Grizzly Hollow backup arrives.

Much to her surprise, @Kjell had not needed any convincing to attend the pack meeting with herself and @Aegir. She had expected at least a little resistance, and while he did seem displeased with the idea, he didn't argue it. Their son, on the other paw, couldn't contain his excitement. The fact that they were leaving the Laurel Thicket alone was enough cause for him to bound around in obvious glee. Pip smiled as she watched him, the love for him clear in her soft orange gaze.

When the pup fell behind, Pip kept her head subtly turned and watched him from the corner of her eye. She was trying so hard not to smother him which was proven to be a difficult task considering he was so adorable that was all she wanted to do. Her breath puffed out in silent laughter as the little dragon trotted ahead once more with a new toy.

As the three of them finally arrived in the clearing, the mute was surprised again when instead of sticking close to her side, Aegir merely brushed against her leg before lifting his head and baying out a greeting to all gathered. Unable to help herself, a loud breath escaped her while she opened her mouth in shock and laughter. Her shoulders shook with the force of it. Goodness, he found new ways to make her happy every day.

Her tail wagged in pleasure and she finally set her gaze to the other wolves gathered. It felt as if it had been months since she looked upon any of them properly. Part of her regretted choosing a densite so far from the heart of the territory, but another part still felt it had been the right decision to make, especially considering how it allowed Kjell to be more comfortable. At least, she hoped so. But now was the time for a true introduction into the pack; for both her boys. While she would always be too meek to boldly inform the others that Aegir and Kjell were her boys, her posture left no question to who she considered herself belonging to.

Pip lay down near the outskirts of the gathering, her side pressing against her mate's legs while she watched the others. For both @Veho and @Rook, she always had a sweet smile. Veho was her protective older brother and she loved him despite the fact that he did not approve of her mate. Lucky for her, he was not so controlling as to deny her son his father and Kjell had already earned Rook's approval, though Pip had yet to figure out how.

@Oula was the first to approach, drawing Pip's attention fully as she licked her cheek. Her tail thumped with obvious pleasure against the ground as she returned the kisses to the underside of Oula's chin. Part of her belly flipped a bit as she caught her friend eying Kjell closely. It was Oula who had brought her such comfort when first it was discovered she was pregnant, and Oula who had encouraged her to love. Hesitantly. The older female seemed just as protective of her as Veho, but far more understanding of a woman's perspective.

Her attention was diverted from Oula again by the pups as one approached Aegir. She hoped the boy would mind his manners...

Strangely, his daughter hadn’t arrived – but Ophelia often ran on her own agenda. At this point, he couldn’t track her down. She was a yearling, a member of the adult ranks, and if she opted not to meet the puppies, well… That was her prerogative, and they’d deal with it later. As it were, he had a meeting to lead, and the other missing wolves were his co-leader and her daughter. He had to assume she was having a hard time getting her child to cooperate, though Rook had already ushered Mouse here.

“Hello!” he greeted Aegir, glad to be interrupted from his thoughts. Certainly much more chatty that his mother – though frankly, he hadn’t heard much from the man either. He wasn’t terribly pleased that his second had let Kjell in the pack after he chased the interloper off…but there was certainly a benefit to having an extra wolf around to care for the child they’d made.

The others had already filtered in, and Veho did not see the reason to make them wait any longer. Not before, however, he gave Cinder a small nod and a private smile, pleased to see his newer friend had found the time to come.

“I thought we could take this time to introduce the pack’s newest members – both puppies, and adults. Please, introduce your pup – or yourself.”

Leader 2/3
@Rook @Pip @Aegir @Cinder @Amaryllis @Oula @Roland @Oisin -- Second round!  Please introduce yourself and/or your child!  This will serve as meeting Cinder, Oisin, and Kjell too.  ;D  No posting order, so hopefully we can keep it moving.  Please feel free to jump in whenever!

As wolves filled the area Oisin mentally put names to each of the faces, or at least names she knew. In fact, there was a handful of names she hadn't learned but she had certainly seen their faces even if in glimpses. The small dark boy with his stick and his parents. Rook's son who Oisin remembered Amaryllis calling Mouse. Then there were wolves who she did know. Then there were wolves who she had not bumped into yet. A slender dark female who seemed rather calm and collective.

Oisin's brain scrambled to work out all the names and orders but when chatter began then her brain silenced some. The first to initiate it had been the dark boy she had met before. Her tail eagerly thumped against the ground but she didn't speak yet. The small female's head turned to look towards Veho has he spoke. They were doing introductions! She likely would have easily sprung to the task of introducing herself but she silently waited in order to let the others go first. Maybe she would go after the children went. Surely they were more important than her. They were the future of the Hollow!

Her gaze moved from Veho to the rest of the group. A smile laid easy on her face as to keep up her friendly and warm appearance.

Oisin

Cross my heart and hope for better days

When the call went out for them to gather, Amaryllis had helped her mate usher the pups out of the den and towards where the gathering was to take place.

She had been keeping a close eye on Meri, who was full of energy today and was quite happy to scamper ahead of her parents and brother. Yet Amaryllis had not picked her up in hope this energy would be at least somewhat exhausted by the time they reached the others, if she allowed the girl to run around a bit. Not to mention that the girl kept within eyesight despite her energy so Amaryllis was happy to let her be for now.

Yet the woman knew better than to trust her daughter to not completely run off the moment her eyes were no longer on her for more than a second - when she looked back at her daughter after looking over at Mouse when he stopped, the small girl’s tail was disappearing into a bush, in chase of a butterfly.

“Merida! Come back here!” she called to the girl but the curious girl either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore her. Sighing heavily, Amaryllis glanced over to Rook who was now carrying Mouse and shrugged before quickly going after the girl. She’d catch up with her mate and son soon enough.

“Meri, come here. We’re going to be late.” Trying to sound gentle yet firm, she followed Merida’s giggles as the girl crashed through the underbrush. For a pup however, Meri could hide very well and Amaryllis was slowly becoming worried as the giggles grew silent. Though she hadn’t heard a yelp or anything, had her daughter become hurt? “Meri, where are you?” pale eyes swept the ground and bushes in hopes that her daughter was simply hiding and part of her was sticking out, like her tail or a paw.

However, her worries were dashed when Merida burst from a bush, letting out a small puppy war cry in what she assumed was an attempt to scare her. Without missing a beat, so Merida didn’t think to run off again, Amaryllis swiftly picked her up by her scruff.

“Mama, wan’ play!” Merida pouted as it was clear she still wanted to play. But there was a meeting they needed to get to and there would be other pups for her to possibly play with so Amaryllis ignored her plea for now.

Once they got to the clearing, she placed her down and to her (not) surprise, Merida took off towards her brother and father. Smiling at Rook and giving Veho a small nod, she glanced around to see the others already gathered. So she sat on the other side of Veho, leaving enough space between them if Merida decided to sit between them. Instead, she tried to hold in the laughter that threatened to spill out of her mouth as Merida flopped onto Rook and Veho’s paws, right in front of Mouse’s little hiding spot, seemingly not afraid of Veho in the slightest.

“Meri no, come here.” She whispered to her daughter, thinking it would be a little improper for the leader to speak with one pup hiding behind his legs and another flopped over his paw.

Merida wasn’t sure where they were going when her parents woke her and Mouse up. But it sounded like they were going somewhere new! Taking charge as they walked to wherever they were going, Merida bounced along in front of her family, taking in all the sights and smells before her. The girl kept in sight of her parents, knowing her mother at least liked it when she was in sight...

Oooh, what was that? Merida’s ears perked as she spotted a butterfly fluttering by. It was so pretty! Deciding she was going to try catch it, Merida gave chase after it, not realising she was getting out of sight from her parents. All she wanted was the butterfly!

Merida giggled when her mama called after her, telling her to get back here. Well, Meri had wanted the butterfly but now she wanted to play hide and seek!

“Merida, where are you?”

Eventually, her mother passed by her hiding spot and she leapt out, letting out a cry in hopes to scare her mother. But all her mother did was glance down at her before swiftly picking her up by her scruff.

“Mama, wan’ play!” Merida cried out indignantly, not wanting their game to end so soon yet her mother didn’t listen as the two soon caught up with Rook and Mouse and Merida’s attention was drawn elsewhere. There were so many wolves! And they all sorta but not smelled like Mama and Papa too. While she was wondering why that was, Mama placed her down and instantly, Merida shot over to where her brother was. Who was the male he was taking shelter under? Why did he smell a lot like Papa if they had never met him before?

Eyeing up the little hidey hole Mouse was in, she decided both of them couldn’t fit so she merely flopped on the two adults' paws, ignoring her mother’s whispered giggle of “Meri no, come here.” Mama hadn’t wanted to play so Meri wasn’t going to listen to her right now! With her spot decided, Merida peeked at all the other wolves, wondering just who they were and why they were all here.

Rook paid little mind as his son came toddling over, finding a sheltered spot beneath him. The Second slowly sat down, wondering if Mouse would remain there or be encouraged to find some other place to conceal his face. If this was the time to introduce the pack to the new faces in their family, there would be no time to merely hide away.

Soon, Oula and her son arrived. But, just one also? When Rook had delivered a sizable amount of redwood bark, he made it a point to keep his nose out of places where it definitely wasn't welcome. His head tilted to one side for a moment in thought; if anything, he might have hoped that both Oula and Pip had delivered more than a single cub... more cubs for Merida and Mouse to play with. As it was, two was undoubtedly better than none - even if Mouse and Merida had each other to play with. Their upbringing would be more ideal than the one Tomen had been subject to.

A shadow caught his attention from the corner of his eye, her presence immediately drawing his anxieties from the pit of his belly. While Rook knew he could trust Veho in their 'civil union' of sorts, he couldn't help but wonder why Cinder, his sister-in-law of all wolves, had bothered to return. Quil was no longer here, severing all ties and bonds Cinder had with Grizzly Hollow. To a point, it was strange... though, the look she just cast the Hollow Leader made the Lyall anxious nevertheless. It might have been no different than the smiles and simpers that Pip or Oula gave Veho, but coming from her was somehow different.

Rook shook his head. He was probably reading too much into something that wasn't there. He blinked to disrupt the growing stare in his eyes and averted his gaze, focusing now on Amaryllis and Merida as they arrived. To them, he openly smiled and wagged his tail at his back. A part of him had hoped Amaryllis might have chosen a spot next to him, but as the pack's female Lead - and ultimately, some kind of a third party in the relationship that formed the top tiers of the hierarchy - he supposed she did need to sit opposite of him at Veho's other side.

Merida's approach easily pulled his thoughts in a different direction, bringing him back to the present. He supposed he could start. Seeing as he recognized the adults who had gathered, he went ahead and bowed his head, nudging the down-furred cub pressed to his side out into the open.
"Well, so," he started, managing to push the boy into his sister, "these two... this is Merida." He leaned forward to give his daughter a formal greeting of a playful lick to her cheek before returning his attention to the darker cub, "and this is Merritt, but we like to call him 'Mouse.'"

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

Mouse didn't stare at Veho for long. Soon, there was another cub in their midst, and this one was just as bold as the loud one. This new one was gutsy, bringing a twig and all to play with. The little Lyall grimaced to himself and instinctively hid his face into Veho's pale flank.

"Hello!" Veho greeted. It wasn't until Mouse had inhaled deeply in relief that it occurred to him that he had leaned to the wrong side. That definitely didn't sound like Papa, didn't smell like Papa... He had made a mistake. White-ringed, blue irises stared up at the Leader again before the boy buried his snout in the underside of Rook's stomach.

Others arrived and Mouse's small, bearish ears were aware of their approach, but he paid no mind. He wasn't comfortable and he was going to hide. That was that. He wanted to go back to the den with Mama and Merida. Thinking of Merida, however, there came another set of pitter-pattering paws and when Mouse peeked out into the world beyond his papa's underbelly he saw his twin sprawled out before him. His little tail waved but he worried now that he was without Mama. He could smell her, he was sure, though he couldn't see her. It worried him, making him cling all the more to Rook. He'd make everything all right for the time being, or at least until he realized Papa was ushering him out and away into the open.

Mouse rolled into Merida's side, laying parallel to her as she laid on the ground. Now, this, this was comfortable (enough). He was at ease, here, with his sister. His tiny jowls parted and he playfully clamped his teeth on Merida's ear, not too hard as to classify it as an actual "bite" but gentle enough to at least keep hold of it. He wanted to be sure his littermate wasn't going anywhere, seeing as his Papa had betrayed him and cast him out into view of the whole world...

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

Trust your heart if the seas catch fire

Aegir Sørenson

At first Aegir wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. His Ma and Da were far more interesting than any other big could ever be, so why should he even bother to get to know them? Saying hello was all well and good but that was as far as it was going to go. Or at least that's what he thought, until other wolves that were small like him joined the fray.

Distracted, Aegir abandoned his stick and toddled forward, closer to the newcomers. There were three smalls in total, two that were almost like his Ma but a little more brown and another one that was greyish the sky before it rained. Aegir enjoyed playing with his Ma and Da, climbing all over them like they were a mountain he'd conquered. But when it came to tussling they always won, unless they let him win of course. But surely he could win a wrestling match against wolves his size, or at the very least he'd have a fighting chance.

With that in mind, Aegir dropped into a bow and wiggled his tail so fast his butt joined in.

" 'm Ah-geer, wan play?"

He didn't care who accepted his offer, they were all fair game. But he couldn't help but notice that one of the brown ones was hiding behind a big, like it was scared or something. What was there to be scared of? His Da was here and so was his Ma, so Aegir had nothing to fear. He might be small but he was strong and brave and in time every wolf here would see it.

Pip found it fortunate that @Aegir was so willing to be sociable with the rest of the pack. Heaven knew she had no way of introducing him and @Kjell wasn't the keenest on this meeting in the first place. She dipped her head in deference and submission to those who had gathered before turning her attention to the pups. Watching her son abandon his toys to invite others into games warmed her heart. She'd worried that without siblings, he would be standoffish with others his age. Instead, he was just the opposite! But she knew, as omegas knew, that his behavior wasn't simply for fun's sake. Barely just a tyke and already he was looking to dominate the others!

But far be it from her to disapprove. His father was no submissive, and to be honest, she was happy to see Aegir take more after Kjell in that aspect. His life would not be spent forever seeking approval from others. Instead, he would blaze his own trail. Pip was excited to watch it happen and offer guidance as she was able.

Despite the plethora of strangers, she watched as the boy boldly stood in the center of it all in a way that automatically drew the eye. His posture sang of fierce bravery and her lips curled with approval. Soft orange eyes drifted over to her mate and she smiled readily at him, wondering if he saw what she did.

Right. Introductions.

This didn’t sound boring at all.

Kjell fought off the mighty urge to roll his eyes, knowing well the alphas would probably take offense to it – and, more importantly, Signy’s feelings would probably be hurt. He had come along under the assumption someone might need to speak, and given their son’s age, it was not likely to be him. The dragon himself had little desire to socialize, but even less desire to put his mate in a poor position – though perhaps he needn’t have worried. He’d only half opened his mouth when the youngest Sørenson waddled right into the center of attention and proudly announced himself.

Frankly, the proud father couldn’t help his smirk.

“Well,” he drawled lazily, once the others had gone quiet, “as the lil’ fella said, this is Ægir, me an’ Signy’s son. ‘m Kjell.” Since, you know, he’d done very little to spend much time with anyone outside of his actual family. He’d be content to keep it that way, too, as long as this Veho stopped calling ridiculous meetings like this. There was nothing else to say, and so the gamma glanced around, waiting for the others to introduce themselves (and their offspring) before it wrapped up – and he could return to his dragon hoard den.