Grizzly Hollow backup arrives.

Time to formally introduce all the puppies!  Pip has introduced Aegir before, but this is the meet and greet now that the Amarook pups are now old enough.  Nineva's departure will also be noted, as well as Felix's failure to return.  @Rook @Amaryllis @Oula @Pip @Oisin @Cinder @Roland @Aegir

Finally, all of the little ones were out and about. While he was not sure if Rook and Amaryllis were ready to move their litter to the communal den, Roland and Aegir could be seen around the territory far more frequently these days. Both of those lads seemed like some sort of trouble, if not mildly adventurous at best, and so it would be best to have all eyes on them. Additionally, there was a new healer afoot! He was uncertain if she’d met all – and that reminded him, there was also that ruffian Rook had allowed joined…even if he was Pip’s mate, the alpha had his reservations about the male and his intentions towards the omega.

But he was getting carried away.

With a soft sigh, Veho circled and sat in the clearing near the center of Grizzly Hollow territory before lifting his light muzzle and singing into the air. His song was clean and carried through the trees, summoning the wolves of his pack without great urgency. It was not, for once, bad luck or discipline, but a happier time to gather the wolves of the cedar wood forests. It was time to greet the new life – they were, after all, to be welcomed. Just as he had promised.

“Welcome. I am happy to see you.”

(This post was last modified: Jun 21, 2017, 11:04 PM by Veho.)

Oisin had little want to wander past borders with the children toddling around more. She already had the pleasure of meeting Merida and a rather exhilarating encounter with Aegir. While she hadn't bumped into Oula's child, Oisin was familiar with his name. Roland. There was Mouse too, another one of Amaryllis' children. With so many furballs around she figured it was best she stayed within call in case something happened. So when she heard Veho she was quick on her paws. Her small tan form bounding onto the scene to great him. A few respectful licks were planted on his chin along with a rather excited whine. She settled near her teacher but not too close. The man deserved his space and she knew it wasn't fair to practically absorb as much of his time as she could.

Content with her position and greeting to her teacher (and alpha!) she slid onto the forest floor, stomach meeting it with a small sigh. Her tail softly beat against the ground but she didn't really notice. It was almost natural for her to have a wagging tail.

Scarred face turned to and fro in order to catch the others. Perhaps she was getting ahead of herself but she was excited! A call to rally the pack? Well, what wasn't exciting about that? It also left Oisin with the chance to meet those she hadn't had the chance to yet.

Oisin

Cross my heart and hope for better days

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

I pp'd @Pip and @Kjell a little, so let me know if you want anything changed! Note: we've retconed the aeggy meeting thread, and are doing it here instead. Aside from Oula boola and Oisin, Aeggy hasn't met any other GH woofs.

Today was the day.

Aegir didn't know what the occasion was, but when his Ma nosed him awake that morning he could tell something was different. That something exciting was going to happen. His Ma and Da never liked it when he roamed too far on his own, they always herded him back to the den and depending on the parent he either received a reprimanding word or two, or a kiss to his head. But today, rather than trying to keep him in the glen, where there was only so much for a growing boy to do, his Ma had led them through the forest and beyond a very smelly line on the floor.

Galloping-or rather stumbling, he was still a puppy after all- along, Aegir raced ahead of his parents, unable to contain his excitement. A new place with new things to see, sniff and chew! This was the best day ever, why hadn't his Ma brought him here before? How unfair, he almost wanted to whirl around and shoot her a squinty look. But he didn't, he loved his Ma with all his heart and he was happy. They were here now and together with his Ma and Da he would explore this new place.

Or at least that's what he thought was going to happen.

Somehow, Aegir managed to fall behind, as he'd gotten distracted by a long hanging twig. Leaping up as high as he could, he nipped at the end and flinched as the stick fell and landed right on his head. Taking his prize in his mouth he trotted  after his Ma and Da, determined to show them his new prize.

But they weren't alone. Standing in the forest opening, not so far away from his Parents was a stranger, an unknown big, and that milk-less lady he'd met the other day. If he'd been any other pup, he might have gotten all shy and reserved. But not the Little Dragon, he had fire in his blood and he was bright and bold as ever. Holding his head high with his stick still held between his jaws, Aegir strolled into the open as though he was a king.

He brushed against his Ma's legs as he passed and hopped to the side to do the same to his Da, before he tossed his stick to the ground and exclaimed, as loud as he could manage.

"'Loooo!"

Wrote around ya, @Amaryllis, let me know if I can fix or add anything - we literally just "stole" the boy...

Since his son and daughter's arrival, Rook's brain had been scrambled. It had been two years since he had done this last, but with Amaryllis' support, he managed. Every day, he managed. From patrolling the borders to providing what scraps of prey he could scavenge for his mate, he found in every moment a reason to keep pushing forward - even if he struggled at times to muster up the strength to keep a straight face, to not miss Quil, Tomen, his parents, his own twin whom he had come into the world with... And, yet, every time he came to check on those two downy-furred heads, to kiss Amaryllis good night before hoping to sleep next to Veho in their den. Things had been... neutral... he supposed, at least, for the most part; and, for that, Rook knew he had to be grateful. They hadn't fought, there wasn't any yelling, there didn't seem to be much coldness either, just a lack of communication (which Rook was about to remedy soon enough, now that the cubs were old enough to socialize with the rest of the pack).

When Veho's call came up through the cedars, Rook made his way to the old bear den and with Amaryllis' help, ushered the little Lyalls out into the world and to the northern parts of the territory. At some point, Mouse had stubbornly decided to sit down after having had enough of walking and Rook just barely managed to grab the boy by the scruff and take him to where the rest of the pack had started to gather.

To Oisin, he smiled, and to Pip, Kjell, and their little one, he gave a nod. He cast a glance over his shoulder to ensure that Amaryllis and Merida weren't far behind before stepping to Veho's side and giving his customary greeting of a nose bump to the chin. His tail wagged behind him, eager now to see what would come of gathering and the cubs meeting for the first time.

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Mouse, who had been so overwhelmed from the patchy rainstorm that had come upon him during nap time, watched with wide eyes as his papa came to collect him. They were going somewhere. Every nudge and every encouraging huff coaxed him further but it did not feel like an adventure. In fact, it was a bit disconcerting. At one point, he resisted Rook's touch, plopping down on the carpet of pine needles and looking back to see if Mama and Meri' were coming. He whimpered but Papa would have none of it; up Mouse went and by the time he was set down again, they were in the presence of others - others who smelled nothing like Mama and Papa and Merida and, yet, kinda the same.

He frowned, puppy blue eyes straining to focus on the smaller and darker figure not too far from him while Rook slowly moved forward to find Veho's side. When the boy blinked and looked to where he had expected to find his Papa's tail, he found himself sitting alone. In panic, he squeaked and scampered to where Rook and Veho's legs formed a decent little hiding place and sat, his bearish ears just touching the guard hairs of both of his paternal figures.

Just then, though, a startling sound pulled his attention from his parents. A high-pitched, puppy-like, "'Loooo!"

The little Lyall's tail wagged at first, half-expecting his twin to join him, but was slowly concerned. He scowled again, searching the underside of Rook's jaw for assurance. For good measure, while he was at it, he also stared at the side of Veho's ashen face. His nose wiggled, the male's musk wasn't strange (in fact, he smelled like Papa a good bit), but his little mind was certain that he had never seen the man before.

images of broken light,
which dance before me like a million eyes...

Mother above, but Kjell was not interested in a pack meeting, not in the slightest. It didn’t matter that his mate liked the rest of the wolves in Grizzly Hollow, it didn’t matter that Aegir would probably benefit from playing with pups his age (and that it would give much needed relief his parents) – surely, they could attend without him.

Except they couldn’t. The dragon was not concerned about Rook’s disappointment, nor Veho’s disapproval – but it was the fact that neither Aegir nor Signy would be able to introduce the boy to the rest of the wolves…and that, at least, was a problem he could solve.

So the one-eyed wolf trailed behind both Pip and their son, content to remain in the background whilst the others had their precocious greetings and shows of loyalty. Kjell cared very little – in fact, only offered Rook the briefest of glances before his eyes fell back to the tiny dark dragon, announcing his arrival with a particularly impressive ‘hello’. At least for his size, at any rate. The corner of his mouth tipped up in a smile as he sat – maybe the kid didn’t need his dad to do introductions, after all. He seemed pretty keen as it were, and certainly, he wasn’t shy.

Reminder tag for @Roland @Amaryllis @Cinder @Pip @Oula

Oula's ears twitched, standing alert atop her head as Veho's howl rang out through the forest. She tipped her head back, echoing his voice with a howl of her own. In part to let them know she had heard, and would be there, and in part to demonstrate to Roland how the pack stayed together even when apart. Not just sight and presence, but sound and scent, things that would become more and more important as the boy aged, and the days became less about milk and sleep and play, and more about survival. 


But for now, he was still dependent on her, and life was simple and easy. Oula reached down, ruffling the downy fur along Roland's cheek and giving him a little nudge. Her stout limbs set into motion, and easy trot with tail swishing at her hocks as she lead her son towards the rendezvous. This time as she entered the gathering she held her body with more confidence than the last, finding that with Nineva's departure she did not have to be on guard as much. She paused at the edge of the clearing, waiting for Roland to catch up and nudging the boy forwards, urging him to go play. She was curious how he would take the other cubs, having never met any others before. She pushed back the bitter thought that had things gone differently, that might not have been the case if his sister had survived.

Oula's sage eyes flicked upwards, regarding the other adults gathered there. Rook she spared little more than a passing glance, Veho earned a hesitant smile, and nods given to Amaryllis and Oisin. Her tongue flapped out in an open smile upon seeing Pip was here, and she trotted towards the mute with short tail swishing. She greeted her with a lick of the seawolf's cheek, pulling back and eyes lingering on the dark male who stood behind Pip like a shadow. Her rounded head tilted slightly, taking in his rough appearance up close for the first time, curiousity stirring in her sage irises. This was him, then?

(This post was last modified: Jun 26, 2017, 08:59 PM by Oula.)

Roland howled a quiet howl along side his mother. One that would carry no farther than her ears. Then he contentedly plodded along after her. He did not concern himself with where they were going even if there was some intrinsic understanding that they were going to the call they had answered. He kept a free mind and simply mouthed at leaves and grunted and sniffed at bugs on the ground. It was not until they got to the gathering did he start to glance to his mother with questions dancing in his blue-green irises. Soon, such questions would be dancing in his father's gold.

She nudged him forward. His immediate response was to shove his front paws forwards and dig in. To resist the direction she tried to move him in. He leaned his head back, the white below his jaw and throat exposed nearly to the sky as he peered at his mother in the most ridiculous way — practically from under his own snout. He still readily took her cues and encouragement, and so with a uncertain shifting of his mouth he took a few paces forward. His eyes searched among all the faces, noticeably lingering on the one Oula greeted with a lick to the cheek, before shifting to the other pups.

Roland picked up a small twig that was at his paws and walked towards the other pups. His ears were held back on his head, but his tail wiggled amiably.

Cinder, despite her intents when joining Grizzly Hollow, spent the weeks after her initial return with Veho taking in what was now the culture of the pack she had been taken from prior. She avoided Rook like the plague still – despite plotting her revenge, it was hard for her to maintain her fiery composure when she thought of her anger toward him.. but when the pack was called to gather, she realized those days were now numbered.

Collecting herself and stowing her blame of him away for the moment, the slender she-wolf sought out the gathered wolves, taking on a presence of a soft gentleness. Her eyes were mostly for Veho, who she would attempt to catch his gaze and cast a smile to – perhaps light adoration in her eyes – even if mostly for show to the man near him. But she lowered herself properly in the presence of the hierarchy, and it was then her eyes would fall to the pups gathered, and she would keep a respectful distance from them, not wishing to initiate any despair or anger from any protective mothers nearby. She still wasn’t even quite sure who belonged to who, yet.

like a black widow, baby