White Fir Notch Uninvited Company

White Fir Notch, a grizzly bear is fast asleep inside your borders due to pre-hibernation lethargy. 
Partly sunny, late morning. 
7*C, 14*F
@Gent @Raela @Emrys @Nascha @Sylva @Ryker @Lucia @Aleris

Reach for the stars

After many weeks, the huntress was starting to feel like her old self again. The swelling in her ankle had vanished, the discomfort reduced to only a slight ache, should she over exert herself. Colder mornings such as these were hard on the joints, and she had taken care to line her personal den with insulated bedding. But as always, she rose with the sun, determined not to let her little setback impact her way of life. If anything, getting up early and stretching was beneficial for her body. The faster a body was set in motion, the faster the blood pumped, rushing to the limbs, warming muscles and tendons. Jynx had not yet realized it, but ever since Emrys' permanent stay, his presence had a side effect; a more health conscious way of living.

Confident that she was well enough to manage an un-hurried, leisurely round of marking the borders, and perhaps catch some breakfast, Jynx had again, been up at the crack of dawn. While her spirits were good, she still harbored bitterness towards the deserter, Merys. Had she pushed him too hard when they first met? He had seemed like a dedicated, noteworthy member of the pack, who had more than pulled his weight. So slipping away one night, without any forewarning, came as a surprise to the tawny female. She snorted softly, the air puffing out in front of her nose. They did not need a traitor like him, and whats more, his absence left no room for competition for the title of lead hunter. Which she would obtain.

After leaving her mark by the bare stump of an old tree, and a scrape of her paws against the frost covered earth, she was just wrapping up her morning round. Looking forward to a well earned meal, she headed in the direction of one of the nearby cache sites. But her attention was torn away, off of food and onto the tracks she saw in the damp soil. A fresh set of massive paw prints, easily bigger than her own paws. One sniff of her nose confirmed that it was a Grizzly. Her eyes narrowed. Judging by the direction of those tracks, it had been headed into the center of their home. A low rumble came from her chest, as she stalked ever closer, to find the animal. Creeping through a network of Fir trees, for which the pack had been named, she stopped. About a hundred yards away, the massive Grizzly slept under the low hanging boughs of a Fir tree, oblivious to the wolf watching it scornfully. She backed up slowly. To howl and alert the others, would mean alerting the bear as well. She did not want that. Instead, with one last glance, assured that the bear would remain asleep, she hurried off in the direction of the communal den, certain that she would intercept one of her pack members...Gent or Raela, she hoped, on the way. Her body language said it all; raised hackles, stiff gait and tail. The wolves had a rather big problem on their paws.

 

With his residence in White Fir Notch becoming permanent Emrys had started to become more comfortable with pack life over the past few weeks. It was something that had worried him at first but having stayed for a short time beforehand had made the transition a little easier. He still spent his time gathering whatever plants that he could find before they all disappeared for the winter as well as making sure that Jynx didn’t over do it. He also did what he could for the pack that didn’t have to do with the healing arts. He felt that even though he had joined the pack as a healer it was important for him to pitch in in other ways, especially hunting since he had some skill in it.

The early morning was usually spent collecting whatever herbs he could find. Since they were becoming more and more scarce which meant that sometimes he didn’t find anything at all and there were times he was lucky enough to find something that would be really helpful. With there being another healer in the pack Emrys knew he probably didn’t have to be so worried but it was a habit of his and one that he didn’t think needed to change with his changing circumstances.

Emrys had been up with the sun as per usual though it was an unusual day since he had been quite lucky in finding a few different plants to bring back to his stash. As bringing them back however he ran into Jynx but she seemed rather distressed. He dropped the plants he’d been carrying at his feet before speaking to her, “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” he questioned hoping that she hadn’t over exerted her ankle before it was ready. Now wasn’t the time for a set back when she had been doing so well with her recovery. “It’s not your ankle is it?”

(This post was last modified: Nov 19, 2016, 04:22 AM by Emrys.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

Ryker had grown used to waking up early the last month or so, having become fond of the the morning bird songs that twittered in the cool air and to see the early morning sunlight slowly trickle through the branches. But it came at the slight cost of having a small nap later in the morning, once the morning had come into full swing and the rest of his family were awake.

So it was with the faint voice of another wolf that he slowly awoke to, Ryker blinking blearily as he tried to wake himself up properly He knew he should get into the habit of staying awake after waking up so early but there wasn’t much he and his siblings were expected to do much right now, expect to explore and just be pups. Yawning wildly, his tongue flopping out and curling as he yawned, Ryker stretched as he stood before shaking his pelt out. Poking his head out of the den, Ryker twisted his head around as he tried to find where the talking was coming from. His ears perked up as he pinpointed it and begun walking towards it, coming across Jynx and another he hadn’t met yet. A newcomer to the pack, he guessed as he yipped in greeting to both of them, curious as to what was happening. Ryker than glanced over to Jynx, frowning lightly when he spotted her posture. Even though he was young, it made his spine shiver at the feeling she was giving off.

“Is there something wrong?” Ryker asked worriedly, his tail swinging behind him as he took a few steps closer to Jynx, eyes roaming over her in concern. Maybe she was hurt? She seemed fine, nothing outwardly showing other than she was just distressed.

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

The ebony yearling sighed quietly as she limped along the path, the young wolf had a rather and ironic bad encounter with a tree a few weeks ago, shoving @Ryker out of the way, only for the trunk to land on her instead. She wasn't sure what was wrong with it, and even with Gent’s reassurance that she’d be fine eventually, She wasn’t so sure. The pain, what had been unbearable at first, she was eventually able to deal with now, and this was the first time she had left the communal den since. The pack had a couple of new wolves wolves, who uncharacteristically like Sylva, she had been very quiet around. Depression sparked between losing Gent’s faith after the encounter with the Mandock wolves, and the resulting punishment, forbidden from interacting with wolves outside the pack to the tree incident had left the usually chipper and eccentric yearling was much more subdued.

“What can we do..” she mumbled as she moved down the well worn path slowly, winter was coming, another major hardship for the growing pack, though now another healer ranked among them, what was his name? @Emrys? Sylva wasn’t so sure, he was one of the two wolves she had shied away from with all the things building up on top of her. But the one thing that worried her was that he knew about plants and healing. What if Gent was planning to replace her? If her leg didn’t heal properly then she’d be useless to the pack.

Sylva paused for a moment, sniffing the air as she made her way back toward the communal den. "@Jynx? She cocked her head toward the side, straining her ears forward as she caught the newest wolf’s voice, followed by Ryker’s. She stepped quietly, crunching over a few stiff twigs as she came across the three, the tension emanating off the lead huntress caused her to swallow fearfully “J-jynx?” she asked, worried now “Is something wrong?”

ThoughtDialogue

thank you so much trix for doing this <3

he comes, he comes; judge so severe

Heading back from the opposing end of the territory as Jynx, the alpha was intent on waking his childen so that they might join him for the second half of the perimeter. It was often that he asked this of them, wanting the growing youth to learn fast and be more than capable in their own right. Luck had it that this placed him as arriving to the communal den just after the huntress appeared. Immediately he picked up on the unsettled atmosphere, even before his eyes fell upon the tawny woman. Instinctively, his hackles raised and his chin lowered, eyes narrowing with concern. Something was wrong, but what?

The rest of the pack was already gathering, and his nose twitched to try and determine if @Raela and Aleris were still slumbering within the den along with Lucia. The others' voices had already raised up to question her bristling appearance, and so the king remained silent, waiting for the answer to come and trusting that Jynx would be swift and direct about the affair. Whatever the concern was, they would deal with it; that he had absolute faith in. If he could read her mind, that confidence would only double; they had handled this sort of intrusion before, and they would do so now without trouble.

seven trumpets speak, oh they speak him near

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2016, 02:08 AM by Gent.)

When @Ryker stirred, so did Lucia. Her thin limbs jutted out and her jaws were torn apart with a hearty yawn as she accustomed herself to being awake and shook away the dreams of sleep. Without further delay, once fully conscious, the girl bounded after her sibling, a million questions flitting through her mind. Where was he going today? Where was father, and would it be more fun to join him, tag along with her brother, or undertake her own adventure? Maybe she should go back for Aleris, instead...

A bark left the boy ahead of her and her ears perked, a chuff of her own entering the air as she abandoned her thoughts. The answer would come to her, it seemed. At first, her strides were bounding and happy as she first greeted Emrys, that guy that had been taking care of Jynx, with a bump to the muzzle. Then she whomped her weight into Ryker's shoulder, just as some words tumbled out his mouth. Her jaws stretched to nip at his cheek but she froze halfway there as what he'd said registered in her head.

Gold eyes flickering to Jynx, she finally realized something was not right. Taking in the huntress' body language, Lucia couldn't help but be infected with unease. Her instincts told her that if the adult was so riled, something was unsafe. On a higher level of thinking, however, the girl held faith in her pack mates' savoir-faire. Whatever was going on, the adults would take care of it, right?

Right on cue, the footsteps of her father could be heard, and Lucia wasted no time in bouncing to his side. She pressed her shoulder against his foreleg and watched Jynx, dying to know what exactly was happening.

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2016, 02:19 AM by Lucia.)

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Reach for the stars

As luck would have it, a few of her pack mates were already up and active, starting their day. Which was just as well; with a grizzly smack dab in the heart of their territory, the day promised to be an eventful one. Before she had made it to the central den, she was intercepted by a concerned Emrys. It seemed that he too was an early riser, and as he dropped the bundle of herbs down, voicing concern about her ankle, she merely shook her head."No, no it's not that. I'm fine..." She assured him, touched by his fretting. Her voice was tense, a match for her body language. She went to say more, but was left without words.That was because moments later, the growing boy, Ryker appeared by her friends side. Her piercing yellow eyes softened at the sight of the child, while inside her being, a protective surge overcame her. 

"We have a problem." She stated, just as Sylva and Gent arrived at the gathering. Her eyes darted in between each wolf, silently assessing their ability to handle the issue of the bear in their condition. Ryker was far too young to take on a grizzly, and Sylva was still recovering from her own injury. And the huntress had to take it easy as well. With a gesture of her snout back in the direction from which she came, she got right to the point. "I had just finished my half of the patrol. About two hundred and fifty yards that way, we have a guest. A grizzly...I spotted him asleep under some fir trees." Her eyes flicked down to her paws, narrowed in thought. "...It could very well be the same one we chased out before. I don't think he saw me...he should still be asleep." It was to Gent, who she now looked to for guidance. While certainly not against taking the initiative on her own, in touchy situations like these, she appreciated extra feedback. One way or the other, the bear had to go. Caches were at risk, as well as wolves, young and mature. She preferred to take no chances, and she was certain Gent would agree. But in the midst of all the seriousness, she inwardly smiled. At least now, Emrys should get to see for himself, how formidable this pack was, working together seamlessly. She was proud.

Emrys didn't know where Jynx had come from or what she'd been doing but with the state that she was in he worried that something might have happened with her ankle. He didn't want her recovery to be taken back because he knew how important it was to her to get back to where she could have her normal activity. So when she told him that her ankle was fine he was relieved to hear that her ankle was fine, “That's a relief,” he stated but his state of alarm hadn't diminished. If her ankle was fine then there was something else that was causing her upset but before he had the chance to ask two of the pups had joined them. The young female Lucia who greeted him with a bump to his muzzle before joining her brother. He hadn't yet had the chance to really get to know the pups but young Ryker seemed to be just as concerned about what was going on with Jynx.

They were soon joined by Gent and Sylva, the healer that Jynx had spoken to him about in one of their previous meetings. As they arrived she went into further detail about what had her so agitated, a grizzly in pack territory. This of course was something new for the white healer since he usually made it rule to avoid bears as much as possible. They were dangerous and though this was his first time living in a pack he could understand why this was such a problem, his gaze drifted to the pups. They were still rather young and vulnerable so they had to be protected which meant they would have to get rid of the bear. He didn't know how they would do it and he worried about Jynx in such a situation and it seemed Sylva wasn't in the best condition for such an encounter either. “I think a plan would be best?” suggested Emrys as his gaze went to Gent.

A plan might be the best way to keep everyone from getting injured or injured or worse. Despite his apprehension about facing the bear Emrys knew that now he was part of the pack he had to change his thinking because he didn't have just himself to worry about any more.

(This post was last modified: Nov 24, 2016, 05:42 AM by Emrys.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

Easily steadying himself when Lucia bumped into his shoulder - it was almost habit now really, Lucia was one to tumble into him, even though he was the one with eye problems- Ryker listened carefully to Jynx as she explained what was happening. Briefly, he noted that Sylva joined the fray and a pang of guilt shot his heart. She still seemed to be limping slightly, despite the time passing enough that he was sure it would have surely healed by know. But he was distracted by what Jynx had just spoke of.    

“A bear?!” Eyes going wide, Ryker remembered the story their mother had told them, of having to drive off a bear to claim what was now their home. It sounded dangerous and he voiced his concern. “How are you going to chase it off? They’re really dangerous aren’t they?” While he knew and had faith in they could chase off another bear, whether it was the same one or not, the young wolf still worried about what might happen. Someone might get hurt, or worse. Ryker had a vague concept of death, knowing what they ate had once lived and felt the mice and other small creatures they practiced hunting on cease breathing once sharp teeth bit through their flesh.

He didn’t want to that to happen to any of his family, no matter how new they were to the pack or not.