Hoshor Plains Sound Off

The boy had gone with his grandmother and his siblings, excited about the adventure even though he did not quite understand its purpose or its dangers. Whenever Kukutux took her attention away from the children to greet another adult, Salaksartok would huff and puff; he would either grab for a sibling and rough-house with them until separated, or try to draw his grandmother's attention away by other means—until something else inevitably caught his attention.

He followed Aiolos for a time. Then there was Seal, who came to say hello and who he recognized vaguely from the sad time on the mountain. He stomped away from the camp as it was being built to chase scents, and found himself trailing after Chickadee until someone gathered him up with the other children and once herded to Kukutux, the boy put up more of a fuss, putting to use his voice to shriek and complain, or his teeth as he disturbed the preparations and made small messes of the medicines around him.

Promptly enough Salaksartok was taken by one of the adults to tour the camp, which would at least keep him occupied and under watch. He was pleased enough with this; there were so many people, and he wanted to know them all.

They arrived as a group of four to the sight of many bodies, most of which were familiar in some way to Kaluktuk and brought out of him a wide smile, and a booming laugh, as eyes met eyes and a shared camraderie spread between the camps. Ariadne saw Valiant and Raindrop off on their way among the throngs of people, and then Kaluktuk followed her as she made her way to visit with Sialuk, towards whom Kaluktuk gave a hearty greeting. He pressed his nose to Ariadne's shoulder quickly to get her attention and motioned, mentioning some names, and with her acceptance Kaluktuk dispersed to meet with others that he saw.

There were the pair from Moontide, Heph and Rodyn, who earned a greeting and easy praise from Kaluktuk. Then when he caught sight of @Njord, the man was thrilled enough to cheer and sidle up to him, shoving shoulder-to-shoulder as a brother might; this was his aokatti after all! They caught up briefly for a time before Kaluktuk was called away again to help with settling Moonsong's camp, but with the promise of stories and hunting to be shared.

There were men and women from mountains, forests, even the seaside—he could smell the chill of salt and ice drifting through the plains with them—and it felt like being home again in Unnuakvik, to a point. This was the kind of life that Kaluktuk had grown up with. To flow among a warband, to hunt with one's brothers and celebrate all the strength of one's abilities; Kaluktuk had missed it deeply, and it was not until this endeavor that he recognized how strong that pull was.

He crossed paths with a wolf and cub, recognizing the mark of Moonglow upon them both, and after a smile and some jesting with the child (Salaksartok) he looked to where they had originated, and saw the building of the camp, and the shape of Kukutux, who herself was busy with her attention elsewhere. He thought of their last conversation and dismissed any further inclinations. A farewell to the boy, then, as he was whisked away towards the camp—and Kaluktuk sought out his betrothed, to continue their own shared work.

Soon the wolves would band together and begin their hunts. It would be a monumental feat to bring down their prey, but one worth celebrating and telling stories of!

Aiolos had taken up the rear as they headed out, a manner in which to keep an eye on all as they moved from the Glen and into the Hosher Plains. Within his jaws, a bundled deer skin, filled with different herbs his wife had gathered from the healing dens- none of which Aiolos understood anything about. 

The gathering was already quite massive and only seeming to grow as more and more groups filtered in. Each one settling into little camps dotted along the plains. Aiolos had settled down the bundle, content to remain among his family as they got themselves situated. His eyes kept to the rambunctious of @Salaksartok, herding the boy time and again until another took charge, which did well to wear his poor grandfather out. 

A friendly smile and dip of his creamy chin was given to each who would greet him and after awhile, knew that he would have to join among the hunters. Aiolos honestly would have been perfectly content to keep at Kukutux side and listen as she taught others of healing. The winter this season had not been kind to his aging bones and old fighting wounds. Yet it was the face of a strong leader and hunter he must represent for his people. 

After a time, Aiolos touches his muzzle to @Kukutux cheek to let her know he was heading off. Fiery eyes seek out @Kivaluk and Arrluk and a commanding woof is sent to the young sons as he begins to make way towards @Rodyn where the hunters would gather.

what little excitement sobeille could muster was dampened by the instruction of her elders. stay with me, don't make sudden moves, and no bolting off -- the last cautioned by val, who leveled a long look at his daughter before she trotted off behind mireille.

so many wolves.

sobeille's eyes widened. surely this was the most the teekons had ever seen. a woman walked among them all with a shawl of hare. sobeille found her gaze drawn to her as she made her rounds among a sea of strange faces.

some were guarded. others brightened with joy.

but they were not her family, and sobeille observed each of them as a child observes tilling ants under the burn of glass.

Ravin, still not quite a year old but old enough to join the hunt, padded up to the large gathering of wolves with his pack. He was excited for this event.

Theo joined the group when Sapphique arrived

He stuck close to the seaboy Raiyuk as the rest of Moontide arrived behind Heph and Rodyn. It had initially taken some convincing for him to let him tag along, however with the arrival of Towhee, a strong force to be reckoned with, the lodge was well protected. Besides, he had already hunted well in Moonsong! He wondered idly if he would see Ariadne here, amongst others.

Many scents and figures gathered on the plans - far more than he had ever seen in his life! A dark girl emerged through the crowd as they neared the Moontide camp, the scent of forest upon her pelt. There was something vaguely familiar about it... but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. 

Offering a slight wave of his tail, he left Raiyuk to socialise, moving a little away from the main camp until the voices died down and he could take in the scene.

Normality returned.

So many wolves. So many faces. The plains stretched on, bison dotting the distant golden grass.

She stayed close to Sobeille, as they navigated the crowd. It was all so exciting, and yet foreign.

How would she represent Sapphique?

There were so many. Ajei slunk closer to Arrluk. Her breathing growing erratic. A sea of bodies everywhere. All over schmooozing and speaking and just there.

Wide green eyes in red furred head. It was with a sigh of relief ahe helped to set up healing with Kukutux. This was busy work. Work that could be done without thought. Easy, safe. Ahe would be glad when Bison were caught. And she had more to do with furs. Busy paws were not idle.

Amalia stayed close to her leader and friends, but upon arrival she found delight in the knowing. She knew many more than she had realized she would.

Ahe longed to hunt, but knew the caretakers and healers, the fur workers they would need her help more.

So she would seek out Moonwoman with a small smile and a little pain. But it would be mostly joyful to see the woman.

A hunt!

Ipiktok traveled with Moonglow to the great, Northeastern Hoshor plains. Once upon a time, he had thought Moontide was a world away… but now, the young juvenile realized just how expansive the wilds truly were. Mountains descended into the forest and turned into sprawling valleys, the likes of which the boy had never seen.

On the way, the adults told the children exciting hunting stories. Ipiptok roughhoused rambunctiously with brother @Salaksartok as he imagined himself a buffalo hunter, though he was mostly a steady and easy traveler. Other times, he stuck close to his sister, @Nasamiituuq, and shared optimistic thoughts.

When the troupe arrived at the creekside camp, so many wolves had already assembled! He said hello to Seal, admired the Moon Village hunters, and then followed Chickadee to an outlook to get a better view of the action.

coraline came soon after mireille; a cluster of sapphique's wolves at her side. it felt strange, going so far inland after a time of getting used to the sea again.
at first, coraline was clear-headed. she made idle conversation with @Heph and found disappointment in the lack of the red-eyed man's presence. she quickly began to realize there were no other faces that she knew, and so her attention turned back to her sisters.
no one else here was important enough for her gaze.

maleah had her misgivings about coming here, ones which she had not voiced. there was fear in being recognized, fear in potentially seeing someone from another life. fear in leaving the safe clutches of the dragoncrest.
but it was for the kids, if anything, and for the purpose of making herself useful. a shitty hunter, as she'd told val once, but with such a large-scale operation, surely her knowledge of medicine could prove worthy.
she clung close to little sobeille and held her breath the whole time.

maggak had chosen to walk with the moonglow wolves (if anaa @Sialuk so allowed). she teased @Nasamiituuq and tittered with @Acrux, and excitedly pressed herself against the ribs of @Kukutux.
immediately upon arrival, maggak found herself overwhelmed with the sheer amount of scents, and all the pairs of legs! and she also soon found that the change in elevation made her head throb. as a distraction from such, she took this time to swerve through the sea of bodies and make herself familiar with the land before her.

Sapphique was a fairly isolated pack. Rae had been surprised, then, when she'd learned of the invitation to attend a hunt with many other packs. But of course she was interested.

She stayed near to @Mireille as they traveled, occasionally glancing over the children who had accompanied them to be certain all was well. The wolves here were friendly enough. But she didn't trust them. Rae kept a close proximity to the wolves of Sapphique as she watched the chaos unfold, waiting for her place among the hunt.

At first, Bronte had been reluctant to go. But as time passed and she mulled it over, the more appealing such an occasion sounded.

It would mean getting away from the Caldera, the place of so much recent heartache and grief. She would get out and stretch her legs. Meet so many others, and with luck, make a few friends. And, when she discovered that  @Anathema was going, along with @Teya, and @Maia, she just could not refuse! There was no way she was being left behind!

Besides, her heart went out to Anathema, who she felt an instinctual need to stay close to. 

It was with her, to whom she pressed close, on her other side, upon arriving at the congregation. Her soft eyes went wide. There were SO MANY WOLVES. Most of them, she didn't even know. Bronte swallowed thickly, forcing away the urge to step back in intimidation. Her grown in ears only switched back nervously, while she scanned the groups in stunned silence.

After a quick glance back at her mom and Maia, she nudged Ana gently on the shoulder. An encouraging, sisterly gesture of reassurance. Naturally, her eye was drawn to those anywhere remotely her own age. Slowly, she began to drift and ease into the mix. A shy gleam in her eye and a sweet, slight smile for anybody who might lock gazes with her.

just one from me! i didn't have the spoons to read every post (sorry!), so feel free to reach out for a smaller thread if anybody would like one. :)

Sialuk greeted Rodyn, Panuk, and Rolayne first, giving the latter two large sweeping kissing across their foreheads. She missed them dearly, but she hoped they were settling in well in Moontide. It was hard to know without really sitting down to chat with them, but soon enough there was a large crowd gathering. Sialuk did not think she had ever seen this many faces in one place. Not only that, but familiar faces. Sisters, brothers, cousins, in-laws, and everything in between. She was sure to miss someone or another who was there, but there would be time in between to greet those who she most needed to catch up with. For now, she was content to mingle among friends and eventually ended up where she often did: by her mother's side.

Seal was close by as well, and Sialuk could feel the tension in her movements. The starwoman did her best to radiate ease and comfort for the girl, although she herself had difficulty easing her own mind with so many bodies around.

another single post for me from phox. <3

Phox made his way to Heph's side, basically following her around as she greeted so so many folks. Some of them Phox recognized from his time at Moonspear, others were slightly less familiar faces, and even more were family. It was, to say the least, overwhelming. Especially since he had spent many of his past years as a loner, seeing this many wolves all at once felt almost outrageous. But he kept it together, nodding and smiling and greeting and going on as best as he could. He was eager to get to the actual hunting part where there would be less socializing and more doing. But for now, he made nice.

Apologies for the wait, @Boone, @Reverie, @Mae, and @Kyrell!

Following a short distance behind her pack, Reina could hear the voices gathered ahead growing louder as she trotted along. Her ears perked, yet her fur did the same in apprehension. 

So many wolves! The last time she could remember being around a gathering this large was the time her father decided to have the Leaders of his region bring their packs to celebrate the birth of her youngest sibling. What a glorious day! The red wolf smiled softly at the memory. It was nice to remember her family before Ruin. Just thinking his name feels like it might summon him out of thin air.

She shook it off, not letting him win her thoughts. They were not his today, nor ever again. 

She gave a soft and short “awoo” to her pack, unsure if they could hear her, to signal that she has split off. She wanted to meet others…or, at the very least, see new faces! Maybe, just maybe, she could meet some more friends here. Make new, meaningful connections. See faces to replace a black face with molten eyes that haunts her dreams, and a gray face with eyes of the moon haunting her heart.