Drooping Willows Slight of hand

It was nearly dawn, and the sky began to slide smoothly from a shade of navy toward a dark rose. The male moved toward the Western edge of Drooping Willows, mindful of where he remembered the pack's borders to be, to the East. Like the frail arms of elderly widows, the willow branches reached out to him and he closed his eyes as the small, green leaves caressed his cheeks. There was something earthy but golden about the nostalgia he felt when he smelled the mossy grounds and the bloom of pollen from the fresh return of spring. Images from his youth sprang to his mind's eye, but brought with them no particular sensations; but he didn't find it odd that he could not extrapolate any meaning in this. It wasn't exactly as though he'd returned, expecting to fall back into the arms of his mother. He knew full well that the likelihood of her even being alive was incredibly slim...Still, he'd tired of his generic lifestyle and had returned, if nothing else, to pay his respects. 

He pushed forward, fire-orange eyes snapping open and peering toward the darkest horizon, before he glanced over his shoulder toward where dawn would break. Rather than continuing west, he pushed North, long, purposeful strides moving him through the swaying willow branches as he eyed the brightening horizon, knowing that within the growing gold and rose there would be borders of a pack he had once wished to rule; He could not smell the borders from where he was- he was too far away, yet; but there were too many wolves in the area, that he could scent, for there not to be a pack somewhere in the vicinity. And Asriel was confident that the Archer name was not one which would easily be stifled or put out. No- they were a family of fire; the flame could shrink, but the embers would forever hold heat until they tasted the brittle, dry taste of kindling. And the fire in his eyes would have caused any cool coals to leap back into flame. He continued on, crown lifted so that the growing light would cast a shine on the golden fur of his cape.

The prodigal son had returned, and the prince had grown into a king. 

Tilly lacked her brothers recklessness and her sisters righteousness, so she hadn't run into nearly as much trouble as they had, particularly in the vicinity of the willows. She knew it was probably about time to return to mother, the influx of coyotes proving problematic and the smell of birth on the air. It was getting harder to get by, even to one as resourceful as she was... that was, unless someone else could present her with a better offer. It was refreshing being away from them, but she wasn't foolish. So south she travelled, out of the grove and into the willows. Once she reached the rise, she just had to travel west. It wouldn't take her long once she was free of the trees.

A noise ahead caused her steps to slow, dark head lifting as a flash of bronze caught her eye ahead. For a moment she thought perhaps Bojay had returned to stir up trouble with the locals again, and perhaps if he had she would have joined him, but this wolf was older, and mostly dark. Her eyes narrowed as the cogs turned in her head. The Archer could have turned away and he probably wouldn't be any the wiser, but it had been so long since she'd had company she decided to hold her course. Worst case she'd just run to her aunt and beg for protection. She was close enough after all.

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin

Four coyotes appear from the shadows, posturing aggressively.

and with a spark its going to be

Nearly a month had passed since the silver Amazon's first litter of pups had been born into this world and even longer still since she had left the protective sanctuary of the Pack's territory. She had been a recluse for a time, keeping away in the birthing den tending to her young with only a select few allowed near enough to visit. With the pups moved to the Pack den and being introduced to the other members she could trust that everyone in the ranks could help watch the pups, including Leotie who raised her own with hers. There was no short supply in help to go around so Ravenna was now free to spare a moment away from her pack.

Perhaps dangerously, wrecklessly, the new mother crossed the borders of her home. With so many coyote around it had become a ruling to not leave the territory without a partner. Oops. She had gotten a bit mindless in her roaming about, nose shifting between the skies and ground for a scent of anything, everything - The scent of herbs, of scurrying rodents, of Scowle wolves to the west and of course the fowl scent of coyote... And then a rogue, a more recent and very fresh scent of rogue. Wait, no, two loners moving through the willows light forestry.

Curiosity tugged at her and she crept towards the smell cautiously. There was still some distance to go before they met up but they couldn't be far. Pausing, she lifted her skull and called out a song of 'hello' to the strangers. It would be a call also useful in letting her pack know she had gone off but was not too far from home.

the biggest fire they've ever seen

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2018, 12:40 AM by Ravenna.)

LAWL- had to edit because you shadowposted me XD

He kept his attention on his sense of smell as he moved along, searching for any traces of scent belonging to Skoll or Morganna...And found that there wasn't much to find or recognize. He was only slightly disappointed; he wanted to see where his siblings had gone in life, if they had stayed here near their birthplace, or if they had gone elsewhere. Part of him knew that they would not likely accept him; Morganna might be more likely to do so, but he assumed Skoll would simply try to bring him down when they met. He'd left their family, and had walked away from a throne he could have- should have had. But from what he could tell, neither of them had remained in the area- either that or neither of them had left the pack in some time. 

He froze when he caught the scent of another wolf, and turned his head to see a young female moving toward him with some intention. He regarded her with a gaze sharp and unwavering, ears pricked atop his head. She was likely only a yearling; nothing more than a slip of a wolf yet, and had yet to fill out. Nothing about her appealed to him, as immature females lacked any reason to be interesting. His stare was intended to stop her in her tracks- but after just a moment, his gaze lifted, and his lips peeled back, revealing teeth which were stained but still keen and sharp; trained by years of battle and feud. 

There were four coyotes who had appeared beyond the young female, and they criss-crossed their paths, heads lowered and eyes intent, as though they were in hunting mode. Asriel's black ears slicked back against his noble crown, and he too lowered his head menacingly, golden-tinted hackles raising as he stared them down, replying to their postures with a haughty, aggressive snarl. One or two of the coyotes echoed him- slightly more tentative than he had been, so he raised his voice, jaws opening to reveal a blood-red tongue that lashed over his teeth threateningly. The stare-down had begun; but Asriel only had so much patience for the doglike scum. 

A howl came forth from an unseen source, a certain authority ringing in its tone. He returned his gaze to the young female, pupils narrowing; was this other wolf a friend of hers? Would he be faced, then, by not only four coyotes but two strangers as well? He quelled his growl, and lifted his muzzle to respond, his deep baritone voice profound and resonant, all the while keeping one eye directed toward both the yearling and the four coyotes beyond her. 

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2018, 12:43 AM by Asriel.)

Avatars by Allie <3

As focused on the wolf ahead as she had been, she hadn't noticed she had company. When his lip curled back, the girl managed a scowl very reminiscent of one her mother might give. Who the fuck did he think he was anyway? Nobody in Torbine would ever think to greet a stranger that way... It was only when his growl was met with a chorus behind her that she realised just what was going on. Usually the girl was more articulate than this, but in moments of stress she tended to echo her mothers patterns of speech. "Yer gotta be kiddin' me." It would be easy to break for the west, to call for @Ravenna or @Sven, who she could only assume still lived in the willows, and if not well surely someone else would come to investigate... But then she'd be leaving this guy alone and as capable as he seemed... well obviously he wasn't aware how crazy things had gotten around here.

She picked up her pace, drawing closer to the stranger, not wishing to see someone attacked in front of her but ready to run to save her own skin if she had to. "Uh, guy?" There wasn't really time for proper introductions. "This lot have lost their minds, we'd be better off headin' towards th' pack an' hopin' a names enough ter get some help." She tried to stand in a way that she could watch his back, in case more tried to close in with all the noise of the others. A nervous laugh left her lips, "I'm Tilly by the way, Tilly Archer." You know, just in case she died here. Maybe he'd be able to pass the word along... But the sound of a howl settled her heart some, the cavelry could be on the way... She answered it with one of her own, youthful, hopeful, and just slightly laced with panic. We could use some help here.

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2018, 12:59 AM by Tilly.)

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin

scouting dem 1/3

Addy was normally never far from the main den other than to scout out the hunting grounds and give a track around the borders to reinforce them with her scent. The four Ridge pups were now together and wreaking havoc on all of their nerves. At around a month old and mobel, already starting to form words. It felt like it had been just the day before that her adoptive siblings had been brought into the world, and they were getting so big! In addition to the puppies her mother was also present, something she was very happy for.

On this day Addy had take a break from watching the Ridge heirs to stretch her legs. Curiously, she came across the scent of her cousin who seemed to be headed toward the border. This concerned her, and even though she knew the matriarch could handle herself the coyotes had recently been far worse than normal. She didn’t know what they’d do, so she made to follow her. As she got closer she considered it a good thing she had, as she came upon the scene of her cousin facing off with four coyotes and two strangers. She watched as Ravenna’s head tipped up to call, but she was already on the scene.

The male remained tense, teeth bared and she tucked herself close to her leader’s side eyeing him warily. The voice of the girl came, introducing herself as an Archer. Addy’s brow rose, fitting her age and accent to that of Morganna’s brood from the previous year. Adeltra Archer. I’m guessin’ you’re one of Morganna’s? If so, I’d say you probably have some spunk in you. More of our members should be coming with Rav’s call, but in the meantime I think we should kick a little coyote tail, she said, looking to Ravenna for her opinion. They were two adults and two adult sized yearlings, surely they could take them on? It might deter that lot from getting too close again.

(This post was last modified: Jun 10, 2018, 01:29 AM by Adeltra.)

and with a spark its going to be

It did not take long at all for her call to me answered, first by a male wolf, a deeper, gruff tone and then a female's voice. It was a light youthful tone and laced with a bit of fear. Ravenna had already been on the move, pushing faster once the male wolf had howled. The coyotes were far more quick to show themselves then even last time when she and @Blackmoore had gotten caught up with them. Instead of growing deterred, they seemed to be growing bolder. They rallied outside the Pack borders it seemed, keeping the wolves of their toes, taking away from their food supply. Ravenna's lips twitched as they turned up into a snarl. If it came down to it, she'd be feeding the coyote to her pups for dinner and warning them with their pelts.

By now Ravenna had caught up with the pair, seemingly weary of one another - strangers. Before Ravenna could fully process it, Adeltra was pressing close to her. She was a swift girl and stealthy, having caught Ravenna off guard a time or two before with her presence. She was already such an amazing scout. "Tilly?" Though Ravenna had missed the introduction she had given it was easy to put two and two together by what Adeltra had said and by her coat pattern which her mother had mentioned to her before when talking of her pups. "Its about time we met, even given the situation." She smirks, her silver eyes rolling into the direction of the coyote which remained poised not far.

Fools. The coyote at this point would be suicidal to take on the gathering of wolves. Perhaps they would back off now that they knew they had no chance? "What say you stranger?" She asked curiously, a brow lifting as she waited to see what he had to say about having a little tussle.

the biggest fire they've ever seen

Asriel ignored the girl's scowl- and gave her time to realize exactly why his gaze was so stern and he looked as though he was growling at her...For he wasn't, truthfully, but instead his gaze was fixed at the snickering coyotes that ranged just beyond her, which she noticed soon enough. He held his ground as she approached him, and even in his peripheral vision, he could see that the young female was nervous. He only turned his gaze to her, molten and keen, when she spoke to him and referred to him as guy. He gazed down his long, noble muzzle at her with a frown, brows furrowed in disappointment. She'd ruffled his feathers, that was for sure, when she'd addressed him so informally, and his lips twinged, as though to curl, but he stopped himself as soon as she went on, with her odd but vaguely familiar drawl, to introduce herself. 

His gaze sharpened, and pupils narrowed to become little more than pinpricks. She scanned her face, searching for recognition, and found an echo of what he was looking for. The silver in her eyes could easily have been gleaned from the grey of Elettra's, and the silver flecks in her pelt weren't too dissimilar to the metallic strands that had adorned his own sister's pelt. She was young, but would have been from a litter born last year- and he himself had sired pups who would now be the same age as this female, Tilly. It was a common name, he thought, and her drawl was less than becoming- but Morganna had not had nearly as keen a sense of proper, regal behavior as he had had...And nor had Skoll. If this truly was Morganna's daughter, he found himself slightly unimpressed with her etiquette. So much so, he was distracted from the pacing coyotes, and had stopped his growling. A frail but proud part of him hoped that this wouldn't actually be one of Morganna's pups...

But before he could place too much weight on that hope, two more appeared. One was another young female, with dark fur and a clear, cool amber gaze. She haunted the side of a larger, silver wolf, one whose gaze was yet again a chilly silver. Her posture spoke of authority, as did the way the younger female stood as a shadow at her side. The younger, subservient wolf spoke- not to him, but to the young female who had chosen to move to his side, for nothing other than protection, he guessed. Asriel could be prone to acts of heroism, but only for those he considered were worth it. His eyes roved toward the young, ambitious wolf who surprised him further by introducing herself as yet another Archer...But how she would fit into the situation, he couldn't quite place. He didn't see Skoll in her, and from the conversation, he gathered that she wasn't one of Morganna's...

The eldest of the three females captivated his interest the most, with her natural sense of purpose and the way the other stayed faithfully at her side, even though she seemed eager to take on the coyotes. He met her gaze, lava catching hold of ice, when he was addressed. It was inferred by the way that she addressed Tilly that she knew of the Archer family- but he knew better than that. She didn't simply know of the Archer family- she was one of them. All seemed to be waiting for him to move or speak, so for a moment, he simply held the beautiful, nameless silver female's gaze, finding in the frame of her face a familiar shape; one that belonged to his mother, whom he had once dearly, dearly adored. 

And it was the simple thought of the love he had had for his mother that spurred him on. With the barest nod, he turned, and bore down upon the coyotes with startling speed and decision. With hackles prickling like porcupine quills, he surged toward the coyotes, who did not quite know what to think of the sudden brutality that rushed toward them like a tsunami. Unstoppable, he chose one- the largest, and the one who paced the least, and instead held his ground. This one, Asriel chose, as he wanted to be the one to take down the king. He had taken down and killed male wolves before- and had lived his life constantly having to defend his title as king through nothing more than sheer brute strength and his skill as a fighter. The coyotes parted as he beelined for the largest, which shrank back in surprise, but in its shock, it scrambled and scrabbled as it tried to get its feet beneath itself in order to retaliate. Asriel thudded against the coyote with a sick, crackling sound as the two canines collided, and the sound of angry snarls filled the air as the two began to tear viciously at one another. 

Avatars by Allie <3

Tilly's chest swelled as a fourth wolf joined the scene. She might have been young but it was obvious she was just as capable as herself, a refreshing change, she had to admit. "I might be capable but I'm not foolish, now we got th' numbers though..." Her nervousness had melted away, and confident that they weren't about to be ambushed from behind she turned to join the stranger facing down the coyotes, mindless to the companionable bump she shoved into his shoulder without even knowing his name. The atmosphere was changing and she was eating it up. Luck had been on their side so far, why would it abandon them now? A broad and toothy smile had worked its way onto her face. "Wanna make it a race?" She threw playfully to Adeltra, thinking she might just edge her out on the speed front.

Ravenna addressed the male and it seemed he didn't need to be asked twice. Not wanting to be left out the girl joined the fray with a wild laugh of her own, hardly befitting the situation. While her companion went for the stoic one, she went after the rat, the one that wanted to scurry away as soon as the tide was turned. It might have been more fun to face one head on, but she latched on to a cowards rump all the same, holding tight when it spun to snap back like a viper. She wasn't exactly keen on marring her pretty face, but she wouldn't let go so easily either.

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin