Willow Ridge Willow Ridge Pack Thread

The Archer princess was content to lay here within the confines of the pack den to her mother's side. She had be cleaning out the infirmary of dead leaves and rotten herb, hoping on the slightest chance she night find something to help ease the pain of her mother's broken heart. She would never speak it, though Ravenna could see it in her eyes that with each grieve, each live which was taken from the mother, she died a little more inside. "I love you mother, you know that right?" The youth smiles softly to her, only stirred then by the arrival of others.

The rush of them coming to the den opening disturbed her, causing a small growl from her jaws as she quickly lifted. A growl cut very short at the sight of both Sven and Attica. Their expressions left little room for anything but both importance and tragedy.... Yet again. Sven's words were all that was needed to allow the daughter to know what had happened and she shuttered to the thought, already her eyes welling up with tears, holding back her cries if only to right herself to be there at her mother's side. Elettra's panic and dismay touch her to the bone and the very moment her mother rushes off to the scene, Ravenna would be there to follow.

She could feel the weight upon her chest. Heavy with grieve, with waiting.... So many had died around her that she knew of, both family and friend and likely far more from her life that she did not yet know had gone. Where was Nina? Narime? Koda? And most importantly.... Angier... They were all growing old now, much like herself. The wait, surely above all, was what was killing her most inside. While everyone died around her, here she was, keeping strong, induring it all. She did not want to endure any longer. Elettra Archer did not wish to die an old hag made of nothing but skin and bones, smelling of piss and death and looked upon with pity and sorrow with a hope that she would just die already. She growls at the thought, a growl which surely rose these words from her daughter's lips. Elettra smiles, perhaps the last.... "As much as I do you, I've no doubt." 

It was all she could get out before Sven and Atticas arrival disrupt the scene. The woman's breath is caught and for seemingly far too long, as though she might choke, it was hard to swallow.... "Ta..." she stumbles on her words as she struggles to get up, the room spinning. "Take me to him."

Attica stuck close to @Sven's side, a task that became increasingly easy as she grew. When they reached the den, her brother made his way straight for Nonna while Attica gravitated towards @Ravenna, unaware of the full weight of their discovery. "There was a boy there too..." She added, barely above a whisper, uncertain whether or not the information was relevant, not knowing that her words probably wouldn't be heard at all. Her eyes grew wide with Elettra's stuttered request, she had never seen her Nonna so shaken. With a silent nod of her head the young wolf lead the way, looking back over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't surging too far ahead. Once they got closer, she would stop in the same place Sven had halted her, too anxious to draw any nearer.

That Ravenna was present too garnered little attention from the pale teenager at that point. His concern was wrapped entirely around his grandmother. The panic that set into her was clear and stabbing, his chest tightening again with heartache as he watched her struggle to get onto her paws. She hadn't accepted that Angier was likely dead, he realized. She'd still had hope, and now it was going to tear her apart. For the millionth time in his life, his head swam with whys, but he couldn't focus on any train of thought other than acting as Elettra wished him to.

A whimper fell from his jaws as he did all he could to help her up, then she was headed for the den's threshold and with a flustered glance at Attica he lunged after her. As quickly as Elettra was able to, he lead them straight through the territory and past the scent markers flagging the end of the territory. The quicker they got there, the quicker the worst of it would storm at them and then pass. He didn't anticipate the worst, it didn't even occur to him that death was still lingering, waiting for another victim.

If he had, he really would have begged Enoki to let him bury Angier in secret.

It was sunny out this afternoon and Ravenna could not have been more happy for it. Although once upon a time she could have said she loved the winter, loved playing in the snow as a child and watching it fall from the sky, the pale woman had grown to despise it. It had brought the death of her sister, had offered the end to her parents, had stolen away Adele in such a sudden manner no one had known what had gone wrong. Finally the sun was shining at her light back side and she had been able to find a few bits of vegetation she could use for treatment. Ravenna slipped inside the pack den to drop it off into the Infirmary her mother had spent so much time in and quickly retreated, unwilling to stay hauled up in there any longer. Outside the pack den, she settled down into a sit. With so little wolves within the ranks, she did not bother to wonder where everyone was. Enoki was probably hunting. Sven doing the same or scouting the borders with Renier. Attica would surely be close in tow and Nicolo? Stalking around the lands, lazying about as he usually did...

(This post was last modified: Feb 24, 2017, 11:38 PM by Ravenna.)

Sven woke later than he had expected to, and cursed his inner clock. Stretching his quivering muscles and arching his back, he shook the sleep away vigorously, pale eyes snapping open to regard the world. Today was finally the day.

He made his way out of the den, a few wolves still slumbering within but those he wanted already out and about. Figures. Ah well, @Bojack at least was just outside the tunnel. Just as it should be, he knew that climbing this ladder would be a matter of each rung more difficult than the last. If the newcomer put up a fight, he expected it to be only a warm up. @Nicolò he was hoping wouldn't be much of a struggle either, the man having seemed pretty defeated all around lately. @Renier, of course, would be the real fight, especially after the confrontation they had recently had.

"Morning," he greeted to the chocolate man as he trotted toward him, and casually reached forward to try and grab his muzzle firmly but amiably between his jaws. Hopefully, their newest addition would know his place and think nothing of the affirmation.

He really should have known better. The pale man didn't seem content at the bottom and BoJack was so new here. He was only here because of Nimble. This place wasn't his home or even an exact comfort zone. He rose to his paws to greet the large male with a gentle snort. The reach forward for his muzzle was unexpected so instinctually the male leaned away but quickly averted his eyes in a silent apology. His tail hung limp as he stretched his neck out for Sven to have an open grasp on whatever he pleased.

The newest Ridge member was tired and weak. There was no use in putting up a fight that he would surely lose in the end. Maybe if he acted well behaved and just gave in things would be easier for him. Nimble too, of course. BoJack didn't even dream about doing something that would put her in danger again. The travel from the North to the South of these damned lands had been enough on the both of them. So as long as he could stay here until their debt was paid off and she was healed he would be fine wherever they wanted to throw him. He wasn't much more than a sack of bones at the end of the day anyway.

back in the 90s...

Bojack pulled away and Sven's heart rate spiked, adrenaline already starting to leak slowly into his bloodstream. He'd been so stoic about this day and everything he would have to do, to overcome. Now, for the first time, he realized that he was nervous. As much as he had strove to be an adult his whole life, ever since his mother had disappeared, he didn't feel a difference between today and yesterday. He remembered his skepticism as Alastor had announced that he and Sahalie were going to start a new pack, how his first thoughts had been you're just kids.

More than any other time in his life, he felt that now. He was just a kid, trying to fill pawprints that were still too big for him. But dammit, at least he was willing to try. That was more than he could say for most of the adults in this world.

His pale eyes caught the other man's pitiful look of apology, and it even managed to pull at his heart. It was something else he was full aware of, that by bullying his way up the ranks, taking what he wanted, he was risking damaging what was left of his relationships in the Ridge. Sven stepped closer, and set his massive skull atop the other man's, a single paw raising to settle atop Bojack's nearest shoulder. A low growl of appreciation reverberated across his throat and along the subordinate's crown.

Then he backed off.

"You seen Nicolo?" he asked with a wag of his tail.

This had seemed too simple. He expected teeth at his skin when he pulled away. He had been so foolish to even consider doing anything but giving in. Yet the weight of the Archer's paw and head on top of his own felt heavier than it should have. It made him want to crumble down into the ground. That growl rang in his ears and even though it wasn't malicious, BoJack knew he had just handed over one of the few things that belonged to him.

At least there was still Nimble. She wasn't forever, though. That much he knew.

When Sven finally backed off, BoJack slumped down onto the ground. His stomach against the cold ground as the pale male asked a question. Nicolo? He didn't think he was familiar with that name. "No." He whispered solemnly. The brown coated Ridge wolf wanted to slink back to his companion and tell her what happened but as long as Sven was here he wasn't going to move. Not even that wag of the younger male's tail convinced him that this exchange was over with and that everything would be okay. Things had never worked like that for BoJack in the past so why would they now? What was so different about a location that would change his flow of luck?

back in the 90s...

Confusion began to draw itself clearly overtop Sven's features. Why did this man look so... defeated? What all had he really expected? A part of the pale Archer wanted to reach out to him, draw out what it was so that it could be addressed. That would be part of his job if he became alpha, wouldn't it?

Ugh, maybe @Leotie and Kerberos were rubbing off a little too much on him.

Sven shook out his off-white coat as Bojack answered in the negative. Well, that was that then. He took a few strides forward, nose twitching to try and catch Nicolo's scent, but then he halted again, looking back at his comrade.

"Feel better," he offered, only half oblivious to how useless the sentiment really was. He wasn't sure what to say, but felt he needed to utter some words. He'd worry about it later, he supposed. There were bigger fish to fry now that the gears had been set in motion.