The bonds of pack

For your general information, pack meetings will run slower than activities to give everyone chance to post. Expect a more fast paced activity later this week. Round Ends Tuesday 14th July. @Bindi @Chaska @Issun @Tatum @Ryuu @Mason

FitzDutiful was struggling with the demands of being a single parent and running a pack. He desperately needed help but had no idea who to lean on when it came to the running of the pack. Luckily, when it came to his children he had no such qualms. Both Ryuu and Bindi were trusted caretakers as far as he was concerned and Chaska was a good children's entertainer. Still, he was hard pressed to leave them alone when he hadn't seen their interactions with the rest of the pack.

Now it was time to change that, he was going to introduce the pups to the pack - formally - in a pack meeting set-up. Still loathe to lead his children far away from the Hollow, he decided to call the meeting there. He lead Mason and June into the clearing and lifted his muzzle to howl for his pack to come and gather with him. He didn't mention that it was explicitly to introduce his children to this way of pack, but they might gather that from the location.

He wondered who would arrive first, who would be closest, out of his pack. The arrival was always interesting, seeing where wolves sat themselves, see if any hostility or awkwardness existed between them.

 Issun was never to far away. Today, he had hunted a wandering fawn and was quite proud of the kill. Now he lay rested beside a rock, taking a break before he would patrol the borders. His break would have to wait, for he heard the traditional wolf tune in the air. He jumped up and started to trot silently to the clearing were Fitz standed.

 "Hey Fitz, he said as he came closer. He looked over to his side and saw to young wolves, making him smile. "Hey there. I'm Issun."

Chaska went at a slow pace towards the direction of where the calling originated. He came to the area to discover it was the alpha's den, and he waited outside with his two pups. And there was one other form nearby. A black wolf. At first, he thought it was the black wolfess Bindi, but it was in fact a male. A new addition to the pack. He wondered how long he had been, because the last of the new ones had left within days after joining.

"For once, I am not first" he joked after bowing his head to Fitz and his young ones, finishing with a friendly smile to them. Every time he saw them, they warmed his heart.

"What is this meeting for, may I ask?" Out of all the meetings with Fitz he had done, only one was a formal pack meeting. The others were...just talking. Getting to know each other. Though it didn't annoy the grey wolf. They had actually made him feel more at home.

Mason trotted after his father willingly, turning his head to check that Joo was following. Satisfied that she was, the young boy skipped to the left, then the right, dogging his Dad’s heels. FitzDutiful’s peppered fur swayed in a soft breeze that was the only relief on this hot summer’s day. Mason’s mingled blue-orange eyes gazed at the sway of his father’s tail, and his innate swagger which labelled him alpha. Intent suddenly, Mason copied the walk as best he could.

He only managed a few seconds before he devolved into giggles at his own antics. Flashing June a daring grin, Mason pranced in a circle as his father lifted his head to howl, then he stopped and lifted his own muzzle to put forth a few squeaky attempts of his own.

He played with earth whilst they waited. Suddenly he spotted a black wolf. He darted forwards, thinking it was Bindi, then he noticed there was no painted splotch of white and the wolf was a male. Mason dashed back to his father before Issun fully emerged, and then watched with wide-set doe-startled eyes as the black wolf spoke. Realising a friendly voice from a scary one, it didn’t take long for the mottled, puffed-up fur along his hackles to settle back down again. “I May-sun” he replied shyly.

He smiled at Chaska  who was next on the scene and bobbed his head.

A howl echoed around Bindi in the cave as she tried to sleep. She found it was quite difficult to sleep in the day with all this howling going on. The obsidian girl closed her eyes only to have a bat fly right into her face. An irritated growl grew in her chest, but she knew she needed to attend this meeting. Tired and dazed, she walked towards the area where Fitz was, barely able to keep her eyes open. She bowed her head to the pale Alpha, and then smiled at the pups before sitting down next to June.

"Hope you don't mind if I sit here" she whispered to the young girl. Bindi was surprised to see how big the pups were growing, remembering when she first saw them in the den. She gave a sheepish smile before holding her paw up to June like she did when she first saw the little girl. Bindi probably looked like an idiot doing this, but she didn't care. The midnight wolfess leaned forward to compare her paw with Mason this time. He was larger than June, but still looked like a tiny pup to Bindi.

She put her paw down, and sighed at how fast they were growing. At this rate she wouldn't have much play time left with them before they were packing up and leaving the mountain to create their own families. Bindi shook her head slightly realizing that she may have been a little unrealistic there with the whole leaving thing, but still she couldn't help but worry she wouldn't spend enough time with them before they were all grown up. Still half asleep Bindi turned her attention to Fitz, she waited for anyone else to show up before attempting to figure out what this meeting was for.

June followed her father and brother to the meeting point, unsure as to what was happening. She wasn't afraid but neither was she comfortable. Still, Mason was there and that alone was enough to appease her. Mason seemed excited by this outing, and she smiled to see him so, but stayed silent. The young girl used her words sparing, except when she and Mason were alone. Then she chattered as much as she was able to.

Father howled, a sound that intimidated, and at the same time, fascinated her - she spent the moments afterwards replying the howl in her mind, analysing all the different components of it, and the wolves began to arrive. Issun introduced himself to them, Mason replied but June stayed quiet, offering a shy smile instead. To Chaska and Bindi she wagged her tail, recognising them and the feelings of joy she had associated with each of them.

Finally, father began to speak and June turned her attention to him as she rested against Bindi's leg, safe and secure.

Next round starts June 21 - tagging for reminders. @Issun @Chaska @Mason @Bindi @Ryuu @Tatum

The pack wolves arrived, and FitzDutiful greeted each and every single one of them. Once again, Chaska asked what the meeting was about but Fitz explained he wanted to wait until everyone arrived. Bindi was the last, for it seemed Ryuu and Tatum weren't in the vicinity for some reason. Tatum made sense, she might have left the lands and FitzDutiful hadn't howled loud enough for it to reach across the valley but Ryuu rarely left the pack lands at all. Still, he turned his attention to the now.

"Thank you all for coming." he said, looking at each of his family members with a smile, lingering slightly on Bindi - pleased she had come - "Today I wanted to formally introduce our younger members, Mason and June. They're at an age, or will be shortly, when they should start to specialise in trades and making themselves valuable, contributing members of our pack. I wanted to talk to you all about gaining specialisation as well."

He paused for a moment, letting it sink in. He hadn't talked to the pack about trades for a long time but he wanted his pack members to aim for something higher. Not only did it hold them higher in his eyes, but if they ever wanted to move onwards it would make them valuable to another pack too.

"What progress have you had in trades - and if none what trades would you like to learn?" he asked of everyone. Bindi already had one trade under her belt, the outrider, and he knew Chaska was working towards his chronicler trade. Of Issun he knew little and, although he had talked to his children about trades in general, he wondered what aspirations they had.

After he had arrived, the black wolfess Bindi came soon after and sat herself by the female pup. Before Fitz spoke, Chaska sent a curious glance around the area. There were two wolves he knew of that were missing: Fitzdutiful's mate and Ryuu. They may have been wandering around, but still he wondered where they could be.

He smiled again at the pups as their father spoke of them. At the same time, he thought about what their interests were, though he doubted it would be anything he could aid them with.

Next, the alpha wolf asked the rest of the pack about their own trades. 


"My trade is going well" he began. "I have shown my skills to several others, as you may know of some." He paused for a small moment. "Is there anything more I must do to advance in it" the grey wolf asked, eager to further his trade.

When Ryuu finally made it to FitzDutiful, there were a lot of wolves already there listening to the Alpha speak. She missed most of what he was saying, but took a seat near Chaska. Ryuu found that she really liked the grey male, he was friendly and had given her a helping paw in taking the black thing off her neck. "Hello," she whispered to him in greeting with a small smile. Perhaps he could eventually turn out to be a close friend. Ryuu hadn't thought she would make any friends because she doubted herself too much. Chaska had seemed not to care about her cowardly ways. That made her feel better about herself, but not completely. It was a start at least. "What did I miss?" She questioned.

He listened closely to what Fitz had to say. And he listened to what Chaska had said as well. "I have experience in Warden and Warrior trades." Back when he was a teenager, he showed great interest in the two trades. He was born a warrior. Always wanting a good spar or two. And he loved defending his home. Now that he knew there were children, he would work on defending even harder.

"I would like to know more about healing, so I can care for the Pack more. Maybe even learn about caretaker." He glanced at the two youngsters and smiled.

He had been thinking about what trade he wanted to take since his father had discussed the different options with them. His first thought was what might June want to pick, for he did not want to step on her toes and pick the trade she might be best at.

Other spoke up but mason barely listened. He knew that his Dad wanted him to be the best he could be. Perhaps June’s best chances were Healer or Chronicler – although she was slow to speak and took her time with things, he knew that the brain behind her pretty face was constantly whirring and took everything in. She could learn to help the pack in various ways.

Mason certainly had little interest in spewing out rules and history of the pack to random passersby. As a Warrior he was not sure – he did not relish the thought of having to attack anyone who trespassed. He knew that his name meant virtue, all that was good and he strove to meet its meaning. He had no passion to hurt other wolves, even if they deserved it. No, he was much more of a carer. Though he had yet to meet an elderly wolf that needed his care, he had so far excelled at looking after June’s needs.


Mason stayed quiet until he had ensured everyone else had spoke, and then he piped up in his soft boyish voice. “I think I’d like to try’n be a Caretekker.”

Later he may move on to being an Outrider and Gamekeeper / Naturalist, but at this age he did not yet have the capacity or knowledge for these roles.

Everyone had such big plans for themselves and little June didn't have a clue. She had no idea what she wanted to do, nor had she been paying attention when father had talked to them both about trades. It was a tough world she had been born into and she didn't feel like she excelled in any area what so ever. Still, others were mentioning the trades now and she listened carefully to their worlds.

Warden, Warrior and Caretaker were the three mentioned by names. Chakra didn't mention his trade but she remember his story and faintly recalled one being related to that. What was she going to bit. Mason spoke up, choosing the caretaker which left her two - she didn't want to be a copy cat.

"Wadon" she said, quietly, when the silence grew and her father looked at her directly for her answer. She knew she would be no good at warrior but maybe she could do something with this warden trade. She looked down at the floor, sneaking a glance at Mason for comfort.

Bindi was glad to hear that Chaska was doing well with his trade, and that Issun seemed to be interested in warrior. Bindi believed she was skilled enough to be a warrior with all the spars she has been in, but warden she found much more important. She looked towards Ryuu when she spoke but didn't answer since she didn't want to possibly cut anyone off from talking. The midnight wolfess smiled when Mason said he wanted to be a caretaker, however when June mentioned about warden it confused Bindi. She didn't take June to be the Warden type but then again, maybe she needed to learn more about the young girl.

When it came time for Bindi to speak she kept it short and simple. "I have my Outrider trade, and am close to gaining both my gamekeeper and warden trade." Though she was still going after her trades she decided on long ago, in recent events Bindi thought about caretaker. She looked towards Fitz wondering if he had anything else to say during this meeting or if he would announce his own trades.

Next round starts Tuesday, July 28

Not long after Chaska had started talking, Ryuu appeared. FitzDutiful finished focusing on Chaska before turning to her. "It's good to see you," he told her, glad that she had arrived even if late. "We're just discussing trades, what we want to gain and the progress that has been made towards it." FitzDutiful smiled at her, wondering if she would tell him about her efforts. It had been part of the condition of him accepting her.

One by one his wolves, his family, told him of their wants and desires. He listened carefully to each of them in turn and took a moment to make it personal to what they want. Chaska was first, still eagerly pursuing his chronicler trade; "If you can give me five examples of how you've improved, then that'll be worthy of receiving your trade. After that, there's always the potential to master it."

Issun had mentioned experience in Warden and Warrior trades, as well as the desire to heal or care for the young. FitzDutiful smiled warmly, both were areas that the pack currently lacked. "Ryuu has also been working on the Caretaker trade and I mentioned to her about learning healing too. Maybe the two of you can work together there?" It was easier to learn when someone else was learning too.

Mason and June both spoke, picking a trade each and he smiled at each of them, treating them like any other pack member at this moment. "Aunt Ryuu will teach you about Caretaker, Mason," he told his son, knowing that there was no way he could teach that trade to him, "and Aunt Bindi can help with your warden trade June." he was surprised that she wanted warden. She had never struck him as someone that wanted a physical trade. Maybe she wanted to make up for that? June was a mystery to him.

Bindi had mentioned her gamekeeper and warden trade - the reason why he had mentioned her to June. "I'm glad they're going well," he told her, a warm smile that spread to his eyes and briefly showed the affection he felt for her. "Will you hold a training session sometime?" he asked Bindi, knowing that she could handle the responsibility, "Issun has an interest in warden, I could do with some rust knocking off, and these two youngsters need a lesson in the fundamentals." Anyone else who wanted to come would be welcome, but FitzDutiful would openly invite until Bindi had accepted the running of it.

Now that was over, he focused on the group again. "As some of you know, I have my warden, counsellor and naturalist trade. I'm looking at taking that a step further and mastering them." He wanted to master all three. It would be difficult but he hoped he could do it.

"As a little bit of encouragement to you all, anyone who manages to gain their trade between now and the next cycle of the moon will instantly rank up. It will put you above those without a trade." If they had anywhere to go. If not, it would protect them from being dropped down. Those that cared about rank might find that interesting. "It also, will never be forgotten." He said those words sincerely. Gaining a trade meant good things for their pack. It showed diversity and helped them secure their future - both pack wise and wolf wise.

"Any questions?" he asked.

Final round, those of you that have already posted twice, post in this round to qualify for exp. I'll archive this on Tuesday, 4th August

No one said a word, in fact no one did anything and it was a tiny bit disconcerting. Still, maybe no one had any questions or any response to what he had said. He looked around them all, wondering what to do know when he realised he should just dismiss them. He had hoped to start off an activity here, but with Bindi not having said a word about leading a pack training session he wasn't about to say anything now.

He looked over them all "That's all for today." Dismissing them, he waited until the last of the wolves had left and then lead his children back to the den.

Chaska said nothing when Fitz asked on progress on their trades and then for questions, for he had none to ask. He was doing well, and planned on having one more story. But who with was the question he had left unanswered.

He saw no one else did, and Fitz went on to end the meeting. The grey wolf bowed his head and put himself onto his feet.

"It was my pleasure to come" he said before turning and leaving. He glanced back once more, looking at the pack. He was glad to be part of this pack. it felt good to be in one once more in his life.

June watched and listened as her father spoke. His voice was deep, comforting and it allowed her to study the other wolves while he drew their attention. Time passed and FitzDutiful dismissed them. She wanted to return home, to seek the comfort of the caves and reflect on everything that had occurred but her father hadn't moved and she wasn't sure she was allowed to go home without him being there.

Eventually, FitzDutiful gathered her and her brother, taking them back home and letting her analysis all the parts of the meeting that she recalled.