Turtleback Lake keep your feet on the ground

Claiming thread for Vigils Keep, dated 5/24. All welcome.
The stone of the forests crescented around the north shore of Turtleback Lake are deeply weathered in striking and labyrinthine ways, forming miniature canyons and twisting paths that resemble the hallowed corridors of castles and fortresses. In many places the erosion is incomplete and spotty, leaving behind bridges of stone and towering tors and tea tables, all used to the pack’s advantage. Many of these routes let out directly onto a rocky strip of beach, which is used as the pack’s main water source. This area is often thick with fog in the mornings.
@Elias @Aytigin @Neha @Aleister @Yuka @Ramiel @Judas

It had taken far longer than she had expected to cross the mountain, thanks both to her impending labor and the coyotes that infested every inch of Relic Lore. Nineva had hoped that they were only in West, but they had not escaped the vermin by going East. She would not be deterred, however. Not by time, not by pain, not by competition.

The lake had been meant only to rest at, but then they had ventured into the forest shielding its shores. It was a place that called to her, the home she had been looking for, and when Nineva returned to the pebble-coated beach, her mind had already been made up. Lifting her muzzle she called out to her companions, beckoning them to gather.

Her sides clenched and pain wracked her body in waves, but she would not put anything else before this. They would claim their land now.

(This post was last modified: May 24, 2018, 07:55 PM by Nineva.)

The time was now.

This place seemed....it wasn't what he would have chosen, but since when did his opinion count for anything? He wasn't born to be a leader, his thoughts and ideas were far from revolutionary. If this was what Nineva wanted then he would bow to her will, roll over and expose the expanse of his throat if that's what she wanted. Alas, that didn't seem to be on her mind as she let out a call to her followers. His ears twitched as he caught a note of...something, he didn't know what, was off. A bit off kilter, as though there was more to the situation than met his glassy eyes. He trundled along, moving as quick as his limpy gait would allow. Before she was even insight Elias tipped his head skyward and let out a call of his own.

His howl said all it needed to. That he was with her, he'd fight for her, die for her if it came to that...

He slowed as he neared her side, and with tooth rotting sweetness, he smiled bright and warm. As if that wasn't enough he ducked down and gave her chin a submissive kiss or two, maybe three or four. He wasn't counting. Now that he was close enough to see her it didn't take long for him to realise how on edge she seemed. How her sized heaved, how her eyes were narrowed in a pained squint. Oh no.

He knew that now she'd gotten the ball rolling Nin wouldn't stop, so there was only one thing for it.

"Let's get this done quickly...please?"

Permission to Pp @Bellatrix. Also Becca assuming Ramiel and her would have shared names by this point. Let me know if I need to change it or anything else.

Ramiel ARCHER

I don't believe in no devil,'cause I done raised this hell

A rest by the lake was what they needed in the young Archers opinion. He didn't worry about much but in the past days he'd become increasingly worried about their leader. They had traveled far and it had taken longer than he had thought it would to reach this point. As Nineva's call came to him he knew they had found the place they would settle, this would be their new home and he couldn't say he was disappointed with it either.

His choice to follow the ghostly woman had been a good one and as he explored the cavernous place his female companion close by he answered her call. She had asked of them to gather with her so with Bellatrix he moved to where the Hervok was waiting.

There he found Elias already by her side and she wasn't looking very good. “Agreed,” he said as he caught the words the blond man spoke.

☾

Table by Grey

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

This was closer to the Surge than Aytigin would have preferred, but it wasn’t the end of the world. He just wasn’t sure that things would be all that peaceful for this ragtag group of wolves.

He also wasn’t sure how he felt about putting himself under another wolf’s rule.

That seemed like it would be trouble.

Aytigin would deal with it for now, but he didn’t know how long it would last. How long it would be stable. And he wasn’t going to be lorded over by anyone ever again, so he would keep a careful eye on that. He liked Nin, but he wouldn’t let her dictate every move he made or every word he said. That would never happen again.

Chocolate fur was neater than it had been in months. Eyes were brighter now than they’d been when he had first met Nineva. A small smile formed on his lips as he padded up.

Oh. She was in labor.

”Seconded,” he announced, dipping his head a bit. ”Nice to see you all this fine evening.”

Bellatrix trailed after Ramiel like a shadow, following his larger form with ease. He was like some sort of giant - compared to her at least - which made losing him rather hard.

Her tail swayed easily behind her as they arrived on the scene. There was one face she recognized rather well. The blonde giant she had bumped into in the forest. At least she'd have a few friends around. Or acquaintances. Whatever.

The small Rigel girl stayed silent as the others talked. There wasn't anything useful that she could contribute at the moment. Her own mind processed everything as she stayed planted by Ramiel's side. Granted, Bella was pretty oblivious to what the silver female was going through at that moment which left her likely feeling calmer than the others.

Finally, they had arrived. He was a fool if he was to say that the travels had not worn him. They had gone far, this lot and with a very pregnant female at the lead with a land now seemingly overrun by coyotes, ready to pick off any weak links. Not to mention the fact that he had been a loner for quite some time now, traveling from his home in Devilsbite Dell to Relic Lore, then from the Southern Eden of the Lore to its far northern reaches. They had crossed a cherry orchard, a dark forest and over the mountains into an even darker forest. Then, soon enough, they came to this lake here. It was a body of water larger then he had ever seen before and within it, islands which pulled at his interest. He wanted to swim out there, to explore that land, though did not know if he had the swimming power to do so.

The group (soon to be pack) had settled here to regroup, the Boss Lady starting to not look so good after all this journey. Judas found himself enjoying this place, this forest which arced around the upper positions of this lake they had trailed around. Judas could only assume what once was mountains of some sort, had been broken and worn away over time, forming them into towers, plateaus, and platforms to stand upon and in between, twisting labyrinths of pathways, corridors and and bridges which in parts connected the broken rock.

The black wolf was still exploring this place now, bounding from rock to rock, moving to the edge, looking down at his brethren below. Hiding, sneaking about, learning the land. He was not sure he wanted to move on yet with his group but if he had to perhaps they would not go far enough that he could not visit this place again and often. Then a call sounded, one of his Lady Lead and the sound was a promising one in his ears, followed by that of her supporting blonde partner. He bounded from his placement, following the call which lead to the pebble shoreline of the lake. They had so much here - water to quench their thirst and fish from, the forest to hunt further, to protect them and hide them, the towering rocks to view those who came to their doorstep. Perhaps Nineva had realized that too.

When he arrived many of the group was already here, including his brother whom had a small female close to his side, something which caused Judas brow to lift in question. He moved along what would soon be his brethren, silent, until his attention reached the silver woman with the mismatched gaze. "Uhm..You don't look so good?" He spoke, concern obvious in his voice as he looked her over. He did not know what it meant, really, but could only assume it had something to do with the pups inside her.

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2018, 09:27 PM by Judas.)

Several coyote abandoned a half-eaten deer. But before you can take a bite they reappear.

The journey had been taxing. The band of wolves that would form Nineva's new pack had traveled longer than Neha anticipated, in search of where they would plant their roots. However, none of this phased the Vuesain female. For almost a year now, she had been living the life as a nomad, flitting through the various regions of the Lore. Long days or even weeks of travel was something she had grown accustomed to. And although her paws ached, it was with a quiet patience that she pressed on with the others.

They found themselves in the far north again. Not what she was expecting, but at least they weren't quite so close to the lowlands this time. In fact, when the group had stopped to rest, the area was rather...inviting. It was nothing like she had ever seen. A verdant green maze of caverns, shallow gorges and many stone carved ledges. All complete with a pebble lined shore with a vast lakefront view. This lake... The distant islands in the middle... It was familiar. She had been here before, once. Yes, she could picture herself here. This place was nice and tucked away, undiscovered by others. Deep within would be many a place for her to sulk and brood on her darker days. Yes, this would suit her just fine.

With that satisfying thought, as if on cue, her monochrome leader called to her followers. Her mind was made up, and with this the barest of smiles touched her own dark lips. The two women were on the same page with this place. Perhaps it was a sign that this was where she was meant to be. Emerging from the undergrowth bordering the stony beach, Neha came to join the congregation with a proudly flagged tail, muzzle lifted in song to declare her pledge and claim. Her howl was strong but brief, for her eyes landed on Nineva who was crouched over in obvious agony. There was no time for celebration. Concern washing over her face, she picked up the moss wrapped bundle of herbs she had taken for the journey. As a mother herself and a female with some medicinal knowledge, she knew what her friend must be going through. Edging closer, a light touch of her nose to Elias' shoulder was meant to get his attention. "Here." She placed the bundle by his paws. "If need be, these may come in handy. There's Sweetgrass, Pineapple Weed and Ergot." Those specific plants she had collected, in anticipation of the birth. Stepping aside, she allowed the couple their space, knowing first hand that a laboring mother was entitled to a wide berth.

Neha can often be found close to Aleister's side and therefore may appear in any of his threads.

He kept close, to the shadows. They could never be too safe, especially with the vermin around these stretched parts of the lore. Even as they made their trek towards their new home, the scent of coyote never left and Yuka wondered just how great this infestation had integrated itself into their lands. Would this be much like the all out war that had ranged over the lands before his birth? His mother and father had only spoken of it and he had been young at the time, but the topic itself, never the less,fascinated him. In the end, would the result be the same? Death. For the most part, Nineva's male counterpart stuck close to her side and the Thorben stayed out of the way - in the background. When it started to push his own comfort limits with the amount of time he was spending in one location doing nothing, the russet-hued man decided to expand his search of the place they had come. He assumed since they had not moved in a few days time that they had reached their destination. A beauty it was. Yuka was no stickler for the place that he called home as long as the wolves that he pledged his loyalty to remained there. So when his sister's call came to summon them all - to finally make it official what they had started - he gave no pause in turning to head back in the direction he came only slowing down and every once and a while to survey the area and ensure that this part of the perimeter was safe. The large man was glad that he had done so, because as he approached something just seemed different and certainly smelled different in terms of his sister. To put it simply, she smelt just as their mother had before she had given birth to well Nineva and their other siblings. Dark lips thinned into a neutral line, amber teal-flecked eyes watching as a female delivered herbs to their soon-to-be patriarch. He decided, in that instance, that he would be able to tolerate her the most of all out of everyone else gathered. She had not only done something useful but something that could potentially benefit his sister. Returning his gaze to the Hervok, he offered her a slight dip of her head, in acknowledgement of the respect and duty he would readily offer her.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Thank you TABs

aleister vuesain

The journey was long, however, the nomad was accustomed to traveling great distances without truly settling down. Perhaps, the agouti male was too used to it as he slightly disappointed when it seemed the monochrome band leader had chosen the lands she intended to claim. Mismatched gaze took a look around, the terrain holding a slight similarity to the mountain range he was born upon. Though, it wasn't an overbearing amount.

Aleister was still unsure how he felt about putting his nomadic tendencies to rest as he almost felt the decision to follow his sister was precipitous. As his eyes shifted to regard his siblings expression of the place, he was surprised to see a gentle smile flirting on her lips. He couldn't remember seeing a smile on her face since they reunited, he was sure there was never moment while they were together that Neha genuinely smiled.

In that moment watching her, he determined this was the place then for them. If Neha was happy then he was happy. Joining in song, his voice was still apprehensive compared to the others. The call was interrupted as his eyes were thrown to see what bothered Nineva as Neha gathered her herbs and gave them to Nineva's blonde partner. Knowing the leader was well into labor, he was ready to help out wherever he was needed.