Ravensblood Forest you pay with your life — spring council vote

Pack meeting to vote for council! @Durnehviir @Samothes @Screech @WhisperDawn .. @Wallflower and @Thelxiope also welcome to join if they wish to keep their initial meeting with Constantine vague.. as those threads are currently open. <3

Constantine did not leave Durnehviir’s side often these days – with her in heat, he kept an eye upon her in an attempt to ensure no other male pressed himself upon her. But the timing indicated to him also that the seasons would change soon – and he would need his comrades to consider his proposal of a pack council.
 
He sought out a small clearing in the heart of the forest. It was a quiet haven – intricate roots darkened the forest floor, though the view of dead moss could be seen as a blanket to the small glade. No doubt, come spring and summer, it would be a far more impressive sight. With the protection of the bleeding trees and the wolves only witnesses being their comrades, the ravens, Constantine settled himself near the base of one of the taller trees that surrounded their clearing. Tipping his muzzle up, he called for his pack mates – a pack meeting was required, and he expected them all to attend.

It was hard for Screech to disguise his yearning to be out and exploring, but he had to put a stop to his wandering ways and repay Constantine for all of his aid. He knew that Rannoch and Liffey were alive now (and probably more but that thread is still ongoing) so he had to be content with that. His return to the forest had been a quiet one and following that, he'd encountered the oddity known as Wallflower, worked on learning the layout of the territory, and even dug-out a few fresh caches. The boy was almost a functioning member of the pack - a normal person! Gasp.

When Constantine called from amongst the trees, Screech was just starting a patrol of the northern edge of the territory; he had half a mind to collect oceanside things for the latest cache he had dug, but deviated from that plan when he heard the summons. He didn't move as quickly as the others through the forest but, he did make it to the gathering spot, where he dipped his nose to Constantine and observed his surroundings with a quick turning of his head. Not knowing what to expect, he remained patient.

Eternally grateful to the two males that had so selflessly let her join their unit(?), she slumbered in the small den she was assigned. It was not much bigger than the hiding places they had used to wait in until the enemy advanced, cutting them down as soon as they had passed them. William and her had always been close to each other, leading the unit into the ambush fearlessly. The only thing she had ever feared had come true, so why fear again.

Wallflower was a light sleeper and as soon as the summoning rang through the forest, she was up and ready. Her fur stuck strangely outwards in places and she was still anything but a pleasant sight, but she did not care. Soon she would bathe, she would pick a rather sunny early-spring day for that, but so far she hadn't had the time to do so.

With careful steps, as if she were sneaking up on the enemy without a sound but the slight cracks of bedding that could be anything, she approached the clearing. She was barely surprised to be one of the first to come - an order was an order and had to be followed as soon as possible. She took her place submissively somewhere close to Screech, bowing her form in greeting to the unit member she knew and their commander.

between his injured sister and the poor condition thelxiope arrived in, samothes has spent much of his time playing nursemaid. being wholly unsuited for the role, it is at times taxing, but he is trying his best (well, for thelxiope -- samaantine gets the barest minimum he can afford, frankly). 

he takes the morning for himself, alone when constantine's summons arrive. curious to see what their shadowy leader beckons them for, the slender man picks his way through the trees to the clearing, eyes briefly flicking to each of his pack that's beaten him to the call (the eyeless boy -- screech, or something along those lines -- he recognizes; the girl cowering next to him he does not). to constantine he dips his head respectfully before taking a seat, quiet but plainly intrigued to see what's on the agenda.

---

under samothes' care, her body had strengthened, and no longer did the cold reach deep into her bones. her fur gradually regained its luster, and she had recovered the cache of herbs she'd left here long ago. those nearest the entrance had fallen prey to neglect and cold, but the majority had held out well in her absence. 

when the call came, she rose carefully from her clearing, where the early spring sun reached tentatively through the barren canopy. she made haste in closing the distance between herself and the call's source. her gaze fell in much the same pattern as samothes', first to the boy with the missing eye, then the burned, submissive girl. they lingered on the latter a moment before sliding to constantine as she slid into place beside samothes, muzzle twisting back once to offer him a soft smile in greeting.

Some PP of Whisper to bring her into the meeting.  :)

She held back, reluctant to present herself to the pack in her vulnerable state. In the early days of her heat cycle, Durnehviir had remained close to Constantine alone; she did not wish for the presence of any other, nor did she want to draw anyone else's attention toward her. She took her time when her swarthy companion's voice summoned the group to gather, though she found greater confidence in her own arrival as she crossed paths with WhisperDawn.

While her raging hormones urged her to assert physical dominance over the flaxen wolfess, Durnehviir steeled herself with the reminder that Whisper was a gentle, innocent creature. She did, however, straighten her posture and briefly arch her proud tail as she moved in to nip her pack-mate's shoulder in greeting, and fell into pace alongside her as they wandered through the gathering place together.

When they fitted themselves among the group, Durnehviir kept her distance and settled to try fixing her focus entirely on the swarthy Regal. 

Thanks for patience, guys! I have a sinus infection that's only just starting to get better now.. it hurt to even look at a screen until this point. @Samothes @Durnehviir @Wallflower @Screech @Thelxiope 

They trickled in – one by one. They were a small band of wolves, but he did not find himself concerned with that – not yet. Though when Durnehviir came in, the scent she carried reminded him that there would possibly be more mouths to feed – and he considered his words before surveying his gathered companions.
 
“Welcome,” he rumbled, his shoulders relaxing in posture as he hoped to keep this fast-paced, but familiar to the wolves he assumed he would come to call family and friends one day. “Thank you for your quick arrival – I just want to discuss a couple of things.” He offered a small smile – something not offered often by the swarthy Regal, who tended to keep his emotions and words brisk.
 
“First, I want to encourage attempts to further build our ranks. We’re looking for wolves of varying skills – and of course to up our numbers. Don’t stray far. We’re unfamiliar with our neighbours still, but it would seem the coast has become a popular place for wolves to settle.” It unnerved him, but that was a conversation for another day.
 
“More importantly, I would like us to move forward with choosing our first council. We’re only a small pack, but it’s a culture I want to instil now, and can set a precedent to any of those who join our ranks after.” He paused, studying his comrades. “So please, if you have a nomination for another to serve on council, please step forward.”
 
He paused, his bright eyes drifting among them. His obvious choices would be Samothes and Durnehviir for his own election – yet he also assumed another would nominate them as well, given their longevity, loyalty and friendliness. Instead, his eyes fell upon Screech. The youth was healing, but doing much better – a young male trying to find his place in the world. He needed room to grow. If he felt it proper, the shadowrunner would have nominated the boy – as it stood, he didn’t want to influence anyone’s nominations by showing who he would choose himself.

Screech didn't know much about this council business but it sounded important, so when Constantine had spoken his piece the boy looked around, eager to see someone go ahead and nominate a name. When nobody did (likely all thinking the same thing) he cleared his throat and said, I nominate Durnehviir - it just uh, makes sense, I guess. Nice one Screech! Way to be political!

The flower perched between the only wolves she somewhat knew kept quiet, respectful but most importantly patient. Encourage attempts... Was that an order? Her blue eyes grew wide, not understanding if she had to do what was only mentioned or wait for an opportunity to do so. She shot a concerned and uncomfortable look at her commander, backing off slightly.

She didn't know what the council he talked about entailed, but she didn't have any nominations. Well, Screech seemed the most obvious pick for her, but only because he was the only one she had met save for Constantine himself. She raised one silver paw in his direction, not speaking up without being told to do so.

i hope youre feeling better, rachel!<3

quickly the rest of the group filters in, samothes quietly evaluating each. he greets thelxiope, returning her smile with a quick one of his own, before durnevhiir's arrival presents an interesting distraction. while he has not made effort to pry into the relationship between the woman and their leader, he's had his suspicions -- though he does not know if the arrival of children into ravensblood will benefit them or cause stress, with their low headcount.

ah, but, it is none of his business. instead he listens carefully to constantine's speech, nodding along. the recent explosion of coastal activity has set his teeth on edge, truth be told -- he'd admired constantine's willingness to settle so close to morningside, but there is an unpalatable boldness in having so many packs clustered in this region. resources. tragedies of the commons. et cetera. there's time to discuss it, and he takes what constantine orders seriously (although thelxiope's presence is due to him, so he feels at least somewhat confident in that regard ... a pity samaantine is so terribly unfit for any pack or to be around him or he'd make more of an effort to corral her and her boy-toy in.)

more importantly: the council, an idea he's quite fond of. looking at their current numbers, samothes thinks durnevhiir and i, obviously. they have been with constantine the longest, proven their loyalty, and as far as samothes is concerned, the others are unknown entities. except for thelxiope -- who is still re-earning ravensblood's trust. the one-eyed boy speaks first, nominating durnevhiir. the girl who's at his side moves next, eliciting a raised eyebrow from samothes (who knows neither of them, really).

ah, the rub: it is probably uncouth to nominate himself. the slightly ... competitive, to put it generously, side of him feels prickled at the nomination of the one-eyed boy he doesn't even know, but samothes is smart enough to know how to present himself. he glances at thelxiope, hopeful she will, being closer to him than to the others, nominate him and save him the hassle. "i'd like to second durnevhiir," the messeda boy says, giving the woman in question a nod. that leaves the quite one, whisper, and who knows what her thoughts are, durnevhiir, and thelxiope -- he's still confident.

Constantine proceeded with the meeting following her arrival, and she was glad for it. It meant eyes would surely not linger on her for long, though she did hope to be on her way sooner rather than later. She was likely a distraction for the males of their pack, and she struggled to steel herself from jealaously eyeballing the present she-wolves. Inhaling deeply, she did her best to focus entirely on the swarthy Regal as he spoke of padding their ranks with new recruits - encouraging the pack's careful involvement in this.

He pressed on with the matter of their council, and she turned her attention to Screech as he spoke her name as a nominee. Durnehviir smiled softly at the one-eyed youth, gratitude in her gaze. She had hoped her commitment to Ravesblood would be recognised, and her heart swelled with appreciation.

The pale-furred wolfess said nothing, but gestured toward the one-eyed yearling with a paw. There was not much time to consider this as Samothes suggested her, and she turned her proud head to look upon him as she offered her own nomination: "Samothes' loyalty to Ravensblood deserves recognition. He has my vote."

He was pleased with not just the results of the vote, but that consideration seemed to be given when choosing their candidates. He would have nominated Screech – but it felt unfair for him to place his own opinion on it, and so, when the nominations ended, the Regal gave a gentle nod of his muzzle. “Samothes and Durnehviir – you will serve as our first Council,” he rumbled, his tail giving an idle flick.
 
It was settled, as far as he was concerned, and his eyes roved to each of his pack mates. “We will vote our next Council in come the end of spring. Until then, we should look to settle ourselves better. Stock the caches.. recruit.”
 
With that, he stood, giving his pelt a quick shake. He began to lope past his comrades then, weaving through the small gathering before offering a small smirk that quirked the corners of his lips. “Until then, let’s hunt.”
 
They were a small group, but they could make use of their numbers to bring something down to satisfy them all – and they would need to learn to work together. Their first meeting had been brief, and to the point – something he wished to maintain in Ravensblood Forest.