Phoenix Maplewood storm surge

Can we assume no strict post order? I think to be fair, everyone should post once before others re-post (i.e. Scimitar, Pasha and myself have posted this round and have to wait for Reek, Allure II and Swift before they can post again), but you can post in whatever order you want? I feel like with the absences involved in this thread, it would be kept moving better if the post order was loose rather than strict. If that's not cool with anyone, PM me and I'll remove my post and wait my turn.

Bazi, Kaskara and the two adult males with them were seemingly disinterested in the meeting up until now. Saena gave them but a cursory glance; while she was genuinely fond of Kaskara and familiar with Bazi, her attention went to the alpha male instead, the most critical among them, as he was the one in charge here. Around him crowded three pups, the fourth and fifth remaining with the rest of the pack in the back. Her eyes swept over them: one brown with a slight flop to his ear; one black with a brilliant smudge of white beneath her chin that swept down her chest; and one white with a striking splash of black upon his back. Her eyes lingered on this one the longest, since he had the audacity to growl at her.

The alpha female lifted her head slightly, peering down at him, and rumbled gently in her throat in response. To the adults, her display would be almost playful, the twitch of her tail and brightness in her eyes betraying that she was only messing with him, but to the youth, it might serve to appear serious. To remind him of his place or else spur him on. To play, but deceitfully. That was a wolf's trade, really: deceit. Mind tricks. Maybe it would work on the young wolf, who was surely not in a position to spot her short tail's wag or to recognize the mischief in her eyes, or maybe he was smarter than that.

Scimitar's voice pulled her back and her eyes darted from the black-spine child to the Nova Peak alpha male, who informed them that the woods had burned. She remembered seeing from a distance the woods of the mountain. A substantial area. "I'm sorry to hear that," she told him in a voice laced with genuine concern. "I hope you find somewhere soon, that your family can rest and relax. I know how hard that is for us adults. I can't imagine." She gazed down at the children again.

"Redtail Rise went up in smoke. The whole ridge burned. The prey is all gone, even the hawks won't fly there anymore. We had to leave and we've only just found this place." She smiled sidelong at Reek. "If you need to take refuge for a day or two, you're more than welcome to do so here."