Oak Tree Bend the dark is taking over

 

It was with an irritated, low rumble in her throat, that Zia stopped mid step, turning to acknowledge the deep summons of Triell's call. Great, just great. A pack meeting. The last thing the silver woman wanted was to be in among all those unfamiliar faces, where she felt she didn't belong. It was nothing personal against them, or Triell. During her short stay here, Zia had come to the conclusion that Oak Tree Bend just wasn't for her. They were too tied up with one another, while she lingered in the background. Too great in numbers. Oh how she missed the days where she stood out, recognized as a key member of the pack. Here, she was just another nobody. Putting distance between herself and her fellow wolves was her method, which while may not be the best, was her way of coping. But she could not just keep on living like this forever, could she? She'd either have to adapt, or choose a different path. With a resigned sigh, she stared wistfully ahead into the snow laden forest before her. She had been making good progress too, having been on the trail of a sickly moose for the past hour and a half. The animal was unfortunate enough to venture into pack territory at this time of year. Given it's weakened condition, it would have made for the perfect target. But luck was on it's side, since Triell's voice sounded urgent, and it would live to see another day. Forced to abandon the hunt, Zia turned and headed back for the den at the center of the territory. At the very least, she could inform her dark friend that a potentially easy meal was waiting for them just in the western reaches of their home. A new and somewhat recognizable scent among the trees and snow had not gone unnoticed by the attentive she wolf. Nayeli, mate to Triell, had suddenly returned. At least that was one bit of good news. With it came a slight tension building in her shoulders and churning in her stomach. Last winter, she and Magnolia Glen had faced off against the coal female and several other Bend wolves. While Zia had tried to be neutral, playing the mediator, she didn't know how Nayeli would react to seeing the face of a former rival. The troubling news that she had brought back with her had not yet reached her ears, and frankly, with how much of a sourpuss she had been lately, Zia really didn't give a damn. Yet, she would sit and listen, doing what she could to be supportive. Even if that meant at the very least, keeping a tight watch on the borders. Arriving at the main den, she noted that a good handful of other wolves, including Triell and Nayeli herself, were already there. Her dark mask stoic and neutral, she slipped in without so much as a word, isolating herself off to one side from most everyone else. Waiting for the meeting to commence.

Table by Pann, Image by Jolee

 

@Silver I will be adding her to the ranks when we actually finish her thread so she can join this as well. Anyone else is welcome to reply who has not already. Going to try to get the next round before the 1st. @Kynareth, @Riley, @"Ceara. I think we need to discuss Sceral's absence.

I will not fall

Satisfied his pack would answer swiftly, he planted his paws in a firm stance. It was Nayeli who kept him steady in place. He grazed his nose against her neck, but did not speak.He was trying to hold onto the words he would use to explain this. The ones he would need for them to understand. Like Nayeli his eyes were frozen to the woods, watching for those to come.

It pleased the Tainn that his current, fellow  leader found them first. Dark mask remained unreadable, because it was not him Spieden was reviewing. He was sure it was a lot to take in. As she would soon cast her amber stare to him, his whisker's twitched. Not exactly a warning or answer. A silent statement it did not matter now. Later the two could decide if places were to be changed. It didn't exactly seem important when the world outside was a mess.

Next Darrah arrived, it was clear he had no intention to break the distance to reach them. Nor whatever cold wall he was shielding against his mother. If it were not for other things Triell would have taken him aside and told him many a thing. The time wasn't now. "Darrah," he murmured back with a dip of his head. It was enough he had answered. When he spied the silver, lithe figure of their daughter drawing forward with careful precision, placing herself beside her brother he hoped it would help. Least seeing them side by side placed strength in his heart, peace to his mind.

Phyrrus arrived, but already seemed...shaken. The leader did not lose face, he gently shook his head, pointing for her to sit. Drestig gained a bob of his head, despite how pleased his friend was to see Nayeli, a smile was not in him yet. Not even when Serach came. Nor Jessie, he wondered if he detected the same reluctance in her as Darrah. Hotei's stance on the meeting seemed "normal" for his dark brother. Though it surprised Triell, that Zia came upon them the same way. Everyone before him were the oldest members, his blood, so he was ready to get started. Stranglers would just have to be informed.

Guard hairs on edge, he took a step forward, his dark banner high in the air. "Nayeli has made it back home, but it was not with ease. Her captors are still hoping to retrieve her, and will likely be in the Lore if not already. You should all become familiar with the scents in her coat. We will need to be aware when they arrive, and decide what is to be done. But know this, I'm all for eliminating threats posed against my family. It has been done in the past, and seems necessary again. We need to figure out the best way. I'm certain they will use whatever methods they can to obtain her. I think it best if no one travels alone." Eyes cast briefly upon his mate, but found their way to his daughter and son. "I especially ask that you two do not travel outside the Bend alone.

are you with me through it all?

It was not long before others began to arrive. The first form to appear in response to Triell's call was not who Nayeli had been waiting so eagerly for, but she did recognize the dark earthen-hued woman. Spieden's posture and odd, half-approach were enough to pull Nayeli's attention fully onto the other, and for a long moment, competing instincts seemed to war beneath the surface, perhaps for both females. The Coho woman's stance clearly conveyed dominance, though she seemed somewhat unsure of things as well, and one hardly needed to be appraised of the full situation to pick up on the subtext. Had this she-wolf stepped up in her absence? Triell had said nothing specific on the matter, and Nayeli had only assumed it would be the loyal and trusted Jessie who he would have turned to, if anyone... but perhaps the scouts' mission had complicated matters further. She stared back into the other woman's fiery gaze, wanting to raise her banner and assert that she feared nothing - but if it was truly a fight Spieden wanted, Nayeli knew she wasn't prepared for it. Her paw still thrummed with the memory of her old injury, and more recently, Skadi's vengeful jaws. Her energy and strength had not fully returned, and whatever might happen, she new that right now the pack would need someone stronger and more capable than she currently was. Her silver gaze was calm, though critical for a moment, wondering if this she-wolf was really up to such a task - how well had she managed so far? At least Zera and Darrah had been kept safe, and the pack together; if nothing else, Nayeli supposed she owed Spieden thanks for that, for helping Triell when he'd surely needed it. After what seemed like eons, but had probably been only seconds, she gave a curt dip of her head and a flick of her tail in greeting, lowering her gaze just long enough to bleed off some of the tension building in the air. She kept her neutral posture - she would defer to this woman, for now, if she must, but she did not have to like it. At any rate, it was something to be settled later, not now, and she could only hope Spieden would be astute enough to come to a similar conclusion.

Perhaps she might have said something of the sort to the dark woman, had the three of them been alone for very long, but in no time at all another was with them - and this time, it was who Nayeli had been watching for. Her eyes fell on her son as he seated himself at a careful distance, greeting his father but sparing her neither a word nor a glance. If Nayeli's reaction to Speiden had been serene and detached, it was now anything but. Nayeli shuffled her feet, ears flicking back - quite clearly uncomfortable, she could not bring herself to break her gaze away again until Zera arrived. If Darrah wouldn't acknowledge his mother, at least greeting his father and sitting with his sister were the next best thing. She couldn't help but smile, seeing the pair of them together at last, though she wouldn't bet on them receiving it equally well.

Others were arriving now - next came the woman who had been at borders yesterday. Nayeli nodded in greeting to her, but there was little opportunity to answer her question just yet. Soon enough, you'll all know. The dark cloud that had followed Nayeli home might very well affect them all, a thought which sent a familiar, bitter knot to her stomach. Curse them. Isn't everything they've done already enough? she thought. But knowing Garmr, it wasn't. Before, she had felt guilty for returning here with such a darkness following her, but how could she not come back, given the chance? This was her home, and she would not allow the mere specter of her captors to continue to prevent her from returning to it. She could not have outrun them on her own for long, this was the only right choice, she kept telling herself.

The next arrivals were more well-known to her, and a smile leaped back onto the dark woman's jaws, glad to see that Drestig had returned from his mission alongside Jessie. Serach was the next to arrive, followed by the silver Swiftpaw woman herself. Nayeli gave each new arrival another nod in turn, noting that Serach was alone and quiet. Jessie seemed equally so, though not with quite the same air. "I'm glad to see you've returned... and sorry I could not be here to welcome you back," Nayeli said, shifting her gaze between Drestig and Jessie. It seemed like an eternity ago when she and the emerald-eyed lead scout had first discussed the trip over the mountains. Triell's brother, Hotei, was the next to arrive, a wolf Nayeli had never really gotten to know, despite their mutual connections. He had always struck her as an exceedingly quiet man, and today was no different. It was the last arrival who provided a surprise - it took Nayeli a moment to place the the lightly silvered woman, but then she remembered... last winter. The Glen. Nayeli's attention had not been focused on her that day, but now she studied her for a moment, her gaze more intrigued than hostile. Something must have made her leave their neighbors and brought her here, for clearly she was no longer an enemy. For the moment, it was simply another ponderance to add to a long and growing list.

Some familiar faces had yet to arrive, but it didn't seem they would be waiting any longer - Nayeli could only hope that they were running late or had some other task to detain them, but the absences of Triell's brother, and Serach's, did not go unnoticed . Triell launched into the matter of her reappearance with little preamble, leaving Nayeli thankful that he seemed to be sticking to the shorter version. Sharing her tale with him had been difficult, she was not certain she could have got through it all again before the pack like this. For a moment, their two gazes met, and she gave him a grateful nod. When he had finished, she stepped forward, so that the others might gather and acquaint themselves with her scent, and the others that still mingled vaguely in her fur. "I was injured in the Sierra Hills when the band of loners found me, and promised their aid. Instead they did their best to keep me from returning home, to what end, I do not know.... There were four of them, all related, with dark-and-silver coats - three adults and one juvenile. Now I've defied them by escaping, and I'm sure they will not leave the matter alone easily," she stated, little emotion seeping its way into her words. She had been over it all before, she wanted to put that pain in the past. Now there was only a ring of bright anger in the otherwise neutral cadence of her voice, anger at what might yet come from those wolves. She looked out at the trees as she spoke, but once she was done, she looked around to the rest of the Bend wolves in invitation to step closer. There might be differences and tensions between them, but in the face of an outside threat, they must needs stand together.

stock

(This post was last modified: Mar 27, 2015, 05:33 PM by Nayeli. Edit Reason: wording )

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Caution, swearing.

Oh it was unbearable, everybody being so calm and collected while she sat there, shivering and trying to keep her body's revolts under control. They always find me, where ever they go, they track me down and tear my to pieces.  Her eyes threatened to tear up, the salty liquid forming on the rims of her eyelids. She had to speak to someone she trusted, but who could that be? Anthem was miles away and belonged to another pack. And why would he care what her personal life consisted of? She needed someone to talk to, and she had no one. In a room full of people, it is oh so fucking lonely.

She didn't want to ask, but it was the only way. "..What's the n-names?" She breathed pitifully. It was disgusting how small she felt, usually being the spirited one. She could taste the bile rising in the back of her throat. They had no idea what she had been through and they would do little to help her from being taken away again. But how could they? They didn't know her, she was strange and new. Nayeli was the only one that had the capability to understand, and Phyrrus didn't even know her. But did she really know anybody?

  

Contains swearing

One by one, Spieden watched as the rest of the pack filtered in. She observed each face, wondering if anyone already knew what was going on; Not that it made much of a difference, she was terrible at reading others. A few came in close, a few stayed towards the outskirts. Spieden remained standing, meeting Jessie's brief narrowed gaze. Out of everyone, she had a feeling the small female didn't quite like her. Her gaze momentarily fell on the new woman seated unassumingly, if not awkwardly, in the back. Really, she could sympathize. That's where she would rather be sitting, too.

Spieden's attention flicked back to Triell as he began to speak. The midnight furred leader wasted no time, launching immediately into his purpose. For that, Spieden was thankful, as it meant this whole ordeal could be over with sooner. However, she wasn't so happy about what came from his lips. Captors? Immediately her brows inched up her forehead in disbelief as she inhaled sharply in shock. Nayeli added to the tale, confirming what had happened, but already Spieden's blood was boiling. If there was anything to rankle the Coho woman, it was anyone who willfully stole away the freedom of another. Hell, what if they took her?

"Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em! I'll show 'em what for. Where the hell are they? I'll go and rip their damn heads off right now!" Spieden growled, right over Phyrrus's soft-spoken words, her hotheaded nature getting the best of her.

His fathers greeting meant nothing to the wolf, it was his mothers uncomfortable posture that gave him joy. His plan was working.Though hard to admit, Darrah hadn't even noticed his own sisters arrival. It might had even stayed that way had she not broken the silence with a hello. He quietly turned his head towards her, flashing her a light smile. "Zera, hey."Had this be under an other circumstances he would of told her how nice it was to see her again, perhaps even compliment her on how well she looked, but now wasn't the time for that. He returned his cold icy glare to his parents, waiting to get this thing over with.

Not long after his sisters arrival came Drestig. He sat himself right behind the prince. A sense of relief passed through Darrah's body, he always felt more comfortable with him around. "Though now I can't throw the tantrum I wanted. Can't make a fool out of myself in front of the only wolf that respects me." He sighed as the wolf gave him a nudge. "Hey Drestig."

Others piled in and Darrah was sure that almost the whole pack was present. Finally the meeting was beginning, he listened to his fathers words jump straight to the point. Of course there would be a whole big spectacle about the events she went through, why wouldn't his father react like this? None the less it pissed him off, though he couldn't help but smirk at his fathers words to not leave the bend. "He know's Ill go where I damn please." He made sure not to respond out loud. His moms words came next, her voice hitting him the same as it had since her return. "And the excuses pile in. So she got captured huh? And how exactly did she let that happen. Getting injured all alone. Right." he rolled his eyes at his mothers idiocy. "If this is all they had to say then it might be edging toward my time to leave." he waited impatiently for someone to give him an excuse to take off. "As a baby I thought she was so smart. Doesn't she realize what her stupid actions caused her to miss?" His glare fell to the ground.

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

Her slumberous body raised and slowly followed behind Drestig. Clouded eyes cleared and made easy was for being able to see. "Drestig," She paused lightly calling out to him before they were to arrive at the rest of the group. "don't wait up for me." Her long legs trailed after filling in seemingly being one of the last members to show. It wasn't her favorite thing to be showing up last, especially sense she still needed to prove herself, but it was what it was.   Taking a seat in the back of the group the dark woman's ears perked in hopes of catching every word that her dark alpha spoke. While a lot of the faces she wasn't familiar with that didn't stop her from offering a friendly smile and nod if anyone could even see her in the back. A danger was spoken of that sent a shiver down Silver's spine. Captors? The dark woman was unfamiliar with Nayeli and this capturing that happened but it was certainly a serious matter. If the aging woman wasn't so nervous and anxious she would have spoke out offering a paw in helping to find these captors. Of course even if she didn't tell the whole pack she was going to do actions against these threats against Oak Tree Bend she knew she would carry them out. Perhaps having a conversation with Drestig about taking a trip to the hills. Shooting a look around the group that had gathered her ears perked at every word falling from their lips. One woman asked of their names while another snapped rather rugged words. While she liked to agree with "ripping their damn heads off" Silver also knew it likely wouldn't be the easiest best approach to this. "Speech"

Burtn @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Intently, she watched her dark Leader as he began to address the pack, explaining to them that Nayeli was back, but with a catch. Captors. Her ears flicked back at the word, her stoic facial features hardening. Her blue eyes grew icy, switching to Nayeli's distinct face to confirm what she had just heard. As she spoke, Zia learned that she had been injured while out alone, and that this small band of rouges had deceived her in a false act of kindness. She sneered inwardly. Why would anyone even do such a thing, to hold an innocent wolf against their will?! What was their motive? And why the hell wouldn't they leave Nayeli and the Bend alone? Zia felt her silver hackles beginning to rise along the length of her spine. Others had different reactions, some much more extreme than others. Most notable was Spieden's blatant outrage, and as much as she would like to skin the mongrels alive with her, diving in blindly would not help put the matter to rest. Her thoughts went to Fallen Tree Cove. Vesperito's pack was the closest, and as far as she knew, on good terms with the Bend. She did not know if Triell had met with the man personally yet, but turning to him for more support could be an option. But no...they couldn't. This was a personal matter, and so should be dealt with as such. The pack was large enough in size to easily dispose of a handful of strays. The gears in her mind were turning, and while Zia felt no real connection to this pack, or many of it's members, she was still inclined to help where she could. She broke the silence in a low voice, exposing the calculated, militaristic personality that only came out in such serious times. "Perhaps we should consider beefing up the border patrols. In pairs, for both the extra security and scrutiny...." She suggested mainly to Triell, Nayeli and Spieden, but others were free to chime in and agree or disagree if they wanted. She just wanted to get the ball rolling in the right direction, somehow.

Chunga-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Apr 01, 2015, 12:21 AM by Zia.)

As angry as she was with Drestig, Jessie knew she couldn't ignore the man, especially when she embarrassingly had to admit that she knew no one else attending the meeting, except for Spieden, whom she didn't favor. As she waited for the meeting to begin, her heart clenched in slight fear when she noticed Hotei's arrival. As he made his way towards her, she felt herself sink slightly back into Drestig's shoulder, her heart pounding in her ears. While he made it clear that he was going to sit next to her, he didn't go out of his way to touch her, for which she was thankful for. The Tainn didn't need any more injuries to add to insult. She flushed slightly when she realized that she was still touching the other scout in-training and was quick to pull away slightly, to give him his space and so that she could maintain some dignity.

It didn't take long for Triell to start the meeting, and what greeted Jessie's ears shocked her to her core, her mouth slightly agape. The sound of another's arrival distracted her, and her face turned into a scowl when she saw who it was. Lightly, she brushed her muzzle against Drestig's shoulder, silently communicating with him to take in Nayeli's scent. As Scouts, they would need to be on the look out to be sure that the threats never came near Nayeli....their queen. Just as soon as she had signaled Drestig, the woman tilted her head slightly, breathing in the scents around and distinguishing which ones were definitely not ones that smelt like home. As she did so, she continued to listen to Triell's words of caution and was shocked when Spieden's voice cut through the meeting. Wide emerald eyes looked in on the woman, her eyes thinned in caution. Her outburst, while accurate, was not acceptable at a formal meeting. The former Swiftpaw's lip curled slightly at the woman, her body tense as she listened to anything else that the pack, or Triell and Nayeli, had to add.