Willow Ridge alliance with a stranger

For @Morganna + scout, guards, whoever. :3

Winter had already been coming to a halt. As all those before it, the winter was cruel and vicious. Though their had been less of a threat this year when it came to finding food, the lives in had taken among the pups and those who had been lost was a story retold time and time again. With this, he began realizing how lucky he had been a child to have survived, nearly parent-less had it not been for the acceptance and comfort of Nina Hervok. He smiled to the very name. Had it not been for her or Inali, there was little else within Bane's life worth caring for. He lived to serve them, to protect them...

Which was why he was out here now. Though winter still stirred, it was ending. The day was rather warm for although the chilled wind stirred the sun shined on the back of his dark pelt, promising better times to come. Bane could not remember ever going this far south before. He was a northerner after all and the furthest he could recall going was to the Bramble Falls. The forest was more sparse here, plenty of room to see before you and plenty of room to run. The Secret Woodlands had never been a favored location for him, despite the fact that he had spent more of his life there. It was cramped, dark, filled with tangled brush and dangerous pit. He relished guarding along the edges of their home, overlooking the fields and meadows beyond it. The thicket was what he knew best, unfortunately, and although the Willows were beautiful he felt exposed.

Hesitantly he makes his way to the boarders, keeping a bit of a distance before them so no question of trespassing could be uttered. He knew this pack was an ally of theirs for all his life and beyond, though he had never met any of them. He knew them to be powerful wolves, bold, confidant, prideful and dark. Bane clears his throat then, settling on the frosted earth and then calling out for the leaders of the pack (as he was told, Elettra and Angier) who he would then wait for patiently. If this scouting mission was to go by successfully, he would need the interaction to go by smoothly.""

SECRET Woodlands

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

Sorry this took so long! @Bane

A howl for her mother and Angier was not uncommon even after all this time. It mattered little to her whom they were seeking an audience with, what mattered was that they were howling at her borders, and she had little intention of allowing @Nicolò to beat her there and skew any outsiders perception of the pack. She was her mothers daughter, and she could do this on her own if necessary.

Already on a direct path to the stranger, on her regular route around the borders, it did not take long for her to come upon the man of a similar age to herself. Her tail inched higher and her head rose regally as she made no secret of looking him up and down, the familiar scent of the woodlands putting her at ease as her tail waved amicably and a small grin pulled at the corners of her lips. "Ter what do we owe of pleasure of a visitor from the woodlands?" remembering her own encounter with @Nios and @Nina's inability to get to the borders, a look of concern crossed her face. "Is all well with Nina?" An ear tilted back half anticipating the arrival of @Craw and @Wraith or even @Skoll or (@Isuni)Capable - not because the backup was needed but because the Ridge wolves were known to answer in numbers.

@Morganna's "back up" XD

While he was still considering leaving Willow Ridge (permanently, temporarily, sometime-arily) Greer was still cautious — and nosey — about who lurked at their borders. The wolves of the willows were a strong, proud group of wolves who relied heavily on family ties and loyalty. Those who broke their promises were not welcome, along with those who were not willing to pull their weight. Although he had almost completely checked out of the Ridge Greer did not want his replacement to be some useless tit, or have the enemy lurking at their borders. Unwelcome wolves were to be dealt with — immediately.

However, there were a select few who were welcome; allies, friends… whatever. Their presence wasn’t always a nuisance and usually brought useful (and/or interesting) news.

It was the howl that pulled him away from his lurking duties and caused his course to change. The shadow prince was positive that he would not be the first to arrive — either his uncle, sister, or brother were most likely already there, or much closer than he was. However he would not allow them to arrive alone, even if he did not always agree with their methods. His lips curled at the thought but he continued his course, his long legs carrying him quickly to his destination. The scent of a woodlands wolf reached him just as Morgana’s did and relief washed over him. Good, he thought to himself as his pace slowed, silver eyes narrowed as he sought out the dark shape of his older sibling, and current leader. Just as his sister asked about the health of the woodlands’ leader Greer pulled up beside her, like a shadow, and kept his lips drawn tightly shut. She was more than capable of handling herself, he was just there as back up just in case things went sour.

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Despite was his dear niece may have thought, he did pull his fair share amongst the pack. Even if he didn’t piss on the borders as much as she did, he did hunt. He did not enter Willow Ridge with the intentions of laying around and being a lazy ass for the rest of his lifetime. The immaturity of his sister’s daughter was infuriating and he had to remind himself not to lose him temper. In the Torbine she would have never risen to power and if any of her threats were heard of, she surely would have been taught a lesson. Things had certainly been tense and Nico found that he truly did not have any allies within the pack. Morganna was truly an actress in its purest form, but the pack would soon regret that if they were left with nothing. The young girl did not know how to handle herself. He needed to speak with his sister and he would when the time was right. But today he would be busy. He had been hunting by himself for once, to clear his head. Adele was understanding that he needed more time to himself now that he had taken on more duties. Firmly, within his jaws, he held a hare. Nico was grateful for the catch and made haste to deposit it to the caches. It was no sooner that a call from the borders alerted him, for Elettra and Angier. It was a shame but he knew that Willow Ridge had once held prestigious expectations. Now all it had was a crazy bitch and himself to lead. He cleaned himself quickly to make him seem more presentable before making his way over there. Unsurprisingly, Morganna had beat him there, along with Greer. He had caught the end of Morganna’s questioning, also nonthreatening and familiar. The name that she muttered rang a bell and Nico assumed that he had heard it in passing. He would best assume that it was an ally. While he did not know much, he did know that he would make his presence known to Morganna to show that he had made him presence known. He came to stand by her shoulder, offering a brief nod of greeting to her and lifting himself equally to her, before turning his gaze towards the dark young man. Nico was certainly interesting in learning more about this Nina.

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Wraith abandoned his hunt when the call at the borders sounded. As he'd only just started tracking the scent, it didn't feel like a meal lost. On the clear other side of the borders, it took the male quite a while to reach the stranger, and by then several other pack members had already arrived including both Alphas. Well, well, what a change. Clearly someone was trying to make a point.

The brute sidled up alongside @Greer, avoiding contact with the older male, and brushed his shoulder alongside the youth's in easy affection. Based on the relatively relaxed stances, this was a familiar greeting and not one requiring the intimidation of numbers they were quick to show. To ease the threat of his added presence, the black wolf wagged his tail in friendly greeting towards the strange male.

Warm amber eyes hardened minutely when his gaze flickered towards Nicolò. The leery way with which the male showed his interest riled him a bit, though he was careful not to show it outwardly. Forcing his gaze away, Wraith smiled at Greer. The lad had made himself scarce since their meeting in the woods, but the brute wasn't discouraged in the least as he was certain they would become friends.

One by one they came flooding in, each and every one of them dark in coloration, some more so then others but all sporting that black, shadowy outlook. The first and the smallest of the group to come to him was a woman, one who assessed him openly though came upon him with a small grin and a wave of her tail. He responds with an equal waving of his brown tail, head lowering down between his limbs in polite dip in greeting and out of respect. He lifts it only when he attempts to speak. "Winter was unkind, it did not pass without hardship... But Nina and the pack are prevailing." He admits, a bit of a gloom left over his expression. His throat clears, pumpkin orange eyes burning as they shifted quickly between the men around Morganna before falling on her once more. He did not know any of them, though had recalled seeing Elettra and Angier once before in a group hunt. He wondered if the leaders were alright, though by Morganna's stance, it was obvious she was someone of importance, so continued on...

"I've come as to deliver updates on my pack's major events. It is hard keeping up with one another as allies with such distance..."He pauses then before continuing. He knew that the leaders of the pack would probably like to hear this information directly as well as be able to offer what news they would like to share in turn. Bane also awaited to see if anyone would be dismissed, in case any of the members here were new and were yet to be trusting with information. ""

SECRET Woodlands

TEMPLATE © NDA OF RCR & RPG-D

An ear turned in silent greeting to @Greer, pride filling her with visible proof that the Willows would answer a foreign call with force. Next to come upon them was @Nicolò, her skin crawling as he came to stand along side her. It took every ounce of self control to keep a sour look from her face, her teeth contained behind taught lips, and even more to not swing around and aim her strike at such a foolishly exposed throat, one day lifting his head so high would be his end. Why was he here if he could not even bother to make an appearance when @Angier had called for assistance at the discovery of @Isolde? His motivations were becoming clearer, unless there was some advantage to be gained for himself, he wouldn't lift a paw.

With the arrival of @Wraith she was halfway convinced that their visitor could endure a little rudeness and her uncle could be dealt with once and for all, but beyond the momentary stiffening of a shoulder not a single dark thought betrayed her visibly. His words were met with a sympathetic nod, the Willows too, had faced their share of hardship. As his purpose became clear, the realisation dawned. Her encounter with @Nios, before the winter, had been as a mere subordinate out scouting. "Indeed it is," she agreed with a smile. "Mother had an accident an I'm fillin' in fer her." she finally clarified. "She's on the mend but I'd be happy ter pass on any news, or I could take yer to her?" she offered up with a smile. Either or, she was making it clear that she could handle this just as readily as she had handled everything else.

It did not take long for other Ridge wolves to arrive; leave it to the willow wolves to answer a simple call with an army. The ghost of a smile flickered briefly across his liquorice lips as listened to the steps of another come from behind him. However, it was the stiffness of his sister that caused his expression to become stoic once more. The shadow knew how much his sister detested their uncle and his haughty, arrogant actions. Greer did not know who was worse: his brother Skoll, or Nicolo. At least Skoll was… manageable; despite their blood ties, Nicolo was a different breed.

Not long after his uncle’s presence another male arrived — this time Wraith, a wolf that Greer was actually fond of. He nodded softly in greeting to show he was pleased to see the fiery-eyed male. Among the wolves to seek acceptance among the willows Wraith was of the few Greer actually enjoyed being around. Without question he had respected the boy’s silent nature and did not press with too many questions. He was quiet as well, but spoke far more eloquently than the young Archer.

In hopes of calming his sister, the yearling bumped her shoulder softly. The boy would always be on her side, regardless of who led next to her. Focusing his attention to the bright-eyed stranger, the boy’s expression grew serious once more. The stranger spoke quickly, his voice breaking the silence that had fallen over the group of shadows. He glanced at his sister out of the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction with a small frown creasing his lips. The mercury-eyed Archer was not fond of lallygagging; if the stranger had news to deliver he better get on with it. Greer had little patience for small talk. 

Upon his arrival, he could almost feel the tension radiating off the tainted Archers. The dark Archer basked in it. Let them suffer. Let them be miserable. Fools. Nicolò hoped they were uncomfortable. This meeting wasn’t about them, it was about the information that the dark young man in front of them had to bring. After his arrival, Wraith arrived and while their first meeting had gone somewhat smoothly, he would not go as far as to call them friends. After all, Morganna was the one to accept him and there was already some doubt in Nico’s mind in where the young man’s loyalties lie. It wasn’t long before the dark boy in front of him, began to speak again and it was clear that while he was ready to give information, he wanted to give it to someone of importance. News of the shift in leadership had not made it to Secret Woodlands, unsurprising considering how busy they had been with unneeded tension. Perhaps, when things calmed down he would take a trip over there himself and acquaint himself with his sister’s friend. It was obvious important enough for the man to come seeking them out despite the distance that he mentioned. Morganna gave an answer, respectful enough, but Nico remained content to remained silent, his mind calculating. Either way, he would hear the news from the young man or his sister in the end, there was no use arguing.

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