Lost Creek Hollow and this piece of ground is a homestead now

And after a long, long wait, we finally have our official claiming howl. No additional rounds necessary, just post and go. ;)

tagging: @Harlyn @Luke @Andalusia @Riordan @Viggo @Arabella @Bhreac @Eshe @Valtýr

And in the days that passed since they had come together as one and became acquainted, they had set to work. Things came together increasingly quicker and smoother than Mordecai could have ever hoped for. As evening descended across the valley of the rising sun, a certain restlessness had overcame him as he ventured deep into the depths of the hollow. He had heard the calls of the wolves from the nearby grove and become aware of their neighbors lingering somewhere off to the south.

They could not afford to dawdle and prepare any longer, he decided.

By all accounts considered, they were a pack now. One with numbers and the ability to defend themselves if it came to it, though he considered their ability to fend for themselves and work together a much better virtue. He paused in the woods and drew his muzzle skyward, calling out for them. But it was not a call for them to come to him. It was a call that signified what they had accomplished and claimed, that they too were a pack midst the rise and fall of the valley and its verdant hills and plains.

william elliott whitmore — field song

Bell ahad been awaiting this moment since even before being accepted as a member of the pack. The fae had followed Mordecai and his group for weeks before their arrival to the Hollow with one simple goal. And today that goal would be accomplished.

Arabella knew that Mordecai and Harlyn wanted to be prepared before making their claim to the land official, and she could understand why. There was a lot to get used to. New land. New mates. New life. But Lost Creek Hollow was as theirs as it would ever be already. Every corner of the land had been marked, and a large number of wolves already called it home. It was only a matter of officializing things; so when Mordecai howled to let the world know who ruled the forest, with a light heart and a broad smile Arabella joined her Alpha's song. Her howl was proud and joyful, as it hadn't been for months.

It was the moment he had been waiting for. He was becoming anxious, and harbored thoughts of going and nudging his alphas in that direction, but he held on to his patience and waited. Now, finally, Mordecai lifted his voice into the air. Luke felt a chill come over him, and at the same time, a deep warmth. He cupped his ears forward. He wished to listen to the songs of his packmates rise above him, but he was too excited. He threw back his head and released his own singsong howl into the sky.

In truth, the Hollow had seemed already like a pack and a home to her from the moment she and their small group of followers had begun to mark their borders. That was the moment they had become "official", and every day since had been simply a matter of working to secure their hold and prepare for Winter.

Even so, when Mordecai's call rang over the treetops, a tremor of excitement danced down her spine. A smile split across her muzzle and she paused from her task of digging up the roots of an herb she planned to store for healing to join her voice with his, and with the others of their family who one by one sang out with them.

She stood on the edge, where Lost Creek Hollow met the vast expanse of unclaimed land. The howls of her packmates rang through the air, ushered by Mordecai and carried by every voice who had come to call this forest home. They had multiplied from their quartet to a number strong in a matter of weeks. Their start was everything a wolf could hope for, and warm satisfaction sank deep in Andalusia's chest.

The Ostrega had no way to say how long she would call Lost Creek Hollow home. Life was unpredictable. But until it dealt her another curveball, she saw her future here, with Mordecai and Harlyn, to see their vision through to fruition. So with the echo of her packmates' song on the evening air, Andalusia lifted her voice alongside theirs to give another count to their claim.

Again, he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar - though more literally, as he had been trying to dig out another warren of some sort, and his large paws had been inserted elbow-deep in to the soil. When the hubub began, Riordan was preoccupied with the earthy musk around him, and the overwhelming aroma of fox; however, as the song slid in to his awareness, he gave up his pursuit of the pests and lifted his head. At first he was just going to listen. The sound of foreign wolves - and a few known ones - gradually filled the air, and it took concentration not to give in to the desire to join with their chorus. Riordan did give in eventually, lifting his head a little further and baying at the sky - transitioning in to a croon that joined with those around the hollow.

Valtyr stayed close to the Hollow's center post-meeting to become acquainted with the land he now called home. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking to be apart of something so new, in every sense. He barely knew his pack mates and he had few social skills, yet the young Sveijarn could feel the contagious energy buzz through the air. These wolves were now his comrades, and to run with them fulfilled a deep yearning in the young wolf.

Lost in thought, Valtyr was only brought back to reality by a chorus of voices. In turn, his own sooty crown tipped back to join in their song and unite in the language of howling.