Willow Ridge don't leave me low

For @Ravenna, but otherwise AW. Backdated to 4/29.

Despite having been in the area for the night, it was now when the sun had risen that Nineva finally felt it appropriate to properly approach the Willow Ridge pack. In a way, it felt odd to be here like this without @Deacon at her side, but she did not regret his absence. Nineva had precious little time to miss anyone these days.

She sought the matriarch of this land, not the famed Elettra but the Ravenna that she had been told of by @Adeltra. The Hervok hoped too that she would see the promising young girl again during this visit, but that was not a priority. She was here to feel out if there was anything to gain from maintaining a relationship with the wolves that had once stood as proud allies of the Caverns.

For all she knew, she was the only one still holding onto sentiments about that long ago time, and this daughter of Elettra's preferred a new vision to shadows of the past. It was time to find out.

Tipping back her broad skull, Nineva howled out a summons, requesting the presence of the queen.

It was another morning, another day closer to when Ravenna would be giving birth to her first litter of pups. Many hiccups had happened since then... She had been chased off by a bear and coyotes had ran after her too. The predators of the lands had certainly tested her motherhood and yet still today as she moved along her territory she could feel the movement of her children inside her, uncomfortably pressing on her sides and weighing down her gut.

She had thought to check up on the birthing den, to perhaps once more fluff the furs, feathers and mosses within it. To restock it with fresh lavender and sweet grass. For the time being however she decided to take a stroll around her home and found herself making way to one of the caches close to the border. She dug at it, ripping off small pieces of rabbit meal as a morning snack. A call sounded then, one specifically for her.

Ravenna was reluctant to go and found herself frozen in a pause for a moment or two. The land outside the safety of the pack territory had become dangerous with an over flooding of coyote. After being chased down by a group of them she had kept inside the confines of of her home, letting the heavy lifting go to Blitz, Sven and Blackmoore predominantly in order to run off the trouble. She figured though if someone was specifically requesting her, however, she would come out of pure curiosity for it was a voice she did not recognize as family from another pack.

She padded over in a quick pace and soon would find a gray hued woman at her border, pregnant. The two women looked similar in ways, both being large and both of gray and silvery hues. However the woman at her border was larger then she, her coat darker along her upper half (mostly around her shoulders) and then smoothing out to a near white along her undersides and legs. Ravenna was far more solid in color, no pretty markings or designs, with only darker bits along her ears and nose, colors which had come out more so as she had reached adulthood.

Ravenna would continue to look the woman over as she made her way towards her, stopping as she reached the edges of her home. A slight smile touched her expression though it was mostly a face of question and curiosity. "You called for me?" She spoke, pausing only a moment before continuing on. "My name's Ravenna Archer-Lyall, Willow Ridge's Alphess."

Permission given to join!

Oh man oh man, this wasn't a good idea. Elias honestly wasn't sure what had possessed Nin to head out this way but these days wherever she went, Elias followed. Idly he wondered if Nin knew. He had of course told her of his encounter with another, but for Ravenna's privacy he hadn't uttered her name. Nor had Nin asked. But the way she strode through the willowy woods with such purpose Elias couldn't help but fear that she knew.

He limped after her, knowing that soon enough he'd find himself in a very awkward situation. God, he half wanted to run off in the opposite direction, Nin would be safe, the wolves of the Willows could be trusted. But...his instincts would not allow that, it shoved his cowardice aside and pushed him forward till he noticed two grey forms standing opposite one another, both as round as the other. He scented the air, and sure enough the potent smell of the Willow Ridge borders filled his nose. So this was it...

It was not his place to interject, he was not their equal, he was a mere man and they were Queens. Noble blood ran through their veins, he could see that as clear as day. Elias was many things but he wasn't a sneak, nor was he any good at it, too big, bulky and clumsy. So with a sigh he revealed himself, his tail swishing amiably in greeting.

"Hello M'am. He dipped his head in reverence for each of them in turn, then made a point of standing by Nin's side, but a little behind her. He wasn't here to make any trouble he was just here because....he wanted to be, he supposed."Sorry if I'm intruding."

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2018, 11:03 PM by Elias.)

Unsurprisingly, the woman that found her was pregnant, yet another sign that the Ridge continued to prosper. At least one of the packs here in the West stood strong against the many trials of time.

"Nineva Hervok," she returned, "Daughter of Narime Lagina. Your mother had quite the history with her, if you didn't know."

She couldn't be sure how much this Ravenna knew about Narime and her Legacy, if she remember that in the earliest days of their childhood the Caverns had once been allies to the Ridge. Nineva hoped so, but would not hold her breath; she was far better tempered against disappointment than she had been when she'd first returned to the cedarwoods.

Her ears twitched backward as, moments after her words, Elias appeared. It wasn't a shock at all that he was here, even though she hadn't explicitly invited him along. What with the coyotes running rampant and the lives within her stomach, it was expected that he would shadow her closely. He was too caring of a man not to.

She gave him a brief but fond smile, a silent sign that he wasn't intruding at all in her eyes.

Nineva Hervok was the name which the woman before her had given her as she introduced herself. Instantly it made Ravenna think of Nina Hervok which had been a close friend of her mother's, a women who's former mate had been here (Koda) visiting the lands for however long he had. What she had not been expecting, however, was the name of Narime to cross her mouth. Narime was the Leader of Whisper Caverns, a place which she had visit a time or two before, both meeting @Blackmoore and @Blitz there in her youth. A woman which had served under Elettra's leadership as a great huntress before she made a home all her own not far off.

"I have to admit, for a moment there I thought you were going to tell me you were a daughter of Nina Hervok. She was a close friend of my mothers who led in the northern forest." She admitted, deciding to let in on the thought she had because after all, although Nina was not her mother, they were of some relation with having the same last name and all. "But yes, I do know about your mother. My mom used to tell me how close they were and insisted when she went to make her own family she not go far. They were allies for a long time, she said." An incredibly close alliance, where Narime would often offer food to the Ridge in exchange for medical treatment and the like. It was an alliance she had hoped for with her own brother's pack until the members own ignorance she prevented such a thing.

Though Elias had shown up by now, Ravenna had not paused in her words when he came to settle himself just slightly back from Nineva's side. Had he decided to align with this woman here and this is what had caused him to leave her brother's ranks? Either way, Ravenna did not care where Elias decided to lay his roots for it seemed their friendship had all but shattered between them. "Elias..." She spoke his name in greeting and dipped her head slightly, allowing the grey woman before her to know she already knew the man and yet, otherwise kept her attention to Nineva. It was her which had asked for this meeting, after all.

(This post was last modified: Jul 26, 2018, 05:39 PM by Ravenna.)

This was awkward, but at the very least Nin didn't annoyed at him. He half expected her to shoot him a disapproving look or something of the like, instead she smiled and his heart did a silly little baddump ump ump in his chest. Ravenna though...she didn't seem quite as receptive. By no means was she glaring at him, but honestly this was worse. Elias could sort of deal with outright anger, he could take the brunt of it's heat, but she was being so cold towards him. Almost as though she didn't even know him, like they were strangers.

That hurt so much more than he could ever say.

Elias had no intentions of steering the conversation in his direction, he would stand there all quiet like a good boy. He was okay at that, he did like to ramble on but...it wasn't his place to speak now, was it? He'd let the ladies do their thing, he was just a pretty piece of scenery.