Redtail Rise Shelter

Welcome to Redtail Rise's second pack meeting! We're going to discuss some of the IC events that have happened lately, and we're also going to introduce an event that we'll be holding that'll net you extra points in the rank shuffles during its duration! Unless you're on absence, it's highly recommended that your character attend; failing to do so could result in demotion.
@Reek @Arion @Oliver @Wynter @Gunnar @Lacinia

This round will end July 9.

The sun burned high in the sky, and scarcely a breeze stirred the tops of the Redtail Rise trees. The hawks circled lazily in the air leagues above the ridge's highest reaches. As Saena climbed higher and higher, her eyes kept straying to them. She envied them in a way. Though she'd never had dreams of flying, to be free of almost all the world's constraints must be a wondrous thing.

The alpha female stopped at one of the many branching streams in the territory to quench her thirst, then continued vigorously upward. Only when she reached the very top of their territory did she stop and turn a slow half-circle. The lands around them were sprawling and varied. She could tell that even from this short height. It was clear now that leaving them a mystery wasn't an option, not when enemies ventured into the north and refused to leave, as Sebastian had.

Saena tilted back her head and sent out a low summoning howl for the members of her pack. They would need to discuss how best to get to know their surroundings... and incentives for doing it. If they planned to persist on this ridge for years to come, then the Redtail wolves would need to know everything about the proximal taiga.

Gunnar looked to the sky and dipped his muzzle to the ground again. He was laying in a copse of trees, trying to keep as cool as he could. The heat was another thing that acerbated his headaches and it drove him mad with hatred. He hated the insufferable headaches that plagued him so often, though he knew it was nothing life threatening, still to be laid low by something as simple as a pain in his head. It was disturbing and irritating.

Gunnar heard the howl and with a look around, he trotted off towards the leader and her second meeting. He stood still when he caught sight of her and wondered at what she was doing way up there. Shrugging he made it to the top and smiled wolfishly, but kindly. Hello Then he sat down and waited to hear what she would have to say.

For the first time in what felt like weeks, there was a break in the rain.  I seemed all that summer had to bring to the Rise were storms of both the physical and emotional variety. However, despite the clearing skies, Reek was still trapped in a sullen, summer spell.  But the sads begot disappointment which eventually manifested into anger.  Reek was bitter.  Bitter toward Arion for lacking self control.  Bitter toward that Redhawk Caldera wolf who's brazen foray into the north had been met with tooth and claw.  But most of all, bitter toward his estranged wife who had returned from who the hell know where to put forth no effort into fixing their broken relationship.  Each passing day drove the wedge deeper and deeper between them.

The only wolf that had escaped Reek's bitterness was Saena, who had somehow kept everything together in the tumultuous time that the Rise had faced.  Although Reek had seen the emotions of the past few weeks run high in his alpha first hand, she carried them with grace which was something Reek could never do.   Instead, he threw himself back into his work by filling the herb cache and taking consistent patrols.

His patrol was interrupted by Saena's summoning howl and he dropped what he was doing to make his way in her direction.  He scaled the ridge and took Saena's side in silence.

Whenever it rained, Arion would go out into the open and allow the water droplets to soak through his chocolate coat. It would take sometime to dry afterwards, but he didn't care, for when he was underneath the rain, he felt as if Zeus was watching over him once more, he felt as if the king of the gods still cared for him. And the rain kept him from indulging in Poppy once more, for it kept him wet and made him think of nothing else but the uncomfortable feeling of being entirely soaked. He didn't even bother to shake his coat as he wanted the effect to last longer.

Arion had decided to do his best to stop the drug habit, he forced himself to patrol and hunt throughout the whole day until he was exhausted and all he could do was eat a few bits of food and sleep. He repeated the same thing the next day, and the day after that and so on, so far, it worked and he hadn't taken Poppy for quite sometime already. The withdrawals were indeed a bitch, but when the stallion was determined to do something right, he did it right, no matter how hard the challenges that stood in his way were.

Arion's golden eyes drifted to the cache of Poppy he had secretly hid in the forest, and for a moment, a dangerous moment, he wanted to go and take some once more but was saved by Saena's summoning howl. The Greek shook himself, clearing his head as he scaled the ridge and arrived at the area where Gunnar, Saena and Reek already were. He approached in silence, head bowed respectfully to his leaders before he chose a spot near them and sat down.

Wynter had been working hard these past few weeks to regain any trust that was lost when she had betrayed her pack mates by leaving. She had been hunting and helping keep the caches full with food. Rain or shine. IN this case mostly rain. It had been a wet summer so far not to mention warm. 

She dropped the small rabbit she had hunted into one of the caches then sat in a shady spot. The only wolf who still didn't seem happy with her was Reek. Her mate. And the love of her life. She admitted she probably could be trying harder to show him that she still cared but she hadn't figured out how to get him to forgive her yet. She hoped she would find something soon or risk losing him entirely. 

A howl rang out over the horizon. Saena. She was calling to gather all the members of the pack together. Wynter assumed for a meeting. For a moment she doubted whether or not she was welcome there but she realized if she wanted to prove herself to the pack it was best to go. 

She stood from her spot under the tree and began to make her way towards where the call had sounded from. Clambering up the ridge she joined the other wolves who had gotten there clearly faster than her. Her head hung low. Gunnar, Arion, Reek, and of course Saena were gathered. She gave Reek a small friendly nudge as she walked past. Then sat near the group but also gave each of them their own space. She figured now was not a good time to be overly friendly with any of them. She was tense around the group of wolves and her guilt was making her stomach do back flips but she didn't let it show.

I might not post every round because there's a lot going on here at home but i'll try my best.

last, lol

Oliver was enjoying the break in the miserable rainy weather by indulging in his favorite pastime: doing absolutely nothing. At least that's how it would appear to anyone who came upon him, lying on his side with his long limbs stretched out and a faraway look in his half-lidded yellow eyes. Though outwardly he appeared still, inwardly he was very active. Try as he might to block them out, flashbacks of the attack kept shoving their way into his head. Stomach-churning images of ripping jaws and blood-soaked fur flashed before his eyes, but the most disturbing memory of all was the look of pure hatred in Saena's eyes as she commanded her pack to end an innocent life.

The newbie would never admit it to his pack mates, but he was secretly glad that Sebastian had miraculously escaped death in their jaws. Oliver sympathized with their pain, but it didn't justify their actions. After all, it wasn't like killing him would bring Junior back. Though he still admired the young Alpha and wanted to be part of the Rise, Saena's thirst for vengeance had cast her and the pack in a bad light.

Saena's summoning howl snapped him out of his trance-like state with a jolt. Oliver picked himself up and trotted off to join the rest of the pack. After a bit of a climb, he reached the spot where they had gathered and seated himself next to the other young male who was there. One thought ran through his mind as he waited to hear his Alpha speak. 'Wonder who we're lynching today.'

Woops, I spent my whole day today thinking it was the 9th and it's not. >____> Round two ends July 14!

The first wolf to arrive was Gunnar, looking worse for wear but healthy enough. She flashed her viking friend a toothy grin and then asked with some concern, "are you feeling better?" She'd assumed his disappearances of late were due to a summer cold, but she had no idea the extent of his pain. Before she could ask anything else, Reek arrived and came to stand beside her. She smiled warmly at him and greeted him with a wave of her stubby tail. The same gentle, barely perceptible flutter of who-knows-what passed through her tummy, but she hardly noticed.

Next came Arion, whom the alpha fixed with a concerned stare for a moment or two. She hadn't seen much of the Greek warrior since her intervention with him and Reek, but she could tell there was a difference. He wasn't as lost looking as he had been that day. Satisfied with this and knowing Reek would tell her if Arion started using again, the alpha grinned at him as well. She wanted to ask how he was holding up, but decided it would be better for a one-on-one than here in front of everyone.

Wynter came next, quiet and tense. No doubt she was still suffering the effects of having left, however temporarily. It tugged at Saena's heart to see her friend's head hanging, and so she stepped forward to offer Wynter an encouraging nudge as she passed by, but other than that, Saena didn't press the issue. Wynter would come around in her own time, the alpha believed.

The last to come was Oliver. She was surprised by this, having taken the aspiring healer to be one of the more prompt members of the pack, but then with a jolt she remembered his face when they'd gone after Sebastian. She had no way of really knowing whether that was the reason for his being the last to arrive or not, but Saena decided it probably was. She searched his face for clues, but found nothing in his stony visage.

She breathed in deeply through her nose, then addressed the pack with a, "hey everyone. We gotta talk." She passed her gaze over each of the gathered wolves, then said, "for anyone who wasn't present to learn of it, we've found out what happened to Junior. Some of you didn't know her—she was my sister, a founding member of our pack. A warrior and an outrider." An asset, in other words. Saena would've chosen her for beta female if OJ had accepted, but her flighty sibling hadn't. "She went to Redhawk Caldera of her own accord, behind our backs, and attacked one of the youths there. She was murdered for it."

She let that hang in the air for a moment, then said, "while she probably deserved it for what she tried to do, Junior was one of us. She was family. That is why Redhawk Caldera is an enemy of the Rise, ignoring the attacks on Reek and myself." Breathe in, breathe out. "Some of you saw that firsthand. We chased one of their wolves out of the north." Sebastian was probably dead, but she didn't say that. "For those who knew Junior and hurt for her, I hope this has helped you cope. For those who are newer to our pack, I'm sorry you had to see that side of us out of context.

The wolf we chased away was not on pack territory. That was the first—and last—time we go out of our way to chase a Redhawk wolf out of neutral territory that isn't directly adjacent to us." She didn't think Reek or Arion would approve of this decision, but Saena meant it only as a pack decision. If an individual encountered someone anywhere in the wilds and wanted to beat the shit out of them, well, that was up to them. "The land around us and our home, however, we protect. I hope this puts some of you at ease. The north should be safe enough if we defend our own area from them.

But now they, and probably everyone, knows we're here to stay. Even if we plan to keep to ourselves from now on, if we want to persist here for years, we need to know the surrounding area inside and out. We need to know what grows there, what prey lives there, how we can use those areas if we absolutely need to. So I have a proposal." Here she stood straighter and told them, "go out into the wilds around our home. Explore them. Get to know them, and bring that information back to us. Whenever you're out there, remember that we are not to hunt north of our  northernmost borders as part of an agreement with the Nova Peak pack, but exploring there is perfectly fine." She flicked her ears, then finished with, "whoever does the most exploring and cataloguing of the areas around us by the end of summer may just find themselves leading this pack alongside Reek and myself for their contribution to our cause." As a beta, of course... after all, no one ever told Saena that there couldn't be two betas of the same sex. By then, she hoped to promote Reek, since she had no intention of taking a mate and promoting them to alpha simply for being her mate... not like Peregrine did with Fox. Whoever Saena eventually took as a mate, they were unlikely to ever deserve the alpha position more than her closest friend did.

Here she stopped and let those words sink in, with the open invitation via her body language for questions if the pack had them. If Reek had any input, as always, her beta was welcome to voice it, which she indicated to him with a friendly nudge to his cheek.

Gunnar looked at her for a moment, surprised she had known he was sick. Did she know about his headaches, he frowned he hoped not. He didn't want her of all others to think he was weak or something. It wasn't like he was close to her, but he was closer to her than others. So through mask he looked at her, but gave her a small smile. Yes much better thank you. I apologize if I made you worry or anything.

Gunnar was not privy to the details, but he had known something had been going on lately. He shrugged, he'd think about it when his head didn't hurt so bad. Besides he wasn't told anything, so did it really concern him? Gunnar whined softly at the thought of Junior, but it didn't surprise him. She was rash and a little bit crazy, and he had loved her, but she had been dangerous and hanging by a thread. He had known that, recognized it and ignored it, maybe he shouldn't have. He also wasn't surprised on Peregrine's side, he had met the man once and had made it clear he did not handle betrayals of family well and held grudges in a way. SO it was no surprise he killed his own daughter, she had problem ceased to be a daughter of him when she left. Who really knew.

Gunnar tilted ears back and just listened wondering if he could even say anything to add to the pack meeting.

The wolves of the rise began to file in, one by one. Other than Gunnar, who was already there, Arion was the next to arrive to the meeting.  At first glance, he looked as rough as always, but after further inspection it was obvious that he was trying to stay clean.  Withdrawals had hit him hard, but that was to be expected.  At least he had a semblance of bodily control and Reek was proud that his abrasive buddy was abstaining from the smack.

The next to arrive came as somewhat of a shock.  Wynter.  His estranged mate had made herself sparse after her return to the rise and her mere presence at the pack meeting struck Reek as somewhat out of character... if she could make time for this, what the hell?  She brushed up against his side and Reek awkwardly pulled away and shot her an agitated glance.  If she thought she could just waltz back into the territory like nothing ever happened, she was wrong.

Oliver was the last to show.  The poor kid was probably traumatized after everything that had happened... he was due an explanation.  But Reek knew Saena would be the one to provide it.

And that was it.  The pack had dwindled down to a new low.  Six.  Reek shook his head in disappointment; obviously, Lacinia must have already left the pack, which was accentuated by her absence from the meeting...  Looney as she was, her loss was still a loss all the same.  Even the crazy one's were useful.

Once everyone had arrived, Saena began to speak about the events that had taken place in the Larksong Grotto and beans that Sebastian had spilled.  When Saena brought up Junior's murder a lump formed in Reek's throat; Redhawk Caldera was even more of an enemy of the Rise than before now that they had claimed the life of one of theirs.  While Saena urged that the pack shouldn't persue to chase them out of the entirety of the north, Reek disagreed.  They didn't belong here; none of them.  But, it was Saena's decision to make and Reek kept his opinion to himself.

She then shifted the conversation to a new task for the pack and nudged Reek's muzzle, signaling that it was his turn to speak. "Alright guys, he began flatly, like reading an itinerary. "We're going to need to catalogue everything around here if we want to properly defend this place— but, Saena's already covered that. So... what I need everyone to do is split into groups of two; find an exploration buddy. Go, uh, find stuff... and bring back any information you find back to us."

"For the first time, I believe we're going to do this all as one big group so Saena and I can show you guys exactly what to be looking for," he continued, glancing back to Saena in the hopes that everything he had said complied with her plan. "Got it guys?"

Arion could feel the stares of his leaders on his pelt, whether they were concerned looks or searching ones he did not know, nor did he care but he could guess. He avoided Reek and Saena's eyes and only observed the rest of the pack arriving. Their numbers were dwindling; they were down to six now. Lacinia was gone (good riddance), which the stallion was secretly glad about despite the fact that they were now one wolf less. He didn't like her one bit, and he had a feeling if she was one of them she would only bring them more and more trouble.

When Saena started speaking, he lifted his proud chocolate crown, pricked his ears and listened intently to her words. She spoke of the events that had taken place in Larksong Grotto and about what Sebastian had said when they confronted him. Even though it had been in the past, Arion still felt blinding anger at how that greyscale Caldera male had managed to escape with his life and a rush of sadness at Junior's murder.

When Saena told them that they shouldn't go out of their way to chase any Redhawk Caldera wolf who dared venture to the North, Arion wanted to stand up and object. Any wolf from that pack did not belong here, did not belong in the entirety of the north of Teekon Wilds. They should be chased off immediately, should be killed on sight, they should be exterminated from their domain. But Arion refrained from speaking, instead remained silent. Because however much he wanted revenge, he recognized the fact that going out of their way to attack them was a stupid move for the pack. And the last thing he wanted, no, the last thing the pack needed was a full scale war with the Caldera.

Arion flicked his ears forward and shoved the thoughts of his head as Saena informed them of their new group mission which was to explore their surroundings. Fair enough. He had been wanting to go and explore anyways, and this just gave him a reason to leave the packlands. The stallion gave a nod to his leaders, indicating that he understood. Though truth to be told, he would rather be alone in his exploration.

Oliver's ears pricked forward attentively as Saena started to talk. She opened with an explanation of what had happened to a former member of their pack, her own sister, Junior. Nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to hear. His jaw went slack and he sucked in an audible gasp when Saena revealed that Junior had premeditated an attack on an innocent pup. She'd been killed for it, but it was hard for him to feel any sympathy for her after learning that. His yellow eyes scanned the faces of the wolves gathered around, trying to read their expressions and gauge their reactions to what was being said. It seemed he was the only one not mourning Junior's untimely demise. Except maybe Arion. He just looked pissed off.

Oliver flattened his ears apologetically. He hadn't known Junior at all, but she was obviously missed by everyone here. They had known her as more than just a psycho puppy killer while that was the only thing he knew about her. He supposed he would be able to sympathize with their loss, if only he had met her.

When Saena said the pack would never attempt a repeat of the attack on Sebastian, Oliver silently nodded in approval. He understood a pack's need to protect their own turf.

Saena announced her plan to have the pack explore the surrounding wilderness and learn everything they could about everything around them. Oliver almost groaned out loud. It sounded like so much work! But then Reek took over, and told everyone to pick an exploration buddy, which instantly changed Oliver's view on the whole thing. Now it was yet another opportunity to get closer to Saena. He made eye contact with the Alpha female, smiled and thwaped his tail against the ground in a way that said, hey wanna be my exploration buddy?

Wynter felt a stab of pain in her heart as Reek rejected her friendly nudge. This wasn't going well for her and this relationship seemed unsalvageable. She was beginning to lose hope of ever truly redeeming herself with Reek. It didn't seem like it was going to happen. 

She was slightly reassured by her Alpha's nudge but at the same time she did not feel welcome at this meeting by anyone other than the white fae.

Wynter looked around at the other wolves. There weren't many of them. Just six now in total. She recognized Arion although something about him was different. Then of course there was the Alpha and Reek. Then two wolves she didn't recognize. 

She listened carefully to the Alphess as she explained the situation with her sister Junior and also about Sebastian a wolf they had chased off of a surrounding territory to the rise. She nodded slowly as Saena explained that unless a Caldera wolf was on Rise turf we weren't to chase them off. It made sense because it meant that the wolves of the Rise weren't then putting themselves in unneeded danger if the wolves weren't going to cause any harm in the first place.

Then the subject changed to that of exploration of the territories surrounding the Rise. What exactly they were looking for Wynter wasn't sure, although she was certainly not going to ask for fear Reek might answer instead of Saena and she doubted his response would be friendly. 

Wynter glanced around again at the other wolves. They had to choose partners and for once Wynter's mind hadn't immediately chosen Reek. She had chosen nobody for that fact. The young black wolf had seemingly chosen Saena as his partner. Or attempted to at least. Which left Reek, Arion, or the other wolf she had yet to meet. Reek was probably not an option and he was likely to work with Arion if he didn't work alongside Saena. So Wynter looked over to the only other wolf to have spoken at this meeting so far. She tilted her head slightly as if asking if he would want to work with her. 

This round ends July 20!
Edit: Since no one replied, I'm just going to fade this out here.

Saena hadn't really had plans to go exploring right now, but Reek seemed excited to do so in spite of his deadpan voice, so she changed her plans just for him. It'd been a long time since she'd seen Reek in any sort of upbeat mood. If getting the whole pack involved right now was what would shake the beta out of his stupor, then so be it.

He asked for everyone to split into pairs. At first, Saena's eyes brushed over Wynter, but when they locked on Oliver in the background and she saw he was meeting her gaze, she decided to do her exploration with the newest member of the pack. There was stuff they needed to discuss anyway. She hadn't forgotten his horrified expression when the pack chased Sebastian off and she felt they needed to clear the air of that. So she moved amicably through the crowd and gave him a friendly bump with her shoulder, then swung back around.

Once everyone was paired up, Saena called over the din of voices, "we're going to stay very close to the pack today, since we're all going. Whenever you're out on your own, just make sure you're within hearing distance in case anything happens, or go in pairs for support. The northern packs are our allies but you never know who, or what, could turn up." Lord willing, no enemy ever would, but Saena didn't have much faith in normalcy anymore. There was turmoil around every corner, it seemed. "The territories adjacent to us are all within howling range so that shouldn't be a problem.

We'll start near the southern border and will split up after that. Remember, keep close to the borders; we don't want to leave our territory unprotected by all going at once." But even if every wolf spanned out to the adjacent territories, the chances of anyone getting through to Redtail Rise were slim. Scents carried on the plains wind, and they were still proximal. She met Reek's eyes and nodded gently, giving him leave to lead the way and show them what to look for. Primarily Saena cared about things that would give them a tactical advantage should Redhawk Caldera ever invade the north, as well as what plants grew in an area, what animals lived there, where the water sources were... things that any resourceful wolf would want to know anyway.

With Reek's instruction, the pack went as a group down the slope, then curved out into the nearby lowlands. They spent a short while there together, then split off into their respective groups, with Saena and Oliver heading southward along the border.