Lost Lake Show me where to look

Backdated  to 9/9. AW, remembrance thread and cairn building. Located close to but outside of SC. Meant to be a sub territory creation thread hopefully! image reference.

Remembering Moon's advice about keeping her loved ones with her, Stella had chewed on something of an idea since returning to the cove. The yearling girl felt adrift, and she needed something more solid to anchor herself and her memories too. Perhaps, it could be of help to others, too. And so, after discussing it with Oksana, she had informed the others of her intentions to create something of a memorial.

Early in the morning she gave a short call, letting those who might wish to accompany her know that she was about to begin her climb. Then, securing her jaws around a flat, smooth stone she had hunted from the lakeshore the night before, she lifted it up and began to walk. The stone was heavy in her jaws, but she needed a strong foundation if this was to be a lasting tribute. The relatively short journey would be undertaken with few words for any who might join, necessitated by the stone she carried, though as they walked they could join together in remembrance.

As they climbed, she thought of her father. Aleister. Pa. How could he be gone? It still didn't seem real, but already her little siblings were growing bigger without him to see it, life was moving on without his warm smile, his bright mismatched gaze. A shuddering breath was sucked in and released, one foot placed in front of the other. It wasn't right, but it still was, and they had to go on somehow.
There were others they'd lost, too. She knew her Ma was not likely to come back, barring some miracle she had long since given up on. Still others were simply too far away for her liking. And she was hardly alone.

The path wound up, growing more narrow and rocky, and Stella reached the place she had found before, where a blocky escarpment overlooked the lake and the pack territory. The stones here were weathered almost like natural cairns already, and autumn's first touches had brought a splash of vivid color to the sparse vegetation. Placing the stone she'd brought down for a moment, she turned to look at those who had come with her. Only now did nerves begin to tangle in her stomach.

When Stella had first told him of her idea to build a memorial for her father, Nash had given his full support. He would let her and her siblings do the planning, of course; it was their way of remembering Al, and the new leader didn't want to step on their toes. He was more than happy to participate, however; he'd loved Al too.

Her call came early, while Nash was still curled up with his family. He raised his head and waited a moment before hauling himself to his feet. He offered each of his children a small kiss to the head before nuzzling his wife and trotting off to collect his selected stone. He'd left a small pile of smaller rocks for his children to pick from if they so desired, but should any of them seek to disrupt the memorial he would be dragging them back down the mountain. He would not stand for Al to be disrespected - nor his grieving children.

With the stone heavy in his teeth Nash followed Stella's pack up the hillside. He could hear more pawsteps behind him, but he didn't turn to look or greet whoever was coming along. His focus was on his footing and the memories swirling through his brain. How had it already been so long since Aleister had left them?

When he caught up with Stella he placed his stone next to hers and briefly touched his nose to her shoulder in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture before standing back to make room for the others and let t he Vuesain girl take charge of the event.

Things were... okay, she supposed. She didn't know grief in the way her older half-siblings did, as she hadn't known her father nearly so well, but she knew the gap in their family, knew the pain her mother's heart, and knew the other adults suffered similarly. She knew she missed his scent and missed visiting him. She knew she was sad.

Di was aware of her older sister's plan and had spent days picking through the rocks littering the lakeshore to find the perfect one to carry up the mountain for her dad. She couldn't take one as big as some of the others might, but she didn't think size was the most important part. She wanted her rock to feel right. Finally, right before bed the previous night, she'd found one. It was only about the size of her paw but it was smooth and round and had a beautiful swirl of color through it. It reminded her of her dad's eyes.

This was the one.

The pup had carefully hidden it so none of the others could take it, and she'd crawled from her mother's side early to sit in waiting beside the chosen stone until she heard Stella's call. Suddenly emotional, Diantha swallowed, lifted the stone in her mouth, and made her way to the path. Her paws felt like stones themselves, but she managed to follow their dark leader up the trail until they reached her sister's side. Like Nash before her, Di carefully placed her rock beside Stella's and moved to her side, pressing against her and tucking her face against the older girl's leg.

(This post was last modified: Oct 02, 2022, 04:16 PM by Diantha.)

Chan had been eager to take the first scouting opportunity presented to him, relishing in the brief independence and guaranteed solitude. During those days between when he'd been told of the planned tribute and its execution, he'd entertained the idea of participating in full. When the day arrived however, his knotted stomach and heavy heart would not let him. He observed them as they gathered their stones, and trailed behind them some ways up the mountain.

Then the cliffs turned sharp, and he drifted out of sight. Chan lurked in the nearby forest, processing the matter on his own while keeping an ear out for the others. Just in case.

likely to be chan's only post, please skip him going forward <3

(This post was last modified: Oct 19, 2022, 09:50 PM by Magg.)

This visit was so starkly different from the previous one, and he knew that @Seri was feeling it too. Eros moved somberly at his friends side as the procession began, not able to help the rampant sympathy consuming his mind. Last time, it had been his friend's first real visit with his Dad and he'd thought it had been the start of something new and good. Instead, it had become the only visit and what had followed was a funeral.

He selected his own stone from the lake shore as they passed it, and held it gingerly upon his tongue as though the object were as tender as its message. As they made the climb upward, he would occasionally lean into his best friend to silently remind him that he was there with him each step of the way.

When they arrived to Stella's chosen location, Eros slowed to a stop and took in the terrain and its view of the rest of the range. It was remarkable for sure; she had done well.

Magg would have rather been caught dead than miss out on something everyone was doing together. When the time had come, she dutifully followed after her father and mirrored his somber demeanor. The proffered pile of pebbles was perused, and a particular stone then chosen to be her contribution. She held it betwixt her teeth and bounded after Nash once more.

The walk was longer than she was accustomed to, and her mind wandered the constantly the entire journey. Magg wondered what @Galen and his siblings were thinking and feeling, tried to imagine what a memorial would look and sound and feel like, and hoped for what it could change. Maybe after this, things could... lighten up a bit?

The adults stopped and so did she, always in step with her father. When he moved to comfort Stella she continued to copy him, her own wet nose tapping the older girl's shoulder before she scurried away to seat herself beside the shadowy leader.

(This post was last modified: Oct 19, 2022, 10:02 PM by Magg.)

The dark boy was curled up happily among his family when Stella's call reached his dark audits. One flicked before he welcomed a kiss from his father. He sat still for a moment, on the verge of falling back asleep when he felt on of his sisters wiggle out from beneath him. A large yawn escaped his maw causing his coral tongue to curl inside his pearly white teeth. Blinking away his sleep he followed after Magg, leaving Mona and his mother behind. Dual gaze watched as she picked a puppy sized rock from the pile his father had created and bounded after him. His father had explained what it was for, and it filled the eldest Eastfall-Slayer child with sadness.

Tiny dark jaws parted and grabbed a unique shaped rock, holding it awkwardly as he followed after his family. They came to a steep incline and began to climb. His youthful limbs easily made the journey but were beginning to tire by the time they all stopped. Caramel and emerald watched everyone before him place their stones next to Stella's. Following their leads, Matos let his smooth stone among the new pile. His fluffy ears fell against his head as he licked the older girl's chin with a quiet whine. He then gave Di a nudge to her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her as well. They both had lost their father, and while the boy didn't understand what they were feeling he knew they need love and support.

He moved back, coming to stand at Magg's side silently. He didn't know quite how building a memorial went but he figured remaining quiet and waiting for instructions on what to do next.

I think I need help, cuz I'm drowning in myself

Her heart was heavy with the knowledge of building a memorial in Al's name. It was something she felt would help the not only the Vuesain children, but the pack as a whole. It was somewhere they could all go to feel close to him. Give them a place to grieve and find their closure. Moonshadow had watched as her family hunted for stones they felt were best. Instead of walking the lake shore, the ebony matriarch found her paws taking her beyond the borders. Back to where it all began. Fallen Tree Cove. Where Al had been born, where she had been taken in and given a family and a purpose. Where she had built her entire life and loved with all her heart. Mercury orbs landed on the rockslide that had taken her husband, that was now his final resting place. For a while, she just sat in silence, before the tears started. They started out slow before becoming a downpour.

An unknown amount of time had passed before the tears finally subsided. The inky woman sat in silence once more. Her heart was still heavy, but a small weight had been lifted. Just letting it out was a huge relief. Her silver gaze looked upon the pile when a small glint caught her attention. A shiny jagged rock shone in the sunlight from beneath two large dark stones. Gently moving the larger rocks Moon plucked the shiny pebble out and setting it out to get a better look at it. It was almost as large as her paw, shiny in some parts like how the lake was when the sun hit it just right and a looked like ice protruding from a dark smooth base. The elderly woman hadn't seen anything like it before, it was almost like it had been sent from above.

Stella's call rang through the trees, waking the Eastfall woman. With a yawn and much needed stretch of her stiff limbs she gathered her jewel and set off. Silver orbs watched the parade of her loved ones making their way up the steep incline. A sharp inhale was sucked into her lungs as she began her climb, much slower than everyone else. Her age was showing significantly, but her determination was as strong as ever. She would make this climb, she would be there for her family when they needed her...no matter how long it took.

Moon is making her way up but wont arrive among everyone else until at least the next round <3

Word Count: 403

Feel free to post in the next round again for the first or last time if you want, otherwise I'll close this some time after the holidays!

Stone by stone, the cairns grew.

She blinked at them all, hesitating and trying to think of what to say, and Nash's support came greatly appreciated. Stella hadn't exactly planned a speech, but she knew what she wanted to share with them, why she'd asked them to be here. How much it meant to her that they'd come, even those who lingered somewhere nearby meant everything. Of course there were those that weren't here, and it hurt. But that's what this was about, finding a way to live with that and still be okay.

"Thank you for coming," the girl began, hesitation wavering her voice. "I wanted us to have a place we can share, where we can come to be together or alone whenever we want to. To be with Pa, Aleister," she trailed off, it still felt so strange to say, but those here had all been a part of his life in one way or another and they'd carry on living. "with each other, with whoever we miss. As long as we carry them with us, they're still a part of the Lore," she fell silent. The words felt as sufficient as she could hope, given that no words would ever really be enough to express everything she felt as she looked from face to face.

The climb had lead them near the Cove, but not within its borders. A sentinel's place, to keep vigil over the Cove and the surrounding landscape. She hoped travelers and pack wolves alike could seek the peace this place offered.

The girl moved to trail amongst them quietly, still feeling lost but glad she had those around her to turn to in this moment. There was a sweet and fleeting press of the nose from Magg, and Stel took extra care to find a moment to share with Diantha. She bent and gave Matos a kiss on the head in quiet thanks to the little boy. And then she searched for Moonshadow, who had given her some of the words she'd needed most of all. She'd always be thankful to them.

(This post was last modified: Dec 12, 2022, 07:31 PM by Stella.)

None of her littermates had come, Diantha realized as she looked around the assembly of wolves joining them. It caused a frown to cross her face; why had none of them come? She knew they missed their dad as much as she did. Maybe it was too much for them, to carry a stone up the mountainside and beyond the borders of their territory. Maybe that's why @Oksana wasn't here either; it surprised Di that her mother hadn't arrived to the memorial for her departed husband.

Di listened silently as her older sister spoke, eyes still wandering. She recognized the other leader, the one who replaced her dad, and two of his children. Where was his wife, the one who'd failed to save her dad? There were other faces she didn't recognize, one of which that didn't even smell of the pack. She wasn't sure if she felt insulted or pleased that outsiders were here to honor her father.

When Stella finished speaking Di hesitantly moved forward to touch her nose to the pile of rocks. "Bye, dad," she murmured. "I love you." Choking on the lump in her throat the girl stepped back again and hung her head, rapidly blinking back the urge to cry.