Hushed Willows Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way.

This is a mandatory meeting thread for everyone in Marauder's Keep. I'll try to keep it short! Come on down to meet Tambourine! I'll reply again once everyone has popped in. Shouldn't take more than ehhh, two - three rounds? We'll see what happens though. @Tambourine @Stark @Trick @Teagan @Kunik @Nova Rose @Captain

It was time to show off her son to the pack in the proper way, and to move him out from the cramped den-cave in to the cavernous Crook; she watched him sleep though, for a little while. Waited until he woke of his own accord. All the while, Octavia was thinking of other things - her mind busy as it played over her conversations with the various members of the pack, with Stark, and then her mind wandered to Warbone. She had not seen him in so long. His adventure outside of the packlands must have been a difficult one - perhaps he had found something better and moved on? Or maybe he was out there in the wilds, injured, lost, alone. Could she spare someone to go out and look for him? A thin plan began to form in her mind; more of a fanciful notion than anything else. She thought of sending Nova Rose out to find Warbone, because that would get the pesky old woman out of the way for a while — but then her son began to murmur and kick, and he was waking up.

Tambourine, she spoke down to him, her voice sweet and filled with love, Come on now, I have a surprise for you. It wasn't the same kind of surprise as the gift Stark had brought, but it would no doubt bring a big smile to her son's little face. When he was up on his feet she gave him a few quick licks to the face, cleaning off any debris or drool from his slumber, and then ushered him out of the den-cave in to the atrium of the cavern. Once there she observed who was around - and as there weren't many, the mother ducked out of the gaping entryway and then canted her head back in preparation to call out to the wolves of the pack. It struck her though just as she lifted her head - Warbone wasn't here. He hadn't been here for so long that she'd been managing things on her own, which meant this wasn't just a pit-stop for her anymore (not that it ever could've been; she had a son to think about, and they couldn't just up and leave this place). This was her pack. 

So when she pulled her head back again, this time she called for her wolves. She summoned them forth with such gusto that she surprised herself; and then as her voice faded in the air, she turned and marched back to her son's side. Are you ready? You'll love this, I swear. Her tail fanned behind her happily, and she looked to the cave mouth with great expectation.

Kunik had come to realize the error of her ways. Tavi was not some evil woman who bounced from pack to pack, would not destroy their pack by doing so. Warbone had disappeared and Octavia had become the one she was loyal to. Her mistrust of the woman was gone, replaced by a devotion for the small family that she counted herself lucky to be part of, including Tavi and Tambourine.

She was the first to respond to the call, entering the clearing and stopping a few feet away from the mother and son. Nodding respectfully, Kunik sat and waited for the rest of the pack to show up. Curious as she was, seeing Octavia's pup most likely meant she was introducing him to the pack.

Of course he'd spent too much time around the little family that wasn't his, and yet, in that way they had become his own. He watched over them, brought food when he could, trinkets when he could not, and after finding the tiny little sprig of life in that small clump of grass Stark was eager to get back to them to tell them the news. Octavia's call made him pause, a small smile growing on his face as he turned his brisk walk into a trot to get back to them.

He was surprised and then beaming when he saw Tambourine out and exploring too, his gaze dropping proudly to the pup as if he was his father. It was presumptuous, sure, but, he couldn't help it. Tambourine had that infectious sort of spark to him. He slipped into a spot to sit, blue eyes lifting to the Alpha, he'd wait till later to tell her about the grass. For now he was happy to see what this all was about, if it was Tambourine's day, then he'd step aside for the Mandrill to step out and raise him above their kingdom for all to properly worship him. 

He'd be the first to eat the monkey if he dropped Tam, though. 

Tambourine was not a grumpy pup, except for those first few moments after waking. He stayed still, his paw still jammed in his mouth like a pacifier, eyes opening wider and wider. He grumbled under his breath. He twitched. At last, he sat up with a sigh, then shook his head. Once the cobwebs of sleep were cleared, he jumped to his feet, suddenly perky. His tail waved as he pranced toward his mother, nipping affectionately at her heels and grinning at the sound of her voice, even if he still had yet to understand anything she said.

He trailed after Tavi obediently enough, bounding like a baby bunny to keep up with her, his floppy ear flapping in the wind. When she paused just outside the entrance of The Crook, he bumped into her hind leg, then wove around it to slither between her forelegs. With a giggle, he paused there and glanced up at her chin, lips forming into an o shape when Tavi tossed back her head and howled. Boy, she was loud! The cub felt his own throat rippling in sympathy, a very pathetic echo of the Alpha female's howl erupting from his blunt muzzle.

This was not the only sound the pup made. He felt a twinge in his gut and his blue eyes suddenly screwed up as he bore down on his abdominal muscles. His hindquarters joined the symphony, a very noisy burst escaping his back end and echoing backward into the cavern. In his haste to sniff his own fart, Tambourine smacked his head against his mother's foreleg. But he needn't have bothered, because the overpoweringly dank smell stained the air like a cloud of poisonous gas—just in time for the pack wolves to begin arriving.

Trick knew of the little brat in the pack, one that would certainly pose a threat to Trick's spot in the pack once he would take over. Buuut, the little one hadn't even bee judged by the man's green eyes yet. Perhaps he could sit the small pup, teach him how to be a wimp so he would never even think of challenging him. Become a sort of hero in the small one's eyes. Yeah, that'd be nice...

Trick was woken up by the booming howl of the alpha female, and instantly rose to his feet. Not ever would he be late for the latest gossip and plotting! He had been sound asleep on the ridge he had shared with Teagan a moon ago or something. He could not smell or feel the hotness of that night anymore, but the memory still brought a good mood to Trick. Taking his trademark smirk with him, he trotted toward the place the howl had come from. He could see Tavi already, but what was that?

Trick stopped, not even sure if he was the first one here, and tilted his head. It was Stark, holding a ball of fur, Kunik already in the front. Was this the little thing? It stood no chance to the mighty Trick at all but.... OMFG IT WAS SO CUTE ASDFGKDFKJJDSFLK. Okay, okay, calm yourself Trick. He had been promoted to Delta, he knew, and therefore felt it his place to step closer to Stark. He did not say anything, just stared at the little one for a while, and he felt his stone heart melt. It was absolutely adorable. He breathed his hot breath against the young one, sniffing in the stinky smell of puppy, and then took a few steps back to sit down, eyes never leaving the ball of fur.

Teagan knew of the pup but he hadn't really gotten to meet the little kid - as much as you could get to know a baby. He brought food, but never really stayed around to socialise, mostly because while the kid was cute and adorable and all that nonsense, Teag simply didn't really care. Well, of course he cared, but he really didn't, well, feel the need to get to know the boy. Growing up, taking care of his siblings had been a nightmare and while he loved how cute they were, he no longer held a soft spot for them. Caring for mewling babies wasn't really whhat he was good at.

Tavi's howl rang sharply through the cool air, waking Teagan up from his daydream. He blinked, before rising slowly to his paws, stretching casually and began padding towards where the howl came from. Arriving, he saw Tavi, Kunik, Stark, Trick and a fluffy ball of fur. His heart melted and he grinned, but otherwise, he made no move but dip his head respectfully towards Tavi, stare at the kid while taking his place next to Trick. Oh, when the boy grew up, they were going to have fun. He would be the coolest big brother ever - they'll prank everyone and everything.

He doesn't even know you, he told himself. But he will, soon.

Captain cocked her ears at the sudden noise, shaking moisture from her pelt as she recovered from yet another unsuccessful hunt. She had to admit, she was kind of relieved that her Alpha had called - it gave her an excuse for the abrupt conclusion. In any other case, she would have grudgingly kept hunting. She wanted to help her pack in whatever way possible, and if getting some mud on her paws would do it then she would in a heartbeat. She would provide no matter what. Her trek back to the Crook was short and uneventful. She had stopped by the creek to wash her paws and clean herself up, but otherwise it was the same old routine. 
     
     Her packmates were already murmuring excitedly amongst eachother when she arrived, all of them gazing in awe at the small pup playing in their midst. The pride in Tavi's stance was something Captain had learned to respect in a leader. It showed that they held the capacity to care, which was often a rare sight during such uncertain circumstances. It was hard to simultaneously lead a pack and raise a son. Captain found it strange that the female hadn't appointed any Betas to assist her. In a few deft strides, the female had edged around the group and taken a seat calmly beside her brother. Her gaze fell across her packmates first, calculating their reactions with careful reserve. She often answered many of her own questions through silent observation. Once she had taken her daily, mental notes, Captain shifted her gaze towards Tambourine. The plump pup was having the time of his life, apparently basking in the attention. Ah, how youth can melt even the coldest of hearts. She allowed her tail to sway slowly behind her, a grin playing at her lips. Tavi was a smart female - the whole pack was looking upon her son as if he were a living prize. Her pyschology was spot on.

Round two! I have permission to PP Nova Rose as well as Grace to the meeting; feel free to reference them hanging out in the background. There is no post order, so feel free to reply whenever y'all have the time!

One by one, they each appeared. Octavia was surprised by the speed with which everyone attended to her call, but mostly she was surprised that the first to arrive was Kunik of all wolves. They had always seemed like a distant sort of creature, not entirely invested in Tavi's issues, which was entirely fine - not everyone needed to care - but seeing them, and their reaction upon sighting her son, made Octavia smile. Next came Stark who hadn't left either Tambourine or his mother for very long periods of time at all; but his appearance made Octavia's smile widen, catching in her eyes with a pleasant sort of excitement. Octavia opened her mouth to say something to him — but then Tambourine let out a loud, wet fart. The sound of it timed perfectly with the opening of her own mouth, making it appear as if she had burped up a fart. She turned to look sharply at the sound's origins but couldn't help but smile at Tambourine as he bumbled along.

She'd try to ignore the noxious rotten-egg smell that his rear end now exuded, even if it had quite quickly found its way in to her mouth. Tavi swallowed and coughed a little, trying to get some air before the butt toxins could knock her out, and watched as Tambourine went barrelling in to the next group to arrive. Trick, Teagan, and Captain. With each addition to the party Octavia felt a great swell of pride for her son as well as herself; all these wolves would have the chance to meet her son, finally, and they would love him like she did.

The last to arrive were Nova Rose and her daughter, which earned a fresh smile from Tavi. Now that everyone was assembled they could get on with.. Whatever this was.

I'd like everyone to meet our youngest member - as she spoke she advanced upon Tambourine's position and scooped at him with a paw, drawing him away from whoever held his attention in a half-hug, orienting him in the center of the group while the pack milled around him. Tambourine. Say hello, Tam, as she addressed her son her tone warmed and lightened, and she dipped her head down to administer a lick to the top of his head. He likely couldn't make any real words yet, but that wouldn't stop her little chatterbox from trying. He was the center of attention right now, and the spotlight was on him.

One thing that did work its way beneath Octavia's skin was... Warbone. His absence was acutely felt, and Tavi wasn't sure why it stung her so much. Where had their alpha gone? What was to become of the pack without the firm hand of their leader? She would hold off on commenting on this though - because now was Tambourine's moment. Talking about leadership would come later.

The boy's eyes skipped from one face to another as the pack gathered around his mother (and, by proxy, around him). There wasn't a shy or bashful bone in Tambourine's body, so he returned their curious gazes with a grin and wave of his tail. When they crowded closer, he batted and barked at them, amused and emboldened by their blatant attention even though he had no idea he was the primary reason for their gathering.

Tavi said a few words over his head and he bent his neck back to peer up at her again, pink tongue lolling, before righting himself. By pure happenstance, his stonewashed gaze clapped upon Stark in particular. He waddled merrily over to his sitter, shouting, "Tam-tam!" He then pounced the Epsilon's left forefoot, still oblivious that everyone's eyes were watching his every move but somehow managing to work the crowd anyway.

Kunik stayed where she was, admiring the child with a small smile and softer expression on her face. So she had a soft spot for children, who would have guessed? 

The others who had gathered around wore varying expressions that mirrored her own, surprisingly even Trick who she had half expected to hate the child simply because he was, well, Trick. 

Tam seemed to have farted right into Octavia's maw, who in turn sputtered, causing Kunik to hold back a laugh in case it offended the mother. Glancing around, the warrior noticed one wolf in particular was missing. It had slipped her mind after seeing the adorable fluff ball that was Tambourine, but where was Warbone?

The offending smell filled the cavern, Tambourine's hello making his face wrinkle even as the rest of the wolves approached them. He gave a soft sound, snorting as he looked down at the puppy and then up to Octavia. It wasn't the first time he'd been bombed by the puppy and he was certain his mother had endured many a fart too. But they weren't alone much longer, everyone else filing in appropriately. 

Stark offered brief smiles as they all gathered, his eyes drifting over his sister in particular. Wondering how she was adjusting, wondering if she was happy. It was a hard thing to do, find happiness, and the settling might have been hard for his sandy colored sibling. He turned his attention to Octavia, watching as she scooped Tambourine close and then introduced him to the pack properly. 

Like the rest of the gathered wolves he noticed the absence of Warbone, frowning briefly until he focused on the pup who was quickly approaching them. The chirp of Tambourine's name made him grin, briefly leaning down to nudge the puppy fondly as his foot was tackled. "Hey, Tam," He said with a smile, voice a low fond rumble.

Closing this out now! Thanks for participating everyone! :D

They each met the boy, and even with all the fumes cast off by his rear end, things went smoothly. Tambourine seemed to be enamored with each new face, and was exuberant, hardly hesitating between each new meeting, and Tavi couldn't help but feel an undending love for him. As the meeting wore on she saw no reason to speak of politics, or to bring to attention the lack of Warbone among them, though it was felt keenly by each wolf present. His absence could only be explained by the famine - and she hoped, perhaps with futile thoughts, that he was alright. That he would return to them.

Gradually even Tambourine's energy level began to wane, and she knew by this point that things were coming to an end. Tavi approached each being who visited, thanked them, spreading comraderie among the gathering, and then bade that they go. She plucked Tam from among his peers and, ducking by Stark, headed back towards the den where her son could sleep. As she slipped through the dark Octavia felt a great wave of relief flood across her, knowing that these wolves were her family, and that everything would turn out alright.