Mountain of Dire Escape from Alcatraz - [MANDATORY - PACK]

Faol, as if summoned by the utterance of his name, was quick to arrive soon after. His golden eyes went from Sagacity to the salt-and-pepper-pelted man, a quick dip of his muzzle acknowledging his apology. It seemed that everyone had shown up and as Naira announced that they could not stay in the Pass any longer with the winter conditions worsening by the minute. Mapplethorpe's neck and shoulder fur bristled as he slightly leaned towards his queen, his gaze also sweeping over the wolves that had gathered before her. The mention of two more joining the pack had him in for somewhat of a surprise; he had been so busy counting caches and preparing the pack for winter that he had paid no mind whatsoever to the borderlines that had to be patrolled... in actuality, really, that was what Taima was for...

His russet ear twitched and his eye went to Naira's face once more as both Faol and Crowe were promoted. The newly advanced guardian and the redeemed Lowest, now a subordinate of the family, were given tasks. While Mapplethorpe longed to help, despite his build being much spindlier and less bulky than the large men called upon to break through the thickening wall of snow, he brushed it all away. His eyes were needed elsewhere and it was with perfect timing that he turned his head to catch a glimpse of off-white fur in the distance. The shape stopped long enough for his narrowed eyes to focus and realize that a stranger had come into their midst, howling in a plea to join them in their attempt to get off the mountain.

A possessive growl left the Consort's chest and with a flash of his yellowing teeth, he stepped forward with his hackles raised. At least the rogue had kept a good distance away, but soon his attention was snagged not once but twice. A blur of black fur from the corner of his eye had him glancing over to see a young, black-coated yearling. Inhaling deeply several times over he scented that Naira had claimed him as apart of the pack. He snorted and tore his eyes away from Gent, soon leaving him at his back to help keep an eye on the cubs at his back.

With his tail rising up now that he had taken up a position in front of the pack and the wall they were digging through, Mapplethorpe had noticed something crawling through the snow. His jaw clenched. For the third time, another being made itself known and another whiff of Naira's scent, this time in a woman's pelt, assured him he could keep focused on the more pressing matters at hand. By chance he happened to notice that Sagacity, too, was staring at the possibly unwelcome rogue. She even went as far as to alert Faol.

The grizzled Leader snapped his jaws and with a click of his teeth prior to his initial address, he barked through the falling snow, his words muffled in the crisp winter air. "Keep your distance then," he outright advised. "Come any closer and I will take your pelt to keep my daughters warm." His tail lowered just slightly but it, too, bristled enough to appear full and menacing. He revealed his teeth with forward-pointed ears, then stepped backwards twice before instructing her further, "Make haste! We will not be responsible for your hardship if the tunnel does not hold up when we have gone."

Once again jumping in early because I have the time to now and probably won't later. This will be Naira's last post, everyone else has until the 17th to reply and then I will be archiving this. Should hopefully have the claiming thread up later tonight and will tag/pm everyone so we can knock that over ASAP and get back to being able to post normally!

Family

• NAIRA AQUILA •

over everything

The howl that split the air put the tawny woman’s hackles on end and her lips pulled back from her teeth. She would not waste energy chasing down the loner, but if she came close enough she’d rip off her tail and give it to the children to use as a chew toy. @Mapplethorpe gave voice to her sentiments while she told both @Crowe and @Chulyin, loud enough for all to hear “If she gets too close, kill her.” Just because they were facing a similar fate if she did not follow on their heels, did not mean the pack would welcome her with open arms. The lone wolf dies but the pack survives, and she was not one of them.

It would seem the noisy one was not the only one wanting an escape on their tails, but the second loner went unnoticed as Naira instead focused all of her attention on the task at hand. Snowflakes began to fall lazily from the heavy clouds overhead, goading her to push harder to get off the mountain before it was too late. They would still have another two or three days of traveling ahead of them at this rate - and where they could huddle for warmth at night those that were tagging along behind them would suffer - and not for a moment did she care.

Her determination and their loyalty would get them through, or they would die trying.

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Despite her mother's assurance that this was some sort of adventure, Nova had her doubts. Mercy's questioning look only gave her more doubts to this, as she had grown accustomed to looking to him for some sort of support, either figuratively or literally. The presence of the entire pack was comforting, but strangers were seemingly crawling out of the woodwork and Nova had no idea what to make of it all. Outwardly she tried to simulate her mother the best she could, standing tall, chest puffed and tail out, but inwardly she felt both apprehension and sorrow. Nova knew they were Nomads, and true to their name this was something that must be done, but the thought of leaving her home stung.

Sooner than she would have liked, her mother was already headed down and away from home. Nova lingered a second as the pack started filing in their leader's wake, spending a last moment to take in the snow-covered territory which was both familiar and alien at once. Mercy pulled her from her reverie with a few quiet words, and she nodded. She wasn't ready to leave just yet, but with a deep breath that brought in the scents of buried alpine plants, mountain stone, and frost, she tore her gaze away and followed after Mercy, peering over his shoulder every so often to see new lands unravel before them.

At the command of his sibling, Chulyin took a few steps forward, prepared to clear a path for the group. They had a ways to travel, and though pushing through that short distance had been slightly taxing, he would gladly put that aside in order to keep his packmates alive. His eyes swept over their numbers. It seemed there was another child in their midst now, all the more reason to find their way down. Their journey began then, though whitherward Chulyin could not say. The clouds had consumed what clear sky there was, making navigation somewhat difficult. But he followed Naira obediently, massive shoulders heaving aside drifts of snow to make passage for the others easier.

They hadn't traveled very far when an unfamiliar voice called out through the blustery winds and swirls of snow. An unwelcome guest who was taking advantage of their descent. His hackles rose, aware, though he made no move. His leaders spoke their part, and the silent man only hoped that nothing would escalate to bloodshed. Turning his copper eyes forward again, he pushed on. The scenery around them began to change as they descended, warping into something new, something hopeful. He let out a heavy breath. There were still days ahead of the pack until they found somewhere safe below, but he was certain they would survive. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, he took in the ghostly sight of his packmates, all moving in unison, even the children. Yes, they would survive, that much he was certain. <b style="color:#a51919">

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

The princess had begun moving forward, Karpos at her side when the howl echoed down the pass. Immediately the girl had sprung around, hackles raised, teeth barred and a growl building in her throat, unaware that her pose was perfectly mimicking her mother's. They were so alike in personality, perhaps this is why they clashed so often, Naira was raising an alpha that was to be sure. Still as more and more loners appeared Aponi's hackles lowered and hesitantly she took a step back, she was not stupid and knew that the pack would be foolish to use so much energy attacking all of the loners with such a hard journey before them. Her mother's words reached her and it was enough to placate the princess, she turned to join the rest of the pack leaving. Having fallen slightly behind Karpos the princess quickly bounded back to her position at his side, nibbling affectionately at his chin. This new place would be their kingdom, not a place that he had to feel like was hers and hers only. No longer would he have to be the prince that the Nomad's had taken in, he would be an equal part of the newly founded pack, one of its original members. Without a second thought the Aquila princess was leaving her home, the mountain had become a stone prison to her adventurous heart and she would shed no tears at leaving this place. The Nomad's would survive this winter without a doubt and perhaps one day they would return, but Aponi hoped against all hope that they would not.

It didn't take long for them to heed Naira's decision and start their journey to a new home. Of course Faol had grown fond of the pass and it's geography allowing the aloof part of his personality ability to roam. However, he could only assume that their two alpha's would find a suitable place for their pack to thrive. As Naira called forth his name, giving him the role of Guardian, he felt overwhelmed with a sense of relief. That was something he was more than capable of doing and he offered no rejection to her command. He was surprised when she called Crowe forward to help create a steady path for the rest of the pack. He too was appointed the same role as Faol, and he could only image that it was going to start trouble eventually, but he didn't have time to think about it. Another male joined them in the front, and Faol fell back behind the pack in proximity to Sage in order to better watch the pups.

It didn't take long for their calls to summon what seemed like strange ghosts from the woods. Sage had alerted the leaders, and they only stopped to look momentarily. There was no decision of their fate to be made. Clearly Nomad's Pass wasn't about to help these strangers out of the mountain, but they could follow their path - as long as they didn't get to close. Doing so would thwart any hopes of getting out of the Pass alive. It seemed as if the situation had been handled without any unnecessary force and silently he turned his back to them, keeping one ear swiveled in their direction for added assurance.

He could see the determination in his pack's eyes. They were going to make it to their new homeland. The storm would strain them and create a heavy burden, but it wasn't anything they couldn't overcome. Faol was glad that he had come to join a family that was equally physically and mentally strong.

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2013, 04:14 AM by Faol.)

Crowe waited anxiously to see Mercy, hoping that the boy would find his way to them, for if he did not, Crowe would wait and bring his little friend down behind the pack. Crowe cared little for most of the wolves with him, mainly because he had met only a few and save for Sagacity, most seemed to think he was still a horrible monster, and so he had taken to just being a ghost on the borders. If they went along without him, he would care little, for they hated him anyways, as far as he knew or at least didn't like him. Crowe waited until he saw Sagacity, and Mercy both, both fine, and ready to go. Guess I am going. Crowe thought, giving Mercy an encouraging look.

His broad white head turned to listen to Naira, and a surprise brought a very faint smile to his lips. Looks like it wasn't always bad, he was now awarded a rank. Even if Faol was as well and would likely give Crowe a not so nice look. He ignored it and listened as Naira told him to lead with her, and another. Good, now he just had to prove that even if he could be cruel and awful he could also be useful, strong and loyal. As Royalty should. "Yes M'lady." He replied to the matriarch of the pack before stepping into the drifts along with her. The journey would be hard for everyone, but Crowe had a reason to protect them now. Apparently his diligence with the borders had not gone unnoticed.

(This post was last modified: Dec 16, 2013, 08:48 AM by Crowe.)

While the threats were were unfriendly she could care less, answering with a obedient sounding "Yes sir." It wasn't mocking but full of respect as a relief filled her every limp. All fear ebbed away with ease as she began making her way onto the trail they had made. Her limp had yet to get in the way of her travel down the mountain as she found her place far behind them. Though she kept back away from them she did make haste. No one in their right mind would want to get left behind in this stormy winter weather. She watched them alertly still weary of their reactions to her presence.

*Crowe?* She questioned spotting the massive wolf in the front. Sniffing the cold bitter air she confirmed this as a fact. Momentarily her tail wagged excitedly but the issue of apologizing for leaving without saying goodbye snuck up on her. How was she supposed to say 'I'm sorry'? Would he even care? It wasn't like a little young female loner could affect his life to much...or so, she thought. Sighing she brought herself back to the task at paws keeping a steady safe pace behind them.

The long journey was tiring, causing her limp to become furthermore apparent. *Owe, owe, owe* Was her only thought as each step was taken. However she wouldn't give up if it meant death, which it did mean a bitter one. Sea green orbs stared intently ahead as she kept herself fast enough, yet distant from them as well.

Thanks TABs for the table and it's photo I've used for her featured photo.
Thanks PuppyThief for the winter skin and avatars!

Supershort wrapper-upper!

Family

• NAIRA AQUILA •

over everything

With everything in order and their tailers keeping well back she focused all of her attention on the still buried path before them. It would be a long and draining journey ahead, with the mountain sending them off with a rumble and a sigh as the falling snow began to thicken. Her eyes squeezed shut to slits and her ears tucked flat to help conserve as much heat as possible while she and the rest of her pack pushed on.

They would get off the mountain, or they would die trying.

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