Hearthwood River and the snakes start to sing

PACK & RANDOM EVENT!

Hearthwood River, a rattlesnake has taken residence in your den.

Help Lachesis chase out the rattlesnake! 

@Kisla @Atropos @Kyrios @Lekalta @Kjors @Karina @Lilya @Bennet

LATE MORNING -- SUNNY 68° F, 20° C

DATED FOR JUNE 15

Mornings were dedicated to patrolling. He did not like smothering Karina — she already had her paws full with the puppies, she did not need him looming over her shoulders. Motherhood sat well with the young Baranski — XIX knew that she was doing an exceptional job with both Bennet and the twins. He did not need to continuously check in on her to know that the children were under excellent care. Ensuring the borders were adequately marked and free of trespassers was more pressing. He could visit the children (and Karina) afterward with fresh meat, as opposed to food from the cache.

Despite the new additions to his family the healer was still restless. He still grieved the deaths of his comrades; life in Hearthwood was not the same without them. Adjusting was difficult, but he was trying. It was the only thing he could do — try. The rest of the pack was grieving in their own way, just as he was. They had suffered two losses too close to each other; it was going to take some time.

The sun had finished settling into the sky when Lachesis returned from his patrols. The dens were quiet, which meant that the children were still sleeping — or testing their luck with Karina and their boundaries. A glimmer of a smile fell onto his lips at the thought, curling around the soft squirrel that hung from his jaws. The ghost set his course for Karina’s den, his slender figure maneuvering around the redwoods with ease. As he approached the den something strange caught his attention — a peculiar sound, one he had not heard in a long time. His forehead knitted together as he observed his surroundings through narrowed brows, his lips drawn tight. The sound came again — this time louder. A rattling sound…

Suddenly his eyes widened, his movement ceasing immediately. A snake was close — but where? His nose wrinkled at the discovery, a low growl forming in his throat as he glanced around nervously, searching for the serpent. Another growl rumbled within his chest, this time loud enough for his packmates to hear. There was a threat and he needed their help.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2016, 06:58 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

Assuming he's near to their den - and hence his medicinal den is nearby? Correct me if I'm wrong c:

It wasn't the first time she'd been outside. Bennet had the vaguest of recollections of the first time, but it hadn't been of her volition and she'd spent the entire time dangling from her mother's mouth, so did it count? And sometimes she was taken outside, either to join her milk-mates or because she was being taken somewhere, but that didn't count either. Her milk-mates had ventured beyond the darkness of the den through free will, she'd seen it. And while the child might not have had thoughts of the same yet, still so much younger than Atropos and Kyrios and, at this stage of their young lives, the developmental difference was astounding.

So Bennet sat there and stared hard at the entrance to the cave, head full of why not me too.

When nobody was paying attention - and since Bennet hadn't been paying any attention to them, she didn't know whether it was because her mother and siblings were there and asleep, or there and busy, or not even in the den at all - the black child strode purposefully out, movements as steady as could be expected from any month-old puppy. Once out in the daylight, squinting at the brightness, Bennet paused, a feeling of what now creeping over her.

It smelled funny out here. Nose wiggling, the girl turned towards where it was strongest, not knowing how to interpret the rich aroma of plants which emanated from Lachesis' herb den. She just knew it was different to how the normal den smelled, how mother smelled, but she recognised it regarding the big, soft white shape himself. Without a second thought she toddled towards it, seeing the dark hole which made her instantly think of her home, and started to go inside.

A soft rattle gave her pause, and Bennet stared at the snake, uncomprehending. Her wide blue eyes blinked, and the snake coiled up, head pulled back defensively, and rattled again. The snake was too far away to strike in one go, not that Bennet knew that. Perhaps it recognised Bennet as an infant, and thus knew that a parent would likely be somewhere nearby. The snake's warning sounded sorta like a growl, which prompted the girl to copy it, but it was all wrong so she stopped.

Something about the smooth movement of the snake triggered an unconscious response in Bennet, who, by the time she would be found, had begun to sway slightly from left to right, the motion starting at her nose and ending somewhere in her middle. It was subtle, but the snake was making the same movements, both puppy and snake undulating in unison, and nobody would ever know which one had started it.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2016, 12:02 PM by Bennet.)

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Her investigative work was improving, she knew. She especially knew because Bennet did not look back once behind her as she followed her outside of the den. The much larger pup had been napping idly on her own inside the den when she saw Bennet stumble towards the opening. Had she done that before? The unanswered question gave Atropos a mission to follow. The female twin had begun sleeping further and further from her siblings and parent. Sometimes they were just too warm, nor did she find herself as drawn to milk as she once was, and sometimes there wasn’t enough room for her to splay her legs out the way she liked. She made sure that they were always accounted for in some way or another, but she was enjoying the space she was newly being allowed.

The baby ghost poked her nose out of the den curiously, looking for Bennet’s small ebony body. She watched as she bumbled towards her father’s den, looking determined for.. well, whatever she was determined for. Her tail stood on end as she looked, but as soon as she lost sight of her sister, it wagged furiously. Was she coming back?? Without hesitation she bolted from the opening of the den, unaware of anything other than her mission – ‘bolted’ being a larger term for ‘more-confidently-bumbling’.

She stopped abruptly outside the den, still unable to see her friend. Her paws splayed out in front of her like she sometimes saw other wolves do, a defensive stance. Her nose twitched curiously, and her ears heard faint sounds that encouraged her to investigate further. A nervousness crept into her body, realizing that she was alone standing there. Should she go back and get Kyrios? Her blue eyes remained fixed on the dark opening to the den, a place she had not ventured into yet. The growling and shaking sounds concerned her, and one paw lifted hesitantly to hang in there as she contemplated whether to step forward to find her friend, or not.

The growl could mean nothing good, and though Kjors cared little for the wolf serving as Hearthwood River’s male alpha, there were those amongst this pack that he did share some concern for.  Whatever his plans were, they were quickly abandoned as the wolf surged through the forest.  His shoulders slung low, his tail straight behind, the advisor loped easily, quietly, through the trees.  When he arrived moments later, it was not the smell of the snake that alarmed him, but of his own daughter – and the hiss, the rattle that sound followed.

Every last hair on his body prickled upwards.

Golden eye wide, the male snaked forward.  Moving so quickly, he could only assume the beast was somewhere nearby, and wrapped his jaws around his puppy’s small form.  A cornered snake would not care if she were a puppy or a bison – it would strike to make its escape.  That was simply how they were. 

With his mouth full, he backpedaled as quickly as he could, ears laid flat against his skull.  Where is your mother? he wanted to ask.  Where are the other two?  But he could not smell them, could not see them, and once he felt he was a good distance away, set his daughter down.  The wolf let out a short bark for the leader.  The pups found the snake.

to have someone kiss the skin that crawls from you

KJORS SØRENSON

to feel your weight in arms I'd never use

Settling in with other wolves without a single soul of her family to be seen was strange to her, even if she didn’t comment on it outwardly or really show it, it put a bit of a chip on her shoulder and reminded her of exactly what had happened, or more of, what Ruenna had told her had happened to her family… she often tried to think of ‘what would have happened’ if she had stayed… would she have made a difference or would she be dead right now if she had? Evidence pointed towards the latter but she liked to imagine the former… it wasn’t something she should dwell on, but it stuck in her mind and haunted her.

It was one of the many reasons that no matter what, Lilya would be here. She’d stick around Heartwood River and she’d fight for it like she failed to do with her family. She didn’t fight often, but she could and she would to protect what was now her home, because she wasn’t prepared to get chased out a second time. No, not this time. Not without a fight. She’d just returned from a bit of a hunting expedition, a rabbit brought back with the intentions of giving it to the nursing mother of three.

She heard it right after Lachesis did, him coming into view along with one of the young pups. Lilya moved to step forward, in front of Bennet with a sharp growl on her maw, tail lashing from side to side. Something switched in her brain, taking her back to what her parents had taught her, proper stances… it wasn’t her first rodeo. Another had moved Bennet away from the scene, hackles raised slightly as fur bristled lightly. Not this this time. Not without a fight. She noted Atropos' presence now, reacting, moving towards her to pick her up and take her farther away from the den, closer to where Bennet was to keep her a safe distance away.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2016, 02:26 PM by Lilya.)

The twins were only a few weeks old, but the little male pup was already proving to be a challenge. He is every bit his mother’s son, Karina thought, and not for the first time. She had been allowing her children small ventures from the den, knowing that they would be safe at their new densite deep within the River border. It was good for them to strike it out on their own; to explore new things and meet new wolves without a parent constantly explaining things, filling their young minds with preconceived judgements. Even when the children’s explorations became misadventure, the repercussions had always been fairly minor—good learning experiences, if anything.  This morning was no different. Kyrios had toddled home with a thorn in his paw, his piteous cries echoing off the walls of the den.

Karina had set herself to work removing the thorn, squeezing and flea biting the child’s afflicted paw. Kyrios squirmed throughout the process, though Karina judged the treatment to be more annoying than painful for the boy. By the time they were finished and Karina released the boy, his milk-siblings had vanished. It was not uncommon for the children to leave the den in pairs, but something bothered Karina about this instance. Kyrios’s thorn seemed a bad omen, and her mother’s instincts were definitely tingling. Without a word she took Kyrios by the ruff and began to track after the other two cubs. She knew if she left the boy by himself at the den he would only get himself into more trouble; better to have them all three together under her watchful eye.

Her worries were realized when she came onto the scene with the agitated rattlesnake; thank the Mother her packmates had been close by to protect her children. She saw Kjors with Bennet in his jaws, and intense relief flooded the young mother. She rushed over to where Kjors had deposited her child to check the girl over. Lilya had also joined with Atropos in tow. “Thank you,” Karina said to Lilya breathlessly, tears of relief and gratitude running down her face. “Will you stay with me and help me keep them safe?” Three curious pups were more than Karina could handle on her own, with such imminent danger nearby. She sent a silent prayer up to the Mother to keep the twins’ father and her own mate safe as they battled the snake. 

   

    
 

was watching this video for snake fighting skills~ and this one
thanks for jumping in everyone -- no posting order! <3
@Karina @Kjors @Bennet @Atropos

The puppies, as expected, were fascinated by the outside world — especially Kyrios. He was too adventurous for his own good, but Lachesis could not reprimand him for his spirit. The boy was his mother, there was no doubt about that, and the ghost knew that Naia would encourage all of his explorations. And while Kyrios’ personality was nearly a spitting image of Naia, Atropos was the opposite. XIX often worried that she was too much like him and hoped that it would not hinder her in any way.

Of course the puppies would be out and about while there was a friggin’ rattlesnake lurking around the dens. Just as the ghost was about to call out and alert the puppies that it was not safe Kjors’ voice rang out, causing his heart to sink. The pups had found the snake. Without a second thought he threw himself forward. Curiosity would not kill the wolf, Lachesis would make sure of that. Bennet waved from Kjors’ jaws as he marched toward the den just as Lilya scooped up Atropos — but where was Kyrios? His nostrils flared as he looked around for his son, his chest tightening. If he was not following his sister or milk-sister around he had either ventured too far from the den, or was with Karina. The latter proved to be true as his son’s scent wafted out from the den, relief flooding over him as he turned his attention back to the snake. They weren’t safe just yet.

The snake was coiled near the base of the trees, its tail shaking threateningly. Lachesis kept his distance as he walked a slow circle around the snake, his chartreuse gaze never once wavering from the serpent. Rattlesnake bites were almost always fatal and Lachesis did not want to play doctor on himself. He continued manoeuvring around the creature, his body low to the ground as he feinted lunging forward, attempting to disorientate the trespasser. 

stick with those who stick with you

When gentle but firm jaws came down around her scruff, Bennet barely registered it, too entranced in the mutual dance. It was only when she was lifted did the girl protest, squawking once in indignation, but only because of the disruption to her flow - once she realised who had taken her, she settled down quickly, the snake slipping from her mind as she entered the calm trance of a child being carried away.

Oblivious to the danger she had been in, with no concept of it whatsoever, Bennet sat where she was placed, staring up at Kjors and taking note of his agitated state as though it were a curiosity, detached from her own reality. Blue eyes glanced about as she saw others rushing, saw Atropos be brought beside her by another of the large wolves she vaguely recognised, saw Lachesis, saw her mother approach with wide eyes. The black girl reacted only to the latter, crooning her affection as she reached out for her mother's snout, faintly bemused as to why everyone seemed so frantic when she felt only serenity, only the need to sway.

Her mother's attention moved elsewhere, so Bennet stopped reaching for her, and instead dropped down on the ground with a sigh, wriggling onto her back with very deliberate motions. All she could think about was how her body had moved from side to side, seeing those black, beady eyes had swayed in time with her, and as everybody else reacted more appropriately to the snake, Bennet just lay happily on the ground, twisting her head and shoulders from left to right, left to right, left to right, letting the motion run down her spine and out through her tail.

A lot of things happened all at once, and Atropos could do little else but let them happen to her. She saw a familiar dark form step inside the den and return back with the Stark's once-prey. While the large wolf didn't look happy, Atropos was still grateful to see her sister and bounded after Bennet's hanging body. Her ears flattened as the wolf bounded by her without a look, saddened by his ignorance. No sooner had they blown past her when she, herself, was picked up by an unknown wolf's jaws. She yelped in surprise, the colours and scents unfamiliar to her, and attempted to wriggle unsuccessfully out of the wolf's grip. Once she was set down, she quickly turned uncomfortably to look up at the large female that had carried her. Unsure, she turned back to rush to her mother's salt and pepper legs for protection.

She was thrilled to realize that the three large wolves were also accompanied by her two small siblings. Her unwelcome surprise was lost quickly, all being forgiven in the excitement to see them and she bolted from her provider to jump onto Bennet's wriggling body. An evil growl emitted from her maw as she pawed at her sister. Aha! Her hunt was not over afterall! She fought her way through limbs to attempt to get her milk teeth into the smaller girl's sooty fur.