Greatwater Lake we creatures of the sea

Just a quick howl thread to get a head count of who's all here at this point! They are now leaving Greatwater Lake and moving north. You can see the planned timeline here: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=4140&pid=43767#pid43767

@Psamathe, @Greyjoy, @Akantha, @Atlas, @Acorn, @Junior, @Cethleann, @Scimitar (Leukothea)

Mother Moon was returned to them, Her rest complete. A mere sliver of light in the sky, but brighter than the tapestry of stars that hung in the night. The black surface of the lake rippled in the soft breeze, its miniature waves catching moonlight. Aktaiê's paws no longer ached, and her belly was filled with fish. They were rested, strong; when they came to the Sea, they would be worthy of her. They would be able to defend the home they were to claim, and their covenant would take hold in these Teekon Wilds.

Her acolytes were scattered; some sleeping, some guarding, some straying from the lake to explore the land. But it was time. She could feel it in her bones. Aktaiê stood at the northern shore, lake at her back, and lifted her head to sing a summons to those that were pledged to her cause. We go.

Akantha was sleeping beneath the boughs of a lakeside willow when Aktaiê's song rose out from the group. She blinks open her sleepy eyes and twists her ink-dipped ears towards the sound, catching sight of Mother Moon peering at her get from behind the blanket of darkness. A smile tugs at her lips. Akantha rises and she throws her muzzle heavenward to offer her own sonorous tones in answer to Aktaiê.

It had been a long time since Cethleann had slept without nightmares, and yet there she was, coming gently awake to the sound of her new matriarch's howl. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes a few times before gazing at the woman, standing regally before them with her head arched towards the moon. Their Mother, she was told.

Her gaze moved to the side towards Akantha as her new sister lifted her own head to join the chorus. Ceth remained quiet for a moment, hesitant. She had never before howled along with a pack. Her mother--or rather her father through Brielle's voice--had forbidden it. The instinct to join the song, once before long forgotten, rose in her again. The lark too rose to her paws and tossed back her head, adding her voice to the song in honor of their Mother as tears of joy sprang to her eyes.

</style>

She had only spent a few days (and nights) with the Nereides, yet already Junior felt ready to pledge to their cause. Perhaps it was an impulsive thing to do, the impetuous commitment of a youth not fully developed. Yet she felt a true compulsion to follow these women to the seaside, a strange but not unwelcome calling. They wanted her with them too, which was something Junior needed desperately right now. Although neither of her parents had done anything to feed into her fears, she figured they were going to be too busy building new lives and families. If eventually she was going to be pushed from the nest anyway, she might as well take initiative and leave it on her own terms first.

Aktaiê and her sisters had counseled the youngster, telling her of their history and explaining their plans for the future. Until now, when the queen's howl rose up over the moonlit lake, Junior had not pledged her formal allegiance. As the sonorous sound carried on the cooling August air, she felt a flutter in her chest. This was the moment of truth. They were going to move on from the lake and seek their new homeland, wherever it was. And it was entirely possible that the howls would carry as far as the plateau and that her father et al would literally get wind of her intentions.

The young she-wolf sucked in a deep breath, slowly lifted her head and joined the song, swearing her fealty to the matriarch and her sisters. Whether or not they overhead at the plateau, she would go there to let her father know of her intentions. She would not be asking; she would be telling. And she would be stopping there for another reason: knowing Ty and Saēna were in the same boat (Pura, too, though there was nothing she could do for him), she would be tossing a lifesaver in their direction in case they wanted to come too.

The Neophyte hadn't strayed too far from Akantha's side since leaving Themiscyra Coast, and had remained quiet during most proceedings. She was shy out of forced habit; as much as Acorn would have loved to take a more active role in the branch's formation, she couldn't bring herself to. At least until a call from Aktaiê rang out over the lake, waking Acorn from fitful slumber.

Acorn had flopped down to sleep beneath the willow's protection a few feet from Akantha, albeit on the opposite side of its trunk. Yawning widely, the Neophyte's ears twitched in the direction of the song. The young woman didn't even have time to blink the sleep from her eyes before the Adept adjacent to her was howling in response, which led Acorn to flinch away from the noise. At least I'm not shaking, the odd-eyed girl mused with a sleepy smile, now unconcerned by Akantha's ruckus. For once, Acorn's smile had come naturally.

It only occurred to her after another newcomer, and then another, joined the song that perhaps it was Acorn's place to do so as well. Rising to her feet slowly, Acorn out from under the willow's cover and then cautiously raised her snout to the sky. She tried to push her fears to the back of her mind.

I'm home, she thought, I won't mess up.

The sound that escaped Acorn's vocal chords was soft at first, a low note not unlike a loud hum. Then, as the odd-eyed girl caught Mother Moon's pearly gaze, a distinct call rang out from her throat. A swearing of loyalty to the sisters and her new matriarch; to the culture she'd escaped to.

The kind of song she'd heard off in the distance as a child; howls that had come from the "god-forsaken harpies." From Themiscyra Coast. From home.

Psamathe was slow in responding to the howl, but not for poor reasons.

She gazed intently at the surface of the lake, dark as ink and reflecting the light of the Mother Moon. Now that Her days long rest had ended and She was with them once more, the Nereides could continue on their quest and seek their Mother Sea. Psamathe felt an inner tug to the north, sensing something there that she knew her sisters could feel as well, so it was north they would go. They knew the destination in their hearts, for their hearts were fuelled by their blood which came directly from the salty Sea. That was why blood, too, was salty.

She did not need to discover their destination in the waters. This time, she gazed for indication of what their young visitor would do. The sisters had all spent varying amounts of time with Junior, hoping to bring her into their fold. Never for malicious reasons, of course, but because the Nereides' quest was to awaken women to their true origin and the power they held. So far, Psamathe had seen nothing, but now she saw success.

She saw the hefty Redleaf youth saying her first prayers to the Sea and washing the sins of her birth and life away for the first time. She saw Junior becoming an Initiate, a true Nereides. She saw Junior on the strand with them, singing a song not as a stranger, but a sister.

It was decided, then. It was fate. Junior would be coming with them and, as though to confirm Psamathe's vision, the youth's voice joined the Matriarch's in a pledge. Psamathe lifted her head, her throat dripping water into the dark lake, and finally joined her song to their own: For the Mothers, we go!

He had been waiting a few paces away from Akantha, as was his common location. Not too far from her side, but not too close either. When she stirred, he lifted his head from his paws; when she sighted the sliver of the moon in the sky, the consort's own gaze slipped heavenward, but not for long. He had always felt that Mother Moon was their's, not meant for him or his kind. While the adept was distracted by the discreet, pale light, Atlas watched her. He studied her face and saw happiness there, something that had not graced her features until being reunited with her sisters - so he too felt glee. As their voices lifted and mingled in the sky, proclaiming their love of the moon and their undying connection to one another, Atlas basked beneath the stars. This was a moment to be shared by the sisters, so he once again would fade in to the background.

Much like Atlas was Akantha's shadow, Greyjoy was Aktaiê's. He followed her like a breath of wind, careful not to impose his presence upon her, equally careful to protect her should she need it. The iron captain had been seated not far from the main group, upon a small rise, watching the comings and goings of all life around his group. These were the women he was sworn to protect, and if he lost a little sleep before they made their final destination, it was a sacrifice he was glad to make.

Aktaiê's voice rose into the air, seeking the blessing of Mother Moon, and calling upon her followers to do what they had pledged: follow. Greyjoy surveyed the surrounding area one last time, making sure the others were moving toward the lakeshore, before turning and joining the group himself, letting his dark voice mix with the lighter voices for a brief moment, before falling away into silence. He stood next to Atlas, their shoulders touching, though Greyjoy's vivid orange eyes turned toward the high priestess as she gathered the Nereides sirens and consorts together. Her words were plain: We go.