Grizzly Hollow at skyfall

He listened to his father, his face going blank with worry touching the corners of his eyes. What if this didn’t work? He tried to force another smile for his mothers sake, but the strain was clear in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth. Not for the first time he considered going to get Aniu, even if he had to drag her kicking and screaming. Maybe she had thought of something else while they were all here?

His brother filled the blanks, Kade wasn’t here (a thought that still stung when he lingered on it too long), either was Bishop… The dark wolf had gone unnoticed by the pale man and a stern look was given to his introduction and assurances that he wasn’t poisoning their father. That alone caused the white wolf to look on him with suspicion. Who said something like that if they were entirely innocent? He would need to have words with Rook about the boy later no doubt, but he wouldn’t let such a small oddity ruin such a momentous occasion.

Instead of scrutinising the Thorben lad further, his attention was drawn to the arrival of Quil’s sister to whom he threw a welcoming smile. Any child of Kade’s was as good as family in his mind and while Rook seemed to have every intention of making her sister family in the literal sense he couldn’t imagine such a gathering was comfortable when everyone else seemed so well acquainted.

EEp! Sorry.<3 I really wanted this post to be better but here it is.

It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

There was always that pause. The one that felt like tiny needles were being drawn in and out of her heart in that fragile space of time. The coils of her muslces were taunt, feeling her mate beside her react to Rook. She pressed herself to his side, in an attempt to ground him. Let him know she was right there. Pale gold-green eyes seem to be working through it.

Sure enough, there seemed to be remembrance. Though his words were true, she was eager to explain. But, she did not interrupt for fear of stopping so much more. Once it was evident he remembered Bishop, and how she was not here, she wanted too remind him how she had chosen her own path. Like Hocus, Taima, Renier, and Arlette. Nothing would form on her tongue. It was crippling enough for her to know this without throwing it at him all of a sudden.

Her mismatched eyed son started with the first and foremost thing of importance. Everyone here was here for him. Jayse tucked her nose underneath the line of Borden's jaw. Her own small point of refuge. She did not like the slight change in Rook, but he did not falter. "Home Borden, really home. The others will know exactly where to find us now," she murmured to his ear. This she hoped more truth than hope. Why she wanted to encourage him to continue to see for himself there was an arrival of another. The boy that had asked them where they were going. She knew vaguely he was trying to attempt to help Borden, some how for Rook's sake. Beyond that she wasn't sure what to think of him, and did find his comment about not poisoning him a little disturbing. How did he know it wasn't? It was with her trust in Rook she did nothing for the time being. Secretly, she did not think anything would change the war time was weighing upon him, or her.

The last to join them must be Cinder. Jaysyek could easily see her resemblance to her mother Ava. It felt strange to look upon them, especially knowing their mother and father were not here. It seemed another hole in the mess that was life. Like Rook, she saw them as part of family. Hopefully they would feel the same. Though she did not leave Borden's side, she made a point to look at both with a soft smile of sorts. "Your father was a great friend of mine, I am both glad and honored to meet you both. To have you are here. He did a great deal for Grizzly Hollow." For now, she waited like she did a lot of these days to see what Bo would like to do next. Rest in their den?

&hearts; Let's wrap this up, shall we? Will be archiving the thread by this Sunday or sooner if you all happen to exit out by then; no post order. Thank you guys, you're all the best. c: 

Jaysyek being there, so close at his side, feeling her breaths bring her own shoulders and side into his, kept him grounded. It allowed him the leisure to think while being constantly reminded of who he was with, where he was, and what had all just been relayed to him by his youngest son, Rook. So he was by himself; and, he was perfectly fine. A deep breath was released through his nose and a burning need to be briefed in thorough detail rippled through him. He would have to get together with Rook again sometime once everyone was settled. That would be later, though; at present, there were other things and certain individuals to be addressed.

He smiled to the stately woman at his side, following her gaze to the two girls before them. Whatever Titan had said had gone over his head - surely it was a joke, if it hadn't been, surely someone, perhaps Rook, would have made a scene over it - and Quil and Cinder, for a second, had his sole attention. Now that he had a good while to see and focus, he noticed just how lovely they both were, how much of both Kade and Ava had shone through in their dark coats and warm-colored irises. There was no doubt they would be a fine fit if they chose to stay.

Borden's head turned in attempt to put everyone's faces to memory. Rook, Ryvet, Titan, Quil, Cinder... Jaysyek... Candidly, it really did feel like he was still back up north. The only strange thing was that he was now faced with three "Aiyana" lookalikes. His right ear swiveled to one side; he would have to rid himself of that notion. This was not Renegades Reach. This, as Rook had said, was home. Their home. and the wolves, Ryvet and these four younglings that had been gathered here, were his family, both new and familiar all at once.

A shake of his head wordlessly told Rook that he had nothing to say and that the 'floor' was figuratively his. The last time he had done this, he (and Jaysyek) had been a little older than Ryvet presently was, at the beginning of their prime. Youthful, enthusiastic, and absolutely more than excited for everything that could be from this moment forward.

Times had changed though and he knew all too well that it would be best for the masked yearling to take the lead for him. Surely his well-rounded upbringing had done him some good... But first, a little something he had remembered from many years ago...

"Border patrol," he instructed to no one in particular. "Establish the territory, scavenge and hunt... Eat." The last word was clearly emphasized, convinced it would do them all quite a bit of good if the youths in question filled out their adult frames sooner rather than later. The fleeting memory of bidding a young Ryvet, Renier, and Calla goodnight and goodbye danced behind his eyes, remembering what the journey had done to them and how they had turned out once he had met them again within their new makeshift home. It had been their luck to have found a good place within the Reach, but now he could only hope the Hollow would do the same.

"I am going to the river," he divulged. "I have something I need to do." It seemed as though he held his breath as he turned then to Jaysyek, to search her face for any inkling of understanding his need to be reunited with the sons hey had failed. Now that he was here, he had every desire in wanting to make this all work. For Ryvet and for Rook's sake, as well as the rest of their family, he wanted nothing more than to have their family thrive again, to find their domain as it has been just years before.

With a few carefully placed steps, he turned around, offering a small nod to his mate before allowing his memories to lead him back to the very place that had haunted his dreams.

(Borden exit.)

Well, what do you want from me?

One more note, if you'll all kindly "select" your "nom de guerre", I'll close up the thread with something short and a fade. :)

ROOK LYALLdrowned & dreamt this moment

A small frown was cast in the direction of the Thorben male, obviously displeased with his little rambling. Had they been with a smaller audience, without his mother and father, he might have said something, but he ultimately held his tongue. His tail continued to wag upon hearing Jaysyek's sentiments to the Attaya's, his heart swelling as he heard again just how Kade was truly appreciated. After hearing his father's instructions, however, he gave a curt nod, watching carefully and waiting so very patiently if his mother had anything else to say.

On his behalf, though, he gave a stern gaze to his companions once his father had taken his leave. "I have two more requests," he started, "before we go about our own agendas." The dark look upon his face lifted but the seriousness remained, "There will be no howling or calling out that we are establishing ourselves. Just south of our borders are the Cut Rock River Wolves who already know we are here. Same as Whisper Caverns -" he gave a nod to Titan, "who are led by Titan's mother. Then there's Willow Ridge to the south-east. You are not to socialize with them or even journey close to their borders by any means." Most of this was said for his brother's and Titan's well-being. He turned to Quil and Cinder then, "I will not bear to lose you both."

"And, lastly, when introducing yourself or mentioning others, we will be using aliases. Should there be anyone eavesdropping nearby, listening, they won't know whom we are referring to. Only in private and in the company of Borden and Jaysyek will we use our actual names." His lips pressed together as he thought for a moment, "I will be Gaheris."

"The code of Grizzly Hollow will be upheld again. For gallantry, for honor, for family... for sanctuary... and, if any strangers come to our borders to question us, you call for me. The first mission we undertake after securing our lands is to make Borden well; the second will be to prepare ourselves for an attack or a full-fledged war. Who knows when the wolves of Willow Ridge will come..."

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2015, 07:59 AM by Borden.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Titan glanced around with his tail wagging as he chewed a bit of his fungus into smaller pieces. He gave the others a sheepish look trying to make them smile some, but the whole crowd was stiff and serious. Well this is a turn off... Titan thought quietly while erasing his friendly look and sighing. When would he learn that life had shoved a stick up between everybody's back legs nowadays? Titan dropped his fungus pieces and nosed them towards Borden like he had often done whilst in Whisper Caverns pack. The others wolves milled about exchanging serious and scary looks, some of which were directed towards him. He gave them a "really guys?" kind of look wondering if they really thought he was trying to poison their leader and or father.

"I'm sorry... Was just trying to lighten the mood... You're all together now as family. We should be happy and smiling...."  Not frowning and casting death glances my way... Titan refrained from saying the last bit as he glances to Ryvet. The older male was already rubbing him the wrong way and Titan barely if at all knew him. So much for their first meeting. Then Rook's voice spoke up, and Titan's attention was diverted from the others. Things seemed even more grim as Rook continued with a few requests from the group. He could only sigh in defeat as all the wolves he knew and loved around him began to take up arms against Cut Rock River.  Was he the only one who had seen the goodness in Maksim? Or maybe I didn't stay long enough to see the bad in him.. was the thought that played across his mind in between Rook's words.

Then Rook mentioned them taking an alias.... It was something that Titan had never had in his entire life, an alias. He never even had a nickname for himself nor did his mother or friends grant him one. Needless to say, Titan had no idea what to call himself. With a lack of creativity he started thinking along the lines of Rook's own alias Gaheris. Starting with that name Titan mulled over the letters and sounds in his mind trying to come up with a different name.

Gaheris.. Gaherim..Gahawi..Gawani..Ga.. Gawin....Gawain... Gawain?? Good enough I suck at this.. Titan waited for a moment for the others to speak up soon after Rook's words. Then he smiled and rolled his shoulders uneasily.

"I guess Gawain is a good name as any for me." He says simply before looking around the circle of wolves to hear their made up names. He spots Borden moving to leave and tilts his head confused. He would have to find the elder after the meeting to give him his daily supplement, so long as none of the other wolves didn't stop him from doing so.

OOC: You can PP him leaving to follow Borden when you guys exit.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Sassy pants is sassy <.< this is also Ryvet's exit.

His mother had words to say of course and he relaxed as she spoke and his father seemed to gain some clarity. The grizzled mans orders were expected, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement, his pale rump rising from the earth and moving to fulfil his orders, expecting his parents to make their way to Jasper Rocks he wanted to go ahead and make sure the path was clear but his younger sibling had more to say. He paused to listen, allowing a singular thrash of his tail to speak his annoyance. Words words, blabber blabber yabber. There was work to be done.

He had heard tales of Willow Ridge and the woman that ruled there had always been a friend of their mothers and his brows drew down with disapproval wondering just what his brother had done? Mismatched eyes swept over the Attaya sisters and then back to his younger sibling once more, his look guarded as he weighed up that tiny piece of information on its own. The next bought an outright snort from the pale wolf as he resisted the urge to clout the young wolf over the head. Aliases?! Really had he messed up so badly that they needed to hide their identity?

He managed to conceal his smirk as the two younger wolves announced their names as he flicked through the rollerdex of wolves he had met on his travels with Valiant. Finally falling on a name he was convinced the owner wouldn’t come looking for he all but huffed the name “Lance.” under his breath as he moved towards the Rocks, aiming to ghost past his parents and check the way was clear before looping back to do another pass of the borders.

A weight was already settling in the pit of his stomach along with the building worry and desire to fix whatever it was his brother had broken with the wolves of Willow Ridge.

If only he had seen the damage done.

At the mention of Maksim’s name, Cinder’s breath released in a low ‘woosh,’ as if someone had headbutted her in the gut. The thought of disturbance they had given the only man she had known as father was unsettling to her, and the swarthy girl shifted uneasily, her gaze drifting a stolen glance to Quil to see what she made of it.

As her sister’s boyfriend continued to speak though, she felt more and more at unease. What kind of mess had she walked in to? The pack had to live with aliases because they had pissed so many off? “..Really?” She muttered this darkly under her breath, her eyes riveting themselves upon her sister once more. What mess had they just walked in to? And what did she even see in the boy before them?

The others seem unsettled too, and withholding a roll of her eyes, the ebony yearling gave a light shake of her pelt, her eyes flashing with distrust and disgrace. “Caelia,” she finally determined, unable to withhold the scowl at not being able to use her own name. When the ivory male left the meeting site, Cinder too decided she heard enough. Sweeping away from her sister and the gathering, the slender yearling made her way to the opposite end of the borders, desiring nothing more than to be alone. This was not the ‘settled’ life she had envisioned, and the bitterness that was beginning to pool within her chest was a hard pill to swallow.

She was far from an honorable creature – but she was certainly vain enough to disprove of having to live in disguise.

like a black widow, baby

 

feel the earth move and then hear my heart burst again

She offered Jaysyek a shy nod, an acknowledgment of her words of Kade. She had so much to say, so much more to say, but in the moment she remained as quiet as a mouse. There would be time to get acquainted with them all, she was sure, but she imagined Borden and Jaysyek both might very well be exhausted after such a grand reunion.

Everything had gone so well that she was not prepared for what came next. As Borden took his leave, her eyes fell contentedly upon Rook as he addressed the group. Her ears flickering forward in attention, it was not until his first additional request that she felt suddenly deflated. Why wouldn't they want the world to know that they were here, that they'd finally raised Grizzly Hollow? And not only that, but his mention of Cut Rock River caused an unexpected knot to tighten in her gut, made even tighter by @Cinder 's own reaction. Her eyes met her sister's, the look churning within them one of uncertainty. "Really?" Quil herself was at a loss for words. There was no denying that Rook had crossed Willow Ridge, but it was not he alone who was to blame for the conflict. Skoll was out of control and had always had it out for Rook; Elettra hadn't cared for one second about her nephew's request for help, which had left Quil with a soured impression of the woman she'd cared so much for. It was hardly as if Willow Ridge had fought to make her feel as if they wanted her there, or that she was valued. Really, the events of that night spoke more to the character of that pack than the sum of all the other impressions they had made for themselves combined. Who was to say that Rook had been in the wrong? Would any of them have done anything differently, had they been in Rook's shoes? She didn't think so. And she wasn't sorry for leaving the Ridge ─ if anything, she only regretted that it hadn't been on her own terms.

She didn't like the idea of concealing her identity, or Cinder concealing hers, or Rook or any of them concealing who they truly were. They were Grizzly Hollow, and they deserved and should be so proud of that. If war was looming on the horizon for them, for her, then she would face it head on and she thought that's how it should be. She was not scared of @Skoll , or Willow Ridge, or anyone. In fact, Quil would pay the dark prince a visit herself if she thought it would quell the dischord. There was no reason for them all to hide from the world ─ and she was not going to. But...

She cared for Rook, respected him, and more than that, she wanted him. She knew who he was, possibly even better than anyone else, here or anywhere. His idea about it all and approach was radical, but she would give him the benefit of the doubt. In her heart, Quil knew that Rook wanted to keep them all safe, and that was okay. "Kay," she offered, showing no emotion about this though her mind was reeling. She would have Rook's back, but as she left out to follow Cinder as she slunk off into the forest, her heart sank knowing that it shouldn't have to be like this.

(exit)

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2015, 07:44 AM by Quil.)

Heart's to all, and thank you again. Ack, @Jaysyek, I forgot to tag before that I PP'd/implied Jayse was following Borden, if you want to post one more time, feel free to unarchive and add, or PM me to change anything. apologies. x:

ROOK LYALLdrowned & dreamt this moment

One by one, each of his companions - his newfound pack mates - offered their names. Titan, Gawain. Ryvet, Lance. Cinder, Caelia. Quil, Kay. As he had begun to let what he had said sink in, he could not help but wonder if it would be enough. Names might have been easy to "mask" but scents were something all their own. Rook was sure that there was no one else in this wide world who shared the same "musk" that his pelt had; and, the same went for the rest of his family. They could have all shared a similar scent, but it was one of many that identified specifically who they were.

Then, once everything had been said and done, he watched them take their leave. Titan went to trail after Borden and Jaysyek, Ryvet dashed off towards the Rocks where the cascades gave way to the pools that made up the whole of the sub-territory, and the Attaya sisters went in the other direction.

Just like that, Gaheris was left alone.

He might have smiled if the idea had been well-received but, almost immediately, he realized that what he had said and proposed was not just inappropriate, but uncharacteristic. The wolves he had gathered before him were noble and proud, and this was no game of make-believe. The absence of his sister Bishop had made that absolutely clear. He sealed his lips, the words that he had meant to say, that the aliases were temporary while he continually assessed Willow Ridge's standing with them, still held at the tip of his tongue. Perhaps, he was not meant to say it. Not now.

His head, ears, and tail lowered, and slowly he crept into the entrance of the old bear den and laid there with his head on his paws. He gave himself a few minutes to regain his composure before rising back up and heading south until he met the markers Ryvet had made the day before. In lifting his crown high once more he took a deep breath and puffed up his chest. One of his ears swiveled to the side, as if his twin were offering some sound advice as she stood there at his left shoulder. Rook Lyall had probably already made quite a name for himself within Relic Lore thus far, but Gaheris of Grizzly Hollow was determined to undo what the young renegade of the Reach he had done. The wolves who had returned to Cedarwood Forest would be seen and heard one day, he knew, but first he would prove to them that he was a capable provider, protector, and recruiter. To establish themselves with two verbally-spoken names would make them seem as if they were twice as large, or so Rook believed, and that, in itself, was something to behold. The element of confusion would be their cloak and shield until they had a better hold on the forest; and, when they had garnered the numbers to back them up, Rook would make sure that the Lyall and Attaya families regained that powerful and reputable presence they once held over the western side of the Mountain of Dire... Only then would Relic Lore take note that what had once been abandoned and left to ruin would come to nurture again the life it had been deprived of with Kade and Ava's departure.

The young Lyall had come along a path that wound through the old trees and he stopped to place his paw where Borden's had once been when Grizzly Hollow had first come into existence all those years ago. He pressed his paw pads into the bark. Bless them with shadow, bless them with stone, and bless them with pine. What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.

(Fade.)

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2015, 08:35 PM by Rook.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.