Sleeping Dragon to marry the sea in a ceremony of storms

The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the super moon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.

This activity not mandatory and will hopefully keep to shorter rounds. Round two will begin on Friday, November 18. It reads in the description of the activity the volcano, so why not tonight? ;) This takes place of the night of the Supermoon. If you do not reply, it will be assumed your character has howled to indicate they are okay unless you message me beforehand stating otherwise. Also, feel free to simply cameo your character's howl. Otherwise, this is for anyone that wants to come together after it happens! @Dio @Wildfire @Gyda @Goliath @Hush @Portia @Rosalyn @Tanja @Freyja @Thyri @Hvitserk @Eske @Rebekka.

Thuringwethil wakes with a start, inhaling a sharp breath as she scans the cave. Wildfire is behind her, still asleep, but there is a distance between them that confuses her for only a few seconds. When she realizes how hot she feels, her paws clammy and her heavy panting, she realizes she’d pushed herself away sometime during the night. After a few seconds, she picks herself up and out of the cave where a rush of cool air coats her. Her eyes close and she enjoys it for a few moments before she eventually settles herself. The recollections of a nightmare piece together in her mind but she waits to pick through and decipher them.

Once the sky opens before her, the moon full and bright—much more than usual—Thuringwethil feels a chill run down the length of her spine. She shifts and twists it out all the way but the nagging feeling in the back of her mind doesn’t quite settle and she remains on edge with the information from her nightmares making a full picture. Her ears drop against her skull as she continues to climb further up in the direction of their meeting grounds. The moon hovers in the sky, finding herself unable to draw her attention away.

Just before she reaches the short shelf of land, there’s a rattling beneath her feet and a deep, low growl in depths she cannot imagine. Panic begins to fill her veins once more, one leg losing its grip and caving from beneath her, but she manages to keep standing and rushing forward until she’s standing on flat ground. It only lasts a few seconds and there’s a loud whine and sigh, as if the earth beneath her is tired, and a puff of ash releasing from their core.

The rock and ash tumble and float to the ground, Thuringwethil ducking closer to the wall to avoid as much as she can, but her concern falls away to the rest of the mountain. Despite the air not being settled, she lifts a call for the rest of them to make sure everyone else is in one piece.

He's curled by himself, on a ledge, passed out after watching the moon for sometime. It was a beautiful sight, incredibly large and bright, as if it swooped closer to them for a closer look. He wished he could have told others about it, but he didn't want to walk around the territory, waking everyone up. So he sat alone, watching until he fell asleep...

The ground shakes beneath him, jolting the mute hybrid awake. He jumps up to his feet, his baby blue eyes wide as he looks about him, the eerie groans and roars beneath him. He stands still, unsure what to do until it finally passes. Hush whimpers until he hears Heda's call; he quickly runs to her, ears pressed against his head, tail tucked between his legs. He steals towards her, licking her chin, concern and confusion obvious in his eyes.

Rosalyn was sleeping near the rendezvous, as was her usual, when the shaking started.  Even though it had been more than a month since she began living among a pack, when danger hit, grouping wasn't her first instinct.  Bad habit of too long spent looking after only herself.

Therefore when her ears tucked back at the rumble, she rose and instead ran towards the geyser field. She hugged the mountain, something that at first made her feel safer but after a minute turned out to be a mistake.  Suddenly the slope came alive with the shift, and she was forced to leap and angle sharply or be buried under it.  She outpaced them, luckily, and stared at the displaced stone with a sort of humor.  That's what you get, Roz, for living on a fking mountain.

Instead of going back up the rise, she called back to Thuring, indicating her own safety.

Wildfire slept like the dead tonight. She did not rouse when Thuringwethil moved away in the middle of the night, taking her warmth with her, nor when the earth itself began to tremble. It was only when the commander's voice shrilled in the distance that the Bandrona suddenly startled awake, snuffling and blinking. Drool crusted her lip and cheek but she paid no mind to it as she blearily scrambled to all fours in the cold, empty den.

She darted outside, the light of the moon so bright that it made Wildfire squint. Everything seemed preternaturally still at the moment, though there was a strange smell to the crisp November air and the occasional snowflake drifted through the darkness. Heart beating in her throat, the yearling listened to the howls resounding from various points around the territory, still not quite sure what was going on.

"I'm here!" she managed to call, her voice low and throaty and not nearly as loud as the others' even after all this time. Fearful that the Heda might not have heard her, Wildfire began to lope upward, toward the source of the leader's call. Only as she climbed did she realize that those weren't snowflakes swirling on the air; they were bits of ash.

Freyja had been sleeping quite sometime before the earth began to move. At first it did not stir the Feisripa, but as it intensified, Freyja found herself waking suddenly. Despite her lack of comprehension on what was occurring, Freyja attempted to push herself onto her unsteady paws as she quickly attempted to get a grip on just what was happening. Panic rose from within as she looked at her family and despite her inner instinct, she lingered in the den for a moment. “W-What’s going on?” Any confidence that was characteristic of her mannerism was long gone in wake of her fear. But, despite this, the voice of reasoning seemed to finally get through to her, urging her outside.

Nudging Hvitserk, who slept right beside her, she then turned towards the den entrance and exited the family den. Blinding moonlight met her as she halted herself just outside of the den she winced at it and dropped onto her belly. Was this it? She couldn’t help but to think this. She did not notice if her family slipped around her in that moment, or if they had even left the den, and all she could find herself looking around wildly in an attempt to survey it all.

Soon enough, the mountainside relinquished it’s apparent anger with the wolves with a heavy sigh. Freyja’s head canted to the strong noise and her concern grew as a foreign puffing noise sounded. Turning her attention towards the source of the noise, Freyja’s eyes grew wide as the sight-- both horrific and enchanting-- that the mountain had presented them with. Ash and debris elegantly cascaded in the moonlight and despite Freyja inherent fear she felt somewhat calmed by the spectacle. To her, despite the littering of debris and the humming in the air, it seemed peaceful. She was unaware of just what this all meant, but it seemed to be better now.

She lifted her voice once the Heda had beckoned, adding her own call into the symphony of her packmate’s howls.

It had been a peaceful night, and Portia slept soundly with her face pressed warmly against Dio. It would have been perfect had the ground not begun to shake, pebbles tumbling down from the ceiling and onto her back. It was terrifying, at first, and the Skayona quickly shoved her nose into her companions ribs cage and pulled at his scruff, small whimpers escaping her. Her den was gorgeous and filled with useful features, but it was not structurally sound enough to handle what she could only consider an earthquake-- at least, worst case scenario. 

She scrambled from the den once she was sure she'd woken Dio up-- had he not already woken up-- and lowered herself to the ground, tucking her legs beneath her chest. Her fur bristled with fear and she breathed heavily from the adrenaline.  The ground had stopped, and now ash and rock tumbled down, the occasional one plopping onto her. A few left small scratches, but she was fine as long as she knew that they were out of her den-- which was still holding up. 

Though terrified, the Naturalist couldn't help but smile as she tilted her head back to call to her Heda, letting her know that she was okay. When she'd finished, she looked to Dio, her fur still puffed out and her legs still tucked under her chest. "H-how awesome w-w-was that, h-hun?" she breathed quickly, stammering a bit-- too shaky to let out a clear statement, "I've never b-b-been near an... an earthquake... or.. or an eruption... b-before." 

Tanja had always been a light sleeper, easily woken at the sound of a howl or even the cry of some creature that scampered through the night. So when the earth began to shake, dirt sprinkling down on top of him from the roof of his den, he was easily startled awake. His eyes shot opened, red from the lack of sleep. And after a taking few moments to register what was happening the man was quick to pull himself from the den. By the time he got outside the shaking had stopped and the earth appeared to stand still in the moment after the quake, not a creature to be heard.

He had never experienced such a thing in his life but the stories he had heard were nothing like that actual thing. He took a few moments to calm himself, the initial shock of being woken by the earth's rumbling still had him on edge. And as the ash began to float down and howls from all around surrounded him, Tanja raised his muzzle to joined his fellow packmates as they're song filled the darkened sky.

Cold nights and warm company made it easy, especially now that he had gradually started to become a more regular occurrence in Portia's den and had made himself at home once there. He might have otherwise been content to sleep through until just before dawn, but the mountain had other plans. While still bleary from sleep, he prickled uneasily when he felt Portia shifting and as soon as he had a better grasp on awareness, he understood why.

Her urging got him up, and out of the den promptly although the rise of his hackles persisted through it all. Even as he looked around and took this all in, confusion still muddied his thoughts -- he'd never felt this before, not here, not at the Rise, and not in any places his roving paws had known. He hovered close to Portia, uncertain what to do to even  guard them best in such a circumstance, but, his nostrils flared. Ash and rock alike fell next. He squinted, willing this to be the worst of it all, and for them to see the other side relatively unscathed; this wasn't exactly what he'd hoped to wake up to.

When Portia's call rose to the winds, he joined his in as well to let Heda know they were alright too now that things seemingly were calming down. He was still processing this, what it was, exactly, and what it could mean. He supposed this should be expected, considering their territory, but that still didn't mean he'd thought about what it would actually be like to have anything happen. "So strange," Dio exhaled, then yawned and licked his lips before brushing his muzzle against hers.

"Me neither.." he shook his head. "Think that was the worst of it?" he quirked a brow, wondering of the mountain's secrets while he squinted out into the ash-sprinkled horizon.

i just pp'd eske instead of posting on her account, to make things easier.

For the first time in a very long time Gyda is gripped with paralyzing fear as the earth beneath her trembles. There is a blur of chaos, the sound of Freyja's voice through the buzzing in the shield-maiden's head, Eske's fearless form skirting out of the mouth of the den to scream about the dragon with a trill of excitement in her voice that Gyda wished could be dampened. The only thing she can think of was Ragnarok. The end of days and abruptly she is gasping for air, pushing herself out of the den after her children, blinking in horror at the ash that fell like snow. She cast a weary glance at the mountain, the smoke that furled from it and felt her heart rate increase. She was not ready for the twilight of the Gods. She was not ready to see them slew in battle, their mighty and carcasses the very last thing she would see before she, too, would fall.

Her youngest daughter called out to her, moving to stand before her. “Where are your siblings?” Gyda demands of Eske who answers that she doesn't know. Gyda faces the dilemma then: do they stay or do they go in search? It was so chaotic and it was Thuringwethil's howl that calmed her. Others joined in and soon Gyda heard Freyja's voice among the mix. This brought with it some relief though two children went unaccounted for. “Stay with me Eske.” Gyda commands her youngest daughter and to her relief Eske obliged though not without smugly interjecting that the Dragon was going to eat everyone. Gyda tips her muzzle heavenward and lets her own howl join those, with Eske's soon chiming in, secretly hoping that her other children might use her howl to find their way back to her.

The moment the earth moves beneath him, Gavriel shoots up to all fours. He blinks a few times and takes a few steps in his immediate area to determine what danger he’s in or what he needs to do to get himself into gear. All of it happens quickly, glancing skyward to see the large moon and the puff of smoke coming from the mountain. A chorus of howls are next as things settle and Gavriel makes his way several yards to the den where Gyda and Eske are with their howls mixed in. Gavriel, late to the party, throws his head back to do the same but he calls for the two unaccounted children.

“Are you okay?” he asks as he comes up next to them, greeting Eske gently behind the ear and Gyda in a similar fashion. He gives her a nudge and takes a few steps, hoping she will follow. He heard Freyja in the mix not too far from the family den and so he glances back before offering a quick, “let’s find them.”

If no one has noticed, I'm really bad to sticking to my own deadline, lmao. To those that have not replied, you're more than welcome to pop in, but since no one sent me a message, it will be assumed everyone howled in return. To those that have posted, you don't have to (especially if you cameo'd with a howl) reply again but are more than welcome to. My next reply will be Thursday of this week (gobble gobble!).

With her call comes several others and she is relieved to hear everyone (as far as she can tell) return the howl. Thuringwethil stands upon the plateaued meeting ground for a while longer, uncertain what to make of everything that has happened. If she had a full hedonakru, she knows what would happen, and she even briefly considers calling Freyja to her but she sets the thought aside as soon as Hush comes into view. He approaches and she nods her head, wagging her tail, and even leans into the greeting with a low (pleased) grumble of her chest.

“Did anything seem destroyed on your way up?” she asks. She knows she’ll only get a shake or a nod but it’s all she needs. The rest she can figure out for herself.

Thuringwethil looks away then as Wildfire comes into view and relief floods her all at once despite having thought she felt okay to begin with. She’d heard the call of her mate but seeing her is an entirely different story. She nudges Hush once to follow and meets the bandrona the rest of the way. “Are you all right?”

Portia nods quietly, thoughtfully, her ears still perked in fascination but her body still quivering from the adrenaline rush and fear. She appreciated the gentle touch, soothing and reminding that he was physically here-- not just his voice. She nipped at his feet as he stood beside her, urging him to come closer and lay beside her, her paws still tucked safely beneath her. "I hope," she answered, tail curling tighter to her hind legs, "But I don't know-- I don't want to sleep in there tonight... just in case" She placed her head on her paws, ears still perked as she listened to a few more howls pick up, ash still settling upon them. The foliage helped, it seemed, but some debre still floated on top of them. She pressed against Dio, forcing her head under his chin-- even if it had been on the ground-- and closed her eyes, focusing more on him than the world outside, planning to stay there for the rest of the night. 

last from me

cameo!

 

The rumble of the earth and the call of the Commander was what woke the woman from her sleep. Rebekka specifically had never been told exactly what Sleeping Dragon rested upon, or more, had never bothered to notice it was more than just a mountain. Confusion, and then to shock gripped her as she scampered to stand, unbalanced under the forces that rocked the ground beneath her. It felt like minutes before the shaking passed, though, her own quivering legs took longer to cease. When she could gather her breath, the woman let out a short howl in signal of her condition before returning to her den, remaining awake for any signal that she is needed.

His ears flicked this way and that as the howls of others rose up, signalling their safety in their own respective way. He took note, and was glad to hear so many of them accounted for already. Above that, he listened for further word from the commander or sounds of issue elsewhere on the mountainside. It remained a tense few moments, with nervousness about what the volcano's activity meant by that pooling somewhere in the back of his mind.

But even with the ash and all the bizarre rumbling, he was still sluggish with sleep and far too eager to return to the warmth he'd had before tucked up against her. He nodded at Portia and took her cues, content enough to shirk the den for the rest of the night as her concerns were valid enough -- and not so unlike his own. He curled up tight, tucking her close, and dozed lightly. Should the packmates summon, or the earth rumble again, he'd want to respond fast.

Just like snowflakes, the bits of ash drifted to the ground and began to collect. It looked just like snow in the bright light of the super moon, though it wasn't cold to the touch. Biting her lip, Wildfire kept climbing, her pulse thundering in her ears. Was the volcano about to erupt? Would lava and flames shoot into the air any second? She had grown up on a volcano, albeit an extinct one, and now she wondered why Thuringwethil and Gyda had chosen this place if something like this might happen.

When she found the commander, Wildfire discovered that she was not alone. She gave Hush a cursory glance and nod, then looked to her mate. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said, nudging up against her. "How about you? What's going on? Should we evacuate?" The words tumbled from her lips in a disjointed rush even as a piece of ash landed square on the bridge of her smudged snout.

He shook his head. There was not much broken, outside a few cracked boulders and jutting outcrops. The rumbling did not seem to do much, minus the terrifying roar, ash and shaking. He huffed, watching as the others approached, wagging his tail everytime. He didn't know what was the best option; flee or hunker down somewhere? Whatever it was, he wouldn't look at the Dragon the same; it seemed it wasn't sleeping much anymore.

I think since everyone else was more or less a cameo, it'll just be us three: @Wildfire, @Hush. Everyone else is still welcome to participate but no more rounds. Reply as normal. :)

Hush gives her the answer, and for that information she is thankful, but he likely only saw a little bit between where he’d been to here, but she tucks it away for the moment. Wildfire announces that she is okay and comes to stand close, something more affection than Thuringwethil would normally do but she remains a little shaken still from what has happened. Her attention pulls away from her mate, though, and the sky of the large face in the sky. The moon always seems bigger when it is full but tonight, especially so, and she is not the only to notice.

“No, I don’t think so,” she decides but there is her own quake in her voice, glancing between the two. No others had come to them, but she hadn’t expected them to. There had been no calls of distress and no need for her to go to them or gather up the others, and so she simply focuses on the task at hand. The night has grown quiet, eerily so, and Thuringwethil steels her footing and shakes her head, deciding firmly against evacuation. Not yet. “Let’s go to Hougeda,” she tells the both of them, taking a step away from the group to lead.

It was quiet and still now. He looked to Heda and Wildfire, then the others. The others were safe now, at least he thought so. There was no desperate cries of pain, but couldn't that mean that they were dead? He huffed, knowing he could not call the others. Heda seemed nervous, but she continued to lead as she has always done. He nodded, following Thurin, looking back at the others, wondering if they were alright outside of their shock.

Thuringwethil didn't seem to think an evacuation was necessary at this point. Wildfire shook her head to dislodge the bit of ash from her nose, then peered at her mate before nodding. She would of course follow the Heda's lead and respect her call. That didn't stop the Bandrona from peering a little fearfully into the moonlit darkness, wondering about the state of the territory and its inhabitants even as she fell into step alongside the commander and Hush.

"Maybe the moon woke the dragon," she murmured to herself, watching as ash continued to drift down, coating the volcano and surrounding lands in a blanket that captured the moon's radiance and bounced it. It was like wandering through a dimly lit gray ghost town. Wildfire found herself pressing closer to her companions.

Having grown up on the sea, Thuringwethil had taken time getting used to the mountain, only to find out it is much more than that. It has been quiet since they day they claimed it and the coincidence it rumbles tonight, with the large moon, leaving her to question Wildfire’s theory. While the safety of her wolves are first priority, she does not want to alarm them more than they already are and a mob did not form to demand to leave—perhaps because they trust her enough to make the decision.

The trek to Hougeda does not take terribly long, especially in the company of her mate and longtime friend, but her anxiety does not full leave her. She keeps herself straightened and stiff so they she may not release an ounce. “Maybe,” she finally says. The dragon has been good to them from the start but perhaps they have put a strain on it by living here though the idea seems silly enough for it is far greater than she can imagine. It is time like these, however, that makes her miss the call of the sea and longing for a sound she is familiar with. The ocean has its own dangers, she knows, just as this mountain and their strong bond will not break because of a little quake.

“Hush, you go that way,” she says with a point of her muzzle. “Check on who you can find. We will be close,” she adds before turning to Wildfire and nudging her in the other opposite direction. “And I’ll head this way.” All the howls had been accounted for, as far as she could tell, but on the safe side (and knowing she won’t be able to sleep), she prefers to make sure. Once the orders have been given, they split and meet back to find most of everyone accounted for and safe.