Secret Falls its madness keeping us afloat

"Thanks." Maeve stated, giving a rather lackluster nod toward Erebos. If speaking wasn't necessary, then why the hell was it so important that she even be here? Couldn't the adults just reference her in conversation whilst she did some more Celandine searching? If one thing was for sure today, it's that her elders need to get their priorities straight. The former princess was out there somewhere, and she probably had a better plan in mind than joining some foreign pack.

With time, two wolves appeared before them. Presumably the alpha's, though in Maeve's eyes they hadn't presented the part nearly as well as Phineas had. Silent moon Plateau's former leader had always looked like a king, these two just looked.. well, ordinary. 'This is ridiculous.' the orphan muttered in thought. 'Celandine would never make me do this. Though if she was still 'round, the plateau woulda never crumbled in the first place. I just gotta find her..' find her, and say goodbye to the pathetic remains of her former pack. They'd start anew somewhere together, and they'd both learn to be happy again.

Maeve was only partially listening to the adults converse between one another when something strange from Erebos' mouth caught her attention. 'What's a scout? I aint gonna be no scout. Aint helpin' no pack I don't like. Th' man better know he's lyin'.' The orphan made note to demand an explanation later, but for now giving him her best glare would have to suffice.

Zane remained silent as the audition unfolded before him. Something about the man who approached them, carrying the mantle of leadership upon his shoulders, was simultaneously unnerving and alluring. While his pumpkin orange eyes never reached a disrespectful height, the boy watched this man in particular, even as another superior wolf entered the scene. It seemed no one here was of a particularly pleasant mood, excepting (as always) his mother and sister. While Maeve kept quiet as she had declared she wanted to, she was clearly growing increasingly sour, and Zane wondered briefly what the problem now was. How much of her anger had to do with those she had lost? Was there something else simmering within her?

The boy's ears perked back toward the leaders before them as the woman asked a single question of them. His mother's words were swift, but served to pass the baton onto himself and his sibling. Perhaps this wasn't something to be answered now, and yet his gaze shifted, knowing all too well who it was that held this ultimate decision; Zeta.

(This post was last modified: Apr 30, 2016, 06:54 PM by Zane.)

Zeta melted downward as those who would decide their fates arrived. At her father's uncharacteristically gracious words, her tail picked up, a spark lighting up her mistinted eyes. That was the dad she knew he could be, the one they all needed him to be. Feeling strongly that her faith was being rewarded, she could only feel increasingly hopeful about their prospective joining. Nevermind Maeve's glaring, nearly completely unnoticed by the young girl, and the tension that remained within the air. Her eyes saw past it all, to the beautiful scenery and sounds around them; their new home.

And what will keep you from leaving? Zeta's ears shot up, smile diminishing from her maw. Was that what she saw, a ragtag group of users? No way! Her mother spoke up, declaring her loyalty; to them, her children. Zeta's eyes bounced to Zane's, but saw that he was looking expectantly at her. Fine then, this was easy!

"We want a home, not a temporary shelter from the cold. You'll have us for the long haul, ma'am," she spoke confidently.

the rabbit

Adopt my twin!

Rusty ears cupped forward the moment Erebos began unveiling their plight that brought them to their doorstep, flowery words soon after starting to drip off the grizzled man's tongue portraying the strengths of each wolf presented, the Asurn already half expecting whomever would serve as this band's town crier to use such purple prose. Wasn't that how it always went though? A wolf exaggerated their own skill sets to better play to their authoritative audience in hopes of securing a sense of safety. Had Eirian not done the same when he first arrived upon the very borders he now swore to protect? Regardless he listened further, sculpted muscles unwavering from their position as Iopah finally manifested from the shadows with a question of her own to ask.

Her question was met with a response from the gray-scale female this time, revealing that her truest loyalty laid at the paws of her children, but if Broken Timber Pines would have them, it was easily capable of being shared. To most wolves Eirian assumed they would find such words unfavorable, but to him he could respect such a statement. Similar morals regarding loyalty were bred deeply into his own genetic code, a code he lived to the best of his standards with each exhaled breath. Soon, though, citrus irises swept away from the mother and sought the children spoken. It was the young girl with the mismatched green eyes that confidently found her voice this time, informing the waiting leaders it was a state of permanency they wanted, a home.

A pleased expression faintly manifested upon the dark agouti male's countenance in response, gaze shifting to finally take in the sight of his partner. "What do you think, Iopah? They claim to want a home here, but do you think they have what it takes to prove it?" This would be a joint decision and a yes settled easily upon his maw, the only answer remaining sitting upon the pale female's shoulders now. It would be her verdict that determined the fate of these wolves.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2016, 06:00 PM by Eirian.)

Iopah's attention went from wolf to wolf as the newcomers reacted to her blunt questioning in turn. None lifted their eyes to her, however there was a sullen-ness to the children that she recognized and the silver-eyed wolf had not spoken of loyalty, but of simple animal instinct. It was hard to decide who's facade to base her opinion on. The queen's ears curved slowly with her scrutiny of each, they clearly had no where else to be and she was in a maliciously lazy mood.

The young girl's words snagged her attention, paled ears snapping to search out the mis-matched eyes. Her counterparts expression was lost on the queen and it was the brute's shifting that made her glance to the side. She took in his question without a word at first, accepting the responsibility and silently turning back to the group. "I don't know, Eirian. I suppose we will find out."

With a weighty sigh, the queen stepped to each wolf in turn. "You are all accepted into Broken Timber Pines, whether or not you actually stay is up to you." They thought their fate and worth was dependent on her - as if her decision meant anything in the long run. "If you deserve a permanent home, then you will earn it with your loyalty." Gold eyes swept over them at the statement - wondering what they thought of that bit of truth - then waited to show them the borders and the meager caches.

A woman slithered out from the shadows, swiftly recognizable as the dark agouti's counterpart. She spoke a reasonable concern, and before the grizzled male could part his jaws to answer it, both Delia and his daughter rose to the occasion instead. Honesty, as always, was their recourse, and the reaction of the authority before them would be very telling as to the values this pack held. Vaguely, he thought Magnolia Glen and their conviction that the pack be a family above all else. A soft snort escaped him and his tail swept to the other side as he continued his silence.

The male referred to this Iopah, and a stone settled within his stomach as the word 'prove' entered the air. Of course they would need to prove themselves, it was nothing he hadn't expected, and still the aging man couldn't help but be unnerved. These were strangers, after all; what if he'd made a misjudgment and had to move this shambling family again?

Finally a verdict was given, and the general nature in which the female spoke, as well as her diction, caused Erebos to be mildly curious about what experiences may have lead her to behave as she was. He was used to a more burdening statement, even veiled threats cautioning him that the consequences of abandonment were severe. In their eyes; most of them had needed to be fooling themselves, else Erebos would not be alive to this day.

This was easier to take, and soothed away the disturbance Eirian had caused him. The man merely nodded to seal the pact.

Zeta had been certain that her declarative words would make matters clear, but apparently things weren't so simple. Naive to the world but empathetic to a fault, her smile fell further as she wondered what had happened to this woman to make her so... sad. It was the boldest word that came to mind as her mismatched eyes watched the cream and cinnamon leader speak, emphasized by so many others as the depth behind that simple facade drew the well-meaning girl in.

Prove it, earn it, they would. Whatever the reason was for these two to be so doubtful, Zeta and her family were going to prove them wrong. Maybe this pack needed that, needed them. Maybe they could really help, make a difference; that would be a wonderful thing to do, a perfect way to settle into home.

Her tail picked up with a gentle wagging as Iopah graced her briefly with the attention it took to mark her as own of this pack, Broken Timber Pines, and she made a silent promise to her within her mind that she would take this kindness for granted.

the rabbit

Adopt my twin!

Of course Zeta would say just those words, declaring her allegiance to something she knew nothing about. Just like she had their father. His gaze flickered momentarily to Erebos, noting his silence. As Eirian allowed the decision to fall upon this woman, her words caused a subtle flick of his ears that perhaps only his mother and sister would recognize as grave annoyance. It was not with Iopah, but with the eldest Argyris. Loyalty, ha! Zane was confident that the man would prove, yet again, that he was incapable of such a thing.

So focused on his resentment, he did not realize Iopah had begun to mark them until she was immediately present, his ears sealing back against his skull in mild surprise. He supposed it was good to have a home, to know that it was no longer up to only him to ensure that Zeta was fed and mother was protected. The more he thought of it, in fact, the more he wanted to be led to their communal den so he could curl up and catch up on some much needed rest.

Maeve had grown sick of this event upon arrival, had she known that her impatience would only be doubled upon actually staying in attendance perhaps the child would have feigned sickness in order to avoid it all together; though now it was far too late. The Queen first fell silent before answering her king, something the pup decided to take for weakness. 'Hesitation?' the orphan pondered. 'R' maybe she's jus' sick a this shit too. Maybe she's smart nuff' t' know we ain't no asset to er' team.' she found a grin resting comfortably upon her maw. When the woman did finally turn to face the small, pathetic remains of the Plateau, she spoke with little enthusiasm. So they'd be accepted after all.

Having officially gained entry to Broken Timber Pines hadn't pleased Maeve in the sense that it should, though it didn't necessarily leave her dissatisfied either. She felt, well, nothing; and couldn't help but wonder if that were normal. 'One things fer' sure, ain't showin' no loyalty t' these wolves. Dun' like em, so it dun' benefit me.' the colorless fae rolled her eyes, likely enough she wouldn't occupy their boarders for much longer any who. She simply needed a place to rest for the time being, build up her strength for the day she'd get to escape with her beloved Princess.

Looking toward Erebos for a sign of what they'd do next, Maeve tapped her paw restlessly on the dirt below.

@Erebos @Zeta @Maeve @Iopah @Delia I think all we need is just a fade post from Iopah to get her 3 post in unless Delia reactivates and manages to get one more in for her and this thread is finally a wrap. I do apologize for it taking so long to finish you guys.

Eirian's head only offered a single bow in response to Iopah's words, bright citrus gaze watching the pale coated woman go about to each new face that stood before them to adorn their coats with the tell tale scent that marked them as one of them now, yet whether they truly became one of them was dependent solely on themselves. It would be wise that these wolves take heed that a warm welcoming would not be waiting for them on the other side of the intangible border considering their lacking numbers. Russet ears pivoted forward then as his co-lead began to speak further after voicing their acceptance, informing them that if they wanted permanency here then they'd best start working on proving their loyalty first. Eirian couldn't agree more being a man raised on loyalty.

Creamy limbs soon shifted about to turn his chiseled frame toward the dense vegetation that was once at his back and concealed the front door to their new home, a brow rising slightly as his gaze wandered from each face in turn then ended its sweep upon Iopah's. "Perhaps they'd like a bite to eat after their travels. I'll show them around the territory afterward to help them gain a better layout of the land should they so wish." His gaze returned to the grizzled man in charge of the motley crue behind him, a silent look in his eyes suggesting they'd follow now before his agouti frame began to disappear into the shadows on the trek towards the heart.