Ankyra Sound it feels like you're with your father in the place you love

grimnismal's last pack activity!!! the ultimate whump is a pack whump, kek
this thread (and the one it is set off of, this one) is set for 5/25, which is when the disband was officially requested. feel free to come with, or go your own way - thanks for all the fish! @Kierkegaard @Lycaon @Nyx (u get a tag too) @Sirio @Steele @Mahler @Ephraim @Raleska @Illidan @Svalinn @Rhakios

a bear -- a fucking bear -- had taken residence in the grotto; caiaphas had come across its massive form as it clawed through her sequoia forest, slavering and immune to the reinforcement of grimnismal's borders. she had given its golden form one glance, but it had been one glance too long -- the monster had seen her and given chase in the form of thunderous, sweeping strides.

a litany of thoughts ensued:
what the fuck
are you serious
THIS IS MY FOREST!
my children

and finally, rightfully -- holy jesus christ, i'm about to fucking die.

yet she knew ankyra sound better than any, and had slipped into one of the many small tunnels that interspersed their once-sleepy forest. the siren queen had no time to revel in her cleverness -- not when her childrens' lives were at stake. once the low growling of the bear was no longer audible, caiaphas climbed out from the dirt and howled -- urgency plain in her lilting voice.

she bolted then for the beach and fell upon her yet unarmed children with insistent nips -- harsh nips meant to round their heels and shepherd them forward at a swift march. she knew kierkegaard would come soon, to help her -- and any uprising or protest her children uttered were met with explosive snarls. svalinn would have to be carried -- she came across his form and quickly scooped him in her jaws, yet not before issuing a commanding growl at her children.

move.


they were not safe here -- and while caiaphas would have died to protect ankyra sound, doing so would put her children's lives in tremendous jeopardy. she would not let them die the way she had let kevlyn perish -- no -- the thought of kevlyn caused her throat to catch and a dry, thoughtless protectiveness to seize her. she had fought too hard for them to see them die at the claws of an insensate and slavering bear.

no, you stupid beast -- you cannot have them.

they were leaving -- now -- and the bear and everyone else could go fuck themselves.

At only five days old, Svalinn's greatest talent to date was whimpering. It was a quiet sound, perhaps tempered by pain-memory, but it was his insurmountable instinct to do so. Whenever he lost too much warmth or felt too hungry, he whisper-cried for salvation. The punctures and bruises along the loose skin of his spine— a gift from teeth once meant to be gentle— were healing well enough, but they were an ugly reminder not to cry out too loudly. His sense of touch was one of only two things he had going for him, so the scars on his back ran deeper than his crinkling skin.

But the other thing he had going for him was taste— and the taste of milk was his saving grace. He didn't know what was going on, but first he realized that he had an inkling of Caiaphas' scent on his nose and tongue. Milk! His whimpers became more urgent squeaks, shuffling around in his attempt to squirm towards her. He was stilled suddenly by teeth at his tiny scruff. He stiffened, marble-sized paws splayed as his wounds were jostled, but he did not protest aloud as he swung back and forth beneath his caretaker's urgent muzzle.

The ghost had been intent on relaxing with his children that day. He’d rounded them up and played with each of them before feeling himself overcome by a deep tiredness. Sprawled out on his side, legs stretched, the mercenary’s eyes fluttered from open to close as he watched the pups play with each other. Even when the howl of his mate drifted over the sound, he did not hear her. There was a peaceful melancholy that had gripped him in jagged claws. In all his life, Kierkegaard did not imagine that he would have spent that time with his own offspring. As he watched Raleska tumble over her brother, a faint smile curled his dark features and he breathed a sigh in knowing that they were secure there. The adopted pup was clutched closely to the warmth of his body in Caiaphas’ absence, only for the warmth that he could provide. The young boy’s whimpering was the only thing holding him from sleep.

It was when he heard the hurried pace of his mate that the argent brute rose from his sprawled state and looked around with wild, molten eyes. Her breathing was urgent, and so Kierkegaard propped himself up on his elbows and blinked at her with concern etched across his harsh features. She did not waste time in scooping their children up and nipping at them sharply to move – to flee – and so the ghostly figure grunted as he rose to his paws and stood protectively over Svalinn. The glint in his gaze was wrought with bewilderment, but he did not utter a word. The ragged hound moved to herd his pups into a neat little line and began pressing them out into the world with a rough shove of his nose.

He was doing one of his two most favourite things—sleeping—when Caiaphas's call roused him. He was slow to wake and grouchy as hell about it, too. It was several hard bites before he was on his feet, and each one was met with retaliation, though his teeth were nowhere near as effective. He stood, eyes half-lidded, somewhere off to Kierkegaard's left. Caiaphas stooped to grab the newest addition to their family and Ephraim's gaze darkened until his face stormed with a deep glare.

He never broke eye contact with the small off-white pup dangling from his mother's lips, his thoughts churning and his lips threatening to lift in a growl. Mine, was his possessive inner mantra as he reluctantly tramped after his family, not understanding or caring what was going on or that they might never return.

Steele heard a ruckus and went to investigate, what he saw through the bushes was a giant ball of fur with teeth bigger than his. It wasn't in his best interest to try and fight it off so he wanted to help whoever was left get away. He tried to find anyone that was left but it was useless as no one but the bear was making a sound. Steele was trying to be discreet as he slithered away from the bear and Ankyra Sound.

Steele didn't know what this meant for the rest of his life, but he had felt bad for the pack being ran off of their own land by the bear. He was going to run and run until he was certain he was away from the danger. It had only been a few days since he had joined the pack so he didn't feel as though he owed them his life, meaning to fight the bear. Though he did hope everyone had gotten out okay, but he would never know.

Raleska had been snozzing alongside Ephraim when she was just as abruptly awoken; it took her a few minutes to stir into cognizance, and those few minutes were not afforded. She grumbled as she got up, and like her brother, lifted her teeth as her mother's urgency met her - but it was not much use, and she was silenced by the imposing intensity both parents emanated.

 She didn't understand why they were being forced to get up or move in such a hurry, but she didn't like it -- and she liked even less the sight of the pale child held in her mother's jaws. Raleska, who had by now been fully weaned from her mother's milk, had stirrings of jealousy when she had seen him allowed to suckle, but not her - the rejection was still fresh in her mind as she was shepherded out of Grimnismal.

Her anger eventually subsided, if only because she noticed they were being lead somewhere she had never been before. Resentment was soon replaced with quiet interest, and then outright fascination, as the topography changed from sandy beach, to sparse forest, to thickened scrubland, to loamy woodland, and eventually, moss-covered expanses punctuated by tall sequoias.

he had laid himself down outside his lean-to den when the witch's fearful cry broke over grimnismal. "bär," the musiker muttered to himself. kierkegaard and the sea-hag would be gathering their brats, and mahler cared little for the grotto in wylla's absence, nor the other wolves who had called it their home. 
devoid of attachment to the strand, with only the sting of how swiftly his budding connection with kierkegaard had been sundered, mahler moved in powerful lunges across the sand, opposite where the alpha pair swept their brood. his dappled form soon swallowed from frame, the man nevertheless did not pause in his run until the sea loomed far behind him.
only then did the empty wolf turn back toward grimnismal, lot's wife turned to salt as he paused and beheld for the last time the scour-chased land he had once called home. and after that, no more — mahler moved into the wild and was gone.

While Ephraim had been sleeping, Illidan had been gnawing tiredly on a particularly round bone that had been left over from one of their parents’ meals. When their mother had scrabbled into the family den and announced their leave, he’d dropped his trophy with a gaping maw and refused to move. Even still when his father’s nose pushed roughly against his rear, Illidan growled softly in response and frowned at the large haggard man. He did not understand why on earth they should need to leave the safety of their home. It was not until he felt the sharp nip from Kierkegaard’s teeth that he rose from his spot and began to follow reluctantly.
 
Charging upward to where Raleska walked, Illidan bumped against her with a scowl and cast her an inquisitive glance. It was as if he were asking her, are you okay with all of this? Because I am not.. But, the further they wandered, the more he had started to realize that they might never be going back. The sandy shores turned to rolling hills and thick-cut trees that stood like fierce guardians over a forest that he was not familiar with. As much as he wished to turn around and return to the grotto where he had been born, Illidan knew – with instinct – that their family was not going back any time soon. The fear that had filled his parents had been enough to tell him that something was very wrong, and he would not likely feel safe for a long while.