Stone Circle Wisdom comes with age,

Gunnar had sent runners to both Riverclan and Swiftcurrent. It was now that he waited on the leaders of the pack. @Silvertongue from Riverclan and @Akavir from Swiftcurrent. He also was awaiting his own leaders @Taktuq and @Tauris and he had requested @Germanicus to be at attention. The female @Moss too.

Gunnar didn't know what this meeting would hold and he had asked Inkeri and @Ikaros to stay in the pack lands in case they were needed. He hoped not. But you never really know with these things.

So for now he stood greying muzzle and snapping Grey eyes, watching, waiting. He wasn't sure what would hold for Germanicus, but he hadn't done Kvarsheim harm, exactly. Perhaps unintentionally, but rash decisions made damages not easily fixed and he refused to allow it within the walls of his treasured heim.

Arric, Ashpaw, and Sandulf can be here if needed and the leaders can bring whomever they please if they want to bring other wolves to the meeting. No posting order at the moment.

She looks for Gunnar, his graying form rising among the stones. Germanicus is there too, and so she wonders if a verdict has been reached.

Wordlessly she draws forward with a leveled tail and a nervous bristle of alpine nape. Eyes pass between the two men carefully before anchoring to the sway of green grass that divides them. Quietly she anticipates the others’ arrival.

@Moss healed. She spoke little to him of how she felt and resumed her border duties as best she could. Still, something remained amiss to her accusations of the man called Germanicus and what the soldier had revealed to him before—the witch had escaped and she travelled, pregnant. 

Moss had found her stolen away with the scent of the Roman soldier surrounding the area before a curse placed on her. 

Curses. Perhaps Lestan was right. The Mayfair’s were cursed—and this witch simply another pawn upon the chessboard to ensure their family rue whatever their crime had been. 

He was tired when the Kvarsheim runner had come, but he had entrusted his children to Arric and Shardik, rounded Moss, and they were on their way.

Spring was kind to them in terms of the weather. They held no delays and so when they arrived, the stoical man of the creek regarded Gunnar and those present with a nod, his own form holding one of neutrality. He bestowed before them a small gift—a fox—as token of greeting to being upon their land. Turning to his Gamma, he nudged at her cheek—touch he would not usually bestow upon her because he believed it unwelcome, but in this moment, he wished her to know quietly it was okay to rest. They would hold a trial and all sides would be heard—of that he was certain. 

Settling to his haunches, he looked to Gunnar, trying to remain impassive but kind in his motion. Thank you, Gunnar, he offered in the quiet of the gathering. There was little else to say.

a month had passed. in those days, silvertongue felt she had returned to her slender and untouched self, as much as she was able. she saw herself apart from the pups she had birthed, and committed them gratefully to ash paw's status as pack mother. the gathering displeased her only because it was against germanicus, who had found some way to make riverclan look bad. it was for this reason that the sharpfang persuaded crowfeather to stay home with the pack's children, inviting ash paw at the last before she set off. the borders of kvarsheim were not so far, and once there, silvertongue paced prettily among those gathered, slanting a cold look at germanicus before she offered gunnar a gift of her own: a bouquet of daisies and cornflower. with the aged leader of the stone circle did silvertongue have a special accord. with akavir and arric the same, and while the clan woman did not preen, she meant to scintillate, to catch the eye. settling herself near the creek wolves, silvertongue watched gunnar, ignoring crowfeather's dark lover for the present.

tag for visibility!

germanicus was still.

he had not gone to seek @Aquillius, or said more than was necessary during this time. now the man gunnar called for the leadership of the three allied packs.

swiftcurrent came first, followed by the wolf silvertongue who now headed riverclan with another called ash paw.

germanicus had not expected to see crowfeather and yet was briefly unmoored not to see his paramour among the arrivals.

he stood carved from stone and quiet.

In the wake of the incident, the name of the accused was forgotten, though the image of his face remained in her mind. They had crossed paths not long before the incident with the witch- and with a pang of regret she recalled the hesitation she’d felt the moment she’d met him.

Her chest continued to feel fight. Her broken ribs seemed to take an age to heal, though she travelled at a slow pace more often than not anyway. But laying down to sleep had become agonizing, though exhaustion would eventually knock her out. 

She dreamt of the witch, of the face of the silver-ticked man who had aided her, and in the waking moments wherein the pain was the worst, she found herself sinking into a deep paranoia. She kept to herself, believing fully that she had been cursed. And day by day, she’d begun to believe that the man she’d accused was her assistant.

She clung to some hope she might rid herself of the curse and cease the aching in her chest, and the fog that had settled into her memory. Light had become almost intolerable at times, giving her headaches and making her irritable. Whole outwardly, she looked almost completely unharmed, she bore the majority of her injuries on the inside.

Travel to Kvarsheim was slow, and she moved with the weight of having accused one of their allies of sheltering a man who was fraternizing with a murdered and witch. Her mind buzzed in the growing heat; she considered her options.

Once present amongst the group, she spared very little of her attention for anyone save from Gunnar. She’d noted the faces of those present, recognizing one key face in the small gathering, though she looked his way with such brevity that it should have appeared as though she hadn’t noticed him at all. 

She sat, quietly. Akavir touched his muzzle to her cheek but she flinched no more than she might under the feathery beat of a fly’s wing, as she .waited for the trial to begin

They had found the one Moss called traitor, and he had willingly come.

Gunnar, Tauris, and Germanicus had already gathered by the time Taktuq arrived, and the first thing she thought when she entered the Stone Circle and her gaze drew towards Germanicus was that he did not strike her as a foul wolf. He was quiet, unmoving. She might have mistaken him for one of the stones themselves if she had not known better.

She was keen to hear what he had to say for himself when he finally had the chance to speak.

Taktuq offered Tauris a wordless nod and settled next to Gunnar.

The other packs came in good time. Akavir lay a fox before them, and Taktuq received both Swiftcurrent and their gracious gift with a bow of her head, and to Silvertongue she offered the same - though Taktuq turned a fleeting, yet questioning glance at Gunnar for the flowers she placed before him, and the particular way the woman carried herself amongst the others gathered there. And jealousy flared in her stomach. But though her eyes stayed on him, now was not the time to question. Not Gunnar, anyway.

They would question Germanicus now. Before Akavir and Moss. Before Silvertongue and AshPaw. Before Swiftcurrent and RiverClan. Before the Standing Stones.

Before them all, the trial would begin.

Everyone was greeted and Gunnar showed deference where it was due. Though he did notice the look that he got from both females. And his only thought. I am too old But this wasn't the time or place. He offered the male Akavir an easy smile and a nod at his words. They'd get through this.

Once everyone was settled he shifted and stretched.

Now I've called this meeting for nothing more than to get answers. Because we are allies, and Germanicus is a part of Kvarsheim at the moment. I won't have bloodshed in these borders and the first wolf to get out of order. I'll escort to the borders myself. Are we understood?

He didn't think there's be much blood shed, or angry words. If they could all speak easily and respectfully he had hope that this meeting would go well.

We will hear from Akavir of the origins of this she wolf, the things he asked and what reasons we have for this wolf's demise. Then Silvertongue and Ash Paw can speak on anything they wish too pertaining to these events. Moss will give us her reasons for calling betrayal and what transpired when she found the she wolf. We will speak of what was done on our behalf and then Germanicus you can tell us what happened in your own words.

Gunnar shifted and tightened his body. Lifting his head. A dangerous glint in his eye. I want the truth, and if I find out there are lies later. I will not be a forgiving wolf. Do we understand each other? Any questions?

The valley gathers, representatives of each pack converging on their sacred circle, not a one so frowsy as she. With only a gentle blink she greets Arric, the rest collecting curious looks. There’s the handsome alpha of Swiftcurrent Creek, and the strong silver woman by his side. Following are the Riverclan diplomats, a new mother with a patchwork pelt and a second who knows the ways in which to move her pretty body to garner intrigue- even Tauris will not avert her stare for some time. She’s relieved when Taktuq joins them, like a pillar of normalcy amid all this to do.

Too visible, she quells her hunch and a scuttle of antsy toes, but not the tine of whiskers that seems to flinch with every new sound, nose working overboard to map these new scents and feeling light-headed in the process.

She is a silent witness to the events that will follow, fulfilling the civic responsibilities associated with her rank, but certain nothing useful will come from opening her mouth here. Her role is as support to Móðir and Faðir.

Finally, the trial begins. she looks at Germanicus.

lengthyyyy omg

Moss was distant—within, he rumbled in amusement, only because he expected as much from the Gamma. She remained a stoical and distant comrade, though he liked to believe that if the roles were reversed, she would be just as worried of him as he was of her.

Others began to file in—an impressive swiftness and organization to the gathering, given the travel that had been given on many ends. His gaze roved over Silvertongue—speaking nothing, and offering the woman a silent greeting with the tip of his muzzle—ignoring his curiosity of her closeness to Gunnar—the presence she demanded from the men gathered. Ash Paw remained a silent presence—of that, he wondered as well. The woman next to Gunnar was an unknown face to him--pretty. Silent.

Germanicus was rooted in place for now—dutiful, it seemed. The Mayfair could not place the timeline—the dark man had sought him to update the status of the escaped witch—Moss had found the witch in a holding of sorts—with Germanicus’s scent dominant about it.

Perhaps the man had not known the damage the witch had caused to Moss and had returned to simply nothing when he had checked his ward.

Taktuq’s presence was noted after her greeting when his eyes lingered upon the swell of her belly—perhaps better news for another day, at a less formal gathering.

Gunnar spoke then—demanding attention, and relaying his expectations with the sternness a man of his age and confidence could pull off.

And thus, the discussion would begin. And he was to speak first.

“About a moon’s time ago, one of our pack members, Reverie became panicked. There was a howl at our borders from an unknown wolf—taunting her. Reverie claimed it was a woman she had met, and that she wanted her new baby. Obviously she was…” How was the best to describe Reverie… “Distraught. She was terrified. I met with Arric, my Beta, and Moss,” he indicated to the she-wolf at his side, “to discuss the situation. Moss informed us Reverie had met this woman once before—she had seemed interested in Reverie who was close to birthing at the time and wanted to assist… Moss sent her away. Said there was something off about her.”

“At the time, Reverie’s… paramour… was gone. So she was hard to console. She did suggest we seek assistance in the search from other packs—primarily Germanicus, and thus, our scout, Jasmine was sent out, as you know . I went out to look for the woman in question—I found her at the swamp. She asked me if I wanted answers or blood. I could only have one.” He paused, eyes sweeping to Gunnar, and regarding him. “I chose blood. I intended to chase her from the valley, but in the swamp, she slipped past and escaped into the grove.”

“When I returned home, Lestan had returned with the help of a Riverclan wolf, Kelsier. Lestan and Reverie weren’t…” He paused, casting a sideways glance to Moss. How best to discuss the complete breakdown of two of their own? “They weren’t okay. Kelsier offered to remain and talk to them… to see if he could assist. I agreed. Afterward, the woman came to our borders again, this time, leaving a coyote child. She had slit it’s throat and left it to scream, until it died.” The more he considered—the more he conversed of the events—the more his paws itched to bring justice.

“Quickly after, I had to depart to Riverclan and stay for a few weeks. The mother of my cubs disappeared—we’ve yet to know where or how—and they were still nursing. While at Riverclan, Germanicus sought me out and told me the woman had escaped—that she was pregnant and injured. The thought at the time had been to hunt her down once more. It’s believed she was heading to the coast.”

“And then… when I was able to take my children home to the creek, I found Moss had been injured by the witch.” He frowned, his eyes sweeping over her. “Internally. Moss had found the woman in a cave and was cursed by her. Germanicus’s scent was everywhere in the cavern.”

There, he released a sigh. “One of the underlying problems, also, is that Reverie and Lestan have taken their child and departed the valley… They don’t even realize the witch has escaped the custody she had been in.”

gunnar was stern in that moment, and silvertongue both wisely and instinctively answered his determination for justice with a straightening of her back. akavir spoke then, and at length. the smokey timbre of his voice went on carefully, and she noted the details she had not before known. the glassblue eyes hazarded another glance at germanicus. now that the names of those involved had been said, silvertongue began to gather her own answers, though she was intrigued by the mention of this reverie. when the creek wolf had finished his explanation, the sharpfang lifted her head to regard each of the others in turn. "i am silvertongue of riverclan. i have not met this bruja. what i know is that germanicus says he is allied with riverclan, but his loyalty appears only to be for crowfeather, or he would not have acted so rashly. i accept whatever punishment that kvarsheim and swiftcurrent decide upon, and will enforce it in riverclan as well." the darkbit part of her, which had never forgiven germanicus for turning crowfeather from the potential of love in return, now saw this as a reason to wash her paws of him once and for all. the idea of akavir as a father of young ones reminded her what he had said of the name mayfair, and she made a mental note to visit the creek once this was all over. and the sharpfang felt now that she could hear the shrieking of that poor coyote babe, and fell silent, sickened and angered.

gunnar, father of kvarsheim.

tauris, the respectable warrior who had come to collect the eagle from the valley.

they were joined by a third kvarsheim wolf, a pretty young woman, belly curved in the carry of new life. ruenna came to his mind, the faces of the children he had failed.

the roman was a man with many regrets, but he did not hold such for what he had done against the witch. was it not for his own son that he had done these things?

and so he was silent, through the word of the man akavir. germanicus had known nothing of that wicked sacrifice, but to hear it now only strengthened his resolve that she should have been put to bitter torture.

he did not miss the note of dismissal in silvertongue's voice, the woman who had borne crowfeather's children and held no maternal air for them. already he had grown fond of the babes, and something like rage touched his nerves at the concept that he might be kept from them or from the shadow at all.

but his silence went on, the yellowpaint eyes inscrutable, the firm figure unmoved by anything that had been said.

he looked toward moss.

Ash Paw stood firm next to Silvertongue. Her head held high and she spoke with finality in her tone.

I am Ash Paw of Riverclan. I know not much of these transpirings i was busy with young pups. However i do know of the witchy woman. Her name is Almalexia she was the queen of Darkwater bay near the ocean. She was in relationship woth a man i too was briefly tied too Ingram. She isn't to be trifled with. I don't know for certain but it hasbeen eluded that she takes children. She uses those in her comapny until she can't anymore then she leaves them to rot. She speaks with serpents tongue, but can make you forget your place if you don't watch.

Ash Paw shuddered her sundering from Ingram still quite fresh. she thinks she is goddess incarnate, but she is only wolf. She bleeds and hurts like you and I.

Then she backed up to press lightly onto Silvertongues side for a breif comfort and then returned to her stance.

Moss listened quietly, her gaze distant and unfocused, though she turned one ear toward each speaker. She had little energy to do much else, and she feared still the curse lying within her breast might be fractious, prone to flare up any moment. She felt her heart beat faster as the others spoke, erratic at times. She maintained her composure like a great mountain persisting below a gathering stormcloud. 

The voices around her became vague and confusing. Slowly, her muzzle drooped- a barely perceptible movement for any who might not have been staring directly at her. Her gaze remained steady, fixated past the gathering-

until she was fixed in the dandelion gaze of the accused. 

She looked to him, and in that instant, her great heart stopped beating. 

Someone else spoke, but Moss didn't hear her. She kept her decline as quiet as possible for as long as she could, so she might not draw attention, but within moments her head was spinning, and the pain spread through her chest like an icy gale. She felt drained of warmth, and an ache began in her jaw. The pain was constant, steady- ushered by short breaths that achieved next to nothing, until they slowed, and stopped. 

She stood abruptly and turned to Akavir before she fell against him, a great tree felled as though its core had become hollow.

based on OOC discussion i think germ is supposed to come next, plz lmk otherwise <3

almalexia, queen of darkness, who believed herself divine.

it certainly explained why she had not fled from him, nor thought he would harm her.

but as he met the gaze of the woman moss, a sense of something bleak rippled through the roman, and in the next moments it was proven.

she collapsed.

he was still, a halting step taken forward and then stopped, the answer of fighter to fighter and a remembrance of too many battlefields.

Words were given in a most orderly way. Akavir first delivered a lengthy regale of all the events that had transpired, and Taktuq felt her fur rising with each new revelation. Jasmine had only spoken of who the woman was, after all; the details had been lost. She steeled herself, even though she wished to sink into Gunnar, Tauris, anyone who might be a rock for her. Her mind flashed back to the bear wolves, jaws snapping at her heels.

Somewhere in the trial, her gaze had slipped to lock on Germanicus. Each pack spoke - Silvertongue after Akavir, AshPaw after her. And all the while, the man stayed silent. His face, the same. Steeled himself, against the accusations passed around him - as though the hurricane swirled, and he sat in the eye of it.

His gaze turned to Moss, and she followed it there -

And the woman slumped against Akavir, heading towards the ground.

Moss! her voice sounded detached from herself as she shot to her feet. Her spine, filled out by the rise of her fur.

A healer! Quick! the words snapped from her lips between a pitched whine before she had time to really consider them. She was moving forward, though she didn’t feel it; moving in, to try and brace Moss on her other side.

She didn’t look at Germanicus. Her gaze only broke from Moss in a wild plea to RiverClan.

There is conversation erupting all around, and yet all falls off when she hears the name uttered.

Reverie. Her friend had fled from the valley. Her friend that had perhaps needed her, and she hadn’t been there. And now she was gone. A heart is shorn from her chest where a great hollowness spreads and as she struggles to remember the last words they’d spoken to each other.

But it’s as if in slow motion that the silver creek woman tumbles, and that emptiness ignites into panic. She is frozen helpless, silence rolling into fretful gasp, taking a staggering step back as others rush forward, hurrying out of the way.

She looks to Gunnar, to Taktuq, anyone whose eyes she might catch to give instruction on how to help. What to do.

Gunnar felt his chest tighten when chaos erupted. He sighed and quickly stood to attention. His voice ringing out clear as day.

Ash Paw, please take care of Moss. Tauris please take Germanicus, and Silvertongue to one of the caches. We'll need to give her space.

Though a part of him knew it wouldn't do any good, but he was willing to let a healer look her over. He rose and moved around the circle, giving Taktuq a gentle press to her side. Stress was not good for her.

And he would help where he could.

So it will go Gunnar, Akavir, Silvertongue, Ash Paw, Moss, Germanicus, Taktuq and then Tauris. Gunnar can be pped to be checking on everyone and Ash Paw will have made her way to Moss. She also can be PPEd until it is her turn. And the wolves don't have to leave if they don't wish too, but they should give space. Hope that covers everything <3

Shock—his form stiffening as the slump of Moss’s weight was felt—it felt as if time began to move in slow motion. What had been spoken before by others was a fleeting memory for now that he could not dwell on, and as he held the weight of his Gamma as steady as he could, he lay he gently down, worry coursing through him.

Ash Paw moved in and he stepped back. His pack mate remained unmoving—just dead? He thought of the day in the woods—Ibis too had just lain there… dead. 

His emotions became masked. The hint of a furrow on his brow as he steeled himself—waiting for what use he could be to the healer. His eyes trained to the distance—already calculating in his mind the best route to hunt a witch and bring her to justice.

so swift! silvertongue gasped; she put a paw to her mouth and glanced at ash paw in consternation. her co-leader too, though, was quick, and pride for riverclan's skill as healers flashed resolutely in her eyes. gracefully, and without a glance spared toward germanicus, silvertongue approached gunnar briefly. "i can call for kelsier and faun in a moment, say only the word." and then she was off with tauris, her eyes upon moss, her steps paced and determined as she continued to ignore the roman.

Ash Paw moved forward with years of skill under her belt. Though she was unsure if it would matter. It was too quick and too clean.

She listened for breathing and heart rate none of which she heard. She pressed hard where heart and lungs would be hoping to start it back up, but this was not a skill she was akin with. Even with paw over nose and blowing air. It was hard. Jaws didn't line up right, but she tried. Heavens help her she tried.

Prayers for Atka for Sos for any and all who would listen.

i can edit this if Moss is truly gone, but I wanted to give Jess the option. Just dm me if i need to edit, because ash paw always whispers words of compassion to those who pass on and give them a gift to take with.

Hah! Ya did the thing! Thankya!

Into the darkness, she found her consciousness growing weaker and weaker as the strength left her body. She could feel her muscles slackening, like a hot air balloon as it sags back to the earth, little more than a flimsy strip of fabric. In the darkness, she saw little, but there was the constant ringing of noise, like the rush of wind in her ears. From the gloom, she saw the pair of mismatched eyes, and felt something like fear as the eyes shimmered, grew- and then suddenly dissolved into a thousand tiny, luminous pieces- 

and when an inhale of breath was forced into her, all the little tiny pieces of gemstone eyes were inhaled into the very core of her spirit. 

She felt searing pain edge back into her chest, and a heavy darkness filled in just beneath her lungs- no, it was the compressions Ash Paw was doing. Dropping her jaw open, Moss gasped for breath, and reached with a foreleg to bat the woman away. She began hacking and coughing, rolled over onto her stomach- desperate to dislodge the impurities that had just fought their way into her consciousness. She coughed up bile, but in it she saw no sign of the brilliant, yellow and blue lights and realized in horror that those had become embedded somewhere much deeper inside of her. 

She wheezed and slumped to the ground, eyes wide and bloodshot. 

The body lived- but the mind was racing. She turned her head, to gaze upon Germanicus. With a raspy, hoarse tone, she spoke two words:

"Spare him."

spare him.

in the hubbub, in the din of milling limbs and the scents of the allied packs, germanicus heard.

he stopped his following of the woman tauris; he looked steadily toward moss as she was laid down, worked upon, revived.

and not until she spoke did his gaze change, at last, tightening at first with surprise and then with knowing, the acceptance of her warrior's heart.

germanicus owed another debt.

recompense must come. his stumble in the valley had cost moss and had affected the face of the stone circle, as he was still one of them.

the witch must be found and put to her own trials for what she had done.

for aquillius.

for moss.

his silver head dipped toward her in a deep bow and then the roman heeded generous gunnar, following the moonspun woman from riverclan and the loyal warrioress of kvarsheim.