White Fir Notch Not Our Paradise

OOC: This thread marks the official disbanding of White Fir Notch. It is to be assumed that either Jynx or Emrys have spoken with any remaining members. Replies from WFN members are optional. @Emrys @Nauja @Tyne @Ambrosia @Sharan @Blackmoore 
January 27th. Early morning, overcast.
RE: White Fir Notch, it seems a black bear has decided to find a place to hibernate within your territory.

The rise of the sun on a cold winters morning found the russet Alpha restless. She hadn't slept well in weeks, nerves tense, her thoughts consumed with anxious worry and a thousand questions. The pack had been unsuccessful thus far in tracking down Arwyn, but that didn't mean she nor Emrys were going to give up. In fact, she was beginning to drift away more frequently from home in a futile attempt to search, hoping she would pick up her daughters trail. And then, things went from bad to worse when Elyan went missing. Now she and her mate had not one, but two children to worry about finding.

Each time she arrived back home from one of her scouting trips, the atmosphere was dismal. She could hardly call it a home these days. With Elyan gone and Ambrosia striking out, their numbers seemed to be slipping. Tyne and Nauja remained, the former contributing where he could and her second, as helpful and supportive as always. Their kind gestures and sympathetic words did not go unappreciated, and Jynx would confide in the other female when Emrys was too busy or away. But Blackmoore and Sharan on the other hand, were not in such good standing in her eyes. She rarely heard or saw either of them, and they most certainly did not seem interested in immersing themselves with the pack or helping out. They stuck to their own devices, their own company, which in a sense, Jynx regarded as rather selfish. Those were not the kind of wolves she wanted in her pack. They were not the kind of wolves Gent and Raela, the true founders took into the ranks.

She sighed heavily, her breath billowing forth into the cold air. Along with Emrys, she had made a promise to Gent. To keep the Notch standing, alive and strong. This little slice of paradise had been hard won from the start and even afterwards, it threw challenge after unrelenting challenge towards the wolves who called it home. Each test she welcomed, taking pride in the strength it would instill in her and her pack mates once overcome. But now it was different after the betrayals they had endured, the losses they had suffered. With her only two living children gone, lost somewhere out there, her shoulders buckled under the strain. The stress that ate away at her was too much. Convinced that she was unfit to ever lead in the first place, with origins as another nobody in the crowd, Jynx saw little point in trying to hold together a crumbling pack. Emrys would feel the same, and as concerned parents, their priorities needed to be elsewhere...on finding their children, rather than leadership.

As if to drive home what she already knew to be the truth, when she emerged from the communal den that morning, a dark lumbering figure amongst the trees set her fur on end. It was a black bear, looking for a warm, cozy site to sleep out the remaining winter months.  Her eyes, outlined with stress around the edges, followed it's slow path. She knew it would find the den appealing. It had after all, originally been a bear den. Memories flooded her. Of the countless times she and the others had faced down a bear, drove off a cougar or wiped the land clean of wild boar. Each time the pack had won. But not today. Jynx never considered herself to be a superstitious wolf, but the appearance of this bear was like a sign. The Notch was no longer theirs. It never had been. Only inherited, graciously passed down from her old friends. With a defiant click of her jaws and a spin on her heel, the russet female headed for the borders. There she would pause one last time, raising her head to the sky. Her howl was low throated and long, signaling to those who remained that the time had finally come to part ways.

Nothing lasts forever.

The morning found Emrys still asleep in the den next to his  mate. As of late he'd found it harder to get up at his usual time. He was  awoken by the movement of his mate next to him. The pale leader was aware of the trouble she'd been having sleeping, he'd been having trouble himself. The worries over his missing children, the fact that White Fir Notch no longer felt like the pack he had joined when Gent and Raela had been in charge. Things seemed to have gotten worse since the disappearance of Elyan and Arwyn. He’d returned from his search for his daughter only to find his son missing as well. Not having their children with them was taking its toll on him and Jynx as well as the pack. His mate spent more and more of her time out looking for their children while he remained home trying to keep the pack together and taken care of.

The nights he couldn't sleep were spent on the border patrolling or checking caches, anything to keep his mind occupied. He would crawl into to the den a few hours before dawn to lay next to his mate only to discover she was just as restless as he was. For their part Ambrosia, Tyne, and Nauja did what they could. They had been there to help search for his daughter and they worked to keep the pack well fed and taken care of, he and Jynx were appreciative of their efforts. Blackmoore and Sharan’s absence when his daughter had gone missing had been noted as well as their scarce presence when it came to pack business. It was yet another disappointment for the alpha that caused him to wonder if he and Jynx had been ready to lead a pack of their own.

White Fir Notch had been given to them and Emrys couldn't help but feel that he'd let Gent and Raela down by letting things get so bad. He was at a loss for how to make them better and now with the children missing he found it hard to focus on anything but them and his mate. For so long they had fought for the land that they called home. They had persevered through everything that had been thrown at them but now that they had lost one child before birth and the other two were missing it was becoming too much for him and he knew for Jynx. The time had come when the two Alpha’s needed to make a decision about the pack, their focus had to be in finding their children and in that decision they knew that they couldn't lead a pack.

He watched at his mate left the den and he rose to follow her. As he waited the den behind her the large figure in the trees came into sight. He recognized no it to be a black bear and what he took as one of the many signs that had plagued him for weeks. They wouldn't be fighting this one, let him have the den and the territory. A glance was given to his mate before turning to watch as the bear continued it's path through the trees, soon enough it would find the den he was sure of that. An ear flicked at the click that Jynx made and with one last look at what had only been theirs temporarily he turned and.followed her toward the border. He passed with her for the last time raising his own muzzle into the air and joining her in the farwell to those who remained.

Perhaps one day their paths would cross again.

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

Sharan could tell the atmosphere in the pack was stretched thin lately. It took no great skill to deduce so - she had seen many pack rise and fall. Too many to even care to count, too many for a single wolf to bear, yet she still stood with her hopes high. She was sure she would find the right one to become a home for her and her friends, perhaps even kin if she managed to find them after they took to their own paths in life.

Life forced her to do the same, just as now it was getting more and more plain the moment to choose and take her fate into her own paws was approaching soon. Too soon, to her liking. She did not yet had the chance to become close to the pack, still licking her own wounds, both those on her frame and her mentality. Certainly, she did not want to be looked upon as a wreck, but perhaps it was unavoidable, just as being thought of as a selfish specimen by some. She cared about that and perceived this whole situation as her personal failure, but there was little she could do about that now. All that was left to be done is to come up with a bounding decision, and help others whenever and however she could.

Her stay in these forests helped her get familiar with the various plants and herbs growing around, and soon master her craft to a better degree. Not much, compared to what she knew earlier, but every bit of knowledge and practice helped. Sharan hoped it would come in handy in the following life she was trying to figure out.

This morning brought big changes into her life. Pacing through the thick bed of leaves she saw a silhouette passing amongst the trees, a fierce one, yet calm in demeanor. She did not need to think twice about what it was: a bear, as powerful and unyielding as it had ever been in her memories. The animal was not hostile, she doubted it even took the effort to find and notice her.
She took careful steps to bypass the creature from as far as it was possible, so she would avoid unwanted and uncalled for danger.

She didn't fail to notice the two other silhouettes, quietly leaving the den and then departing toward, she was entirely sure, the borders of this pack. Soon, a song followed, filling the trees with sadness. Sharan knew it was meant to be a farewell. A sign to those who perhaps wanted to stay or were unsure about the current leaders' standing. They had left this place, for good or no, she did not know.

That moment proved her fears were justified and her eyes and ears did not deceive her, as she had quietly hoped. This place was not meant to endure much longer after all. The den would soon find a new owner, such as the trees and lush bushes surrounding the place. The nature had regained its property from them, and soon it would pass to another, and then, perhaps, another.

There was little left to wait for. She would meet these friendly souls somewhere along her travels among these venerable lands. Somewhere, her newly made friend waited. Perhaps they would become... more, in due time. Only the following months, or years, would tell.

Sharan decided to move, taking in the sight of the friendly place that so graciously took her in months ago for the last time. The last time this belonged to a pack I thought I was part of, albeit a short blink of an eye. Then, she moved forward, keeping her slow pace. Soon, she would come to the pack's borders and she too would fill the air with her undulating voice, marking an end to this chapter in her life. She hoped she would meet him along the way, or during another of her travels. Moore had become her whole world, and she was reluctant to let go.

Things had definitely changed within the Notch. The disappearance of the children had taken the heart out of the pack. With each passing day things became worse. The tawny sea wolf did his best to keep up with the daily duties and help where he could. Tyne would stay loyal to this pack for as long they needed him. Sadly it wouldnt be for much longer.

The early morning was familiar to the Kersey man. The cold weather made it uncomfortable for the scarred male to sleep soundly so he was often up at dawn. This day was no different, exiting the infirmary Tyne gave his stiff limbs a good stretch. A yawn escaped his creamy maw as he gave his agouti pelt a good shake. He figured a hunt to add to the cache would do. So the Coola wolf set out in search for prey. He hadnt gotten very far when voices rang out through the Fir's. First it was Jynx, her voice low and filled with sadness. It was soon accompanied by that of Emyrs, his tone the same as his mates. Charcoal dusted ears fell against his skull as a low whine bubbled inside him. It was over? Not long after the alphas farewells Sharan's call came giving her good bye as well. Ears perked back up and swiveled atop his head straining to catch anyone else's call. When moments passed and no one else called out he tilted his large head back and sent his call up. His voice was sad but had hope they'd meet again. The last few notes called for @Nauja. She had saved him and if there was no more pack then she'd just have to deal with his unwavering loyalty.

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The morning was crisp and cold when she stepped out of the den. The sea wolf had every intention of doing a border patrol and hunt that morning. She even thought she might convince Tyne to go with her to search for the missing children. She tried to do her part in helping the alphas to find their missing little ones but she had grown worried they wouldn't find them. It was a thought she kept to herself.

She hadn't reached the border when she first heard Jynx call followed closely by Emrys’ and then Sharan's. Her ears flattened against her skull as she sat down in the snow with a tightening in her chest. She loved the notch, it had finally started feeling like home and now it had fallen. She hadn't been blind to the changes in it since the children went missing. Nor had she been oblivious to the way it had gotten worse as more time passed. She just hadn't expected this for Emrys and Jynx to decide to leave, disband the pack. Nauja didn't know what she would do now or if she would ever find another place that was as much of a home away from home as the notch had been.

Tyne's call then reached her ears, he was still there and the last notes were for her. Her ears swept back to the top of her head as a small sliver of hope blossomed inside her she still had him. The sea wolf sent her own call into the air a farewell and wish if good luck to her leaders before it changed to a call for Tyne. When she had finished she went in search of her fellow sea wolf. She wouldn't abandon him now nor would she ever.

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you