Sex: FemaleShe was sleeping - finally her exhaustion had become great enough to let her collapse among the roots of an old tree near the territory's edge and rest - when the call reached her, waking her from the shadowy nightmares that had troubled her, much needed, slumber. Groaning, she rose to her paws, not bothering to shake the dry leaves from her fur before she began shuffling towards the heart of The Woodlands. She most wanted to ignore the demand, to stay where she was and try to fall back asleep - even with the nightmares, the realm of her dreams was much better than the hurt and sorrow that was awareness - but she couldn't; the howl had come from Nina's maw, and when the queen called, her subordinates had to listen. Still, the distraught girl moved only slowly, and when she finally came upon the scene many had beat her to arrive; not that she cared. With great effort, she managed to look up at Nina, and Miccah by her side, and nod in respect to them, before turning her eyes to the ground. She caught a glimpse of Ashanti, sitting by herself in the outskirts of the group. Had things been different, Aideen would have made sure to sit herself down next to her old friend, to support her; as it was, the fox like girl had no energy for anything more than to lower her hunches where she was, near the back of the gathered and turn her eyes and ears towards Nina, waiting for her message. She would listen closely, for such was her duty, but in her head there was little room for anything beyond her grief; her @Coal was gone, undoubtedly dead somewhere beyond the mountain, and she wasn't sure how she could continue living without him. Word count: 304 Thoughts ”Speech” |
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It took the energetic pup longer than he would have liked to reach his family, although his brother Silentium was still absent. His baby blues searched the crowd as he pranced toward his mother to join Pacem at her feet. Most of the wolves were still strangers to the young Hervok; there were some he had seen lurking around the den site, but he had spoken to few of them. This meeting would be a good way for Unitas to meet the wolves that followed his mother, although he knew would forget many of their names. He glanced at his brother with narrowed brows while his dark lips remained shut; he would wait for his mother to explain why they had all gathered. Was there something wrong, or was it just to get the pack together? As he grew, Unitas was struggling to learn all of the pack’s traditions – his mind was still mostly focused on exploring and goofing off. Being serious wasn’t his strong suit.
Nina knew that she had picked the spot by Iopah's den, so she wasn't surprised when the first pack mate that came into her view was Iopah. It warmed her heart to know that the girl was still with her, since the founding of Secret Woodlands. The Huntress was a wise member and Nina valued her opinion highly. Next to come was Miccah, and while Nina made no visible effort to address him, she was not trying to be rude to him either. At least, that was what she told herself when she stiffened slightly at his arrival, and did not reply to his greeting. Her jaw clenched slightly and her single piercing emerald eye only softened when the small sight of her youngest son bounded towards her. A light smile graced her features and she bent down to give a swift lick to her son's forehead in greeting, waiting for his other two siblings before she would issue her answer.
The next to arrive, although it was hard to tell, was Ashanti, and Nina's heart went out to the girl. She had been through much and from what she had gathered from the wolves around her, the white woman did not remember much, and this wounded Nina...it meant that she was not remembered, and she had truly valued the girl as one of her own. She didn't have much time to think of that though, because the arrival of her lost love soon distracted her. She gave a more relaxed nod of greeting to him, and continued to remind herself to breath. She had spoken to her pack mates before in a much more tense environment...sort of. And it had proved in the past that she was as good as a speaker than some others.
The arrival of Kite and Mirren side by side caused a sly smirk to slip upon the Queen's features, but she was quick to cover it up to anyone who would have noticed as she glanced back down at her son, a familiar sparkle of happiness in her one-eyed gaze. She warmly greeted the pair, the mother's gaze following Mirren as he took a close place to her, a grateful and proud smile on display for all to see. She truly considered Mirren a son. Nina had, after all, helped take care of and raise him for a portion of his life and had maintained his health way before he was born. The alpha was much more relaxed by the sight of the male, and her gaze once again turned when Vaeta appeared, Mirren's sister, and another she had taken care of during her life.
She nodded briefly to the Tainn, but there was nothing to be said, because Aideen soon arrived as well. Nina respected to the girl, and under Nina's guidance she had learned much, and was off well enough for the time being, especially considering that Ashanti might have had close to no remembrance of her lessons and Nina was the only other healer on site. Nina also greeted the girl with a nod. The last two to arrive were Unitas and Silentium, and as they neared their mother, she bent down to whisper in their short ears softly, ”I have called the whole pack here to have a meeting, one that is very important. So Mama...would appreciate it, if you three are quiet,” she paused then, making sure Silentium, who had a hearing impairment would understand what she was saying, even if she had no worries about him.
After making sure that her three sons understood the importance she raised to her full height, wasting no time in launching into business, ”I would like to thank all of you for attending to this meeting on short notice and getting here in such a timely fashion. Now, before I attend to business, I would like to introduce you all to the three new children of Secret Woodlands this year: Unitas, Silentium, and Pacem Hervok.” She mentioned to each of her sons as she called out their names, her single eye scanning the crowd before her before continuing on, ”It has been brought to my attention from Whisper Caverns, one of our long standing allies, that Minka and Tokino Lagina have betrayed them and taken pack mates of hers with them. That being said, let me remind you all, that if you choose to leave my pack for a valid reason, I will hold nothing against you, as long as you inform me of such a thing. Their new pack is called Black Thorn Downs, and I ask you not to interact with them. They are not our enemies but they are certainly not our friends...there will be no alliance between our two packs. Kite had come to me and told me that they reside in Blackberry Fields, and I thank her profusely for telling me this information as soon as she received it.” She once again paused, letting the new information sink in before she continued on. She did not wish for this to go on too long, but this meeting had been needed, and she was glad she was getting it over now.
When no one spoke up, she continued to plow on, ”There has also been a change of leadership within Whisper Caverns. Sloane Thorben, who was once the alpha of their pack has disappeared, and my brother, Ash Hervok has stepped into the position next to Narimé and I have it, on good authority, that Danica Reinier is safely within the confines of Whisper Cavern's territory and shall remain there. Our other allies, Willow Ridge, is also doing well, though they had many losses, I have no doubt that they will continue to thrive.” She let her voice ring out then, remaining silent for a few moments. She wished to end the meeting on a positive note.
Smiling now to her family, she opened her jaws to speak once more, ”Now, onto a more positive note. It has come to my attention that many of you are deserving of roles within the pack. You have worked hard and I want you all to know that this had not gone unnoticed.” She was quick to turn her gaze towards Mirren, a smile painted on her lips, ”I have known Mirren since he was a child, and it comes with great pride that I get to announce that he is our Head Guardian.” She pauses then and as she addresses the rest of the individuals, she turned to them, ”Koda, since you have returned, you have shown that you have have been loyal and I once again, give you the title as Guardian. Kite, you have grown much since you joined my family and have not once hesitated in giving me information when I needed it, and so I happily give you the title of Lead Scout. Vaeta, I have also seen how you have grown, and your wandering paws have not gone unnoticed by me...and so you also have been given the role of Scout. And lastly, Aideen, under my teachings, your knowledge of herbs has grown much, and I hope you continue on in your journey to becoming an even more trained healer...and with my blessing I also give you the role of Healer. Congratulations to all of you.” She nodded, her eyes not leaving her pack mates. Tensing her jaw once more, she remembered that Miccah also had something to add. Huffing softly, she turned her now, heated gaze towards the male, her words cold as she spoke, ” @Miccah, do you have anything to add?” Her words were short and clipped as she gave him a tight-lipped smile, ready to spend time with her children and watch her pack mates grow once more.
speech It didn't take long for the others to arrive, and for that he was glad. The sooner the meeting ended, the sooner he could go and do what he did best. Nina, as expected, didn't return his greeting. An annoyed glint showed in his eyes as he saw her posture immediately tense his maw equally locked like hers. It was clear these alphas held no warm regards for one another. It seemed that the air didn't thaw around them until Pacem bounded into view. A small smile appeared on his muzzle before he could think. He had enjoyed the boy's presence that one time, and hopefully they would get the chance to meet up again. His thoughts were broken as the others arrived, and by some, he was even greeted with a semblance of respect. As everyone filed in, Nina wasted no time in launching into buisness. He already knew everything, but he still made himself listen to her every word with just as much focus as the rest of the pack. His form was relaxed and his smile easy as she moved onto the giving of the roles to the members who rightfully had deserved. His deep, blue gaze ran over each packmate, proud that they were his family and clearly all loved Secret Woodlands as much as he did. Nina calling his name ripped him from his intense perusal and at her cold words and stiff posture, he instinctively mimicked her. His easy smile was gone, replaced by a small scowl before he quickly wiped it away and his face seemed unreadable. "Actually, I do Nina," he responded in his deep baritone as he looked her way. His tone had been just as cold and his words just as clipped. Neither alpha held respect for their partner and the tension seemed high. Breaking their heated, glaring match, his gaze connected with his pack mates as he rose to his full height. "As some of you may have noticed, Anouke is no longer with us. He broke one of our laws by intentionally hurting another pack mate for his own pleasure. As of than, he has been taken care of. But, he left with a warning that he would be back, and this time with an army. I will take no chances on risking the saftey of my family to take what he said as an idle threat, so everyone, be on gaurd." His blue orbs connected with Koda and Mirren, his gaze serious. They were his competition, and now, they were also the wolves aiding in Secret Woodlands protection. And that was really all that mattered. The Gaurdian in him agreed as he spoke his next words. "Especially you two. I will hold you to your title." Nodding at them, his gaze ran over his pack mates once more, letting the final puzzle piece fall. "He is considered an enemy and the order is for him to be attacked on sight. You need no reason to hesitate." Letting his information sink in, Miccah flicked his black banner in an idle manner. Probably not the best way to wrap up a meeting, but it needed to be said. |
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It seemed as soon as she arrived, the meeting began, Nina seemingly taking charge in actually speaking up in the pack meeting whilst the other Leader, Miccah, who had originally accepted her into the pack, held back. All the while Vaeta's eyes flashed to those mentioned - the pups and their names, the wolves of the pack and the title's which they were being given for their hard work. Of course, Vaeta took into much consideration their two allies they held further south and could only hope that Vaeta would be able to visit both packs at one point in time, granted she had yet to really travel towards the south just yet. When Kite was mentioned about her placement as Lead Scout, Vaeta beamed, filling an obvious happiness towards her 'sister in laws' accomplishment and her tail waved to show such, a smile being tossed to the lady at her side. ...And then she was mentioned, gaining the role of Scout! "Thank you so much, Nina." She peeps, once more tossing Kite a glance. Now they would be able to spend much more time together, granted their shared roles within the pack. Traveling buddies. "I did... though, Have a question." She peeps, shifting her attention between both her Leaders in order to make sure it was okay. If not, she would wait her turn, though whenever able she would ask. "Black Thorn Downs... If they are in the fields, that is awfully close... What about our hunting grounds?" She wondered exactly how much this was going to be a problem. Already there was a number of wolves to the south, who all shared their hunting areas amongst one another so moving south themselves might not be an option. If they were not working together with the other pack in hunts, what would become of this, especially during winter?
The tension between her leaders was completely lost on the fire pelted girl; normally so perceptive, she was lost in her depression, only managing to pay attention to the alphas' words, not their faces. Whilst her eyes were directed at Nina, they saw only shadows, and she did not notice when the queen bowed down to address her sons. In fact, she hadn't even noticed the boys' presence before their mother brought them to everyone's attention. First then, did she lower her gaze to the golden woman's paws, shaking her head lightly and blinking a few times to focus her eyes. And as she looked at the pups, she couldn't help but smile - a pale shadow of her usual, bright grin, but a smile none the less - noting, once again, how the boys were growing strong and handsome. Their names were nothing new to her, she knew them already, through the past months she had checked in frequently with Nina, making sure that all was good, and sometimes spending a little time with the family. Her eyes rested longest on Pacem, the boy she knew the best after having the pleasure of spending some one on one time with him some weeks back. When Nina continued, Aideen was able to concentrate better, watching her queen's face closely as she spoke. Her words made the red wolfess frown as she thought back to her meeting with Minka in the Blackberry Fields earlier in summer. She had hoped an alliance would come abound between their packs, the tawny dame had helped lift her spirits back then, when she was starting to truly worry about Coal; Even if I proved to be right... Her thoughts began to trail off, but were quickly brought back to Nina when she continued speaking. The queen began assigning roles to the gathered wolves, and Aideen followed her gaze, resting her copper eyes at each wolf as their name and new title were listed. Many of the faces were quite new to the orange girl, after Coal's disappearance - along with the departure of Rayne - she had withdrawn somewhat from the pack, only continuing her check-in's with Nina and the puppies, so now she found herself looking at mostly new wolves. Surprise filled her when her own name was mentioned, and the leader's sharp, emerald eye turned towards her. She met the gaze shortly, then lowered her eyes respectfully, ears perked in attention. When Nina assigned her her new rank, she felt something warm spread within her, her wounded heart swelling in her chest. She sad up straighter, feeling oddly like the darkness had been pushed aside by this new responsibility rested on her shoulders. Once again she looked to meet her queen's gaze, her own eyes clear and sharp now, and she nodded slowly; I won't disappoint you! She looked around on her pack mates with newfound dedication; And it is high time I get to know these new faces! She would take care to seek them out in the next days, a healer had to know her pack, they were all potential, future patients. Then Nina passed the word on to Miccah, and this time Aideen noticed the chilliness between them, brows furrowing as she turned her eyes to the black man. Both her leaders were wolves she cared for and respected, it saddened her that they could not see the strength in each other that she saw in them both. Miccah spoke of the banishment of Anouke, something the young healer already knew about - she had been the one to find Rayne after the dark brute had left him with a broken leg to bleed out in the snow - and her teeth flashed at the mere mention of his name, she was happy to have him gone, he was a deeply malicious wolf, she knew that from experience. Therefore, it did not surprise her to learn that he had left with promises of retribution, and she nodded solemnly as Miccah told them to be ware; she would! When the leaders were finished, they looked around, awaiting questions no doubt. And soon enough one of the young females did, Vaeta? She thanked Nina for the promotion to scout - Aideen wanted to thank her tutor herself, but preferred to save that for a more private moment - and then she asked about Black Thorne Downs, pointing out that their territory was very close to The Woodlands, wondering about hunting areas. A cold shiver ran down the reddish lass's spine, the scout's words had merit, they were now three packs using The Fields as their primary hunting grounds, but what could they do about it? In Aideen's mind, theses questions only led down some very dark paths, and she did not like them one bit. Jaw tightened, she looked at Iopah, then back up at Nina; this was a question for the huntress and scouts, and Miccah and Nina, she would keep out of it, and could only hope that they could come to a peaceful solution. Word count: 845 Thoughts ”Speech” |
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Her head remained down as the others arrived to the site of the meeting and when it started her ears perked up but her head remained the same. Nina spoke first about some happier news... at least Ashanti thought it was happier news. She introduced the children whom Ashanti glanced at briefly before putting her head back down and then Nina moved on to two traitors from a pack that were not to be associated with. She just gave a small nod in understanding and continued to listen to the queen of the Woodlands speak. Some roles were assigned but Ashanti was not one of those roles. She understood though because they gave the healer role to Aideen and with Ashanti's memory loss there was no telling what role was right for her in their minds even though she herself knew what her role should be.
Miccah spoke of grave news. It was evident in their postures that things between Miccah and Nina were tense and she had no idea why but that was not the point. He spoke of a wolf named Anouke attacking a packmate and how he had been kicked out of the pack. She kept staring at her paws throughout the entire thing and she did not react to his words. Then another pack wolf spoke and asked about hunting grounds with the new Black Thorn Downs wolves but Ashanti almost zoned out and did not pay attention. She just needed to get out of there and back to her comfort zone where she knew everything around her.
At Vaeta's greeting, Kite let out a low whine. "Vaeta!" It was truly good to see her, and it showed. The girl was now her sister by name, but Kite was eager to further know the girl and become her sister by bond, as well. Kite did not know they shared a common interest in scouting, but would soon find out. Her eyes fell to Iopah, and then to Miccah, and then to the other wolves of the Woodlands... and it was sooner rather than later the meeting truly began.
Kite listened raptly, and when her name was first brought up she found herself sitting a little taller so others could recognize who their leader spoke of. Kite nodded at the recognition, but remained humble. She had been more than happy to provide Nina with the information, and only for an instant did her mind fall to the kind Lugh who had given her all of the information. Her stomach sank... but Kite believed there would somehow be a positive outcome to this. Whether it be his pack find a land with ample hunting and boundless land or he find a place with less danger, Lugh would end up alright. He was a good wolf, Kite could see. Her intent in giving Nina information had not been for harm but for knowledge. If his leaders were not good ones and he found out... well, perhaps he could even come to the Woodlands...!
But perhaps his loyalty had been with his leaders for a time longer than she knew. It couldn't be known, but Kite found her attention once again held by Nina as she spoke of other pack affairs. Mirren's name. Kite was rapt as this was spoken, and as the announcement was made, Kite withheld from launching in his direction and mauling him (lovingly) for this success, and her eyes held onto his figure until her own name was mentioned. Her head swung toward Nina, who spoke of her own personal growth. Her tail beat against her thighs. Kite only believed that Nina would be making the pack aware of her new role as scout... but suddenly, in an instant, she was Lead Scout. She seemed frozen, but there was no doubting the excitement bottled in her figure which quivered happily. The new Tainn very well vibrated with the energy within, and looked to Mirren. LOOK AT US the glance seemed to scream, but then Vaeta was brought up and Kite was again listening keenly... scout! Kite turned to Vaeta, grinning. Now, she had someone to adventure with, too. Kite was ready to burst.
Aideen had become healer. Kite looked to Ashanti for a reaction, but there was none, only... well, nothing. But the other, tawny wolf seemed to respond, and Kite understood her error. The other wolf, her superior, seemed out of place. Kite could not slump to match her, and wondered if others around her thought she was assuming Ashanti's rank. Perhaps in the moment it might appear that way, and something seemed to occur to Kite then. A decision was made as she turned to listen to the rest of the meeting.
Miccah spoke of a familiar name, a name that had even recently (not too recently, though) aided them in the process of extracting Rayne and Catori from underground. As Kite noted this, she felt the tension rippling between her two leaders. The air was rife with it as Miccah spoke... and Kite felt her eyes fall to Mirren. Then the words attack on sight came into the air, and Kite turned to look at the inky leader.
And as Vaeta asked a question toward both her leaders, so too did Kite. "And on Anouke, the order to attack on sight... Regardless of location, or only if he is seen here?"
As far as meetings went, the gathering was business as usual. Behind he and Kite followed a remainder of the pack, each of the members paying their dues to their Leaders before finding a place of their own. Mirren's bright eyes lit up at the sight of his sister as she emerged from the foliage. What a gem, she truly was. Though he didn't know where she'd been, it appeared as though time had been to her. As did he, Vaeta wore the markings of her heritage perfectly and proudly─their father's signature dark markings and their mother's warm, kind eyes. A subtle grin emerged upon his dark lips. He was so glad to finally have her near again. The grin was followed by a wave of warmth as she called out to Kite, making her way to the beautiful woman from the plains. With Nina and the two of them there, it crossed his mind that the only woman in his life who was missing was Aeylen. When Nina finally spoke, his attention was all hers, though his eyes would stray now and then to watch the others as they listened. The introduction of the children was a nice was to kick things off, he thought, and he took the sight of them in with pride as the queen spoke their names. They were growing up so fast! The second order of business concerned the status of some of the neighboring packs and their relation to Secret Woodlands. He'd never encountered wolves from the packs mentioned, but Nina's words painted an image of all he needed to know: they weren't to be dealt with. As a Guardian─the lead, at that─making sure Nina's wishes were fulfilled would be a priority duty. Next, the announcement of the allocation of pack roles among and to the various members of his Woodlands family, himself included, made him feel proud for them all. His gaze met Nina's with reassurance as she announced his own, and as the others were spoken for, Mirren was sure to note their names and roles with their faces. Koda would be guarding right along with him; his feelings for the man were neutral at best, but he had no doubt that the elder man would be good at his job, what with his experience and ties to the queen and all. The tawny wolf inclined his head slightly as Kite's role was also announced─Lead Scout. She was perfect for it, and he was very proud of her. Not only that, but Vaeta would be scouting as well? Excellent. The two girls had quite the affinity for one another, anyway, and he knew they would make a great team. And then there was Aideen, the packs' newest healer; he stretched his neck to get a good look at the lady. As some of the others were, she was a mystery as well, but in time he was certain they would get to know each other better. And then...Miccah. The tension between he and Nina rolled off the log upon which they were both perched in waves that felt red-hot. Mirren's body language didn't give away the way he felt about that. There was no denying that he didn't like knowing that Nina wasn't so fond of her black-furred counterpart, and the scowl that Miccah wore when he was addressed to add what he would like made his own jaws clench. His eyes fell upon the man, the depths of their honey hue churning with thought and...expectation?No...no...it was a wordless hardness. Nearly everything about him made Mirren yearn to yank the carpet out from underneath his sable paws, so to speak. Mirren agreed with what he had to say about Anouke, that was certain. The Tainn would have no reservations when it came to dealing with such a traitor. But when he was personally addressed and told that he would be held to his title, well...I'm hardly the only one, was all that crossed his mind. It seemed as though Miccah himself was held to no expectation, except Mirren's own. Sure, he'd done his job just fine, Mirren supposed. But not all of it, and he certainly didn't please Nina, which was all he needed to know. Perhaps it was in that exact moment that Mirren realized his true position here, in this mossy, tangled forest that he'd come to love. And it was right where Miccah was. A lawful creature, the Tainn would show no defiance, but in time...In time, he was going to rise above, and Nina would finally have what she deserved. He would make sure of that. Silently, he remained at attention as questions and concern were expressed by the others. |
He listened as his mother told him he had to be silent during the meeting and frowned. Why did he have to be quiet? He thought about it as he backed up to be with his brothers while his mother started to talk to the crowd that had assembled. He was introduced to them all and he gave a huge smile to them all. She had mentioned his name last and he began to wonder why. Was he not as good as his brothers were? The small bits of jealousy fell into place as he tried to focus on the important things his mother had to say. There was something about an ally and a betrayal and some stuff like that but he zoned out because he didn't pay attention to politics of the pack.
Pacem took particular interest in his mother handing out 'official roles' and he listened to them intently. He focused carefully on the word guardian and he remembered it from somewhere. Hadn't Miccah said he was a guardian at some point? That had to be where he had heard it before. Pacem was very interested in the role that seemed to keep popping up and when he became interested in something, a wolf could bet that he would follow through and get as much information as he could on it. He would have to ask his mother later. Miccah began to speak and talked about a traitor in their own pack who had hurt one of their own packmates and Pacem stood there a little shocked. He tried to wrap his mind around the thought of a wolf hurting his packmates while others asked questions.