Oak Tree Bend holding pattern

Pack meeting! @Drestig @Darrah @Drift @Jessie @Anneliese @Naira @Sahalie @Serach

Takes place morning of 8/15, with Triell leaving the night before. 
Going with the assumption that Triell has told Spieden, Drestig, and his children that he is leaving to find Nayeli and left the day before this thread. This meeting will cover Triell's absense as well as some other general pack matters such as role requirements. If you can't post in the meeting just let me know so that I don't wait for a reply.

The sun's golden rays trickled down through the leafy green canopy that shrouded the Bend, melting away the morning mist. Spieden sat perched on top of one of the massive serpentine roots of the great oak that stood sentinel in the territory's heart, her breaths deep and measured as she prepared to call the pack together. She had never run a meeting before, usually content to let Triell run the show. Spieden had gradually been taking on more responsibility for the pack as Triell had grown more and more reclusive. She had no trouble hunting, patrolling, parenting, keeping an eye on things, or whatever else that needed to be done. But talking in front of a bunch of wolves was not in her wheelhouse. Now that Triell had left in search of Nayeli, she had no choice. Much like everything else she did, it was something that needed to be done and there was no avoiding it. The pack needed to know where Triell had gone, and that Drestig would be taking his place.

Spieden had noticed Triell lingering by the den the day before, saying his goodbyes to his children no doubt, but the adults needed to know the whole story and plan their next steps forward. Part of Spieden even had her doubts that Triell would make it back... So much had gone wrong for Oak Tree Bend already.  

"Guess we should do this, huh?" Spieden said while glanging towards Drestig at her side, giving him a sort of winced smile. Finally the Coho woman tipped her head back, her low voice singing a song to bring the pack together. As the last note faded she lowered her head, watching the trees surrounding the clearing to see who would arrive.

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2015, 09:07 PM by Spieden.)

He had been preparing himself for this for some time. While he had hoped that Triell would come back from the slump that Nayeli's disappearance and Hotei's death had put him into, he had watched his leader grow more and more distant, and quietly taken on more and more responsibility in his place. But that it would come to this, he hadn't imagined; Not in this way..! Last night, Triell had come to him, asking him to step up in his place, the second had agreed, thinking that the younger wolf simply needed more time to collect himself and move past his sorrows. But the Tainn had other plans indeed. Calling Spieden to join them, Triell had explained that he was taking his leave, he needed to find his mate and bring her back to Oak Tree Bend. The Avalon hadn't fully understood, how the father could leave his children to go search for a woman who had abandoned him once before. On the other hand, wouldn't he have done the same if it was the one he loved? Regardless he had wished Triell luck, hoping desperately that this would not be the last time he saw his friend, but fearing it was. Now he took his seat next to the mottled Coho, preparing to do what he had been born to do, yet never truly believed he would; Lead a pack. Spieden offered a nervous smile, and her partner nodded solemnly, nudging her shoulder lightly with his when he realized just how nervous she was. He couldn't deny he was feeling a little nauseous himself, but talking had never been hard to him, and he felt confident that he would be able to gather up his family, if they would let him. "It's now or never." He commented, waving his ears as the hefty woman called for their pack mates to join them; No turning back. Word count: 317 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: Aug 15, 2015, 11:38 PM by Drestig. Edit Reason: *Casually slides in new table* )

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Things had seemingly come to a pause in Oak Tree Bend, or at least that's how it felt to the young subordinate. With so many recent losses fresh on all of their minds, it was hard to move forward in any productive way, especially when it seemed liked their leader had been swept up. Since Triell had become a father himself, Serach had grown increasingly distant from his uncle. It was natural, he supposed, but that did not mean the boy had not noticed the leader's increased preoccupation. Once again, searching for Nayeli had become a prime directive, no matter how fruitless such a search would be. The boy had done his part, as best as he could. He had made a point to venture out into the surrounding territories to try and search for any obvious clues of where Nayeli had gone. Just like last time, though, there had been no trace and he had returned with no news to share.

His creme head nestled on his paws, Serach stared out into the woods ahead of him. No doubt he would venture out again today, possibly south this time. He had just forced himself up to his feet and set off in that direction when Spieden's howl rang out, calling the wolves of the Bend together. Ears perking to attention, he tilted his head back in the direction the call had come from. Odd, he thought. Not that there was a meeting, but because it was Spieden who was calling it instead of Triell. As far as he could recall, she had never done that before. Abandoning his original plan to head south, he turned around and headed towards the territory's center where he found Spieden and Drestig waiting.

The absence of Triell was a notable one, and the subordinate couldn't help but narrow his eyes suspiciously at the pair sitting on the tree root beneath the large oak for which the pack took their name. Tempted to ask where Triell was, he decided instead to simply dip his head in greeting and remain silent as he took his seat. No doubt, they would explain soon enough.

If Spieden was calling, then Sahalie would always some eagerly.

It seemed a little strange from Spieden to call for her so loudly — for the young Tainn could not imagine her calling for anyone else. She figured that maybe she wanted to talk to @Drift too. The paler brother was often out on his own, doing weird things that Sahalie didn't understand. The other day he had come home late and his coat was soaked to the bone and it was still dirty in parts, as if he had bathed himself entirely mud and had come home just after washing away the evidence. It was puzzling to her, but she had yet to find a way to bring it up to them. Just as she did with nearly every member of the pack, she felt a similar distance beginning to stretch between herself and her brother. She didn't like it, but she was beginning to expect that this was just how things were.

When she arrived, though, she noticed that there were others present. Her eyes fell first to the pale outlier. She didn't know his name and had glimpsed him only briefly. This one she knew to be the rarest of the oaken wolves. The others appeared more frequently before her. Nervous, her teeth worked over her black lips as she stared between her knight in shining armor and her former milkbag. What he doing here? Drift was notably absent. Should she say hello?

Eagerly the black bundle plunked herself neatly in front of Drestig and Speiden's paws. Her awkwardly large head craned backwards with difficulty to look up at them. "What's this?" The girl had no indication that this was a natural thing, having never seen more than two wolves together at one time.

i can cut you into pieces

Drift Tainn

when my heart is broken

While his sister was intent on shadowing Spieden’s every step, Drift often went in search of his father. On one such jaunt he had stumbled across a rather large puddle, kept filled by the constant summer rains. At first it had been the tadpoles that had drawn him to its edges, but as their legs grew and their tails fell off, he managed to catch his own reflection. He had met his brother, who looked very much like his sister, father and Spieden (who gave him funny looks when he called her ‘Muh’, correcting him often but deterring him no less). So why did he look so different? He had spent hours puzzling over his pale reflection before his muddy brown eyes finally drifted to his mud coated legs. They weren’t nearly as dark as his sisters but perhaps if he got enough of it on him it would stick and darken him so he would be just like the rest of his family?

It was in the middle of his second mud bath of the morning that Spieden called. His head cocked to the side wondering just who she was calling for before shrugging off his wonder and picking up his oversized paws, muddy oversized ears pinning back to his skull as he raced toward her call only hoping he could beat Sahalie there.

Of course he wasn’t the first there, but there were more wolves here than he had ever seen. The three normal wolves were sitting in a group, and a wolf that looked like him was further away, only reinforcing his belief that he was odd. Broken somehow. Coming to a halt and shaking out his damp and muddy coat he decided to leave the normal ones alone, instead prowling up to the wolf that looked different. With all the tact of a child so young he questioned the older wolf. “Why aren’t you black too?” Perhaps if this older wolf had the answers, Drift could figure out a way to be just like everybody else.

(This post was last modified: Aug 18, 2015, 06:21 PM by Aideen. Edit Reason: Some misplaced /div's - fixed for you Becu )

It was not often that a pack meeting was called in Oak Tree Bend. Most of the time, the pack kept to themselves and went on with their own business. The last official meeting had been quite some time ago, back when Nayeli had been leading beside Triell. It was why Jessie did not think to make time in her day for those specific things. There had not been a meeting for some time, no pack hunts. Truly there was no need for her to be there at all, she had nothing to do. Part of the reason might have been Hotei's death. Ever since he had passed from this life Jessie had been even more of a recluse than normal. The only time she interacted with her pack mates was when she stumbled upon them. She never tried to find them, and when she could she avoided them. There was no use for her. All she did was stroll through the borders every once and awhile, making sure that the borders were marked. It was why when Triell's scent started leaving the territory, she began to worry. She said nothing because he always returned but there was no denying the less than active role he had been having during his time leading. Jessie couldn't blame him, he had lost the love of his life as well. 

It was why when Spieden called for the pack, Jessie's blood ran cold. The familiar rush of hatred she had for the woman coursed through her. The Tainn snorted softly, her emerald eyes peering towards where the call had sounded. As reluctant as she was to answer the call of the Soho woman, she did not have a choice in the matter. It was her duty in the pack to listen to what the woman had to say. Her movements were slow but deliberate in their attempt to make it toward the call. The Scout was still trying to shift back into gear. She needed to start living. Unfortunately, that actually involved getting up to do what she needed to do for the pack.

When she finally arrived, she froze mid-step. There, standing next to Spieden was Drestig. Jessie's gaze tore away from them and desperately searched the area for Triell. Feeling uncomfortable with this shift, Jessie's gaze turned towards Serach, who had one of the pups. She assumed it was Drift, as Sahalie was sitting between Drestig and their alpha. Jessie made her way towards the younger boy, deciding that her safest bet of getting through this meeting was sitting by someone who had been in Oak Tree Bend the longest. Obviously, having been born in these lands, Serach was the best option. She took her place next to the boy nodding her head to him slightly in greeting before turning her gaze back to the two dark wolves who seemed to have their own bit of information to announce. 

(This post was last modified: Aug 20, 2015, 05:43 PM by Jessie.)

Luckily for Anneliese, she had not chosen to 'scout' the surrounding lands on this day, and had been home within the foggy forest belonging to Oak Tree Bend. Her time since awaking at dawn had consisted of border patrol, strengthening the scent markers, seemingly the only things that collectively smelled of the pack, and searching out everything that seemed out of place. It had been uneventful, and so when Speiden's summons flitted through the air, the blonde paladin was almost thankful.

And yet she was a bit nervous, for this meant that her least favored wolves would be in the same place, feeding off of each other's dark emotions. Torn between conflicting desires, Anneliese slowly made her way to the heart of the pack, picking her way tenderly through the trees. Upon arriving, The pattern of assembly struck her as odd. Instead of gathering in a broad sweep, those who were present were tightly clustered to the side of the two leads--one of whom was Drestig. But he was second, was he not? Perhaps Triell had him stepping up on this occasion given his position at second? A sigh left her lips as she considered how any all relationships kindled within this forest were destined to be cut in half by death.

Certainly, that was what had become of Nayeli, wasn't it? Anneliese was certain. They had killed those who had been suspected as her captors, and scouring the surrounding areas for trace of her. There had been none. In the woman's mind, this could only mean that the once-queen had been murdered and buried.

Her eyes settled upon @Sahalie, a genuinely warm though small smile being sent her way. @Darrah had not arrived yet, and he was perhaps the only wolf Anna would have chosen to sit next to. Given his absence, she sat alone, settling her tail over her paws and lifting her deep beryl eyes to watch Spieden expectantly.

(This post was last modified: Aug 22, 2015, 08:54 PM by Anneliese.)

PLOT WITH ME!

Darrah hadn't been far before hearing a rather distinct howl play through the bend's slowly-decaying tree's. The sound was nothing new to the prince, however it'd been a while since he'd last met it's presence. 'A pack meeting..' his ears bent toward his scalp as steps were made closer to where the others resided. For once the Tainn knew why the event had to take purpose, though that didn't make it any easier. 'Dad..' the boy sighed, finding soon the location dreaded in the pit of his stomach.

Examining the area, Darrah had been far from the first wolf to show up. This didn't particularly bother the raven-heir, if anything it just made picking his place to sit a hell of a lot easier. Glancing over the small crowd, his heart couldn't help but to warm up a bit seeing Anneliese and Sahalie lingering about. "Hey," the Tainn called quietly, hoping for a nonchalant appearance. He hadn't been around much as of recent, nothing new, but bothersome to explain nonetheless. Squeezing himself between the two for no other purpose but to be annoying, the prince bared a soft cheeky smile. "Can't even stay quiet here, huh?"

He'd tried to keep it a secret, but Darrah was most certainly studying Drestig's movements intently. The Tainn hadn't the chance to talk to his uncle before the meeting, and wondered if playing 'leader' was really an okay thing for the man to be doing right now. 'There's no way he's ready.. A few months ago, sure.. but..'

One king, One crown.

Darrah Tainn

At some point,

I started looking at the ground more than the sky

It’s hard even to breathe.

Spieden watched as the pack slowly trickled in. She noticed that everyone seemed hesitant, no doubt catching the change in dynamic... or at least all the adults did. The cubs were more or less oblivious as to what was going on, Sahalie sitting down front and center and Drift apparently trying to strike up conversation off to the side.

Spieden glanced down to Sahalie, welcoming the attention from someone who she was relatively sure didn't actively hate her guts. "It's a meeting," Spieden quietly explained to the girl, "We're going to talk about some important things, okay?" Spieden waited as everyone settled into their spots, awkwardly arranged either in a little huddle either around Serach or Sahalie. She couldn't help but notice at what a disjointed assemblage they all made. Triell was their anchor, would they be able to hold together without him, or drift apart with the tides?

With all eyes on her she fought against the urge to shrink back from the combined weight of their expectant gazes. There was no option but to move forward. She had called them all here, after all, and drew from the assurance that they respected her enough to at least heed her summons.

Spieden awkwardly cleared her throat, her pink tongue rushing out to smooth over her whiskers. How did these things start, anyhow? She supposed there wasn't really a good way to do this, and much like pulling out a thorn it was better to do it quickly. "So, Triell left last night, said he needed to look for Nayeli again, further out..." Spieden started, trying to find the words to say as her eyes bounced from each expectant face, unsure of who to focus on. "@Naira went with him, so hopefully he'll stay out of trouble." Spieden continued, trying to be reassuring but not entirely convinced herself. "Triell asked Drestig to take his place while he was gone," Spieden said, canting her head slightly towards Drestig standing at her side, allowing @Drestig to speak for himself if he wished.

(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2015, 02:53 AM by Spieden.)