Wheeling Gull Isle sermon on the mount

optional pack activity! @Caracal @Everett @John @Hviske @Malakai @Ava Amara @Anathema @Judah @Dinah <3 powerplaying everyone else!

to the gently nodding heads of lavender did heda escort her brood, keeping simeon and abel ahead of her, along with young saint. manea and vesper followed not far behind.
the air here was resplendent with the scent of good clean salt and the purple flowers. heda took up a place in its middle, where she hoped the others would gather around her.
it was to be their first meeting since all the children had arrived, and heda would use it to reiterate their sense of place, of peace, and of being.

The newcomer followed and sat, though for what he did not know. Hivske's family did not gather as this was, for sure - his pelt grew hot in a silent, one-sided awkwardness. The others seemed to fit better than he, though perhaps that was due in part to their openness. 

He sat when they did, tail resting around his paws. As gentle as the whisps of a breeze upon the beach's sands, he asked ... what's... happening?

Ooh, a pack activity, Yippee!

John had seen a line of wolves walking up and towards the mount painted with Lavender. Curious, he followed behind Hviske. Once up on the hill, He sat down in the next open spot he could find. He looked to Heda’s angelic face, searching for an answer. “What is this gathering about?” He asked with a soft voice.

ava fell in step behind her brothers, who were sent out before heda into beds of bobbing lavender.

each arrival was met with her measuring stare. she'd not known john or hviske for very long, and it was this duo that her attention fastened to while she waited for the purpose of their meeting to unfold.

The big wolves ask questions. This annoys him. Mostly because they were new, and he didn’t trust them as he did his family. Also because mom is transcendent. Mom is dearest, and where she leads her parish will follow.

He quietly molds himself to Mal’s side while they all settle in.

Malakai followed silently, adapting a walk which held a proud step and regal appeal. He walked in step with Judah, bi-colored eyes flickering between his little siblings. Hviske, the once tresspasser and John, followed suit behind them to gather. 

Judah and Kai spoke not, but equally shared the same feeling to those which questioned their mother. Ava stared at them. For once, Malakai was approving and quietly smiled, or maybe it was a smirk? For Kai, there wasn't really much of a difference.

Dinah found herself with no one to sit beside. The swaying of lavender tickles at her sides as she bounds toward the effervescent silhouette of her dearest Mama; the bodies filing in, shuffling together, and she watches with uncertainty.
John and Whisker, or whatever his name was; like Judah, neither of them she found herself particularly fond of, for they were not her family. John had a habit of appearing where she did not want him, and Whisker was weird and quiet. And so for that, she scuttles away.
Judah and Malakai; entwined, as always, and she felt the urge to force herself between them. She takes a step towards them with a deep frown before she realizes that she would likely regret doing so.
At the present moment, she saw not Daddy or Simmy or Uncle Ev through the foliage, or any of the other darkling children — except for one. Ava, who she had scarcely looked in the eye after the recent incident, let alone talked to after the bouquet catastrophe. Her gaze fixes on her resolutely, but the bitter, ugly part of her says leave it alone.
And so, she decides to sit with a lonesome bumblebee hovering over the delicate blossoms, paws tucked neatly together, and waits.

Heda led, and Everett followed, with steps filled with a lightness to them he had never quite walked with before. Reverie's return had brought him peace beyond his knowing. The life in her eyes finally glowed with a soundness of mind. Better than he had seen her in the Gilded Sea. Better than he had ever seen her before.

He still prayed for Lestan. That, perhaps, was the one thing beyond Sweetharbour that still weighted his heart - and yet, he worked to truly give his worry over to the hands of God, and let His peace take hold, thar He still had His eye on the man -- whereever he might be.

The newesr of their fold lifted their voices in question, and as Everett passed them, he answered with a soft, we will find out, warmth, lining the gilding of his voice.

He scanned about the children gathered, and saw each occupied, but one. The answer of where to sit came easy to him, then; Everett drew into the space next to Dinah and settled down beside her.

The seasons began to shift again, as consistent as the tides that pushed and pulled at their little island home. Caracal felt a strange melancholy come over him as he realized just how fast time was slipping away from him. The pups were increasingly their own persons, which was mostly a good thing but still hard for him. He found himself longing for those days when they’d been so tiny and dependent.

He was idealizing, he scolded himself as he climbed to where his wife had asked him to join the rest of the family for a meeting. He’d barely survived their infancy. There had been many moments when he’d been certain he would never want to do that ever again! So why was he feeling so nostalgic, to the point of reminiscing? Was this nature’s—or even God’s—way of keeping them multiplying? He’d heard there was a season for everything…

Caracal arrived and gazed around at everyone else, the corner of his mouth lifting. He looked at each of his growing children (not without a slight pang), then moved to his wife’s side. Right in front of God and everyone else, he planted a kiss on her muzzle before taking a seat beside her.

Ana would be conspicuously absent from their gathering. She hung back as Heda led the other children, and slipped away to the sea. It was quieter there. And besides; all she wanted was to be alone.

no posting order! anyone can still join! <3

like her mate, heda looked around at the little ones gathered, and saw that they had grown. she would trust in god to bring new babies to their island when it was time. for now, the mother focused her mind upon the fact that not all of them would stay.
how would they do in the world beyond? this was the duty of heda and caracal and everett, and those who had gathered thereafter. disciples. carriers of a holy word.
"i wanted to talk to you," she began with a soft blink of her golden eyes, and her face grew soft and wondering in the moments that followed. "i wanted to talk to you all about how we share. about goodness. about evil."
her gaze touched judah, and then ava.
"all of you here are devoted to god, to learning. to his love. to peace," heda said earnestly. "if you're here with us now, as a child, as a student, then you're open to goodness. there are those who will not be. in your life, you will meet those who want nothing to do with god."
"speak to those who listen. leave them alone if they don't want to hear it. god shows his own light," she said, a smile curving her mouth. "every one of you belongs here. every one of you was brought here, led here, sent here, born here. god has a story for everyone to tell. tell it long and often."
a breath. "this winter, i think we might go to the mainland for a little while." she felt confident enough to say this, though did glance to caracal for a second. "everyone is welcome to come. and if others there want to hear your story, then tell them."
heda looked for a moment in the direction that ana had gone.

ana’s absence was keenly felt. around ava the family collected in pairs. it occurred to her that she stood alone; the black sheep with no comrade save her shadow. 

heda spoke of god and their stories. she looked at judah when she mentioned the good of the world, but her gaze rested on ava when ‘evil’ left her lips. what did it mean? was she evil? did her mama think her evil, or worse, did god?

god’s light shone on them all. but ava did not feel His light. she felt the absence of it. 

ava amara’s gaze turned longingly to the sea.

(Let me know if I make a post of of the order)

John listened intently on Heda’s words, his heart lifted with each sentence. This woman was nothing short of blessed, in appearance, personality, and life. God must have been smiling widely upon her, for her heart was pure and true. When she stopped, he opened his mouth to speak: “Each word you speak, Heda, makes me feel glad. I thank God for leading me to you, your island home, and family.” He didn’t say much, as he wanted to give his thanks, this family was a blessing to him.

When mom looks over he feels a rush of guilt. His eyes find his feet. Even John doesn’t seem bad, in how he talks of God and his place among them. Mom continues to speak and Judah watches his twin all the while, seeking his interpretation.

They are to leave for the mainland- is this a good thing? They are to share their story of God- Will they tell it?

Only Mal had these answers.

Dinah joined them next, followed by Everett which settled next to her. Then their father, who kissed their mother and sat by her side. Then mother began. 

She spoke of goodness- her gaze sweeping Judah. She spoke of evil- her eyes falling then to Ava. Heda would hope for the best in everyone. She would see the best in everyone, if there was any to seek out. Malakai did not believe the younger pups were here because they were devoted to God. He only believed they were here because they had been brought here. They were pups and had no say otherwise at the moment and they lived on an island. They would drown before they made in to the mainland. Hmmm...

When Heda continued, it was with the assurance that each of them had been brought here by God's will. Their paths made for them, to find God, to be one of his people. Kai was still uncertain of some here, yet only time would tell. Only God could reveal their truths. 

She spoke of the mainland then. Kai's ears perked, his lip quivering. He had never before left the island and given those who had come here, Kai did not have much hope for those on the mainland. Still, his mother had come from there at one point. Their father had. Maybe they could find others, blessed in God's light, even if they were few among many rotten eggs. 

John spoke, revealing his happiness for having been led to this place. It made Kai smile, confirming his thoughts that there were some out there, devoted to God and worthy of this beautiful sanctuary. Malakai was quiet but he nodded firmly in agreement to his mother. Then, he turns to Judah and whispers. It isn't something either of us want to do. Yet, this is beyond us. We do this for him- for God. He lifts his head back up and speaks allowed on behalf of the both of them to his parents. We will be ready when the time comes.

Mama speaks, and eagerly does Dinah hang upon every word, leaning against the shoulder of Uncle Ev.
Her eyes close in a flutter. She searches for God's light; for His warmth, for His divine love. The love she so desperately scrounges for in the plants and the trees and the birds and the sand and the ocean.
And the sun hits her back, twinkling across the sunburst fur of her shoulders, warms her even with the saltbreeze; and she thinks that must be what God's love feels like, isn't it? His grace, His kindness, the caress of His hand upon her shoulder!
She has been put on this earth for reasons unknown to her, a reason that He has given her, and for a moment she can feel her heart swell with something so much greater than she. Something prophetic like the hymns Mama would sing when she and her brothers were but little babes; something soft yet harsh like her baptism, dunked in foamy sea; something gentle like the way Daddy explained faith to her. All of that was for a reason, all of it was because of God and for Him;
And she longs so much to feel the power He had given her in those moments! The strength, the freedom and devotion all the same!
But when she opens her eyes again, blinks, and looks around, the warmth is only from the dapples of light from between leaves. Mama speaks of the mainland, of telling others about God and His love, but when Dinah thinks about it, she doesn't know what she would say to them if they were to ask.
She cannot stop the tears before they start.

It was tempting to surveil the children as their mother preached, though Caracal made himself look to her too, attention unwavering. He found himself getting lost in the sweet cadence of his wife’s voice rather more than the message, though of course he agreed with everything in her sermon… until he didn’t.

His spine stiffened in surprise when Heda talked of going to the mainland, then glanced at him. They had spoken of this, of course, but those four words at the end made a huge difference: “for a little while.” Heda didn’t say, “for a few days” or even “for a week.” Caracal sensed she intended to leave the island much longer than he’d anticipated.

He took a breath and tried to keep his composure and present a united front, especially in front of everybody else gathered here. But then Caracal made the mistake of looking over at Dinah. He saw tears streaming down her face. Knowing Dinah, it could’ve been literally anything that set her off. In this exact moment, he wondered if she wept about leaving the island so long.

I’m—I have to—I’ll check on Ana, Caracal whispered a bit nonsensically to his wife, avoiding meeting her eyes. “ANA,” he mouthed to anyone who might glance his way, though he likewise avoided looking too closely at anyone as he slunk from the scene.

her words felt drenched in godlight and easy to speak; she felt herself falling into her message, for god was here, and he listened.
and yet with mother-senses, she saw: ava's little head, turned away. john's pleasant, easy smile buoyed her with support. malakai spoke, and in him at last heda saw the prayer warrior he was becoming, a boy dedicated as fiercely to god as she had always wanted him to be.
but dinah — dinah was crying. heda put out her arms at once for the little daughter, knowing she was overcome even if she did not truly understand why.
caracal's energy suddenly jangled, spiking; he went then to check on another of their girls, and heda experienced a displacement as the air where he had been sitting emptied.
but they were parents first.
"god speaks to our hearts in a voice just for us. trust him," she exhorted in a gentle voice. "look to him for guidance and for compassion when it's not easy to feel. you're all growing so much, both in god and in life. there will be questions daddy and i won't be able to answer. but god, he knows everything." she kissed dinah's head and pulled simeon closer. "and always, always know, it's okay to cry. you're safe here, with any emotions you need to feel."

This was incredibly new for Hviske. For starters, he had no idea what Heda was talking about, as he had never before heard of God. It made him feel a knot in his throat, for his belief in his Shepherd was the only thing he had left of the life he once knew. And in many ways - the two beings felt awfully similar and it confused him greatly. But they weren't interchangeable, no - did he have to choose between the mother who borne him in that spring-green forest or the one before him? But - why- 

Would that make her think less of him? Would it mean he couldn't stay within the embrace of the God-kissed isle?

His heart started to pound in his ears, making it difficult to hear the wonderful words Heda said. She took him on - she was the reason he had been allowed to stay, he just knew it. One uncomfortable paw shifted his weight as he sat, a question in his throat he couldn't bear the thought of asking. This wasn't the time, no not at all. 

But he wore his poker face, far too nervous to say anything, least they try to take what was left of his mother.

So wrapped up in ami's words, he hadn't been looking out beyond her face like all the others had. Perhaps if he had, he'd have seen his father's avoidance, how Judah watched Kai for guidance, how Ava sat alone, how Hviske sat impassive, how Dinah wept. But Simeon didn't look, and so, he didn't notice, until ami drew him close to her and his eyes finally left her face.

Then, he saw.

Seafoam eyes glistened when they fell on Dinah, expecting to see a face filled with equal excitement -- but all he saw were tears. Simeon reached out for her instinctively and sought her paw with a whisper. It's okay, Dee, he said with a smile meant only for her, we can go together, oblivious that her tears had been caused by anything else.

Ami spoke so many words of God. He hoped he would remember them all, hoped he would be able to share each one with the strangers they would meet off the shores of Sweetharbour. Wondered if one day, God would teach him like He had taught ami. How do we know if the voice is ours or God's? Simeon craned his neck to gaze upward at ami, stolen by the question and still oblivious to his father's distress. He had done a lot of things because he thought he should, but they didn't always turn out so good.

Dinah is swept into the alabaster embrace of mother and her arms reach up to return it, twisting around her neck as if it may be the last time she is ever held. In mama's arms, Dinah is no longer aging; she is that same starry-eyed little girl, tucked against her breast, listening close to the hymns of oceansong.
And beside her is Simeon — oh, Simeon! And when she hears his voice, scratchy with the onset of time and change, she turns to bring one foreleg around him, too. We'll go together. Yes, yes, she would go with him gladly; but it was not the mainland that frightened her so.
What frightened her was that mama told her to look to God, that He knew all and that He was here, listening, watching, and she did not feel Him. He could not hear her cries. His warmth was only the sun.

Dinah-!

He takes an involuntary step towards her before catching himself and shyly glancing back up at Kai, as if almost awaiting permission to leave his twin's side in order to seek his sister. He watches as she's consoled by Simeon and pulled tight into their mother's comforting arms, and he eases.

Judah eyes the ground quietly for the remainder of the sermon.

Dinah bursts into tears- for whatever reason, Kai doesn't know, but finds bi-colored eyes turning into her direction, his expression flat. If anything, maybe a bit annoyed. Kind of like- wtf is her problem now!? He says nothing, yet watches as their mother and Simeon rush to her side to console her. Malakai remains firm in his place, to him which was a showing of his strength, dedication and seriousness to this meeting... and their whining sister was ruining it. 

"look to him for guidance and for compassion when it's not easy to feel." His mother spoke and Kai took in a deep breath, his mind screaming fine then...! as he did so. When Judah then jerked forward, looking to him for confirmation, Malakai jestered with his muzzle up and forward in silence approval for him to join them if he so wished.

hviske seemed tense. heda observed him warmly for a short minute before simeon asked a question and his mother offered a direct look. "our inner voice are often selfish, focused on us. god's voice wants what's best for everyone, even if it's not just focused on us."
her arms opened for judah, for malakai; she wanted them all, close, close to her.
"god will show himself. you'll know. i promise."
and in that sunny light in the emerald grasses, as her voice echoed its sermons to the breeze and to the birds, heda felt god move with love over them, and her heart filled to inestimable depths with love for those she had known, those she had birthed, those she led.