Paradise Falls contingencies

--thanks all! second round, no posting order ^^

He observed, remaining mostly still except to return any greeting in kind, as the others made gathered around. Despite the nature of the conversation to come, and the cloud of worry that seemed to hang above those old enough to understand, Jet also couldn’t help but to feel pride and love for the entirety of the group.

Flair, Chan, and their associated family. Finley, Ryder, Atara, and even Colette were each valued and appreciated. He couldn’t help a small smile at the banter between Atara and Ryder. It was nice to see that at least they seemed to be on good terms.

As much as he’d have liked to get lost in those more pleasant thoughts though, the seemingly ever-present tinge of smoke in the air was a reminder of a very real potential threat.

”G’morning everyone. I’m sure most of you know why we’re here.” They could all smell it. And unlike some previous issues they’d dealt with, a fire wasn’t something that could be killed or chased out.

”First, we need to figure out how close the threat is. I’ll be going out myself to scout and investigate, to see if we must truly be concerned. I hope to not be longer than two weeks, but that’s not a hard guarantee.” Scouting by nature was time consuming, add to that the fact that he’d want to be absolutely certain that there was no fire within range, and the trip could very easily run long.

”Until I return, nobody should go far beyond our home without communicating to another - preferably Flair - where they’re going and for how long. I’d like the children to always have a guardian nearby, and I think it’d be smart to have a sentry on duty at all times, day and night, monitoring for any signs of approaching fire.” It was a fairly straightforward plan, and whilst Jet didn’t particularly like laying out such mandates, he also trusted they’d understand and look after one another. The rules were for the safety of everyone. The last thing anyone would want was fire to come upon them at night, or for a child to go unaccounted for should disaster strike.

”Second, should a fire come upon us, we need to know where to go. My first thought would be to meet at the lake, or even the mountains, but.. if those places prove unreachable, we may need other options. If anyone’s got ideas or other suggestions, now’s the time.”

As if almost called by the Lennox woman’s thoughts Ryder and Atara came onto the meeting arguing about… something. They always seemed to be nagging each other about something or other, though as far as she was aware it was nothing more than sibling teasing. Overhearing Atara giving Ryder a hard time even after joining the meeting Finley shot her daughter a stern look and hushed her quietly. Atara was even less inclined towards the polite manners the mother was trying to instill on her than her brothers had been. For Ryder she only offered a grateful, though somewhat exasperated smile.

Turning back towards Jethro as he spoke, she couldn’t help the sharp inhale that came at his words though she managed to mostly keep her expression calm. The only thing that gave her away was a brief widening of her green eyes. She didn’t like the idea of him leaving for two weeks, or potentially more, though would never speak up to say so. If he felt like this was something he had to do as part of his leadership duties then he was well within his rights to do so. That didn’t mean she needed to be pleased with his decision, but would keep that to herself.

Not being able to leave the territory meant halting their searches for Caspian and she once again found herself looking sideways to the son at her side. Surely they would be able to continue to look as long as they went together right? She wasn’t one to disobey orders but if that was what it meant then she would have a hard time adhering to this one. She wanted to speak up, but found herself physically biting her tongue, afraid of what might come out and looked down to her paws, a stormy look in her usual bright eyes.

She only half listened as their dark leader went about explaining his reasoning for calling them together. Experience in the act gave her an ability to sit still, to pretend to be attentive despite her discomfort in being this close to all of the others. He went over concerns, ideas, plans. He was brave; noble even, to venture out there himself - though some might also call it foolish.

There was one segment of Jethro’s speech that caught her attention more than the rest, though. A night sentinel.

”I can keep watch at night. Don’t mind,” she volunteered without even having to consider it. Not shift was not exactly her typical schedule, but Cole figured she’d have an easier time adjusting than some of the others. And it’d let her continue to do her job unimpeded. Without having to see many of them.

”If you both agree, that is.” She added on, good eye glancing at both leaders, but mostly Flair - who’d be left to coordinate things in Jet’s absence - for their approval or denial.

Once the children were again gathered together before his paws he fussed over them, as though anything could have happened to them in those scant few moments. Licks were given to their noses to ensure they were clear and then he listened once more to their breathing. There was two, thinned moments of comfort when Flair and Marigold each joined them, but anxiety's iron grip still refused to loosen. When the pack was gathered and Jethro began to speak, Chan's gaze lifted, settling on his leaders with equal amounts of trust and cynicism lurking there within. He knew everyone would do all that they could, but best efforts only ever amounted to so much. By this time tomorrow, they could all be nothing but ash and bone. He slipped down onto his stomach, eyes losing focus a moment.

There had been a time he would have insisted on being the one to scout, or at least accompanying Jethro. There were no such impulses in him now. No one would be convincing him to leave his children's sides, even for the greater good of the whole group. Chan was at a point he did not think he'd ever be at; confident that, if it actually came down to it, he would leave the others to perish if it meant getting Marigold, Micaden, Addison and Flair out alive.

Chan lowered his head to the ground and shut his eyes, ears pressing forward to show he was still listening to what was being said. His own thoughts had him just as weary as the smoke and physical exhaustion. As requested, he tried to focus on thinking of places to escape to, a familiar topic to his mind. There had been ideas, but in the moment his brain felt scrambled, and he knew he would be of no more use until he slept first. He remained silent.

(This post was last modified: Sep 23, 2023, 02:10 AM by Chan.)

It was easy for Addison to drift in and out of light sleep as the others continued to filter in, and remained so as Jethro began to speak. The wolf's voice only break through in clips and phrases, and it was uncertain what she would ultimately retain, if anything. That there was danger and worry definitely was not registering.

At one point, she stretched out and rolled over onto her other side. Her legs twisted around one of her brother's ankles and then she curled up again, effectively possessing his paw as though it were a teddy bear. Meanwhile, her back pressed against the warmth of her father's throat. A few coughs later, and she was out completely.

Marigold was surprised to hear first that their alpha would be the one stepping away from the pack to scout out their situation. She supposed if it were her, she might feel similarly- wanting to see for her own eyes, taking action herself rather than delegating. Still... something about it didn't sit right. What if he didn't come back? What if crisis struck in his absence? She glanced to Atara, a dose of empathy in her eyes.

Part of her wanted to volunteer to go in his stead, but she was still not familiar with all that life in a pack involved. Speaking up, disagreeing could be seen as disrespectful, a challenge. So Mar bit her tongue, at least until an opportunity for service was presented.

"As can I," she offered behind Colette, looking to her leadership.

"There's a rise in the lowlands if the plains are clear. Further north, tundra. I don't see how that could burn..."

It was a trek, but all she knew. To her knowledge, all that lay to the east was forests upon forests. Tinderboxes, in another word.

Ryder's ears lifted, brows knitting with mild confusion. Jet was leaving, for two whole weeks? He didn't like that, but- in the next heartbeat, his eyes widened, realization hitting. Scouting. This was his chance to look even further for Caspian.

"I wanna go," he couldn't wait for a turn any longer, chiming in immediately after Marigold's last words were uttered.

"Scouting. With you. I want to go and help you scout." His stormy gaze was directly on Jethro, expecting that as long as their alpha said yes, his mom wouldn't say no. They better not say no... the thought made him want to squirm.

(This post was last modified: Oct 26, 2023, 03:40 AM by Ryder.)

Atara also was not happy to hear that her father was apparently going to be somewhere else. It hardly made sense to her, but she knew enough to know it meant not seeing him or being able to play with him for an extended time. Frowning deeply, she had a hard time waiting through all the talk to get a chance to tell her dad she didn't want him to go. A few times, she'd turn her head and look to her mother with concern, but Finley didn't speak.

Then Ryder did, and her jaw dropped with outrage as he too said he wanted to leave. Well if that was how it was going to be- !

"Me too!" she practically demanded, sitting as tall and proud as she could manage and staring her father down. She was big enough, she could keep up, she could be like Addison and nap anywhere at all!

(This post was last modified: Oct 05, 2023, 03:16 AM by Atara.)

I've got so much time to kill

Micaden wrinkled his nose at his father’s touch, but there was a smile on his face and a soft wag to his tail all the same, enjoying the caress. Soon enough all his family was gathered around him, and they each earned a look from bright, curious eyes, a rare chance to observe them all together, and revel in the community. Atara earned especial interest from the younger boy, her seemingly boundless energy and eternal fascination.

There was little time to fraternize though, as Jethro soon started talking, a lot. Micaden tried to follow along, but all the words quickly blurred together, and as Addison hugged his paw in her sleep, Mica too felt his eyelids begin to droop. Dark ears would continue to twitch in the direction of every speaker, but it wasn’t until Ryder spoke up, followed immediately by Atara, that the pups eyes blinked back open, shooting sideways at his ‘cousins’. “What’s scoutin’ mean?” He piped up, stretching unto the toes of his forelegs as he looked first at his dad and then across to his mom and Jet. Whatever it was, if Atty was going, he wanted to go too, tail wagging eagerly; He wasn’t about to miss out, even if he was younger.

As the rest of the pack continued to arrive, Flair offered each a tentative smile, silently noting those no longer among them – and desperately hoping they would find their way back; And the Falls won’t be ashes by then… A shiver ran down her spine and she quickly shook off the thought, turning her full attention on Jethro as he began to speak. Most of what he said was as she’d expected, the same concerns she’d been harboring, brought to the discussion of the pack at large; watching for fires and making plans for what to do when they came. What she didn’t expect was his decision to go scouting himself, alone – it was true, with their smaller numbers, they needed every capable body to hunt and guard the pack – but she still didn’t like the idea of her fellow leader going off on his own, or being alone to lead the rest in his absence, for that matter. With furrowed brows, she waited for the rest of the group to speak, letting them voice their thoughts before giving her own. Surprisingly, it was Colette and then Marigold who spoke up first, Finley and Chan both staying uncharacteristically quiet, making her brows furrow even further. But she focused on the pale women, offering them a grateful smile; “Thank y’ both. I’ll take a turn as well, so we can all still get our sleep.” She glanced again between Finley, Chan and their children before adding: “And with th’ pups too of course.” The twins were starting to get more mobile and Atara was already all over the place; We’ll need to be extra vigilant…! When it came to escape routes, she was in agreement with both Jet and Mari; “A’ think th’ lake should be our first resort, th’ water should keep any fire at bay.” She nodded at her co-lead, briefly glancing at the children, wondering how much they understood of all of this. Then, directed at Marigold, she added; “If we need t’ go further, we can follow th’ water north, tundra’s less likely t’ burn.” As for the scouting, before she could voice her opinion, Ryder spoke up, making the alphess’ brows rise. It wasn’t a bad idea, letting the yearling gain some experience and feel like he was truly contributing, and Jet wouldn’t be out there all on his own. But ultimately, it didn’t feel like her decision to make, and she looked between Finley and the dark man, eyes conveying her support of the idea, although; “It’s up t’ you.” The excitement of the pups made her smile, despite everything, eyes turning to her own son as she explained: “It’s going out’n’ looking for stuff, very boring,” That part was intended for Atara, though she doubted it would deter the girl. So, slightly more stern, she would add; “And it’s only for big wolves.” ”Speech" Thoughts

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