Sleeping Dragon you were a star, my dear, the brightest in all the skies

This thread takes place the night of April 16th. Assume everyone is already here. There is only one round necessary for this but please reply by Thursday, April 21st. The next thread will take place on April 17th (Based on timeline and I am pretty sure PHX will actually be gone (@Saena {I realize now I spelled your url wrong}, if this date does not settle with your plans, please send me a message and I will shift them until it does). In addition, since the Esaro thread is incomplete, Thuringwethil would have made sure the wolves knew of where she was (having gotten the information to Gyda or Magpie) and should be expecting her return. Any questions, feel free to PM me. I hope I've covered everything! If I am feeling frisky, I may even start the next thread tonight just to keep it close in the timeframe.

It is late when Thuringwethil and Gavriel return but upon the moment she can smell her borders, she sends out a call to everyone. It is ample time to reach the meeting spot before Thuringwethil does and she does not expect anyone to not hear about it. They’d been informed not to leave the territory until otherwise told since Esaro’s broach of the borders. It is unfortunate, however, she returns empty handed, but she does not fear that her wolves are not capable. While she doesn’t now everything about the Phoenix wolves, and only things picked and placed together, she feels confident enough they can remove the threat. 

It is dark when she reaches the meeting ledge and the wolves are already there. Gavriel moves off to the side next to the group. There’s a part in the sea of wolves that she travels down to stand near Gyda.

“The leader of the Phoenix wolves had already threatened us with war and yesterday, one showed up at our borders, initiating it,” she begins. She doubts Saena would have sent Esaro to begin a war, or stop one, but nonetheless the boy had shown up at her doorstep in an act of war. “Gavriel and I went to the Grotto to make our coalition official and accept them into Drageda but they did not accept the conditions and they are not one of us. They will be dealt with another day; until then, a Larksong wolf is not allowed within one territory of us.”

The beginning of the meeting, Thuringwethil could feel her heart pound. She’d only taken her wolves to battle twice and one had been a massacre, a miscalculated step she’d learned from, but she knows the strength of her wolves. And with another Fos Goufa, even young and foolish, Heda can still live on and guide her should things fall south.

“No longer do we wait for the Phoenix wolves to show up and bring the war to us. We leave first light to remove the thread. This is our home. Myself, @Gyda, @Dio, @Sangilak, @Hush, @Lorne, and @Tatkret will be the ones to lead the march. @Seregryn, @Magpie, Storm [@Cirrus] will remain here and @Wildfire and Gavriel will search the middle grounds between us for signs of danger.”

Thuringwethil snaps her jaws shut then and looks across the field for any objectors. It pains her not to see Lucani there, or the others she’d thought she had fealty from, but she brushes the thought and glances toward Gyda. Her expression stoic, but her eyes tired, hungry, and most of all ready.[/i]

She listened intently to Heda's words, nodding along where she agreed with her. By the time the Alpha had finished her speech, Lorne's fur was bristled with excitement and aggression. War was no reason to be excited but she was a predator-and predators loved the idea of blood. 

It was an honour to be picked as one of the wolves leading the charge with Thuring, one of the wolves amongst the many who had joined but one of the few who stayed. She needed no words this time, only nodded at her Alpha in respect and acceptance of her words to let her know Lorne was ready. She would fight if need be It.

There are several (minor) assumptions in this post, so tap me if I need to make any tweaks!

The call caught Wildfire in the middle of another hunt, albeit a rather hopeless one. The squirrel in her sights had just given her the slip when the Alpha's voice speared through the air. The yearling's heart skipped a beat and she swiveled on a slender heel, eager to see Thuringwethil after these days apart. Then it hit her: the Heda had called with a specific message, asking the pack to gather. Wildfire paused, one small red paw hovering uncertainly in the air. She didn't know where the wolves of Sleeping Dragon met and the leader's summons had come from outside the borders. Thuringwethil was obviously en route with an important message and expected her subordinates to meet her there.

Blinking owlishly, Wildfire made a wild guess and began to climb the mountain's flank for the first time. Even if they didn't meet somewhere up here, she supposed the heights would afford her a better view of the territory so she could pinpoint the meeting place's location that way. It turned out that she needn't have worried too much; even as climbed, she saw and scented other wolves ascending. With a quiet breath of relief, Wildfire trailed them to a stony ledge. Her amber eyes sought any sign of Thuringwethil through the gloom, yet it appeared the Heda hadn't arrived yet.

Licking her chops nervously, the yearling found a space near the back of the group and sat primly and quietly. When Thuringwethil and a stranger materialized, her heart jumped into her throat. She faced forward and listened to the urgent message. Her heart changed trajectory, sinking heavily into her stomach. Wildfire didn't follow all the politics, yet she understood the bottom line: Sleeping Dragon was about to launch an attack on Phoenix Maplewood. They would make their move at first light. She immediately pictured Saena's and Luke's familiar faces.

When the Heda spoke her name, Wildfire felt something zip through her blood. Her sharp amber eyes found the Alpha's face through the crowd and she nodded mutely. She didn't know who Gavriel was, nor the location of said middle grounds, but Wildfire had sworn her loyalty to Thuringwethil. She sorely wished she could act as a consular and mediate but she felt it wasn't her place, especially considering she had just joined the ranks a few days ago. She would just be grateful she wasn't being called upon to join the front lines, keep her head down and do what was asked of her.

Gyda had awaited Thuringwethil's return with unbidden curiosity, wondering how her talks of a coalition had gone with this stranger to her named Reek. What little Gyda knew of him had come from Thuringwethil herself and it was not enough knowledge to please the viking queen, especially if Heda's ideas of coalition worked though Gyda was ...skeptical. She was nurtured to not trust the idea of alliances: that at the end of the day Alphas would put their own pack first ...as they were expected to. Thuringwethil had seemed confident and had every reason to believe that the coalition would be possible, especially since it appeared as if Reek had come to her. Gyda wouldn't have ever dared to assume that Thuringwethil had went to him — for what could he offer them? He was a castoff, chased out of his own pack by his estranged wife.

Soon enough, however Gavriel and Thuringwethil taking their separate paths: Thurin making her way to where Gyda awaited her before where their wolves were gathered. Though Gyda had not expected Thurin to come back with fresh battle scars a quick glance over her assured Gyda that she was well; and when she took her place at Gyda's side the shield-maiden felt the tension that had made her muscles taunt in her shoulders for the time they were gone ease and allowed Thuringwethil to speak the news. It took a great deal of restraint for Gyda to resist letting out a soft snort but the Scandinavian managed. This news did not surprise her and thus erased any immediate plans she might have had to go and visit Reek as she had mentioned of doing.

“You and Gavriel should take time to rest from your trip, you two will do no good to us tired.” If there was to be a war, and it seemed that this was the path the Gods had pushed them onto, they needed every Dragon be on top of their game. “That goes for you all, rest and eat to keep up your strength; be prepared.” The mama bear viking queen added her own few words to what Thuringwethil had spoken. They all knew their roles and had their parts to play. Despite her worry for the wolves that followed them Gyda was excited. It'd been too long since the shield-maiden had been allowed to let loose her ferocity on the battle field and to this she looked the most forward.

Hush responded to the call as soon as possible, though he was already in the midst of doing absolutely nothing. The hybrid arrived and sat near Thurin's perch, his baby blue eyes watching her with worry as he saw the look on her face. Then, as the others arrived, the meeting began. Its news were not good.

War. Hush had a sneaking suspicion that it would be coming soon, what with all of the packs forming near them lately. He dreaded it now more than ever, knowing that Lucani would not be here to heal the wounded. His ears flickered at the sound of his name. He felt a knot of worry form in his stomach, then ebb away slowly. While he wasn't a fan of open conflict, he could not deny the threat that neighboring packs posed on their claim. And if the Phoenix wolves wanted a fight, they would have it. Hush rose to his feet, his eyes burning as he prepared himself for conflict. War could not be avoided; it would be better to accept it than to fear it.

The perpetual motion of the Dragon moves onward, and culminates towards the inevitable he's been keeping in the back of his mind -- war. Hence, his increased vigilance here on the home-front and knowing that at a moment's notice, things may change. So the Heda's howl came as little surprise and he wastes no time coming to rally amidst the rest of the pack, picking a spot nearby Lorne. The pack as a whole gathers and the explanation unfurls interestingly from there. 

It is the Phoenixes, unsurprisingly, and the coalition he knows vaguely of is not to be had. Dio accepts both with a certain shade of indifference, for he understands the implications of it all, and already he's churning towards the numerous possible outcomes. In his confidence of them, he sees them rising to victory..

Thuringwethil moves on to place him among the front line, and to this, he nods readily. His ideal spot, he concludes soon after, and while he is often hard-pressed to leave the mountain's claim, situations like this warrant it unquestionably. He is brute force, strength, and boldness granted by experience not all had already. Heda was wise in her choice (of him and the other wolves placed at the head of this all) and he accepts. This, he believes, will be advantageous for their cause.

When matters begin to conclude and he is satisfied by his last looks over the wolves assembled (assuming no objections arose between now and then), he moves off to ready himself for what is to come at the order of his sterling leader. 

With Thuringwethil away on business, it was the prime time for young Seregryn to get a feel for things. She sought out the woman's sleeping quarters with all her sleuthing skills, and was hanging out by the entrance when the call arose; she thought of ignoring it for a split second before choosing to seek it out, as she was supposed to, and soon joined the chase with others of the pack up the mountainside. Seregryn slid in to position among them silently — then, realizing she was not where she felt comfortable, she moved ever closer until her lithe body was rooted near to the leadership. She cast a curious eye upon those gathered, but was swift to disregard them as Thuringwethil spoke.

Her orders were clear. She went through clusters of names, and when her own was called, Seregryn felt the brief flutter of butterflies in her belly. She was being instructed to stay back — to keep the Dragon safe while other warriors were taken to march against their enemy. Seregryn's fluttering belly suddenly ceased its nervous antics, and she looked tight-lipped at the wolves who were going. Crestfallen, the fos goufa would eventually leave the gathering to vent her frustrations somewhere private. For now, she fumed in the corner, believing herself wholly worthy to be running to battle alongside the heda.

Hope it’s okay I assumed he tagged along this time :)
 
Storm heard the call, and this time he was allowed to attend, if only because there wasn’t any way he was going to be escorted to his den in time for his guard to return to the meeting without being late. He skittered into the meeting place alongside his guard, gazing around with wide brown eyes. They stopped to wait for Heda, and Storm sank to the ground until he was a shrivelled lump, lower than any other at the meeting. The lowly Omega waited with hope and reverence for his leader.

She appeared, cloaked in black on this dark evening. She stood near Gyda, who held none of his attention. All of the words sunk in but few had meaning – a prisoner had been given snippets of information, and even if they had kept him completely in the loop, he had no idea of the pack or wolves that were causing the conflict.

He had no objections to make to her request, only some consternation. It appeared she was putting herself in danger again. Storm huffed softly to himself, and kept to where he was plastered against the floor with no movement.

As fleimkepa, Magpie's place was at the Heda's side, and there she sat as a still statue; slightly behind, so as not to take the spotlight, and also that she might watch those gathered before the Commander. Her jaw remained set and clenched, though she did her best to keep her expression stoic. Although her role was to advise the dark yearling, Thuringwethil seemed perfectly happy to ignore her opinions and charge ahead with whatever decision made her blood the hottest. While part of Magpie wanted to grab the child by her scruff and drag her away to shake some sense into her, the Corvidae knew better than to scold the leaders in front of the entire pack, especially if her advise was to do the exact opposite of what had already been announced. And so she simply stewed, thoughts burning so brightly behind the firm set of her jaw and calm of her exterior, that the woman completely missed the name (and presence) of her niece.

She would stay in Drageda while the others went on a foolhardy mission; if only because she wanted no part of their war.

The summons heard, Sangilak traveled with @Tatkret beside her. The duo moved sure-footedly through the terrain of Sleeping Dragon, and upon arrival Sangilak noted the presence of others. She had been at the opposite end of the territory with Tatkret, but at last they had arrived, and fortunately in time to hear what was transpiring. 

Sangilak needed no more information than the fact that she was going. Her aggression lately had been through the roof; any that came near her was met with violence, particularly if they were of the opposite sex. She kept a hearty distance from any female now, perfectly unaware of the changes her body went through though at this point it would not be evident, so early in. Sangilak said nothing, though felt her presence and its remaining here was enough. She would do what was necessary, like the savage soldier she was. 

He travelled at a swift lope beside Sangilak as the two moved to where the leader had called from. Having met during a war — and having fought and survived in it — it seemed like conflict followed them wherever they went. Or was it just a coincidence? Nevertheless, Tatkret had no qualms in participating in the activities, having being raised for this very purpose. His heart hammered excitedly as they neared the gathering area, eyes alight with anticipation of what was to come.

He barely knew these wolves, though they had accepted him and Sangilak into their fold so he owed them that — Sang also knew Thuringwethil and there was a sort of alliance there that he had noted, however small.

So the man stood beside the other bearish wolf, tail slowly waving as he listened to what the leader had to say, along with the comment from another girl. He glanced once at her before sweeping a critical gaze over the others. The vast majority (barring the alpha and a sturdy male of creams and whites) were small and thin, some borderline malnourished-looking. He hoped there was more to them that met the eye.

Gavriel follows along quietly during their return and continues so when Thuringwethil makes the call for everyone to assemble. He knows of the meeting space but he doesn't need to search, taking heda's footsteps along with him. They had arrived before they did and while she took her spot near the front of the group, the overhang behind her and Gyda and Magpie, Gavriel remains on the outskirts. Even if he knows what the young leader has to say, Gavriel listens anyway.

While he won't go into battle, it does not surprise or annoy him. Someone had to remain in the middle, in an attempt to intercept the Phoenix wolves should they be on their way instead, but the pack would be left a little scarce. He doesn't know the wolf he is to remain with, but he expects the chance tomorrow.

Not necessary to post unless you want. Will archive this in a few days.

Thuringwethil searches the crowd, but no one says anything. She doesn’t have to look back at Magpie to feel her response and she’s distracted for a moment by Gyda. She gives them encouragement enough for the next morning and the leader takes it, nodding her head slowly in understanding. Eating and sleep had been far from her mind, but night is already upon them. Likely, caches would be the easiest way without much energy, but a depletion they’d have to take. Upon their return, they could take to normal life once more.

With nothing else to add, she dismisses them, and stands upon the ledge a moment longer until they’d dissipated into her land and wait for the following morning call.