Willow Ridge Come Together

This is a mandatory pack meeting. Would prefer for @Elettra to post first. It is to be assumed that Nicolo sought out Elettra and they summoned the pack together. 

No posting order. @Sven @Attica @Adele @Enoki @Ravenna

Much had changed since he talk with Elettra and it had been too long. He had been hoping to call this meeting together sooner but as more wolves left, Nicolo wanted to give the pack a chance to stabilize, to gain members before they began to bond. When it became clear to him that it was not going to happen, he did not want to wait any longer. The charcoal colored man did not want to give Elettra any more reason to doubt his capabilities and it was with a heavy heart that he sought her out for the meeting he had planned out in his mind for the coming weeks. Tension and doubt found its way into his heart and he desperately hoped that he could be good enough for those who remained. They deserved that much even if they had not believed in him or respected him enough to speak with him when it mattered the most in the past. Nostrils flared as he trotted the span of the territory searching for the familiar scent of his older sister. It did not take him as long to find her this time and he sighed in relief, his pace increasing. His nerves pushed him onward and he was under no delusion that Ele would give him any comfort for this meeting but it was wishful thinking. When his pale yellow eyes found the familiar form of his even darker sister, he sighed in relief. He tried to summon up a confident smile but he wasn't too sure how it ended up looking on the outside. With a nod towards his sister, he raised his head with her to call for the pack, making it clear that there was a meeting to be held.

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It was yet another mindless day. One filled with keeping her consistently busy now that not only her mate had gone missing, but both of her sons. Where once so much of her attention had been towards caring for Angier (which at this point in her life she wanted more then anything else) now she had all the time in the world to be that which her position assumed - a leader. 

She had firstly made sure that her daughter was calling out for her father on each herb run, asking anyone who crossed her path if she had seen him. Of course she had spent much of her own time doing so and there would not be a body spared within the ranks this day who would not do their share in the search as well. 

Her body was even, relaxed upon her brothers approach. Despite what she had overheard from him not long ago concerning her daughter's pack and well-being, she would not lead on to any I'll thoughts towards him. His smile was nervous and her returning gaze was skeptical. When he finally sang out, she followed, her call as deep and demanding as ever. 

Marred muzzle lifted from the remnants of a torn rabbit as the joint howl of her leaders resonated across the Willow Ridge territory to summon the few wolves that still remained, rounded ears pivoted forward to catch the irrefutable command that their presence was demanded, not wanted. Enoki knew the time for a meeting was drawing closer after her frequent conversations with @Nicolò and a small part of her wanted to sigh in relief that it had finally come. Willow Ridge needed to solidify their bond as a pack. The magpie female needed no further inclination to abandon the last few bites of meat for the scavenger birds that were always lying in wait whether one noticed their presence, or not, a quick swipe of her coral tongue to her snout cleaning the faint crimson staining of blood in order to deem herself presentable to the ruling siblings.


A light trot soon slowed to an easy lope upon her arrival; noting that she was the first the arrive on the scene, shoulders and head habitually lowering to their proper position below that of her superiors while her ivory dipped tail swayed rapidly at her hocks in greeting. Each Archer sibling was given their own submissive lick to the underneath of their chin before a single nod followed suit, retreating a couple steps to lower her haunches and take up a more comfortable seated position. Smoldering amber gaze surveyed the immediate area for signs of the next member to arrive as if miraculously a new face would manifest from behind a veil of drooping branches despite knowing how small the pack had become since the departure of Morganna and her tag-along team along side the more recent disappearance of Angier, Skoll and Niles.

While it was obvious the piebald woman had been making her fair share of trips beyond the border to search for members both old and new, there was no lack of disappointment behind her stare each night she returned home with empty paws. Clearly unacceptable to the woman whom wanted the Ridge to stand proud once more just as sorely as the Archers themselves. Hopefully whatever was to be spoken today during this meeting would hep to ease her worries.

Lightning said, Ren would have been accepted, and I could join the meeting now.

i got guns in my head and they won't go

renier lyall

spirits in my head and they won't go

Two voices rose through the willows, letting it known this was not to be ignored. A cream paw dipped down, and he sharply turned back across the borders.  He didn't need to give any more ill impression, and quickly clipped his way through the undergrowth to answer swiftly.

They were still no signs of Angier or Niles. As each day passed, he became more anxious for his Uncle and cousin. He had yet to encounter a stranger who had run into a blind man nor a young wolf with a silver painted face. Why he tried to expand his search, he made it a routine to come back to the Ridge every single night. These first weeks back he was trying to prove he wasn't fickle. Nor leave them exposed to what could be.

The rogue came closer he could see three already gathered. Golden eyes found Elettra first wishing he had good news to give her. It was clear he did not. His head lowered with his tail,  and stiffly he padded among them. It was out of respect he did not brush his nose under their chins, not yet feeling he earned that right. He took a seat by himself, after only glimpsing Enoki. He was not sure what she thought of his return, and wasn't sure if he cared to find out. Like her he waited for the others. Thinking they should be soon.

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Wolves disappearing, her elder sister rising to leadership, her brother working tirelessly to make the Ridge strong again..and what was Adele doing? The woman was a quiet presence within the pack, speaking to usually only her brother and keeping herself busy  keeping the caches full. But was that enough? In her opinion, no, it wasn't. She should be doing more to aid her brother in his endeavor, but something was wrong. There seemed to be a steady fog in her mind now, and at times, her legs simply didn't want to work. It was a little frightening, and she worked hard on not letting her brother notice anything different about her. She needed to be his rock, strong for him in this trying time...what would be the use of her telling him of this? It would only worry him. Never had she kept a secret from him and she didn't like it, but it was necessary. The woman was sure it was probably old age anyway, and though she hated admitting to herself that she was indeed getting old, it was a true fact. The demanding call immediately got her attention, and the chocolate woman headed towards where she was wanted. It took her a bit, so when she arrived there were already a few members there. She headed towards her eldest sister first, greeting her with a small smile and lick to the chin, and doing the same with her brother. She sat by his side, looking at Enoki and smiling at the woman then turning her attention to the other man she didn't know of. Ever a friend, Adele smiled a greeting at him as well. Patiently, the woman waited for the meeting to begin. "Speech"

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The meeting had finally arrived. Ravenna had been expecting it if only granted the fact that her mother had spoken of it to be coming. It would be one of the very few that would be called by someone other then Elettra herself, as the Matriarch was going to wait out when Nicolo had thought it a good time to start it. So Ravenna waited, paying only attention to her duty of forging for herbs and searching for her father and missing brothers. As well, given the chance when she came about it, she would hunt out for a hare or other small rodent, adding it to the caches if not eating it herself. Ravenna had not been successful at much of anything today, having not begun to look for any herbs whilst she had been scenting out for any signs of her family. When the call came she instantly routed herself towards her leaders (also know as her mother and uncle) with both an interest and a weariness of the meeting to come. Enoki and her aunt Adele were there, seated in wait for her leader's to begin the meeting, as well as Renier... She had scented him in the pack's territory although had not yet seen him face to face since his return. A small smile spread over her features as the sight of yet another of her family members, happy that one had at least returned to her. Although his expression was grim, likely due to the fact that a dark cloud still hung over the pack after so many losses. Clearing her throat, the silver and grey coated young woman made her way towards her mother, which she nuzzled affectionately on her cheek and then dipped her head in greeting to Nicolo. She steps back, lowering her silken black ears and bending her limbs to lessen her height until she has given the pair enough space. At this point she settles into a lay before them. All that was left to arrive was her nephew and little niece, likely to be coming along together. Surely they would not be long. ””

(This post was last modified: Sep 15, 2016, 12:06 AM by Ravenna.)

While other children might not have been so content to follow directions, Attica was perfectly happy to stay put when her brother told her to. Her stick now worn down to little more than a nub, she considered it a treasured possession, unaware that her continued worrying of the worn wood would eventually leave her with naught to cling to her chest when her big white brother went away. She had tried chewing other things, pinecones, a ratty bit of hide found tucked in a dusty corner of the den (that, unbeknownst to the young girl had once been treasured by her Aunt Morganna), but nothing quite bought her the comfort that her stick did.

She didn't wander far from the clearing but was still on an expedition to find a temporary replacement, unsure if the stick's diminishing size was due to her increasing size or if it was slowly leaving her too. The combined songs of the dark bigs bought batty ears around, for surely Sven would expect her to be right where he left her and so her paws scrambled to escape the bushes and branches that scratched along her back, tail waving madly at the white shape just ahead. A few quick bumps of her nose to the underside of his jaw were offered before a giggle escaped parted jaws, "Race ya!" she challenged, before tearing in the direction she thought the howl had come from, her brothers bumps and nudges putting her back on course whenever she veered in the wrong direction.

But it was a long way to run, and the girl ran out of puff long before she reached the den. Heavy panting laced with giggles and "I beat yooouuuu!" could clearly be heard as they neared the solemn gathering. The girl's mouth closed then, drawing closer to Sven as she considered all the faces before her, familiar from the communal den and yet still distant. She looked to @Sven for guidance, pressing into his familiar flank for reassurance as they chose a spot. Were there more to come or were they the last?

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2016, 11:30 PM by Attica.)

The twin demands of his grandmother and uncle were immediately a lodestone to the teen as his ears picked up the two-instrument symphony. Already he had been on his way to collect Attica, with every intention of taking her on another field trip to somewhere particular. That could wait, however, with the leaders calling out. She rushed out to him and he grinned to see her, growing so big with such a healthy smile and so much energy. Sometimes he wondered if she was at all aware of all that was absent from her life, and then he prayed for the answer to be no.

Her invitation at sport was, of course, accepted, the boy falling into pace behind her. As with most of their games, he made sure she came out the winner, the little girl oblivious to all the effort he put into making just so. Only when they arrived did his smile fade away, a nod given to each of the assembled adults and his remaining aunt. A small group as it was, he did not put much thought into where he plopped his rump down. With Attica close to him, he bowed to touch his muzzle to her skull in solidarity before straightening his posture and giving his full attention to whatever business the alpha pair deemed calling them all together necessary for.

(This post was last modified: Sep 29, 2016, 11:50 PM by Sven.)

Keep in mind that there is no posting order.

One by one they trickled in. First was Enoki and he would be lying if he pretended as if he did not admire he form as she made her way towards the leading pair. He brushed his muzzle against her cheek in greeting as she passed before turning his yellow gaze back towards the clearing and waiting for the others to arrive. The next to arrive was Renier. The dark Archer gave a brief nod of acknowledgement towards the other man, his new Second. Hopefully, in time they would come to respect one another. Not long after, his dearest sister, Adele, arrived. Nic's heart swelled with emotion at the sight of her. To her cheek he also caressed, a silent greeting and offered a tight-lipped smile as she sat next to his side. Ravenna soon arrived and Nicolo offered another nod her way. It was not too long after that another sound penetrated their ears, a light in the darkness. It was a wonder that Hecate left her but a miracle that Sven found her and brought her to Willow Ridge for sanctuary. The dark Archer truly didn't believe that he left the child's side since he brought her here. A small smile had twitched its way onto his lips and before he knew it, the two had arrived and it was time to start. He cleared his throat before beginning, "Thank you for all arriving in such a timely manner. I believe that after such hard times that it's time to bring the pack together to strengthen our ties to one another." He caused for a moment, scanning those around him and trying to find some amount of comfort in the faces that he saw. Anxiety clenched at his heart. Nicolo took a deep breath before continuing, "You should all know by now that Angier and Niles have gone missing. If you find any trace of them, I hope it goes without saying that you should investigate." He knew that it would be hard for them to search for their missing members with their remaining numbers already so low but it did not mean that they could not try. Pale mustard eyes looked towards Adele, finding some comfort in her presence before continuing, "As I mentioned before, it's time to bring this pack together. I believe that a pack hunt is in order. Adele, Enoki, Renier, I'd like the three of you to organize that." The man looked towards the three of them, nodding his head towards them. In silence, he turned to look at Elettra so that she could say her piece.

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One by one they filtered in and far more quickly then even she had expected... Enoki, who was one of her closest friends (literally, by them miles, as many of her friends lived very far away) and then Renier, her nephew by mate-ship. Her sister, her daughter, and last was her two grandchildren within the ranks. It was a simple and small group of mostly family members, nothing she was at all ashamed about although she did miss when the pack was more powerful and held more in their ranks then half still being nearly children. She remains silent in her placement as Nicolo is the first to begin, a very first to her. Her muscles tense and she takes in a deep breath, much as Nicolo does as he tries to steady himself before his pack. Nicolo then mentioned the pack hunt which he had talked to her about previously, asking both their hunters and Renier to help with the organization of it. Elettra would make note to pay close attention to Sven in this, who had been doing quite a bit of hunting on his own though as far as she knew, had yet to work with a group. And then he was finished. Having said his peace, Elettra took a breath and continued after his place... 

"I know all of you have been keeping a look out for Angier or ether of our sons (Skoll and Niles), some even taking a whole day to search for their trail... However I would like a further search after our pack hunt has been completed." So far Elettra had over-turned the south, including moving within the Cedar forest in search for any sign of her mate and certainly her allies in the north and her daughter's pack would bring word if they heard nor seen any sign of them. "Unfortunately we have no kind of Scout within our ranks, only two hunters," She says this as she side-glances to both Adele and Enoki. "...And two yearlings aspiring to be a hunter and a medic." With their small ranks it was obvious who everyone was and the only one who had set set a certain path was Renier. This did not mean in his time here previously before his recent return he did nothing. More often or not, he helped out along the pack's border and would run errands for his leaders as needed. After a moment's pause, her full attention landed on her daughter. "Ravenna." She barked the name, hoping to lock the young woman's attention if she had not already directly held it. "I would like for you to travel onto the mountains before it gets too cold and too dangerous.... I know traveling over them and exploring the area beyond would take far longer then I would allow, though perhaps you can spend a number of days there long enough to run into some wolves from the other side so that you may pass on word of our search." It was true that it would take nearly a week to fully scale over the mountains after making it to the pass which would allow her to get through more safely, not to mention the time it too to search and then come back. With their numbers so low and this being, of course, her daughter, Elettra did not want to push such a risk. The lands beyond the mountains had even been out of Elettra's reach. Though perhaps if Ravenna spent some time on the Serpent's Pass, she might be able to gain some information or pass on some kind of word. Normally, she would not allow any to know of the Ridge's business, however given the fact that Angier was no longer leader, some 'missing old man of no power and his yearling pup' having gone from Willow Ridge ranks would not have made the pack look weak in the slightest. "Just in case you run into trouble, I would prefer you brought someone along...." After all, she could get injured, attacked... Of course, there was still little bodies to spare so she did not upright nominate anyone for the job. She would have rather not Enoki or Adele go with Ravenna, granted they were the two best hunters out of everyone in the ranks including herself (or in Elettra's option anyhow) and with it getting colder, they should stay here to stock up on food of any and all kind. She then doubted Sven would go, given the fact that his attention had been laid mostly on caring for Attica. .... But Renier? Maybe he had in it him to do some traveling again...