Lost Creek Hollow because you've had your chances, (mandatory pack meeting)

MANDATORY PACK MEETING. takes place 4 days after the rannoch x shardik thread(Nov 4th, i think).  rounds will last one week so everyone has the opportunity to join, or whenever everyone has posted. i know there is a lot of us. i'm hoping we can fit this into 2-3 rounds. <3 this has a lot of content in it so i'm PPing that everyone is arriving -- let me know if you'd like your character edited out of my assumed PP. and please let me know if there's any confusion.

@Treason @Rueger @Malice @Hyacinth @Xan @Laurel @Indra @Mona @Fire @Tarot @Breccan @Nunataq @Merrick @Deshyr @Pyro @Nara @Liffey @Rannoch @Witchbaby @Wisp @Remi

---

hundreds of different emotions flooded his mind. there was an overwhelming sensation of guilt, for starters. he should not have been the one standing here. it should have been rannoch. rannoch should be leading this pack, not him. but treason, however alarmingly blunt she was, was right. the pack needed a leader, and he needed to step up. terance had been rannoch's right-hand. this was what he needed to do. and so he'd do it. so there was guilt, and there was a feeling of responsibility.

and once upon a time terance had dreamed of following in his fathers footsteps-- leading a pack. and so there was a bit of childhood pride that bubbled in his chest. along with pride came anxiety, terance could only hope he'd live up to rannoch's footprints-- as well as dante's.

besides guilt, there was sadness. for his friends injury. he was alive, at least, hyacinth had pieced him back together and he was stable. critical condition, but stable. all they had to do now was wait it out. hope for the best. and so with that sadness there was relief, joy, as well.

there was excitement for moonspear-- for hydra. with it came nerves that the pack would not want to ally with them. anger, seething, riveting anger over titmouse and the blackfeather wolves. but also gratefulness, that the wolf they'd kidnapped was not among their ranks. happiness about the bearclaw wolves, that their ranks had grown and flourished, but also-- of course-- that they would not get along too well with the other wolves in his ranks made his heart pound. 

there was just so much to think, so much to say. terance hoped he was ready.

---

on one spot along where the creek ran, there was a pile of large, straight, tall boulders that created a wall that created a small clearing. the wolves of the pack had actually chosen it as a cache, which sat on the far right side. terance thought the place was good for meetings, and so this is where he decided he would hold todays. he sat at the base of these pointed stones and lifted his head, calling to the wolves of the pack. his voice boomed off the stones behind him, like some sort of surround sound amphitheater(i thought it'd be kinda cool please let me have this fun), accidentally startling the dark guardian, who flinched. but his howl still rang out, and he waited for his wolves to gather. 

as they gathered, he beckoned treason to come sit near him, his ears cupped forwards. he watched as the wolves slowly trickled in. some of these wolves included pyro, nara, and indra's boy-- the white one. he held a toad in his mouth. terance would mean to ask her about the toad later. when as many as he could stand to wait for came in-- he tried to do a head count but truthfully, their numbers were many and terance was growing too anxious to properly count. so, instead, terance would just speak. if someone came in late, so be it. someone else could give them the rundown.

"friends," he started, as loudly as he could to quiet the chatter-- the stones helped-- "i'm calling you here today to discuss the state of the hollow and to fill you in on everything that has happened since we moved-- which is, surprisingly a lot. i ask for your silent attention as i work through it all." not really surprising, actually. terance quickly reflected on how many troubles they'd faced when they first moved to sunspire. 

"i'd like to start with rannoch. many of you know he was attacked by a bear. rannoch lives, and we have many wolves to thank for that. namely, hyacinth, for her healing. and coelho, who gave her life to save his." terance fell silent, his nose dipping as he gave a silent word of thanks to the fallen coywolf. she did was terance wished he could've, and he'd always be grateful. "pyro and i have buried her in a spot in the southeastern part of the territory. her grave is marked in a small clearing at the base of a large oak. if you have time, you should visit. the area is lovely, and coelho was a valued member of this pack. she is to be remembered as such," he finished, and then he cleared his throat. he gave the wolves a few moment to voice something to coelho-- or for silence to fill their thoughts. and then he'd move onwards

"until further notice," he began again, because terance didn't know what would happen with rannoch when he had healed-- if he'd ever heal, "i will step up as the leader of the hollow. treason will still serve as my deputy. nothing will change except for who is in charge." actually, terance hoped things would run smoother under his lead. he would love to make his best friend and packmates proud. but terance found this the wrong time to mention it. he glanced to treason, giving her a small nod, and then moved on.

"one final thing before i jump further in-- many of you are from the valley. we welcome you into our ranks and thank you for your patience as we've settled and grieved. you are one of us now." his gaze tried to find indra in the crowd, a warm smile spread across his features. this, he meant. and he was quite happy about. 

and then-- another big blow. "please listen carefully," he said, expression falling and voice booming as he demanded his wolves attention. this was not something he'd take lightly. "enemies of the hollow are few, but we're all aware of the blackfeather wolves and the trouble they've caused us-- as well as a wolf named titmouse. or screech." his eyes fell across phoenix-- ceara-- but ultimately left her, unwilling to draw any attention to her, he was sure she'd been through enough. "despite prior intel-- he's alive. and he's made an attack on our allies, the redhawks. titmouse was last seen at blackfeather. he's a pale wolf with a black stripe down his back and muzzle. tan on his underarms. he cannot speak well, he has a large scar across his throat. he's missing an eye. if you see him, he is to be killed. you bring his head back to the hollow. and report to me. do not be reckless, if you cannot kill him, report his location to the pack and we will send mercenaries to investigate."

"from this struggle, we have rekindled a relationship with the wolves of moonspear. they are good people and i will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of their name. if you ever run into one, you will treat them as an ally." his gaze fell upon liffey, who terance decided looked rather shocked, but terance tried not to focus on it. instead he scanned the rest of the wolves and gauged their reactions. 

and then terance realized he was out of things to announce. finally. thankfully. he let out a low breathe, shoulders shifting, and called out to his wolves. "do i make myself clear? does anyone have anything they'd like to say-- or have any questions?" 

TL;DR: rannoch is alive. coelho is dead. thanks hyacinth. terance is alpha, treason is beta. we don't know for how long. welcome BCV, sorry we're a got damn mess, we love you. titmouse is alive. if you see him kill him. bring back his head. or just report him don't hurt yourself. moonspear is no longer an enemy. if you are mean to them terance will bite you. that's all. pls ask questions now.

a strident howl rang through the glade, lent an unusual clarity by the naturally sonorous enclave. indra swept her gaze along the ledge-strewn hills, searching for the clearing the call had sounded from.

she came behind marten, noticing bemusedly the toad still held in his mouth. as wolves filtered in one by one, some in pairs, indra quietly studied each of them, her ruminations subtle as she glanced from face to face.

grim news settled around them as terance spoke; she kept her gaze downward in silent respect for those who most keenly felt their losses. when terance eloquently shifted the drove's attention to them -- the bearclaw wolves -- indra offered a slight smile, faltering under the collective attention of so many relatively-strange wolves. she was relieved when terance moved on, detailing an enemy that for a second made a chill climb up indra's back as he described the rogue. for a brief moment she had thought back to her own blackfeather assailant -- but this wolf was not him.

she took the news in silence, mulling over all that had been shared in the last five minutes.

She had come away from the den, leaving Rannoch to heal and rest in peace. She arrived just as Terrance began speaking lifting her gaze to give him her full attention. The first bit was an update on Rannoch and much to her surprise, a thank you to her and recognition of the hard work she had done in the past few days to keep Rannoch alive. There was also recognition of how Coelho had taken the blow and given her life, which caused a fresh wave of sadness to go through her. She dipped her head in respect for her death and listened to the rest of the news. Terance was leader and Treason was Beta, which she had no opposition to. They were both strong wolves and she thought Terance a good fill in for Rannoch. She was startled and put on edge by the news of an old enemy attacking an Ally, the warning to be on the look out and to kill the man on sight making her already frazzled nerves even worse.

When Terance finished she remained silent for a moment thinking everything over before she decided to speak. "I have some things to say about Rannoch's health" she said pausing and then carrying on "He was bad within the first two days but now he rests a bit more peacefully. His head injury is bad, it keeps him weak and his body is suffering because of that" she looked at everyone gathered and then allowed a smile to form "However, he will make it through this. He needs a good period of time to rest. I need some volunteers, some folks good with medicine and herbs. I am exhausted, I've been working non stop for four day, if I don't get some rest I won't be able to continue. I need some assistants to take over and switch out with me on rotation." she voiced her request in a hesitant voice, hoping that she wouldn't be seen in a negative light because of it. "I also request that visitation be kept short and that for now, only close friends and family come. He needs rest"

Treason appeared on the scene relatively promptly, prowling her way to her indicated seat.  It was a slightly different perspective than past meetings, but in a sense it wouldn't be too much different -- she wasn't expecting to need to say anything unless Terance had a case of stage-fright.

It should be an easy meeting.  Not too much time had passed, but lots of things had happened.  So, really all they needed to do was cover those events, answer any questions, and then they should be good to go, right?  That was the theory at least.  She hoped that the meeting's existence would also quell any unease that Rannoch's attack might have stirred up.  The bear was gone as far as anyone could tell, so there would hopefully be no repeats. -- At least until spring, when they'd have to worry about it again, or maybe have to worry about non-hibernating predators if it came to that.

The only thing that maybe she'd talk about later would be that weird woman she met.  But since Terance had previously expressed that he wanted to hold off on doing so, the pale devil would sit silent for now, watching the crowd.

Laurel didn't like not being in charge. She hadn't necessarily been a good leader, but it was the position she felt most at peace in nonetheless. In a way she felt scoffed at that nobody had asked her to pick up a leadership position here after they had arrived; she, Xan and Indra had been the leaders of Bearclaw Valley and although they'd come here searching for a new home, Laurel felt passed over. Especially when she heard the news that the previous leader Rannoch had gotten hurt and had needed to step down. She glanced at Indra as this news was passed, but she just seemed to be sitting around looking down. Possibly just not trying to step on any toes.

Some other packs were mentioned -- some guy called Titmouse or Screech or whatever, that Laurel had never heard of, and some pack called Moonspear that she had never heard of either. Blackfeather Woods came vaguely familiar but even that she had never busied herself with very much. Bearclaw Valley hadn't really had any enemies like that, and she found herself wondering how this pack had gotten so many enemies, really. Were their leaders not likeable? Well, whatever. Laurel decided to just sit this one out, as it was probably not a good idea to comment on anything in this first meeting since her arrival here; she'd just wait patiently and ask Indra's opinion on all of this later.

After a week or so the novelty of the new place and people had worn down and yet again Nunataq found herself on the borders, her gaze traveling across the lands beyond and with her heart yearning for something that she could not find within the safety of the territory. She saw fields and forests, moutain ranges, covered in white clouds, a silvery band of the river and the reflective surface of a lake in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat, when she imagined, racing over the meadows, covering the miles between the landmarks, exploring them and then moving on to the next place. She had not realized this yet, but she was a true explorer at heart and in the coming months the call to leave, to go would only grow stronger, until one day she would obey.

Indra would be spared the sorrow and maybe disappointment for Nunataq's leave for few months still, because the kid had not yet quite grown up and was not brave enough to strike on her own for long without returning home every evening. Though independent and headstrong young creature, she still needed the feeling of support. And just recently the dark cloud that had hung over the Bearclaw wolves, and her caretaker especially, had lifted and the girl had regained the attention of her only parent figure that she had so sorely missed. Basking in the metaphorical sunlight was too pleasant to leave it behind so soon.

A call echoed in the forest and raised up in the air, inviting everyone to come and gather. Nunataq was a little reluctant to leave her watch-post, knowing that, whatever the occasion was for the meeting, it would be of no particular interest to her. Unless, of course, they decided to do a collective hunt or fighting sessions, where you had to rely on your instincts more than on the verbal commands. She was the very last to arrive and decided to remain in the background, so that no one could see, how very bored she was by all the talking and business-making and how very much she wished to be somewhere else, doing something more worth her time. Another lesson she had learned - her blunt honesty in expressing, how exactly did she feel, did not rub well with other people. Therefore, rather than self-restraining her and pretending to be different, she preferred not to be in the spotlight.

She lied down in the grass and with her head turned towards the three leaders, who had gathered up front, watched, while her absent look told that her mind was wandering elsewhere.

Rueger came to the call, finding a spot among the wolves to quietly sit. Terance was quick to start the meeting by giving an update on Rannoch, and thanking Hyacinth. Rueger was pretty sure others helped out, too, including himself, but he was not one to look, or ask for, appreciation. He had done his job, and that was it. They had lost a valued pack mate, but at least Rannoch was still alive and on the mend.

He had noticed the influx of new members, but it seemed none of them, whether they were leaders in their pack or not, were going to be leaders here. He wouldn't question why. He continued listening as he was told of the wolf that they were to look out for and that they were now allies with Moonspear. When Terance's speech came to an end, and he asked if anyone had any questions, Rueger looked around, waiting to see if anyone did.

like nunataq, merrick too was restless, but unlike the wanderlust building in the girl, he himself had no designs on leaving the hollow. there was a good deal to explore here, even if the terrain felt familiar to some degree. when terance's howl arose, the boy heeded it, slipping to indra's side. the man's voice was somber, and even if merrick did not recognize all the names, he did note the gravity of the situation, the way the other wolves were gathered in silence. 
blinking curiously at the zoned-out nuna, the boy itched to join her, if only to share whispers about what was going on, but a glance to indra's face suggested that was not necessarily the best idea. and so, like a preschooler condemned to the hard pew during a sermon, merrick sighed softly and resigned himself to the boredom of the first pack meeting in their new home.

so many changes, so swift! mona did not know how terance had handled everything so well, but there was a flame of admiration in her chest for the green-eyed man. perhaps at another time, she might have the pleasure of his company, but for now, mona was still. she had taken up a place near the rear of the crowd, spotting indra and merrick sitting loyally alongside his mother, which made the ruddy mayfair smile somewhat.
to treason she nodded, and then despite herself, mona's thoughts turned first to stigmata, and then the man upon the shoreline.
the young woman flushed, shifted, and turned her attention back to the pack meeting, fixing in her mind the description of this titmouse.

In just the few days that he had been brought into the fold, it would have seemed much had happened. Though in truth, most of it happened and it had been his arrival to the hollow had come on the heels of it. At first it had been dread that filled him when the meeting had been called, that perhaps he were about to be pranced out in front and on display—as though to think, there were really places that did so. Yet as he slipped in along the backs of the gathered group, he found mixed emotions springing up from the ground at their collective feet. No, this was not to be some meeting where they sat in circles and introduced themselves, and he certainly was not about to be pranced out in front and forced to say some nice things about himself.

When Terance spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the vicinity about their leader. It was only then that he had begun to unravel the melodrama that had occurred and still continued. He learned that he was not the only new face to mingle with the crowd, but rather that they were all relatively new, all strangers in a strange place that actually wasn't all that strange to begin with. Concern eked in where it could, at least as much of it that he was able to muster; a parting thought of wonder in what he had gotten himself into followed quickly thereafter. It was much to process, but he picked clean what he wanted to retain, and a wandering gaze shifted to Hyacinth in the crowd—he would seek her out, perhaps interest himself in this Rannoch, and offer his aid later.

However for now, he let silence fill in after Terance's voice ebbed away.

word count: 300

Breccan had arrived with @Liffey and his sisters. It was weird to be gathered with the pack without Rannoch, but the boy kept his chin high like he imagined his daddy would have told him to. He sat near his mother, but not too close (he was growing up, after all). He kept his gaze riveted on Terance and Treason, listening to the new Alpha's speech and nodding along stoically as though he was one of the adults.

There was a lot of information shared, but Breccan was old enough now to comprehend all of it. Some of it he already knew -- that Rannoch was gravely injured, Coelho had been killed, and Terance and Treason had assumed leadership of the pack. Questions about Titmouse and Moonspear sprang to his mind as these topics were discussed, but he held his tongue. When Terance asked for acknowledgement of the pack's understanding, Breccan bobbed his head again, his mouth set in a straight, thoughtful line.

Deshyr, sitting woefully in the spot at Liffey's side that her father should have occupied, looked on sourly as the goings-on in their new home was paraded over all their ears in a tempered, hollow voice.

Terance tried to reassure them all, but the young Frostfur could muster were feelings of upset-edness as he recounted their woes and tried to sugar-coat them with a trickle of supposed triumphs. Mostly she just felt indignant about it all— using haughtiness to hide every incriminating shred of the fear and uncertainty she tried hard to repress— but her brother seemed better equipped to shoulder all these sickening new stresses.

She looked at him, letting the somber air of her mood dissipate as she observed the chin-up way he sat and the grim attentiveness with which he catered to the adult announcements before them. The proverbial boyscout.

Junior Scimitar was not inspired.

She snorted and turned her head away with a loose, contemptuous roll of her neck. How was any of this okay?

Alexander had situated himself near to Nunataq, keeping an eye on her whilst listening to that which was said. Most of it did not concern him; he didn’t know of those that had been mentioned, nor did he care enough to make an effort to find out. All he knew and felt he needed to know was that they were not his family, so they didn’t matter to him. The one piece of information that did stick out to him, however, was the mention of Blackfeather Woods—they were an enemy?

His jaw tightened and his gaze hardened, for the pack was his father’s home and, despite all that had happened, he did not want to see those innocent of the crimes punished. Yet, he said nothing. He did not speak up, did not share his connection to the woods—although, it likely wouldn’t have been significant even if he had, as he had not the slightest clue as to who the hell the wolf in question was. Choosing to ignore the matter for now, he glanced at his daughter before sitting next to her, knowing that she—and the rest of his family—mattered more now than any of that which had been shared, anyways.

She arrives terribly late, only able to catch the tail end of everything that's happened.  She's out of it — these days, she's always out of it.  She doesn't understand why her recovery is harder on her than her captivity was.  Little of what is said reaches her, but her ears pique at someone asking for volunteers.

I helped Cassiopeia find her way back to the Sunspire a few months ago and tended to her injuries then, and I was training under our lead medic during my stay with the Redhawks.  I'd be willing to help you out, she says simply, clearing her throat afterwards because uhh lmao maybe she shouldn't be drawing attention to herself.

no wolf seemed to have any problems... though terance had only a mere inkling of doubt about it. of course, there were a few looks that drew discouragement from terance. laurel, for one, indra's sister. who appeared less than thrilled at the mention of a change in leadership. terance had nothing to offer her. he was more than fit for the leadership role, being the longest ruling wolf of the pack next to rannoch himself. and, as far as terance was concerned, the role of alpha would be handed back to rannoch as soon as he was healthy enough to rule again. this was temporary, and the leadership positions were therefore filled. 

but no one said anything, save for hyacinth, who provided support and some clarification on rannoch's health-- both appreciated things. he nodded, woofing a solemn, "thank you, cin," to her monologue, and then looked to phoenix-- who began to voice something terance was unaware of-- perhaps he'd known it at one time, but it had since fallen from his memory. 

"this is much appreciated," he told her, ears pricked and cupped towards her, "thank you." 

and with that, terance had nothing more to say. and so he stood, tail held high to call for attention still. "that is all, if you have any concerns you can see me or treason at a more convenient time," he called out, and with a single bob of his head, terance finished, "pack dismissed." 

It was boring to Nunataq - so much unnecessary talking, when she could be doing so many cool stuff with the time she was wasting here. Such as... she rested her head between her outstretched forepaws and began to daydream.

There was this abandoned badger den, which was spacious enough for Nuna to fit in (although very, very tightly) and which reeked of foxes. She had not seen the russet pelted abominations herself, but she just felt they needed some chasing out and away. The place could become such a good hide-out.

Or the riverside, where she had found a fish few days earlier, gobbled it down in one take and only after the fermented food was splashing around merrily in the gastric juices of her stomach, did she remember that she should have rolled in her own "Chanel No.5" beforehand. The smell would last forever or as long as it would take her to find another fish.

The dead hedgehog had been an interesting finding, but unable to touch it or pick it up, only roll it around carefully, she had left it to rot. Now she had second thoughts about it. After all you did not find that kind of stuff lying simply around every day.

When her thoughts switched to the freshly upturned patch of earth and the pungent smell of rotting meat and fur hidden underneath, which she would have recognized as the grave Terance had mentioned recently, had she been able to understand... Someone came to sit next to her, making her snap out of her own world and take a look at, who it was.

Xan was greeted with a mildly surprised expression and few taps of her tail against the ground. She gave him a curious look, leaned closer to sniff at him. It had been a while, since she had seen him, and for a good many reasons too - he was away and she was never home either. Still, his choice to take Nuna's side and company was approved of. And, when everyone prepared to leave, the girl got to her feet and cast a hopeful glance in her father's direction: Can we go now, plea-a-a-ase?

merrick's attention had drifted to his own daydreams, and he began to contemplate with a split of his jaws how tired he was. xan's imposing pale form did not go ignored; merrick watched with something akin to envy as he settled alongside nunataq, noting their silent interaction.
he glanced to his own mother when terance ended the pack meeting; nap forgotten, merrick wanted nothing more than to sequester himself and explore the odd, uncomfortable feeling that xan's presence had engendered in him.

mona tried to keep up, setting aside what she knew from what she did not. her own family seemed tense, the children bored. she glanced amusedly to merrick, and then returned her attention to terance. murkwater eyes drank in his handsome appearance as she always did when looking at him, but mona was not so easily swayed these days. 
he dismissed them, and the little scout stood to her paws, wondering if indra would like company or if she should find something else to do. as much as she liked the hollow, it was still awkward here, and the firebrand hoped that would not always be the case.

At least business was covered. After everything that had happened, the meeting had seemed necessary, if only to prove that they were making sure that things would get done.  In the end there would still be questions that wouldn't be voiced, of that she was sure, but for now this would do.  There would always be an option to call for another quick meeting if something like the odd woman and her friends stuck around in the area.

As Terance wrapped up the meeting, she dipped her head at her name in agreement, then got to her feet.  She would wait to be one of the last to leave, just in case.

She felt dumb for speaking up at all, even if she was appreciated for it.  Terance ended things so quickly.  A more convenient time.  How was this not convenient?  She ducked her head and made a quick exit, casting a glance at the imposing monochrome woman who stood guard.

Apparently that was all the pack'd been gathered to hear about. Laurel shot Indra a short glance with a quirked eyebrow that said 'what kind of pack is this?' (or that's what she tried to convey, anyway -- she might just be looking mildly confused or amused at this) as the meeting was ended by Terance. As the meeting ended Laurel was quick to depart, not really eager to linger around and socialise.