Redtail Rise gunmetal

The sound of snow and debris scattering under-paw and thudding hooves broke the otherwise still silence of the forest as Roamer skidded to a stop, panting. From this close, she knew the howler to be Redd and she could recognize the urgency in her sister's voice. It was a matter of great import, else Roamer might not have responded at all.

With a huff, she abandoned the injured doe that fled through the trees ahead of her and made a beeline for the gathering point. A shame. She had managed a few bites on the hindquarters and might have had a chance of miring it in the deeper snow of the meadow, primed for a group hunt, had she not been called away.

She arrived at a brisk clip, slowing only when she came within smelling distance of her pack. Her steps then were ponderous and measured, carrying her amidst the group with just enough time to examine each wolf present.

The newcomer received the first of her attention, an appraising stare that seemed to cut right through his fur and down to his skin. He was a large wolf, seemingly capable, and wholly unknown to the yearling. That last part was most important. Was this man here to upset the tenuous balance of Redtail Rise once again, or would he know his place and keep his head down?

A question to be answered in due time.

Roamer took the time then to reach out to Redd as her sister welcomed her to the rally, nudging the Wealda's chin in a show of respect and fondness. She spotted Mountain Boulder at the center of the congregation, surrounded by the spindly-limbed youth of the pack like trees clustered about the base of a mountain. No more poignant a symbol of pack unity could he pose than right there in the middle, with his round-bellied mate at his side and their daughter, whom Roamer offered a quick wag of the tail.

Their paler daughter came to greet Roamer next, a respectful yet unfamiliar exchange between yearlings who were brought up in the same home but had spent little quality time together. The silver dust girl did not speak, a fact Roamer had lamented more than once; what she would give to have a friend with whom to confide her innermost fears about the future. Moon Runner was an accomplished hunter as well. Perhaps she had the same fears, being of similar persuasion, but Roamer would never know.

She scanned the crowd once more, noting the continued absence of Masquerade and Riley. Their border scents were stale and what remained of their presence in Redtail Rise was nearly gone away. If they did not return soon, it would be like they had never been here, their imprints upon the land vanishing as surely as they had. A strange thought, for Masquerade had been a constant in her life and the Rise up until Avicus' passing. Roamer did not know how to feel about this, and so she pushed it to a dark corner of her mind.

She looked up when she spotted her brother in the crowd. Feeling relieved, Roamer made her way toward Mulherin, exchanging a quick glance as she settled in beside him. She thought his expression was a little drawn, a little pensive; he had always been close with Masquerade. Her absence here weighed on Roamer. Surely it weighed on him tenfold.

Roamer Redtail pursed her lips, turned her attention forward to the Wealda.

This was a meeting of grave import. The absence of Masquerade said why.

Today a new leader would be chosen. It would not be her. She did not think she would have their support even if she put her name forth, distant as she was while the world around her settled, and she was not cut out for Berserkr. It would not be her, but this occasion was nevertheless one of grave importance for her as well.

Today Roamer would decide if she would continue to hold fast to the bucking bull that was Redtail Rise, or if the thread of her patience would finally be severed by another upheaval.

It all came down to who stepped forward today.