Nova Peak hymnal

For @Scimitar :)

Kaskara had scaled the mountain and found her way toward the Northwoods later that afternoon, looking for her brother, her alpha. She had a few things to tell him: the newest pack in their region and her, um, new status. She was no longer a lone woman; she had found someone to be the other half of her life. She was certain he would have guessed that she and Kieran would get together. They did spend a lot of time together, after all. But she still wanted to see what he thought.

She found herself near their den, and she smiled at the thought of the tiny puppies within, growing like weeds. She let out a low chuff, not wanting to wake the babes, but calling for her brother instead. "Scim?" If he didn't answer, or if Bazi said he was elsewhere, she'd look for him. But she waited with baited breath, wondering how on earth she was going to tell him about her and Kieran.

One ear would flicker in the direction of his name -- Kaskara's voice was evident to him, and untangling himself from Bazi and their litter, the cinnamon male emerged from the den entrance, his large form giving a leisurely stretch as his eyes blinked, adjusting to the sun.

His sister's swarthy form came to view, and giving his large frame a quick shake, he emitted a soft breath in to the air. "Hi," he murmured, trying to shake the lethargy from himself. "What's up?" His gaze would drift from her to the den entrance, making sure none of the escape artists came bumbling up after him.. each day they were getting faster, and he knew they would have their hands even more full within only a few weeks. They needed more members.

It didn't take too long for her brother to appear from the depths of the den, stretching as he did so. "Hey," she said softly, bumping her nose against his cheek. "How're things?" She did care about her brother and her nieces and nephews. In these last few months she had gone from mostly stoic, much like her brother, to outwardly showing her affection for those she loved. Perhaps Scimitar would likewise grow, though she wasn't holding her breath for it.

"I met a wolf meaning to establish a pack nearby." She seated herself as she spoke, knowing her brother would have a million and one questions about it. "She's actually originally from a pack I was part of, Blacktail Deer Plateau. I didn't know her well back then, but she is smart and able." Kas sighed and wondered how he would take this. "She wants to establish her pack nearby, on a ridge, and wanted to make sure that was okay with us. Especially you."

Scimitar only gave a shrug at her inquiry – not because anything was wrong, but simply because he was more eager to get to the business she had come here for. Kaskara did not disappoint, and the cinnamon wolf regarded her quietly, his eyebrows lifting at the mention another wanted to settle so close. His sister’s choice words did little to soothe the potential blow – and a snort escaped him at the mention of the Blacktail Deer Plateau pack – a pack he had never had any love for, and had never refrained from being vocal about such a thing to his sister.
 
“Why would they settle so close to our pack if they knew we’re here?” He didn’t’ like the thought of it, and he gave a shake of his muzzle, his eyes drifting from his swarthy sister to the lands that surrounded them. “And where are they looking to settle?”

Why and where. Those were the two most important questions, and thankfully she knew at least some of the answer. "She said she fell in love with the place, and could not imagine herself elsewhere. I told her you had that in common." Though Scimitar had finally had to give up his claim on Neverwinter, at least they had found the peak, and they were happy here. Perhaps more than happy.

"I'm not sure exactly where, but its south-southeast of here. Between us and the glacier. I'm to meet with her again in a few days, to tell her of your answer. You're welcome to come with me, or you could visit her yourself." Either way she knew her brother would want to meet this alpha. "Her name is Saena." Whatever her family name was, Kas wasn't sure. It was unclear which pups from her past were Peregrine's and which someone else's. Saena was the important name, and at least she had that.

Scimitar snorted at the reasoning – not laying the sardonic blame to his sister, but the opposing Alpha’s desires. “If we held to that, we would have claimed Neverwinter Forest. We didn’t want our family endangered – and I make no promises that we will be peaceful neighbors to her pack,” he determined then, his tail giving a flick of annoyance. Pride had nothing to do with it though – if there was any truth to his words, it was only spurred by the simple fact that he wished for his mountain and family to be left in peace. If this other pack so much as attempted anything against that.. he would not stand aside and let the matter fester, as it had with The Sunspire and Noctisardor Bypass – both packs should have been eradicated the moment they made the attempt to settle so near and posed a threat. He had learned from those mistakes.
 
“I will go with you,” he offered then, disliking the idea of sending her alone.. and not event trying to meet with this she-wolf. “We will leave in a few weeks, once the puppies are a bit older.”

She knew he would find it objectionable, but as soon as he spoke with Saena herself, he would see the reason behind it. She had offered a fair deal, though in reality she wasn't the one who could offer one, seeing as she was a new alpha without much of a pack behind her. In either case, she had promised that her wolves would not stray into their hunting territory, and in turn she wanted Kas to promise theirs wouldn't trespass on hers, either. It hadn't been entirely her decision to make, and had said as much.

"I think that's for the best," she said with a nod. Scimitar needed to meet with the alpha, and going together seemed the best course of action. "She mentioned that she'd call for me when she was ready. I'm not sure what she's preparing for, but still..." Settling down, perhaps? Kas didn't know, but either way, she wasn't going to chase the girl down. She'd be ready when that howl came.

It was in this moment that the unknown pack claiming the rise further from them would become the ‘devil they did not know.’ The Sunspire they had known – to an extent, and Fox ahd certainly pushed their buttons as much as she could. Scimitar had wanted to eradicate the danger – Tuwawi had shut that idea down. Noctisardor Bypass had proven to be even more of a danger to them – Shadow had been a ticking time bomb, and while the pack had respected borders and steered clear of them.. Scimitar was not convinced that if Paarthurnax had not left the man, he would not have attempted something upon them,
 
“I’ll call for you when we leave then,” he murmured. It would be a few weeks – he could not leave Bazi with their children just yet, and with two adults gone, Nova Peak would be weakened.. especially with two of its more seasoned warriors.

Kaskara nodded, feeling every bit like a scolded young girl. Though Scimitar was not angry with her, Kaskara sometimes felt he was. Was she not good enough? Was she too lenient and understanding? She had kept herself safe thus far, and had not brought any wrath upon her pack, here or at the creek, because of her actions. But sometimes she still felt like she had a lot to live up to in his eyes.

"How are the babes?" she asked softly, peering behind him to catch a glimpse of Bazi and the children. They were small now, but they would grow quickly. She hoped she would be a good aunt to them. "And you? Anything you need from me?"

Completely unaware of her true thoughts, the man swept his bright eyes over his sibling as she spoke, allowing a small but tired smile to gently pull at his lips. "They're fine -- they get more adventurous each day. Especially Swift." Both parents were beginning to run out of steam -- in particular, himself, as Bazi seemed to be made to be a mother. "They grow up too fast," he admitted then, his tone slightly wistful.

At her question to himself, the large wolf gave a gentle shrug. "Good -- the quiet seems strange to me. Like something is coming for us, since we've never had this much peace when we lived at Swiftcurrent Creek." A yawn escaped the Alpha then, and tiredly, he cast a stolen glance to the direction of the den, knowing he should return soon. His time with Kaskara was far inbetween however, and he focused upon her once more.

Kas smiled, remembering her time with the little boy. He was quite an adventurer, trying to get away from the den and into the light of day, ignoring the protests of his parents. Kaskara knew he took after his father in that way. "They really do." She wondered briefly if she would ever experience Scimitar's wistfulness as a parent herself and not just an aunt. The thought of Kieran danced through her mind and she had to hide a smile. She didn't know how to bring it up to Scimitar, and so thought that perhaps she should just wait until Kieran talked to him personally.

"Sadly, I feel the same." It was true that whatever was happening now, this peace and quiet and growth, would likely not last forever. Kaskara wanted it to, no doubt, and hoped that the unrest they experienced over at the creek was not replicated here. But sometimes, the quiet could be unnerving, too. "I hope we remain peaceful. I'd hate to think just because we're used to unrest that we seek it out unknowingly."

Her words hit a cord of truth – their previous home had seemed to draw drama consistently, but there had always been a reason as to why. Fox had banished Ferdie and Jace, and in turn, they had settled on a mountain fairly close to their doorstep. They had found their way on Blackfeather Wood’s radar because Star had trespassed on their lands. Shadow had loomed upon their minds because he too had been banished – and everyone had hated him so much, none had even thought of attempting to make peace.
 
Now, they huddled upon their Peak, raising puppies and missing the loved ones that were no longer with them – Paarthurnax and her pups came to the forefront of his mind. And yet.. perhaps if she had been around, it would not have been for the best – did he still hold a small flame for her?
 
Shaking his muzzle from his reverie, he simply placed the thought as mere fatigue – ridiculous, at best. Or perhaps the foundations of he and Bazi’s relationship were unraveling further than he had expected. “Hard to say – but we need to recruit.”

Kaskara, like Scimitar, often thought of those they lost. Their family and friends, lost to time and place. She thought of Paarthurnax and her babes, the ones she had loved and lost too soon. She thought of Falwasi and Danica and those that had come and gone too quickly. And if there was something these siblings had in common, it was the thought Scimitar verbalized: they needed more wolves. They needed to recruit to become strong, to now have to worry about taking down a hog or a deer with only two or three wolves. They needed more, but Kaskara wasn't sure how. "Aye," she concurred with a nod. "But how do we recruit? There are few lone wolves this far north, and to travel south is to leave for many days."

He gave a nod of understanding to her reasoning – it was quiet here, in the north, and while it was exactly what they had sought.. he had never considered it would be harder to pull in more numbers if needed. Before, they had never been below eight adults strong for the most part – now, they struggled. “Maybe we came too far north,” he muttered, a chuff escaping hyim near the end. He did not want to spare anyone – he wanted everyone here, looking after the cubs.
 
“I never thought we’d lose Falwasi or Paarthurnax,” he offered then, his chuff turning in to a sigh. “I’m not sure what to do anymore.. but the pups are so little right now.” He didn’t finish his statement – instead, his eyes drifted to Kaskara, waiting to see if she could shed logic on the situation for him. It was what she did best.

She hated to admit it, but maybe he was right: maybe they had moved too far north. Nobody came up this way, at least not enough of them to make a difference. Most lone wolves seemed to stick to the central area of these wilds, and most of the packs did, too. There were a few outliers, but from what she understood, not many of them survived.

"As much as I love this place, maybe we need to consider moving a little further south." She glanced at him, watching for a reaction. "Not too close, but closer than we are now. Maybe its the distance or the mountain that intimidates people. Or both." She shrugged. Whatever they decided, it would have to wait for a bit. The pups were too small to move at this point.

Final post for me.. sorry for the wait!

He gave a nod of consideration to her words – but did not comment further. For now, it was a moot point. The pups were far too young to travel, and even then.. the commitment he felt even to the land itself  kept him rooted to the spot. Nova Peak was their fresh start – how could bit have also become so barren for them?
 
“We’ll see,” he muttered, releasing a sigh to acknowledge the stress that seemed to wash over the siblings. Leaning forward, he gave his sister a gentle nudge to her cheek before nodding to the den. “I’m going to go take over for Bazi,” he determined, knowing that if his snow kissed mate was awake, she would desire a stretch of her legs. “I’ll see you,” he rumbled, and with that, the cinnamon wolf ducked back in to the den entrance, once more resuming his role of dutiful father.