Swift River after the storm

<blockquote><i>sorry i'm late on this.</i>
It was not a usual gathering, not at all, and Triell was rather somber face through it.

He smiled a few small smiles to his brother, and nephews. He stared, at the speckled stranger who made sure to stay clear of Marsh, and his eyes softened watching his littermate, Borlla give her respects. He saw Cori was not impressed, and felt a twinge of pain for his sister. Yet he felt he was not in the gray leader's good graces either. He had left too. He did not hold onto the thought long, he wa alert to each new arrival to be sucked in the blackness of thoughts. Volkan happend to be the next to arrive , and whom appeared out of place amongst the River wolves, but respectfully kept low giving the leader's first greet. His eyes did not leave her, and the tip of his muzzle gave a slight twitch almost to smirk. Triell couldn't smirk, not now, and he kept his face indifferent. He let his eyes wander around before he stared off looking past everyone at nothing. He heard the tiny steps of Kisla, and his face shifted watching the shy girl take place near her parents.

But Triell knew there was at least one more, and for a brief moment wondered if he would come. He wasn't sure how the dynamics worked anymore. He did not want this brothers to fight again. Ruiko came, and Triell's body tensed watching the tawny form of his brother walk amongst the gathered wolves. He gave no bad sign to the leaders. However, he caught the tension from Ruiko to Marsh and for a second it wouldn't surprise him if they did fight for place. No such thing happened, now at least, and Ruiko took his place as third. Triell let out the breath he'd been holding. Somehow it caught in his throat, watching Ruiko reassure Volkan, because Triell could feel the heat that made his hair rise flicker in his chest. Luckily Indru stepped forward, and the feeling disappered. Now the meeting would begin.

Large pack ears perked, and he took in all that Indru said watching the reactions of the smallest members. He knew who they were, but payed attention to those around him to. This meeting was important, and he should try to make an effort he decided. When Cori stood forth she had his attention, but unlike the rest he did not volunteer. It wasn't that he wouldn't mind, he only thought it might be best for others to spend some time with them. Of coarse if he was asked he wouldn't hesitate to take his nephews, or niece. His mind drifted thinking of a place where they might go to keep safe. A couple pictures of the territory came to mind. He waited till it was quiet, and than looked to Cori. <b>"I may know of a couple places they could stay,"</b> he said with a soft tail wag. He spoke no more giving a glance to the stranger in the group. His name was the only one he did not know sadly.</blockquote>

are you with me through it all?

Hey guys, thanks for doing so well with keeping replies up to date on the meeting. The next post will be Indru's, and this round, most likely the last, will end on the <b>25</b>. Thanks so much you guys!

Gone Tomorrow

Green eyes flicked around the meeting, resting on each of the surrounding wolves in turn. It was so funny, taking them all in and not knowing who the hell they were. She of course knew who had comprised the basis of the pack when she had first joined, but how they had changed, that was still very much a mystery. And then there were the two who she had no idea who they were at all, absolutely no clue. Indru had not bothered to make introductions. Presumably, he was the only member of the pack present who knew all the other wolves. But that would change, she decided, shifting her attention as the wolves of the pack responded to her request.

A nod was given to Marsh as he indicated his assistance, not that she had doubted it would not come in the first place. The request was not one that needed to be asked aloud, it was something that should have been assumed. In a pack, every member took their turn caring for the youngest members, that was just how it worked. Her attention was next grabbed by Fenru, and Cori couldn't help but grin down at him. Nudging him between the ears, she spoke up, "It's time for you to see more of the pack's territory, Fen. There's a lot more besides just what is right here." Sure, her pups had explored thoroughly the den site and the surrounding forest, but the Swift River lands were expansive, and they could do with exploring more of it.

Of the gathered wolves, Borlla was next to answer the leader's request. Instinctively, Corinna's ears flattened against her skull and her green eyes narrowed. She was loath to let the tan female near Rihael, Fenru, and Kisla, but she knew full well that Indru would insist upon it. He was a family man, sort of. She was much more inclined to turn her attention to Ruiko and Kisla who spoke up next. Ruiko had been her savior, so to speak, in the days before Indru had returned. He had made considerable contributions to the pack caches, and simply having him around had made the worry lighter on her gray shoulders. Smiling at him, the tip of her tail wagged ever so slightly. She knew he would not be staying for long, but so long as he was here, she was happy to have him. Kisla's enthusiasm was echoed, and the mother smiled at her only daughter, chuckling under her breath. "Very soon, Kisla, very soon."

Turning her head quickly, Cori zoomed in on Triell as she spoke up. He knew of some places that would be suitable to take the pups to serve as their rendezvous site, a place she could feel comfortable to leave them when she needed to attend to her duties as pack leader. She and Triell would have to explore them together, so that she could determine whether or not they were actually suitable. "Thank you, Triell," she offered a small smile, a slight incline of her muzzle.

Falling silent for a moment, she turned her attention to the two wolves gathered there that she did not know. Rising up from her haunches, she broke the circle and strode forward, approaching first the female who Ruiko had sat down next too. Instinctively her head and tail lifted, enough to indicate clearly where she stood in terms of dominance in relation to the new girl. "What's your name?" Her tone was inquisitive, though not unfriendly. She just wanted to know who she was to call family from now on.

One by one some wolves stepped forward or voiced their interest in helping the young River wolves and Indru nodded a thanks to each one in turn. He could remember his eagerness his perfect his skills like it was yesterday and was certain his own pups would want to absorb every bit of knowledge they could, and besides learning different techniques from others would only give them the broadest and most developing hunting style. Though none of them, particularly the newer wolves Indru noted, offered any introductions about themselves as he had hoped to break the ice between the pack members. However his pups enthusiasm soon caught his attention and he beamed down at both Fenru and Kisla in turn, so very eager to begin teaching them himself. Lessons with his father had always been a great joy when he was a pup and he was determined to try and make them be so for his children. Yes, very soon, I promise. Your own dad can teach you a little thing or to as well. He teased with a grin, leaning down the nip at Kisla's scruff affectionately.

After Corinna had thanked Triell for his suggestion Indru nodded, turning to her, I can show you where we used to keep these pups too, you might like the look of those. Indru inclined to Triell, Kinis and Borlla with his head in turn, a small smile on his face as he thought back to when they were the age of the three pups at his feet. They'd need tidying and a little work, but then they'll be as good as new I'm sure. A curious glance was shot in Triell's direction as he wondered if these places were where the boy meant or if he had other ideas, he had spent many days, weeks even, with his siblings at these locations after all. As Corinna rose and approached Volkan the lead male could not help but feel pride as he admired her newly found confidence in his absence, she had grown into the role and now it did not hang uneasily upon her like it once had. He hoped Cori's prompting of an introduction from the female would encourage the others who were not entirely sure of each other, especially the newly joined members, to do the same themselves. It made sense for the pups to know who was protecting them after all, and who was kin.

<i>erm. I'm kind of at a loss of what to post at this point, so this is pretty short...</i>

She hadn't expected her offer to be taken kindly, so Borlla pulled her eyes away from her sister-in-law, fixing them on her paws, although she could certainly feel the older female's harsh gaze on her. Her ears flicked to Triell's voice, offering his own services. It was responded to kindly, as far as she could tell. Whether or not Corinna wanted her near her children, Borlla would do her best to be...In line. Hopefully show Corinna that she could fix whatever she'd done wrong. Looking up, she glanced around to see who Corinna was talking to now. <b style="color:#32527a">"speech."

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

<blockquote>It was comforting, somehow, seeing Indru there with his mate and three children, but Kinis' mind drifted back to the previous night with Triell, just on the outskirts of the packlands. Yes, he was very happy for Indru, but sitting here, watching the life that his older brother had made for himself, Kinis felt more than ever that he wasn't really a part of it. Not in any intimate way; he never wanted to be cut off from his family, and this new generation were as much his family as his siblings, but he felt more like an intruder than anything. Though he and Indru had resolved their miscommunicated differences, it didn't mean that everything was fixed. Things had been broken, and they had been broken so long that it no longer felt that way; Kinis had become so accustomed to being separate from Swift River that it now felt unnatural to be here.

It was not, he concluded, the gathering of wolves that put him off, as he had first worried. That gave him hope, for it proved that he would be able to be a content packwolf once more, as he was always meant to be. Just not here.

He listened politely, still feeling the illogical sting of Ruiko's distance. It felt more like a communal conversation than a meeting, though he supposed it was important to get everyone together. He watched as Corinna approached the girl Ruiko was sat next to, curious to hear the introduction himself, and wondered if he should explain himself to the plethora of strangers around him. He decided against it. Why bother? He wasn't going to be around forever, and his current downheartedness fought the idea of making any real connections. They were only going to break, anyway. He had to make his own way from here.</blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

<blockquote>Words, words... as much as he respected his leaders, Marsh did wish that they would get on with it. Could they not have made their orders clear, introduced the pups, and then let everyone get on? Marsh wasn't opposed to a meeting, it was healthy for a pack to be gathered together, but boy was he finding it difficult keeping up.

As he waited for the inevitable dismissal, he began to daydream about how he would best go about teaching the pups what they needed to know. Corinna had already done a fine job, but his mind wandered to sparring with Triell, and he thought perhaps it was best that they got their fight skills on with more than just each other. Rihael would take to that easily, no doubt - Fenru and Kisla might need a little more persuasion. That was fine.

Licking his lips, the Second's eyes glazed over as he planned and plotted, having no need to pay attention to formal introductions beyond the scent that each wolf bore on their body.</blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2011, 09:44 PM by Marsh.)

His offer was received with a nod, and as the regal male fell back to silence, his eyes glimpsed over the members of Swift River as they spoke. Triell was anxious to find the whelps their new denning site, while the stoical male remained oblivious to any tension he had stirred between himself and his darker sibling just from his actions with Volkan. His niece, Kisla, was eager to begin her lessons, and the tawny male was greatly reminded of Borlla at her age.

As Corinna broke from her seat at the head of the gathered wolves, Ruiko’s ears preened forward as she strode toward Volkan. The she-wolf raised herself in dominance, and while it was directed to the peppered female at his side, the male still abided her law by dipping his muzzle lower, his bright eyes sliding over to study Volkan’s reaction.

There was excitement brewing in the girl’s small chest. Soon, they would be leaving the birthing den to go elsewhere, and while she would be sad to leave the place she called home, she was eager to explore greater areas of Swift River. At the thought of learning to hunt, the pale tawny wolf could not help but beam up at her parents, her tail swaying lightly in a wag behind her. She wanted to start now! At her silver mother’s response, the girl pressed herself lightly to the side of the lead female, inhaling the familiar and soothing scent that gave her a feeling of security that only her mother could offer.

About to comment on all of the cool things they could hunt, Kisla straightened as Corinna swept away, and the girl watched the silver figure of the she-wolf with curious and bright eyes. Blinking, the girl debated on following after her mother with an equal stance, but Indru’s gentle words drew her attention and she glanced up to the strong features of her father. A smile played at her lips as Indru chuckled and affectionately nipped at her ruff, and with a soft sigh, the girl leaned forward to nip at Fenru’s chest playfully.

sparking up my heart

<blockquote>The puppies were excited, and it was a bit catching. He felt much more at ease, and his tail uncurled behind him, sweeping the ground a few times. This was feeling more like home, than it had in a long, long time, and he took a moment to look at his fellow littermates, first his golden-orange tinted eyes too Kinis. He wondered how he was doing with all of this, but couldn't exactly ask. He hope he was doing good, considering what they had spoken about.

He looked to his white sister next, she had volunteered to help the pups, and months ago he might have wondered where that had came from. There was a change in her, just like in Kinis and he hoped Cori might see that some day. The lead female's voice rang out and he bobbed his head when Cori addressed him. Some of the sites were exactly where Indru, and them had been. There were a couple that were not. He smiled, briefly, in return to Indru, not feeling like such an outcast now. He saw the movement of silver, and cream, and most curious watchd Volkan's face for her reaction to Corinna.</blockquote>

are you with me through it all?

<blockquote>Corinna acknowledged him with a light touch atop his head and his tail wagged as he soaked up her words. So, there was a lot more to explore? <i>Bring it on then!</i> He suppressed the excitement building in his muscles to the best of his ability, standing up briefly before abruptly sitting back down as the adults began to talk. His sister piped up about hunting and he rotated his ears forward with a smile. They would learn to hunt <i>soon</i>, Indru promised. Mum stood up and Fenru's eyes instinctively sought after her figure as she approached one of the wolves he did not know.

He drew in a breath and watched the interactions between them, listening as well as learning. He noticed how Mum's still towering figure straightened to make her even taller and how the wolves who had presented themselves to her stood and addressed her. The bottlebrush-like plume behind him stilled but his attention was soon broken as Kisla's teeth found the tufts of fur and a bit of flesh over his ribs. He jumped out of surprise but reacted in turn by attempting to gently bite the tips of her ears.

He could have rolled over like he often opted to do when he was much younger but this time around, well, he figured he could stand his own ground. Crying out or anything of the sort was something he decided he had grown out of. He raised a paw in defense, merely using it to try to deflect her if she made any more attempts rather than bat at her face.</blockquote>

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