Willow Ridge And the water rises higher

sola bona quae honesta

Morganna

Those things only are good which are honest

Small and warm, but just for a moment. Used to being snuggled between her brothers it was with a rude jerk that she lifted her head and her still blue eyes shot open. What was this? This... Cold. Wet. Trickling through the entrance of the den in which she slept? Her mind was drawn back to the snake that @Skana had told her to stay away from because it would kill her and a yelp of alarm was swift to leave her lips. Sitting perfectly still lest the wet snake bite her her yelp was quick to morph into yips and yowls and barks.

When it seemed that no rescuer was coming to her aid, she pulled herself to legs still shaky with sleep. More and more of the wet stuff was trickling in as she stepped further out of the smaller sharp smelling den in which she and her siblings slept with their mother and closer to the entrance of the much larger den. Unsure as to whether she should make for the light outside or stay put she paused in the entrance and allowed herself to cry even louder.

A grown up would be along soon, she was sure. And they would be able to save her, or chase the wet snakes away. All she had to do was wait.

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Sköll Archer the truth may vary The recent downpour of rain had the young prince excited and, after much discovery following his surprising finding with mud, Sköll Archer often spent his allotted "outside time" on his own or with @Asriel. Today, however, he had managed to shake his brother away and went off on his own adventure not very far from the den. Once the rain had started to come down though - threatening @Elettra's den where his sister laid asleep - the boy had to stop and look up from the small hole he was digging underneath a grand willow tree. Something wasn't right and it took less than a second for him to realize that the grounds all around him had started to flood and, ultimately, the water was starting to snake its way down into the den. Instincts made him plunge into the ankle-deep water from his perch on a large root, and his light blue eyes scanned the immediate area for his siblings. While he had practiced in talking nonsense and babbling meaningless sounds and words in his head and sometimes on his own whenever he was allowed some personal space and time, Sköll actually had yet to talk... He knew his brother and sister's names as well as "Ma" for his mother, but had never spoken them aloud until now. "Ez-ree-elll!" he called, pausing long enough in order to allow his sibling to speak up. "Mer-gan-nah! Guh... 'Ganna!" His pointy black ears went to the sides then came forward again, one drenched paw lifted in question. "Mmmm... MM.. Muh-mah?!" He knew his speech wasn't as perfect as it should have been but at least his voice had finally found itself, and he hoped with all his might that someone might have heard it at last. He waded towards the entrance of the den, barely scared that his paws might be swept out from underneath him as the water continued to find its way into the den and their sleeping quarters. A whine left his muzzle and his whiskers twitched uneasily as he wondered if his sister was okay... or if Asriel had joined her for a nap. In response to hearing Morganna's yelp, his gangly frame made him teeter about in a circle as he began to get frustrated with what to do. He was much too little still and, while he was confident that he could plunge into the den on his own, he wanted to have his brother or his mother or someone else to help him in case he, too, needed saving. Stomping and splashing about in another frantic circle he tilted his head back and let out a panic-stricken cry for help

table by mimi, image by snizz

(This post was last modified: Jul 06, 2013, 04:12 AM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

He had fallen asleep peaceful, a little while away from the den, not knowing that there was going to be any problems. Ever since Semananti and Guiness had encountered the three foxes and then the wolverine fiasco had not helped the protection situation. Almost at all times, unless requested by Elettra, Guiness was just outside of the den, guarding the pups and their mother with his life. The man barely let anyone into the den anymore unless El completely approved of them. The newest members did not even have the chance. Finally, he had been able to get a rest but a storm had been coming, one he had not had any knowledge of. It was when his golden amber eyes snapped open and icy, cold water gripped at his russet fur did he realize what had happened. In a rage the Guardian immediately got up and worked his way to the den easily, pleased to see that he could easily walk through the shallow water, though perhaps not so shallow for others.

Rushing to the den, he watched in terror as young Morganna flowed with the water. Lifting his head, he let out a booming call to all of the pack, giving out the emergency and hoping to awaken the rest of them. Pushing his body forward he leaned down and gripped the pup gently from the scruff, his golden amber eyes taking in the squirming pup beneath him. Looking around anxiously, he squinted as the pouring rain continued. Something was seriously wrong though, he knew it. He did not wish for the other pups to get thrown under, but he knew he could only carry one pup. In a panic, he knew that in this situation, he could only get to higher ground, so with much pushing he climbed to the type of some rocky terrain, feeling that it would be the driest place for the two to rest. With a grunt he lowered the Archer cub beneath him to keep her as dry as possible. The head Guardian then licked the girl to keep her as dry as he could, fear gripping him in his icy chest. "Going to be okay…" his low monotonous voice mumbled in the pup’s ear, trying to calm her if she was having any fears, in the process hearing the squeak from another small cub.

Mumbling gently to the young Archer, he pressed his muzzle against her forehead, making it clear that she was to stay where she was. He then jumped towards where the small whining had sounded, trying to make his trip as quick as possible. It seemed as though little Skoll had also gotten out, and so quickly, he grabbed the other little scrap by the scruff and did not think twice about looking back. Quickly, he made his way back to Morganna, tucking the other sibling beneath him to keep them all warm. He repeated the same process that he did with Morganna and kept both pups close to him, glad that he had gotten above ground. Hopefully more pack mates would come soon and help out and soon the storm would hopefully stop. Curling his head protectively around the two pups beneath him, he mumbled comforting things to them, hoping that this dreadful night would end soon.

(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2013, 04:04 AM by Guiness.)

Pillar of Strength

Rain.

It offered the eldest Archer child to explore a bit on his own- though he did prefer to have Skoll with him so as to have someone to test out things as somewhat of a guinea pig. But when Skoll sped off on his own, Asriel simply followed him with his cool gaze and went elsewhere. If Skoll was set on being ridiculous and exploring on his own without someone to take care of him, then so be it. Skoll could be that way; Asriel was finding that there were times when it wasn't even worth trying to manipulate his brother and so he let him go, and toddled off on his own.

Still within a small distance of the den he surveyed the landscape, his stormy eyes peering up into the sky to see the tumultuous underbellies of clouds bearing rain, which he now understood the meaning of. Clouds brought the rain- and the darker they were, the more rain there'd be. Rain fell in droplets and could split into even smaller droplets or join together with other rain drops to make puddles. Sometimes when a raindrop hit a puddle, it leapt back out for a second before falling back into the water. Curious.

He was quite wet himself, his fur of ash and fire soaking in the rainwater but he didn't feel terribly cold. His pelt was getting thicker and he was becoming more durable and more stubborn- it wasn't proper for him to admit that he was cold. It simply wouldn't do. So he didn't.

When he heard the cries of his brother he was, at once, surprised. Skoll was using proper words, as opposed to the usual flow of gibberish and gobbeldy-gook. This meant something important, but as always, the eldest Archer boy did not put himself in a rush. He picked up a gentle, graceful lope and headed back toward the den. His ears were flicked forward, though he had to keep shaking his crown- irritated by the knowledge that this made him look more unattractive- due to the raindrops which fell into the soft, sensitive tufts of fur in his ears. But he wanted to hear his brother, lest his pleas become more desperate.

By the time he arrived he saw nothing that concerned him. He stopped to shake himself but dd not look terribly alarmed or ruffled as he stepped through the shallowest waters toward where his siblings were huddled with their packmate, Guiness. The floor of the den was wet, which would be why Morganna was upset. It was to her that he moved first, casting his cool gaze to Guiness with whom she was snuggled, along with Skoll. True, the water in the den was a surprise, as was the flooding- but Asriel felt no threat to hiss life. He could still walk in water- he'd been observing it and figured he had a pretty good understanding of it. Water, as far as he knew, couldn't kill a wolf- certainly not one so clever as he.

''Ganna," He hummed softly to his little sister, moving in beside her protectively, to put her, as always, between Skoll and himself. He fussed over her for a moment, saving Skoll's reassurance for a moment later- boys had to be tough, so he would have to wait- and ignoring Guiness completely though he too had snuggled up into his fur for warmth. Family, for the child of fire and ash, came first. "Skoll," He said, his tongue curling around his brother's name with an elegant flair, turning his attention to his sooty brother now that he felt he'd soothed his sister. It was Skoll who had called him back, and thus, he felt some appreciation was owed. He reached over his sister's tiny, feminine shoulders to nose his brother's cheek, clipping his tiny teeth deftly through the fur there in a gentle gesture which would have been the equivalent of an appreciative fist-bump to the shoulder between guy-friends.

As the eldest and therefore the one who designated himself as the keeper of his siblings, when their mother was out, he finally lifted his head to look up at Guiness. His eyes, warmed at the sight of his siblings, returned to their blue-dragon coolness when he gazed up at the adult. This was his mother's inferior- and therefore was inferior to them as well, as they were her children. None of this was said, and as a child, such a gaze wouldn't be punished- as the pups of the alpha were treated with care and respect by all pack members. Asriel, the clever boy, knew this- and used it to his advantage, though i as subtle a way as possible. "Where muvver?" He spoke with confidence, feeling that he was the best-spoken of the group, unashamed at the way he pronounced the word 'mother' as his mother had not moved to train him out of it yet. His eyes locked into those of Guiness questioningly, expecting an answer.

(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2013, 02:59 PM by Asriel.)

Avatars by Allie <3

so i hope i got this right, from what it sounded like, all three pups are out of the 'herbal-birthing den' and in the main den area, on a ledge with guiness?

It was bad and it was getting far worse. In seconds the even speed of the day's rain turned into sheets of cold bullets. Elettra's venturing had gone over and her time at the river, south of their den site, had turned to disaster for her. The once shallow river with the rains of spring was now swollen, spilling out over the grassy landscape without direction. The lands had turned soggy and a bad step left a yelp from Elettra's jaws and a sprained ankle in it's wake. Cursing herself, the woman best thought it time to venture home with a limp as the rains brought down heavier and heavier, the river and storm threatening to take out any and all around.
Her way home was slow moving, taking her time over the flooded earth despite the fact that the rains strung her eyes and nose and weighed her down heavily. Though the pack was not far from the foothills of the mountains, still they did not outmatch the power of Mother Nature's might. Closing in on the den site, a gruff escapes her muzzle to allow any in the area to know of her arrival, though it's sound is bogged from the storm and she continues on slowly. Until of course, Guiness deep, booming call echoed over the lands in urgency. Elettra had much trust in the man, who sacrificed his time at the pack's boarders as of late in order to keep an extremely close eye on her and her children. Kasai was border patrol and hopefully with Loath recently joined, the stain would ease on the task. Skana and Guiness were around much, with Tempest and Angier where they could when not out hunting. Elettra's faith was absolute though the moment the call rang she was flying into the direction of the den.
Her ankle burned even in the cold, swelling quickly and stinging in an odd, tingling manner as she put pressure on it during her run. She dives into the den site, flooded, but no where near as horrid as it had been the previous year. Alas, the children were so small and getting them out was not a question. Instinctively Elettra searches for the smallest in the group, Morganna, as if anyone is to be over their head in water first, it would be her. However, she goes unseen and Elettra's eyes dart for whatever she can find: Guiness, perched in the back corner on a small ledge within the den site, each three of the children huddled around him, safe, for now.
A deep warmth overcomes Elettra at Guiness having been here for the children, on guard, as was directed for each member to take shifts in standing out at the pack's opening due to the foxes influx. "Your mother is here." The Matriarch speaks to her son and then directs her attention to her Second. "There is a storage den along the foothills of the Pass at the edge of our territory. It's small, but we will have to stay there until the water clears." Little new of the storage den and even fewer had been shown the exact location of the place, the very place in which Kiche founded and the pups were conceived. The den would possibly fit all of it's members, though Elettra was well aware of the fact that due to much of her members being very large wolves that them all fitting without being extremely cramped was unlikely. Still, they had little choice in the manner. Whether or not her members decided to take turns sleeping outside, the pups needed a warm, dry shelter. Now, she reaches out, meaning to take Skoll into her jaws in order to carry him. Hopefully, Guiness would take Morganna, forcing Asriel to walk for the time being. Surely another member would show and relief him of this, though for now he was the largest and eldest and if he was to toss this around he would be forced to prove he was worth holding it.

*Just a note. Kasai starts out near the borders not near the den.

Kasai kept his head low searching for anything out of the usual. Scents and smells not of their territory or pack were noted and stored for later if there was no imminent danger. A fox trail had caught the males attention nearing the final stretch of border he was to patrol. It was a big vixen stalking around their territory, and with pups nearby she was definitely a danger to the pack. Trailing the fresh scent of the rusty canine Kasai hunted her just inside the border for a while. The dark wolf continued stalking his enemy up until he spotted the fox just ahead. He froze wondering if it had seen or scented him. Luckily enough the wind favored the dark wolf and blew his scent away from his opponent. Instead the fox seemed intent on something ahead of it.

He watched the creature and stealthily as possible closed in upon it freezing every time it picked its head up. The vixen was staring at something within a patch of grass angling her ears towards it and crouching down readying herself to leap. Kasai studied her quietly for a second wondering what she was going after. Then he watched in amazement as the rust canine flung herself high in the air and landed on something that squeaked paws and head first. A kill for her and a kill for me... He took the chance for his own attack and leaped forward. His teeth met her startled neck as the dark wolf quickly ended the vixens life.

Dropping the fox Kasai nosed the mouse it had dropped. Then he flung it up and snapped it between his jaws. No use leaving it to rot... Now the fox might be edible. He recalled seeing fox fur someplace else recently. A few times actually the male had spotted pelts near the back of El's healing area. The male of course had kept away but he was surprised to see that sort of use made out of the creatures that the wolves hunted and killed. Maybe she'd like it for food instead though? My patrol is just about done.. He picked up the fox letting it dangle between his jaws and took the vixen with him to quickly finish his patrol.

Once the borders were marked and no lone wolf showed its face Kasai turned to head back to the den. He had headed out earlier that evening starting from their southernmost border and worked his way up. Kasai was not expecting the scene he arrived at while traveling back the northern most route back to the den. Shallow water covered his ankles in some places while in others small bits of dry land poked out higher up out of the water. He had crossed this section of flooding twice before realizing that the den might be in trouble.

Lengthening his stride Kasai jumped forward heading towards home. The scents of his pack mates almost didn't reach the male as he carried the vixen until he spotted them and sighed with relief. Most everyone was out already. Including the pups who might have drowned had the rest of the pack not been with them. He angled himself towards the others and dropped the fox on dry land. Then looked around with wide eyes at his pack mates.

"Where's Skana, Tempest, and Angier?." He listed the wolves he knew by name worried a little bit. His eyes passed over the pups happy that they seemed not too shocked by the situation occurring around them.

And there she was.

Materializing out of the rain came their savior, who was greeted by her happy prince with a regally puffed out chest and waving tail. She spoke to the one who'd been protecting the three pups before she picked up his little brother and began to move away from the site. Guiness, who had taken Morganna before, was assumed by the tan and black boy to be her guardian yet again so without any hesitation the eldest son got to his feet and carefully picked his way down off the perch and into the water to follow after his mother. The cool liquid hit him and he hesitated as his breath was stolen away- but he plunged onward, surging through the water with little bounds as he rushed to reach his mother's side.

He looked up to her as he moved by her side, high steps half because he was the oldest and therefore the one who was most likely to handle the tough walk, and half because it was easier to move through the water when he picked up his feet. He bounded forward in the water and made eye contact with his smaller brother and rather than being boastful he reached up to touch his nose to Skoll's. Even though he was being carried, Skoll did not seem any less important. This was his brother- albeit smaller and younger, he had to protect him first. In his mind, he had no reason to boast about his size and importance- which was, in the end, all in his own head. Still, the love he had for his siblings surpassed the need to be their superior, even if only just so. Squinting against the rain and doing his best not to shudder or shiver, he kept pace as best he could with his mother, secretly hoping that they would reach their safe haven soon.

Avatars by Allie <3

sola bona quae honesta

Morganna

Those things only are good which are honest

She could hear Sköll calling her from further outside and so she raised a shaky wet limb and attempted to move towards him. But she simply couldn’t. Plonking her rear back into the water and crying at the top of her lungs, a large shape finally came into sight and it was with great relief that she ceased her cries as gentle jaws clamped about her nape, hauling her from the water below. Shudders wracked her small frame as she dangled there, and when her feet finally found solid dry ground she promptly pressed herself close to her paler brothers side.

A low “Mmmm.” left her chest, somewhere between concerned and relieved as Asriel joined them as well, sandwiching her back between her brothers where she belonged. Smaller whines still left her mouth in a worried fashion, after all, her rescuer hadn’t been her mother, what if she was trapped somewhere wet and cold too? Surely the big wolf should go save her too? “Mar-fa!” she managed to bark demandingly, cursing her own inability to make her demands known as yet... but her words, an echo of Asriel’s own seemed to act like a summoning spell, the familiar dark form filling the entrance of the main den and moving close.

Her words were not familiar but her voice was enough to calm the dark princess. Her nose stretched forward as her mother grasped her brother and a small “Oooph” escaped her as she was in the air again, limbs tucked close and tail curled. Puppy blue eyes settled on her biggest brother with a relieved smile, even through her shivers. He was walking so she wouldn’t have to, and already the steady rocking was making her yawn. It was all too much for one pup to take.

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Sköll Archer the truth may vary "Muh...m---" Sköll's frantic cries were cut off as Guiness rushed in, plucking him from the ground and taking him inside the den. He wriggled slightly to no avail before realizing he had been set down beside his sister. She shivered and twitched and, as if by instincts alone, he pressed himself against her, even if he had ended up wanting some sort of solace himself. The protective brute continued to try and calm them down but, inwardly, the young prince was not going to have any of it until he saw his mother. Along with his sister, he closed his eyes and whined and cried... Asriel surprised him, making his dark eyelids flutter open as the eldest Archer offered his own brand of comfort to his siblings. The way his brother said his name somewhat did the trick and his voice continually caught in his chest until his wails had subsided. Asriel asked Guiness immediately, "Where muvver?" and Sköll craned and tilted his head up, as though he, too, had been expecting an answer. He opened his mouth to repeat the question, but a rather immature "Wuurrrmaaaama?" came out instead. Subject to embarrassment, a concept and feeling he was not yet familiar with, his ears lowered and he sealed his lips, only letting out one desperate yip in attempt to make the Guardian make haste in replying. Before he or even Asriel could even ask him again, her voice came to him. "Your mother is here." The princeling's head whipped around, staring in awe at the dark silhouette that was Elettra. His panicked whimpers of "MmmMm's" and "Murrr's" persisted until she reached down to retrieve him. Securely in her jaws he tried to turn to look at her, to try and gaze upon her face properly; but, when he couldn't he relaxed with a small wag of his thin tail. "Mamaaa."

table by mimi, image by snizz

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

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

I'm such a terrible person. xD

It was not long before Elettra came along and she looked generally relieved that Guiness had managed to keep all the Archer pups out of the way of the flooding and onto higher grounds. He was also relieved that they did not deny the fact that he could provide warmth to all of them. Soon enough El took one of the pups from under him and instructed Guiness to pick up the Princess. Nodding his head in understanding, she picked the plump little pup up gently by the scruff, letting the rest of her body curl up towards his chin and closer to his chest. He wanted to keep her warm for as long as possible. He waited for Asriel each time and made sure that he stopped until the eldest pup would catch up to them. Amber golden eyes did not fail to pick up the slight limp that accompanied Elettra and Guiness could only hope that whatever happened would be a minor injury. It was not too long into their walk when Kasai, a member that the Second was slowly beginning to trust pushed his way through the flooded grounds. Mentioning with his large muzzle, but gently as to not disturb Morganna, he pointed towards Asriel, a silent order for the burnt male to pick up the eldest Archer child and protect him.

He then pushed on, glad that the three pups would most likely be alright. Guiness just wanted to get them away from this damp…coldness. From what he had seen in the past, damp and cold could easily lead to pneumonia and that was something she was sure that none of his pack mates wanted to see. From what he heard it was painful and he would never wish that on the small bundles of fur that the trio were carrying. Unfortunately, the Guard did not know the exact location of the storage den and so he followed his alpha like the dutiful man he was, making sure to tuck the small pup he was holding as close to him as he possibly could. Eventually they made it to where El was leading them and immediately, he waltzed into the den, putting Morganna down beneath him once again and began to lick her clean to try to get her drier than she already was. She looked so small beneath him and he could only imagine how cold she was. As he groomed her, he looked at the others with golden amber eyes, grateful that everything seemed to be going alright.

Pillar of Strength