Willow Ridge Willow Ridge Pack Thread

"Feel better,"

If he had a deer leg for every time he had heard that in his life then maybe he might feel slightly better. There was no point in arguing though or exposing his emotions more than they already were. "Thanks." The male whispered out as his new superior disappeared. BoJack got to his paws but still partially slunk around as he moved to where Nimble would be resting. He would curl up around her and let her relax some more before he told her about what happened. It wasn't anything traumatic but she still deserved to know.

He tossed a glance back over his shoulder to see if anyone else was still around or had possibly witnessed what all had happened. BoJack knew it would become obvious regardless if others saw but there was a difference between seeing something and hearing about something. The brown-hued male just hoped that hearing would do him good in this case.

back in the 90s...

The air held a certain crispness that morning as the piebald matriarch arose from the depths of the communal den and gave her contrasting pelt a good shake to ensure her body was awake and ready to begin the day. A salmon tongue breaking the ebony lining of her lips to allow a yawn to escape before smoldering amber irises stole a glance down into the den at those still slumbering.



Enoki couldn't help the gnawing sense of worry that crept along the back of her mind at how dangerously low their numbers has reached. A total of four adults and two children was all that remained of the once prestigious Willow Ridge, a force to be reckoned with. Now one could toss a stick their way and possibly send the crumbling pack to it's knees for good. This was definitely not the pack Enoki had envisioned for her children nor herself running when Elettra handed over the crown.


Elettra...


What would she think if she saw the dilapidated condition they were in now? 


A sense of failure began washing over the Archer woman and a heaviness began to fill the steps she was taking toward a nearby cache, a heavy sigh leaving her.


What was she to do in these tough times?

the devil is & always will

It couldn't be avoided forever. Now that thing weren't so rocky at home and Leotie's health had returned, it was time that they made clear where exactly the Ridge stood with the Draw. Their proximity wasn't dire, but the pack still lie close enough that Sven wasn't comfortable not knowing. While he trusted Leotie and her word completely, having just her story to go off was not satisfactory. Did the Draw know the Ridge harbored their exiled pack mate? Would they hold it against them? Just how much did Naira's opinion of them change since the last time he had visited with Enoki? For all he knew, they had an enemy two days North of them. The Ridge was not in the position to be leisurely oblivious of such a thing.

So, with Nicolo sparse, Sven sought out @Ravenna alone to discuss a one-wolf scouting mission. If things turned sour, he trusted he could be in and out easily on his own. He found his cousin near the pack den, woofing amiably to get her attention.

"Ravenna," he greeted when she acknowledged him, "I need a moment. I want to go to the Draw, try and talk to Kerberos. I'm not comfortable not knowing where we stand with them."

be a gentleman.

Though perhaps not the wisest choice given the fact that Nicolo more or less kept to himself these days away from pack policies and politics, Ravenna had decided to shy away from her duties as the Leader for the time being. @Sven could take the reigns of watching the borders and @Leotie now that she was feeling up to par could take to hunting to store up for the winter - they didn't need much. Though with only one single wolf to cover those jobs, Ravenna also trusted that both @Adeltra and @Romanov were learning fast for their age, having little to no option given the fact that the pack needed all the help from their members as they could get.

Ravenna, for now, cleaned the den. She racked out all the dried or damp with decay herbs and vegetation out from the infirmary, grabbed in her jaws the various pelts and shook them out violently to re-fluff them. If anything, the little Willow Ridge family would be tidy and comfortable for the winter to come. Snow had already fallen and the herds residing. They did not have much time.

When Sven came, woofing for her attention, she dropped a collection of feathers from the turkey her and @Attica had hunted and fell to her rump to allow him to know she now had her attention. Her ears fell back at the mention of the Draw wolves, her lips pulling back tight in obvious unsatisfactory feeling. "Sven, Leotie has made it clear that their female Lead things ill of us... It will be dangerous." But when did that ever stop her cousin? "I know Kerberos leads there now. I went to visit when you had disappeared so they could keep an eye out... But it did not seem at the time he had much decision in the matter."

the devil is & always will

Sven nodded, familiar with Naira's change of heart (or so he saw it, unknowing that she had always harbored ill will toward the Ridge pack). He still didn't have a why for how it all went down, much less a what now. The ousting of Leotie was not necessarily damnation of their entire pack.

"Yeah, she told me the whole story. And I know she was honest, but there has to be more to it. If anything, there's been some time and, I just think its dangerous to assume and avoid. If we have a foe, we need to know. And if it is salvageable, it'd be good to have more than family on our side."

'On our side' being a term Sven was using lightly in reference to the tentative peace with Morganna and Greer.

"I won't pick a fight. If they want nothing to do with us, I'll get myself out safely."

It wouldn't be the first time he had outrun a pack.

be a gentleman.

Ravenna was hesitant with having Sven leave the pack again and go to the other lands two days out, which was evident over her features. After all, when Sven had wondered once before, he didn't come back for months after having been brutally attacked. If Sven did get attacked, Willow Ridge couldnt afford an outright war. Still, Ravenna had been quite friendly with Kerberos and he didn't seem like the kind of wolf who would let someone be beaten on his call. Knowing it not if the Charred wolves had made an enemy out of Willow Ridge was something they should know, so her cousin made a valid point. "Hurry back soon..." She said after much debate, leaving a wonder now if just what information he would be returning with come four days from now.

the devil is & always will

She didn't look convinced, and he couldn't tell if it was because she was worried the pack would be too aggressive or if she doubted Sven could do more than just piss them off. He was certain that the interaction with Greer's pack still hung in her mind, when in reality this was not the case.

But, at last, she reluctantly gave her blessing. Sven nodded, his features stern to prove to her that he took her concerns, and this mission, seriously.

"I will," he assured her, roughly bumping his crown against hers in good bye before heading off to tell @Leotie of his plan.

be a gentleman.

Ravenna hoped, if anything, things would go smoothly with Sven even if the pack in the north still decided they wanted nothing to do with them. Neutral terms were better then bad terms, after all. She assumed Sven would be best suited for the job too, having been there quite a number of times before that surely he had made happy with some of their members before things went sour.

Accepting Sven's head bump with a bit of a grumble, she watched as her age-mate cousin headed off, a determination in him now that he had a mission ahead of him. Ravenna watched him go, then turned and began working on the den where she had left off.

7th January

After scavenging a partially eaten rabbit carcass and placing it into one of the pack caches, Lorcan followed a path towards the main den. With most of the members busy attending to their duties, the male hoped to stumbled upon @Ravenna there alone.

Approaching the entrance of the cave quietly, Lorcan cautiously tip-toed inside, his golden eyes scanning through the dark in search of the lead female. “Ravenna, are you there?” He called out nervously, before finally spotting her silvery figure towards the back of the den. “I hope you don't mind, I'd like to discuss something with you…” He added, his voice hushed as he approached her in a submissive posture. 

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

It had only been a few days since Sven's newfound leadership and Ravenna had taken the opportunity to allow him to move about the pack lands, solidifying his placement as their new leader where Ravenna's leadership had already seemingly been accepted with ease. It was still a wonder to her, how easily she had adapted and yet still she thanked her mother and father for this, for they had been the strongest leading pair within the ranks the pack had ever known in its five years.

She cleaned now, tending to the Infirmary which Lorcan had spent weeks in and readying it should Nicolo decide he needed her help. For the time being, he remained distant in his grief and every day Ravenna prayed to the gods Enoki would find her way home. For Nicolo's sake, for her children's...

When Lorcan spoke out to her, ears perked high, her silvery hued body whipping around to meet him face to face. "What is it Lorcan?" She spoke, smiling delicately to the man. She was happy he was finally able to get up and moving around and, that of course, he had decided to stay with them for the timing being, at least.