Turtleback Lake conquer the percentages

hopin' for a big meet?? aw to everyone in the area! special heads up to @Jethro & Colette, @Reika, @Siyet, @Flair, @Finley.

Flair had denned within Kingsfall, but today Chan made the trek with her to the familiar shores of Turtleback Lake. He worried for his family on the mountain, and though rationally he felt confident that the Lost Lake would be able to hold out, emotionally he hoped dearly that he wasn't horrifically wrong. It couldn't be helped, however, his staying here with the others- there was a new priority in his life now, no matter what was to come.

When they reached the water's edge and had their fill, Chan lifted his head and sent up a howl. He wanted to touch base with everyone, before Flair and Finley were den-bound. Was Cole and her young friend still with them? Were Jet and Siyet fairing well, had they found any others? He watched the horizon for each of them, hoping to see their faces.

Things weren't looking good in the lore. Reika had noticed the water starting to disappear from all of the smaller ponds and creeks. She'd searched everywhere for water in the past weeks. Now it was only Turtleback that held water and even that wasn't the magnitude it once had been. However, it had led to her decision to remain close to the lake so that she still had water available to her.

The young Archer was a sleep in the a small dugout when she heard the call. It was a familiar voice that she'd heard before. Wondering what it was all about she followed it down to the lake where she found Chan. Her paws stuck in the mud as she made her way closer to the remaining water. "What's going on?" She asked.

He’d known Chan had been in the area for a while now, although only recently had the dark one reconnected with the elder man. Someone Jet considered a friend and mentor. Although it seemed fate and the scarcity of water elsewhere were mostly to thank for gathering them together around this giant lake, that was another small thing the dark one chose to be grateful for, in the face of this hardship.

It did not come as a huge surprise, then, to hear him call. It was, however, a bit disconcerting. Considering he did not stray far from the lake these days, Jet did not have far to wander to find the other man and his traveling companions. Another familiar figure was there, too - the pretty Archer girl.

Unlike previous pack meetings with the Cove, Jet didn’t hesitate this time, to saunter up closer to the others, offering all of them a smile and a nod. This was different. And he, too, was different.

Given how scarce water had become these days Finley had chosen to dig her birthing den not too far from the shores of the lake. Not close enough it was in eyesight, but she could definitely trot there in a few minutes, even with her swollen frame. This was pretty much all she managed to do these days, and she could not imagine that she would be able to swell much bigger without bursting. The distorted reflection that stared back at her every time she went for a drink was disgusting.

The woman had been resting within her den, breathing through the practice contractions as they came. At first she had thought it was the real thing, but days had gone by and they were still irregular and no children had come. When the call had come Finley had considered just for a second staying where she was, trying to nap while she could. But the group had done so much for her, and so the temptation was only fleeting.

The agouti woman hauled her pregnant body out of her den and made her way slowly towards where the voice had come from. By the time they came into view, she could only muster a weary smile and settled down into a lounging position. She breathed slowly out of her nose, trying not to show how winded she was.

So far, Flair was less than impressed with pregnancy. Her sides had yet to start swelling, and yet she felt bloated and heavy, and in no mood to socialize. But she couldn’t hide away in her den for months like a hermit, not as long as she could still help to hunt and besides, the daily treks to the lake shore were of utmost necessity. Logically, she knew Chan was right, that they’d all be better off banding together, so she didn’t argue, but it would take a while for her to thaw to anyone else – Gwen’s disappearance was a fresh new wound.   Whether it was the pregnancy, or just the draught making it more notable, she seemed to feel constantly thirsty, and so took her time guzzling as much water as her stomach could hold before stepping back and taking a seat, waiting to see who might answer her companion’s call.   She was surprised to see the bistre youth arrive first, having followed their same trail to the lake as water got scarce. Flair gave her a court nod, still far from sure what to feel about the girl. Next was Jet, whom she knew from Chan was in the area, still trying to gather a pack of his own as far as she was aware. His confident smile came as quite the surprise – in the time they’d shared at the Cove he’d always seemed distant, and she’d never really gotten to know him well; Suppose there’s no time like the present…! Especially seeing as they were gonna be stuck around here for a while.   The dark man earned a friendly nod and the hint of a smile. Then, lastly, came Finley, clearly struggling though she tried to keep up a brave face. Flair’s feelings were mixed about the girl, who’d gotten herself in a situation she was clearly unprepared for, but the fiery woman couldn’t help but feel for her now, knowing she would be in the same state soon enough. Her rusty tail gave a friendly flick as she sent Finley an encouraging smile, before returning her attention to the other two, and waited for Chan to speak first. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

Reika was the first to join them, and Chan had come to know her as a particularly calm and level-headed young woman. He didn't know the details of how her friendship with Colette had come to be, but he was thankful that there was an additional wolf looking out for her here. He greeted her with a smile, and answered her casually.

"Just wanna check in with everyone, see your sunny faces."

Jethro was the next to come, markedly different from the shadowy presence he'd been at the Cove. Chan was glad to see the man's confidence grow, and was surprised only that @Siyet was not following closely after. Instead it was Finley who appeared after a moment, and he would not take up anymore of her time than was necessary given how far along she was.

"Thanks for coming, I just wanted to make sure everyone's alright, catch up with you all. Won't be too long, we're all gonna have our paws full. Are Cole and Si still with us?"

He looked to Reika and Jethro accordingly, assuming they would likely know where their counterparts each were.

The smoky woman was the first to arrive when Chan had called. She hadn't been sure what to expect when she arrived. Being part of a group like they now were was a little different for her. It had always been her and her dad. So when she arrived she was a little concerned. As it turned out Chan wanted to check in with them.

"Oh, well as you can see I haven't dehydrated yet," she joked. It wasn't a joking matter of course but with the situation one had to keep a good sense of humor. Speaking of dehydrating she took bent her head to take a few drinks of water.

As she did so Jethro arrived followed by Flair and Finley. Reika was still getting to know these other wolves. They'd all been kind to her thus far. Truth be told she rather liked all of them. Chan went on to explain that he just wanted to catch up with everyone. She nodded when asked about Colette, [b)"I'm sure she's around her somewhere,"[/b] she replied.

The whole.. Chan and Flair thing was perhaps the most surprising thing to have happened, so far. At least to him. Though he knew very little of the latter, even with the time they’d both spent in the Cove, she’d seemed like the good sort. Jet had to admit, at least to himself, that she and Chan definitely looked good together. Although, given how little he knew about those things, he couldn’t be too sure as to how valid his observation was.

He didn’t doubt they’d be good parents, though. The same went for Finley.

Chan expressed the reason for his call, wanting to check up on everyone, and to see their sunny faces. That was not really an analogy Jethro would’ve applied to himself, but he smiled slightly anyway.  ”Dunno that I’d call myself sunny,” he opted to quip alongside Reika’s comment. As reminiscent as this was of the Cove, it wasn’t that. Chan wasn’t his leader, anymore. And he didn’t feel afraid to speak up.

They were indeed going to have their paws full, though, soon. Chan inquired about someone else named Cole (Reika’s friend, maybe?), and then Siyet.

”Yah, Siyet’s gotta be around here somewhere, too.” It wasn’t like her to wander too far, though everyone did need time for themselves, once in a while. Perhaps this just so happened to coincide with one of those moments.

Somehow when she had arrived she had missed that Flair was already there close to Chan’s side. It had become clear that the pair of them were expecting and Finley would not lie and say that she was surprised. But, she was still too new to pretend to know the dynamics of all the relationships of this hodge-podge group that was calling the shores of the lake their temporary home.

As soon as she laid down Finley wished she had gotten a drink first. Looking longingly at the lake she completely missed the smile that Flair sent her way, though she would have returned it had she seen it. Dark tail flicked behind her once in annoyment at realization that two of the others were not going to be joining them. If she could haul her huge body here in discomfort, why couldn’t they make an appearance?

Still, she knew she owed this whole group her loyalty for taking in a pregnant stranger, and she would never say anything. Instead she smiled, genuinely, at Jethro’s joke - he was certainly the one she felt the most kinship with, seemingly a bit of an outsider, and she kept quiet.

Russet ears flicked as Chan greeted the group in typical, cordial fashion. Reika’s quick response surprised her, earning a snicker from Flair, her brows rising slightly as she looked over at the younger woman. Then Jethro chimed in with his own quip, making a fool fledged, crooked smile break on the fiery woman’s face; Aren’t we a merry bunch? She didn’t dislike it though; a healthy dose of casual sarcasm was her own preferred method of communication.   Chan went on to ask about the wolves who hadn’t shown, making a small wrinkle form between Flair’s eyes. Siyet had left with Jethro, presumably to help him in his pack-founding endeavors, it would be quite surprising if she wasn’t still with him – and indeed, Jet confirmed that she was around; Just couldn’t bother to show…! Flair couldn’t help but think of Gwen, disappearing from one day to the next, despite the connections she’d thought they had. Hopefully Siyet was simply preoccupied with something else, and not about to pull the same trick on her dark companion.   And then there was Colette, Chan’s old flame. Still largely an enigma, and one Flair was eager to learn more about. Yet she continued to elude the fiery woman, perhaps because of the circumstances; guess that’s understandable… She’d like the chance to speak with the other woman though, try to explain her and Chan’s relationship, the ex was owed that much, in the russet woman’s mind. But that was better kept for a private conversation anyway. For now, she looked around at the small group, clicking her tongue thoughtfully; “Y’ know, there’s enough of us fer a proper hunt. Might as well take advantage of that.” She paused, glancing down at Finley before adding, with a soft smile: “Those of us who aren’t about t’ burst!” ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2022, 11:31 PM by Flair.)