Duskfire Glacier Keep a bluebird in my heart

It's moving day, fam! Please let @Issorartuyok post first, then feel free to jump in. Our destination is Nimbus Summit in the Tuktu Hinterlands. You are welcome to begin new threads at the Summit with thread dates starting around February 24th-ish. I don't plan on having another whole-pack thread for when they arrive at the Summit, but we will do a group howl when we get our 3 claiming threads completed. @Rye @Imaq @Tuuluuwaq @Heda @Ensio @Calida @Taktuq @Antha @Tessa

Lane had begun her howling early in the day, so that all the Duskfire wolves scattered to all four winds would have time to respond. It probably made her a terrible leader, but she honestly had lost all track of who all were inside the territory, and who was abroad. They were in desperate need of a role call, and this would have to suffice. 

Once the sun had sunk behind the trees, and all of Duskfire had gathered at their rendezvous point outside of Greyfall Caverns, Lane addressed them as a group. She jumped right in, never having been much for fanfare. 

"I think every one is aware by now: as a result of a devastating sickness in our caribou herd, the taiga has been stripped bare of prey. It is time for our pack to move on." Everyone in the pack was likely aware by this point that a move was on the horizon-- they had been borrowing Rivenwood's hunting grounds for weeks now. 

"Issorartuyok's scouting party has identified our destination. It's a tall mountain in the heart of the Hinterlands. The Hinterlands lie far to the southwest, across two mountain chains." 

Lane looked to Issorartuyok. Would he have more to say about their destination? Hadn't he mentioned that he had thought up a new name for their pack? They couldn't very well keep calling themselves "Duskfire Glacier" where there was no glacier in sight.  

Once Issorartuyok had spoken his piece, Lane would conclude, "I expect us all to travel at different paces, but I would like each wolf to travel with at least one other. Please use the this time now to secure your buddy or group. I plan for the majority of our wolves to leave at dawn." Some would have extenuating circumstances, but Lane hoped that most would be prepared to leave immediately. 

The low buzz of quiet chatter began among the wolves, and Lane's gaze drifted to her children. Would they travel with her? She figured Wayfarer would rather eat her own paw than spend time with her mother, and Veteran had become very independent lately. Her eyes then found Tuuluuwaq's. She smiled, knowing that there was at least one wolf she could count on to volunteer to be her buddy.

My deepest apologies to everyone! I have been incredibly ill for more than a week. I believe it was omicron and I spent a lot of time resting in quarantine. My responses will be a bit slower but making sure these things move smoothly is my utmost priority. ;w; <3

Their day had arrived.

Things had not gone smoothly for the wolves of Duskfire Glacier. Even the neighboring wolves of Rivenwood had experienced a great deal of turmoil in a short time. The northerner had done what he had promised to Heda and had helped her check on her family, find her sister. After making sure that their neighbors had been tended to with care, the glacier wolves returned to their people and planned for the next steps in their journey.

Lane called them to gather and spoke. Issorartuyok stood supportively beside her. He enjoyed the way that she addressed the village. The northerner admired her as a leader and as an individual. When Lane looked to him for a small offering of his words, the man turned his dark brown gaze upon the wolves who had gathered to hear their word.

The mountain is tall and strong. There are many hunting grounds that surround it. I checked the area quite carefully. There were no wolves who had marked the land anywhere near our destination.

After a pause, and after Lane had finished the important portions of her word, the northerner regarded the gathered wolves with a thoughtful expression.

We will make sure that none are left behind. As we are leaving the glacier behind, I am not certain that we can carry its name with us. We will walk with those who have Duskfire blood in their veins, he nodded to Ensio, Veteran, Arius, and Wayfarer with a steady stare. But I believe our name should reflect our village after enduring the hardship that we have.

There is a word of my people. Atautsikut – it means all of us together. It is a word of unity. Perhaps it could be the new name for our summit in the distance.

Were they ready for the long march? The journey would not be an easy one.

Tuulu arrived promptly and took a seat in front of Lane and his brother. His eyes would move to one or the other as they spoke. 

Lane told them of the place that would be their new home, of the long journey ahead of them. It would take some time to get there, and crossing the mountains in the winter would be difficult for some of them. 

Isso assured them that their new home was safe, fortified, and had abundant food. Tuulu thought it would be a nice break for the wolves of Duskfire—one they all needed.

His brother also suggested they might change their name. Atautsikut. The Tatkret liked the sound of that, but he might be a little biased. He decided to keep his opinion to himself and let the true Duskfire wolves decide. 

And the best news of all was that they would be traveling in pairs. His mind immediately thought of Lane. He would have her all to himself for at least a week. It would be a nice change from the only spending what little free time she had together. Of course, he wondered if her children might want to go with her, in which case, he would likely let them. He thought of his own brother and wondered if he wished for the two of them to travel together.

He looked to Lane at the same moment she looked at him; their eyes locked, and the decision was made. He trotted over to her and kissed her cheek. Would you like to be my partner?

hope this is okay! <3

It was all happening so fast - Calida listened to her alpha's words, but she did not quite process them until they were told to find a partner. The red woman hesitated, then she stood and moved closer to Lane and Issorartuyok. "I... I want to stay behind - not for good," she said hastily, for she knew exactly how it sounded. Iota was no longer around, and she couldn't help but feel something bad had happened to him. Meeting Lane's gaze evenly, she said quietly, "I need to find Iota, but then I'll bring him to the mountain."

The big day had finally arrived. He woke to the sound of Lane's calls, which continued throughout the day. He answered them with one of his own, just to assure her that she had not gone unheard. The Duskfire still had some last minute preparations to wrap up.

When the sun had set and the pack gathered one last time at the Caverns, the boy arrived with a few supplies. He had acquired several pelts, which could be used for warmth, as well as to carry herbs and small morsels of food. Already, he had a few rabbit carcasses wrapped up in the hides, which he deposited at his feet.

He knew the route well. He had done it once before, and he would do it again. He listened to Lane's instructions, carefully, in respectable silence. Before he could put much thought into who he would ask to be his travel buddy, Issorartuyok suggested a name change upon their arrival.

His icy eyes shot up in surprise, but not in disdain either. Back down they went, brows softly pinched as he considered the new proposal. Atautsikut. He smiled slightly and nodded. But said nothing. He was happy to leave it to a unanimous vote, if it came down to that.

Now, from one face to the next, he looked to silently, the question in his eye. Veteran? Siku? Heda? Or perhaps, even one of the adults. He would receive any of them willingly.

Taktuq had been on the village outskirts when Lane's calls had begun to sound. Briskly, she'd made her way towards their rendezvous, and had spent the rest of the day nearby, until the others had arrived and Lane had sent out her final rally call.

She had been made aware of their future move from the Glacier upon her acceptance into the pack. That the day had come did not rattle her at all, but tickled her paws with excitement at the thought of the journey ahead. Taktuq tried to keep these feelings at bay, or at least well enough hidden from the rest of the pack. The Glacier had been their home for far longer than the few short weeks she had been with them, after all, and she was not tied to the land the way she reckoned some of them still might be. The prospect of claiming this new land Issorartuyok and his scouting party had found thrilled her even more than finally finding a village to settle with.

Atautsikut. Taktuq lifted her chin at the word's familiar sound, though she hadn't known the meaning until Issorartuyok had shared. All of them together, a word of unity. She watched her leaders and her packmates for their reactions, though she already confirmed that she had chosen well in settling here. Surely mother would have been proud.

When she looked about her at the word of travelling partners, Taktuq did so with the intent of catching @Heda's eye. She had enjoyed the young woman's company and thought she would make an amiable partner to journey with. As she sought the woman, however, she also caught the wandering eye of the young man @Ensio - though they had yet to be properly introduced - and she gave him a smile and a small gesture of invitation if he wished to travel with her, though a stranger, for she thought he looked undecided himself.

powerplaying tessa with permission!

the sisters arrived promptly, attentive and quiet through the speech given by the two leaders. antha sought to catch the eye of @Lane and @Issorartuyok in turn, offering a reassuring smile to whoever looked her way. i have your back, her expression said, and she meant it. she had chosen to follow them, to integrate into this village, for good reason.

antha beckoned to tessa when the leaders had finished, leading her sister over to where issorartuyok stood. fancy a trip together? she asked the alpha with a smile. naturally, tessa would accompany them. perhaps not on future dates, though...

heda felt like she was dying in the grip of something far beyond herself.
her mind screamed that she should return to rivenwood. that she should go to druid and witch and sequoia.
but she did not.
lane was speaking. heda tried to focus on the alpha's words but missed much of it, gazing at the ground between her paws and thinking hard on the last time she had even seen nomi.
suddenly she didn't want to travel with ensio, and it had nothing to do with confusing feelings for him. the red-striped girl was panicking; the only other one here she really knew was veteran, and so numbly she padded to his side.
she shot him a weird look that wanted to be excited and then scuffed at the ground with her paw.
when calida spoke, it was then that heda realized that perhaps she had options — the option of getting farther from rivenwood faster.
"i uh, want to scout ahead," she said aloud, clearing her throat and trying to keep her voice level. "i won't go too far ahead." it made her feel like a child. she no longer wanted to be that. heda no longer wanted to be many things.

At Lane's request, the gathered wolves began milling around sorting either themselves into groups or declaring some other course of action. Veteran turned to look to Wayfarer, who had been seated right behind him, but much to his surprise she had disappeared. It would not surprise him if his sister tried to forge a path to the Summit alone, just to spite their mother and her request that everyone travel in groups. 

Frowning a bit, Veteran glanced around the meeting. His eye was caught quickly by Heda, who made what looked to be a "running" gesture against the ground with her paw. She looked like she was raring to go. He nodded to her eagerly, pleased to have been chosen. Would she want to leave tonight? Is that was the "running" sign meant? 

He did not have to wonder long. Heda spoke up to voice her request to Lane and Issorartuyok. Veteran trotted up beside her. "We'll set the trail," he offered. He looked from Issorartuyok to Lane, and then finally to Tuuluuwaq, who was gazing at his mother with big, lovey-dovey eyes. Ugh, gross. Adults were so.. blech! Suddenly, Veteran was just as anxious to depart as Heda seemed to be.

Alpha or not, corny name meaning or not, who was this man to change the name of their pack without giving a damn to consult more than just Lane; whom Rye assumed he got the go ahead from. Not to mention, why on earth Lane would allow such a ridiculous, hideous, asinine name to be picked? The man sneered to himself, his lips curling as he turned away to hide his hostility for his alpha and Lane; but now wasn't the time to squabble over a name, there would be a plethora of time for that once they moved to their new home.

Swallowing his pride, Rye gathered his family, instructing Sikuliak (with some help from Imaq) to set their pace once the migration began. Sure they would be slower than the remaining pack but the man wasn't going to force his family to keep up, especially with Imaqs hind leg. Rye wanted to entrust his son with the pace, a crucial element to any travel, and although the father worried, he knew he could put faith in how he and Imaq raised him. 

"I love you both, we will make it, okay?" It wasn't only said for their sake but for his as well, the rising anxiety kept fluttering his heart, fearing for what lay ahead. What would they face and would it be too grim to overcome?   

Laaate, sorry! Lmk if you want anything changed @Imaq!

How long had it been since her father's fight came to an end, since the loss of him forced Tzila to choose the afterlife alongside him? Wayfarer, having avoided the graveside of the late Alphas since their funeral, found herself lingering quietly at the entrance to the hollow in which their bodies remained sealed - together, frozen for eternity. A private, respectful farewell to them felt appropriate.

There was no sadness in her to be leaving Duskfire Glacier. Since her return alongside the scouting party that'd trailed the wilds in search of a new home for what remained of Wintersbane's wolves, Wayfarer felt the itch in her paws to hurry the process along. She'd never been settled there, not really, and recent days had the wildfire girl feeling more jubilant in the approach to what she'd dubbed "liberation day".

A fresh start. A new beginning. She was more than ready to embrace the change.

Wayfarer turned away when her mother's voice rose to the evening sky in a final rally to the pack. She picked her way carefully in the direction of the meeting place where she saw several had already gathered, and settled in on the outskirts of the group.

She didn't wait for the Alphas to conclude, and was off on her own at the suggestion of finding a travel buddy. The last thing she wanted was to be forced into the company of some loser, so she figured it would be simpler to make a speedy exit before anyone could even think about that.

Probably for the best, to miss the public display of affection between Tuiluuwaq and her dam.

Imaq's understanding of the common tongue was better than her attempts to speak it. She nodded as both Alphas spoke, having congregated amongst the rest of the Glacier's wolves to listen. Unlike her husband, Imaq was quite familiar with northron customs, villages, and language. The shift in leadership, the renaming of their village -- these fell on welcome ears.

Perhaps she hadn't had much chance to familiarize herself with Issorartuyok or his own unique culture but woman-who-hunts could not help but feel reassured. The move was logical, it was what her own family clan would have done in such an event. It reminded her of Kalaalit Nunaat to be following the Tartok wolves, to be a part of a village once more. 

She did not miss Rye's scowl, her brows furrowing in concern but chalked it up to anxiety as the woodlander settled in beside them. Their family unit would no doubt set the slowest pace amongst the stragglers. Even so, Seelie straightened her shoulders proudly as she grabbed her otter medicine skin in her jaws -- refusing to cower with shame. 

Sedna had spared her once more and no medicine woman ever walked alongside her tribe with a bowed head. 

The she-dog chucked her speckled head against Rye's shoulder in a playful bump, shooting him a wink as she set off determinedly -- Siku trotting along in spite of his limp with a similar grin of timorous bemusement. 

pping Siku, @Rye lmk if i need to edit anything!

Atautsikut. It would take Lane a few lessons with Veteran to learn how to say it properly. 

Once the alphas were finished speaking, Tuuluuwaq did not waste any time in requesting her company on the journey. Lane smiled, and the expression turned a little shy as he placed a kiss on her cheek. She hadn't exactly announced their courting to the pack, but she expected that word had gotten around already. Had her kids seen? Lane looked around for Wayfarer, but she has already disappeared. 

Veteran and Heda asked to set the trail, and that made sense to Lane, seeing as they had already been to the mountain. She nodded to the pair of them. "Not too far ahead," she cautioned, "..And stay alert." With a nod to Heda and a quick nuzzle to Veteran, she dismissed them to begin their mission. 

Calida wished to stay behind to look for Iota. Lane nodded sympathetically. She had expected that some would have loose ends to tie up before they could leave the Glacier. "Good luck, Calida." She smiled to the woman in parting. She had gotten used to having the loyal, thoughtful soldier at her side, and she hoped that Calida would make her way to the Summit soon, with Iota at her side.

Lane looked out over the small groups that were forming. Rye, Imaq and Sikuliak. Ensio and Taktuq. Issorartuyok, Antha and Tessa. With a sigh of finality, she turned to Tuuluuwaq. "Would you like to join me on a final patrol?" She bumped against his shoulder with her own, and she began to lead him away. Lane hoped that the walk would bring her closure, and having Tuuluwaq beside her would remind her of the happy days still ahead as she said farewell to the land she would leave behind.