Secret Woodlands Secret Woodland Pack Thread

He was ready for winter to be over. Each day that passed only heightened the angst in him. For months it felt as if he'd be walled in, prevented by the snow and the cold and the hunger from doing much of anything. In some sense, he'd come to resent the fact that it had disabled him from doing the one thing that was truly of the utmost importance: finding his brother. Nios had to be out there somewhere, he knew it. His swarthy, sable-furred litter mate was too strong and too smart to have been struck down by the elements. A part of Mirren believed that he'd chosen to shack up with one of the neighboring packs, or returned to Sequoia Vale, or even sought out Ruiko and Aeylen. To that end, the tawny yearling hadn't given up hope that his brother was alive, and just as soon as the snow was gone he wouldn't wait another day to begin looking. But his thoughts of Nios slowly faded away as his eyes fell upon the sharp angles of the rock den mouth. Its entrance was guarded by the deadened remnants of brambles, slung across the rock and each covered with a thin dusting of old snow that hadn't melted or been swept away by what little wind managed to blow through the thicket. Somehow, the sight of the den and the fact that it was empty─that the whole thicket seemed empty─was as disheartening as knowing that they had all been slowly starving and unable to do anything about it. Just as he was unable to help his brother. Just as he'd been unable to help the children, who had all but perished save for @Bane. Mirren gulped hard. It felt like the place he'd grown to endear─that was a piece of Nina and everything that she represented to him (home, love, acceptance)─was withering away. A shallowly inhaled breath escaped effortlessly through his lips. Today, he was fragile, lessened by all the little things that, if put together, were enough to overwhelm him. But tomorrow would be kinder, he felt it in his weary bones.

Kite had followed him—subconsciously—weaving through the trees. She would occasionally nearly bump into one, not so savvy at working through the woodwork as those more practiced evidently were, but in time Kite hoped her grace would be restored. Roaming through the place ridden with roots and sprawling trees larger than many hills she'd ever seen was different than what it felt like when she wandered through the Plains. There she could fly; sprint for miles on end without coming to a halt or stumbling over a stray something or other. The land was predictable, and Kite had never known before how much she had enjoyed that.

But knowing that also allowed Kite to know she preferred mystery. Not knowing. How everything here changed every thing, from the way her mind worked to the way that she would live. While Mirren was experiencing more melancholy thoughts, Kite was positively thrilled. Along with his scent, she picked up many others... and her tail flung itself left and right without regard for the trees she slipped through. The woman bounded through the brush, her chest forcing shrubs to part the way for her, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. Every now and again she would need to stop, nearly colliding with a tree or not having enough momentum to crash through the more thick shrubbery here... but Kite did not mind. In due time, there was Mirren, and although she did desire to see others, she could not help but find only him in that instant.

Kite was breathing quite heavily when she whipped past him like a bullet, stopping abruptly and turning around and then whipping past his other side. Kite looked as any excited yearling would look, but when she noted that they were not sharing this particular joie de vivre moment together, Kite was prepared to acclimate. She became more somber as she turned, darting slowly to his side, pressing against him and feeling a whine loosen past her lips. Nooooo, the long whine seemed to express. No tears, only smiles. Her tail halfheartedly loosed a few wags, unable to help herself, but she nips the underside of his chin gently, in hopes of realizing that she would be by his side even in these moments.

PUPPIES MAYBE? pre-personal threads~~

Kite separated from her mate (so strange, so exciting!) briefly, though of course informing her of her course. She insisted that he join her when he was done with his own duty, knowing he was fond of Nina and certain—given he had brought up cubs to her—that he would want to see the toddlers the Woodlands protected. Kite had taken her time in seeing them, anxious and not wanting to step on them and kill them with her clumsiness... but when she felt a bit braver, she came with rabbit fur that was ripe for the tearing. When she had been young, she and her littermates had often warred over the scrap, until it was nothing but tattered fur. That had taken some time to do, stretching the tough skin until it wore too thin... and she hoped the cubs here would appreciate it as much as she had.

Kite came near to the entrance of the den, but not too close. The object swung loosely, swaying left and right, but she dropped it promptly, a low whine falling from her lips toward the den. Can I see them? The question seemed to ask, not wanting to invade. The boys, perhaps, could make up their own minds... she really was not too sure how the mind of puppies worked, but she was here to figure it out. If she was going to have cubs one day, she had better. But her number one motive was to get to know the babes, giddy with the thought of new life.

ROUND THREE KITE HERE COME ON SOMEONE LETS DO DIS

Kite was in good spirits again given her returned health. Kite blamed that terrible rainstorm for the cold she had been given, but now that she was well again she could linger with her packmates. Kite was glad for this; she knew few of them in the scheme of things, but her personal goal was to know them all. Kite went specifically to where the wolves typically would go to rendezvous, and glanced around. She was alone for the moment but hoped that in time, a Woodland wolf might join her. Perhaps even one of the cubs!

The Tainn woman was a social creature. Getting to know others was something she loved to do, and in her time here she aspired to learn more of everyone. Their aspirations and own goals, their hopes for the pack... everything. As a team she was sure they could help one another reach anything and everything they wanted. But step one for Kite was to, well, meet more of them. Perhaps @Ashanti who she always could smell, but had never met... or @Aideen who the now-departed Rayne had once spoken of. She had met the others, but even to encounter them again would please her. Kite whuffed quietly, hoping to draw out anyone nearby. Even if it was just one other, that was fine by her; Kite was more than happy to get to know all of her pack, even if it was at once.

The air was fairly warm, and anywhere else the woman would have been slightly
uncomfortable beneath her dark coat of fur, but it was cool and pleasant beneath the
shade of the trees in the Secret Woodlands territory. Mataki had decided to hang
around the area and explore in hopes of becoming more familiar with her new home
(Home, it's so much fun to say!), and possibly meet some pack mates.

It was very dense among the trees, and she realized it might take some getting used
to such a different place. Her old home had consisted of a thin forest with widespread
trees and many sunny clearings. Despite the drastic change, however, the dark wolf
had decided she liked the new place very much.

Mataki had spent a few hours now wandering the territory, and hadn't yet seen another
pack member. She had to admit, she was a bit disappointed. She hadn't been able to
contain her joy when one of the leaders, Nina, had accepted her, and she was just so
excited and impatient to meet the others.

As she arrived at an area laced with a thick odor that told her it was visited most
often, the Woodlands wolf decided to lay down and hope someone might wander by. When
her belly touched the ground, however, the grass was incredibly soft. Mataki rolled
over once, feeling the cozy green blades run over her dark brown fur. Moments later,
she was rolling giddily all over, rubbing her face into the soft, delicate grass.

Nova had spent the day wandering throughout the new territory, familiarizing herself with its boundaries, its ins and outs, and the oh-so-many gnarled roots or crawling vines that seemed to exist solely to snag her paws and trip her. She tried to visualize herself living here, hunting here, meeting the pack's members, because she would be calling this place her home for at least the coming months. She tried not to let herself get too optimistic with her and Camio's plans, since winter hadn't even started and spring seemed so far away. It was enough for now to be content with simply having a place to call home after months of wandering. Nova could only assume it would be better than living among whatever tyranny her sister would have inflicted upon her.

After wandering across nearly the whole of Relic Lore, and a day of thoroughly exploring the new territory, Nova's paws felt like they were about to fall off. She had ambled towards the den, head drooping sleepily. She nosed around the entrance to the den, peeking in curiously. She wasn't sure about going in, but with the forest steadily darkening with the start of winter's earlier sunsets, and how tired she was, it looked awfully tempting. But with just a bit of daylight to spare, Nova instead climbed to the top of the den's rocky sides. She perched at the top, first surveying the ground before her before she tilted her head back to look at the purple and orange painted sky. Nova could see the first through stars dimly shining their way through the sunset, and she could hardly help but sing up to them.

I'd like to get this done quickly if we can c: - Leaving it vague so Mily can join or stay out as she want's (Also hope you're ok with the assumption that they spend the night together ^^)

DATED: 5/6/2015 - Early morning

The sun was just rising, somewhere beyond the dense canopies of the thicket, a slight chill in the air, reminding everyone that it wasn't quite summer yet. The orange shewolf hadn't slept much that night, too riddled with nerves after yesterdays conversation. It seemed like she'd only just, finally closed her eyes, when she once again awoke, seeing the beginning lightening of dawn outside the den. Anxiety instantly gripped her, a shiver running all over her body as she stretched it free of the nights stiffness. She gazed down at @Miccah on the ground, humming a small, happy sound while her tail gently brushed against him. She wanted to get moving, the earlier the better; Though she might not even be awake yet... The slender healer couldn't wait any longer though. She bend down to plant a soft kiss on her dark knight's forehead, then slowly walked out of the den. The brisk air helped clear her mind as she crossed the short distance, from her infirmary to the communal den, every hair on her body abuzz with what lay ahead. As soon as she reached the open area before the burrow, she slowed, taking a deep breath before calling softly; "@Nina, are you awake?" Her voice was a little hoarse at this early time, but she knew it would carry to the den, without, hopefully, disturbing anyone still sleeping in their; I just hope she's up! The thought of having to wait any longer made the petite lass' tail oscillate anxiously, she wanted this over with. Word count: 257 Thoughts ”Speech”

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

PLOT WITH ME!

I believe @Miccah Mily told me she wanted to be in this.

She had still been having trouble sleeping. Ever since Iopah and Koda had left, along with Silentium, the matriarch was desperately trying to find herself once again. Nina had gained a slight amount of the sanity and confidence she had lost, but with it, came the ever present need to know what was going on. For hours throughout the night she would pace around the territory, leaves and flowers trampled from her taking the route so many times. Occasionally, she would be too tired and fall asleep. But her body would respond almost immediately, after she received what she acquired, she would wake up once more, to brace what lay ahead. Luckily, Mirren and Kite had returned home, a welcome addition into her heart, despite the circumstances. Mirren was her son, she had practically raised him as a child, before he was even born, and had rescued his siblings, particularly Nios, from more than one spite. None the less, their presence had not done much to ease her mind, and it continued on its journey through nonstop situations. It was why she wasn’t in the pack den and it was why she no was once again rooming the pack. However, with Pacem’s recent return, the mother would make frequent visits to check in on her son, before she would leave once again. As she was going to check on him once again, the alpha’s movements became slower, her shoulder’s hunching slightly as a yawn emitted from her mouth. As it retracted, a whine escaped her muzzle a reminder of how much sleep she had not gotten. It would also seem that she would have other business to attend to, for Aideen was there, calling for her. The Hervok approached from behind, clearing her throat to announce her presence, exhaustion obvious to anyone who knew her. Softly, she spoke to her friend, "Yes, Aideen? What is it?"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

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

She was surprised to hear an approach from behind, muscles tensing as s he turned to face the incomer. Instinct prepared her for a fight, even as her higher reason assured her that this was the heart of pack land and no threat could reach her here. The figure that appeared out of the trees was familiar though, and he tension mostly faded, leaving behind only the light anxiety of her strained nerves. She smiled at the golden woman, bowing her head in a respectful greeting; "I figured you'd still be asleep." Her tone was light, almost untouched by her nervousness, copper eyes bright and kind as she turned them back up to the queen. Then her brows furrowed in concern; She looks tired! Really, that was an understatement, there were deep furrows in the matriarch's face, her single, bright green eye seeming dull and unfocused. For the first time ever, Aideen found herself considering Nina's age, she wasn't entirely sure of it, but the regal dame couldn't be entirely young anymore; And how much she's been through... She thought back to Miccah's words last night; "To see Nina crumble before your eyes" How hard had this been on here? For a second the healer doubted again, she wanted to tend to her mentor, to nurse her with all the skills she herself had taught her. But her wish to speak with Iopah was no less strong than it had been before; And if Nina thought there was any way to treat this, she already would have..! All of Aideen's knowledge came from the older woman, she could not contribute something new, as much as she wanted to. So instead she resolved to keep the meeting brief, hoping that Nina would be able to get some rest afterwards; As long as I don't end up upsetting her further... That seemed impossible, though it wasn't her intention, she simply wanted answers. "Nina, I've been thinking," The smaller lass began, looking into her leader's face without quite meeting her eye; a gesture of respect only, while she had once feared the scared queen, she now cared deeply for her, having come to know her as both a tutor, friend and mother figure. Continuing, the fire pelted girl kept her tone light, cutting as straight to the case as she felt possible; "So much happened here while I was lost, the pack I returned to has changed a lot from the one I left." There was a touch of sadness in her voice, ears falling back regrettingly, she still felt horrible for being gone so long, even if it wasn't her fault. Swallowing hard, once, she pressed on, finally getting to her point; "I would like to ask your permission to seek out @Iopah, she was a close friend of mine, and though I understand that she broke the law and you had every right to banish her," This was a bit of an over statement, she didn't understand, not fully anyway, but she remembered what Miccah had said and did her best; I'm compromising. "To me her departure was very abrupt," The slight fae continued, "I never had times to come to terms with it. To say goodbye." She looked to meet Nina's gaze now, hoping that the alphess would accept her honesty, and understand that she did not mean this as an act of defiance, or any challenge of the woman's decision, but simply a plea for old friendship. "I'd like to speak with her, one last time. If for nothing else, then at least to say goodbye." She finished, feeling her heart beat loudly in her ears. The prayer was posted, now all she could do was wait. Ears laid back, shoulders bowed humbly, Aideen looked at her queen, adding: "If you agree, Miccah has offered to escort me, to keep me safe and ensure that I don't get lost again." She spoke in a tone she hoped was lighter, smiling nervously at the last comment; hopefully humor would help diffuse the situation. Then finally, she went quiet and remained so, having nothing more to add. Word count: 686 Thoughts ”Speech”

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

PLOT WITH ME!

Nina was accustomed to attending to business but even so, it made her like it even less when she had to attend to it. Especially, when it had to do with the wolves that she cared for on a daily basis. So when she began speaking with Aideen and it seemed much less casual then usually, she felt her heart sink deeply into her chest. The sinking feeling only increased when Aideen mentioned Iopah, a sick feeling entering the pit of her stomach as she thought about the woman that had betrayed her and gone against the law that had been put in place before the founding. She bit the inside of her cheek, not wanting the reminder of how much worse she had been before Mirren had returned to care for her and nurture her back to health. Unfortunately, thus far, she had only gained a few pounds back. Her sleep schedule, however, was pathetic and it wore her body down too much for it to be healthy. Now, as she stood before her subordinate, she felt her lips thin out into a firm line and her eyebrows crease, obvious that she was thinking. Finally, she spoke, her voice blunt and cold, "I don’t like this." She spoke honestly, going over what she could possibly say in her head. This was certainly not alright. Aideen should have taken Nina’s word for what had happened. Never had the healer lied to any of her pack mates and she was never going to start lying to them. The fact that Aideen would not take her word for what she said, hurt her. Her tail lashed behind her as she continued to mull over her words. Miccah, regardless of what she thought of him, had remained loyal, no matter what had happened within the pack…and no matter how hard Nina pushed him, his loyalty never wavered. For that, Nina could be thankful and perhaps Miccah’s offer stood, not only to oversee Aideen’s travels, but to also make sure the subordinate would return to them. She sighed through her nostrils, looking towards Aideen once more, her jaw clenched before it relaxed so that she would be able to speak, "But you have proved to be nothing but loyal to me and Secret Woodlands…and for that I am eternally grateful. I will allow the two of you to travel to find Iopah and say your goodbyes. This will be the only time I will allow such a thing." Her paranoia crept up on her, as she reminded herself of how long was enough for them to be outside of the territory. Hesitantly, she spoke, uncertainty clear in her voice, "I will give you three weeks maximum to do whatever it is you need to do. If the time period given extends that amount of time, you will not be welcome here." She pinned her single gaze on Aideen, willing her to look her in the eye to acknowledge how perfectly serious Nina was being. Koda and Iopah’s betrayal had certainly changed the matriarch and for the time being, it was not for the better.

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