Willow Ridge What was once ours is now ours once again

This is the official claiming thread for Willow Ridge. Morning / cloudy/ 7° F  -14°C. No posting order. @Scully, @Moore , @Queenie , @Alarick , @Doon .

For awhile now she and Scully and the wolves that they had gathered had been living together. Together they had created a home on the land that in Avella's mind belonged to the Archer's. Upon returning to the lore she felt it was her job to reclaim the land and build it up to be something her family could be proud of. With these wolves she believed that to be possible.

Now that they had the numbers, more than Avella had dreamed possible it was time. They'd been working so hard to restore the boundries and the territory to what it was. She was ready to give the wolves that she'd gathered the home that she'd promised them.

Avella made her way to the heart of Willow Ridge. That seemed like the perfect place to make her announcement to the soon to be pack. She didn't know how many of them were close but she didn't want to wait any longer. So it was without further Adeiu that she raised her muzzle to the sky and called to her fellow packmates. She sung a song that woukd tell them that Willow Ridge was theirs, that all of their hard work had been worth it. Most importantly she was telling them that they were officLly a pack.

(This post was last modified: Mar 16, 2022, 06:53 AM by Spirit of Wildwood.)

Scully trotted out of the pack's communal cave and onto the ridge itself when he caught wind of his sibling's presence. His silver-dollar eyes surveyed the frozen willow forest before them as her song called out, solidifying their place as a true pack. Finding his spot at her side, where he'd belong from their first days in this world, the masked Archer tipped back his own broad skull and joined in her howl, creating a chorus around her smooth notes.

It sounded of confidence, support and possession. This was indeed theirs, every single inch of it. It had always been indisputable in the eyes of Sven's children, but now they had much more than their own teeth to back it up - woe be to anyone who disagreed.

Hagar prowled the wood for sign of prey, diligent as ever in tracking the coming and goings of the lesser animals so as to keep their pack prepared and therefor properly fed. It was while undertaking this routine task that he heard Avella's voice, soon after followed by Scully's. Both were familiar songs by now, and Hagar stopped in his tracks to take in their messages.

This was it, then. The bear-like wolf sent out his own round of notes, bolstering the bulletin being sent out via the air waves. This was a home.

Once satisfied he'd been heard, he turned his strides inward toward the territory's heart. It sounded as though they were calling from the den, and so he set out to meet them both there, hopefully along with the others too.

She had hung around for some time, and the fact of the matter was she likely would have even if their numbers stayed small. She never had to worry about much of anything here. Her belly full, her coat clean, a place to lay her head. It was alright here.

Yet she knew this type of call when she heard it.

Reminded her of raids back home, of parties come to stake a claim. That wasn't the exact same energy, but it was near enough for Queenie to know it was time.

Her head tilted back, letting out her own sound, electric in the air.

vague post is vague...

Nightingale had been thrilled to be here. Perhaps...too thrilled? Eager to bounce along in Scully's shadow when given the chance, scarcely mingling with the others, keen to make a good impression upon Avella.

Life was good for the forest princess, content to live in the shadow of the willow queen.

She was not far from any of them when the song sounded. Although their voices could carry far, she wished to be there in the heart with them. So she loped towards where Scully and Avella would be, weaving her song through the willow trees and arriving out of breath.

Elated.

Life was good, was all Moore could think as he patrolled the place he'd come to call home when he agreed to stay with the Archers. Life was even better when the call rang out; Avella first, followed by a chorus of his packmate's own voices. Bushy tail began to wag furiously; he certainly did not want to miss this.

Eager, he raised his own dark muzzle to the sky, adding his own graveled voice to the harmony, bolstering his friends and allies songs with a support and loyalty no man could match.

Pinpointing where Avella's voice rang out from, Moore bolted towards the heart of the Willows, his strong howl tapering off as he ran. This was far too important to be late to, and no force in the wilderness would deter him.

He had been expecting to hear the calls any day now, so when he heard Avella and her brother begin their chorus, he was hardly surprised. While Alarick may not have had much time yet to really interact with and get to know many of the others he would be sharing a home with, there was no denying the powerful sense of energy that surrounded this place. This may not have been his ancestral home, but it was still something significant to witness and be a part of.

Al was even more pleased that it had worked out so well for the two siblings. He tipped his head back anyway to join in the chorus of notes that echoed from various directions, coming from the others scattered about the forest territory. And it felt wonderful, to be a part of something like this, once more.

Her song was soon joined by her brothers voice. She couldn't help but think of how well they complimented each others voices. That was in her opinion how they were not only in their voices but in life, brother and sister together as they should be. They were soon joined by the others each of them coming in and joining the song that christined Willow Ridge as theirs. With each new voice it grew louder and louder. She wondered how far away wolves could hear them.

She smiled as Hagar arrived first followed by Nightingale and Moore. She felt the support of her fellow packmates. She hoped that her family would be proud of what she and Scully had accomplished and she hoped that Willow Ridge would last as long as it had under her grandmother and aunt Ravenna's rule.

They had all been working so hard together as a pack and that work would still need to continue. Especially with winter still upon them. Her mismatched gaze looked over at her brother and as her song started to quiet she spoke to him, "Thank you Scully for all your help."

She then turned to those who had gathered, "And thank you all for your commitment to me and this pack I couldn't we couldn't have done it without you and I hope that this will remain our home for a long time to come."

(This post was last modified: Feb 18, 2022, 04:57 AM by Avella.)

When the symphony ended, Avella spoke appreciatively to him. His tail swung back and forth at his hind legs, meeting her gaze with a wide grin accompanying bright, full-moon eyes. More than anything, he was happy that this had all worked out in his sibling's favor, especially given those first few months of running into no wolves at all. Now, to ensure that they could keep things going...

Hagar appeared, ascending the broken ground to meet the siblings with many of the others following after. Scully knocked his shoulder against Avella's as a final assurance and told her "Congratulations, my Queen," with a wink before pulling away from her side to greet each of their pack mates. He butted his head affectionately against the stout wolf's own, nipped impishly at Moore's cheek and pawed playfully at his Punkin before giving a fond nudge of his muzzle to her neck. To Alarick, a man he'd yet to grow anywhere near as familiar with, he flashed a toothy smile that still spoke of esteem.

He'd yet to hear or see @Doon, his sister's latest recruit, but the other wolf could have been out of range or otherwise occupied and he for one was not presently concerned about the absence.

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2022, 10:07 PM by Scully.)

Hagar met Scully's greeting smoothly, by now as used to the Archer and his ways as he was the back of his own paw, and moved on just as fluidly. With far more deference he approached Avella, head low except for a brief moment that allowed him to give her chin a single lick, communicating as well as he felt words every could that he supported and respected both her and her leadership. The words she spoke came with effortless humility, and he for one gave a nod of thankful acknowledgement.

They wouldn't be here, sheltered with bellies full and faith in each other, if it weren't for her. He would have told her as much, remembering the desire she'd expressed to know more of his thoughts, but this did not feel like an appropriate moment for him to speak and so he remained silent and pleased, tail wagging and eyes pinched with mirth.

(This post was last modified: Feb 19, 2022, 10:16 PM by Hagar.)