Duskfire Glacier everyone hail to the pumpkin song

As much as she enjoyed the idea of taking the pups on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, Meerkat felt it was a safer bet to bring a few of the Cucurbita pepo to them. As she carefully selected and rolled the choicest gourds from the neighboring wood toward the territory's borders, it triggered some strong nostalgia. She had mentioned the idea of a harvest feast to some pack mates in passing and wondered if there was any possibility they could actually pull off something like that here.

Finally, she rounded up enough pumpkins for a 1:1 ratio and a few bonus gourds, just in case. Meerkat placed them in a pile close to the lake, then sat to catch her breath and recover from the effort. As she sat in a shady spot, lazily admiring the fall foliage, she pondered whether it was wise to invite all the pups, considering what had happened last month.

She came up with something of a compromise. Rising, Meerkat shook out her pelt and sent up a series of calls. First, she summoned @Issorartuyok. This would be a prime opportunity to introduce him to the pups, with their parents present. On that note, she invited @Imaq, @Lane, @Tzila (the mothers), @Rye and @Wintersbane (the fathers) to bring their puppies—@Arius, @Ensio, @Makatza, @Sikuliak, @Veteran and @Wayfarer—to her location if playing around with pumpkins sounded like a fun fall pastime to them.

A familiar voice sounded over the glacier. The large wolf drew his head up and stared in the direction of the water intensely. That was Meerkat’s voice, so Issorartuyok did not have any intention of ignoring it. They had made plans to engage her fighting ability and to help teach the children how to grow into well-rounded adults.

Abandoning the prey cache that he had been working to expand and shape, Issorartuyok ventured toward the summons on swift paws. The steady trot sent his thick coat bouncing along his shoulders. The nip of autumn on the air was pleasant and cool.

When Issorartuyok arrived at the meeting place, his gaze fell first to the pumpkins. What a curious thing, the northerner thought with a flicker of a smile. His chocolate gaze slipped then to Meerkat, and he stood tall. This will be enjoyable. He just had a good feeling about it.

Timelines are a little wonky, but we're going to say this is the debut of Veteran's new scars.

Veteran trotted next to his mother, in disbelief that they were actually going to a pack event. Lane had kept him tucked away for that last few weeks while his scalp wounds healed. A jagged, scabbed-over scar laced up the center of his forehead, and there were the remnants of bite wounds healing on his crown. 

From the way mom and @Wayfarer had reacted, Veteran understood that his wounds looked pretty bad. They didn't hurt anymore, except for in his dreams, where Makatza continued to bear down on him night after night. 

Veteran was a little bit nervous about facing the rest of the pack looking like a loser. However, his worries were very soon overshadowed by the presence of Pumpkin Mountain. "Hi Coach Meekah," he said a bit shyly, very aware of the eyes upon him and his scars. His eyes flicked to the stranger briefly before settling on the mound of pumpkins. He pressed forward, rolling the nearest one towards himself with a paw. He was absorbed by their color, their shape, their size... he nudged his pumpkin with his nose, and it went rolling off in the direction of the lake. He hurried to stop its trajectory.

Lane had hoped that she could manage to quietly heal up Veteran's scars and sweep the boy's nasty "fight" under the rug without any further dramatics. However, the scars had been stubborn ones-- Makatza had a serious pair of jaws on her. Lane was aware that she couldn't keep Veteran hidden away forever, and she would have to come up with some kind of story as to what had occurred. She would need to speak to Tzila, to see if she had any opinion as to how she wanted this story presented. According to Veteran, the little princess was a cold-blooded killer, but Lane had enough self-preservation instinct to know that she didn't want to go around defaming the alpha pair's only daughter. 

For now, Lane would be vague. "An accident," she would explain quietly as stares fell upon Veteran. Her tone would indicate that she desired no further discussion on the matter-- at least not publicly. 

Lane's gaze shifted to Tatkret once Veteran busied himself with a pumpkin. "Tatkret." She smiled, her tone now considerably warmer. "You made it. And you came with gifts," she said gesturing toward the pile of pumpkins. "..unless this is your doing, Coach Meekah?" Lane turned to the Redhawk questioningly, humor tugging at the corner of her expression as she titled the young woman with Veteran's affectionate pet-name. Come to think of it, the pumpkin thing did sort of have Meerkat written all over it. 

Lane would soon find her attention drawn over her own shoulder. She gazed in the direction they had come, watching for @Wayfarer, who had fallen behind. Since Lane's return, her daughter had seemed rather cool and distant. With everything that had happened with Veteran, Lane hadn't yet gotten a free moment to address it.

There was an orange wolf. They had some orange balls. The balls smelled funky - Arius could tell even from a distance that they weren't the normal kinds of things grown around the glacial lands, and he was curious about them. Less so about the person who had collected them by the lake; and even then, once others started to pop out of the proverbial woodwork, Arius' eyes danced away from the strange spheres and to the other children.

He saw Veteran first, complete with some gnarly scars that made them look incredibly badass. The woman beside him, his mother, wasn't a wolf that Arius knew. Neither was the silverblack wolf that they spoke to, and as the boy drew closer to the gathering, he heard them call the man Tatkret.

Arius wedged himself as close to Veteran as he was allowed (which, given the injuries, was probably not tolerated for long). He sniffed at the wounds and then looked over at Coach Meekah, who he presumed was the orange lady, but didn't watch her for long either.

What're those? His blue eyes briefly lit with the flame of reflected pumpkin.

I want to keep this moving, though I welcome the others to hop in anytime!

Also, let's do an open posting order. I'll post a new round every week or so.

"Hope you're right," Meerkat replied to Issorartuyok's remark. If it had only been the two of them, her gaze might have lingered on him a bit longer. But her attention remained on their surroundings, anticipating the others joining them, though she did make a point to glance over and offer him a smile every now and again.

When Lane materialized with Veteran in tow, Meerkat opened her mouth to welcome them, only for her jaw to fall slack at the boy's wounds. She hadn't seen Vet or his sister much since their mother's return and she had assumed Lane was simply (and understandably) keeping them all to herself after being away.

She shot the woman a stricken look, meaning to mouth, What happened...? But before she could do that, Lane greeted Issorartuyok with a certain measure of fond familiarity. This took Meerkat by surprise as much as Vet's injuries. Tatkret? she repeated in her head, brown eyes shifting questioningly to his face before drifting back to Lane, then Veteran.

"Hey there, young padawan," she said belatedly, right about the time the boy began rolling his pumpkin. She jumped forward in case he needed the assistance, though her focus split as Arius arrived.

"Hi, Arius," Meerkat said, marveling at how much he'd grown since that day she'd found him waddling around outside the den, smelling like pee. "They're called pumpkins. You can play with them, or eat them, or simply smash them. Whatever you like," she answered him, though she made sure to include the rest of the group by sweeping it with her eyes.

"By the way, this is Issorartuyok," she said. Or Tatkret? "Issorartuyok, this is Lane and her son, Veteran. And that's Arius." Meerkat motioned at the paler pup with a paw, smiling, before her eyes fixed on Lane's face and she wondered, "Is Wayfarer coming too?"

And what about the rest of the gang? Would anyone else come or would it just be the five of them? Meerkat hoped some others might join them, especially so Issorartuyok could acquaint with the pups and vice versa. But she saw no reason to wait on them—they could show up at their leisure—and she motioned enthusiastically to encourage the pups to keep playing with the orange gourds.

The little dragon of the Glacier arrived.

Fashionably late of course.

She came upon the call because she had nothing better to do, but if there was a prospect of something better turning up, she was out of there. She came forward without hesitation. Her eyes darted toward Meerkat, a woman she hated. She went ahead and completely ignored her and the pumpkins. She had seen them before with her father, they were so old news.

Instead, she set out a very loud gasp and rushed toward Veteran with as much haste so it might frighten the poor boy after their last encounter. ”Oh. My. Gosh.” She stopped beside him and looked at the scar she had caused. ”Whatever happened to your poor face Veteran? Poor boy!” She leaned forward so that no one but Veteran could see her and she gave him a devilish smile. Oh yes I know what happened you big baby. You cried, you wailed. I saw you at your weakest point baby boy. She said nothing to him and gave him nothing but a horrid smile as if she was about to do something terrible.

Then, on a dime she switched and moved her head upward and the smile was gone as fast as she had made it. She was damn proud of her work, and she had made sure Veteran knew it. She made sure he never would hear the end of it either.

Only now did she notice the others. She looked at Lane, whom she recalled as Veteran’s mother. She took on a miserable looking face. ”What a shame.” she didn’t really mean it, but she certainly looked like she did. She turned toward her brother Arius. Whom she had barely seen lately. ”Arius, dear brother.” False modesty was good modesty after all. She then turned away and once again she ignored the two adults who had arrived first. The male was probably new, she didn’t know him, he didn’t look like much fun to her, so no reason to even acknowledge his presence.

”Meerkat.” For just a fleeting moment her hatred for this adult was showing through. Then it disappeared. ”I must apologize for my manners the last time we met. I sure hope we can leave that behind us and become best friends, you and I.” Like she could ever become friends with this impurity.

It took a bit for Imaq — with Sikuliak in tow — to reach the fringes of the territory. Nearly three moonturns old, he was almost too big to carry now. His wounds had healed but her son would likely always walk with a limp. There was no feasible way to fix what had been wrenched in his shoulder and the injury had become apparently permanent as growth spurts stretched Siku’s proportions into lanky limbs. They moved at a slower pace to accommodate him, his ink-splotched head almost level with her knee as they pattered along the foot trails. 

The merle duo came in time to hear Meerkat’s introductions, though the wind snatched away a fair portion of the words. Makatza appeared as the shepherd and her son neared the group, catching Imaq’s cracked gaze. Aquamarines, cold and hard as the depths of the blue in the Glacier at their back, flickered from the dark she-pup to Veteran as Imaq settled on her haunches near Lane. They flitted away again, to Meerkat as the girl approached the Coach. 

Selkie turned away and held her tongue  — wondering after the scars upon Veteran’s sooty crown.

 She set her gaze instead on the pumpkins, bending to give Siku a gentle bump with her muzzle. ”Look. Meerkat has brought pumpkins for everyone — Veteran has one too,” she murmured in the northern tongue. That ought to get his attention. Liak idolized the older boy and anything Veteran did, you could be sure Siku would be there, trying his best to replicate him.

Much as his dam’s did, Sikuliak’s gaze flickered to Makatza as they joined the gathering of wolves. Where his mother’s was harsh and chilling, his own was wary and reserved. Young as the boy was, it was hard to remember certain things but his brain definitely still knew that the girl was someone to avoid. 

The soft rasp of Imaq’s words distracted him though and his murky eyes flit away from Makatza — landing on Veteran who had sent his pumpkin tumbling down the hill. That sure looked fun and it helped that his best buddy was here. The blue merle clambered to his paws and half limped, half galloped to meet the boy while still giving Makatza a wide berth.

”Vet-rin!” he crowed in a puppy howl, his pronunciation of the Duskfire pup’s name slowly but surely improving, as he cantered towards the older cub. He skidded to a stop jerkily, sniffing Veteran and his pumpkin alike all over cheerfully, stubby tail wagging a mile a minute. ”What doin’?” 

It seemed even a near death experience couldn’t diminish the wolfdog’s enthusiasm — though he was remarkably shyer around anyone who was not his parents, Meerkat, or Veteran.

The children began to arrive with protectors watching over them. It seemed that most of the young ones were intrigued by the pumpkins. They greeted Meerkat, the northerner had noted with a small smile. It was good to see that the young ones were fond of her presence. It spoke highly of her skill as a teacher. Though she was still young, Issorartuyok wondered what it said for her skills as a mother. When that time arrived for her, it was likely that she would excel.

Issorartuyok watched the younger members move about. Many of them looked like they would be capable hunters and protectors of their village. The northerner eased into the meeting a bit, wagging his tail in a few swings before a familiar face appeared.

Lane! It is good to see your face again, Issorartuyok boomed to her, throwing his head back in greeting. She had children with her. Meerkat introduced them as Veteran and Arius. She asked about another called Wayfarer. They were interesting names for children.

I met Lane before speaking with the village leader, before I became a protector of these lands. It was nice to see her again. Another familiar face in the glacier.

Veteran's pumpkin had stopped against a rock after rolling a few wolflengths, and now that it had rolled there was a rotten spot facing upwards. Curiously, the boy sniffed at the dark purple spot on the pumpkin. He then reared up and plunged his two front feet into the spot. The pumpkin's outer shell gave way, and his paws met goo. He pulled his paws out of the pumpkin, spilling some of the bright yellow goop onto the ground. He was delighted. 

The only thing that could ruin this moment was Makatza. She wasted no time in coming straight over and rubbing Veteran's nose in his loss. He suddenly felt hyper-conscious of the messy goop all over his paws, not to mention the scars that she feigned shock over. 

"You not fooling anyone, Makatza," he said hotly. Everyone in the pack knew she was a maniac... why was she trying to play at being sweet? Veteran turned away from the girl. Normally he wouldn't have turned his back to her, fearing an attack, but right now she seemed to be putting on some kind of act for the adults. He was safe for the time being. 

Makatza moved on, and she was replaced by Sikuliak, who was welcomed much more warmly. 

"Siku!" Veteran chirped, trying to shake off the unpleasantness of his exchange with Makataza. "Check it out!" He held up a pawful of yellow pumpkin guts. "Watch this," he urged the other boy, grinning wickedly. He whirled around and flung the goop into the air, hurling it directly toward Makatza. With any luck, it would splatter all over the girl right as she was attempting to charm Meerkat.

Lane wagged her tail as she was reintroduced to the Tatkret, trying once again to memorize his behemoth of a first name. Issorrtuyok. She was glad to see that he had taken her advice and applied to Wintersbane for admission. Just seeing him beside Meerkat-- their two newest, most promising recruits-- standing there by a pile of pumpkins, a symbol of fall and therefore change, made Lane feel like things were moving forward again. She might have almost begun to feel hopeful about her future here, if not for...

Makatza.

Seeing the girl skip around gaily and hearing her sickly-sweet tones fill the air made Lane feel as if she'd plunged into an icy river. Lane knew that she was not supposed to hate children, but if the girl ever found herself needing a medic.. she'd better hope Lane wasn't the only one available. 

"She should be.." Lane answered Meerkat's question about @Wayfarer, although her tone would make it clear she was distracted. Her amber eyes were honed in on Makatza. Her ruff lifted involuntarily.

Lane's heart squeezed as she saw Makatza approach her scarred boy. She held herself in place by sheer willpower, body rigid, fighting the urge to run up and drag the little brat away from Veteran by her sassy little tail. The girl had the gall to tease Veteran about his face, as if she had no idea that her own teeth had left the very scars she gasped over. 

Veteran handled the situation better than Lane would have herself. Lane forced herself to relax as Makatza moved on to attempt to butter up Meerkat. Lane would have no part of this nonsense. She moved away from Makatza and Meerkat, leaving them behind as she approached Imaq. 

Lane met Imaq's gaze with eyes full of empathy. They shared the same pain-- both Imaq and Lane now had sons who had been scarred by Makatza. Lane greeted Imaq with a friendly nudge to her shoulder, and she settled beside the merle. "They make a sweet pair of friends," she commented, noticing how well their boys seemed to get along. 

Then the pumpkin innards started flying, and Lane's jaw dropped. In the back of her mind, she knew she ought to scold Veteran and try to put a stop to it, but her first instinct was to laugh.

I think everyone's posted, so I'ma start another open round. :)

She laughed when Veteran discovered a bruise on the side of his pumpkin and promptly punched his paws through it to get at the pulp. He seemed to be enjoying himself, which pleased Meerkat, though her attention was soon drawn by the arrival of Imaq and young Sikuliak.

She hadn't noticed Makatza appearing just before them but heard her name spoken in a sickeningly sweet voice. Meerkat turned and blinked at the pup's apology. The yearling didn't know what to make of it, though she heard little Vet's voice say, "You're not fooling anyone, Makatza."

Her brown eyes glanced over at the little boys playing together and she smiled before her attention swept back to Makatza. "Makatza," she replied, "thanks for apologizing. You can make it up to me by agreeing to train with my friend, Issorartuyok." Meerkat caught his eye as she motioned to him. She wondered if he could channel the child's energies into something more constructive than bullying her peers.

She left the ball in their court, though she remained where she stood, occasionally shooting smiles over at Imaq and Lane or their sons. Meerkat had hoped to engage with the group a bit more interactively and maybe she could later, if Issorartuyok was up to the challenge of fielding Makatza. But Meerkat refused to leave him on his own with the problem child until she could get a better feel for the situation. Besides, she felt like she needed to keep a close eye on her herself, since was such a wildcard and she didn't want any repeats of that September day.

Sorry for the hold up!

"You not fooling anyone, Makatza," Oh wasn't she? She hoped for his sake she was fooling someone, or she had no reason to play nice to him. If he was going to cause any trouble she had no reason to hold back.

"Makatza, thanks for apologizing. You can make it up to me by agreeing to train with my friend, Issorartuyok." Just now did she look at the male who was there. She sized him up, looked him over and then huffed lightly. She wasn't going to do some spar with some stranger if that was what she imagined.

For whatever reason everyone seemed to think she needed some sort of outlet for her aggressions. They seemed to think she was here to play nice. She went ahead and ignored the male again, turned to Meerkat instead nad was just about to say something as something hit her.

It didn't hurt, but it sure felt nasty. It was pumpkin goo. She snapped her head around and watched as she saw the culprit right away. Veteran. His paw was covered in the goo and he was gleeful with that other boy she hated. Her eyes flared with anger and without another word she was turning her entire body and launching at him.

She didn't care there were adults there, didn't care what they might yell or shout. The boy clearly didn't get the message last time and this time she was enraged. He felt protected by the adults, he felt like he could do whatever he wanted because she pretended to be nice, but didn't he just say it himself? She wasn't fooling anyone.

She jumped at him, her front legs trying to crash full force into his chest to cause the air to leave him for a moment. She hoped it hurt. She was just as nasty as the goo now, nothing was standing in her way. She was sick and tired of being a good girl, sick and tired of Veteran thinking he could get away with this kind of stunt. No way in hell would he get away with it.

"Didn't you get enough last time Vettie?" she asked him arrogantly and then she tried to bite into his left ear and if he didn't behave she was going to leave another mark on the poor boy's body that never would heal. Torn pieces of flesh couldn't be glued back on after all. She knew the adults would try and stop her, so she moved swiftly and fast to do it, didn't care that the blood she might get on her was going to be even a bigger mess than the goo he threw on her.

She had had enough.

Her eyes were beaming with anger, she ignored the adults. She didn't care. The threat was real, she meant it for real this time. The next time he stepped out of line he ought to be looking out for more than part of his ear.

The large wolf was distracted by the aggressive young girl – Makatza – who seemed to be inserting herself in the space of another child – Veteran – who had experienced a good deal of damage to his figure, already. It was concerning to see how carelessly the young girl attempted to maim her peer, so intent to prove the damage her fangs could cause. The northerner frowned softly at the children and shook his head, impatience rising in him for the first time.

Young warriors do not demonstrate themselves with such dishonor, the large northerner spoke to her sternly, lowering his head to where she was picking on the boy. There was a cold glint in the earthy shade of his eyes, but Issorartuyok did not turn away from Makatza. Children should learn the truth in honor before they could cause such harm. At least, this was what the northerner believed to be true.

Then, Issorartuyok settled his gaze on the boy who had been scarred.

You have markings of a protector, young spirit. Would you like to learn to defend yourself?

All it would take was one good snap of the young man’s fangs, a retaliation against the teeth that pricked his flesh. The large male would be pleased to see if Veteran would accept the offer.

Ensio was a sharp boy for his age. Even if he wasn't always in the thick of it all, he was well up to date of the latest activity in the pack. He had sat by and watched. Listened and evaluated. Snapped the pieces together. And what he had seen unfold primarily between his sister and his half brother, he did not like. Oh no. Not one bit.

It was bad enough that Makatza had already horribly scarred up Veteran once. He felt terrible. Disgusted that he hadn't been there that day to stop the fight from getting as bad as it had. And now, now she was trying to do it all over again! Well, this time he would not simply sit back and let his friend get mutilated even further. With boiling blood, as far as he was concerned, he had had quite enough of Makatza throwing her weight around so violently.

If the adults wouldn't step in today, then he would. Stormy eyes dark, he descended on the scene slowly. Silently. His face was stern, cold. Oddly mature for someone so young. He tried to time his movements, quickening his steps only when he closed in. Just as Makatza was lunging for Veteran, he leapt in. He sought to throw the bulk of his larger, heftier body in between the two wolves, to forcibly send his sister tumbling back into the slimy muck. Head lowered with pinned ears, he bore his teeth and issued a deep snarl of warning. He had not started this fight himself, but he would put an end to it.

The children were fighting again. It seemed to be all that they ever did, while Arius was paying more attention to the pumpkins, and then the various adults who tried to intervene. He knew better than to get in the way of Makatza and whatever she had decided to target; besides, there were enough adults around to handle her if necessary. He wasn't worried.

When Veteran plunged his paws in to the mess of pumpkin innards, Arius scowled a little and withdrew. He had barely turned away from the display when a glob of orange guts went flinging straight for the dark girl, so he did not see it land, but there came a tense silence from Makatza and then one of the adults - a threadbare looking young man - moved to intervene.

The boy sighed and stepped further away. It was easy to be in the background among all these personable children, watching them and watching the adults, as he was quite skilled at being quiet. He left his pumpkin abandoned for someone else to check out if they wanted, rather than get in the way of the petty squabbling.

That was when he saw Ensio's face: a toothy snarl, one that made him look all the more like Makatza as they both shared dark faces. It wasn't frightening so much as it was disheartening to see, even as a necessary part of wolf behavior; it unsettled the boy, and soon he was slipping back the way he had come for the pumpkin viewing - letting them have their fun while he wandered on home to the den, or somewhere else that was less stressful to experience.

Made some assumptions here to move things forward, pm if I need to edit anything.

The laughter dropped quickly off of Lane's face when she saw Makatza's reaction to being hit with the gooey projectile. Instead of retaliating in play, as might have been expected from a normal child, the girl's eyes lit with fiery, vengeful rage. 

Lane shot forward immediately, expecting the worst. Before she could reach her son, Ensio materialized to intercept Makatza. Lane pushed her own child away from the fray, growling to Veteran a nonverbal promise of punishment should he choose to launch himself into the mix. He likely had no idea how closely he had just come to more scarring, but his mother knew all too well. She had seen the bloodlust in Makatza's eyes. 

With Veteran safely out of the way, it was time to step in with the siblings. Ensio launched himself toward Makatza to tackle her, and Lane quickly inserted herself between the pair to stop the girl from leaping at her brother in retaliation. She snarled directly at Makatza, delivering an overt warning to the girl to stand down. Yeah, she was being a little nasty given that Makatza was only a child, but Lane was pissed. No doubt the other adults would step in to help her keep the siblings apart.

Ditto what Zoo said!

Makatza looked at Issorartuyok and huffed. Was Meerkat surprised? No, though she felt a surge of annoyance and disappointment. Her jaw clenched as the girl's mouth opened to say something, only to be cut off when some pumpkin guts struck her. It served her right, honestly, though it was all in good fun.

...until it wasn't. Just like the day she'd attacked Sikuliak, Makatza sprang at Veteran with clearly violent intent. Unlike that day, Meerkat didn't give her the benefit of the doubt. She leaped to interfere, along with the boy's mother (Lane) and someone else she didn't immediately recognize (Ensio). From somewhere behind her, the yearling could make out Issorartuyok's words of reproof. Of course, he didn't know that they would have no effect on the likes of Makatza.

With that said, Meerkat complemented the others' snarls with a booming shout of, "MAKATZA!" What is wrong with you?! she wanted to yell, though instead she said loudly, "WE'RE LEAVING. NOW." She favored the group at large with an apologetic look, sorry that their intended playtime had been ruined. Maybe they could resume and enjoy the pumpkins after she'd escorted Makatza away from the scene.

Her brown eyes eventually sought Issorartuyok's gaze. "Will you please help me escort her to her parents?" she said to him before her attention returned to Makatza, fully expecting retaliation of some sort and just hoping she could handle it with the northerner's help.

Veteran's pumpkin goo projectile landed squarely upon the intended target, and the boy let out a whoop of victory. He turned immediately to share his triumph with Arius and Sikuliak. Arius had drifted away, seemingly unimpressed by the messy, childish antics, but Veteran didn't let that bring him down. No doubt he would find a kindred spirit in Sikuliak, and the young Qeya-Black would be game to get a little messy. 

As wrapped up as he was in leading the Great Pumpkin Goo Initiative against Makatza, he didn't immediately recognize Makatza's rage as dangerous. He assumed that she would simply join in the goo battle, but she had an entirely different idea for revenge. Veteran only understood her intent when he saw the flash of her white teeth. 

He braced himself for the impact and the (at this point) familiar sting on her bite, but it never came. In a flash, Ensio materialized and intercepted Makatza before she could reach Veteran. In the time it took Veteran to blink, the adults descended upon the fray, and Veteran found himself roughly shoved aside. A bit dazed, he watched the events unfold from the outskirts.

A voice broke through the chaos, and Veteran looked up at @Issorartuyok. He asked if Veteran would like to learn to defend himself.  Veteran met the man's eyes with sincerity. "I want to learn to defend my pack." Self-defense was important-- he'd learned that the hard way-- but the real sting of his loss came not from his wounds, but from the knowledge that he had failed to bring Makatza to justice for the way she had hurt Sikuliak.

Very good, Issorartuyok spoke to the boy named Veteran. I will teach you to defend your home and be a powerful protector. He would take the child under his wing, for he believed that the young wolf’s response had been a fitting one.

As Meerkat’s voice rose sharply, the northerner turned to the commotion that was caused by a young female with a dark coat and wicked eyes. It seemed that there were some feelings shared by the children that had not been resolved. Though he was not aware of it, Issorartuyok could guess that it had been the girl named Makatza who had scarred Veteran’s face. It was likely the reason why the other wolves watched with protective eyes, ready to intercept.

I will help, of course, Issorartuyok answered Meerkat with a small bow of his head. He would not mind learning more of the angry young girl. It was curious to think that she was intent to harm her peers, the others in her village. That drive and passion could better serve the glacier, he thought.

Makatza, let us walk, the large man instructed of the young girl, his dark brown eyes firm.

Everything happened so fast that she could hardly get a reading on it. There was shouting, issues of "don't do this" and "don't do that", something she chose to ignore completely. But what she didn't ignore in the corner of her eyes was her brother Ensio. Her brothers had been so silent as of late, so well-behaved it was sickening. She saw him pace up and when he game running toward her she decided to change her direction.

She ignored everything and everyone around her. She ignored the stranger telling her off, she ignored the snarls of everyone and as Ensio lunged himself at her to stop her, she had already changed direction. She faced him head on. He leapt directly toward her and she stopped and jumped backward, so he instead landing next to her. He snarled.

Makatza had never had any real opinion on her brothers. They had at times almost seemed timid to her, but today Ensio surprised her. Though she did not let that surprise take the better of her. Meerkat was shouting her name now, standing in between her and Veteran, though no one seemed to have thought this would happen. She ignored Veteran and instead Ensio had all of her attention.

A fight was about to break out, between the two siblings as she took a stare down on her brother. She watched him. Then she laughed.

"Relax dear brother. I was only joking. Not really. She smiled at her brother and then she looked at Meerkat who was telling her to leave with her. She gave her a sharp look that said not likely. She didn't take her attention off Ensio, didn't want him to jump on her while she was looking away. She licked her lips carefully, thinking the situation through.

Whatever. This wasn't fun anymore.

"Makatza, let us walk," She looked furiously at the large man. No one, and she meant no one. Gave her orders. Especially not some newcomer. "No." She looked at him as though she wished he would fall over and die. Which wasn't far from the truth.

"You all think I am so stupid." She felt furious, she had never been so angry before. She felt it bubble up deep within and now it all exploded to the surface like an explosion of fire and ash. She popped like the cork of a bottle. "I KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF ME." She was shaking with anger as she took a glance at everyone around her. Lane, Veteran, Meerkat, the stupid newcomer, her brothers... All of them. She had no friends here, she had no one to turn to but her father, even her own mother seemed to despise her sometimes, she was short tempered with her, she snapped at her all the time.

"You all think of me as some kind of MONSTER!" She was shouting and whoever tried getting closer would receive a bite of the word kind. She wanted no one closer, wanted no one to touch her. She could feel tears pressing on but she held them back. "Fine." her voice was now on a normal level, but shaking. "I'll be your fucking monster then." Without warning she turned toward Ensio and grabbed for him with her teeth. She let everything go, she cried, she wailed and she jumped at him as she bit after her own brother to hurt him.

All because he was the closest thing to her reach.

She didn't care anymore, there was no reason to pretend she was the good girl anymore, they all thought she was the worst anyway, so why not prove them right? She would be the worst of the worst then, she would not stop until she was the baddest of them all. Once and if she bit Ensio she would run off. She didn't want some sort of escort, she would leave with a bang if she had to, but not like this. She hated it, she hated how they made her feel, she felt how everyone was talking about her behind her back, how it felt like she was the talk on everyone's lips. Though that part felt good.

She didn't know what she wanted anymore, didn't know where to go, but she ran. She ran as fast as she could, not for the den, not for home. Instead she went looking for her father, her last bit of comfort in this crazy world.

And exit for Makatza

Kept back and out of reach by the adults, Ensio only rumbled low in his chest. His posture was defensive. Guarded. Not one ready to attack, like the kind his sister so often adopted. He had tried to intervene only to shield Veteran from further harm, not to cause bloodshed or pain on his behalf.

Makatza poured on the charm. Or tried to. Acted all innocent, lying through her teeth. Stiff legged and young hackles on end, he stood firm in facing his sister. Icy eyed and un-yielding, there was no fear, no remorse there. He was like the Glacier itself. Rugged, un-forgiving and cold. He saw right through her excuses. "BULL. SHIT. We all know what the truth is, sister." He ground out from a tightly clenched jaw.

Not once had he turned away from her. Not once would he drop his guard. He knew what she was capable of doing. Had seen her do it before. And he wouldn't stand for it. Not anymore. His cold eyes widened just a fraction as she went for him, aiming to bite. He reeled back, rearing on his legs. Then rebounded, meeting her teeth head on with his own brandished. He felt a the sting of teeth at the edge of his ear and then something warm trickling down his fur soon after. He was hardly phased by the nip. 

When she ran, to high tail it out and away from the Glacier, he gave chase, if only for a few yards. "Fine then! Go on! Run away, little brat! See how you handle yourself own your own! You were never welcome here anyways!" Breathing heavily, Ensio turned back to the group, spitting crudely at the ground.

Of course, Makatza did not cooperate whatsoever. Meerkat had expected as much, though she inwardly reeled a bit as the girl launched into a loud tirade. When she made a threat, the yearling sensed she was going to try something. She braced for action, though somehow Makatza managed to launch herself at Ensio, bite him and make a getaway before Meerkat or anybody else could possibly intervene.

Utterly nonplussed, Meerkat could only blink after her retreating figure as Ensio shouted at her back. The sound of the boy's spit made her look sharply at him, moving closer. "Are you okay?" she asked. Seeing the blood trickling near his ear, she said, "You're bleeding. May I clean it?" She wasn't any kind of medic but she could do that much.

While she waited for his consent, Meerkat fidgeted, glancing over at her fellow adults. There was no way to redeem this party, was there? It was a complete and total disaster. She should've planned better, perhaps requested Makatza only attend if escorted by her parents. She'd learned her lesson for next time, though Meerkat didn't think there would be one. After all, this was hardly her first failure. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this.

"Well, it's a bust. I'm sorry, everyone," she said to the group at large, swallowing a sigh. "Thanks for coming. Feel free to take a pumpkin with you if you like."

It happened so fast. One minute, Makatza was yelling hysterically, and the next she was ducking through Lane's barrier to reach her brother. Lane snapped after the girl, but she quickly darted out of reach after delivering the bite to Ensio. Lane felt like she was spinning in circles, trying to keep her eyes on both pups and keep in between them. They each shouted some rather ugly parting words before Makatza (thankfully) ran off. 

Lane let the quiet settle over her for a long moment. Where were Tzila and Wintersbane? How were the rest of the pack supposed to know how to handle Makatza and her brothers without direction from their parents? 

"You're bleeding," Meerkat's voice drifted in, breaking through Lane's heavy thoughts. She sighed, watching for a minute as Meerkat tended to Ensio. "Ensio, would you show Meerkat where I keep the poultice..?" she volunteered weakly. With the frequency that the pups seemed to obtain bites and scratches --likely much of it attributable to Makatza-- Lane had just started keeping her topical antiseptic premixed and on-hand in the medicine den. All the pups knew where to find it. 

The fact that the pups needed free access to wound care supplies was evidence enough of the problem, Lane felt. They were growing up in a nightmare. 

Meerkat ended the party, which Lane agreed was likely beyond saving. "Veteran, would you like to stay a little longer and play with Sikuliak?" Lane asked her boy. She glanced to Imaq to make sure that was okay with the other mother. With Tzila's brood gone, the remaining children stood a chance of just being able to play and have fun, and be.. children. 

Before Meerkat could usher Ensio away, Lane spoke to her. "Hey, um.. thanks for doing this. Veteran got a real kick out of the pumpkins, and I'm sure Wayfarer will like them too..." Where was her youngest, anyway? She sure was living up to her name...