Whitebark Stream I guess I'll never know why sparrows love the snow.

Pack meeting! This round will conclude on March 10th. PP of Dawn, let me know if there is need anything I to change!   :)

@Dawn @Kaori @Minnow @Kora @Chai @Salvatore @Daylily @Eights @Anokhi @Kavik @Grezig @Aphrodite

With his mate at his side, Artyom ventured deep into Whitebark territory as they hunted for an appropriate spot to call their pack together. It'd been a number of days since fresh snow had fallen and, although what remained on the ground was frozen and the air held onto its cold bite, Spring was well on its way. It would be best to bring them together now, before new life would prevent Dawn from venturing far from her whelping hollow.

"I think this would make a good spot," the ranger chirped as he happened across an old trunk - what remained of a tree having fallen years prior. Artyom bounded forward, enthusiastic as he hoisted himself atop it to assume a regal posture: chin tilted upward, tail arched and an obnoxious smirk on his pale muzzle. "I know, I know, I look remarkable," he joked, eyeing the sterling huntrees from the corner of a chocolate eye, "no need to be jealous, мой сладкий, there's plenty of room for you to join me!"

And it was beside him that she positioned herself, and the Alpha pair rose their voices as one to summon their comrades to them.

Daylily came along presently and, upon seeing her leaders sitting atop an old tree trunk, she smiled up at them amusedly. She noted with widened eyes how far along Dawn was in her pregnancy and her tail wagged of its own accord as she felt her excitement grow. And there had been another who had joined recently. A gruff female named Grezig. She was also expecting. Oh, it was so exciting to watch as others around her waited for new life to be born… and yet there was a pang of sadness as she realized that she would miss her own opportunity for pups for at least a year… Well, at least she’d be able to babysit the others.

She was getting ready to leave for the coast when the howl had rang out. Sighing, she turned away from the border and made her way to the call. 
She smiled at Artyom, her first time seeing him since the failed hunt, and noted the very beautiful- and very pregnant- Shewolf. So he did have a mate, then. Her own belly twinged- she wanted that for herself, more than anything. Perhaps it was simply the hormones of the season. She was going a bit stircrazy, in all honesty.

She found that she was still struggling to come out of her shell. Chai once again, had no one to blame but herself for this. The summoning voices of Artyom and Dawn beckoned the pack forth. She did not question their reasoning; it had to be important. A meeting like this was the perfect little scenario to force the timid girl to try and integrate with the others. Hurriedly, she made her way to the area, a little surprised to see she was among the first to arrive. Ears pricked, she managed a weak smile and chuffed lightly to her leaders. Her eyes were drawn to Daylily, to whom she sat next to, at ease in the others presence.

As of late, seclusion became the way of the dragoness. With the weeks drifting by and her symptoms worsening, she knew. Even before the physical changes began, she knew—but she wasn’t sure how she felt. Joyful, excited, panicked, terrified…! Her time was spent alone with herself, nestled away in the den she dug, surrounded by her growing collection of plants; the more distracted she kept herself, the less stressed out she felt. But hiding away could only last for so long, a realisation made the second she heard the rising voices of the leaders.

Kaori was slow to arrive, having detoured briefly in search of @Salvatore—who she was yet to tell, another realisation that made her abandon that quest and instead head off to meet the leaders. Restless, she kept her distance when she arrived, allowing a decent amount of space to remain between herself and the others. Meanwhile, her gaze found its way to Dawn and her mate, watching the pair carefully.

Grezig was pretty heavily pregnant by now and found it more difficult to move around, though she still had--what was it--a week left? Two? She couldn't be sure anymore. Much like the funk she'd fallen into when she'd moved to Rusalka, she felt similarly here. Perhaps this time it was pregnancy hormones. She sat with the rest of the small crowd, waiting to hear whatever it was that the leaders had to say, and promised herself quietly that once she had given birth and was well enough to move around properly, she'd start giving back to this pack for taking her in and accepting the burden of two pups who had no relation to either leader. She hadn't expected any trouble with Ibis in Uaine Gorsedd, but she knew most packs were stricter with their breeding rights, and she was grateful to Whitebark for taking her in.

the summons of the alpha pair raises thru the air, splicing the calm of the stream as salvatore walks his patrols; as he does each and every day. it calms the rise of nerves he feels about the uncertainties of his life as kaori has gone into seclusion and, out of both respect for her privacy and the fear of tearing teeth ingrained within him by killmonger, he does not try to seek her out. scratching at a tree trunk along their borders laden with moss to mark his place he turns and heads inland, towards the origin of the summoning.

when he arrives, he is, as expected, not the first to arrive. singular eye finds the alpha pair situated at the head of the gathering, naturally, before seeking a familiar face among the crowd ...which given his own bought of social seclusion there are only few he recognizes. he spots @Kaori among the already gathered and makes his way towards her, settling nearby.

The howl had brought the cream woman from her travels. Luckily her scan for toxic herbs had not only came up empty but also had not taken her far from the alpha pairs chosen meeting spot. Kora took another lavender scan of the horizon before turning and heading towards the call, ecstatic. Upon arriving the lady wasn't surprised to see she was anything but first, a fact of which she didn't mind.

Taking a seat towards the side of the group the woman flashed a smile towards the expecting she-wolf and her mate, a beautiful sight indeed. A new wolf was also at the gathering sight, one who also seemed to be awaiting a new family member. Kora would have to baby-proof the whole territory now. Attention reset on the leaders the ivory woman patiently waited for whatever Dawn and Artyom had to say.

she snorts, grin etched on her muzzle as she eases up beside him. "Only if you insist -- I would hate to infringe on your magnificence," she jokes on return, tail swaying. there is certainly a little envy at the way he makes the jump so easily. maneuvering seems somewhat more difficult, and this time around, she's certainly more careful. recently, she's begun to remember in terrifying detail that first pregnancy; the pain, the blood, the children who never breathed. she can not repeat that, not again. but the focus remains, at the moment, on the pack, and so the huntress raises her voice alongside her mate's in steady call. their members arrive gradually, each earning a smile as they arrive, a brief scan to ensure they're healthy yet. gaze lingers a moment on the newest members, and Kaori, though she does not single any out as they gather.

Editing in a fade.   :)

Soon, the pack began to arrive. Wolves trickled in one by one and Artyom, greeting each familiar face with a smile, felt pride creep into his being. He made to exchange a glance with his mate and, to himself, thought how grateful he was for her to have brought them together and made this all possible.

Through his excited anticipation of seeing Whitebark's pack brought together, however, there was some quiet concern for those who failed to show - particularly that of a newcomer, @Kavik, who had vowed to assist where possible yet seemed to keep mostly to himself since. @Minnow, too, had not come, which surprised him, and he hoped that @Anokhi and @Eights were simply further afield and heading their way to join them.

Deciding that they'd been kept waiting long enough, Artyom carried on: "welcome," he announced cheerfully, "it is good to see you all here, and I hope all is well."

Dark eyes swept the group briefly, before he sought that of his mate. "You have likely noticed a few changes around here," he carried on, a gilded ear trained on the group as he searched Dawn's lovely features. "The snows are beginning to thaw and, very soon, Dawn and I will be welcoming our cubs into the world."

His smile brightened as he looked out at his comrades again, keen to share his joy with them, as was evident in the merry sweep of his tail. "We will not be the only parents," he continued, fixing the tawny newcomer with a warm gaze, "as Grezig, too, will have her litter here. I'm sure you will all do your best to make her feel at home." Although still feeling the weight of his concern over Reiko and her friends, their fallen pack, the last thing that he wanted to do was place judgement on the shoulders of an expectant mother. Artyom wished for Grezig's pregnancy to go as smoothly as possible, and for his pack to support her through it.

And they would, he felt. They were not a large group as they'd been in the beginnibg, but those who remained made it close one. All cubs born to them would be nothing but blessings.