Spectral Woods deshi basara

This is the Oak Tree Bend pack claiming thread! This thread has been back dated to April 15th as the official day of founding. They would have traveled together as a pack over the pass. Here is the location where they would have ended up (the dot in the middle of the circle).

At this point, Aiyana would have decided to leave with Borden, with Ice and Cori's agreement, so she won't be with them. They would have communicated with Triell via howl, but not actually seen him yet.

Since Cori gives birth on the 27th, we're going to make this claiming thread short and sweet. If people could get their posts up by the 26th, that would be awesome. Please allow Fenrir to post first with Ice, and then we'll book-end it once everyone has posted.

@Ice, @Fenru, @Cali, @Jessie, @Kisla, @Tali

Mid afternoon ~ 45 F; mostly sunny

Gone Tomorrow

The Swift River wolves were no more. That is, they no longer laid claim to the lands that had been their home for so long. Turning her back on the familiar places had been far harder than Corinna had anticipated, but in the end, she had been forced to do so. Her stomach would begin to swell, and once it did, there was no reneging on their decision to leave. For the sake of the life growing inside her and for the lives she looked after as leader of the pack, she had bid her favorite haunts goodbye and headed east. The pack had traveled together, their mutual company making up for the negative feelings that had inevitably set in as the weight of their decision fell upon their shoulders.

The loss of their youngest member had been enough to rattle Corinna for several days, her melancholy so great that she had to focus all of her energy on walking. It was a small comfort to know that Aiyana had left the pack under the protection of @Borden Lyall. The River wolves had always gotten along with their neighbors in Cedwarwood Forest, and somehow, the slight disappearance of Aiyana's gloom at the prospect had made Corinna's agreement a little less hard to bare. But there was no getting around the fact that of her second litter, born almost a year ago, none remained. If anything, out of the all too familiar feeling of loss came the determination that the future had to be better for the cubs taking shape inside her womb. The world was a harsh place, but with a loyal pack and companion beside her, perhaps she could do better by these young ones than she had been able to do by Aiyana, Torrel, and Rissa.

A combination of depression and determination was what got Corinna over the treacherous mountain trails. Her life-long fear of heights, once comforted by the presence of Indru, had returned with a vengeance, but the leader had refused to falter for more than a few steps. Her eyes focused forward and upward, she had refused to look at the ground as it fell away beside them into steep slopes. But her relief as the highest point in their journey was crossed was visible, and her steps were a bit more enthusiastic as the pack of wolves made their descent from Serpent's Pass and into the forest below.

Their path had dumped them out into a forest. Familiar terrain, although an all together different atmosphere than the forest they had left behind in the Grove. But they had pushed on, stopping only when their feet grew too weary to carry them. They hunted as they went, the tell tale signs of deer herds a comforting sight. Water and food were Corinna's primary requirements. Secondary was a location in which she could give birth securely. There was relatively little time for them to construct a den, as they had done for her last litter, so a natural landmark was going to have to do. And so they pushed on through this forest ears and noses perked for the sounds of their companions who had gone ahead.

And then, several days after they had descended from the Pass, Corinna's heart surged. Despite her weariness from the travels, she had given a high yip and her pace had picked up. They had heard Triell's familiar howl that morning, and his scent had been stumbled upon, rerouting their path as they took off after it. With every step, Corinna knew that she was getting closer to this place that would become home. The trickle of water had registered in her ears, and without a doubt, she knew that they were close.

A large oak tree dominated their view before the creek did, though the shallow creek was not far beyond it. The mid-afternoon sunlight shown down, casting the whole area in a warm light. For a split-second, the place reminded her of the tree for which Indru's birth pack, Hidden Tree, had been named for, but the sound of life was everywhere, a quiet, constant hum. There was no such sound in the ashen Wildwood. Triell was not here, but his scent was strong, and somehow she knew that he would not have ventured much farther. Coming to stop at the base of the tree, Corinna turned and looked at Ice, the glint in her eyes hard and decisive. This was it.

Circling around the oak tree, Corinna rubbed her shoulder against it, breathing in its scent. Her fresh gaze fell on each of her pack mates, hoping that they too could feel the excitement that she did at this discovery. This was the place, she knew it in her heart. Tilting her head back, the leader's black lips parted, her alto voice rising into the afternoon sky triumphantly. This was what they had been searching for and it was here that they would rise up. No longer as the wolves of Swift River, but as a a new group, the wolves of Oak Tree Bend.

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. Ice was a wanderer by nature, a stray come down from the bitter north - a long time ago he had crossed these mountains, entered them somewhere in the north and walked their wind-scoured heights until he'd settled further south, enjoying the solitude and cool mornings for a whole summer. To leave the Sacred Grove was no strange thing to him, to see its trees dwindle, lose track of the river's tinkle and feel the ground slope upward underneath his paws... but the thing which did feel strange, was to know that he wouldn't go back, in a day, or two, or three. He wouldn't come in between its ancient, majestic trunks anytime soon, rub his flank against the familiar trees, and feel their shades cast across his back. He took the well-worn path out, but wouldn't take it in again. And something about it made his heart ache, like saying goodbye to an old friend - like saying goodbye to Aiyana, their precious dark child who had decided to leave, but not with them, rather, somewhere else. While Ice would've liked her to stay a year longer before seeking her own life, he was glad she didn't pick the harsh life of a loner. Even though he'd only met Borden, and Jaysyek, once before, he felt some sort of trust for the former Hollow patriarch. Aiyana would be safe with him, and maybe Borden would have more luck in teaching her to smile than the River had had. The ground was a steady upward slope, a trek through narrow crevices and upon rocky ledges, across flat ridges and plateaus; they'd gone here once already, many of them, on their crusade a few months back. But here they were again, and as they had risen above the treeline, Ice paused. Looking back was dangerous, but he had to - had to turn his white head and let his silver gaze fall upon the trees where he knew the Grove to be. The Grove, where Indru had shown him what a real father was supposed to be (before he left), where Ice had first gained Corinna's trust, Fenru's affections... Where he'd felt that tingle in his heart each time he looked upon Marsh, Marsh, who was ahead of them. Suddenly, saying goodbye to the Grove wasn't so hard anymore. He was going to where Marsh was. And so, it was with a considerably lighter state of mind that Ice complete the rest of the journey, eager to be reunited with the copper male. Marsh had known about Ice's rise and the children growing in Corinna, and had set out with Triell to secure their future; then came the day when they heard the black wolf's howl, and a renewed energy surged through Ice. It wouldn't be long now, until they were home again, and until he was to meet Marsh, and Triell. (How wrong he was.) Later, he heard the faint murmur of a shallow stream of water, much less imposing than the River they had been neighbors with for so long. His ears perked, a kind of ironic humor in it - they left a river and found a creek. Water was great, though, vital even, and by the sounds of this one it wouldn't be more than ankle deep. And that, suited Ice a lot better. Soon after the forest opened up in a clearing, an old, majestic oak dominating its center. Barely had he had the time to take it in when he felt Corinna's green gaze upon him, and looked down from its crown; a smile spread across his lips, tugging the corners of his mouth upward. With his tail sweeping behind him he ran up to join her around the tree, rubbing his white flank against it, and her, and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to be within reach. The world smelled brighter, fresher, of change and something new and exciting; wound around a section of the tree's curving trunk he stopped, head tilting back to let his own voice join Corinna's. This was their place now. This was their future, and soon enough Triell and Marsh would come back home and greet them... right? .ice aesir

(This post was last modified: May 24, 2013, 12:10 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

Jessie knew from the start that it was going to be a long journey for the pack. It had taken almost three days to get over the mountains on her prior trip with Fenru and Ice, and if they did not know where they were going quite yet, then she was sure it was going to take longer. She walked behind Ice practically the whole time and close to where Fenru was. She preferred the company of the two males than anyone else, and their presence calmed her when they continued on their way. She eventually caught the scent of Triell every now and then, but stayed put, willing her paws not to race ahead of everyone and look for them herself. She longed for everyone to be together again…surely it was not as much as the older members around her, but the feeling was definitely strong. She would bit her tongue every now and then, willing herself to save her breath instead of trying to have conversation with another. She knew the trip up the mountains was not an easy one, and she would need as much breath as she could manage. This did not stop her from keeping an eye on Corinna though. The soon to be mother of a third litter would have to be safe and the little pepper and salt colored woman worried for her.

The woman became slightly uneasy once they crossed over the mountains, drifting closer to Fenru at that time, her emerald eyes tracing the path that they had taken the last time that they had come so far. It came to a relief to her when Ice fulfilled his promise and lead them away from the area that they had all found Rissa’s body. Briefly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she had continued on with the rest of the pack, feeling in her bones and hoping that they were almost there. The feeling of hope…the one she had fully forgotten was returning. Hope that the former Swift River wolves would have a future ahead of them and that they would not flatter. The pack wolves would become strong against and would thrive, just as they would have back in Swift River if not for all the troubling events that plagued them. They were all going to start fresh though

Eventually the group stopped and Jessie’s head snaked around the bodies around her, wishing to see the area in front of them. Soon enough, Corinna was bounding forward, making her mark on the land in front of them. Soon Ice followed in suit, his large white body marking the land. She listened as their voices as it rang across the area…their new territory…their new home. Soon, she found herself tilting her head back and joining in on their voices, a soft blend to their overpowering voices. She was their subordinate and she would not disobey and she would certainly not try any of her superiors’ words ever again. Hopefully, they would be happy in their new home and learn to love the land around them, just as they had back in the grove. It was now just time for a new beginning.

The pack’s unease spread like wildfire – Corinna and Ice’s silent thoughts were reflected in the young she-wolf’s mind as well, though it all remained unknown to her. What she would have considered easy to leave behind had brought more turmoil than she had initially imagined, and as the pack began their travel, the pale tawny girl had found the feeling that she had seen the last sunrise in the Grove almost surreal. As much as she desired change, her heart became heavy with the unknown aspects of the world, and giving up the only home she had ever known in life.

Numbed by Aiyana’s abandonment, Kisla turned her green eyes to her mother’s figure, worrying quietly over the matriarch of the family. The ebony youth had been desperate, but that did not still Kisla’s darker thoughts of Aiyana’s selfish decision – had she not considered how Corinna would take the news? How she would hurt her family? Everyone left, or so it seemed to be.. just because Aiyana had bothered to say goodbye before she skipped off in to the sunset didn’t make it alright. At elast, not to Kisla.

Time melted together, and as they passed the mountains and spanned in to territory that seemed to grow more dark and dismal by the minute. She walked alone – keeping good pace to her companions, though barely speaking during the journey. Disgust filled her senses and heart at the sight of the woods her family led them to, and she suddenly longed for the Grove, despite the horrid memories it seemed to hold.

Yet they continued forward, and as her creamy paws carefully followed, the forest almost seemed to give way to light. What had once felt gold gave way to warmth upon her pelt, and she shook herself, her ears perking as Corinna too seemed to feel what she felt – and told the world that this was now theirs. Triell was nearby, his scent and howl had been distinguished before, and the young adult felt her paws quicken with the hope that he and Marsh would greet them soon. Tilting her muzzle back, she allowed her lilting song to the voice of the others, a soft cry that gave way to fierce protection over what they would build in these new lands.

sparking up my heart

Ooc - Sorry I am late x.x

Silence. It rained upon her, coating the air with a thick layer of tension. It had followed her, even to her new home. Hopefully the silence would soon be replaced by the pattering of the newest generation of swift river -- now Oak Tree Bend -- wolves. She had taken one last look toward their old home, which was still largely new to her. It almost upset her at how much she would never discover. This territory would be forever in their past, and the group wouldn't likely see it again.

Her eyes shifted quickly to Kisla. With the loss of Aiyana, she held only one sibling left. She would have her brother, and he would have her. Tali hoped it would be forever, because she knew the wolves living in her new pack were too experienced in loss. Most carried around a dark air about them, always there somewhere deep within. These were her thoughts for most of the journey. That and what their new home would be like.

It seemed like ages later when the mood shifted. A single howl broke the silence, and Corinna picked up her pace. The voice and scent of this wolf was not of anyone she'd met within her new pack, but she didn't have time to question it. Carmel eyes swiveled around the territory, landing on a large oak tree. The song of her superiors rang out among the forest, and hers rose with them. This was their home, and they would fight for it.

Cali tried to keep her mind busy with everyday survival trivialities such as hunting and moving forward as the pack moved farther and farther from the River. She had found peace and solace for over a year within it's borders. She had learned to let her past go and make a new life, or so she thought. The battle two moons prior had brought it all back fresher than ever and she found herself battling inwardly with the past deaths of her mate and their unborn young, the death of young Rissa, the betrayal or Indru... all of it rolled around in her head until sometimes she thought that she'd go mad with it all. She had denied herself food and even sleep to avoid the nightmares that had haunted her since the battle in the east. The east that they headed back towards even now.

She kept to herself as the miles went by, feeling a part of herself die as she left another chapter of her life behind. Her green gaze landed on Corinna and her waistline. It would soon thicken with the new life growing within. That was what sparked new life in the white woman. She had vowed to herself that she would let no harm come to them or any others in the pack. She might not be some gargantuan fierce warrior, but Marsh had taught her well and she could do her duty and do it well.

As they crested the rugged, windswept mountain, she spared one final look over her shoulder, knowing it unlikely that she would ever return to the west. Her pack traveled to the east and these treacherous mountains were quite an obstacle. She was saddened that she would likely never see Narime' or Elettra again and know of their new families. Now she would only live for Corinna, Ice and their new family. It was a noble reason to carry on and put her past behind her once more. she would endeavor to rebirth herself as well in their new home.

Having come to this realization slowly she was surprised when they came to a stop. Corinna and Ice stopped and looked around excitedly. They had come to a beautiful section of forest, far from the nightmare of the battle with sunlight streaming through that trees and birds singing a lovely song. The alphas moved about a large tree, Corinna marking it with great passion, her flank leaving bits of fur to claim it as her own. Only moments later her leadess and her new mate lifted their heads and howled their arrival and one by one the rest raised their voices as well. With only a moments delay, Cali followed suit, her voice clear and strong as she too sang of the arrival of the Oak Tree Bend pack.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

not my father's son nor my step-father's heir

fenru tainn

just a man whose heart has overcome its despair

Since departing Swift River territory and leaving the haven that was once Sacred Grove, Fenru Tainn had kept quiet and in the hours it had taken to travel through Relic Lore and over the mountain range. Somewhere in-between Ice and Jessie in their convoy formation, he inwardly grieved, all the while not making a single sound as he walked. The only time he pushed lamentation aside was when they stopped to hunt and whenever he needed to stand guard whenever the pack stopped to rest. In his hopes to keep such emotion at a minimum, he resisted saying a final good-bye to the places he once loved - the clearing where he had met Ice, where he and Indru had once sparred one-on-one, where he had been born (even if he had already bid the flood wreckage a bitter farewell), where his youngest siblings had been born, where Aiyana had returned with the news that their youngest sister had disappeared... where Aiyana had left the family to become apart of a different one... Though he knew he would probably never return to the places that now only held painful memories, he was certain that they would always be there if he ever changed his mind or was in need of something to remind him why he was who he was.

On several occasions, he slowed down to keep in pace with Jessie, to take comfort in her presence while his shoulder brushed against hers every now and then. Once they had emerged on the other side and stepped foot into the unfamiliar forest, he pulled away from the front of the line and walked on his own, keeping his distance from the rest of the pack - Tali, Kisla, and Cali. They wouldn't understand, and perhaps they never would, but until then 'til the gloom within him fully passed, he wanted to make sure he would not affect them.

When his Uncle Triell's scent became just as prominent as the rest of the foliage in the area, he seemed to have woken up from his stupor and it was with eager and tentative eyes that he began to take in his surroundings. It wasn't until Corinna stopped and began to circle around a very peculiar-looking oak tree that Fenru slowly came to a stop and assess the emotions on the rest of his pack mates' faces. It emerged first on his mother's face, then Ice's... and then, with addition of the three songs that belonged to the rest of the women in the family, the emotion settled on the Tainn's face. The trace of a smile preceded the sudden skipping and uplifting of his heart, and somewhere underneath the blackness that had long since dwelled within him, the fire inside his chest rose back up with the greatness of an inferno.

He had to take a second but once it had ticked silently passed, his own tenor howl joined in with a harmonic note. Memories of his childhood flickered past him behind his lidded eyes, absent from the song he now sung. There would be no pain here around this old oak tree. No famine, no war, no feelings of estrangement or loss... Here, in the lands he had yet to memorize and claim on behalf of his mother and step-father, he was going to make his mark. Here, he was acknowledged as an adult, Ice's grown and practiced apprentice, and his mother's guard and keeper. The pup and adolescent he had been in the years before were not welcome here... but he was. Fenru Tainn had finally come home...

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

Thanks for getting replies up everyone! I'll leave this thread up until Sunday, June 9th if anybody wants to do an exit post.

Gone Tomorrow

One by one, their voices rose up to the sky, ringing around one another and this tree. With each note, they threw off the old cloak of Swift River and donned a new one. It had not been an easy journey, by any means, but nobody among them had expected it to be. The long trek over the mountains and through an unknown forest had worn them down, but their light at the end of the tunnel had arrived. Corinna had known it as soon as she had spied the large oaken tree by the river bend; and the strength of their chorus gave her the satisfaction of knowing the others around her felt the same.

Their chorus swept the skies for several minutes, proclaiming their decision to take their land for their own. Only when she was satisfied that any creature within several miles had heard them, and taken note of their claim, did Corinna lower her muzzle back down to level. Green eyes were alight with energy, and her tail wagged even as she struck straight out behind her. There was much to be done before this place could be theirs, well and truly. With a yip, Corinna called to Kisla, nudging her daughter's cheek before turning tail and pacing towards the creek. They would need to scout out the whole of the territory, marking the area they wanted as theirs thoroughly with their scents. Sparing a glance back over her shoulder, she woofed at her pack mates, spurring them on to do the same. Turning back, she set off at an easy pace, her gaze focused ahead and to the side of her, wondering where their creek would lead them.

I meant to get this done sooner, but had a friend over for the weekend. ^^

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. He cried out with the others, the powerful bass of his howl booming through the trees, the chorus of their song reverberating through his bones; as one, they were strong, united in life as they would be in death. Loss had not broken the ties between their hearts, and here, they had something new... and he could not explain the way his heart sent a spark of warmth through his blood each time he picked out their individual tones, each time he heard their song intensify, join the fray again, after a pause, a drawn breath. Like the sun after a thunderstorm, this was their time, and it was beautiful. For a moment, the silence seemed loud and alien in his ears when they fell silent, but his white ears pricked to the myriad sounds stowed away in the woodwork: the trickle of the creek nearby, the birds tentatively bursting into song again now that the wolves were silent, the whisper of fur as Corinna moved to kiss her remaining daughter... Ice's sturdy legs bore him to Fenru, first, whose scruff he tried to nip affectionately before rising up and trying to fling one leg over his back in a sort of dominant-family-wolf-hug, growling in a pleased fashion deep in his throat before aiming to wash his muzzle with licks. They were home, and Fenru was the only other male here in the clearing; he had risen from pup to Ice's second, but the white male knew that this structure, which had lasted since Marsh and Triell scouted ahead, would change again when they came home... right? He wondered what it would become, but for now, he was content with the way things were, and with an encouraging nudge to Fenru's shoulder he prowled away to see what lurked in their thickets. if one more makes an exit post, we can get points and stuff. :D .ice aesir

(This post was last modified: Jun 10, 2013, 01:20 PM by Ice.)

let the stars above shine in your soul

Her tail swept the cold air behind her – uncertain to what this new land would offer them in terms of closure. The idea of traveling to the lands that had once harbored Rissa’s killers kept her in stony silence, though the pale tawny woman knew Ice nor Corinna would ever allow their new home to be tainted by such – they would find a place away from those memories, even if they neighbored them.

It was impressive as the ex-Swift River wolves merged their voices as one. The chorus of howls echoed across the silent forest, and Kisla felt empowered by such at least.. despite everything, this was her family and it would always be so. The very few that had stuck together through everything – Corinna, Fenru, Ice, Cali, Jessie, and now Tali. Soon they would be reunited with Marsh and Triell.. the pack would once more be whole.

And within a few weeks, Corinna would give birth to the first generation of Oak Tree Bend cubs.

As her song faded with the others, she allowed silence to envelop her once more. Her eyes would stray to the pale figure of Ice, still uncertain to how she felt about the male fathering her mother’s next litter. This thought faded once more to the shadows of her mind as Corinna’s gentle touch brought her to the present, and with what she hoped appeared as a natural smile rather than a forced one, the girl dutifully trailed after her mother, her eyes now scanning the area as they searched to mark their territory and dig a den for the to-be mother and matriarch of the now founded Oak Tree Bend.

With her paws on steady course now, Kisla Tainn wasted no time in getting to work.

sparking up my heart