered briefly savor Cali, whom Elettra considered a friend of sorts. The other River fellow was as swift as his pack name suggested, offering no room for introduction but quick demand to an answer to this problem. Elettra's pale attention turned to the equally large pale wolf, silent for a moment as she looked him over, a clearing of her throat offered before speaking, indifference clear upon her expression. "As I, too, have lost." She pauses, thinking over the recent death of Kanosak. Not simply put down, but attacked and made to suffer, foaming and rotting in disease and rage.
"Before I divide my members into who will be staying to watch our home and who will be marching off into war on unknown lands, I would like to gather as much information on our enemy as I can. In turn, offering what I know of, of course, though I cannot say I have learned much. What I know already is disturbing enough, hence the reason why I have gathered you all..." She pauses, long enough to turn her attention over each whom had already arrived, lifting off her sit before them with tension, pacing if only to get out the energy which boiled in her. She was ready to strike, ready to head straight in as Ice, though a need for knowledge for her enemy in order to do what was best for her pack kept her for a moment at bay. She would not charge in half cocked and get her ass whooped due to such foolishness. "You say they come from the mountains, then? They have come from the other side, I presume?" Her attention is shifted to Ice, for Elettra had her assumptions, though had not been to the north in some time to have attempted examining that part of the world of the Lore. The Southern Eden was her home and already the Pass had caused enough trouble for her on its own. "And how many have we all seen? Two members of mine, one no longer alive to tell the story, had encountered two. One was diseased; carrying a contagious, deadly infection. If we our injured by said wolf, or others with it, were bound to loose ourselves in the same manner." Had Ice not known of the infection or had he not cared? Such, Elettra was all about killing them all for their crimes and plaguing their home with their virus, but how many of them held the virus and if they could not attack with tooth or claw without risk of infecting themselves, what other matter might they take? How might a trap or ambush be played?

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2013, 11:58 PM by Elettra.)

(I'll just throw Destin in since none of the other GH wolves have posted so far, but I'll say they traveled together)

Destin volunteered himself almost immediately to the task of meeting with the other packs. He knew that the special encounter with the others would prove beneficial to all from the start. If the rumors about the kidnapping were true, he assumed many others would be on guard like Grizzly Hollow was. The male hoped to also describe his encounter with the rabid fox and warn them of similar animals. Perhaps it wasn't exactly related, but in times of danger one could never be so sure. Thoughts of leaving Relic Lore heavy on his mind, the subordinate traveled with the others of his pack steadily towards "The Wildwood". He had never been here before and mostly stuck to the edge of his own borders.

His first sight of the territory was one of wonder. Burned stumps and charred foliage laid before him, moving outwards into the horizon. Countless wolves sat here next to one another. He did not recognize most of them, but he could pick out one wolf in particular that he did- Nina. Attempting to catch her gaze, he sent her a nod before seating himself near the others. A second nod was sent towards the woman who was currently speaking, an apology for being late. Destin listened intently to her words. A war? A sickness? Of course some strange smells were scented around, but the male wolf had limited knowledge of any others they could war against. Were these the wolves in the shadows- the ones that had stolen the daughter from Swift River? Were they behind all of this? Destin willed himself to speak up, and so he did. "I had an encounter recently with a fox. It acted completely insane and attempted to attack myself and another of Grizzly Hollow. If this is the sickness you're speaking of, it is not only transmitted by wolves." He did not know if this would be useful information to the others, but he knew he should speak anyway. As the only wolf of Grizzly Hollow to yet arrive, it was important that he represented them- for Jaysyek's sake at least.

They traveled in silence. Leaving what little safety Cedarwood Forest offered pressed his nerves, and though this abbreviated journey was for good purpose, he couldn't fend off the feeling of unease that came with abandoning his watch. With Ava in tow and Destin at his flank, he crossed the border swiftly, and it was only a short matter of time before the air became laced with the scents of many others, only a handful of which he recognized. In the distance their articulations clamored and the tone underlying the spoken words was one of urgency.

As they pair broke onto the scene, it was the unforgettable voice of Elettra that spoke of loss and war, leading the inquisition that concerned the unwelcome presence of the bastards who were responsible for the havoc that had been wrought. It was true that those present had lost, and hurt, and suffered, either by death or sickness, and weren't they right to yearn to avenge all this? His features were dark and emotionless as he considered the impact of the sickness on Grizzly Hollow, the fear that lived in his leaders and in them all; in his heart he knew that recovering from this tragedy would be much harder and more intricate than simply enacting vengeance. Yet, where would he stand if it were not at the sides of those strong enough, noble enough, to put a swift end to the sacrilegious mockery being made of the wolves of Relic Lore. As dangerous as war would certainly be, what other alternative was there? The answer was that there was no alternative, but to hunt them down, one by one. To pick them off until they stood no chance at all. To strike in their enemy the fear which had been inflicted upon them all.

Silently, patiently, he would listen to what was said, taking in all considerations judiciously as Destin spoke up for Grizzly Hollow.

(This post was last modified: Mar 22, 2013, 06:08 AM by Kade.)

I think @Corinna might be meaning to show up too? :]

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. It was a comfort to have the smaller, whiter Cali with him, their pale paws digging into the slush of the ashy soil. He did not have eyes for most of the wolves gathered, except for the regal black lady who was the source of the call: something about seeing all these wolves gathered had ignited a fire in him, and he knew that if they would but agree to come with him, across the mountains, they could remove the threat once and for all. Too many smells clamored for his attention at the same time, shadows and memories and testosterone swirling around the back of his had, but he kept it all pushed down, under lock. If he was to be a wolf, now, chaos would come down. As the dark lady impassively, so cold when compared to Ice's fervor, shared that they, too, had lost, he fought down the urge to snarl. These wolves were not his to command. He would have to trust in a few more minutes not bringing about the end of the world, the ruin of his pack (they were safe with Fenru, weren't they?), and instead said, in a surprisingly polite tone, "I'm sorry". A moment later more wolves came, and Ice's white fur bristled at the sight of Athena. While she was not Rhysis, nor Naira, she carried on their legacy by the lake and old habits died hard in the wild. Smothering the simmering anger he turned his eyes back to Elettra, staring avidly at her in order to block out the rest of the world. At least she had her heart in the right place, speaking of action, if not immediate. Take what you can get, Ice, he warned himself, and exhaled, trying to loosen up the tension in his shoulders. He'd never been much of a social animal, and a gathering this large - well, it was a bit overwhelming in every way possible. However, a question was soon directed at him, and he gave a curt nod. They nested somewhere on the other side of the serpentine mountain range, and he assumed it was either directly east of here, or south. Despite Rissa's last moments in life taking place further north, he'd not caught wind of territory markers. She went on, with bad news. Ice was no stranger to the sickness, though he didn't know its name, but to hear that one of them was ill.. that would definitely make things more complicated, and despite his desire to yowl angrily at the revelation he gradually began to understand her.. caution, hesitation. If one of them was sick, what if all were, and what if to wipe them out would be a death sentence for those who went? Chilled to the bone, it wasn't until a new voice spoke, of Grizzly Hollow, that Ice's head turned and saw.. a regular male, a black male, and, to his own astonishment, Ava. "Ava!" he cried out before he realized what he was doing, pleased surprise in his eyes before he realized some more things - for one, she wasn't a Poison wolf anymore, and for another, Elettra had actually asked him a question. Closing his mouth, Ice drew a deep breath, and tried to dredge up what he knew. "There's at least four of them," he began, his gaze flicking back to Elettra as if no one else was there. "Might be five, might be more. I.. smelled them, around her body. I didn't know one of them was sick, though." Everything on the other side of the mountains had smelt wrong, so how was he to have known? "I know of the sickness, though. I think it came from them.. from the east." He shifted uncomfortably where he stood, aware that likely too many eyes would fall on him as he spoke. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Ava had begun a life anew within the Lore some several weeks ago. Beyond Grizzly Hollow's borders she felt safe, and sure. But as she worked her way through the Wildwood, following the surety of Kade and Destin's steps, the scents began to overwhelm her. Some old, some new, and so very many. Green gave way to grey, her ink-black paws picking up residual ash that survived despite the frost, and the scents only continued to multiply and grow in strength like a great crescendo until the Grizzly Hollow wolves found the group among the skeleton trees.

The she-wolf positioned herself at Kade's side, lifting her chin ever so slightly as she gave the scene a quick glance. She was far too lost to give anyone the proper attention, not even Ash or Athena, save one voice. Her fiery eyes snapped to the source of her name, finding Ice at the end of her stare. The familiarity of her friend and the happiness lit in his silver eyes provoked an unbridled grin from her stoic expression. There'd been too much to handle in the mountains and the Cedarwood to pay a visit to the Sacred Grove, not to mention she was a little apprehensive to run into that brassy male on the other side of the river. But it was more than good to see Ice - especially that he was still happy to see her, in spite of whatever had gone on in their absence. Her gaze lingered a moment, knowing she'd have to see him again outside of the burned forest, and soon. But first...

His attention garnered by the dark lady at the head of the gathering, Ava allowed her grin to wane to a ghost of a smile while she tuned in to the grim knowledge being shared. News of the wolf scourge plaguing them was still relatively new to her - having somehow avoided it up until now. How unsurprising that more trouble had been brought in from the mountains. For a moment she inhaled the smell of Cedarwood from the air that surrounded their little trio, appreciating the sanity the forest had to offer her even in spite of recent events. Killing a gang of evil was not beyond their efforts, but the contagion was a greater evil than any of them. Her amber eyes narrowed as she contemplated how they could manage to fight a disease, the metaphor and the reality.

art - threads

The Woodland wolves were the first of many to arrive. As more wolves trickled in, she silently marked them in her mind. Next to arrive after them was another wolf that had an airy scent to him, quite an old guy, but obviously not discombobulated enough to not be able to get down the mountain. A surprise to Nina was to see that Shade arrived soon after, greeting to two alphas of the thickets respectful, all while the golden woman only gave the man a respectable nod, preferring not to speak to him. The next face to arrive was one that the woman had never expected to see again, from a fight almost a year prior. She was sure his facial expression might have changed slightly, but she knew with a glance that large lump of snow was from the spar a large group of wolves had gotten into awhile ago. Accidentally getting in his way probably had not gotten any good points from him, and so she merrily stayed silent, listening to him quickly lash out on them.

Apparently the ill wolves had taken a pup from the River wolves and even though she did not know of who, the boiling anger quickly started to rise within her, not happy that the Demons that taken young. All was silent as another white wolf who smelled similar to Ice arrived and quickly stood by his side, giving a brief nod to the both of them, her ears twitched when rustling behind her caused her head to turn slightly. Out came Ash, Athena, and another man that she knew not of. Dipping her head to her brother and his partner, he waited for them both to join them. Sitting by her side quickly, mountain and woodland pack stood together as they waited for the gathering to start. It soon seemed as though she would not have to wait any longer.

Elettra’s powerful voice rang over them all, the golden woman’s own attention quickly drifted to that of the Willow’s alpha. Her words rang true in her own mind and she quietly listened as others offered up information to them, one by one. Before anyone else who was gathered could answer, a wolf from the Hollow appeared. A wolf that was familiar to her. Nodding her head towards Destin as he spoke of his own findings. A diseased animal in the area, so perhaps her assumption had been true about the contact part of her hypnosis. Two more Hollow wolves arrived soon after, only one of which was slightly familiar to her. Nina’s attention quickly focused on that of Ice as he once again spoke. It was no surprise to her to find that she knew of no other side of the mountains, as she preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. He obviously knew they were sick. Now, Nina offered up her own observations, "A loner showed up at my borders by the name of Anne. She was infected, and I believe that this disease…whatever it is, can be transmitted by contact. So killing them might tend to be a problem." Her emerald eye looked back towards Elettra, curious to know if the alpha had already known this, but Nina found it wiser not to voice her questions as she waited for this gathering to continue on.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

Gone Tomorrow

When Ice had told her that there was to be a meeting of the packs of Relic Lore, Corinna had sat up and taken notice. There had never been a gathering of that size, as far as she knew. Hell, alone in her isolation in Swift River's territory, she wasn't even aware that other packs had met with one another. But Ice's meeting with Borden of Grizzly Hollow had set her on alert, and beneath the tension was some relief that others were willing to band together to try and deal with the problem of Rissa's murderers.

The other Swift River leader had not accompanied Ice and Cali directly, but it was to them that she made a beeline for. Despite the intention of the gathering, Corinna found habit hard to break. Her head and tail had lifted, her status as a leader completely natural and, hopefully, apparent to the rest of the wolves gathered. Coming to stand next to Ice and Cali as one of the strange females spoke up in response to Ice's question, Corinna bumped her fellow leader's shoulder. Having come from behind him, she wanted to alert him to her presence.

The assault of the various scents of packs was almost too much to handle. They were all strange faces; her losses had kept her trapped at home and she could not honestly say that she recognized any of the wolves there. But, there were a few scents she could place - Grizzly Hollow and Poison Path among them. Her brow furrowed as her nose caught the scent of her sworn enemy, though the female who wore it was not Naira. Had Swift River's betraying second been overthrown? Who knew.

"Did she leave on her own? This Anne?" She spoke up, her voice direct as she zoned in on the female who had spoken. Corinna had not known of the sickness either, and if the other wolf was right in saying it was spread through physical contact, then how did they have a chance? They were really only in trouble so long as the sick wolves knew they could spread their disease. If those gathered didn't know, then it was possible that the infected didn't either.

mapplethorpe

respice, adspice, prospice

All around him, wolves from all walks of life - pelts bearing the aroma of even more willows, verdant flowering trees, water-smoothed stones, and pheromones - gathered, and with them came the news he had come for.

"We should strike, before the monsters breed," a white-pelted brute declared, flanked by two women who had accompanied him in his journey. "These rogue wolves from the mountains — they took one of our girls and murdered her. We should not let them live long enough to repeat the act. They are a problem we can solve. All of the River would gladly march to drive them from their homes and shed their blood."

Mapplethorpe's lips pressed together. That really was too bad that the man's pack had suffered through such grief. Underneath all the pity though, the Advisor was quite pleased that the wolves of the Pass had not suffered a misfortune of that magnitude. Naira might have lost her daughter to Poison Path, due to the girl's unyielding views and opinion, but at least Bella was taken care of. She had not died at the jaws of these killers who had come from the mountains. The mountains...

The Advisor quickly glanced around, surveying all who had turned up so far... hastily ensuring that no eyes had been cast in his direction. Apart from their initial arrival, their scanning about to survey the assembly, he was glad they were all so quickly immersed in the matter at hand as the dark woman with silver eyes replied in kind, stating that she, too, had suffered loss. She was even quick to presume the pack had come from the other side of the mountain and though the statement didn't particularly single him out, it still made his heart nearly sink into the pit of his stomach. He knew attending the meeting was a dangerous affair; @Naira had even made sure he understood what would befall him should something go awry and, still, he traveled on his Leaders' behalf.

Accounts of rabies - the "sickness," the "deadly and contagious infection" - began to take precedence as the meeting advanced. With the mention of a fox carrying the disease, Mapplethorpe made no mention of the coyote he and @Sagacity had found; the information would have lost underneath the enlightenment of learning there were at least four enemies from the east to look out for. To make matters worse, a named target had shown up on one of the Leaders' markers, and they further confirmed that these wolves could not be attacked due to fear of transmitting the disease.

"Did she leave on her own? This Anne?" a voice fluttered from the crowd. The old man rolled his eyes, starting to succumb to the boredom brought on by the unnecessary questions and wonderings that sprung up in their wake. Most of them, he realized, were mature, even seasoned by the Lore's unpredictable nature, but he found a loophole that he at least hoped some of them might have touched on.

"What does it matter if she left on her own?" he questioned, his tone a bit too sharp on his tongue. "You cannot predict the infected. They're mad... ALL of them. Blabbering about nonsense one moment then aiming to bite your heads off the next." He nodded to Nina quietly, "You must be quite lucky to have survived that." His mind immediately drew up a map, his routes laying themselves out like the lines of a spiderweb as he made sure that what he was about to suggest was a rational one.

He looked from one face to another from his perch, mentally summoning every bit of their awareness and ability to pay attention. "If you can't bite them or even risk being bitten, then why not drown them instead? Draw them to the Lake... You take their leader out, another one will rise up in their place. They will recruit and infect and kill again and again. It will not stop until you take them all out."

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(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2013, 10:53 PM by Mapplethorpe.)

-pokes Grey's table to end bold-

Kade. For an ounce of time, he captures hers. The silver pale eyes which had otherwise been locked on the lightly colored wolf of the River now turning onto him. A man she had not seen since she left the Hollow, she still could remember being happy having him at her side as partner, only to rise as her leader forever how brief. He was a good wolf, a trusted wolf in ways even though their ties had otherwise been severed. There was no pleasure of chit-chat, however, and Elettra's attention as swiftly as it had been caught by him, turns now away.
Destin's words of the disease spreading beyond wolves is something that brings tension in the woman and her teeth to grind. It was worrisome enough that an unfortunate rogue wolf that had been attacked might stumble upon their home but now to know that it was beyond this? That the death of her members could be caused by a scrap with a trespassing fox or a raging raccoon? Elettra's members knew to stay clear. Knew of the signs both she, Kiche and Skana had mentioned and yet still, accidents happen and mistakes were made. The disease needed ended before it spread further.
There attention was locked upon one another: Elettra and Ice. His agitation, tension of being in such a large crowd was something that rolled off the shoulders of Elettra Archer, having been used to standing above all else. To address the masses as her parents and grandparents before her. He speaks of his former ill knowledge of the disease directing from the wolves which came from the east, over from the other side of the mountain. The two Elettra knew of grew in size from four, possibly five of them, yet still nothing in numbers compared to those which were willing to fight them off: A few well fighters from the Ridge, including herself. Members of the River for which Ice had already offered and any else whom wished to follow along their side.
Nina then speaks words of a wolf to have visited her lands: Anne. Another wolf fallen victim to the diseased wolves whom now roamed their lands. Nina's words, savor the visitor she had gained were things Elettra already knew, having been mentioned of this by Skana as well as the obvious from Kanosak being sick once being bitten by one of the stranger wolves. Though not all of them held this infection, as Kiche had only mentioned one of the two to be wild. Then another comes, one of the scent of the River, holding herself proud and high and she questions if Anne had left at her own will or had been forced to leave. A question that went without answer of Nina before another arose, the one whom had been atop his perch, now to speak his own peace.
Elettra's skull rises, a smirk befalling the off-white lips of the woman with his words. "Drown them? Perhaps tossing the infected off the mountain side would be more swift?" She speaks now, a teasing mock on her tone, though her eyes offering a seriousness to the idea of this. "It is dangerous, of course... but we cannot possibly continue as we are and allow them to pick us off one by one." The River girl had been taken and killed, this rogue Anne attacked and Kanosak the same. "I say we attack, but with caution. Wolves infected are easily known by their foaming mouths, delirium, swings of sudden aggression. In time, the infection alone will surely cause their death so if we at least take out those not ill, we will at least be getting somewhere...until of course, we drown the rest?" Her eyes toss over the older male once more until then her attention addresses the crowd, sweeping over them all: friend, ally and stranger alike. "Whilst these wolves live and their disease spreads, there is no safety." Was this not obvious? Already they had done their best to avoid these wolves and to what end? The kidnapping and murder of their children? The attack of their members which spread to sickness? The disease of their prey? "With every war, there is risk. And this, without doubt, is war." She takes a moment, sweeping her attention to Ice which firstly spoke of striking them down. Elettra had sought information in this meeting and she had: their location over the mountains, a rogue draft of their numbers, a known fact of it spreading beyond the wolves. Though she knew her enemy it was action which would end them. "If you wish to stand and fight, then fight. If you wish to stay away from the bloodshed, then let it be remembered that it was those who risked their lives, which saved your own."

(This post was last modified: Mar 25, 2013, 10:49 PM by Elettra.)

The information coming to light was increasingly disturbing. Those gathered continued to offer information, ask questions, and convey their strategies, and it was apparent that no two of them would come to a solid agreement. As a spectator, he listened openly without disregarding any proposition or opinion. This sickness was to be avoided at all costs, that much was obvious. And the fact that it was not confined to any one species was an additional cause for concern. In his mind and as far as the murderous scum were concerned, it was clear that they be neutralized, by methods which mirrored their own.

When it came to drowning them, however, he wasn't convinced that it would be so easy as the sharp-tongued man suggested. Unless this individual planned on holding their heads under the water, the lake was the least likely water source to cause any fatality, its waters were relatively calm. The guardian thought long and hard, however, at the concept of those infected drowning. Perhaps they wouldn't have the mental capacity to save themselves or identify the danger water potentially posed? Perhaps their sickness would reach a state where their bodies couldn't handle a long swim over deep water. If a cliff high enough existed over a part of the lake that was far enough from shore, perhaps the old man's idea wasn't so far from reality...

Soon enough Elettra's attention would fall upon him, and his liquid silver eyes would meet hers with a silent, warm greeting. It was true that she had supported him when few else had, and he considered her an ally then just as he did still this very day. She was strong, and during her time in Grizzly Hollow he'd only ever admired her, grateful for her loyalty and presence. Looking upon his old friend, Elettra Archer was a sight for sore eyes, no less regal than she'd ever been, worthy of his admiration now more than ever after all this time as she stood tall among the wolves of Relic Lore. Offering her a subtle nod of acknowledgement, his attention quickly followed hers to the matters at hand. After further deliberation and Elettra's proposal, his mind was made.

Following her lead and agreeing with her argument, he stood and stepped forward. "I will fight alongside any other who so chooses." His eyes return expressly to Elettra before posing his own strategy. "We take the uninfected down one by one, relentlessly, starting with whichever of them we hunt down first," There was no point in wasting time on hunting them in particular order. The sooner they die, the better, no matter. "Those who are afflicted will find their demise in the wilderness," he reiterated the point made previously. It was given that these individuals were to be avoided. His attention was hers alone now, and though the opinions of the others would not fall upon deaf ears, he wasn't going to wait around and discuss possibilty any longer. He would set out as soon as possible alongside whoever else chose to fight.

(This post was last modified: Mar 27, 2013, 01:57 AM by Kade.)