In the middle of September, almost four months after the birth of their daughter, Phoenix, Drestig and Jessie finally gathered enough followers and laid claim to their lands at the southern edge of the Larkcall Lowlands. Dubbing the pack Wild Rye Fields, for the rolling hills of waving gold, the little family started their new lives on shaky ground, and things did not get any easier as multiple clashes with their closest neighbors to the north brewed a hostile atmosphere, threatening the young pack with war. While a fragile truce was established with the leaders of Whitestone Monadnock, the Fields still did not trust them, and Jessie set out to establish connections, forge and strengthen alliances with other packs throughout the Lore, hoping to strengthen their standing, should war break out.

While she was away, the pack grew, reinforcing their claim on the Fields. With several new members in their ranks, Drestig felt safer against the threat of the north. Then Phoenix disappeared. Barely 7 months old, the pup wandered off alone against her parents’ warning, and got herself into a fight that ended in a violent blow to the head, costing her most of her memory. Such lost and wounded, under the care of the benevolent stranger BoJack, the girl wandered the land, chasing her fleeting memories, all while her family scoured the land frantically for her. In the process Drestig learned that a Whitestone pup had also been hurt, and the two packs make a temporary pact to chase down the assumed, mutual attacker; never realizing that the two youngsters had in fact been fighting each other. In the end it took 6 weeks for the pup and her guardian to find their way home, and she still had many patches in her memory.

Meanwhile, trouble stirred within the ranks as the newest member Reyes challenged Icicle for rank of third, earning himself a ribbed scruff and stern reprimand for his troubles. His wish of advancement should soon be granted anyway though, as Icicle disappeared shortly after the altercation, wandering off without a word, much to the sorrow and dismay of his pack mates. Phoenix too opted to leave, only shortly after her return, unable to settle back into her old life with her mind still unsettled; she went with her family’s reluctant blessing, and BoJack in tow, to try and find herself.

The pack should suffer yet another blow to their numbers when an unexpected face from the past came to visit. Sahalie arrived at the borders in early spring, bringing the news that she was setting out to start her own pack, and asking for her friends among the Rye ranks, who had already promised to join her. With mixed emotions, Jessie and Drestig saw two more of their members go, happy and proud for the girl they had helped to raise, but feeling betrayed none the less. The Fields was now reduced to shaky numbers once again, but it was the strongest and most tight knit that remained.

They were not free of hurt yet however, as spring grew warmer, word reached them of a man calling himself “Deron Selwyn” who’d come to Relic Lore in search of his family. Askan set out alone to meet his uncle, which should prove to be a grave mistake. The stranger turned out to be quite a different uncle of the second’s, there to finish the job he had started back home, decimating the Selwyn family. In the ensuing fight he came close to achieving his goal, but was stopped just in time as Reyes arrived to save his mate, killing the mass-murderer on the spot. The reaper proceeded to carry his partner back home, gravely wounded, but alive. With the help of their allies in Hearthwood River, and Lachesis’ healing knowledge, his wounds were mended, and Reyes began the long process of nursing his love back to health.

At the end of May, despite many hardships, the aging alpha couple could celebrate a year in their new lands, and they did so with the arrival of three new puppies, born into a much more stable home than their first daughter. Sphinx, Chimera and Griffin brought new life and joy to the pack, with the promise of a bright future for the wolves of Wild Rye Fields.