Hushed Willows and they raise a toast of bulleit rye

a day late BUTTT welcome to hearthwood's first "packtivity" / official welcome ceremony for all new recruits! <3 @Reverie @Mae @Blossom @Wayfarer @Kyrell @Reina

central to the glade in the heart of the willows, there lies a ledge made of slate and gneiss, coated with soft wildgrass in the summer and now painted ivory with the first signs of winter. the sun filters between the clouds in ribbons of soft gold. boone's breath falls from between his lips in clouds of steam as he begins to settle atop the butte.
he can't remember the last time he spoke to a group like this, stood like a preacherman with his chest out and expression set with pride. his family grew, and there would surely be more to come in the new year. what was once a mere dream for he and his wife had now swiftly become a reality.
he whistles for reverie to join him at the hip for the first time as not just his spouse, but his co-leader; and together they would send up the call for all others to gather.

Reverie was never far from her husband. Even as their home filled with those she'd found and befriended, she existed in orbit of him; always flitting back to his side, always with a smile and a warm look. Boone had promised her a home, a new beginning. And now here it was.

She went to him where he stood on the ledge, pressing to his flank eagerly. It was time to gather those who had come to call this home, too, and Reverie could hardly contain her excitement! Her tail started to wave as they called together for the others, picking up in intensity until her butt was wiggling with the force of it. All of her new friends in one place!

TW: Panic attack

A giggle escaped her as she watched her excited angel friend above. Reina then noticed the male next to her--how could she not?!--he was massive and filled the space with an authoritative presence. She bristled ever so slightly at that. Reina couldn't help but to feel slightly threatened. Imposingly large males had never been a good thing in her life. But, it appeared that this male was important to Rev; Reina could see the way she saddled her body closer to this male, their bodies touching intimately. 

She trusted her angel friend. Could she trust this male?

A flash of gold eyes made her vision swim and a feeling of dizzying fear buzzed through her veins. Her breath, unsure from the cold or from the fear that burned within her, came out in steamy bursts, dissipating in the air seconds later. Her hackles raised, her head swiveled. Searching. Looking. Eyes wide. A sort of keening sound came from her then, she couldn't fight the fear. She wasn't strong. She could no longer see what's in front of her. She was there again...

Sharp teeth.
Biting claws.
Whimpers of pain.
CANNOT BREATHE.
Engulfing fear.
Tears.
Family.
Gone.
RUN.

The red wolf dissolved into a heap upon the ground, shaking, stuck in a memory long forgotten, tears streaming down her face and eyes open but unseeing; an echo of the memory coming out in a whisper, "Run, run, run, run...."

Every day more people came to the forest of willows, and every day Mae found herself questioning more and more what Boone and Reverie's purpose here was. When she heard them calling for all those they'd gathered, she had half a mind to stay exactly where she was. Too many strangers for her taste, too many unknowns.

But she owed them her life, and that was what brought her out just in time to witness the red woman and her — actually, what was she doing? Panicking, if Mae had to guess; she knew that feeling well by now. But it wasn't like any kind of panic she had ever witnessed, and she certainly wasn't qualified to do anything about it.

Instead her gaze went to Reverie and Boone, wondering what they planned to do to maintain their growing collection of freaks. Mae, at least, was the self-sufficient brand.

He had been walking through the wood when Boone summoned a meeting for all who had collected here. With a lazy pace, Kyrell began to lope beneath the swaying branches of the willow trees. For the first time in months, heeding to the whims of others.

His first impression of the mountaineer was favorable, although he had yet to spend time with the man. Reverie was welcoming and he took some care into appreciating her home. Slowly toeing his way through the wood. The footpaths in the willows still developing, but he had begun to memorize them and even make his own.

They both had been kind to let him stay, and, from what his nose told him, there were kind to several others too. His wanderings leading his path into both new and faded scent trails.

Breaking into the clearing, Kyrell blinked against the sun before spotting the pair on the ledge. He offered the pair a lazy wag of his tail before he turned his head to put faces to scents. So far two young woman, one of black ink and the other of red earth, had beaten him to the gathering.

A frown pulled at his lips as he realized the woman in red sat whale eyed and shook with the force of an earthquake. She certainly looked caught in one. His ears twisted to the rear before setting forward again. One in particular leaned towards Reverie and Boone.

He took a few strides into the clearing, breaking his silhouette from the treeline. He cleared his voice, Hey now... You're not looking too well, miss... He did not know her name. Emerald eyes trailed up the ledge to the homestead owners. Perhaps they'd be of better assistance than stating the obvious.

Reverie's voice rose to rally her recruits, though another's boomed more dominantly in Wayfarer's ears. She lifted her head in acknowledgement, a wariness in her that kept her rooted to her resting spot for just a little while longer. The time to meet Boone and Blossom - and whoever else had opted to tag along in support of their claim - was bound to happen sooner or later.

Collecting herself, the young rogue pressed on toward the location they'd chosen to gather the pack. She picked her way smoothly through the willows as though she'd known them her whole life and, thankfully, was not the first to locate Reverie and her companion.

Her arrival was unlikely to be acknowledged, for someone seemed rather unsettled to be there. Amber eyes were drawn to the stranger who lay in a crumpled heap on the ground, then the other who veered toward her. Wayfarer blinked, not sure what to make of the scene, but made no effort to involve herself.

to make this easier for everyone, here is the PO: boone, reverie, reina, mae, kyrell, wayfarer <3 assuming blossom is here as well, feel free to kick me box

hearthwood sang with new life. his people filter in from all directions, and upon the mountaineer's face they would see a soft, humble grin curling the edges of his lips.
i've gathered y'all here today to officially welcome you, with open arms, to this li'l place we'll come to know as hearthwood. his voice booms through the open glade. winter mist dapples his shoulders and melts at the warmth of his skin. now, as i'm sure y'all've noticed, winter started to hoot and holler as soon as the clock struck twelve. we can't exactly sit on our asses all season unless we wanna become bird food.
my mama always taught me that there's a place and a purpose for everyone. she also wasn't no fan of bullshit, so allow me to cut to the chase: each of you will end up in a group, and with that group you'll be assigned tasks in order to keep this machine runnin'. he scans his small crowd for recognition, and flashes a boyishly excited glance to his wife, before he continues.
blossom, reina, we welcome the both of you as hearthwood's first middlemen. you are as gentle as you are strong. you'll be coached by reverie in herb-gatherin', counselin', and tendin' to our ill. we'll teach you all there is to know about this land and how to give back what you take from it. you are the backbone and the brain of this here group.
a breath is drawn slowly before his eyes turn toward the remaining three. kyrell, wayfarer and mae, you will be what's known as the punks. now, despite that ever-so-pleasant soundin' name, you'll be just as important. you are our fighters. you are our hunters. you are our scouts. you'll provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. you'll be workin' with our allies as well as our enemies. think a' yourselves as the muscles of our pack, yeah? hearthwood did not yet have its beatniks, those who were spiritually inclined. but boone believed that in time, they would come, and he found himself still satisfied with who they had now.
just as he'd opened his mouth to speak yet again, his eyes land upon the small crowd that formed around reina like heckling crows. he freezes and shares a look with reverie before he leads her down the curve of the meeting ledge, a sourness forming on his tongue that he could not explain. something was wrong.

One by one they gathered, and Reverie's gaze traced over each of them in the moments before Boone began to speak. Her excitement was almost palpable, but it started to fade as her husband went on and it became apparent that there was no place for her to speak in all of this. She kept herself carefully neutral even as her heart fell. Her thoughts twisted quickly into bitterness. Why was she even standing on this ledge beside him? Was she only meant for decoration?

The distraction was almost welcome when it became apparent that something was very wrong with Reina, and all eyes were on her and Boone. In this, at least, Reverie could make herself useful. She let Boone lead her only for a few moments before pressing past him, going right to Reina's side with a gentle touch to her shoulder. Hey, what's wrong? She asked softly, looking for @Blossom next. Blossom, sunshine, can you go get some chamomile from my den? And - lavender, if you can find it.

Her attention flitted back to Reina; It's alright. You're safe, Reverie touched her nose to the red woman's cheek. Maybe this was her place; not up on a ledge speaking to everyone but here, with them, soothing them as much as she could. Her heart ached, but she put her focus for now on calming the woman she'd invited into her home.

Run, run, run, run... 

Soft voices reached her ears, a delicate tether to reality. A cold nose gently bumped her cheek moments later. Her breaths began to slow, eyes blinked, and focus returned. Awareness rushed in as if a splash of water had brought her back. She gulped in air, emerging from the memory that had dared and succeeded in dragging her under. Blue eyes found friendly gold; then, unfamiliar eyes of soft green. Those must belong to one of the voices that pulled me back...

Reina shook herself but remained low to the ground. The embarrassment she felt was palpable; she allowed herself to appear weak in front of strangers. She had vowed never to be weak again. However, it was the sight of the large male that caught her off guard. The last male she encountered had destroyed her world, her family. His presence seemed to follow her everywhere. She felt him most at night, his shadow-like form always watching her from the darkness, tracking her every move.

The red wolf looked out at the others but could not make eye contact. She didn't want to see the worry, the pity she thought she would find in their eyes. "I-I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me just then. Reverie, forgive me, I've made a fool of myself." She couldn't bring herself to look at the large male, though it wasn't his fault, but she spoke to him. "Sir, I recognize you as the leader among us, but please, I..." She paused, letting out a shaky breath, "I beg you to stay where you are."

She looked to the other male, the one with the beautiful green eyes, her voice quiet when she spoke again. "I heard you..." Green had always been her favorite color. Her home was covered in white, with shades of grey and brown peeking through underneath, but she could always count on the evergreen trees that stood tall and unwavering, glistening in the sun, to bring color and life to the area. She gave him a small smile before turning away.

The past had scarred her, but the present held a chance for renewal. She would do whatever it took to start anew; even if it meant being in the presence of someone who reminded her, even though it was in size alone, of him. She could do this; she had no choice.

Mae, for her part, listened closely to what was shared in the time before the leaders took notice of what was going on. Honestly, she would have been just fine with ignoring the woman and carrying on with the meeting. But of course Boone and Reverie were too nice for that. Mae snorted when the whole thing was cut short in favor of fawning over the sniveling woman.

She'd wanted to hear more about Hearthwood, about what was expected of its members. Instead it was rapidly becoming all about this woman and whatever her problem was. Now she had the full focus of both of the leaders, and Mae hoped that was enough attention for her, because she certainly wasn't giving any of her own. She was about to leave, glancing over the others who had gathered to see what they made of the pitiful display — but then she caught some of the words exchanged.

Her annoyance intensified. Mae had been a little wary of Boone, too; anyone would be a bit nervous around someone that goddamn huge. But Mae hadn't made a spectacle of it and herself, and she certainly hadn't told him to fuck off in front of the whole pack. She went to sit by him in a silent show of both support and judgment.

The welcome ceremony had begun and Kyrell listened with an ear turned towards the red woman. A warm speech that quickly got down to business. It had taken a moment for Boone and Reverie to catch on the discontent below, but they acted quickly once noticed.

Kyrell took a step back as Reverie took charge. Reaching out to the distressed woman with a gentle hand and an order to a "Blossom" for medicinal herbs. Kyrell's head turned to catch a glimpse of the wolf's face before they disappeared.

He looked back as the red wolf found her voice. A pitiful expression set on his face as her demeanor oozed shame and she pleaded for space, from Boone in particular. His head leveled to his chest as he obliged, himself. It may not have been directed to him, but it was becoming a needlessly crowded sort of spectacle. He wheeled away to sit himself down in the grass, not before catching the smile and returning it with a nod.

Rump hitting the frosted terrain he settled down with a yawn. Now catching sight of the small multicolored woman that had joined the collection. He nodded to her before his gaze followed the young, ink furred woman. Evidently a prickly thing as she pointedly sat besides the boss man. A hint of amusement took to his eyes.

The drama unfolded, with Reverie - sweet, selfless Reverie - uprooting herself to intervene. Wayfarer remained in her place with a neutral expression, her amber eyes gentle on the aspiring Alphess as she worked to gain control over the situation. It seemed to work, for the frantic she-wolf appeared to warm to her proximity and, interestingly, pleaded with Boone to keep his distance.

She glanced his way, curious and wondering if he'd given the nervous recruit a reason to fear him.

Wayfarer did not let her stare linger, and tried not to judge. With a sigh she lifted her ears once more, figuring the meeting could carry on now that Reverie had stabilised things.

before boone could get the chance, reverie swung ahead of him and rushed to the side of the shellshocked girl. hey, hey, you're alright, it's okay, he'd called to her from halfway down the slope, until her voice met his ears — i beg you to stay where you are.
the realization struck him instantly. it was him. it was his size, it was his — his body, his face, the heft of his paws, the strength of his muscles, the sharpness of his teeth. she was afraid of him.
and it shattered him, this thought, the terror in her voice, the far-away glaze of her eyes. but it was not his place to convince her to let go of that fear. that was something she must do on her own. and it was not his fault, he knew this, and yet—
he gives a small nod of his head and backs up with slow, quiet steps; as quiet and as small as he can muster. he must go back up to the ledge, he must pick up the remains of this milestone event now ruined.
as i was sayin', a pause, as he fights the crack of his voice; each of you have somethin' to offer. each of you will carry your weight. each of you are important pieces of this puzzle.
you're all gonna have to be comfortable in your positions. for our punks, he gestures now to the trio he had named. a good chunk of your tasks will be outside of our borders. huntin', scoutin', makin' sure no one's comin' our way. and, a pause, followed by another gesture. we have neighbors to our south. epoch. nice folks. one a' their healers came to help reverie a while back, and i wanna repay 'em. when we're all fully settled and hunkered down, i'm gonna send two of you out to bring 'em some gifts on our behalf. until that time comes, i'm gonna be watchin' to see which of you buggers is fit for such a task.
he turns now to his middlemen. as for you two, you are also gonna have some shit to do outside. eventually. but right now, you're gonna be trainin' with miss reverie. she knows more than i do about all'a'that plant stuff. she'll do good by you.
his gaze lingers upon the sunflower gold of his wife; the rays of soft white that sparkle along the slender back. his heart sings with admiration; with adoration.
i'm gonna take a second here to emphasize that my beautiful wife reverie is just as important as i am, if not more. she is our coach. she is the spirit and the heart of hearthwood. she is the reason we are all standin' here right now. and i would sure as hell not be doin' all'a this without her. even if she cannot see it, the smile that warms his jaws is for her — all for her, and this rag-tag bunch he had come to know as their new family.

Reverie almost started to shush her when she apologized, but then Reina went on, and she went still. It dawned on her almost immediately that Boone was the source of this panic, and of course she understood trauma, how it could take hold of you with an iron grip, but —

Boone is my husband, She said softly, as gently as she could. And one of the best people I've met. Her favorite out of all of them, if she was honest, and she wouldn't let anyone treat him this way. It wasn't Reina’s fault that she was frightened, but didn't she understand that Boone had feelings too? Reverie cast a brief sympathetic glance his way before she continued. He would never hurt you - and if anyone tried, he would be the first to protect you.

Another soft touch to Reina’s shoulder, and Reverie went on; If you need some time alone, you can go to the lake just over that way. It's quiet there, But now Boone was carrying on with the meeting, and Reverie went quiet again. If Reina stayed she would remain by her side, hoping to be a soothing presence, but her eyes were for her husband now. He was undeniably good at this — much better than Reverie could ever hope to be.

And when he started to speak of her, a blush crept over her ears and down her cheeks, and then across her whole body. She smiled shyly back at him, only him; for a moment none of the others existed at all. The only acknowledgement she needed was his. Her eyes said all that she could not: that her efforts toward creating a home were for him, for their family, for the promise of their future together. More than anything Reverie wanted to see him surrounded by love. His smile; she lived for that.

After a moment her gaze shifted to those who had gathered, each of them in turn: Mae, Wayfarer, Reina, Kyrell. Her eyes were full of affection and gratitude. And you're all just as important, too. Thank you - for being a part of this. For making this dream of home into reality.

Reina’s last post.

She nodded at Reverie’s words about Boone. She finally looked at the large male, a glimpse that her words may have affected him in his entire demeanor; it made her whine ever so quietly, a sort of soft plea to her new leader to not take her fear so personally. 

Reina didn’t want to acknowledge the others, it didn’t feel right. When she should have felt excitement to be around them, she felt hurt and disappointment. If roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have given any of you a wide berth…She noticed how the little black one sat at the heels of Boone, the silent solidarity—and judgment—screaming at her. She had just barely noticed the last one of them to arrive, the one who sat on the outskirts, barely moving a muscle. The lanky male had also retreated, but at least he was decent enough to check on her. But, alas, this wasn’t about her. She didn’t mean to insult anyone, or be the center of all of this attention…It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Again, He took something from her that was supposed to be good. He broke her.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Her ears focused on the rest of Boone’s speech as he continued, and although it gave her a sense of purpose and want to contribute, she couldn’t help but feel relieved it was coming to an end. Reverie had offered her an out.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate that your husband would hurt me, or that he wasn’t a nice person. It wasn’t him I saw, I—.” She stopped for a breath; these people don’t care. “I am afraid I am not able to speak on it now. I accept the responsibilities bestowed upon me by this pack and will be happy to start learning what you have to offer. I will take my leave. If I am needed, find me at the lake, then.” She turned away from the pack; she didn’t wait for a reply as she padded off to tend to her mental wounds.

It seemed the meeting would go on, and so Mae settled herself to listen to the rest. It all sounded good enough to her, particularly the part that entailed traveling beyond Hearthwood. She liked Reverie and Boone well enough, but sometimes the one big happy family vibe was almost suffocating, and —

Ugh. Case in point. Her expression turned to disgust as Boone mentioned Reverie and the pair started making lovey eyes at one another from a distance. When Reverie addressed the rest of them, Mae only nodded and quickly averted her gaze. She crept over to the quiet woman — Wayfarer? — and whispered, Hey, I found a cool ass waterfall over that way, A slight gesture accompanied her words. Wanna come see it? They were pretty much done here anyway, right? Mae definitely wasn't sticking around for more of this grossness.

Last post from Kyrell unless directly addressed. If not just assume he is lazily watching until dismissed.

Kyrell's chin hit the top of his forelimbs. Emerald eyes moving from the departing figure of Reina to Boone as he resumed the meeting.

A pack to the south? It had not occurred to Kyrell that they had neighbors. He would have to take the time to learn then, no? He would wander a bit further beyond their slowly forming borders.

His mental planning nearly caused him to miss the mention that Boone and Reverie would be assigning others to give thanks. A slight frown pulled at his lips. It was an odd choice to him, when they were they one's directly assisted. He then caught the less than subtle look shared between the bosses. What a pair of lovebirds. Kyrell had a good idea of the pair's plan for the coming spring.

Ah, well. Who was he to judge?

Eye's half-lidded, they trailed the movement from Mae back to the pair. Still attentive for any further announcements.

Boone's voice rose once again to carry on with his announcements, and Wayfarer's attention soon wavered. His words grated on her in ways she hadn't expected; he was going to be "watching" to cherry pick which of the three allocated punks would seemingly be good enough to serve in delivering gifts to some other pack on his behalf. A muscle in her jaw tightened in frustration as she dipped her gaze away from the ashen-furred Alpha's face, for she had no intention of competing with these wolves for the chance to be some errand girl.

Then, much to her surprise and disgust, the leading pair moved on to gush and make googly eyes at one another. It'd bothered her more than it should have to learn that Reverie was involved with another, and her heart gave an uncomfortable lurch to hear the praise and affection they shared publicly for one another while nausea threatened to churn in her gut.

Wayfarer was ready to leave, for it took great effort to keep herself from rolling her eyes at her gilded friend's afterthought inincluding the minions she and her companion had gathered to support their claim. Just as she thought about collecting herself to make a speedy exit, the ebony youth approached her with an opportunity for distraction. Sure, she agreed in a tone as hushed as her companion's, and glanced in Boone's direction to confirm that the gathering had concluded - following which she would let the girl lead the way.

fading here!! <3

reina left as his speech came to a close, as did the others, one by one.
boone himself came lumbering down the sloping end of the ledge in search of his wife. his eyes held a flurry of emotions that sent him reeling skyward, up and out of his body; excitement, pride, worry. gaining respect from hearthwood's members would be no simple task.
but still; we did it, he says to her, voice high and boyishly giddy. we're doin' it. they had numbers. they had people! they had a pack!
within the span of mere minutes, he would lead her off to their secluded cliffside den, and for the rest of the evening he would not part from her side.