Secret Woodlands A New Reign

'Ha! There he is!' Rose mused as her brother finally made an appearance. But who was he walking with? The fae studied her kin's company thoroughly before finally rendering the matter somewhat unimportant. 'Can't say I'm too surprised with his choice in friends. He's always been a bit on the obscure side.' she huffed. "You're late, brother." the auburn Hervok snickered as her litter mate placed himself near her.

As the meeting finally officially commenced, Nina wasted no time getting straight to the point. The alpha declared her resignation in just a short few sentences, and to the fae's surprise, nobody seemed as shocked as they should have been. Was Rose the only one out of the loop on this? Not that the decision effected her much, but a heads up still would have been highly appreciated. A new queen was then announced, someone the fae was not in the slightest bit acquainted with. 'Aideen...?' she questioned in thought. 'Well, I can't say I saw this change coming. Shows how little attention I pay to my surroundings.' rolling her eyes, the pup decided to just take the situation for what it was and go about life with no difference. After all, what meant more to her than their packs current leader was the whereabouts of her sister. 'Am I the only one who still cares..?'

Bane had hoped Inali would come soon and as though right on cue, the small earthen hued woman came bounding towards the cluster of wolves, firstly taking recognition to her leaders before coming to settle at his side. He had expected as much for her to come to him, though never for a moment took advantage of it. His muzzle brushed over her shoulder and up to the side of her neck in greeting as she embraced him. He felt most comfortable with her at his side (if not Nina) especially when it came to being a part of larger groups like this. Silently, he listened out for Nina as she began, speaking of stepping down from her rank as he had expected she might. He just had hoped that it wouldn't have been so soon... Too Bane, she had yet to reach a time for stepping down. She was not an elder just yet. Though perhaps without a mate and perhaps after doing the job for some time now, she simply grew tired of it. Inali shifted at his side then, turning to look up at him in question. He made to sooth any worries she might have felt for him by touching the tip of his black, wet nose to her own. A small smile formed over his lips, furthering the knowledge that he was fine with Nina's decision and Aideen's new position, even if he never had really gotten the chance to know her well. The only real one on one time he had with @Aideen was when they went hunting together in his youth when he had grown restless of being within the borders after all that had happened in his childhood. Now, he merely watched from afar as always, if not help her in dragging a kill back to one of the various caches. ""

SECRET Woodlands

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The dark man had remained quiet, a silent shadow before the pack as he let the women take the lead. Nina wasted no time jumping into things, addressing her retirement with her usual grace. His blue gaze moved to his wife, as all attention turned towards her. He could tell she was nervous, but Miccah knew she would push through the nerves and speak clearly to their pack. It was an odd thought, that the Woodlands was theirs now to protect and keep strong. But Aideen had spoken truth. They would work on making the pack remain strong and continue to thrive. The stoic man looked at all the wolves that surrounded them, reading their expressions. Most were good, and for that Miccah was thankful. It seemed all had taken the news well, but he had expected this. Nina had personally chosen Aideen as her successor, and had aided her in reaching this moment with confidence. The dark king stepped forward, effectively turning the attention from his wife to himself. It was not often that Miccah spoke, but there was important news that the pack needed to know of. "I am glad you are all taking the news well," he began in his rumbling baritone. Following his words a rare, slight smile tugged at his muzzle before he continued. "But there is other news. Before Nina's retirement, she befriended a fellow alpha named Gent. His pack, Round Stone Crest, is settled in the mountains. We are on neutral terms with them. I advise to act warmly, but still remain cautious. We are not to seek trouble with them." If things continued to run smoothly between the two packs, then the Woodlands would hopefully have another ally in their midst. But if not, Miccah wouldn't tear up about it. Nodding, he stepped back. It was clear he would speak no more. Unlike his wife, Miccah would never be considered a social wolf. He looked at Nina and Aideen, and as the two women made it clear all had been said, Miccah turned his gaze back to the pack. "This meeting is finished," he stated, officially dismissing them. Turning his gaze to Nina, he smiled slightly before heading towards his wife. He bent his head to briefly touch his muzzle with hers before disappearing into the thickets, knowing his wife would understand his hasty departure. "speech"

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Mar 24, 2016, 10:13 PM by Miccah.)

"Gent..." The young Hervok murmured just soft enough to dodge any surrounding ears. Honestly speaking, she'd never expected to hear the male's name again. Draven had seemingly lost interest in Rose as of late, no longer meeting up to play as they so often did, so she'd naturally determined her run in with his 'father' to be a one time only sort of thing. However, hearing of the figure now as some sort of acquaintance to the secret woodlands made the child ponder over if they'd perhaps cross paths again one day. 'If I see him again.. I could ask how Draven's been.. I could ask if he still remembers me..' a warm smile placed itself upon the auburn female's lips as she briefly reminisced in past months memories.

With the meeting drawn to a close, Rose wondered what the purpose of even gathering was. Normally there'd be more than one topic to discuss at this sort of event, was Nina's stepping down really that important? Perhaps she was still a bit too young to understand. "Well, I'll be leaving first then." the fae smiled at her father and kin before turning to head out. "Oh, and Korrin, do try to beat me here next time. Being late doesn't suit you all too well." she snickered, trotting away to whatever she'd chose to waste the rest of her day on.

Surprisingly, the male leader stepped forward and actually spoke. He didnt know anything about this Round Stone Crest but he committed not only the name to memory, but also Miccah's advice. Making it clear the meeting was now over, he watched as the dark man was first to depart. Second was his sister but not before commenting on his late arrival. Rose had always been an annoying little brat, but usually her words didnt faze him. That was not the case today. Korrin followed her, but only for a moment. With an annoyed growl that rumbled from within, he made it clear he wasn't in the mood for her shit. Unlike his younger sister, he didn't plan on wasting his day away like a child. She needed to grow up and realize there were more important things in life than adventure and attention. His features back to normal, Korrin stepped away from Rose and moved to follow the man that had disappeared just moments before.

Pushing thoughts of his sister away, the stoic boy wondered if maybe he could finally be given answers. Did Miccah know where his mother and brother had been sent? Did he have any new news on Nineva's whereabouts? And maybe, just maybe, he wondered if Miccah knew how Korrin could soothe the growing ache in his chest Nineva's absence had left behind.

{Korrin exit}

"speech"

(This post was last modified: Mar 30, 2016, 05:49 PM by Korrin.)

Aideen's returned smile spoke volumes, Bella almost able to see the relief in the sweet woman's face at how easily the change in rank had been accepted. And why wouldn't it be? Nina was clearly established and deeply respected but it was her decision to make, and Aideen had proven herself as a reliable pack member as Bella understood it. With Miccah by her side, everything made perfect sense as far as she was concerned. She saw Ash dip his head beside her, listened to the new leader's eloquent speech, and smiled through it all. What an honour to witness the dawn of a new age for Secret Woodlands.


As Miccah moved forward, effectively drawing the pack's collective attention to him, Bella consciously noted the rather remarkable size difference between him and his mate. What a striking pair they made! And quite contrasting in manner, too; where Aideen's words had been warm and safe, Miccah's were straight to business. The names meant nothing to Bella, but she took note of them regardless. If it was important enough for the man to break his brooding silence for then she would pay attention. Hopefully the hint of warning in his tone would not prove necessary, and the 'warm' nature of the pack relations would only improve.

Bella didn't much fancy dipping her toes in sticky politics again, even as a very minor player.

With that, the meeting was done; Miccah was the first to leave, Ash's daughter Rose immediately after, throwing a barbed quip in her brother's direction first. He didn't seem to rise to it, though, choosing to pursue their leader instead. Throwing a curious look at Ash, wondering if that was an ordinary exchange between the siblings. Rising, she left an affectionate kiss on Ash's nose before moving across the meeting space, passing by Nios on the way. Offering him a smile and slowing to nudge his cheek for just a moment, she sent a pointed glance back at Duck and continued on into the thicket.

{exit}

He watched the proceedings silently, content to just sit and listen. It affected him only because he bore the pack's scent, not because he was personally involved. That suited him just fine. Nina or Aideen or whoever, so long as they let him do his thing without bothering him, who cared? Would it change his day to day life? He already bowed his head and tucked his tail in the presence of pretty much everyone else, it didn't matter if they were one rank above him or five.

There was something about another pack, but again, he avoided those anyway, and like that it was all over. That... that really hadn't been so bad. Despite being surrounded by wolves, most of which he knew only by sight or smell but usually hid from, he'd coped just fine! Feeling an irrational surge of pride for his incredible achievement of attending a meeting, his attention drew automatically to his mother, waiting for her move before making his own. They had been in the middle of something when this whole pack business thing had interrupted them... Standing on mostly-steady legs as his mother moved off, Duck didn't miss her little interaction with the dark stranger moments before she signalled for him to follow.

Obediently he hopped forward, tail held low by instinct as he hurried to catch up to her. "Who is that?!" he whispered hotly, drawing a light chuckle from Bella as they disappeared into the thicket.

{exit}

The woman felt a warm sense of pride rush through her at the reaction of the pack. Her single emerald eye swept over the faces of those that she had ruled for. They all took the change with seeming ease. Belladonna, her brother's adopted daughter, was the first to give a response and Nina offered a kind smile in her direction. Ash, of course, remained silent, but his deep bow spoke volume's to Nina. She wasn't sure how her brother was going to feel about her dropping her title. The Hervok alpha had not spoken to her brother about her plans, feeling as if he would attempt to talk her out of them but he seemed to respect her actions. Everyone else's responses were similar and Nina had to stifle a laugh at how similar Korrin's actions were to that of his father's.

Aideen's response was beautifully put together and Nina could not hid the smile that broke through. The lady turned to watch the other woman, a smile on her lips. What truly shocked her was when Miccah spoke up, mentioning something that had slipped her mind. The graying woman sent a grateful smile towards the burly man, glad that he remembered Gent's visit and refusal. Due to the history between Round Rock Crest when Minka was leading and Whisper Caverns, Nina knew that establishing this information was imperative. The Guardian was, however, quick to dismiss the meeting. A satisfied smirk settled on Nina's face as the other dispersed. This meeting had been, overall, peaceful. Nina moved back into the deepest part of the thicket, determined to continue to rest and store her energy so that she would be able to work later on.

{EXIT}

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

It didnt take long for the meeting to wrap up. Others too had given their congratulations to the newly crowned queen, and then Miccah stepped forward and began to speak. Inali's brows shot up in surprise. She didnt think she would hear that name again. Not wanting to feel the emotions his name brought up, what he represented, Inali forced herself to listen to the rest of Miccah's words. His speech was short and to the point. Inali knew that her king wasn't the warmest of men. He preferred to keep to himself and only spoke when he deemed necessary. Nonetheless, Inali put his advice to memory and watched as he wasted no time in dismissing them. Clearly, this meeting was over. Overall, it had been a pleasant one and Inali sagged in relief into Bane's side. It  felt wonderful not to be around tension and anger. One by one, members began to leave the clearing. Inali turned her attention towards @Bane. Her blue gaze warmed as she glanced up at him. Moving to press her head against his chest, Inali stood quiet for a few moments, soaking in his presence. It had been a while since they had shared more than a brief smile or conversation, and Inali pulled away from him with a thought. In her soft tone, she questioned him if he would like to join her for a while. It would be nice to catch up with one of her favorite people. Waiting on his response, Inali then disappeared into the thickets. {Inali exit} "speech"”Speech”

HermitCrabStock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

With the news delivered to the pack, it would seem there was little else to say. The dark wolf studied this Aideen thoughtfully – he was unfamiliar with her, but he was unfamiliar with all of his pack mates, spare Belladonna and Nina. The thought was a rather bitter one – he had roamed much of his life now, and still family and home managed to elude him.

Uncertain what to think, the male simply determined to take this change one day at a time, and see what it meant for his life at Secret Woodlands. He rose then, his thoughts having distracted him, and when the gentle flutter of a touch grazed his cheek, the Tainn blinked toward Bella in surprise, who was already on the move past him.

He stared after her thoughtfully, not reading much in to the delicate contact. A boy loped after her – hissing something at her, though despite flicking his ears forward, Nios could not determine what words were shared. He could only assume the youth to be her son – and he felt a distant unsettled thought that he himself held no brood of his own. With a gentle shake of his head, the stocky wolf stole one more glance to Nina before slinking away, his paws carrying him to the borders where he made to serve one more round of checks before catching a nap.

'cause its home, but it's gone