Shroud of the Lost sanctuary

(-0.42255, -18.1697)
@Nash @Aquene @Leo @Matos @Galen @Magg @Jessamy @Aven @Neva

Nori wasn't sure why this was so nerve-wracking. Logically, she knew that the worst that could happen was that the pack wouldn't like the place and ask to go somewhere else, which she could live with. But she couldn't help but fear the judgment that might follow - like if, somehow, she didn't do a good job here, she wasn't being useful enough.

She'd led them out to her favorite location she had visited - a small, sheltered forest in the nook of a large river. It seemed secure enough, with plenty of tree cover and bountiful undergrowth and fresh water. Selfishly, she also liked it because it reminded her of where she grew up - she had missed the rivers she spent her childhood playing in, and this one even had a shallower section nearby for the pups to play if they wanted to.

There were plenty of plants that Nori didn't know the names of, but carried herbal notes like the ones Aquene and Eros had used when they were treating Leo. Little patches of flowers and greenery that decorated the forest floor with color and life.

And, up the hill a ways, well clear of any rising water, stood a large tree with twisting roots and a cavity beneath. It was a decent spot for a den, as well. It would take some work, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. A bit of digging had never hurt anyone.

Nori tipped her head back to call for the rest of her pack mates, and stood around anxiously awaiting their arrival. As they began to trickle in from the brush, she offered a small smile and a tip of her head, tail giving a few swishes behind her. "So..." she began cautiously, clearing her throat. "What do we think?"

The trek had been slow, much slower than the trip to the falls. Matty was unsure which pace he liked least, the overwhelming quickness or the dragging snail pace. Probably the former if he really had to choose. Going slower allowed their youngsters and injured to keep up and remained protected. After the thunderstorm with the twins the swarthy young man had been a bit more on edge. He kept his two toned gaze always watchful after them and his sister. His cousin was out ahead of them scouting for a new place to call home. It had his heart panging, a small part of him hoping she'd be unsuccessful so they could possibly return to the mountain. It was selfish of him to want to return, so she shoved the desire into a deep dark hole within himself and locked it away.

Dark audits swiveled as Nori's voice rang out not far off. He wove his dark frame between trees and underbrush. The forest was thicker than that of the mountain and the eldest Eastfall-Slayer man had yet to determine his feelings on the matter. Though he supposed that it would keep the hawks away. A pang of pain and guilt bit at hit at the thought. He should've done better...

Amber and emerald found his cousin's tawny form waiting for the rest to arrive. His gaze moved from her to the rest of their surroundings. They had followed a river and he assumed it was nearby as the sound reached him. There was also a large tree with the tops of its roots exposed that would be a good place to dig a den. Matos took a seat as he waited for the rest of his family to join them.

He'd instructed they all stay close, and so far they had. The last few days he had taken more time to travel directly beside Aquene than in previous days, hoping the distance had given them some security from whatever nightmare stalked their old homeland. Maybe those that came after would be smarter and avoid the mountain altogether, allowing the dead to lie in peace and the cold to suffer its own.

He shook himself. That was beyond his concern now. If someone else decided to call the Lake home, that was on them and he couldn't continue being protective of it. Even if his parents were there. If Aleister was there. If Sari's bones littered the ground somewhere. Nash shuddered.

Nori's voice up ahead called him out of his spiral and with a glance at Aquene and Jessamy he picked up his pace, breaking into a trot to answer the request. She didn't appear distressed so he didn't feel the need to run and made sure to maintain a pace his immediate companions could keep up with. He slowed to a stop, greeting his son with a gentle nudge to the shoulder, and surveyed their surroundings. It felt enveloped by green, most certainly sheltered during the summer, but he wondered what winter might bring? Nash's ears twitched toward the running water, eyes falling on the knotted roots that could serve as a protectant for a den. It sent a pang of familiarity through him.

"It seems peaceful enough," he said, then looked to his wife. She and Magg would have the final say in the matter.

Aquene moved slower, moving up along Nash’s rear to settle beside him, bringing Jessamy with her and keeping the girl close to her all the same. As they traveled, she grew more worried about any threats from above… thankfully, when they came to a halt, she figured they would be stopping for the night.

That was… until Nori mentioned that they were there. She looked around, the bend of a river which would provide water, a forest with plenty of coverage and promise of prey… herbs would grow well here as well, she was certain. The fog was thicker… at least it would be coming down from the peak… a frown seeing such a daunting sight in the distance.

Surely the proximity to this mountain, even if they were not on it, would not bring them more ill fortune, right? She’d remain silent, offering a hum to Nash when he stated it was peaceful enough. She’d need to walk around more, explore it more, to see how she felt fully about it.

But for now, she was tired from the travel, and so she closed her eyes and leaned against Nash for more support. It was then that she chose to take time to breathe.

Aquene Slayer

The journey had been an agonizingly slow one, but for good reason. Ever watchful gold eyes had kept their gaze upon the youngest and injured in the pack to ensure their safety during the trek, although resisting whatever paternal urges itched beneath his pelt to adorn the twins with perhaps slightly more attention than the others. Galen had been aloof with his childhood best friend since her demotion to lowest, something he wasn't entirely proud of nor knew how to go about such a delicate predicament they had found themselves in. Nobody knew of his part in the deed, but he hadn't expected so much distance to have developed between Magg and himself either.

A swarthy ear flicked at the sound of Nori's call and drew the man out of his own thoughts while his attention had drifted elsewhere, opting to watch their leader inspect the immediate area for a moment before his own gaze dared to take in the scenery around them. Off a small ways the sound of flowing water could be heard, most likely a river of some sort that would offer aquatic prey and a drink when needed. Above, plenty of tree cover would help protect the little ones from predators that soared the skies and perhaps even lighten the amount of snow that would litter the floor once the weather dipped in winter. Ahead, a large tree with exposed roots could serve as a proper den after some extra tendering from those gathered to make it just right. All in all this location was peaceful, he had to admit.

Galen approved.

WHEN THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO BURN

To say that Magg disliked her cousin Nori would unfortunately be an understatement. That she was still with them while @Eclypse had never been found, and had now been completely left behind, had her anger at a boiling point once again. Upon their leaving the mountain, she had ceased acknowledging the other wolf's existence completely, leaving it on display for everyone that the other Eastfall was on her shit list. In the moment the scout called out for them this day, Magg had been playing with her girls further down the river. The summons registered clearly, but she didn't move to heed it. Instead, she looked to @Aven and @Neva with a self-satisfied smirk. "Nori. We don't listen to her, do we, angel?" her tone was playful, and she gently splashed at them both. "We'll go if Poppa or Gamma call us." Otherwise, this was the little family of three's free time.

YOU HAVE TO SET YOURSELF ON FIRE

Leo breathed a deep sigh of relief when they left the constricted thickets, the skin twitching all along his shoulders as if to shake off the feeling of claustrophobia, as well as a number of burrs and other sticky seeds that had clung to his fur. Almost instinctively, as soon as the hid a clearing, he raised his head to look back at the horizon, watching the shrinking silhouette of the mountain for a heartbeat before turning his attention to the land before them. They seemed to have hit a boundary between forest and grassland, soft hills dressed in wildflowers rolling on to their right as they continued on, hugging the tree line. There was something soothing about the open land, dipping and rising in a swathe of colors, stalks and grasses waving softly in the wind; looking at it, the Vuesain heir felt centered for the first time since he’d run from the mountain, several moons back. Alas, the call of Nori drew him away from the highlands and back under the cover of trees, their mostly leafy branches forming a much denser canopy than the pines around Lost Lake. With his limping gait, it took awhile before he came to the clearing where she stood, surrounded by most of the pack already. She appeared nervous, or excited in some other way, the air around her seeming to crackle as all eyes were turned her way, before then straying to their surroundings; Has she found a place…? Nash’s reserved comment was the only thing to break the silence as everyone inspected the space, protected from prying eyes, but still with enough gabs in the leaves above to let in rays of golden sunlight, illuminating patches of rich undergrowth, flowers adding dots of color among the green. He’d had to cross the river to get there, a nice shallow ford where young and old could pass without danger of heavy undercurrents, but surrounded by deeper gully’s where they might fish. And as he turned back around, he saw the small slope, crowned with an old, gnarled tree, spreading out its roots in a very inviting gesture – looking to embrace the pack. With no one else vocalizing their thoughts, Leo couldn’t help but look back at Nori, standing there with nervous expectation. A soft smile, curved his lips as he slowly hobbled over to her side, speaking loud and clear enough for everyone to hear, though his gaze remained locked on her as her said: “I think it’s brilliant.” Thoughts ”Speech”

Coccineus, annamae22, stock-ashleyrwatts & Dawnthieves.de

Sam stayed close enough to her parents to see them - or more so they could see her. She played alongside their walking entertaining herself with flowers and roots and sometimes chasing butterflies when one fluttered by. She almost missed her cousin's call, but when her parents turned Jessamy was quick to follow. She resented the faster walk, since she couldn't distract herself from how much her paws hurt.

She kept her grumbling to herself though, as she so often did, and obediently fell in beside her mother. She looked up at her father, and around their space. Good enough for what, she wondered? Her ears twitched towards the sound of running water and her paws itched to go see.

It was hard to read everyone's expressions as they approached, one after another. As much as she wanted to somehow spin the silence to be a good thing, Nori knew that it was likely no one would genuinely approve of the place. After all, many of them had spent either the majority of, if not their entire lives on that mountain. This was going to be difficult for them, even if the place was nice, and Nori would be fine if they wanted to keep looking, if this wasn't adequate. Matos, then Galen, Nash and Aquene, then Leo, and finally little Jessamy entered the clearing.

Magg's absence wasn't lost on her either, but she hadn't really been expecting her cousin to show up. The younger woman had been avoiding her explicitly, after all, and Nori had been keeping her distance as well, not wanting to stir the pot even more than she already had. Still, she doubted there was anything she could do to ever mend that relationship, so all she was really doing was avoiding more conflict. It was most likely pointless, in the end - Nori assumed she would have to leave for Magg to be happy. That would be the necessary outcome.

For a while, Nash's comment was the only one hanging in the air: It seems peaceful enough. It was positive, at least, but not enough to quell the nervousness fluttering in Nori's chest, and she couldn't help but wish for a quiet place to crawl into and hide away.

She was preparing herself to do the next best thing, in her eyes - some kind of play or show she could put on to show more confidence than what she felt. To downplay how uncomfortable the situation was making her, and maybe to talk down the area, so that she wouldn't feel as bad when they inevitably decided to head elsewhere. It was fine, of course - it wasn't like it had to be here, after all.

Everything's fine.

But just as she was preparing herself to speak again, filling her lungs with air, when Leo moved closer to her and whatever she was about to say fizzled on her tongue. She must've looked owlish, eyes round as he spoke up, but she was caught off guard by the statement, not too unlike the one he'd made when they first met.

I think it's brilliant.

Someone brilliant, I'm sure.

There was a prickle of warmth that ghosted across her cheeks as she studied his expression, a small smile of her own settling on her face. She shifted a little bit closer to him, not quite touching, but wanting to express her gratitude for his support. It felt like some sort of weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and the nervous energy eased.

"Obviously you all don't have to make a decision now, but... I think it's got a lot of potential," she said with a wag of her tail, finally glancing away from Leo toward the rest of the pack. There was a double meaning to her words that she herself might not have realized just yet, finding herself wishing to look back at the Vuesain, but that was something for Future Nori to figure out. "It's not up to me, either, and it's okay if you'd rather find somewhere different. Something just feels good about the place to me." There was a smile on her face now, posture more relaxed as she looked over each of her family.

I'll post the next round 8/13 ^^ no posting order

Slowly they gathered, answering the call from whatever scattered position they'd held as they roamed, and Nash counted them as they arrived. His sons were all present, his wife and daughter fast behind him, but Magg and her girls were absent. Nash frowned, and tilted his head back to call for them. He would not make a decision without her; it was all or nothing, as it had been with leaving the mountain. He didn't want any of his family to abandon them now - already Eclypse had been left behind, and should Monatalia ever return she wouldn't know where to look.

Too many left behind, and his paws itched to go find them.

Nobody spoke for a long moment, and then Leo moved next to Nori and offered his opinion. Nori's reaction to the man's declaration did not go unnoticed by the leader; he shot a bemused glance at Aquene, wondering if she caught it and what her thoughts on it were. Perhaps he was imagining things, trying to find something pure in all the pain of the year so far.

Nash turned his gaze to the rest of the assembly, waiting for the rest of them to say their piece.