Oak Tree Bend holding pattern

With no small amount of tension in his body, he waited, watching every wolf closely as they filed in. The pups were some of the first to arrive, their simple cheer bringing a small smile to the ebony man's face. He winked down at Halie, leaving Spieden to explain while he turned his eyes to Drift and Serach, sitting further off to the side. His smile turned into a small frown, which deepened as more members arrived, most of them choosing to sit for themselves rather than join as a group; This isn't right. His gaze drifted from one to the next, ember eyes meeting Jessie's emeralds, Anneliese's beryl's and then Darrah's similar deep orange's, seeing in them reluctance, dejection and doubt, and it made fire burn within him. Oak Tree Bend would grow strong again, he would make sure of that. Then the mottled woman by his side cleared her throat, and he turned his attention towards her, his face neutral as she gave her explanation. Finesse had never been her strong suit, but he tried not to blame her too much for the directness; Better to get it out I guess... Still he wondered if he shouldn't have taken word first, but that was too late now, and Spieden quickly turned over the floor, indicating with a small motion of her head that he could speak now. And so he would: "Triell needed some time, to step away from his responsibility and do this for Nayeli, and himself." The ebony man straightened his back, holding his head high, feeling a strange rush of strength as he sat there, overlooking his pack. "We've all been through a lot these past months, understandably it weighs upon us. But I say this," Once again he made a point of looking at each wolf individually, meeting their eyes if possible, showing his resolve; "We thrive regardless!" The pack motto had never seemed more appropriate; "I promise you all that I will take this post seriously, that I will strive to be a good leader, and to do what is best for Oak Tree Bend. Now more than ever, we need to stand together, to remember what it is to be a pack. And a family!" With that last salute he leaned back slightly, bowing his head a little as emphasis. He meant every word, and as he looked at the faces around him, both happy and sad, he felt the responsibility heavy on his shoulders; But it only made him straighten up further. Word count: 421 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

Just a note, Serach isn't sitting far away from Drestig and Spieden. I didn't specify in my post, but he's just sitting across from them in what would be a circle shape.

The youngest members of Oak Tree Bend were the first to arrive to the meeting. The girl first, and then the boy. Sahalie didn't seem to pay him much mind, except to look at him strangely. They had never formally meant, and for all purposes, he was a stranger to her. Drift though, did seem to be as put off by him. The young wolf was covered in mud - clearly he had been playing. He stalked towards Serach, causing the older wolf to glance towards Spieden and Drestig in confusion, unsure as to why Drift seemed so fascinated by him. He wasn't left wondering for very long as Drift asked him point blank why he wasn't black. It was an odd question, until Serach looked at Spieden, Drestig, and Sahalie. They were, in fact, all dark colored wolves. Triell, Nayeli, Darrah, and Zera all were to, he realized now that he thought about it. Being a wolf, Serach had no idea about genetics, but he did know that appearances seemed to run in families and that was the best answer he could give the little mud-covered wolf. "You and I are family too. We have all different fur colors in this family. Some black, some white, and a lot in between," he explained, lowering his head so he could try and look Drift in the eye. "I'm Serach."

As he was talking to Drift, the others drifted in: Jessie, Anneliese, and Darrah. Jessie took a seat next to him and he returned her nod in greeting, thankful that she had chosen to sit next to him if only because it was another example for Drift that everybody in his world was different, no matter how similar they might seem.

Ears perking atop his head, Serach focused on Spieden as she spoke, cutting right to the heart of the matter. Triell had left, taking Naira with him, to find Nayeli. The leader's mate had gone missing soon after the birth of her second litter, but Serach had assumed that Triell had simply accepted the fact that she was gone yet again when all searches to find her previously had been fruitless. He was surprised, but at least there was comfort in knowing what had happened. That left Drestig in charge and as Spieden finished speaking, Drestig spoke his piece, attempting to rally the pack with a pep talk. The subordinate couldn't help but smile, his tail wagging easily behind him. Although he was concerned for Triell, Drestig was capable, and this added responsibility could only be good for the older man. "We will," he confirmed, hoisting himself off of his haunches.

Approaching Drestig and Spieden, he spared a smile for Sahalie who was sitting at their feet. Stepping in front of Drestig, Serach dipped his muzzle beneath the older wolf's and licked his chin. Drestig had always been above Serach in the hierarchy, but his new role as pack leader deserved a sign of submission and Serach was happy to do so. Stepping back to give the new leader some space, he smiled again, hoping that they would all understand his action for what it was - a sign of acceptance and support.

(This post was last modified: Aug 28, 2015, 02:25 PM by Serach.)

Serach’s greeting meant more to her than he could know. She actually felt comfortable around someone other than Drestig and Triell. The realization made her muscles relax as she waited for the pack meeting anxiously. Her emerald eyes desperately scanned the area for Triell, hoping that he would soon appear through the foliage and that he was just running late. As more and more members trickled in, the sinking feeling in Jessie’s stomach only intensified. It wasn’t long before Spieden attempted to start the meeting, being blunt and to the point while also sounding completely out of place. The news was what Jessie had hoped would never happen. Triell was the only member that had remained since they had made the move to Oak Tree Bend. Jessie refused to believe that he would be gone very long. Before they knew it he would be back to reclaim his place as King and everything would go back to normal.

Drestig’s voice brought her back to the meeting as her gaze met his. Disbelief was clear in her gaze as she continued to listen to what he had to say. His words and carriage was strong and while this certainly did not feel right, she felt a rush of pride spread through her. He was trying to get the pack together, to reunite them. Before she knew it, Serach was moving, making his way towards Drestig(who wasn’t that far away). His actions were one of acceptance and the Tainn felt that the young boy was wise far beyond his years. He knew what was going on and he was accepting it. While Jessie still held a great distain for Spieden, Jessie made sure to keep her attention on Drestig as she made the slightest dip of her head towards him. While the news of Triell saddened her, she knew that going back into the depression that she had been in was no way for her to move on with the pack.

They were here for a meeting. If it were not for the definition that followed the introduction of the word, Sahalie would be left to assume they were all coming together to meet one another. Which seemed silly, as she knew most everyone. Did they not know each other? But with the definition came a little "oh," of understanding. Important things. But she could not imagine anything that was so important that she didn't know it. And who was we? Was that that why they were all there together? Was that the "we?"

Her jaw grew a little more slack as the wolves appeared from the woodwork. She had never seem them all in one place before, and had thus never realized just how many their were. Knowing their names and reconciling the amounts were two separate acts, the latter of which was done in this moment. After her, Drift arrived. She stuck her tongue out at him when he chose to sit next to the white wolf instead of her. And he was covered in mud. Her nose wrinkled. She did not understand him. Her head whipped around left and right, watching as Jessie, Anna, and at last Darrah arrived. To each she gave a moment of special attention, noting how the somber grey woman seemed so much more alert and hesitant; Anna shared with her a special smile that Sahalie returned warmly; her elder brother arrived with a confident air that all the others in assembly seemed to lack, it was curious. For Darrah she reserved a nervous smile. She was not sure what he meant.

Spieden's throat noises drew the black girl's attention, and her head swung back and upwards to her former milkbag. She wondered now, with her neck craned so high to see the dark woman's face, if perhaps she had sat too close. Everyone else was sitting much farther away. A comfortable distance away. She chewed her lip. It appeared that once more she had misunderstood the unspoken rules of decorum. Awkwardly she scooted back once, waited a moment, and scooted back again in the hopes that she would disrupt no one.

When she heard Triell's name though, her ears twisted forwards. And then backwards. Knowing nothing about the rules of a "meeting," she assumed that meetings must be rather like a conversation, which involved turn taking. But Drestig took up the next turn before the little girl could put her dismay into words, and more confusing statements were heaped upon her burdened ears. Who was Nayeli and why had Triell gone to look for her? Why had he left. Why hadn't he said anything to her? What was this "responsibility" that Drestig referred to, was this another wolf in the pack like the Naira they had also mentioned? With these questions formulated and the silence finally upon them, Sahalie quickly piped up. "I don't think this is very fair. I think we should make him come back," her head turned back to appeal to the masses, some of which she assumed would take her side because they liked her well enough, "I don't even know who Nayeli is anyway."

Curiously watching the two leaders run a meeting, well, it brought a smile to Darrah's face. While Triell was around, Spieden had never really been given the opportunity to hold an event like this herself. As for Drestig, well, the yearling was almost positive that his uncle had never even imagined he'd have to participate in a gathering under these specific circumstances. It was like they were struggling, at least that's how the heir viewed it. Though they weren't doing a bad job by any means. He'd make efforts to congratulate his uncle on a job well done later, assuming the man could very much use something like that right now.

Hearing the name Naira made the prince wince a bit. He held a faint suspicion that the woman and his father shared some sort of history with one another. That perhaps they shared a certain feeling for each other that shouldn't be thrown around lightly. Though suspicions were just that, and the raven wolf tried his best to quickly shake the disgusting impression from his being. 'They're just.. too close.' he sighed.

Grinning at Serach's show of approval, the prince thought he too should show support. "You'll do great, Drestig!" The boy hollered, hoping to encourage a similar positive reaction from the rest of the pack.  If there were even a slim chance for the Bend to once again co-exist as a family, well, Darrah would definitely fight for something like that. Speaking of family. 'I wonder if we're going to touch on Zera today.. She's been gone for a couple of weeks now...'

Naira's mention might of got a bit of reaction from Darrah, but Sahalie's words sent him in full blown shock. Slowly moving himself over to her small frame, the boy crouched down next to her. "Dad will be back soon, princess.." he whispered, trying hard to lace his words with optimism. "Nayeli is... someone very important to him.. But nobody we should concern ourselves with, okay? Just give him a bit of time.. he won't find her anyway.." obviously Triell knew that. There was no way he didn't, or so the prince hoped. 'Come back soon, asshole.'

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.

i can cut you into pieces

Drift Tainn

when my heart is broken

He focused on Serach with all the concentration a young wolf could muster, His eyes squinting as he tried to process just what the older wolf was saying. He slowly nodded finally, his lips pulling forward thoughtfully as he considered just what this might mean for him. He glanced at Jessie briefly, his mouth opening in a small ‘o’ as he realised she wasn’t black either, and as his eyes drifted across the other strangers he noticed Anneliese as well. In a single gathering his world was being expanded to more than Spieden and Sahalie and Darrah.

The gravity of the words spoken by Spieden and Drestig were lost on him. So Triell was gone, but what did that matter as long as he still had Spieden and Sahalie, a warm dry place to sleep and a full belly? He was beginning to grow bored with all of this when Sahalie spoke up. It was true, neither of them knew who this Nayeli person was, other than a name mentioned in hushed whispers when people thought the children couldn’t hear. He was less concerned than his sister though, and it seemed Darrah was of the same opinion.

He wandered towards his sister, pushing his mud splattered head gently into her ribs. “We gots Spie. We’ll be okay.” He said with an optimistic smile to the only mother they had known. His tail waived hopeful that this boring time would be over soon, so he could pull on his sisters ear and try to evade her when she inevitably gave chase. That sounded like a much better use of his time than sitting quietly while adults talked about adult stuff.

(This post was last modified: Sep 12, 2015, 01:00 AM by Drift.)

Spieden kept her eyes on the pack as Drestig spoke, gauging the reactions towards the news. Fortunately her counterpart was a much more eloquent orator than she was, managing to keep upbeat and optimistic. She found herself slightly more comfortable in his charismatic presence. As he finished she shifted her gaze towards him, a smile pulling the edge of her lips as her tail swished behind her. Darrah and Serach were open with their support, while Jessie seemed rather reserved and was as hard for Spieden to read as ever. Sahalie's outburst drew Spieden's attention from staring a hole in Jessie's head, but Darrah had moved in to speak to the girl before Spieden could even think of how to react to it. She filed it into the back of her mind that she would have to inform the children of their mother at some point, but it was something that would have to wait.

"I know it's been a hard year. In addition to Nayeli, I haven't seen or scented Zera or Phyrrus lately. Keep an eye out for them, but be safe, don't go too far... The last thing we need is for more to go missing." Spieden advised. She could do nothing to dissuade Triell from his searching, but could only hope her subordinates would heed her warnings."We aren't the only wolves this side of the mountain anymore. Anneliese told me that there is a pack near the waterfalls north of Red Fern forest. They haven't given us any trouble so far, but Anneliese said that other wolves in the area have had trouble with them, so you should at least be careful around there." She said, waiting a beat to let it sink in as her attention shifted towards Anneliese, if she had anything to add, before continuing."And really, thanks to Anneliese for scouting for us... That reminds me, if we've seen you've put in the training, come to us and we will test your skill so that you might be given a role and recognized for your hard work. Among us, Jessie is already a titled scout, but past that it is possible to specialize, it only needs to be discussed first." Spieden said (OOC: Check the new OTB role requirements here)."Of course, I want to thank everyone, that our pack still stands despite what the world tries to throw at us, because of you all." Spieden said, her eyes moving through the group and lingering on each. Every little action kept the pack moving forward, every marked border or checked cache, every spare eye that kept watch over the cubs, whether or not they held a role for it.

Ember eyes ran over the gathered wolves, resting shortly on each one, taking in their reactions to the news. There was certainly a span in their responses, but all of them seemed mostly positive, and on the inside, Drestig sighed with relief. There was no doubt in his mind he could do this, but only with the support of the pack, and it seemed he had it. Serach was first to respond, smiling encouragingly and coming towards the two leaders. His show of support warmed the ebony man's heart, and as he pulled back from the light touch, Drestig met his gaze with a moved smile; "Thank you." He whispered, knowing how important Corinna's son's accept was; And how important it is to me. Next came Darrah's call of confidence, and he too received a warm grin. The boys of Oak Tree Bend, might not be 'his' but they meant the world to him all the same. From the dark prince, Drestig's eyes wandered on to the grey scout, who was much less animated in her response; Which is to be expected... He sought to meet the dark emerald eyes, wanting to see how she felt about this. The eventual, faint motion of her head was met with a similar nod from her new leader, smile now replaced by are serious expression on the silver-tipped face. Left now were only Anneliese and the pups, but before he could turn his eyes to the golden woman, a shrill voice piped up, and his attention shifted to the pup by his paws. A strange grimace swept over his features at her comment, she was blunt and demanding, and her words hurt the ebony man a little. He had to remind himself that she was only a child, and a child who's parents had now both left her; She's allowed to lash out. But he didn't know how to reassure her. Part of him wanted so badly to comply, to race out into the woods and drag Triell back from this foolish quest of his, if only to give Sahalie all she wanted. That wasn't an option though, and there was another part of him that knew exactly what the younger male was going through; If I hadn't know for sure, hadn't SEEN with my own eyes... He knew he would have moved heaven and earth in his search, if there had been any chance of finding Silver alive somewhere. Movement caught his attention, and he was both relieved and proud to see Darrah move over to his younger sister, offering comfort. A new smile might have come to the alpha's face, had it not been for the boy's words about his mother. He couldn't blame the kid, Nayeli had betrayed him twice now; I've been thinking the same, even if I don't have the guts to say it out loud. He could pretend it was common decency, but truly, the lanky chap never had been that decent in the first place. Looking to meet Darrah's eyes he nodded his thanks to the boy, wanting to say something, but knowing it wasn't the time or place; Later... Surprisingly, Drift too tried to offer his sister solace, seeming much less affected by their fathers departure. Drestig smiled at the muddy pup, nodding his encouragement and agreed: "That's right, you've got Spieden, and me." He spoke in a warm hushed manner, shifting his gaze back to the dark girl, hoping to see that their collective  cheers had lifted her spirit a bit. Then, after another second of thought, he lifted his head, looking once more out over the wolves of Oak Tree Bend; " And all of us!" He almost roared, now back in the confident 'leader-mode' from earlier; "I'm sure you've all met them by now, but it's high time we properly introduce the pups. Drift and Sahalie," Turning his head down, he pointed his muzzle at each as he said their names; "Welcome to Oak Tree Bend." Admittedly the statement was grandiose, and he smiled jokingly as he said it, but it seemed right. Then turning his full attention to the pups, lowering himself down a little, his face turned fully warm and caring; "This is your pack. We are all your family, and we'll take care of you, no matter what happens." Spieden reclaimed the word, and Drestig straightened up beside her, nodding solemnly as she mentioned their other losses. The disappearance of Zera especially, hurt him, but ever since her mother's first disappearance, the princess had grown reclusive, and now that the dark woman had once more deserted them, it wasn't truly surprising that her daughter had followed suit; Nayeli has a lot to answer for! Next on the agenda was the newest arrivals in their neck of the lore, and Drestig's ears perked as Spieden preached caution. He agreed and nodded along, focusing his eyes on the mottled alphess as she continued to speak; She seemed to grow more at ease as the meeting progressed, which was a good sign. When it came to pack roles, the newly appointed alpha hadn't put in much thought, so he was glad that his counterpart chose to bring it up, gaze shifting to Anneliese and Jessie as they were mentioned; An unlikely pairing... But then again, so was she and I. And Jessie had ended up teaching him a lot, he decided then, that should the blonde night come to him seeking to be a scout, he would bring in the grey dame to assist; Perhaps this could be good for her as well. As a final salute, Spieden reiterated her gratitude to them all, echoing his own feelings. Once again he was nodding along, looking out over those that remained, hoping, believing that they would stay. As his own last addition, he decided to touch on roles again: "And it goes for all of you, that if you have a particular role in mind, come to us, we are in need of all of you." For what felt like the hundredth time, ember eyes scanned the crowd, resting on each for a short while. Darrah first, a smile inevitably creasing silver lips as he looked at the lad; "As guardians," He said, not so subtly meeting the prince's eyes before moving along; "Healers, hunters..." Finally, his gaze came to rest on the pups; "After all, we have pups to be taught." Word count: 1.068 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

Serach shifted backwards, shuffling out of the center of the circle of wolves. He had shown Drestig his support the best way he knew how, and the older wolf had shown him his thanks. All around him, he sensed the general response of acceptance, although others were less physical in their signs of acceptance. All except Sahalie, the dark furred girl sitting at Drestig and Spieden's feet. She had ignored him completely, but her words hit him, causing a sharp intake of breath. He stared at her, taking in her confused expression and plea for support. Serach and Sceral had not been much older than she and Drift were now when Ice had disappeared, but they had least known who he was and why it mattered. As he stepped away to give the leaders and the pups some space, he couldn't help but think that, no, it isn't fair.

He lost track of what happened next, still contemplating his own experience with growing up without a father. In the background, he could hear Drestig was trying to be encouraging, and Darrah was reassuring Sahalie that all was going to be well. It was only when Spieden spoke up did Serach finally snap out of it, shifting thoughts of Ice and Corinna to the back of his mind. Zera and Phyrrus were missing as well - another heartache for the Tainn siblings in front of them. But she was quick to move on to other matters, including a pack that had moved in to the north of them. There hadn't been any traces of a pack when Serach had gone north a few months ago and discovered Kisla, but Hearthwood River was much farther north than the Falls. This must be a new pack, he thought. "My sister Kisla, and her pack, Hearthwood River, live north of there in a place called Kingsfall," he spoke up. Now was the time to share that information, if the rest of them weren't already aware. "Drestig has met with one of their scouts, I think. I'd like to travel there again, perhaps on a more formal trip." He had never really considered taking on a specific role within the pack, preferring instead to help where he could, but with the discussion of roles on the table, he might as well offer his services out.

crappy post. consider it an exist from Sahalie

Her head swung towards Darrah and his gentle whisper, an angry frown on her face. She wondered at his bold statement. Zera — or the woman Sahalie had assumed was Zera— had not come back. Jessie's sick lover had not come back. She was not yet ready to be soothed, not so easily.

If Nayeli was important to Triell, and Triell was important to everyone—was important to Sahalie— how was this wolf, by the transitive properties of Triell and importance, not worth the time or consideration of everyone else? None of it made any sense. Especially since Darrah did not think Nayeli would be found. Her frown deepened, and she looked around at all the tense faces. This did not feel like a real explanation to her, especially considering the uncomfortable stares from the congregation. It felt like there was something more here.

This was why she ignored their attempts at placating her.

First, her brother wiped his slimy head on her. Immediately she recoiled. It did not matter to her that she had Speiden, because Speiden had always been there. This, she assumed, was unlikely to change. But the lack of her father was something different, something extra. Yeah, they had Drestig too, but even if he was nice he was not the gentle presence that had been there since day one. Her scowl was directed at all of them, for how could they not see this? How could they try to replace and substitute someone who was important to her?

Fuming, she barely heard Drestig's lofty introduction for brother and herself. Under other circumstances she might have beamed in her adorable manner and blew kisses or something of the sort. She did so love attention. But instead her ears fell back and her head hung low, parallel to the ground. She did not want anyone to look at her, and she did not want to acknowledge anyone else.

When she heard Zera's name it was the final nail in the coffin. She did not want to hear the name of another abandonner. She did not even want to tell them about her run in with "Zera." She didn't understand why they wanted to look for such a rude wolf and not her dad, not Nayeli. Abruptly, the girl rose to her feet and stormed off somewhere in the middle of the white boy's speech.

Anyone who had known Tainn history would have been galled by the likeness to her Aunt Borlla.