Secret Woodlands Poems, Prayers and Promises

Pack meeting lovelies! Permission to PP @Nina so please join us @Iopah, @Miccah, @Camio, @Aideen, @Nova, @Pacem, @Silentium, @Unitas. Please respond by 11/28!

He stood like a statue at the mouth of his den, watching as frost clung to the ground and the branches of the trees that resembled a cloak that had easily concealed the pawprints of those who remained with the cleverly hidden pack, and made it harder to track the prey who were slowly beginning to disappear. Like his co-leader, he worried over the pack and because of this he spoke with Nina about gathering the pack for a meeting to discuss a long list of issues that could plague them with winter around the corner and the constant nagging feeling that perhaps some would flee for a stronger pack bugged him.

He wanted nothing more than to feel that he was living up to his potential as a successful leader and the fact that so many had deserted him brought a sour taste to his mouth--there was no doubt in his mind that there would be more loners pleading for a home. The most recently accepted, a male and female, he pondered over their loyalty but their thinning numbers had swayed his decision, and there was no logical point of chasing away healthy young wolves regardless of his worries.

After a few moments of silent thought, he traveled from his den toward the center of the packland where he called first for Nina, and when she arrived within a few moments time, he came to her side into a sit. He couldn't help glancing toward the green eyed cinnamon hued with a smile, he appreciated her sheer strength and resilience and was grateful for her experience with leading this pack for more years than he had been on the Lore; she was a pillar and he thoroughly enjoyed the fact that she had taken him as her partner. A single ear flicked toward her as he sat and when he felt that she were ready for the rest of the pack he tilted his head skyward to call for the rest of the pack and hoped for their quick-footed appearance. There was much to discuss and he wanted nothing more than to see that the remaining members still had as much hope in the Woods as he still did...

(This post was last modified: Nov 23, 2014, 09:36 AM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.

Camio was doing nothing particular this day. In fact all he had been doing was either wasting time with Nova or circling the borders making sure everything was in place like it should be. He had been on his way to check up with Nova when he heard the call from one of his leaders, Koda. Camio had grown to respect the male enough to make sure his face had a good memory to it. Figuring he shouldn't make his male alpha wait the young Zamora was quick on his way to the scene of where the call came from.

By the sound of the call he assumed this would be a pack gathering, something his mind wasn't the most familiar with. It had been what seemed like a lifetime since he had attended a pack activity. Maybe this would just be easy. Discuss a few minor things then move on back to their normal daily schedule. That was something elese the Zamora would have to work on. Finding himself a daily schedule.

When he arrived his eyes did the quickest lightly scan over his two alphas. Offering a respectful nod he averted his gaze to their paws and spoke their names with utter respect and grace. "Koda, Nina." Taking a seat in the front of the area he wondered who else would show. He hadn't met many faces except in passing. Camio had rarely remembered names or faces. All he really know was Nova, Nina, and Koda. Although he was fairly distant from the members, even the alphas, of his new home he figured that after this meeting he would try to get that straightened out. Who knew, maybe Nova had met a few faces and could introduce Camio around.

"Speech."

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

EDIT: Changed my post slightly, since I promised Mily I'd bring Miccah into the meeting. Kept his exact position vague though, so as to not interfere with the other posts ;)
Permission given from Mily to PP Miccah

She was close by when the call rang out, the thundering, masculine note making her wince lightly, pausing in her steps. She was still unfamiliar with the grey male as her new alpha, but she respected him as Nina's chosen partner, knowing that the one eyed queen was much happier with this arrangement than the previous. Swiftly, the small female turned around, trotting through the snow to the center of the pack, keeping a good pace to not be late. When she arrived, she saw Nina and Koda, sitting side by side, and she flashed a bright smile, nodding respectfully as greeting. Then she turned her eyes to the only other wolf present, a young, tawny male, who she hadn't seen before. She knew a couple of loners had joined them recently, and this must be one. Feeling a sudden burst of sociability, like she hadn't in a long time, she walked over to the boy, sitting herself down near him. And, since they were still waiting for the rest of the pack before the meeting could start, she addressed him lowly, a friendly smile on her lips; "Hello, welcome to The Woodlands. I'm Aideen." She looked at him encouragingly, copper eyes sparkling. A movement out the corner of her eye made her turn momentarily though, friendly smile turning into a broad grin as she recognized the dark figure coming to join them. @Miccah strode into the clearing in that smooth manner that was so stunning considering his size, navigating the thicket with flawless skill. Aidden waved an ear at the black wolf, tail tapping happily at the snow beneath her, and she sought to meet his bright blue eyes, hoping that he would come join them. Then she turned her gaze back to the brown boy by her side, not wanting to be rude, and once again smiled encouragingly; Though she kept one ear turned towards her leaders, ready to devote to them her full attention, as soon as they started the meeting. Word count: 334 Thoughts ”Speech”

new-horizon-stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Nov 22, 2014, 03:14 PM by Aideen.)

PLOT WITH ME!

Nova dutifully made her way to her leader's call, abandoning some promising looking hare burrows as she did so. She'd just have to remember where they were so she could find them later. Within minutes she had made it to the rendezvous, which seemed rather empty though it was hard to tell if others still had yet to make it, or if the pack really was just that small. At least Nova noticed the wolverine woman from the other day wasn't there yet.

As she glanced over the group, Nova's dandelion colored eyes flashed at the rusty coated female perched irritatingly close to her man. Aideen wasn't even that close, but really, any distance was too close for Nova. She wanted to growl at the lady to buzz off, but couldn't for the sake of keeping the peace, as well as keep her and Camio's relationship more or less under wraps. A pack meeting in front of the alphas did not seem like the place to put that front and center.

She kept her head and tail low as she moved into the gathering, glancing to Koda and Nina's paws with a respectful duck of her snout as she remembered her manners. Nova tried to look as cool as a cucumber, though she couldn't quite keep the stiffness from her gait as she walked up to Camio. Nova shoved herself into the empty space between Camio and Aideen, sitting down and sprawling out her haunches to take up as much space as possible. She leaned towards him like a sprout reaching for a ray of sun, smiling kindly at her love before returning her gaze to the leaders, now conspicuously ignoring Aideen.

By the edge of the Secret Woodland borders, where the thick tangle of forest started to grow interspersed with blackberry brambles, a pale wolf was moving. Her nose was down, trotting along with an easy fluid pace. It was chilly and each puff of air bloomed white against the ground. She moved onward, intent on the task.

There were always things to do and today was no different. She was the pack hunter, and as such her focus typically revolved around food. The fixation, ironically, kept her pleasingly lean. The food didn't go to her and she needed to be fit to catch their fare. The pack sheltered her, a runaway from the south with nothing to her name, and she feed them. It was a task she never complained at. Despite how frustrating the job could be sometimes.

The deer tracks she followed were not fresh, already frost was beginning to harden their edges. It didn't matter, this was just a scouting expedition anyways. Later, after she'd established their location, she would come back with reinforcements. They would need a couple light-footed wolves to chase. The pups, Iopah mused, needed the experience. And they would need a heavier wolf for the actual take-down. Iopah had experience and speed, but lacked the weight needed. Miccah or perhaps Koda, if he wasn't busy. Now she just needed to see where the deer were bedding down. The frost tracks lead into the brambles and Iopah hesitated. It was no-mans's-land, her pelt bristled looking into the blackberry bushes, following the line of deer tracks out of sight.

Koda's voice called to them and Iopah sighed, then turned away. Being a ways from the meeting area, it took a few minutes to arrive. She was following close on Nova's heels, a woman who had helped with the wolverine earlier. Her appreciation fled as the dark girl approached Aideen and a tawny male. The stiff-legged gait was subtle, but Iopah had caught it. A newcomer and already trying to push her weight around. She stalked forward, seeking Nova's eyes in a disapproving glare. That was't how things worked around here. She offered a congenial smile to Camio and headed to Aideen's other side. Iopah sat down, leaving space in case Aideen wanted to move away from the pushy yearling and glanced up to Nina and Koda. She smiled and ducked her head away in respect, ears flicking back in silent apology. The least she could do was apologize to them for her opinionated nature.

(This post was last modified: Nov 22, 2014, 06:08 AM by Iopah.)

silence is golden

silentium hervok

silentium est aureum

It was lucky the boy was close for he had been preoccupied, he had been in the middle of stalking what he hoped to be dinner. Truthfully he wouldn't have caught it, the squirrel had taken one look at the blonde pup and ran straight up the nearest tree. The tree at which the base of it Silentium now leaned his front paws against as he barked at the pest to come down. He hadn't much experience or training in hunting, other than the day Koda and Iopah had taken him to chase the rabbits and thought what he was doing was perfectly normal. It was rather perplexing why the squirrel didn't come running down the bark and onto the ground so he could chase him properly.

Still, he was trying his best until he heard the sound of Koda calling for his mother. Ceasing his noise he turned his cranium in curiosity towards the sound, though he knew better than to interrupt a meeting his two alphas were having unless they requested him. The male had gained his trust more than any other grown man he had met, though he didn't consider him his friend like he did the ashy huntress, merely an ally or at a stretch a mentor. Still, he respected the fact that he now led beside his mother and was more content with this than when the dark man had. He had never spent any time with Miccah, rather only seeing him in passing through the territory and enough to know his name, but had never even had more than 2 words with him. That went for most of the pack though so Si held nothing against him, merely he didn't trust him fully.

Just before he lost interest and went back to his squirrel (which had taken its opportunity to flee when he wasn't looking) a second call came and this one included him. Without much second thought towards what he had been doing previously he made his way towards the sound and arrived within a minute or two as he hadn't been in much of a hurry. Pushing through the foliage the green eyes flicked around who was already there and after smiling to his mother in acknowledgment he sat closely beside Iopah. She was what he considered his only friend and if he couldn't sit next to mother then Io was the next best thing.

O.o so sorry guys

Of course he was late, Unitas was almost always late when real stuff like meetings were happening. It was probably due to the fact that he liked to roam around the territory. For some reason every time something like a meeting was called Unitas was always at the furthest point away within the packs land where it took him forever to travel back through. The dark boys legs churned underneath his slim body as Tas sprinted homeward. The one who had called the pack, the new alpha male named Koda, had called for everyone. Naturally Unitas wanted nothing to do with a big meeting, but he knew that he would get into trouble for not going to it. So he rushed. The teal eyed Hervok sped through the undergrowth easily leaping fallen logs that had given him issues when he was smaller and younger. He was becoming quite attuned to this forest's landscape and its other non-wolf inhabitants. So the pup knew the best paths through the woods to get to his destination as soon as possible. Even so, as Unitas fast approaches the meeting as well as his pack mates; he quickly realizes that most everyone was already there. Sharply slowing himself down, Tas pulled himself up to Iopah's side. There he heaved for breath while grinning wickedly towards the rest of the pack. His tail beat a mile a minute as the dark lad slowly goes around to greet everyone. He goes in order as the rules clearly state "address higher wolves first then follow the order down the line..." So he greets Koda firstly, then Nina(is she here yet?), followed by Iopah and then Aideen. To the wolves Unitas didn't know he gave them a few whines of hello before settling between his brother and the second huntress. Still breathing hard, Unitas didn't bother to voice any apology for his lateness, instead he listened for whatever the meeting might be about. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

She knew there was going to be a meeting and to symbolize her encouragement of Koda's rise to power, she was allowing him to call his first meeting together. It made her feel...different, allowing someone else to take charge and even though she didn't like it, she was trying to put her trust back in him. So when he called for her first, she greatly appreciated what he had done for her. It would be much more convenient for them both to be there when everyone arrived. Nudging him on the shoulder gently in greeting. She then stood next time him, her single emerald eye staring at him, a brief nod signaling that she was ready. He called for them, his deep voice traveling easily throughout their thicket. It was obvious that he was confident in what he was doing and that was one thing that was different about him and Miccah. The man that she had lead with formerly had no sense of confidence within him and it made it hard for Nina to lead with her. There was always an obvious power struggle and that was none existent in Koda and Nina's partnership thus far. It hadn't taken long for their first members to arrive, one of whom she did not recognize. Aideen remained next to him, and Nina offered her a small smile of greeting, pleased that she was quick to get here. However, when another female that Nina did not recognize arrived, there was obviously some tension, and Nina's single eye narrowed on the slight conflict, her lip peeling back in a scowl. No child should have disrespected Aideen in such away. The woman was important to the pack and Nina knew that she deserved much respect. Luckily, it was not necessary for the Hervok to say anything. Iopah was soon to come along, asserting her place and giving a warning to the other woman. When her loyal second turned to acknowledge the two alphas, Nina gave her friend a nod of thanks, knowing that it was Iopah that had stayed with her since the beginning of Secret Woodlands. She was very thankful for Iopah and considered her to be one of her most loyal members. Next to arrive were two of her children, and she was amused to watch Unitas greet every ranked member in turn. His morals were good and she was glad that she had raised her sons so well. However, when @Pacem didn't arrive, she became confused and whispered his name quietly to Koda. The death of their beloved Tacoma still plagued her and she wanted to know where her child was. At this distress, her tail flicked high above her back, to make it obvious that she didn't wish to be tested right now.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

My bad! Meant to get to this a while ago...

Oh he was so late and his mother was going to kill him. He'd wandered a bit too far that when he heard the call, he could not run fast enough in order to not be late. He tried his best to remain calm as the lanky and small but outspoken pup raced into the meeting and skidded to a halt in front of his mother and Koda. "So so sorry I'm late mum. I wandered a bit too far into the fields near the orchard... but I ran the entire way back." His breathing was staggered and slightly labored as his gave his mom a nervous smile. He nodded a greeting to Koda before scampering to sit next to Silentium. He felt terrible for being late so he kept his head down.

He looked around with a tilted head. There were two wolves there he didn't recognize. There was Koda and his mum and Iopah. There was Aideen who was the healer. Iopah was a hunter and his teacher too. Then there were Silentium and Unitas and himself but there were also two wolves there he didn't know. One of the wolves was a girl about a year older than himself who had fur as dark as his. She's kinda pretty. He told himself before looking at the man. The man was about two years older than him and looked a lot like his mum did - in the boy's opinion - and he was confused. How could he not know them? Had they just joined that day or something? He made it his job as a prince to know everyone. He frowned. He'd have to fix that fact after the meeting.

Sorry for taking so long, this definitely went over the posted deadline....the next round will commence on the 10th, that should be enough days, you guys post way faster than I do!
@nina, @iopah, @miccah, @aideen,@camio, @nova, @unitas,@silentium, @Pacem

He watched in silence as each member filtered in one by one. The newest members, Nova and Camio, did not take long to appear, in fact he was surprised at the quickness of which they came and appreciated their prompt appearance having joined by a week before the meeting. He was confident that his decision to have them join was a good one and that both wolves would settle well in Secret Woods, despite the display of arrogance of the female yearling as she entered shortly after her male friend and settled next to them, although his face did not show the disappointment he would be sure to speak with Nova about her attitude toward his most loyal members.

It seemed that time stood still when Iopah entered the scene and he found his eyes following her as she strode past to settle next on the other side of Aideen, her expression was priceless, as it showed how Koda felt about the pushy yearling and he smiled to himself at this fact--Iopah was a woman that he'd already begun to feel a connection with. Clearing his throat, as more wolves filtered in, he waited until the pups settled onto their rears before he addressed the crowd, watching for @Unitas for when he would finally appear.

"It has been a little while since we've had a meeting and it's well overdue..." he started, catching the gaze of each wolf before continuing, "as you all can see, our numbers have fallen since the beginning of winter. Many have left in search of some place else to call home or a battle with wanderlust and because of this we are left with a few loyal members and two newcomers who I would like everyone to become familiar with, Nova and Camio, welcome to Secret Woods, we are excited to have you two join our ranks." and he smiled at the two younger wolves before continuing on. "as for the deserters, I will give Nina the decision to have them chased away on sight or welcomed back by our members. Also, since winter is upon us, I want ever member to make it their priority to recruit as many loners as you can to Secret Woods, we need more loyal and strong members in our ranks, they will help us to survive the winter as I believe it will not be a kind one this year either." he trailed off, feeling his confidence grow as his eyes swept his crowd--they were his responsibility and he wanted nothing more then to see each of his members make it through the winter alive. "If any members seek to fulfill a duty for the pack, Nina or I would love to hear your interest and give you a special job to perform in order to jump start your progress...now, I believe Nina had some words she wanted to share as well so I will give her the opportunity to speak now." and finally he fell silent, his mouth dry. Although he was nervous, and felt that he did not sound the part of a leader, what he said he meant and he hoped that his members trusted him enough to approach them with their concerns and questions, of which he would address personally--he was enjoying his role as leader and would take it just as seriously as he would his own relationships with them.

(This post was last modified: Dec 07, 2014, 04:44 PM by Koda.)

Arla and Emma are the ish and made my pretties!
Koda will most likely always be accompanied by Chiron unless otherwise stated, or requested.