Hearthwood River long live the pioneers

Not trying to pull you in another thread if no time, @Naia and @Kjors, but Mimi and I thought it time to pull the pack and inform them of what happened, and they could inform @Maksim for a few rounds before. If you want me to simply PP your character quietly in the background, let me know!

Private for a round or two  with Maksim (Naia and Kjors optional) -- then they will call a pack meeting for everyone to join in. Set after this thread and HR wolves return home from RSC.

Weary and hungry, the travelers had not stopped much on their way home, and once the three had crossed the borders of Hearthwood River and in to their home once more, Kisla cast a glance to either comrade, giving them a nod. They had made the decision to inform their pack mates of what had transpired, but first, she knew she needed to tell Maksim of Minka’s death. “A pack meeting will be held shortly. I just want to tell Maksim..” She informed them quietly before tilting her muzzle back, her song soft as it called for her mate – there was news, and he would need to hear it before the others.

As her voice faded, her green eyes swept to both @Kjors and @Naia trying to discern their thoughts. There was a relief that had found its way to her heart at knowing they were no longer tied to the likes of the Crest, but there was still a solemn regret. Minka never had been able to find out who had killed her mate – and that was unthinkable to the River Queen.

Settling down to her haunches, Kisla felt a yawn slip past her muzzle as she awaited the presence of her mate. The sun only just began to drift down across the horizon, indicating that by the time they pulled the pack together for a meeting, it would be dark.

(This post was last modified: Dec 10, 2015, 06:51 PM by Kisla. Edit Reason: Fixed typos. )

sparking up my heart

He heard her call and was quick to respond. Finally, it seemed the party of three had returned from their trip and Maksim was more than eager to welcome them home. He picked his way between the thick redwoods, expertly navigating his territory with the ease one might find in tracing the lines of their palm with a finger. The sun above was dipping, bright orange against the steadily approaching twilight sky. In the darker regions of the sky, the brightest stars were beginning to break through the gloom, as if racing to welcome the moon. Like one of those glittering beacons, the Mackenzie male was ready to greet his light.

He could smell her in the wind, which whispered with her voice. When he finally spied her amidst the trees, Maksim gave a bark and was quick to sprint the final hurdle. A regal man of business he may be, but Kisla was his heart and to have her back was all he could think of these last few days -- never before had he loved someone so dearly, and never before had he missed someone so sorely.

His tail wagged as he slowed, just in time to wrap himself around her like she was a chilled girl and he were a warm blanket. His tail wagged with a childish joy, like he were a lad once more. "Kisla," he found himself sighing her name. "Welcome home." Surely her news could wait but a moment ...?

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

They had not been gone long, but the time missed from her mate was enough to enrapture her heart the moment he came to view. She weaved away from Naia and Kjors then, seeking a bit of solitude to embrace the man of her children as she swept herself forward in to his embrace.

Warmly, he wrapped himself around her, and the honeyed woman pressed gently in to his side, though withheld pressure so as to not disturb his lingering injuries. It was promising to see him heal, and she made a silent note to herself that she would need to thank @Lachesis for his capabilities.. and the attention he doted upon Maksim.

For only a stolen moment she let his touch wash over her, smiling gently at his words, though it did not quite reach her eyes. She was uncertain of how he would take the news of Minka’s passing, but he needed to know. Stilling, she did not pull from him, but the seriousness of her gaze did not falter as she regarded him gently. “Minka is dead, my love. We have delivered the description of Tokino’s killer and were told the news. Gent has pulled the alliance.” She paused, studying him with more concern. “Which helps us from not having to do so ourselves.”

(This post was last modified: Dec 03, 2015, 02:53 PM by Kisla.)

sparking up my heart

What Maksim would give to seal this moment away forever ... but something in her eyes told the healing titan that something was wrong. His eyes darted up, to see if something ill had befallen the two wolves who had accompanied her. Nothing seemed out of place, save for hungry stomachs that he was sure were growling in anticipation for a warm meal in them. His wolfish brows furrowed. "What's happened, Kisla? Has something--"

"Minka is dead, my love. We have delivered the description of Tokino’s killer and were told the news."

He paused, leaned back to watch her expression carefully. Dead? Truly? Minka was years younger than Maksim, a healthy woman in the prime of her life! How could she have simply fallen? As much as the Mackenzie male had harboured doubts over the continuation of the alliance -- it was very much a case of his pack giving and her pack taking -- he would never have wished her to find her end so soon in life. He lowered his head, ears falling back as he gave a gentle sigh. "Such news was ... unexpected," he murmured softly against the shivering of pine needles, "the most I can do is hope she did not suffer, and believe it was a peaceful end." May the stars keep her company now, and may she run with the rising sun.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself internally. Minka may be dead, yes, but no longer would they have to murmur among themselves over questionable alliances. "But, you are right. We are saved the potential troubles of having bad blood split between the packs. That it was a clean cut brings me great relief ... yet, I worry. What is stopping this Gent from sending enemies our way, now we have no alliance barely holding a civil front up?" He shook his head with a frustrated grumble. He found it far harder to trust the leaders of other packs these days. So quick were wolves to claim hatred for one another! "Perhaps, though, this should be discussed with our comrades present?"

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

Officially calling this a pack meeting now -- all HR wolves should attend! If you can't, please send me a PM and I can happily PP your character as attending quietly in the background. @Maksim  @Kjors @Naia @Karpos @Lachesis @Mojave @Orren @Davin @Inna
Next round begins Dec 18th.

Maksim studied her, as if thoroughly considering her words. Had he understood? She had always believed that he and Minka had held great respect for one another – a grand friendship that had stirred her self-doubts about the potential of another he-wolf taking his attention from her alone – and now the woman was dead.

Her ears cupped forward at his sigh – his soft words stirred her heart to ache for him. The news meant little to her – she had never known the woman, though had always intended to solidify a friendship between them. This was only testament to how drastically life could change in such a short time.

Kisla made no comment about how Minka had died. She had not asked the Crest leader what had been the cause – it would have surprised her if he would have even given it. A small part of her wondered at it – the convenience of Tokino and Minka’s deaths and the rise of Gent. Had Kjors not been one to witness the murder of Minka’s mate and described the wolf as light furred, she would have allowed her hesitant assumptions to wander further.

“Nothing stops him. Gent is a snake and he is not to be trusted,” she determined, her lips thinning to a serious line as her eyes cast back to both Kjors and Naia. “Perhaps you should ask Naia what she thinks of him – she is the only one he truly greeted at our meeting. They seem to.. get along.” Bless their lead scout – she got along with everyone.

At Maksim’s suggestion, she gave a nod. “I’ll call them,” she offered softly, hoping him not to expel too much energy. With her muzzle grazing gently against his cheek in one final sweep of comfort, the honeyed regal then tipped her muzzle back, beckoning the wolves of Hearthwood River forward – Kisla, Naia and Kjors had returned – and they had news to share.

(This post was last modified: Dec 15, 2015, 03:31 PM by Orren. Edit Reason: fixed your end font tag <3 )

sparking up my heart

The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger

Karpos had been scuttling around, getting things done with little hesitation whether it was checking the stores or rounding the borders another time just to be safe. He’d become a bit paranoid about not just wolves at the borders, but other creatures as well given what had become of Maksim by the fate of a feline… not a canine. It was then that he heard the call, Kisla calling the pack together as he let out a short response – there was no way he’d be missing that call. He found himself breaking into a run towards the call. It would not be long before the guardian would arrive with a dip of his head in greeting.

“Lady Kisla, Sir Maksim.” He found himself using the formal titles he always seemed to carry with his words – truthfully, he wasn’t sure where such titles had actually come from, though he felt like he had picked them up from the Keep during his stay there… might have picked him up from his dad though he didn’t really remember it anymore, given the fact it was a minor detail combined with everything else in his life.

Karpos had pretty much dropped the investigation to Mapplethorpe’s murder, if only for a current time… he hadn’t talked to Gent, though the man had promised to do what he could to help avenge their former leader and former king of the Keep. He knew of the bad blood between Cut Rock River and what had been Hollowheart Keep, remembering being an observer to the chaos with loyalties divided.

He found himself taking a seat near them, perhaps a few feet away as he held a curious gaze to him.

(This post was last modified: Dec 10, 2015, 10:27 PM by Karpos.)

Lachesis continued to busy himself with his collection of herbs and ensuring that Maksim had a quick recovery from his encounter with the wretched feline. Due to his almost obsessive compulsive behaviour when it came to ensuring his inventory was well-stocked, as well as allowing Karpos to take his place as temporary leader, the healer was often in his own world and oblivious as to what was happening outside the pack. He knew that Kisla, Naia, and the dragon had left Hearthwood for Round Stone Crest, but wasn’t quite sure what was the reason behind the departure.

Although he was also keeping a watchful eye on Karpos, the healer tried to keep his distance. XIX knew that the young male was more than capable of leading a pack—it was his nephew’s own doubt that held him behind. While the ghost had been honest when he said he had wanted Karp to take the position as leader so he could focus on getting Maksim better, Lach also wanted to give the boy a chance to see if being an alpha was what he really wanted. It may have seemed reckless, but the healer knew that nothing would go awry in Karpos’ capable paws. He had been in the child’s life almost since birth—there was no wolf he trusted more (aside from Maksim) than his nephew.

Kisla’s voice sounded from the trees, calling forth the river wolves. They had returned! Curiosity burned within him as he took off in the direction of her howl, his chartreuse gaze wide with excitement. It had not been a panicked call so things didn’t go terribly wrong… but it didn’t seem like things went right either. Luckily, the lanky healer had not wandered too far and it did not take him long to arrive at where several of his packmates were already gathered. Dipping his head at Karpos in greeting the ghost sat adjacent to Maksim, his soft gaze focused on Kisla and the two weary travelers. “Good to see you back,” he greeted coolly with a soft wag of his tail as his lips drew tight. What had happened while they were gone?

stick with those who stick with you

With the weather turning colder Inna was thankful for the patches of sunlight that could be found on the days when the sun was out. Her ebony coat absorbed the heat and warmed her when she felt particularly cold. Dosing in a patch of sun was what she had been doing when she heard her mother’s call which she would not ignore. She rose to her feet and shook her coat before setting off in the direction the call had come from hoping that she wouldn’t be too late.

Her puppy paws carried her through the forest which she maneuvered a lot better then she used to when they were so small and soon arrived slowing her pace. She went first to her mother and then her father brushing against each in greeting before taking a place nearby. Inna was happy to see her father out and about, glad that he had recovered. She also took notice that a few of her other pack mates had arrived before her and that there were still more that needed to arrive. Sitting back on her haunches she quietly waited for the others to arrive and to find out what they had been called to this meeting for.

~Table by Mimi

(This post was last modified: Dec 11, 2015, 02:49 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

The weary Timber lady nodded solemnly at Kisla’s decision to call the pack together. It had been an exhausting journey and they had only bad news to show for it, and part of the honey-eyed woman just wanted to call it quits for tonight. However, I f Kisla had enough energy to lead a meeting now, then Naia knew she had it in her to get through it.  Kisla summoned Maksim to her first, which was best; it would not do for him to react to the news of his friend passing in front of all the others. Naia’s expression glowed warmly as Baranski regal appeared. No matter who stood above Makisim in the official ranks, Naia had sworn her loyalty to this man and he would always be her king.

After a short discussion, the Baranski pair summoned the rest of the pack. The fear seemed to be that Gent would send Grizzly Hollow baring down upon them, but Naia had a few tricks up her sleeve to counter that and she had a feeling Kjors did as well. If only they could figure out how to work together!

Naia’s family arrived one by one, curious expressions all around. To each Naia gave a nod and a smile. The scout was not surprised to see Karpos and Nineteen appear first; the two of them had been on their toes running the pack while Maksim healed. A lanky female appeared next, and when the newcomer turned her flaming gaze on the crowd Naia recognized the 7-month-old Inna with a start. Every year the pups seemed to grow faster. Naia’s honey gaze remained trained on the edge of the clearing as she awaited the rest of the pack’s arrival.

Note quite sure if this was before or after Aleksei came home, if it was before, let me know and I'll change ^^

The demanding voice echoed in the distance, narrowly reaching a pair of lowered, charcoal ears, which perked stiffly at the sound. Orren jumped to his feet with a start, scaring off the pair of pheasants he had been stalking, sending them fluttering into the trees with loud squeaks. The young hunter paid little attention to his lost prey, turning instead on his heels to rush back towards the pack lands, scolding himself as he ran; He had almost missed the call, again! Just like when Maksim had been injured, and his irresponsible son had been too far away to hear his cry for help; I promised myself it wouldn't happen again! Though his mother's howl had not been panicked, it had held a measure of urgency and it was obvious she wouldn't call the pack together for any old dishmaclaver. When the yearling finally reached the gathering of River wolves, he felt certain he would be the last to arrive, and his ears  drooped shamefully. Surely enough, as he approached the group, he saw most of the pack members sitting around his parents, watching anxiously. A few were notably absent though, most remarkably his eldest sister; Guess I'm not THAT bad… Still slightly breathless from his sprint, the prince shuffled into the group, nodding first at Karpos and Lachesis, before sending a small smile to Kjors, and a bigger to Naia; He felt like he had seen so little of his teacher lately, now that he was full grown and hunting on his own, and this new land demanded extra work from the scout. He was happy to see her home and safe though, even if it was just for a little bit. Then bright orange eyes turned to his parents, narrowing slightly at their somber expressions; "Mom, dad… Something's wrong?" It was really more of a statement than a question, he could tell from the atmosphere that it was not good news they had called the pack together to share. Instinctively, the big brother stepped close to his sister, who sat close by. She had grown too big for him to stand over her as he would have liked, but he pressed into her side protectively, looking from Kisla to Maksim broodingly. Word count: 373 ”Speech" Thoughts

FurLined @DA

(This post was last modified: Dec 27, 2015, 11:08 PM by Orren.)

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