Blacktail Deer Plateau high alert (BWP!)

 

Catori had panicked when she saw the unfamiliar things in the air. She'd near screamed as she scrambled towards @Grayday, anxiously describing them as the sounds of their flight echoed across their Plateau. This was unfamiliar and for someone who felt so comfortable in the constant of the world it was almost unnatural. How she was right and yet had no idea would be almost laughable but for Catori right then all she could think was that she wanted her family safe and sound and this thing - those ugly things - did not seem safe at all. She wondered where @Lavender was and hoped that wherever the rest of the family was, that they were safe and sound. All Catori could think was the irrational desire to get somewhere secluded and hidden, but, that wouldn't promise any sort of refuge from those beasts she didn't know about. 

The weather had not eased up in the past few days, not yet anyway, so Lavender had hunkered down and waited within the den. She was asleep when the droning sound crossed through the air overhead of the den site, but the vibrations thrummed against the soil and woke her. She was startled by the strange phenomena, and went boldly to investigate — but when she left the safety of the den she was met with a sickle-like wind that seemed to have a mind of its own. She ducked against it, becoming a loaf-shape against the dirt, and soon the unnatural gale died down.

The black shape that caused it was moving across the sky at quite the clip but Lavender did not see it. She had her eyes squeezed shut and her nose buried between her forelegs, having assumed a "duck and cover" position. She didn't move until the sound drifted further away, and even then she was a trembling mass filled with uncertainty and covered in dust. What was that?

 

Unlike her cousin she did not have the high drive demanded of the working dogs to herd. Instead there was just a want to round her family up and gather them and she made a beeline towards the densite she expected to find Lavender at. As cold as it had been she knew the girl was basically captive to the space to ensure she stayed warm enough. "Lav?!" She'd cried out above the din even as the snow billowed oddly beneath the waves caused by the helicopter's blades - it might have been pretty had she not been in such an obvious panic.Maybe she would have stopped to pay attention to such a thing but instead all she could think was to find the girl and make sure that she was safe. 

She found the wolf-loaf tucked down against the ground and moved to cover the girl's body with her own. "It's leaving," She promised, milk-tea eyes cutting from the girl up to the dark mark on the sky again as it continued on it's path to cause chaos elsewhere. She leaned down a bit to nuzzle against Lavender's skull, breathing in the almost adult's scent. "Are you okay?" She asked quickly, her own heart still clamoring in her chest. 

Grayday was a step behind his wife, ears laid back in worry as the sound difrted further and further away. He did not want to scare anyone, but he knew of the strange bird that had passed - and they were deadly to wolves.

"We are safe enough under the trees," he said to the both of them, but by the sound of his voice, it was clear that he still worried. His mother knew of many strange things, and had said that as soon as the Great Bird saw a wolf, the sky would light up with a sound like thunder, and the wolf would be struck down where it stood. "If they come back, we will do the same thing - hide."

It was his other children he was worried about - Dauntless, Easy, Dawn, and Aditya. They were out there, perhaps without the faintest clue that death was stalking from above.

"My mother told me stories about them," he shared with the gathered women. "I thought they were made up when I was younger, but I've seen a few in my travels. She called them 'Last Shadow'."

The world was spinning around her, settling, and Lavender was petrified by the chaos. It wasn't until a blanket of warmth descended upon her that she startled and raised her head, wiggled her ears, and heard Catori speak.

Lavender opened her mouth and numbly asked, Is it gone - ? just as her father came rushing upon the scene, and she gawked at him while leaning in to Catori's fur; What was -- she murmured, only to be cut off by her father's booming voice as he gave an explanation.

Last Shadow. The girl bowed her head and felt a shiver course its way down her spine, and she murmured a small whine, afraid for the pack. Whatever the thing was, it could not have been good. Were they really safe here? Catori inspected her and Lavender nodded but didn't get up. She was afraid of moving and of drawing any attention from the shadow, in case it came back - I'm okay, she fibbed.

 


Catori knew the sound of the rocks as they tumbled down a mountain. She knew the babbling of a stream and the rush as it met the sea. She knew the names of the plants and the song the winds made as they whipped through the foliage. This she did not know. This wasn't right, this wasn't what nature had made. That thing was ominous as it was dark and the woman stood above Lavender trying to shield her from the prospects of the thing finding her. Catori at least somewhat blended into the snow and maybe....just maybe, they'd miss Lavender's pretty pelt if she stayed over her. Hackles lifted and her body tense she watched as Grayday approached and offered the only assurance he could. He knew their name - the Last Shadow - he knew what they were. 

It was a comfort, but, it wasn't much of one. She brushed her tongue over Lavender's brow before she finally moved to tuck herself against Grayday's chest, her thoughts mirroring her husbands as she wondered about the family they had elsewhere. Their scouting teams went far and wide and to places that she longed to see - it also meant they were beyond the family's protection and she felt a pang in her heart to wish she knew the truth of their locations. "We'll keep near the trees and try to stay hidden if it circles back." Catori tried to sound level headed and yet she couldn't; her voice was still pitched with anxiety and fear. "I've never seen them before," She admitted quietly, almost gritting her teeth to keep herself from spewing out more worries. Lavender didn't need that. She didn't need that. If they were going to have babies, she didn't need to stress them unnecessarily. 

"We can stay close and together - should we call the rest of the pack?" She asked, looking to Grayday to see his opinion. Maybe doing a headcount wouldn't be too bad?

lost wifi before I could edit, so I had to delete...I hope jumping in is okay?

He'd been a ways away from the main area of the territory when the loud thing passed over him heading toward Catori,lavender and the rest of them. He heard it and felt it first, the wind blowing his fur around like crazy and the plants nearly breaking under it's force. The noise deafened him as it passed over head and he crouched down, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent cry of fear. It was big and black and weirdly shaped and it flew. What kind of bird was that?!

He pressed himself to the ground and cowered until it passed over him and he realized it was going toward the den area. He gawked and then bristled, suddenly furious. It was going after his family and pack! He ran after it, eyes ablaze with fury that mixed with terror but by the time he got to where Catori,Grayday, and Lavender stood it was still flying over onward toward the unknown. He panted and stood there still hearing it's thunderous roar in the distance. He gawked at the treeline and then looked toward his dad and Catori, moving closer to them though he took his place beside Lavender. He sat down next to her and nudged her cheek gently "Hey lamb...it's okay...it's gone" he murmured before looking at his dad with wide eyes, his own fear clearly written across his face and by the way his fur stuck up on end. "I thought...it was going to attack y'all. I ran as quick as I could but...I was scared. What is it?" he rambled not having heard the whole Last Shadow explanation.

Grayday quickly went through everything he knew about the birds. They didn't always attack, but they might if they caught you out in the open. They generally hunted in the daytime, they could kill from a distance, they usually travelled alone... He couldn't think of much else.

"We're safe here," he said to the three of them, touching his nose to each of their faces. "We've weathered so much together, and the Last Shadow is the least of our worries while we're under the trees." And yet, it was worrying that they were here in the Teekon Wilds. Grayday had thought he'd left them behind in Alaska, but apparently, the creatures had a very wide range.

"With any luck, it'll move on before we have to," he said reluctantly, wishing he did not have to think so far ahead. "For now, let's just make sure everyone knows to stay in the treeline when they're about."

Lavender finally got to her feet as Sunny arrived, out of breath and in a panic, which didn't help her own feelings of dread and dishevelment. She pressed her nose against his cheek before withdrawing to stick to Catori's side, eager to share her warmth. Although the giant bird had left them and the sky was clear, Lavender was still trembling. She turned her attention to her father briefly as he gave a few more bits of information - and he didn't seem as scared. Lavender realized (as he went around to each of them to impart some comfort) that he was so much stronger than the rest of them. He was so smart, and knew just what to say.

But the den - she murmured in protest, afraid to leave what had become her little homestead. It was not typical for a wolf to live their whole life in the shelter of the earth though, and she knew it wasn't normal. Lavender took one last glance at the den before a deep sigh pulled free of her, and the group began to move. It was okay - she could find another one.