Oak Tree Bend I just can't let you go

@Serach @Lena @Ice @Dread @Lila

This is a mandatory pack meeting, set Dec 28th to address the change in leadership and the wolves that have chosen to leave. There is no posting order and please try to have replies up by January 4th.

In the last week the dust had settles as much as Aponi supposed it would on its own and after discussing it with Serach they had decided it was time to address it all. The fight, the change in leadership, every blow that had followed and threaten to tear everything apart. Yet despite it all they were still standing, small but loyal and strong.

The new alpha had doubled the amount of border patrols she now made, making seven or eight a day instead of three or four. Aponi woke up before dawn everyday for the first one and completed the last right before she went to sleep once the moon was in the sky. On top of that it was surveying the pack caches, filling them if she could catch the occasional snow hare, examining what her mother had left behind in the medical den, clearing snow from the communal den and the list went on and on. It didn't matter how busy she was though, since claiming her title everything had fallen into place within the woman. Aponi had been born to lead and now that is exactly what she would do.

Completing her late morning rounds the silver she wolf wound her way through the trees back towards the communal den. They had agreed that today would be the day and there was no sense pushing it back any farther. So Aponi stood in the snow, lifting her muzzle and calling for what was left of the Bend, a leader calling a meeting for the first time.

As soon as the call had gone up, Dread stopped in his tracks of a border patrol - having noted the new female lead's scent had grown strong on the borders ever since the chaos that had happened - and twisted around to head toward the communal den.

In being the first to arrive after Aponi, Dread took a moment and swept his gaze over the so far empty court and wondered just how many would turn up. He had only been here for a short amount of time before the challenge had happened so of course, he had yet to settle and properly meet anyone before it appeared like half of the pack had up and left. But it seemed like quite a few scents had since somewhat faded with the wolves who had since left them for other pastures.

Deciding to take proper procedure, Dread stepped towards Aponi, greeting her with lower posture and a bow. There was a rumbled "Hello," in his throat before he was backing away, keeping his posture relaxed as he sat on his haunches and curled his tail around his paws several feet away from Aponi, watching her carefully with firey eyes.

Thoughts just about what she wished to address danced across his mind, though he could easily hazard a guess as to what would be spoken once the others arrived.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Serach remembered the anxiety that had racked his very being when he had made the call to summon the Bend and inform them that he would be taking over from Triell until the older man had healed. He had been nervous and anxious, afraid that he would be unable to handle the responsibilities that the new position had laid upon him. Aponi had shown no such similar hesitation. Despite their losses - and they were heavy - she had thrown herself into the duties required of her. It had filled his heart with pride, and so he had done his best to put his own pain and rage behind him and help her. Sometimes it was even pleasurable - he couldn't help but smile every time he lifted his leg and pissed over the old scent markers left by Spieden and Triell. It was a little thing, but it was all he had right now. They had forsaken the place most dear to him, and he was eager to get rid of their scents from it as quickly as possible.

Today they would cement their leadership, in whatever form it would take, and although he was not enthusiastic about seeing how greatly their numbers had dwindled, he was comforted in knowing that those who remained wanted to be there. That was worth more than the 12 wolves who had left the Bend behind. Dutifully he followed the call, ready to support Aponi in any way he could, even if it meant simply being there and showing the others that there was still something worth fighting for.

His eyes cast over Tenebrae, he dipped his head in greeting. He didn't know the younger man well, but he had been there at the challenge and the fact that he was still there now meant more than he could ever possibly know. Standing beside Aponi, he pressed into her side to reassure her that no matter how unstable the rest of the world seemed to be at that moment, he was solid and he was there.

we yell to the windshield
“i'm finally home, i'm finally home”

There was a summoning call, and Lena very much wanted to tell whoever made it to bugger off. Let them take their time to come to terms with what had happened. It all seemed too soon. The days had raced by, and the den was colder with so few bodies inside. Not to mention the chill in the air, the freezing cold wind that rattled in Lena's chest with every breath.

Bugger off might have been too polite a phrase to use, really.

Unfortunately, she knew it was important so just ignoring it really wasn't going to be an option, as much as she wanted it to be. Hauling herself to her feet, Lena left behind her little cosy spot (the gnarled roots of a tree) to seek the pack—what little of it remained, anyway.

Each step she took, she heard the little voice in the back of her head hiss:

Your fault. Your fault. Your fault.

Each time the voice spoke, she muttered her reply:

“You're wrong. You're wrong. You're wrong.”

It was getting increasingly difficult to smother the overwhelming sense of guilt. With a shake of her head, she picked up the pace and jogged on to the meeting side, as if she could outrun the prodding words that stuck in her head and her heart.

Arriving, she slowed gradually and, with her tail between her legs, she glanced at the wolves gathered so far—a woman, Serach, some bloke and … and that was it. Briefly, Lena panicked, head whipping around.

Where was Ice?

She had just met her grandfather, and had wanted to get to know more about him. The idea that he had left without even having more than one talk with Lena was a painful prospect to consider. He wouldn't leave, would he?

No. No, of course not. He wouldn't have. He couldn't have.

“Ah … hello,” she greeted quietly, the tension feeling more like a suffocating weight than just atmosphere. It was thick and hard to swallow, and Lena hated it more than anything. She sat slowly, as if half expecting something to come pouncing out from the trees. When would things just go back to normal?

art by kydnt, code by mimi

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

The borders were a perfect place to brood.

They were also a perfect place for having to run as if a wildfire chased you when summoned to meetings. The howl, a familiar meaning but a stranger's voice, cut his restless patrol short, and with a snarl aimed at the world beyond their borders his white legs picked up the pace, paws flashing over the snowy ground. He had come as a ghost, but he would be a ghost no more—he'd leave his prints, proud for anyone to see, markers in the snow that he was back and he was going to remain back for as long as he needed to.

So to death he said, 'not today', and broke onto the scene of the meeting with the demeanor of the patriarch he had once been. Head high, tail high, white breath smoking rapidly from his open mouth as he slowed to a walk. As far as he knew, he was the last of the adults to answer the call. There was Aponi, Naira's wildcard of a child, all black and silver, and next to her, his son. Where he belonged. In the place Ice had once held, in the pack made for Serach and Sceral, Kisla and Fenru—his head dipped a fraction, tail giving a wag as it settled into a neutral position. Oak Tree Bend belonged to the Donatas.

Always had.

His gaze swept to Tenebrae, his play-mate from the northern forest, and then to Lena, his grandchild. She seemed.. down. Frowning, Ice threw a glance at the two leaders—mates? his mind wondered, seeing how they stood—before padding over to Lena. Unceremoniously he plonked his bottom down next to her, and shoved his thick shoulder close to hers, offering her silent support in the only way he could.

He had been there before when the world had cracked and fractured and fallen apart. It hurt, it stung, it opened up voids in the hearts—but eventually, you recovered. Ice knew it; the rest would learn it, too, if they hadn't already.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

we are all part of the same play

lila aquila

we all think we are making our own way

With the departures it seemed her mother was gone a lot more. She had to do a lot more. While Lila tried to go with her sometimes on border patrol, or help when it came time to clear snow. She spent a lot of her time hunting. With no one else to play with to  she began to hone her skills. Day by day she had less failures, and was starting to realize where to find the prey to begin with.

Sometimes in the quiet stretches of the day she would walk until she could see the mountain and simply sit and look upon it. To think where the others could be, and if she would climb it again some day. But, she didn't have a want to leave like them. Tightly, dark ears pressed to her head. Frustrated...and angry. A small fire that had ignited in her heart.

Then Aponi's voice called to them all. There as no doubt of the importance. A meeting she had told her would come, and they would talk to everyone. Part of her didn't want to go. She knew who wouldn't be there, and she would hate to see all that empty space. It was important to be there for her mother. Why she would have ran with a skip in her step, there wasn't one to be found. She trotted in adult fashion the den. Everyone else was there. Serach beside her mother. The black wolf Tenebrae she didn't know, and wasn't sure she wanted to. There was Lena who had Serach for an Uncle. Then the great white wolf, Ice. Serach's dad. Blue-gray eyes shifted about, pausing momentarily on the pair of leaders. She wanted to sit on the other side of her mother, but with her rank it felt wrong. Lila didn't want to be seen as a child either. She would be an adult soon. With a low stance, ears still pressed to her crown, she padded in, sitting beside the other young member.

template base formed by GINNYSAURUS.

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2017, 04:39 PM by Lila.)

Thanks everyone so being so quick, you're the bomb! This round will end on the 14th, no post order
@Serach @Ice @Dread @Lena @Lila

Tenebrae was the first to answer the call, swiftly arriving only a couple of minutes after the howl had finished ringing through the trees. Blue eyes watched as he appeared through the foliage, dipping into a bow and greeting the new leader with apparent ease. Nodding to acknowledge his display of submission Aponi smiled towards the yearling as he took his place. The grin only grew when Serach came into view, pressing her muzzle against where his jaw met his neck as he sat beside her in a silent greeting. When she had taken leadership last time there had been no meeting announcing the change, nobody to truly support her even. This time felt right with the pale man sitting beside her, pressed against her side in support.

Taking slightly longer was the tawny form of Serach's niece Lena, who appeared to be less than thrilled to there. Legs tucked between her legs she greeted them and Aponi offered her a smile she hoped would be reassuring. Ice joined them in a completely opposite fashion, head and tail high and proud. She hardly knew the man but she had little doubt that he was exactly where he belonged given his demeanor.  This was exactly why they would rebuild the Bend, for Serach and for Ice who belonged within the trees, for Lila who deserved a real home, for all of them who had stayed. As the older guardian lowered his tail slightly he was met with a cheeky grin, his spunk appreciated by the silver woman. The last to arrive was Lila, who seemed unsure of herself but calm enough given everything that had happened within the last few days. Tail thumped behind her to acknowledge everyone who had arrived so promptly the blue eyes swept over the few that gathered in front of them.

Standing to call the meeting to a beginning Aponi paused to look at each of them, the dark yearling, the older guardian, the tawny niece of her co-lead, and her own dark pelted daughter. "Thank all of you for coming so quickly. As I know you're all aware I have taken the lead of the Bend from Spieden, who has chosen to leave on her own accord. Many of the others have left with them, but Serach and I would like to thank you for being loyal to the pack and staying with us. This will not be the end of the wolves of Oak Tree Bend, we will rebuild until we are stronger than we have ever been but it will not be easy. That said, we will need to be on high alert for loners who could be strong members of the pack and should be making our best efforts to recruit them." Pausing then her voice was strong, but she glanced to the man at her side to see what he would say.

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2017, 08:39 PM by Aponi.)

Half a year ago, Serach had called the Bend together to announce his leadership and had done it in front of a group of well over a dozen wolves. When Aponi had first proposed the idea to him, he had imagined a similar situation. There would be confusion and some concern, but together they would soothe it over and unite the pack behind them under a strong and stable leadership. Sitting there now in front of the small group assembled, he forced himself to look past the feelings of hurt and betrayal and instead reaffirm his commitment to ensuring the latter part of his dream came true. So when Lena arrived, he greeted her with a quiet but friendly smile and, "Hey Lena." His heart still ached for her, knowing that an unnecessary guilt still weighed on her shoulders despite his reassurance that none of this was her fault. Ice and Lila were quick to follow and he offered them the same, a quiet greeting and a nod of his head. He might still be hurting in the loss of his former packmates, but it was eased by the presence of those around him now.

When Aponi rose to her feet, Serach followed suit although he remained quiet as she took the lead in addressing the group. It was nothing any of them didn't already know or couldn't have guessed, but it was important to be said nonetheless. As Aponi finished and looked to him, he took a deep breath before speaking, his eyes slowly moving from wolf to wolf as he did. "Oak Tree Bend has been my home my whole life, and I'm not giving it up anytime soon. I promise you all that," he started. "Aponi's right, we'll need to be on the lookout for new potential members so we have a better chance of taking down big game to get us through the winter. But we also need to reaffirm our connections with our allies, especially those that are nearby. Fallen Tree Cove is in the mountains just a couple of days from here. Lena and Lila, we'd like you to go together to meet with them. In the past we've had agreements regarding hunting rights in Spectral Woods, we'd like to keep those and perhaps band together for a larger hunt," he looked to the two girls, hoping that such a trip would be beneficial not only to the pack as a whole, but for each of them individually. Yellow eyes moved to Tenebrae and then his father as he finished, "Tenebrae, while they're gone, I'd like to spend some time training with you and Ice. Ice has served as a guardian for a long time and I think we could all do with brushing up on our defensive skills, just in case. Perhaps when they return, you and Ice can travel north to Hearthwood River to let confirm that alliance." It was a lot of information, but even though they were splitting the group up, he hoped they understood why it was important. So long as everyone returned home, it would all work out.

Dread dipped his head back towards Aponi, and in greeting to Serach when he came around, his eyes flickered over to the others who entered the clearing. Was this what was left from the pack? The small remnants of what once was a prospering kingdom? Yet as the leaders started speaking, it appeared there were plans to overcome this...mishap and rebuild the pack from the ground up again.

With his ears perked, he listened carefully to the plan that feel from the lips of the male lead, glancing over towards the two other women within the pack. Though he had yet to properly meet the two, he now had names to put to the faces. Turning his attention back to Serach, the young male took in the plan for Ice, Serach and himself to train while the two women were away, sorting out their mission before moving on to suggest the two men head up north once they had come back, to confirm an alliance they apparently had with a pack up there as well.

"I am willing to do that, if Ice is in agreement as well." He agreed evenly, glancing again towards where Ice was sitting next to Lena. "Though it is the role I aimed for in my familial pack, I think it best if I trained further in that field here as well." Turning his gaze back towards his leaders, he simply finished with; "I'd also be more than happy to confirm the alliance up north as well." With that, Dread went silent and waited to see what the others had to say.