Hearthwood River long live the pioneers

Kjors was back. Even if the summons issued by the reigning queen hadn't been such, rather merely a howl of we're home, he would have been moving just as quickly as he was now. Even when @Karina remained, Davin found that his paws itched whenever @Kjors left without him. The boy still felt out of place within the pack, a fault of his own, and it was the man who had sheltered him when his life had drowned in horrors that remained as a foundation to fasten himself to. When that rock was absent, Davin felt lost. Now that it had returned, he needed to affirm its safety for himself.

Despite his urgency, however, he was far from the first to join the returning party. His pale gaze swept over those present, but as Karina was not among them his attention swiftly focused upon Kjors alone. There was a general unhappiness within the air that the gathering others were feeding off of, and Davin attempted to hold his hero's gaze, hoping to be able to gauge whether or not it was necessary for him to grow worried as well. The dragon seemed to be in fine shape, yet it appeared that something unsavory may have happened during their journey all the same.

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Kisla's familiar voice echoed across the deep woods, and Lekalta perked at her mother's crooning beckon. Abandoning her current task at hand (she was muzzle deep in a hole by a large redwood tree, attempting to decipher the scent that rest within. Little did the girl realize how lucky was to avoid the sharp end of some quills by only moments as she resurfaced, a grin on her dirt-ridden face.

Giving her golden pelt a quick shake, Lekalta was off, her slender, adolescent form weaving through the trees with clumsy ease. A pack gathering was always welcome to the girl -- and while this sounded more official than anything she had ever been part of before, she was eager to prove herself as an upcoming yearling -- she could be responsible too!

She practically sailed in to the meeting space, her creamy paws only slowing as she came to Inna's side. Disappointed to see that so many had beat her to the meeting, she did not allow that to falter her glow as she gave a wag of her tail in the direction of her parents. Something told her not to approach though, and with more discipline than usual, the boisterous girl settled at the side of her sister, her paler muzzle reaching forward to nudge Inna's cheek in greeting.

are you deranged like me? are you strange like me?
lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?

Round 2 - next round begins on the 28th (added extra days because.. holidays are crazy!)
No one PMed me or expressed interest in being PPed, so as of now, it's assumed Kjors is in the background somewhere (Ace, as I was pping him before, I didn't want to assume left the thread without your consent, so let me know if you want me to change this), @Karina and @Mojave are missing. Aleksei and Kite were not members of the pack when this should have happened (I dn't think?)

No posting order per round.

As her song faded, the she-wolf cast a glance to her mate for the few final moments they would have before telling the pack of the news. A crooning growl pushed past her lips, and her nose would wind along the base of his jaw as she sought comfort in the familiarity of his scent and touch. The sound of paw falls came upon the couple, though, and pulling back, the honeyed regal offered a nod to Karpos, who was first to arrive. The boy had done okay in Maksim's stead -- but she knew he had not risen to his true potential.. and it was likely because Maksim's family and wolves would always view him as the River King. Even injured, her love commanded respect.

Karpos took a seat near the couple -- silent approval radiating from the River Queen as he was her current equal. Lachesis arrived next, stirring Kisla's gaze to soften upon their talented and loyal medic. Without him, Maksim would be dead -- of that, she was certain. Inna came next -- growing so lovely each day, just as her elder sister, Karina still did.

Naia moved closer then -- Kisla could only imagine the woman had desired a moment to herself, as they were all weary from their travels. Kjors remained in the background somewhere -- but she did not press him to come closer. Orren was next -- his youth slowly fading from his features as he grew more and more each month. He was a handsome boy -- and Kisla wondered if the pull of breeding season would affect him this year.. and she would lose him to some female that would create a new pack and life with him.

 The mother offered him a nod, but did not speak, her gaze telling him that in time, they would discuss matters. Davin -- the unknown yearling was next to arrive, and Kisla's eyes levelly regarded him. Lekalta exuberantly swept up alongside her sister, and with arched brows, Kisla allowed a small smile to pull at her tired muzzle, though remained silent.

When it seemed Mojave and Karina would either not be attending or late, Kisla withheld a purse of her lips, worry flitting through her. They might have been too far to answer the call swiftly.

 Shifting her weight, the she-wolf lifted herself higher, hoping to draw the attention of her comrades as her eyes settled over them all. A nod was given, and a small smile -- though her eyes remained tired. "I'm sorry for such a sudden meeting," she offered, canting her muzzle slightly. "But Naia, Kjors and I have just returned from a visit with Round Stone Crest to deliver them the news of what we know regarding the murder of Tokino." There was a pause, and the honeyed Baranski felt she had better explain what had befallen. Her family deserved to know.

"Kjors had information the Crest understandably felt was vital to them -- he had witnessed Tokino's death, though he did not know the man at the time. He had a description of the murderer, and withheld this news from Gent, a member of the Crest, because he was new to our pack and did not trust the other man at the time."  Perhaps this news would disturb her pack mates -- and yet, Kisla did not blame Kjors a bit. Gent's manner was less than desirable to offer information to, and she did not trust him either. "Kjors came to me, wondering what to do with this information. So did the Crest -- and they were less than pleased at our withhold of this information. Gent, their new male lead, was belligerent at our borders and I was not comfortable putting one of our family members forward to him -- so I told him we would visit the Crest and deliver the information to Minka." She paused again, releasing a soft sigh. "You should know, at the time of Gent's visit to our borders, I withheld the information that I had already known what Kjors had kept from him, and we hoped to remedy it. I did not trust him then, and I do not trust him now. Our pack mates mistakes do not belong to another pack to determine -- they belong to us."

Her eyes drifted between those gathered -- this was going to be an exhausting ordeal.. of that she was sure. But she could only hope that once she opened the floor for discussion or feedback, her pack members would be able to voice reason and concern, rather than anger.

"Naia, Kjors and myself visited the Crest to make good on our word -- it was long past time, but with the girls being so young and Maksim's injury, I was less inclined to have our pack with fewer numbers. We were met at the borders by Gent, who summoned a son of Minka, raher than Minka herself." Pausing, and sighing, Kisla lowered her eyes at that point, stealing a glance to her mate. "Minka is dead. We do not know why -- and no sooner did Kjors offer the boy a description of the killer, Gent sent him away and ended the alliance." Her gaze drifted back up then, to settle on her pack mates once more. "Without Minka at the helm and Gent replacing her, it is safe to say we have no interest in aiding the pack any longer. The alliance has only ever benefitted these wolves who we have offered in to our home for play dates, and in their times of need when they were moving from their enemies. They've never offered anything in return -- but I hope to maintain this as a clean break. We are neutral with them -- but try to avoid them if necessary, and I ask that we all steer clear of the Crest's lands."

With that, Kisla refrained from releasing a gentle sigh. Giving a nod, she cast another glance to her mate before addressing her pack mates once more. "This can be an open discussion on the matter -- I will answer any questions you all might have. All I ask is that we remain respectful to one another, even if in disagreement." With that, she waited for any comments to come forward.

sparking up my heart

For those who don't know, the doe isn't real, just a figment of Karina's mind.

When her mother’s voice rose into the sky, Karina flattened her ears in dismay. She stood frozen, unsure of what to do. How could she possibly show her face in front of her family after the debacle the last time they gathered—when Makism was injured and his faithful healer and daughter had completely lost it, unable to attend to his urgent need? Everyone would remember her reaction that day and add that as just one more reason for her being a failure as an adult, a healer, and a Baranski.  

The doe, so often the more cautious one, pranced forward, head tilted expectantly. She was right, Karina couldn’t just not show up, especially when the howl conveyed that there was important news to be shared.. especially when her mother and Kjors had been gone so long. A flurry of excitement gripped her chest at the thought of welcoming @Kjors home, and that was the deciding factor. The girl started forward, following her exhuberent deer with a more reluctant gait.

When the girl arrived her mother had already begun speaking, and Karina slid into the back of the meeting as silently as she could manage. She wanted dearly to bury her face in Kjors's nape, but he was seated practically center-stage by her mom, so a welcoming smile from the back row would have to do for now.  She also sent her mother an apologetic look, knowing she would likely hear a loving lecture from her mother later about the role of a princess. At least Inna and Lekalta had arrived on time; both perfect, dutiful princesses and daughters of the like Karina could never hope to match.

Karina brushed up next to @Davin and she settled, giving his shoulder a nudge in greeting. She let her nose rest in his ruff for a moment, like she might have done with Kjors, finding it difficult to lift her head from the warm, soft retreat and face her pack’s judgmental eyes. “Kjors is home,” she muttered only so Davin could hear, for she knew Davin was the only one would come close to sharing in her joy that their mentor was back. Mom is back too, Karina thought to herself, letting the relief settle over her thoughts and calm her. Karina lifted her head to continue listening to her mother, who was recounting the meeting with Round Stone Crest.

The child sucked in a strangled breath at the news that Minka was dead. Though she had meet the Crest queen, Karina’s horror at the news was not for the late leader’s sake so much as her son’s, who had now lost both parents and his sister. In one year, he had gone from proud Lagina prince to orphan. The empathetic girl’s heart broke for her friend. The doe reached out to nudge Karina in a comforting gesture, and overwhelmed by the touch, tears began to fall from Karina’s crystalline eyes. Her mother continued on to announce that the alliance had ended, and a word fell from Karina’s mouth in shock, “What?”

The girl felt heat rise into her cheeks as the pack turned to her. It seemed Karina was not (and likely will never be) finished causing scenes at pack gatherings. “Mom, what about @Kova? He has no parents anymore.. we can’t just leave him there with Gent.” Kisla had very much convinced Karina that Gent was not to be trusted, so how could she agree to leave her friend in his evil clutches? “Dad?” Karina started, looking to her father for support. “Minka was your friend, but her son is my friend. As long as Minka’s blood remains in Round Stone Crest, shouldn’t we honor her memory?” Karina was not exactly sure what she was wanting or even suggesting, she just knew that she couldn’t do nothing while her parents severed her ties with one of her friends, not when he was in such need of support..

(This post was last modified: Dec 22, 2015, 02:20 PM by Karina.)

   

    
 

The young man's gaze remained firmly fixed on his parents, only one ear flicking sideways as the stragglers arrived. Warm orange eyes locked briefly with his mother's forest greens, and he blinked in answer to the seriousness he saw; Something is DEFINITELY wrong! Lekalta's appearance gained a quick glance from her older brother, a strange mix of worry and relief rushing through him as his paler baby sister settled in next to her litter mate. Then Kisla started speaking, and her youngest son's attention returned to her, brows only furrowing further as the tale went on. He had heard of Tokino's death, but only peripherally – the connection to the grey man and his mate were his parents', not Orren's, and though he would always honor it, and felt bad for them, he'd never thought much of it. Now though, he was quickly enthralled by the story, eyes drifting to Kjors' figure behind the leaders, narrowing slightly. Word of Minka's death made them widen again though, returning to Kisla, and Maksim by her side, and the sadness on their faces send a stab of pain through his heart. Again, Orren felt for his parents more than the Lagina's, he had met Minka, and her children, only once, and didn't remember much of it, but he knew she had been a dear friend of Maksims. Following this information, the yearling wasn't surprised to hear that it had been the end of the alliance, there had never been much contact between their packs, and now that leadership had changed, and the new king obviously didn't warrant their trust; Well, it makes sense… But apparently everyone didn't think so. Orren had not even noticed his sisters tardy arrival before her voice suddenly piped up from the back of the crowd. The prince's head spun to look at Karina, who wasted no time in following their mother's invitation to questioning. Orren halfway glared at his litter mate, sitting nestled against Davin at the farthest possible spot from the rest of their family. This, along with her accusatory tone initially made anger flare in her erratic brother; Not only had she distanced herself from her kin, clinging instead to the dragon, and this new addition to their clique; But now she was openly challenging their mother's decision? Only her words of civility, echoing in the boys mind, kept him from snapping back at the pale girl; She cares more about THEM than us? Kjors and Davin and KOVA! But even as he bit his lip, holding back poisonous words of his sister's boyfriends, Orren noticed the expression on her face, the fear in her wide eyes, and her words began to sink in. Like so often before, like always, Karina was acting with her heart, she was thinking of the well being of others, not herself. By asking her questions, she was not challenging her family, but begging for the well being of her friend. Orren looked back to their parents, ears laying back as he thought. But, shockingly out of character, the boy had nothing to say, he trusted his parents judgment in this matter, and had nothing to add to his sisters plea. Word count: 529 ”Speech" Thoughts

FurLined @DA

PLOT WITH ME!

His brow furrowed at Kisla's words, and he could only nod in agreement -- he had not met this Gent, had not had the pleasure of his company and, as such, he could make no opinion of his own. But Maksim trusted Kisla with his life and his heart and her word was not something he would question. Especially when it came to such prickly matters. He turned his attention to the pack's beloved scout at Kisla's suggestion and he smiled. "We can talk later. There are things I would discuss with you, Naia." For now, though, he would remain by his wife's side.

Wolves trickled in, and it warmed the injured lord's heart. Karpos, of course, arrived. Respectful and dutiful as ever -- really, he should have been rewarded for the duties he had performed in Maksim's time of healing. He had to prove to Lachesis once more that he was fit, though, and then he would speak with the swarthy boy-turned-man. Rewarded indeed.

Kisla's explanation left the Baranski father feeling riled, though not because of Kjors' actions (surprisingly, Maksim placed no blame on the one-eyed dragon). Instead, his bitter frustrations lay with Gent, a man who continued to prove he had no ounce of probity in him. A sour taste lingered in the wolf's mouth. His peridot gaze swept over the gathered pack, his expression not faltering in its concern. For a moment, he simply faded out, nodding his head occasionally as the explanation was given, his crown slipping down as, once more, Minka's passing was mentioned. It seemed odd, really, that she would pass so soon to what he could only assume was Gent's rising.

Maksim's head suddenly snapped out at a shrill squeak. Perhaps the discussion was not to be a rational one, a logical one -- it was driven by emotion, and the father's chest tightened at his eldest daughter's outburst. His head swung to settle on her, so far away from them all ... funny, that. It was more than just physically far away that she placed herself. He shook his head. "Karina," he began, but she was quick to interrupt, to implore for her father to have mercy on the boy. What happened next was entirely unexpected, a shock in every sense of the word -- Karina stabbed a fresh wound, wedged a dragon-fang dagger into Maksim's heart, and he flinched back at her words. "Enough. That's enough."

His heart thundered in his chest -- never had he wanted to be angry at his daughter, at his rabbit hearted sweet, but here he was. "Kova is no babe at his mother's teat now, Karina. He is a man. He makes decisions for himself, he is capable of choosing who he wants to stand with. If he wanted to leave, he could." He shook his head once more, creamy brows knitted together in thought. "We can no longer let friendship place us in shaky standings -- at any moment now, Gent has every opportunity to risk our new home. To further push him towards doing so would be madness."

"I'm sorry, Karina. It cannot be helped. Not unless Kova wants it enough for himself to make his own choice."

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

The news came as a shock to the slender healer; his chartreuse pools widened as Kisla explained what happened during their absence. His lips curled as she announced that they had severed tied with the Crest wolves. It meant little to him—he had hardly gotten a chance to be acquainted with any of them. However, the news seemed more detrimental to the River princess—and his always absent apprentice—Karina. From what she understood, she had a friend in the Crest ranks that she wanted to… rescue? Was that what she was trying to say?

A deep frown cut into his lips as he listened to the Baranski plead her case. It was a shocking revelation, but for once the healer felt no sympathy for what the girl was proposing. She had become impulsive since she had increased the time she spent with the dragon and this new wolf—Davin—and her naivety only increasing as the days went by. It seemed that her comments weren’t sitting well with her brother as well, as he wore an irritated expression on his maw as she spoke. Surely she couldn’t be serious… they had their own pack to worry about! Clearly Gent wanted nothing to do with the Heartwood wolves; therefore, it would be wise for them to steer clear of Crest lands, just as Kisla had suggested, not go on a rescue mission. What if this Kova didn’t even wanted to be rescued?

Just as he was about to throw in his own two cents, Maksim (luckily) beat him to it. Perhaps if it came from her father instead of her annoying, sort-of uncle and sort-of mentor, she would actually listen. Hopefully.

Nodding in agreement, XIX remained silent as Maksim voiced his thoughts, his voice stern and level as he addressed his daughter. His friend was right—this Kova was an adult, fully capable of making his own decisions. If he did not want to be a part of Stone Crest, he would leave on his own accord. He didn’t need the River wolves coming in the ‘whisk’ him away. “Your father is right, Karina,” the healer started as Maksim finished speaking, his chartreuse gaze focused on the younger Baranski. “Let your friend decide for himself whether he wants to remain at the Crest. Just as Kisla suggested, we should stay clear of their borders for the time being. It would be ideal for us to remain neutral with them—we don’t want to stir up any trouble, especially so soon after severing ties.” 

(This post was last modified: Dec 31, 2015, 07:07 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

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

The majority of the pack had filtered in after him, watching each of them intently as they arrived as he did a bit of a callout in his head, noting who was there and who wasn’t and general reactions. He listened carefully as Kisla began to speak. Round Stone Crest. He knew their allies, or based on her words, former allies, and he knew Gent well enough to recognize the name. He and Gent had been in a pack together, run into each other after he’d become a wolf of the Crest and Karpos a wolf of the River. Hell, Gent was supposed to be helping in any way he could to help Karpos find Mapplethorpe’s killer, albeit that task had been put on the backburner by himself because his first duty was always to his pack.

The words had almost unnerved him, causing him to keep a still form with a bit of a puzzled look to him as he continued to contemplate the situation. He understood where they were coming from, and he did not know most of the Crest wolves, in fact his only ties to the pack might have been the alliance and Gent himself. Karina’s words were what caused him to speak up, Maksim’s as well. “Just because Gent was doing what he thought was best for his pack just as we do ours does not necessarily mean he is after our home. As Kisla said, we’re on neutral grounds.” Karpos pointed out passively to agree with his uncle's words on the matter, not overly inclined to give further details, especially given the already negative attitude the rest of the pack had towards the man.

Ever silent and dutiful (for now), Lekalta trained her eyes on her parents, though at times would allow her bright gaze to drift to Karpos -- the current male Leader. It felt strange at times to see him in such a role -- and yet no one had spoken anything else but praise for him, so the girl would not question it.

Her mother spoke then, the words that came from her jaws stirred Lekalta's wolfish eyebrows t shoot up slightly in surprise, and she considered the words for now. The alliance had meant nothing to her -- she had never met the wolves of Round Stone Crest. but the unease of her pack mates stirred her stomach to a nervous flutter, and she felt her shoulder brush gently against Inna's for quiet reassurance.

Karina gave an outburst, and Lekalta cast her a worried glance. Orren spoke nothing, and it was Makim's logical voice that broke out across the pack gathering. Lachesis was next, followed by Karpos. The only one seemingly upset by the news was her elder sister -- and Lekalta could only believe it was because of the friend she mentioned in the Crest. Settling back, she spoke nothing yet, her gaze drifting along to study her pack mates as her ears would slide back to her skull to reveal her quiet discomfort.

are you deranged like me? are you strange like me?
lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?
do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?