Ankyra Sound the mother of pearl world is just a notion

This is backdated about a week or so! A quick pack thread so Akantha can fill them in on what's going on. This is a NON-MANDATORY meeting and the rounds will be short. This one will end on Feb 20th (Monday). Please assume she told them they were moving "base camp" to the coast (Ankyra Sound) once the Storm BWP was over at the beginning of Feburary. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me! 

@Kalika @Indie @Chip @Meteora @Gabe @Hemithea @Whip (@Coelacanth @Julep @Isengrim we haven't had a thread yet but we can figure something out if you do want to hop in here, too! Tagging you guys for reference just in case!)

A blessed break in the dismal rain and the whipping wind offered her the rare chance to set upon the beach without the worry of becoming drenched. Not that she minded, really, but it would make it far easier to speak over the din of the waves against the shore than coupled with the roar of the rain and the howl of the wind. Her heart thumped. She was not a public speaker; she never imagined she would stand where Meteora (and Aktaie before) belonged, weaving words of wisdom and inspiration. Akantha knew she was worthy of the title, and didn't doubt her ability to pull through, but she was a physical creature—one meant to support with strength of heart and mind.

The standing Matriarch tenderly climbed atop a large driftwood log. Her neck and shoulders still throbbed from the wounds inflicted on her by her fight with the boy, but between rest and the gentle ministrations of Mother Sea, they were healing. Soon she would be healthy again, but she could not let them see her weakness. They couldn't know the truth. She caught sight of the dark peaks of the Blackwater Islands across the Sound, and felt something warm bubble up inside. The Sea brushed a hand across her cheek and the feeling soothed her unrest—it was time.

Akantha raised a howl to the skies, calling her Sisters and their Drudge, her loud voice carrying proudly over the rolling Sea. Come, sisters, come and hear my words, the words of the Sea. 

Whip thought of his family often. Particularly the ones who had passed. His father. His mother. His brothers too. They all felt so distant. As if they had only existed in times long ago, like something someone would hear in a story that's been passed down for generations. It was impersonal. It was -- it was difficult to process, even now. Especially for one as fragile as Whip. 

He had found it hardest when he took shelter from the storm. In a burrow, he slept alone. The only company he kept were his thoughts. But when the storms cleared, Whip remained in his burrow to pine for the lost. But when the matriarch called, he came. Whip arrived first, but he lingered at a distance in some odd fear of retribution for his early arrival.

Gabe often had to remind himself that he was staying for Kalika, he reminded himself of her gentle touch, and all that she offered him. He reminded himself that perhaps this could be his second chance at a family, and being naive to the ways of packs in general, the boy believed himself. He tried to block out the fact that these sisters thought so highly of themselves, that they were supposedly better than him. He may be a grunt to them, but at least they provided was he needed, and that was the best he'd had for a while.

When he heard Akantha's howl, the boy dragged his ass out of his makeshift den and made his way towards where she called from. When he arrived, he found that he was one of the first, other than Akantha herself and some other kid. Not just a kid at that, a male. He'd sort of assumed he was the only one, since he hadn't seen any others, but he was glad he wasn't alone. He went and sat by the boy's side, a slight smile on his face, then he turned to look at the matriarch.

A howl from Akantha drew Indie to the place where she could look upon the peaks of the Blackwater Isles. There was a sense of pride that bloomed within her chest at being called alongside the rest of the Nereides. Indie had never been apart of something as proper as this group; a pack of such rigid structure and hierarchy. The Merry-Andrews of her past life had been such a ragtag group who maintained no sense of rhyme and reason -- meetings were offhand and off the cuff and never formally announced; secrets abounded and the only people who knew of meetings were the ones directly involved. So yeah, this was new to Indie but the change was not entirely unwelcome.

The dark female padded towards the group that had gathered and swept her hindquarters against the ground, ears thrown up and forwards in an alert and animated manner. “Hello, family” she cooed, throwing a linger looks towards Akantha and very purposefully not at the two consorts who had gathered.

If you missed the first round and wanna hop in, feel free! Cameos are fine! There's no pressure. Extending Round 2 until Monday, the 27th due to an unexpected trip. @Kalika @Coelacanth @Hemithea 

Akantha did not have to wait long. First to arrive on the beach was skinny little Whip, followed promptly by the other young male, Gabe. Kalika's toy, or whatever he was. She didn't really spare much energy on the thought. Instead she lent them a rare smile of approval from her perch atop the sunbleached log—despite their lesser status, she could not ignore how loyal they'd both proven themselves to be thusfar. She was pleased that the gifts of the Sea was reward enough for the work. But her attentions quickly moved on when the swarthy vaudvillian arrived on the scene. A warm greeting spilled from her mouth, and Akantha could not help the pride that swelled within her chest. 

She would not keep them long. If others were en route, or too far to hear the call, she would gladly repeat everything to them so that word could spread of their plans. Her plans. "I am not one for long-winded speeches, so I will make this brief:" Akantha began, not bothering to seat herself lest the movement bring a fresh wave of pain. She did not want to allude to her hurts here when she was supposed to be strong. "We will be settling on the Blackwater Islands. At low tide, a sand bar offers access to the territory so that you do not need to risk the surf of the channel. If you don't have experience swimming in strong current, don't try it." This was not a request. Her eyes flashed as she continued. "I'm sure most of you have already found your way there by now," She paused, looking over Whip and Gabe with a flick of her ear. "and if you haven't, they are within sight of this beach. The sandbar is on the northern edge of the shore." 

Because they were not of the original sisters to depart Themiscrya, she did not speak of her conversation with Meteora and simply continued on. "As I've stated to each of you: the Sea will provide for us, and she has already made true of her promise by leading me here. There is a wealth of food here and we will not need to compete for it. However, I caution you to be on your guard as our presence here will surely turn some heads."

"Are there any questions?"

Indie was pleased that the Nereides were finally settling somewhere. Indie looked past their leader to look at the isles that dotted the coastline, connected by shallow waters and sandbars. In place the water ran deep and strong; Indie had been instructed to wait until low tide by several others, a suggestion which she was thankful for [had she net received it, Indie may have tried her hand at swimming across the channel]. If there was one truth to be told, it was that the sirens definitely did understand the ocean. 

Indie nodded through the matriarch's symposium. When the subject of competition arose, Indie’s ears perked forward in intrigue and interest. Sure, Akantha said that there wouldn’t be any competition, but that’s not what Indie chose to hear.  Perhaps she knew about Thuringwethil and the other wolves just to their north? Indie had chosen to keep that knowledge to herself… so, maybe there were others that Indie hadn’t learned about? She was curious, so when Akantha asked for questions, Indie cleared her throat to speak.

“Do you know of any others in the area?”

Final round will end on Friday, March 3rd. If no other replies are made, I will edit an ending to this and archive it. Thanks guys!

While the boys stayed mum, Indie fronted the question Akantha expected. Her heart swelled with pride at the elegant woman's curiousity; the very same that prompted her to offer herself as a teacher to the vaudevillian. The Matriarch nodded, "Yes. Kalika and I encountered someone on the mainland beach. She claimed to be an Ambassador of her pack, which lies to the north, and intended to set up a meeting with myself and her Commander so that we might broker a treaty." Akantha explained while her gaze flickered to Gabe and Whip. They were young, still, and untested in battle. She couldn't count on them to defend her if the meeting went south, so she'd spent many hours speaking to the Sea and praying for her guidance. Failure was not an option. "Her name is Wildfire and she is russet in color with a black tipped tail. If she comes seeking us you are to treat her with the same respect as you would a Sister, and inform me immediately." 

She drew a breath and continued, relaxing. "If that is all, then we can consider this discussion tabled for now." She looked to each wolf in turn, giving them the space to speak up if they needed to—even the males.