Swiftcurrent Creek And I know you don't know, but I need you to be brave.

Welcome to Swiftcurrent Creek's first pack meeting! The Alpha pair have some important information to pass on, so everyone is expected to gather (exception for @Wylla and @Tiercel) and non-attendance may result in demotion at the next rank shuffle. Next round will be posted on June 8th. Players feel free to include those on PPC in your posts.  :)

@Constantine, @Samothes, @Wallflower, @Phoenix, @Rysk, @Clock, @Jagwyr, @Arrille, @Larus, @Akiri, @Chusi, @Koji, @Viinturuth, @Akavir, @Akatosh, @Talos

The time to bring their pack together had come, and Durnehviir spent its approaching days trying to figure out the best way to share the most sensitive news. Ingram's untimely demise had been a harsh blow for the Alpha pair, who'd discussed the possibilities of their subordinate's attacker at length. The tracks, identified to be those of a bear, had trailed Northward from the scene of its crime, though the Swiftcurrent wolves couldn't afford to simply hope that its time in their land was over.

The borders needed more attention and the subordinates had to ready themselves to defend if the need arose. The loss of one comrade was one too many, and the crimson Frostfur was unwilling to face losing any more. Exchanging a glance with her mate, Durnehviir dipped her muzzle to look down at their brood and shot them an encouraging smile before making to exit the hollow, beckoning with a soft chuff. This would be a big day for them, to be venturing beyond the place of their birth together for the first time and be introduced to their pack-mates.

Quiet evening sunset basked the clearing beyond the whelping den in gentle warmth and dimmed light, and Durnehviir paused outside to count her pups. Trusting Constantine to herd their remaining cubs out to join the others, the pale-eyed Alphess tilted her muzzle skyward and sent forth a request for her companions to gather.

Finally, they were being allowed to go outside...encouraged, even! Talos squinted up at Mother, hardly able to believe their good fortune for a moment, but didn't have to be asked twice to go skipping clumsily after the red-and-gold tail retreating before her. Talos dug her stubby black paws into the grit with a determined little growl, forcing her still-uncooperative legs to carry her pell-mell forward. The sun hit her full in the face with a sudden even more brilliantly fire-hued dazzling of brightness and warmth. Talos's milky eyes tried to blink the sensation away and continue her headlong tumble forward, only to run her shins straight into a small rock. She gave a small yip of surprise and quickly shook her head. The sudden motion tilted her a little off-balance; she stopped for half a moment and leaned against the uncooperative rock even as she scowled at it and lifted her paw for a cursory examination.

No signs of gushing blood or anything else exciting there; right. Good enough. She thudded her paw back to the earth and gave the tiniest of boulders a small, rebuking bark as she shoved off it and went galumphing forward again, bound and determined not only that no stinkin' brother would outpace her but also to catch up and pass her mother. This was not as hard as the largest and blackest pup had feared: Mother had paused now too, for whatever reason. Talos went stumble-running quickly past her, eager to see what the wide world out from under watchful adult eyes had to offer. The pup stopped and half-turned to glance back in puzzlement however as Mother turned her muzzle to the sky and let out a long, wavering howl. Was she sick? Was she confused? Was the bleeding red sky in trouble with Mommy now, as she yelled at it? What a strange thing to do. Talos let out a smaller, inquiring yip-aroo noise of her own, still not very able to howl herself, and glanced even farther back to see what all her brothers were making of this, or what Daddy thought for that matter.

The now very round Chusi dragged herself up from the uncomfortable position she had been lying in. Then again, what position was comfortable nowadays? Though her long legs made her appear tall and sturdy, the truth was that she wasn't the most stable mother-to-be out there. She found herself tipping almost every time she tried to pee (which was very frequent, she had noticed) or reach down for a bite of her meal (she wondered what she could and would eat tomorrow... She craved seafood now more than ever but knew it was impossible to get which only made it more desirable).

Hopefully with @Koji near, Chusi heard the call from their alphess. Immediately did she try and run but soon found out that was near impossible and very dangerous. With a look of disappoint and general discomfort did she start making her way towards the gathering place where she would sit and wait for everyone to arrive as well.

Wallflower truly lived up to her name. Instead of sociallizing, finding out more about her unit pack, she found it more important to store up on different plants she didn't even know. Some wounds had not taken well to her experiments but others had nearly disappeared entirely. Some of them were pussy and red while others were smooth and pink and the patches of fur (though still not neat) were growing back slowly but steady. All things considered, she was physically doing better.

When the call arrived the warrior dropped everything she might have been doing to sprint her way towards the gathering. Though the call came not from her commander but instead from his mate, she was still keen on serving them both in any way she could for the protection they provided for her. She took her place, quietly, and waited for either an order to listen or an order to talk.

Nothing had come back to him since he'd joined with the creek pack. If anything, Larus had lost more and more. He'd have fleeting thoughts of places, of people, of the sound of their voices or of moments in time — but only as it slipped away from him. He'd ended up doing his best to stay busy with patrols or with fishing, both of which were very quiet and non-eventful.

When the summon rose for the pack to gather, Larus did not hesitate to find the source of the call and head that way. Unfortunately, as he was making his way he began to slow down. It wasn't like he meant to forget where he was going - but his trajectory was off, and once the sound of the call diminished, Larus was left wondering what he was doing here by the riverside. 

Addled and unsure, he began to slink along — and when he encountered the fringe of the territory, he found it strange that the scents seemed so alien. 'This is wrong,' he thought as he crossed the barrier. 'This is... I'm not here, not.. Supposed to be here, and so he veered in another direction, and wasn't seen again.

Akatosh had been in the middle of a pretty great nap before being roused and shuffled outside before he figured out what was going on.  Outside seemed different looking than when he'd been outside-ish previously, too, but he couldn't quite figure out what the difference was.  Obviously it was color and light, but he didn't exactly have the background to be able to figure out that's what it was.  Akatosh seemed to careen wildly between pushing limits and staying within any boundaries that had been defined to his still-developing mind.  He wanted to do stuff, and the more he started to see, the more he wanted to go explore instead of being cooped up in a den -- it was that wide open, mysterious world out there.  Today, he seemed to be kind of behaving, following practically at his mother's wrist -- it was probably fortunate that he wasn't actively walking in the way of her stride, but that was prevented only by the fact her leg would have blocked the view.

But then they stopped!  Akatosh held still for maybe two seconds before he started to go after his sister, bumbling maybe two paces towards her before mom started to howl.  Skidding to a stop, he raised his head to add his little Wwoooo! to the chorus too.  Totally was helping, yup.  That done, he resumed diving after Talos' tail.

Viinturuth, having been blissfully unaware of the seriousness of discussion between his parents that had been ongoing for days, regarded them then with quiet curiosity. He picked up on the tension that hung between them, and although he was unable to comprehend the words they shared, the pale boy felt as though something was oddly out of place. Planted between them, he canted his head from side-to-side to regard them both and his half erect ears flopped comically as he did so, eager to make sense of what they spoke of.

When his mother looked down to meet his stormy eyes, his tufted tail sprung to attention. He beamed up at her, excitement at having been acknowledged bringing him to his paws. The russet Alphess' gaze did not linger on him long and she turned away, beckoning the children collectively to her as she made to venture from the den.

He did not hesitate. On unsteady limbs, Viinturuth yipped cheerfully and promptly followed. He'd seen beyond the den a number of times, but never long enough to satisfy his yearning for more. After the initial daze of dimming sunlight that caused his sensitive young eyes to squint, the first of the Frostfur-Mayfair cubs set about sniffing as many sticks, stones and blades of grass as he possibly could.

An ear twitched when his mother's voice rose in the form of a howl, and he temporarily abandoned his need to test every smell available. He shuffled in place, unable to resist the urge to join in as he parted his lips and tilted his muzzle skyward to join in alongside his Akatosh with a pitiful "awoooo!"

Arrille had not known Ingram was here. Or at least, had been here. He had scented something familiar, but his mind had pushed it back as it did with most familiar things. Except Chusi, who he found to there at the meeting place. He had come when the call had been sent out, and stood there attentively. Waiting for their alpha to speak, he was all ears. The others he did not recognize, at least not by name.

Rysk had been trying to fish in one of the streams all afternoon and he had failed miserably. He wasn't one to  give up soon, no - and despite the ache in his legs, he tried again and again. When he heard Durnehviir's call though, he didn't waste a moment - secretly glad that he could leave fishing for what it was. 

When he arrived, he saw Durnehviir and her pups and some of his pack-mates had gathered around her. Several who he did not recognize at all and some who he had seen around Swiftcurrent, but whose names he didn't know. His eyes searched for a certain grim she-wolf - but she wasn't there. A little disappointed by this, he sat down on his haunches and focused his attention on his alphess.

It took him a while to arrive, having been wandering along the farthest borders of the Swiftcurrent territory, but finally Clock's grey-ticked body came loping to the group from afar. He had a vague realization that this was the first time since he'd arrived that the whole pack had been called together. He normally would have been eager to formally meet his new packmates, but the sudden death of a fellow wolf by an animal had left him more shaken than he would care to admit. The recesses of his mind whispered constantly to him Onni, Onni, Onni, Onni, Onni... the name of his brother whom had been violently gored to death last summer - leaving Clock truly alone. The smell of blood and death, and little bits of hair clinging to small unidentifiable clumps of dark red flesh... Clock had not trusted himself to be around his other packmates whilst feeling so unhinged. He kept mentally telling himself that he was fine and all of the memories would subside in a few days.

Keeping his amber eyes cast downward so as not to attract attention to himself, Clock went and stood near Chusi and Arrille, the two wolves he did know. He reached back to scratch at one of his hips with his front teeth while he waited for Durnehviir to make her announcement, feeling too awkward to just stand there quietly. He had not even taken the time to wonder what it was the alphas wanted to tell them all.

He rose from his bed with a grunt. The last light had been warm on his back and he had been content to lie where he was.

This was the trade off for a safe place to rest. The black wolf therefore did not quarrel with the summons, and arrived in short time at a lope, coming to stand at the rear of those gathered.

He had his guess about what this meeting was called for.

slides right in

he doesn't mean to dally, but he spends the morning trapped in a lazy argument with samaantine (sometimes it's just an enjoyable way to pass the time), and ends up making his way to the clearing behind the rest. but nonetheless he's here, taking up a place amongst his pack mates with a nod to the alpha pair.

and -- ah, the children. somehow he'd found himself an impromptu babysitter once or twice, and so recognizes the small fumbling forms by her side. they're alright, you know, kids, not really his thing. but -- oh, this must be their first showing, he thinks, and waits for durnevhiir to get started.

It was time to gather their members – he had hoped to do so under better circumstances, but it could be delayed no longer. The scent of blood clung to his nose – he had washed himself of its remnants earlier, but it seemed to linger upon him, no more than a haunting of what had transpired in their borders.
 
Bears could be common. Their safe haven, however, had become tainted slightly in the eyes of the swarthy male, but only when he looked upon the youth that crowded along he and his mates paws. How were they to protect them from all of the terrible dangers of the world?
 
His heart was heavy, and as Durnehviir stepped outside, their brood eagerly followed, despite the sorrow echoing in her vocals as she called for their members. He moved after her, offering a gentle nudge to Akavir who was slower than his siblings to enter the world outside.
 
They gathered – an impressive force, truth be told, compared to their numbers at Ravensblood Forest. He settled beside his mate, his eyes meeting each of those that entered and giving them a nod of acknowledgement, while trying to wrangle together four rowdy and overzealous pups.

As the presence of others slow, he tries to take notice of who had joined them, but his thoughts are disjointed in his sorrow at having to deliver such terrible news. "Thank you all for coming," he rumbled out, his voice lifting, trying to draw the attention of not just their pack mates, but his children, hoping they would still for the moment.

My trip to France and the drama that is my life delayed this round, so I figured I'd just extend it for the rest of the week. Sorry, guys! Back on track now.  <3

Next round will commence on June 23rd.

One by one, the pack rallied, though she noted the absence of several: @Phoenix, who'd been kind enough to deliver food to her den a short time before; @Koji, who once again had proven his uselessness; @Wylla, who she actively looked for. Making to exchange a glance with Constantine that expressed her concern for their fragile comrade.

Her mate thanked them for coming just as @Akiri joined them and, instead of keeping their collected group waiting any further, Durnehviir rose her proud muzzle to address them. "Welcome," she offered, scanning her wolves briefly before her gaze lowered to the pups at her paws. "We have a few things to discuss, but would first like to formally introduce you to our pups. Viinturuth," she bumped her snout to the palest of her cubs, then gestured to the smallest, "Akavir, Akatosh," a fond smile in the direction of her lookalike, before her eyes found her only girl, "and Talos. Feel free to visit us, I'm sure they'd be glad to meet some new faces."

The crimson-tipped Alpha's gaze lit up as she regarded her brood, feathery tail swishing the grasses at her rear as her eyes found those of her firstborn. The appendage stilled, however, as she turned her muzzle toward the other adults of their pack, and her ears drooped as she considered how to best announce their most recent event. "Some of you may have heard of the bear that passed through our land recently," Durnehviir started, "but for those who did not, please know that it has since moved on. @Jagwyr," she dipped her head in the rugged male's direction, "tracked it toward the coast, though we should increase our border patrols and continue to mark our borders. Should it return, do not engage this beast alone. Stay out of sight, warn the pack and call for support."

Durnehviir did not know the circumstances in which young coastal male had found himself face-to-face with the animal that had ended his life, but she shuddered at the thought of how he must have felt. "One of our members, Ingram, unfortunately did not escape," she paused, frowning sadly, and looked to Constantine as she concluded and opened the stage for his input: "and as such, for the safety of our litter and those due in the near future, I will temporarily be stepping down from my post to devote my full attention to them."

The family's song faded, and Viinturuth's tail gave a happy little wiggle as he assumed his exploration. Nose to the ground, the palest of the Frostfur-Mayfair cubs toddled through the grasses and bumpred his snout with curiosity against every twig, stone and insect that happened to be in his path.

The arrival of another, unfamiliar adult did not go unnoticed, and as a particularly rounded wolfess made her appearance, the alabaster boy lifted his head and fixed her with a wide-eyed stare. Blinking, he looked between his parents and this mysterious stranger. Mother and father did not shoo her from the scene, which indicated that she was safe and as others continued to appear, Viinturuth was content to busy himself among the foliage once more.

Soon, a crowd had gathered, and the boy abandoned his mini adventure to observe the group. Dad spoke up, his voice assertive and demanding attention, to which the firstborn son regarded him obediently. His dam took over then, and she welcomed the pack to their little hollow before introducing the pups. Viinturuth beamed up at her at the mention of his name, woofing cheerfully even as she moved onto more solemn topic, and went on to butt his forehead playfully to @Akavir's shoulder.

Father looked Very Seriously down at his offspring more than once, though his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Talos loosed as hefty a disgusted sigh as her little lungs could manage, glancing back at him once again; Serious-Time very clearly meant, in her mind, No-More-Fun-Time. This was obviously not an acceptable way to spend her first real sanctioned visit outside the den. ...In the meantime, Talos saw first one brother, then another stop and make a more creditable job of trying to add small voices in a howling chorus. She cocked her head at this, taking one more uncertain step, and letting out a final small Wooo...oo? before giving it up as a bad job. Akavir was being a lame-o slowpoke and Viinturuth and Akatosh, the kiss-ups, could have all the weird howly choruses to themselves and Mother. She glanced at Father again, but he was standing there looking grave and being boring, not even speaking directly to his children, so she only kept her eyes pinned to him for the minimum required span of attention to make sure he wasn't going to change his mind and do something more interesting.

What was much more interesting by far was the staggered parade of wolves that came quietly and obediently to listen to her parents. Talos wasn't about to learn from their good examples, but she did appreciate their lining up in a loose semicircle and keeping obligingly still so that she could get a good noseful and look at them. Two in particular caught her eye: one big round one smelled extra-interesting, similar to Mother in a way that made Talos lick her lips, especially since Durnehviir seemed to be shutting down the milk bar at home a little more, lately. Talos pricked her ears and wriggled all the rest of her as eagerly as her nose, as she thought that maybe this lovely creature with its coat so similarly colored to her own (save for that strange milk-colored bib) might prove another and maybe more reliable source of deliciousness. She picked up her feet to investigate, but then started to make a wider detour around another wolf she recognized: the ill-fated @Samothes who had deliberately deprived her of adventures and intriguing wet-fishy-smells both, before.

 Talos didn't intend to make that mistake again as she determinedly marched wide of the spectacled male— if only, that was, her brother hadn't yet again latched himself to her precious tail! Talos squalled and flailed furiously at @Akatosh to try and knock him loose. Mother was talking about all of them and somethingsomething wolves-Talos-didn't-know and rankchanges, but Talos was especially uninterested in listening to any more parental jabbering any longer; the moment she dislodged her brother she aimed a final warning air-snap in his direction before making a beeline toward @Chusi and her delicious-smelling burgeoning belly. She picked up as much speed as she could, hoping to outrun any limiting adult paws, seeming likely to plow straight into the poor unwieldy mother-to-be— but Talos could not allow this fresh milk source to be discovered by her greedy brothers first! Far-off bears were only vaguely interesting in comparison to this prospect. ...It would obviously continue to remain a great mystery throughout the pack as to why poor Durnehviir might feel herself a little...overtaxed, in the meantime.

HA!  A tail!  He tugged Talos' tail once before she started batting at him, and he let go solely to yip back at her, because she totally wasn't allowed to tell him off!  She was gonna go be up to no good! Not that he could do much about it.  He was about to continue to pester her when he heard his name (not that he could repeat it yet, but give him time).  Akatosh froze, spun around, and toddled back to his mother.  He plopped down at her feet, staring up.  Yeah, she called?  But then she just kept talking.  Awwww.  So she wasn't going to praise him about how awesome he was or something?  The adults talking still kind of sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown.  It was probably lucky he hadn't noticed Talos had continued to rampage around.