Grizzly Hollow in with the new

Veho and Wacipi (Jynx) have called the members of Grizzly Hollow to a meeting to explain the change in leadership, and their short plan terms for winter survival!  First round is introduction.  Please assume that Jynx is the second to arrive!  She and Veho will be there to greet the others.  First round ends on Dec. 20th.
Paging: @Jynx, @Rook, @Quil, @Tomen, @Titan, @Oula, @Katariina, @Nineva, @Hocus

It had taken days for it to sink in, but no matter how many times he went to sleep and woke back up, Veho was still the alpha.  Still the alpha.  As hard as he’d worked to become Rook’s beta, this?  This was not what he wanted, not in the slightest, but he had not the room to decline.  The leading pair required the time to properly grieve Borden and seek out the missing Attaya.  Who was he to deny either of them such requests?  Family was at the heart of Grizzly Hollow, and he would shoulder the burden of leading the best he could until Rook and Quil were ready to retain their positions as the alphas of the southern cedar wood forest.

Lifting his head upwards, he issued a call to the rest of the pack, young and old alike.  If Rook and Quil were out and about, they were more than welcome to join the meeting as well.  He and Wacipi had discussed this previously, and while that discussion was brief, the wolves had at least agreed that it would be best to call the rest of their pack and explain the situation to their friends.  Cohesiveness is key to the success of any pack, especially throughout the winter.

As wolves began to appear, he greeted each of them, head bobbing with a smile.  He could not be grim, not with them.  Not with family.

Reach for the stars

This was not what she had been expecting. Not at all. The request, and then the change, hit her like a fast ball. Promoted. To Lead Female. While the shift in leadership was only temporary, it still left her head reeling for the first few days. She had not anticipated it, nor asked for it. Instead, Quil and Rook, had come to her and Veho. There was a heavy weight on their shoulders, with Borden's recent passing. Adding even further to their burden, was the fact that the Attaya's sister, Cinder, had been missing for quite some time. Completely understanding that the pair needed both time to grieve and to search, Jynx reluctantly, humbly accepted the uppermost rank. She was thankful in that she was not alone in her new role. That Veho, whom had already proven to be a steadfast, reliable dictator during the hunt, would share the duties of Leader with her. Her chest blossomed with pride at the thought. There was no other wolf within Grizzly Hollow who she would have trusted more, if she had to hand pick them herself. Everything would be alright.

The new role was not hers to keep. That, Jynx had understood from the start. When Quil was ready and able again, she would hand the rightful Queen back her position with no contest. But until that day came, the russet woman would make the most out of this rather unexpected opportunity. It was the perfect chance to train; to refine her skills. To get a taste of what leadership was like. There had once been a time when she had dreams of one day creating her own pack, with a certain dark brown male. She had often wondered if she was fit for such a task. But there was no use dwelling on such thoughts, for all of those dreams were now swept away in the wind. Her feelings for Karpos had changed, and she could have cared less if he had dropped off the face of the earth. Her life was here. For now. No doubt, the other wolves of the pack had noticed the shift in leadership, and were curious. They had to be told why Rook and Quil had made this decision, and the reason for their scarcity. Jynx had met with Veho two days earlier, briefly discussing and then agreeing on the necessity for a pack meeting. A time and date had been set, and she was ready.

When Veho had stationed himself in the heart of the cedarwood forest, where the wolves would gather, Jynx was already there by his side. While they were technically equals in their new roles, the flame coated female still mentally believed herself to be subordinate to the former Second. Raising her head, her call mixed with his own in a unified song, to summon the pack before them. She let her voice die down just before Veho's faded, an ever so subtle clue on her feelings regarding her status, compared to his own. Dropping down back onto her hindquarters, she swallowed any trickles of anxiety eating away at her nerves. This was no time to be shy. As the wolves filtered in, her eyes flicked to each face, a subtle nod and gentle smile offered to each. Golden eyes filled with the promise that all questions or concerns would be answered. That, despite this change, Grizzly Hollow was still alive and well.

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2015, 03:46 AM by Jynx.)

@Katariina, let me know if the PP isn't okay, I just love the idea of Tomen and Kat going on regular runs and thought it would be nice to have them doing so when Veho and Jynx make the call :)

The shift in power had affected Tomen, it was true, but not in ways he could really complain about. The reduction in his parents' responsibility meant that they had more time to spend with their son, something which the boy was all too delighted about. He understood that his grandfather's passing was very hard on his father, and tried to be gentle and sensitive about it. His aunt Cinder, too, had been missing for a while, though nobody would tell him much more than that, but was that because they didn't know either, or were protecting him?

But he didn't dwell on that much, for otherwise, life was good. The increased quality time spent with his parents were wonderful, but the once-reclusive child had made stronger connections with others in the pack, too; he often sought out the company of @Nineva or @Katariina specifically, and as such relied less on the friendship of the little burrowing owl who lived near his family's private den. Not that he neglected Prudence, of course. He could never be so cold to someone who had been such a significant presence in his life growing up. Out of empathy to Nineva, though, he tried to make sure that the two never met, not wanting to risk triggering her deep-rooted phobia.

He had been running alongside Kat when the dual voices rang through the air, pulling him out of his runner's trance, his pace slowing as he processed its message. "Kat!" he said, surprise on his face at the unexpected summons. "We should go!" Jumping forward to nip at her ear, a playful challenge, Tomen laughed as he twisted about and dashed anew towards the place where the cedarwood wolves normally gathered for such meetings.

He was already out of breath by the time he arrived, unsurprisingly the first one there since he had literally sprinted it. Panting, he glanced behind him to check for Kat before respectfully approaching Veho and Jynx. His tongue rolled out of his goofy smile as he touched his nose to one chin and then the second, still in the middle of that wonderful runner's high. "Hey guys, everything 'kay?" he asked lightly, coming about to sit a little distance away, leaving plenty of room for others when they appeared.

Totally fine @Tomen!

The Finnish woman was finding that she enjoyed her runs with the little princes, watching him grow from a small pup, well, smaller than he was right now, to the point where he was nearly fully grown! She found that he could run farther the more they ran together, so she liked to think that their little escapades were also beneficial to the youth’s education. Dual voices drew her attention away from the run, skidding to an almost halt as her ears perked and the prince spoke up. She gave a light nod and a grin as she herself took off towards the scene of the call alongside the swarthy boy.

There was a light laugh as she allowed herself to fall back behind to give the prince a win in their little race he’d challenged her to as she arrived, a lightly elevated heartrate but nothing more. She had been doing this a lot longer than he had, after all. She gave a soft smile, a playful nudge towards the prince. "You win." She let out a low chuckle before dipping her head to greet the strange woman and Veho. She’d met them both and knew of them, she just didn’t know them.

It reminded her of the mission Rook had assigned to her, the one that she had been torn between as she tried to figure out the best path. It reminded her that she needed to speak with @Veho about herbs to take as a peace offering, though with the delicacy of the situation, she wasn’t willing to take a chance of screwing it up, hence the time taken to fully plot out her strategy.

Either way, that wasn’t why they were there. They were there for something else. "Hello." She greeted aloud as she took her seat.

disclaimer: i'm assuming that other's care about Piety's disappearance and there has been some work done to look for her. Hocus, however, is not as convinced as I am ;) and becu, no idea what ryvet's actual motivations were in leaving, I'm just figuring Hocus wouldn't know about them.

It was hard for him to justify why he was still here. Piety's scent had long faded. His mission had certainly never been to return here, to his wretched birthlands. He had not intended to witness the all-too-quick unraveling of his father, his eventual death. And how Rook seemed to fray at the seams, god, how could he justify bearing witness to this grieving that well above and beyond what God allotted to any given soul. Piety went missing and, despite Veho and Rook's bristling, guarding behaviors that had nearly barred him entrance, no one seemed to care. They barely tried. @Ryvet, the useless cur that he had always been, simply up and left. The white lord's face and movements seemed constrained and overly contemplative as he arrived at the gathering. It was important that he figured out what he was doing here. If there was any reason to leave, it would be wise to tell the new leaders as soon as it occurred to him.

But what was it that tethered him here?

His eyes drifted to Tomen. He shared some affection for the thoughtful boy, who seemed mostly untainted by the sinful family and regional history. There was some sense of duty where the boy was concerned. But was it Tomen that kept him here? No. He barely ever addressed the boy directly. The duty he felt to his nephew was dwarfed by magnitudes of pain in comparison to just one flickering thought of Piety's broken smile. His eyes drifted around the assembled.

Was it Rook? Did one comfort the grieving when they were no better than strangers? The woman — Porcupine, or whatever her name was — his wife, and Veho seemed to take up that mantle. There was little place for Hocus to play minister. He hardly wanted to, anyway, feeling that Rook was being particularly egocentric about the whole affair. But in truth it had more to do with the second-born's own feelings, feelings he was sure Rook did not share. He was afraid to voice them, confused about how to mourn. How does one mourn a man who was never there? From how Rook seemed to cherish Borden it was clear that, to some extent, the old man had cleaned up his act and shaped up. But it was not the man that Hocus knew. A sigh dripped from his mouth as he took a seat somewhere near Tomen. Preoccupied, his diligent head-bob to Veho, to Jynx, seemed quite watery. 

If he was honest, it was because he felt that even without Piety there were things that had to be done. Riddles that needed solving. Something had harmed her. Something here in Relic Lore. Even without her confession he could still learn, still investigate. He was a father, yes. But he was an Arbitrator first, and extension of his God's will. And he knew now that God meant for him this task. This offering was God's apology for testing his daughter so. And Hocus planned to take it, to condem whoever had wronged his beautiful Piety.

He would find them. He would stay.

"Peace be with you," he offered solemnly to everyone in attendance.

(This post was last modified: Dec 14, 2015, 11:03 PM by Sahalie.)

The shuffling of the ranks, the deaths and disappearances were unnerving despite Oula's relative distance to this pack. She did not like the lack of stability, trying to find her own footing when everything else seemed just as unstable. She put on an unshakable front, it would be hard to tell that the sturdy woman was floundering inside. She had yet to find her friend's killer, each week that passed sealed the conviction that she had failed. There was no way she could go home and show her face to her regiment as such a disappointment. The only option now was to stick with what she had, this strange little pack, and make an attempt at compensating for her failure.

The call for a meeting was somewhat a relief for the Whitebark woman. Finally some structure, an explanation, a /plan/. Since joining the Hollow wolves she intuited what needed to be done and tried to make herself useful, and managed to guess at the pack's relations to eachother, the few familial ties, but at best she was blindly feeling.

Dutifully she headed for the meeting space, politely ducking in to the small assemblage. Her tail gently swayed, a pleasant but not overly exuberant expression as she first looked to Veho, the most familiar face, then an appraising yet curious glance towards Jynx at his side. Oula settled down on her haunches, patiently waiting for the meeting to begin.

I am so sorry it took me so long. Feel free to add in with any other thing you think the pack should be doing this winter, or have your wolf volunteer for a task if you want the skill points/brownie points from V and Jynx. Round ends: 1/4.
@Jynx @Tomen @Titan @Oula @Katariina @Hocus @Nineva

It was reassuring to see Wacipi join him – he did not know the woman well quite yet, not in any other function than as his patient, but she at least seemed to be taking her promotion seriously.  This, at the very least, allowed him some small glimmer of hope that between the two of them, they’d care for Grizzly Hollow and her wolves as if it were their very own.  Perhaps he was more thankful that he and the female seemed to be of the same mind – that this group was not theirs, and when the time came, the reins would be handed back to the Lyalls.

But that time was not now.

Each wolf was greeted with a chuff or a touch, by himself or by Jynx, or perhaps by both.  “Everything is alright,” he assured Tomen when the pup arrived, but reserved speaking until all available members joined them.  That Rook and Quil were absent left a small hole in the wolf’s heart, but he could not pay it mind – they were both busy with their grief, and his king had left him with such great responsibility.  He could not fail now.

“Thank you all for coming,” he rumbled, once the pack had gathered.  “As you can well see, there has been a change in ranks.  Rook and Quil are in need of peace to grieve, and to search for members lost to us.  Cinder has not returned, and neither has Piety.”  A soft sigh, and a glanced spared particularly for @Hocus – truth be told, he was a bit surprised the man had not left.  What was holding him here?  “So the burden of duty has fallen to Wacipi and myself.  We will do our best to serve you, and this pack, as well as Rook and Quil have.  Winter is all but upon us, and we still have much to do.  The caches are to be filled.  The medical stash was plundered in the late fall, and we must do our best to trade – negotiations are open with Secret Woodlands, they know of Merlin and the Hollow.  Additionally, it would behoove us to strengthen our ranks.  We will take all comers, as long as they are loyal, willing, and value family.”

A soft hum as he tipped his head, peering at Jynx curiously.  “You will summon one of us at the borders, should you recruit anyone.  Are you successful, and we will reward you an extra share from the cache.  Hard work always befits a prize.”

(This post was last modified: Dec 29, 2015, 08:28 PM by Veho.)

Following Caroline's NPC notes, I'm gonna PP @Kenelm as being present since it's relevant to Nineva. c:

Oooh late late, she was so very late! She tried to make it through the slush and iced over snow as quickly as she could, but the young girl was not willing to slip or trip and harm herself to be timely, and thus as she closed in on the gathered group she accepted the shame of tardiness. Slithering in as Veho began to address the group, her ears tilted toward the interim leaders as she found her way toward her favorite company. Lucky for the young girl, 'uncle' Kenny was seated a toss away from @Tomen, and she was able to position herself equally between the two, nudging first Kenelm in greeting and then her age mate and throwing both a small smile. Once at last settled, her mismatched eyes lifted to the front of the group, to Veho and 'Wacipi', whom she'd had the pleasure of facing down a beaver with once before.

It was odd to think of them as their alphas, and Nineva was loathe to admit that she didn't truly see them as such just yet. It was just too weird, and the girl's mind was far too focused toward blood-tied hierarchy, but that didn't mean the duo didn't have her respect all the same. She rolled back her shoulders as her chin lifted, studiously attentive. Cinder nor Piety were familiar names to her, and she wondered how long exactly they had been missing. The girl would make certain to consult with @Veho after the meeting to learn of their key traits all the same. She ventured outside of the territory often enough that she was just as likely as any of the adults to come across a clue. The rest of the information seemed generic, expected and easily understood.

Then the incentive was uttered, and a brief flash of confusion crossed through her gaze before she tucked her chin and lowered her ears with guilt. An extra share... had they been rationed before? The chain of thoughts clicked clumsily within her head, uncertain of whether her interpretation was correct or not. Maybe she'd been taking too much, and simply no one had noticed yet. The girl held too much probity within her character to be happy with such a thought. She would have to remember to ask Veho as well what 'share' she was allowed.

Reach for the stars

To her pleasure, most of the pack arrived promptly after the summons had been issued. The young Prince, Tomen was the first to show, excitedly scrambling up to the pair, reaching up to bump her chin with his nose. Her yellow eyes sparkled as she gazed down at the handsome young man, gently engaging him in a soft mouthed bout of playful jaw sparring. "Not to worry...we have it under control." She said smoothly, while he went and took his seat. While it was true she and Veho did have a handle on things, only time would tell how well. They were brand new at this job, but for Jynx, she would just do what came naturally and use common sense. Katariina was not far behind the dark boy, to whom she offered a nod. Hocus and Oula filed in next, who each received a silent nod of acknowledgement. As Veho began to speak, she noticed Kenlem and Nineva slip in. Only Titan...and Peity were missing.

Veho did most of the introductions and the filling in on updates of information, which she was content with. As he finished with explaining the reason for the switch in Leadership, her eyes flicked from one face to the next. "I urge you to have faith in us, while we fill in for Quil and Rook. It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I will step up as best as I can. Veho and I intend to work together, with all of you to ensure Grizzly Hollow thrives." Her voice was steady but soft as she met eyes with Tomen for a split second, then found the pale face of Hocus. She knew the man to be Piety's Father. While she did not know the white female personally, it was concerning that she had been missing for some time. Knowing of the tensions with Willow Ridge, she was wary of the other pack. She knew that he must be full of turmoil inside, and felt for him. "Should any of you have any questions or concerns of any kind, please don't hesitate to come to either of us." While she did not have an established relationship with any of these wolves other than as pack mates, as a Leader, that was something she wanted to change. It didn't have to stay this way. However temporary her position may be, she would use it as her chance to try and reach out and form some connections.

 

Grins and smiles were thrown at all who appeared after him, starting with Kat (and the victory he knew she gave him charitably) and then, soon after, his uncle Hocus, who was odd and ponderous and a little intimidating - but Tomen found him warm enough, even though they rarely interacted directly. He knew Oula even less, but she got a smile, and then Kenelm appeared, Nineva's uncle, and that connection was enough for Tomen to feel some kind of affection. When the girl herself appeared, she earned an outright grin, his pleasure amplified when she chose to sit between himself and her uncle.

The boy's tail swept gently across the ground as he waited, but that appeared to be all; Veho began to speak as though they were all here, but that wasn't quite right. He said nothing, and only frowned faintly, glancing about the gathering to check that he hadn't missed them - but no, he wasn't wrong, neither of his parents were in attendance. Looking back to Veho, Tomen started to properly listen, and had to conclude that their absence was of no surprise to the leaders who made no mention of them aside from giving them space to grieve. Oh, right, of course. The boy cringed a little at his own inconsiderateness. He'd make sure to seek them out later and make sure they were doing okay.

It all seemed very ordinary stuff, as far as Tomen was concerned, except that it was weird for it not to be his father giving the speech. Both Veho and Jynx had returned his greeting with reassurances, and their words were calm and sensible and were more than convincing that they were capable of the job. He had faith in them, and as his concern for his parents' whereabouts faded, he smiled at the leading pair to try and convey this faith.

They talked of extra shares of the cache, and Tomen noticed Nineva shrink a little beside him, but he didn't understand why. He glanced at her for a moment, and then, prompted by Jynx's final words (and emboldened by that brief moment they shared eye contact) he cleared his throat self-consciously. "You'll do great," he said, ears pricked up as he summoned confidence that wasn't entirely genuine, but he wanted to set a good example for Nineva and still didn't know why she had looked so sheepish. "Is there, um, anything I can do? You mentioned the Woodlands, I, um, I'd like to be useful, as a Lyall, you know. If it helps." Which, considering the secretiveness around their names, it might not - but it was too late, the words were free now. He was always being told he'd do great things because he came from a great family, but he never really made use of it. When surrounded by more important and interesting Lyalls and Attayas, it was hard to stand out or make much of a difference. He was nearly a year old, too - it was time to stop being a child and pulling weight like an adult. Maybe their allies knew who the Grizzly Hollow wolves were, though. And if putting himself out there impressed pretty grey girls then, well, he wouldn't have thought about that of course shut up.