Wheeling Gull Isle we carry on

The fate of the seawolves has weighed heavy on the Gampr’s mind since the dissolution of the last gathering which left them no closer to a resolution on the subject of leadership. Komodo’s temporary parting had complicated things, though he fully understood and agreed with the other male’s intentions to go find the other wolves who had seemingly disappeared without giving word of their plans to leave.

Still, they were left fragmented and if things continued as they were with the repeated back and forth, push and pull, he could see them splitting into two separate groups and that division would make them weaker as a whole. They needed to do something, even if it was a temporary something until a decision they all agreed on could be made.

Stockholm lifted his head from his paws, gazing out across the water in silent contemplation. Axolotl had continued to diligently mark their territory boundaries, the Gampr had walked the beach early that morning to check the sign posts, so he knew the Leviathan was still around. He added his own mark in a few places as he went along – not to undermine or overwrite the other male’s work, but simply to add strength to it in places where he felt the scent was not as fresh or distinct. Coelacanth had accompanied him, bounding through the shallows and chasing off an intruding gull who landed on the beach while Stockholm tended to the scent markers. When she brought him a freshly caught crab they retreated to the shade of a leaning fir tree and shared her prize before settling in for a brief nap as the sound of the tide lulled them to sleep. But it was thoughts of the other wolves that wouldn’t let Stockholm rest for long. He glanced down at Seelie, tucked in against his side, and decided to do something about it all.

The Gampr lowered his head, touching his nose to Seelie’s neck and then the side of her face to roust her awake, giving her a reassuring rumble from deep in his chest before rising to his feet and shaking the sand from his fur. He didn’t know if any of the wolves would answer his call, perhaps they were all too disillusioned by the failure of the last two meetings and felt they were better off on their own, but he threw his head back and howled – the message was simple, let's talk.

The last gathering of the sea wolves had not gone to plan. Still the subject of leadership and the way the pack was going to run (if it was going to run at all) was under question, and no conclusion had been discovered as of yet. Honestly? It was beginning to frustrate her. They needed to sort things out before everything collapsed. And collapse it would, if they could not work together to make a decision. 

Faeryn had spent her time getting to know the island best she could, as well as marking the borders in places where the scent was faded. In reality, they didn't have much to claim, as it was only them on the island, but she supposed it was still a necessity incase others somehow made their way over. It was bound to happen at some point or another. She also took the time to hunt a lot, learning how to fish was a skill she had only recently acquired, but she wasn't a master. She still had a lot to practise. Still, it was a start. Luckily fish wasn't the only thing on the island that they could eat. But she did enjoy the salty taste, though was not sure why. 

It was as she was taking a nap that the call reached her ears. The meaning was simple, and the dove wasted no time in stretching her muscles and heading to the source of the summon. It didn't take her all that long to arrive, and as she did she glanced upon the two wolves. "Hello," she greeted with a nod of her head, eyes showing that flicker of curiousity that she didn't care to hide. After all, she did want to know what this was about - even if she already believed she knew. Her gaze swept around, looking to see if any others would arrive. Perhaps they were dishearted by the last meetings failures - if that was the case, she wasn't really surprised. But Faeryn wanted to try still. The pack was still a possibility.

Basing his familiarity with Stockholm because at one of the last gatherings, he had mentioned a hunt and Connie had joined him at the end of the thread. <3 Can adjust if I should!

He lingered, only because of @Aria, though he would admit this to no one. The black seadog he had befriended aided in this as well – but as the group of wolves continued to stagnate, and more and more of their scents faded, the wraith too felt the itch in his paws to move on – he could not remain in limbo forever.
 
His eyes peered out to the sandbar once more – glinting with unspoken thoughts before one ear would flicker with understanding as another summoned them. He had been quietly pleased that @Komodo had taken a journey for now – his dislike for the tawny wolf growing each time they had gathered. Stockholm, however, was a beast the ebony Mayfair could become accustom to for company – and even had, through the needs of a hunt.
 
It was this respect for the wolfdog that brought him forward, and with his eyes casting themselves upon the two wolfdogs present, and then the silver she-wolf, he vaguely wondered if they were all that remained – and what this meant for all of them. He spoke nothing for a moment – instead, his stocky form remained fixated upon studying the others, and while he tilted his muzzle in quiet inclination of a greeting, Constantine found himself far more reserved in nature from the losses suffered that he would also admit. “We need to move forward,” he rumbled, and his gaze drifted to Stockholm – assuming this was the reason the man had beckoned for them all.

This took me forever to get to and I'm sooo sorry about that guys. I've got my RL stuff straightened out finally and there won't be a long delay like that again. And I know Constantine is going to be leaving (good luck with Ravensblood Forest, btw!), so if you want to bow out early from this thread that is totally understandable. <3

He had worried none would answer his call -- either because they had formed their own scattered allegiances or they had given up on the whole concept -- but soon enough his concerns were eased at the sight of Faeryn approaching from down the beach.  He dipped his head in greeting, fishing in his mind back to the first meeting for her name, "Faeryn, yes..? I'm a bit rubbish with names, forgive me if I'm mistaken." He offers her a soft smile, genuinely glad she is one of the wolves who answered, because if he is remembering her right she was one who volunteered herself for a leadership position when the discussion had first opened.

That is all the farther he gets before they are joined by Constantine, another face he is glad to see. The dark male is straight to the point, and Stockholm finds such disposition very agreeable. They did indeed need to do something. "We do. If we continue on as we are and fragment into smaller groups we will be all the weaker for it. If others were to come, the island would be easy taking, and if those others had less than kind intentions towards us and our habitation here, well, it goes without saying."

"The idea of a council had been proposed. I still think it is a good idea. Where I come from," he pauses and reaches out with a large paw, pressing it down into the sand carefully to make a defined print, then repeats the process four times in a straight line. "They did not call it a council, but it was the same idea -- individuals who were equal in rank, but they oversaw different divisions within the group. One oversaw the hunters and warriors, another the healers and so forth." He's generalizing for ease of explanation -- after all, where he came from, they were all dogs or wolfdogs like himself, they had far different names for these things and in some cases very different tasks, and at the end of the day their overseer was a human -- but the concept is, at its most base component, the same.

It's all good. RL stuff gets in the way sometimes <3

He spoke her name and she nodded with a smile. "Yup, that's me. You can call me Fae, if you want." She replied, though her ears perked when she heard someone else arrive. Her gaze shifted from him to the other wolf who approached then, whom she recognised but still did not know the name of. He hadn't been at the first meeting, she didn't think, but she knew he'd been at one of the others. "Hello," Faeryn greeted him, then glanced around to see if anyone else followed. It seemed not. Perhaps some were on their way, or maybe they didn't plan to come at all. It just made her all the more glad that she had decided to come. 

The new arrival, the dark male, spoke and got straight to the point, which she did kind of appreciate. They needed to sort something out, whatever it might be. "I agree - some wolves are already splitting off into smaller groups, and I'm worried it may cause rivalries, too. That's the last thing we need right now." Some wolves had even left the island now, she believed. They hadn't wanted to stay, which was fine, but having more than one group on the island was sure to cause trouble in the future.

The idea of a council was yet again brought up, and Faeryn believed it to be a good idea. She listened intently to what Stockholm had to say, and nodded a few times during his words. Once he had finished, she spoke up again. "I've never been in a pack with a council, but it does seem like something that could work."

When it became apparent that the conversation would take an inevitable turn toward the pack’s faltering leadership, Coelacanth poked her slim muzzle out from the wide swath of Stockholm’s shadow. To Constantine she offered a bright-eyed smile, recalling his kindness on the beach; and to Faeryn, a more reserved — but just as warm greeting. Her tail began to wave as she entreatingly lifted a paw and uttered a soft, airy whuff. She was better acquainted with the fiery-eyed wolf but wished ardently to make the blue wolfess' acquaintance. She believed in Stockholm’s leadership, but she felt uncharacteristically that she had her own stake in whatever this was. With her usual shyness, she shimmied toward Faeryn and Constantine, allowing her silky fur to brush against theirs as they exchanged scents.

Even when he had first sent out the call to summon them, the Gampr hadn't really planned on inserting himself into this council he was suggesting except for perhaps as a temporary mediator to get things underway. But as they talk and no others join them, it becomes apparent that whether or not his intentions were to do so, he will be finding himself a part of it. His gaze shifts momentarily towards Coelacanth, golden eyes watching her svelte form as she interacts with Faeryn and Constantine. For her.. for her he would do anything. And if this island is the home she wants, he will make sure it is a safe and prosperous place for her and the others.

He looks back to the other gathered wolves then, listening to Faeryn. "Then, I suppose, that makes us the Council." He smiles slightly, finding it a bit amusing that after all the struggle and indecision that had led them to his point that they resolved it in such a simple and straightforward manner. It didn't need to be complicated though. Leadership was a task, a job, not a privilege or reward -- at least in his opinion. Those that were up for it would shine through in the coming weeks and months, and any that were unsuited for it would be revealed in those passing days as well.

Sorry for the short reply, I've got some IRL drama going on right now so I'm a little slow <3

She glanced at the sheepdog as she brushed gently against Fae and Constantine, and the blue wolfess sent her a warm smile. She didn't know the girl well, but she didn't see why they might not get along. The delta glanced back to Stockholm as he spoke of the council again, and Faeryn nodded. "I guess it does. I'm quite surprised no one else showed up, if I'm honest." She frowned a little, wondering what the future of this pack might actually hold. It seemed many were splitting off. But even so, they were going to try. She would try. Maybe she'd actually belong somewhere for once - it had been a long time since she had felt welcome anywhere.

@Faeryn, @Stockholm, tagging you because I have not posted in like fifty years. ♥

There was a serendipitous symmetry about the arrangement of the Council — two females, two males; two dogs, two wolves; two dark-furred, two light. It pleased Coelacanth, though she had never and still did not exhibit any propensity for leadership. Her job was to nurture and to provide — to bring home the lost and wounded, and to offer them safe harbor. She stood a little straighter, practically bouncing onto her toes like a ballerina en pointe, and though @Constantine hadn’t voiced his opinion yet, in her optimism all she saw was his yes. What a council it was! Surely, the seawolves would survive now, and the island would have its guardians.