Bramble Falls to gather an army

March 3rd-4th, just before sunrise.
Pack leaders -- @Elettra, @Athena, @Eden, @Nina, @Sloane, @Naira, @Borden, @Kade, make sure the wolves you want in come along! This thread will be open one week (April 7th), at which point we will move out and see where it goes from there. xD This means that ALL WOLVES WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR should post here before the 7th.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. The darkness was compact and complete, wrapping itself around him like a blanket. Even his white fur was doused by the shadows, moon and stars alike hidden by thick clouds. The only light seemed to come from the snow itself, lighter patches in the dark; dawn was a few hours away still, but Ice had wanted to be here. Not everyone would find their timing perfect, to avoid at the crack of dawn - some would be early, and some late. He wanted to be here before they came, to greet them in silence, answer questions if they had, but most of all, he was the one who knew the path across, and he did not wish to be seen like a coward or a fraud. He wanted them to take heart, to believe that he knew what he was doing, even if he did not. He fought to keep the hormones of spring and leadership down, for while he had taken over command from Elettra for now, he knew it was bound to change again. Leaders were prickly, and they did not need to war among themselves as they made it across; respect, but authority, would have to be his keywords for now. A large body of wolves needed someone to steer them, a general to command the captains, and for the moment that was him. He breathed out in the dark, a white cloud rising. He stood beside the falls, their crash into the pools below constant even through winter. Night froze the water upon the rocks, turning it to slippery ice, and below the pool was frozen and hard, open only where the waterfall hit it. Ice was not cold, though, for his thick fur kept him warm, though he stood in lee of the cliffside to avoid the wind punching it from him. They were heading to war, and it was a curious sensation, one he was not sure he was entirely fond of but it was necessary, it had to be done. There was no other way, even if some of them had to die to make sure the rest were safe. The Grove, the faces of his pack mates, were imprinted upon his mind, so that if he would not return, he would be able to take them with him; he had stared at even the most familiar of their characteristics, to make sure they were committed to his memory in their true form. Twitching in the dark, Ice knew that if the clouds didn't obscure the sky, it would start to lighten in the east. Surely the were on their way, picking their path through the night woods. He hesitated for a moment, his heart counting the time. These were his last moments alone. One, two, three.. then his head tipped back, and he howled out, to let them pinpoint his location by hearing his voice, to come straight to him and not wander astray. Every ten minutes or so, he howled again, and in the silence after it his ears pricked in the darkness, waiting for answers. .ice aesir

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2013, 05:06 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

It was the rise and fall of her chest and the way her ebony muzzle tucked snugly, perfectly, into the crook of her leg that stirred the emotion he needed to carry him through. As Ava slumbered, he would issue her only the most tender of nudges, inhaling the sweet redolence of her skin as he slid his nose beneath the strands of her fur just behind her ear. Clenching his eyes, he knew well enough that this could be the last time. The blustering gust that howled outside the den mouth called to him, called for him, and in the last few moments that he fought it off he held his breath. He would not wake her, nor would he whisper a goodbye or look back as his black form slipped from the cozy warmth of their home. In time he would return to the love that was his very life force, in this life or the next. The wind at his back had been the first ally, forcing him onward as he sped through the darkness. Long, powerful strides swallowed entire miles just as his mind swallowed the hours that passed as his destination drew near. The dire circumstances of this journey weighed heavily on his shoulders and his heart, but he kept a clear mind about it. It had to be done, and he found reassurance in the notion that it would be the strong to stand on either side of him through this, perhaps to give their lives as he would gladly give his, to make a better life for the beloved they had all left behind. A melodious song rang from deep within his chest as he answered the persistent, distant call that echoed through the night. He was nearly there. The drumming of the waters of Bramble Falls resonated in him as he followed the edges of Heartleaf Creek closer to the cascade's summation. The eastern sky was still ink dark but the stars had begun to fade, and he all but figured his arrival to be timely. A somber determination flickered in the depths of his silvery stare as his gaze eventually fell upon a shadowed figure just ahead. He recognized the wolf only from the recent gathering, and was pleased that it was he who would head the effort. It was clear that the chromatic opposites had at least the same goal, and notion of means to achieve it, in common. Adopting a neutral posture, Kade approached in silence, nodding a respectul acknowledgement as he drew to Ice's side.

table by mimi

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2013, 03:46 PM by Kade.)

After the meeting with all the packs, things had started to get quite tense with Nina. She was constantly worrying over the ones around her and found herself constantly running around for the past two days preparing for their travels. Now @Koda, @Sloane, @Hollow, and Nina were making their way towards where Ice had proclaimed their meeting for the war they were all getting themselves into. She was not exactly sure exactly where they were all going to meet, so when a call came from the white man’s mouth not to far away, Nina’s ears pricked in the direction, he tail swaying behind her casually as she made her way towards the sound. A short snort erupted from her muzzle when she heard the call once again, now closer than it was before and giving the golden woman much more assurance, as she strode through the brambles, her shoulders pushed back as she was pleased to see she was not one of the last to arrive, but of the very first. Another man that smelt of the Hollow pack stood nearby.

Nodding towards where Ice and the man were, Nina sat down, resting her paws while she still could. Her single eye trailed towards the mountains, not liking the idea that she would have to return to the rocky terrain, nor that her mate once again have to travel up the mountains…where he had originally gotten injured. Swallowing her doubt, she looked back towards the gathered, her gaze patient as she waited for the rest to arrive. Hopefully they would all get here on time, otherwise, it would be quite hard to go into war with only a few wolves. They all needed to take the illness down, and with it the wolves that the Devil possessed. It was time that the wolves of a Lore fought for their freedom, at least for the time being, and put the devious wolves out of their misery. War was coming their way and they were all going to give it all they had.

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2013, 03:29 AM by Nina.)

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

Either worry of what would lie ahead or exertion of the long trek was starting up a dull throb at the back of his head. Tendrils of dawn air, chill from the lingering winter and the night's cloudless starry sky, curled through the small bare patch of skin at his shoulder blades. Koda still wasn't sure if the fur there would ever grow back completely. It had been months since the fall, and by whatever great fortune he had made it out of the mountains alive and whole. Now he would be returning to them, and he hoped that whatever luck had saved him that time would hold out now. Not just for him, but for Nina, young Hollow, and their ally Sloane. The mountain alone could prove a formidable foe, and that was not even considering the vile, diseased beasts of wolves that lurked on the other side.

Koda trusted Nina to know where she was going, what she was leading them into, but it was assuring to hear another's howl from where they were headed. Koda paused his steady gait long enough to let out a howl, alerting those at the rendezvous point that they wouldn't be much longer. The crashing falls grew louder and louder, and finally they had made it to the meeting place. Koda regarded the pale and dark pair already present with a solemn dip of his head, before seating himself beside his mate, grateful to finally have a rest. He noted Nina's gaze lingered on the mountains, no doubt thinking about what lie ahead. Even though he would have preferred she'd stayed behind, where it was safe, he knew Nina would not stand for such a thing. Nonetheless, it was comforting to have her at his side, where they could draw strength from each other.

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

When Ice had departed from the Grove, Fenru Tainn, his apprentice and trained sentry followed suit only minutes behind him. He chose a different path, however, taking advantage of the shadows as it cloaked his large, cumbersome frame. For once, he seemed to have succeeded at being stealthy; he watched from behind a blossoming hedge as Ice emerged on the scene before him, taking a prominent place beside the cascading stream.

In darkness he waited, they waited. After all the boy had been through, he felt as if he was made for this... ready for something as dire and urgent as instinct itself. He recalled from memory all the reasons that had brought him to follow in the wake of his patriarch's departure -

For Rissa's revenge. To make his mother proud. To prove to himself that he harbored every ounce of bravery the males in his family possessed - and then some... For Kisla, whose duties would encompass his should he not make it back. For those who had died at the jowls of the plague and the ruthless strangers from the other side of the mountain...

The River Leader's howls rang through the night air, one after another and another. Then, they came... A dark leader presumably from the west, then a couple who smelled heavily of the same pack. Fenru took them in quietly, watching them for only a moment before emerging from the shadows, his stocky figure rustling the hedge at his side until he was free from it. He eyed Ice in the silence, his own nod given in turn with a determination that seemed to set his soul alight behind shadowed eyes. By the time these mongrels of pestilence and plague came to die, he was certain that everyone who came to heed Ice Aesir's call would see him as he saw himself: Fenru Tainn was a far cry from the cub who constantly howled for his mother, and even much more than the leader his father had once been. He was here to fight.

"speech"

Taekwondo (M, W, F) | Rapid-Response Day (Tu) | WoW Nights (F, Sat, Sun)

Sloane traveled with Nina and Koda, yet he lingered behind a bit. Partly to give them what time together they had before everything exploded into war and partly to allow himself the privacy to think on the mate that he left behind and the new friends that he left behind. He hoped to come back hale and hearty to all of them so they could make his and Nari's dream of a pack and family a reality, but they headed into war and he knew all to well that war was a dicey business and held no guarantee, save that of bloodshed. He fully intended to do his part to rid the Lore of these vermin and make it safe once more for his family and for everyone else' as well.

His pace increased with the howls summoning them and Koda's responding howl. Feeling the adrenaline fill him, he paused for a moment and sent forth his own booming call, his promise to protect the Lore from those that would harm it. Then he broke into a slow lope until he came upon the group gathered by the falls. He saw the large white male, Ice, who had called for all of them. There was another black male whom he recognized from his travels south, Kade, he thought. A young man that smelled of the same pack as Ice, their apparent general, emerged from the shadows as he neared the group. Then there was Nina and Koda of course, whom he approached and took position near, giving Koda a grim smile and nudging Nina's opposite shoulder in support of her fear for the mountains they were about to cross.

His posture was neutral, yet his huge form nearly vibrated with his readiness to get this done. He nodded gravely to all of those gathered, golden amber eyes blazing brightly as they waited for the rest to arrive.

Knight of Honor

The few days that the poisoned wolves had to prepare ended up being much shorter than he would have imagined. In the end Navar and Namara had ended up remaining home and @Steel, @Eden, and @Athena, along with himself had started their journey back to the area where the packs had agreed on meeting at. He had left quite early through the day, wishing to have some time to himself so he could take a little bit more time at arriving. This could possibly be the very last days that he would live. There was a complete possibility that he could die in this war but even as he thought this over, he knew he would die in a heartbeat for Athena. No matter what happened with him, he knew he would put anything on the line for her. Time away from everyone had given him some time to put on his steel face, making sure no one could peek through his carefully placed mask.

He soon had made his way down the mountains, his rough pads easily allowing him to scale down the rocky terrain with much ease, his burly body making its way down the mountains in no time before a calling made its way towards him. Two voices of whom he recognized called back to the male voice and Ash dutifully made his way towards the area, slightly hoping that the rest of his family were already there. When he arrived he was highly disappointed to see that they were not, though the presence of his sister and her own little family brought small happy thoughts into the back of his mind. Nodding towards the Secret Woodlands group and dipping his head in greeting to the other two males he took a seat next to Sloane’s side, his green eyes waiting for the other wolves to join their side.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

Those to join Elettra: @Guiness, @Skana, @Hotei & @Phineas (?).

It was time. Two days had passed to allow those members she requested to join her side to build up on food from their caches and much needed rest. Her Guardians and her trusted Advisor and Second would be joining her this day, with a likeliness of her well trained Tracker to join in this 'hunt'. She woke early that morning, far before the rising of the sun and stepped out into the chilly air which bit at her greyed toes ad shivered through her tri-colored coating of black, silver and gold. She pauses long enough to breath in deep the chilly air, a shifting of her rounded hips in a readiness for the run which would bring them to the falls. Her muzzle lifts then, pale rimmed jaws opening to the skies to call out for those who would be joining her as well as with a warning to those who would be staying back that they were leaving and to guard their home with their very lives.
Elettra waited only long enough to catch their nearing scent on the winds, to hear their footfalls and breath in the silence of the still night. She moved off then. The woman broke out into a run, twisting and turning with a grace throughout the sparse forestry she had come to know so well and claimed as her own. In time, the small pack of wolves would cross the boarder lines of their home and into open territory. The roar of the falls could be heard before them, the earth moistening under their footing as they neared the river bank and the pool of water which rested at the end of the Bramble falls.The molted woman slowed to a lope, beckoning her members with a wolfish nip and growl. She knows she is swifter then them, but knows her members to hold a well stamina which would keep them afloat. It was Guiness, by far the largest and slowest of them, whom Elettra would assume to have fallen behind, though feared not of his health or ability to catch up with them once they had made it to the gathering.
Upon her own arrival, she is slowed to a walk, her tail flicking at an even level, silvery pale eyes darting to those who had gathered as she made her way. Kade was there, draped in dark colored with pale, pale eyes which matched her own image. They looked a like in many ways, fitting to be brethren and she held him with a high regard all the same. She nods to him then, a smirk upon her features before drawing her attention to Ice, which the same manner was given. There was another River wolf amongst them, she she vaguely remembered though could not place from exactly where, though offered a dip of her muzzle to all the same. As well as Ash, the brother of Nina which she still could not place trust in for his former views to her friend. Alas, the Woodland pack: Sloane, Koda, Nina. Each wolf she held trusted and as allies both personally and in pack relation. Koda's presence was more so surprising to her and as she greeted them all with the same gesture, she is hesitant with Koda, fearing he had yet to remember his past loyalties to her and her pack.

(This post was last modified: Apr 04, 2013, 09:51 PM by Elettra.)

He had been resting while he still could when the call came to him, requesting that he come. Two days prior he had heard Elettra announce to the pack that they were all going into war, and though Guiness was much more of a peaceful wolf he would do whatever his lady asked of him. Participating in this war that they were going to fitting into the category. His muscular shoulders rippled under his russet pelt. When he grew closer, he could hear his alpha break into a run and soon the man was following close behind and he was doing so for quite a little whiles until his stamina ran out. He settled into a comfortable jog so that he would be able to catch his breath and keep moving while the rest of the pack would be up ahead. He still had no doubts that he would make it to the gathering on time and he was sure El would realize that he was close behind her, or at least he was trying to be close behind her.

Much time had passed over them, knowing that by know the rest of his pack had surely made it towards the area, he picked up some of his pace now and finally made it to where Elettra’s scent was becoming stronger. He made it to the area where other wolves were gathered. Three that were huddled in one area were unknown to him, but none the less he tilted his head downwards in greeting before turning towards the woodlands back. The man that stood next to his own brother, Sloane, was quite unfamiliar to him, but the way his eyes slanted slightly reminded him of another he knew. As his gaze traveled towards his allies he once again nodded towards them, his large body hovering over Elettra, towering over her. He then waited, knowing full well that soon they were all going to move into full out war.

Pillar of Strength

Cali was lagging behind her leader. She'd had the luck to catch some prey earlier to add to the caches before leaving. As strange as the thought was, they headed off to war. By nature, she was a peace-loving fae, but she had honed herself to be an unofficial guardian of those that she loved. She was a very capable hunter, yet she felt it her duty to step up alongside her pack mates and protect them with her life, despite being untested in true battle. None of them knew what they faced. One or more of the heathen pack was ill with the disease and they knew not whether they would face three wolves or ten. Another reason to add her own fangs to the mix.

After a delayed departure her hunting abilities aided her in easily tracking both Ice and Fenru. A shiver of fear went through her at the young man going into battle, but she could not fault him despite her protective urges. His sister had been taken and brutally murdered. As terrible as this would be, it might give the boy closure. She picked up her pace without going all out. She was not used to the rougher terrain leading to the falls, despite a couple of visits there. Torn and bloody paws would do her no good in a fight. The snowy fae slowed her pace, but her long legs still ate up the ground. Little time passed before she heard a few indistinct words in the distance and began scenting a myriad of other wolves. Sticking to Ice's trail, she soon emerged from the brush to the sight of nine wolves, including Ice and Fenru. With her head held high, but her tail in a neutral position, she made her way over to the River wolves, gave Ice a respectful lick to the chin and took a seat near him.

Her emerald eyes took in those around her. The majority of them were strangers the the white woman. She didn't often travel beyond the borders and so met few new wolves. Elettra, whom she considered a respected friend was there and so too were the two huge Thorben males. She knew the taller one, Sloane to be Narime's mate and she prayed that he came home to her young friend. The other she'd seen in passing when Narime' escaped her underground prison, but she'd never caught his name. Seeing them together, she saw a distinct family resemblance although he was considerably burlier than Sloane. Then she caught sight of Ash. She had met the large mountain wolf once and she flushed at the memory. He had seen her at her weakest and most vulnerable. To them and the others she gave a silent nod of acknowledgement. Her usual gregariousness was quelled in the light of upcoming events. This was a serious and somber occasion.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...