Stavanger Bay this is the last time

hoping to go for a short thread here where they gather last things and start the move to moonspear.

When he arrived back at the Bay, Charon was quick to lift his nose into the air and call for his wolves to let them know they were moving to Moonspear. He wanted to make the move to Moonspear official as quickly as possible, and so Charon started to trot in land. One last time he wanted to stand upon Stavanger Bay's shores and breathe in the salty scent.

And so after calling them, he stood upon the Bay's shores, a melancholic smile on his face, while he took in his view a last time. Next he saw it, he'd see it from greater heights as he stood upon Moonspear and looked down upon the lands, he told himself, and so Stavanger Bay would never be truly gone from their hearts or their view.

Soon he made his way to Thistle's herb den. He carfully nosed through what was there, but didn't dare pick anything up in his mouth because he had no clue what any of it did; he knew little of medicine. Most caches were cleared out, and so he decided to focus on this first. He wasn't even sure who was left here at the moment — Atreyu, perhaps, if he'd returned; Thistle, Adya? Maybe Saskia was still 'round somewhere; Flóki, maybe, but he could also be out exploring or at Moonspear — but he waited around a moment longer to find out.

When Charon's call went up, a shiver raced down Floki's spine. It was time. The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived -- they were going to officially make their move to Moonspear.

He wasted no time in responding to his brother's howl. He came from the forest and emerged onto the beach, but did not see Charon. Lowering his nose to the sand, Floki soon found the future Alpha's scent and began to track it, following it across the dunes and back into the recesses of the territory.

He found Charon at the den where Thistle Cloud kept her herbs. With a wagging tail, Floki approached, excitement dancing in his eyes. "Want some help?" he asked; he had enough sense not to seize a random bunch of plants in his mouth without knowing their properties. Hopefully, Thistle Cloud would join them and provide some guidance so that they could safely transport her collection.

Thistle heard the howl and at first she stared moodily at the ground. She wanted to not even go, she was still a little sore about the whole thing. Not to mention she was fighting to keep out of despair. All of her biological children but one was missing. She had no idea where they were. She knew this happened in nature, but why did it have to happen to her. What else could be taken from the doe colored she wolf. She stomped one foot, and drew a line in the sand. She stared at it through watery eyes. She didn’t want to cross it knowing she could never go back if she did.

The Bay had been her home, her livelihood for a while now. It was where she had loved and lost and birthed. Her blood, tears, everything was hidden here in the recesses and valleys of the bay. Every hope, every demand, every wish all of it lay thick and heavy on the land. She lifted her gaze to the area around her and sniffed one last time the trees and flowers, watched the sand blow up and tumble around in the wind. The waves crashing on the shore called to her like a siren.
How easy would it be to just leave it all behind? Just forget she had ties and family and move on. She gritted her teeth knowing that this was not something she would be able to do. It wasn’t like her to do such a thing.

With a heavy heart, she took one last look around her own little safe haven. Dipping her muzzle down towards the line, she blew it away and turned tail and trotted towards her sons. She watched them at first from a distance, wondering if they even really wanted her to come along. Neither one of them was happy with her obviously nor did they think her opinion mattered, but well they were family and family was family no matter how badly it hurt. She chuffed, but said no more and she nosed herself through the herbs, grasping this and that making up small bundles. Making sure to wrap the more potent things in leaves still green and fresh. It had taken her a few days to find a tree that was still green and pliable for wrapping. This was going to be a long walk.

Flóki soon joined by Charon's side, and he looked positively thrilled with the move, mirroring how Charon felt. Charon bumped his nose to Flóki's shoulder before he turned to look at the herbs. Flóki asked him if he should help, and Charon nodded, but... "I have no idea which ones to take." He knew where Thistle's herb den was and knew a thing or two about herbs because he was a Naturalist, but he didn't know their exact properties nor did he know which ones were rarest so that they needed taking. Maybe it'd be a good lesson for him, if Thistle Cloud came to help them.

When she showed up, Charon felt a little uneasy. Melancholy seemed to drip off her. Charon reminded himself that in the long run, this would be what was best for her, too. She just didn't see it right now. Charon glanced around to see if @Atreyu was near; maybe he'd stayed behind on Moonspear, Charon thought, but he wasn't sure. He hadn't seen @Adya in a while either, but then, Charon had been busy exploring for the most part.

The yearling watched as his mother arrived and wordlessly started wrapping her herbs. Charon carefully asked: "How can we help? I don't know which ones to take." He was glad that she was here, that she had decided to come, that he didn't need to drag her to Moonspear himself. Things would improve, the tension between them would fade eventually, he told himself, just as the one between himself and Atreyu. It'd be alright once they'd arrive at Moonspear and feel its majestic ground beneath their paws, watch the ocean from one of its peaks and realise it was not nearly as far away as they thought it to be now.

Charon seemed to have the same thought as Floki. The brothers hesitated to start gathering Thistle Cloud's herbs, as neither one of them were experienced enough to know what they were handling. As if on cue, the healer soon appeared, though she did not speak as she approached. She offered a breathy non-verbal greeting, then set to work organizing her collection. Floki watched her quietly for a moment before saying, "Hi, Mama."

He was looking forward to the move and to having Charon as his leader -- and being his "right-hand man," for that was kind of what he considered himself -- but he didn't have any less respect for his mother. She still was and would always be the sole parent who had raised him, and the Alpha female of Stavanger Bay. But he was growing up and becoming more independent -- perhaps sooner than he should have, due to the circumstance of his earlier life -- and he wanted to establish himself as a separate entity. He loved Thistle Cloud, but he didn't feel like he depended on her.

The boy looked to Charon, nodding his agreement with his brother's question. Thistle Cloud would need to give them instruction on which herbs to take and how to carry them if she wanted them to all arrive safely at Moonspear.

The call finally came, and Atreyu held his eyes closed for a moment as the realisation sunk in. The Bay would no longer be theirs to call home once they left. It would be left ripe for the taking or, more likely, left for nature to retake and reclaim. Perhaps it was for the best, for the forest to mend without wolves constantly tracing paths and digging out dens in it but, at the same time, the boy was gutted that he had to leave. He didn't really have a choice, their pack being as small as it was. He knew it wasn't a viable choice to stay here in the Bay by himself, especially with his dumb missing leg, especially with winter coming. He let his breath out in a resigned, solemn sigh.

With his awkward gait, it took a little longer for Atreyu to join the others. He finally came across them near Thistle's cache, the Alpha silently organising herbs with Charon and Floki standing nearby, seemingly waiting. He approached quietly, glancing once at the brothers before looking to Thistle, coming to a halt and waiting alongside them. For what, he wasn't sure, but there was a ceremonious finality to the whole scene and he didn't dare break the silence.

Thistle laid her ears backwards to catch their words, and then pushed them forward again. She smiled at Floki gently, saddened that he was all that was left of her brood. Hello Floki. I am wrapping the more dangerous ones up. It is important that you don't lose the wrappings, or it could make you very sick. She frowned down at them, unsure if she could trust those she loved with them. Not because they may hurt the herbs, but rather themselves if they weren't careful. None of what she had could make them so ill they would die, but they may feel like they were if ingested. 

She moved those she had not wrapped towards them with her nose gently. Those ones won't hurt you. Some of them may even test pleasant the mint or the Ginger, but if you do ingest some don't eat to much it can cause a tummy ache in large does.

Even for Charon it felt a little strange leaving everything behind here at Stavanger Bay. It was both easier and harder than he had imagined, in different manners. Thistle instructed the boys about the herbs; some needed to be carried in leaves so you didn't ingest any of them because they were dangerous, and some were easily carried as they were, so long as you didn't eat too many of them.

Atreyu arrived on scene too, and Charon nodded at him in silent greeting. He looked at Thistle, Flóki and Atreyu and said: "I'll carry some of the poisonous ones with the leaves." He'd watch to make sure he carried them well and didn't ingest or touch any of them, and make sure that others could carry the safer ones. Charon waited until Thistle had wrapped some of them before he'd take them in his mouth to carry them so they could hopefully soon start going on south down to Moonspear with all the important pieces Thistle needed.

Floki glanced up as Atreyu arrived, alerted to his packmate's presence by the familiar sound of his three-legged gait. He then shifted his gaze to his mother, who had begun to explain what she was doing and which herbs were ready for transport. He remained quiet for a moment, watching as she wrapped the dangerous plants with leaves to keep the chemicals from being absorbed into an unwitting wolf's mouth.

Charon announced that he would take the more precarious bundles, so Floki leaned towards the plants that had been deemed "safe." He gathered as much in his mouth as he could, until his cheeks bulged like a chipmunk, and then he readied himself to follow Thistle and Charon. Already, he could feel the stems poking his gums, although the taste wasn't unpleasant -- luckily, he was holding a bunch of mint, which would ensure that his breath stayed fresh for days after this experience.

gonna wrap this one up!

Charon grabbed some of the herbs with leaves around them. He wondered what Thistle used poisonous herbs for, anyway. Were they good for anything, or was she secretly waiting to poison wolves by putting these in their food? It was a bit of a worrying thought. It made him wonder, although he did not say anything and instead just took the leaf in his mouth. What if this leaf that he used to carry things was poisonous too, though? He thought on it while they made their way to Moonspear carrying the herbs, although he quickly reminded himself that even though she was hurt, Thistle would never physically harm him over something as petty as this... would she?

The wolves made their way to Moonspear with the herbs and once there, Charon carried his batch to a dry cave where they could stay until Thistle decided on a new herb den. He was glad to be home — hopefully soon Ame and her wolves would join them, too.