The Sentinels hide your kids

because wednesday is just awful. its understood she'll walk away from this with a significant injury. :) maybe also a puppy ;)
edit anyone is permitted to enter this! no need to ask. however, injuries received have been discussed already (at least, on wednesday's behalf). 

Wednesday smelled the scent of fresh life. It sent a thrill through her. She did not consider the man she had joined. Really, not much of anything mattered to her. She was a seeker of these bouts of adrenaline, and Wednesday would now decide to do her most terrible of acts: steal a child, perhaps kill it, perhaps offer it to the ocean, who knew? Limitless it would be, when she had obtained it. Assuming she could. But she would try her damndest.

She needn't any reasons to do what she did. Wednesday had no code. She strove to bring chaos and hell into the lives of others simply because she could. She hadn't died for it—yet.

She burst through the stalwart Sentinels with a sickly grin. Her nose was in the air and she tromped through the land without regard for anything at all. She bulldozed over shrubbery that came into her path; she presumed her precise movements would throw others off guard, and that her head start was one great enough so that she would not leave empty-handed.

i can't not omg.  I will let @Lasher & co decide what happens with babies but here's something to get started!

Dante was aware of some of the increased activity around the coast, but not nearly the extent of the newcomers.  He'd scented a stranger or two, yet had no knowledge of the pack looking to found quite yet (unless this thread comes after the other and he finds out, idek).

So no particular threat had him ready for what he found on the borders that day.  He was doing his usual round when suddenly he stopped, anger and outrage hardening in his eyes.  Intruder.

He whirled and lunged off, sprinting after with a zeal that bespoke slight desperation.  It led for the soul of the forest and the irreplaceable treasure hidden there.  There was no way in hell he would allow this wolf anywhere near those pups.

his daughters had begun to move from the babble of children to the more formed words, and lasher was charmed. yet unrest stirred in his body. dante had reported a greater sort of activity upon the beach, and one unrelated to caiaphas' band. having strangers too near donnelaith irked and worried the druid; the greater part of his time away from the den was spent strengthening their scent-markers upon the borders.

yet it was not enough! the sounds of wolves leaping through the underbrush spurred a reaction within the male; his stride lengthened and he caught sight of a pale blur racing toward the heart of his beloved woodland.

rage sparked in his breast; he swerved inward to run behind the crazed animal, hearing the familiar footfalls of dante some distance off. his teeth flashed in a snap he would have aimed at the intruder's straining flank, but she was unfortunately several feet away, so that only the tip of her bobbing tail was truly evident to the leader.

deirdre. emaleth.

his blood beat for them, and them alone.

They were quick, weren't they! She heard their own heavy footfalls and Wednesday thrust her weight forward, turned her head and shouted to her left, Come, Bear! As though @Gristle might be there. Though he was not, she hoped the sound would distract the others, make them believe that more were coming. Put them off her course. All the while, she plowed ahead.

The tip of her tail was near to one of their mouths. The adrenaline that came into her being pushed her ever faster as she continued to plow through the woodland, leaves and branches clawing at her face as though they, too, wished to deny her this. The persistence of nature would have been off-putting had she believed in anything, but Wednesday was a Godless woman. Nothing was sacred to her. And she had nothing to live for! It made her all the more dangerous and reckless.

Deeper into the woodland she went with two on her. None came at her from the front, and it was this which made her feel lucky. But should any others come, she knew she would have to wheel backward. There was also the mother she might need to contend with... but perhaps not! Wednesday would do what she could to take one thing with her. The she-wolf would not even snap at them to defend herself, so single-minded was her purpose. Nothing would distract her, and only more wolves would alter her course unless the violence of one of these two became enough to turn her 'round.

EEP. I DIDN'T WANT TO JOIN AT FIRST BECAUSE DANTE AND LASHER ALREADY HAVE BUT ARIA LOVES THE BABIES (i also only have like 1 open thread so) 

A bit mopey recently, Aria had attempted to either patrol the borders or stay near the make-shift den that she had been attempting to build. It was under one of the large trees that made the senentiels home, but it was proving to be a bit more stubborn than her home was. She'd tried to keep high spirits and tried even harder to keep away from Casmir. She needed time to think, although she wasn't really sure about what. 

She made her way through the territory curiously, sniffing in an attempt to find some sort of prey to hunt down. She wasn't hungry, and really she hadn't been for a few days now, but she was aware of the need to eat and also feed the pack. While scenting the air she froze, something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Her heart beat furiously as the unknown scent of a female rushed into her nostrils, and an alarm howl was about to be issued when she discovered the scents of Lasher and Dante mixed in. 

Coincidentally, Aria too was nearby the scene when it occurred! and soon found herself almost bowled over by the pale woman, the packs alpha male and beta trailing behind. She didn't understand at first what they were after, but jumped into the chase anyway. 

She heard the female yell for someone, Bear? Maybe? But when she lifted her snout she didn't scent anyone... Surely there was no way this Bear was that good at masking their scent right? Trailing at the back of the group she stayed put, but was slowed ever so slightly by the thought of another with her- doing her best to keep her eyes everywhere at once.

tach cameo - PM me if this is not okay.. i figure since he's in love w/ deirdre he'd be around! feel to PP him bc he's a wuss also if there is a plot to nap a pup just push him over IDK 

ahead the crash of several approaching wolves nearly caused tachyon to collapse to the ground in terror -- he wasn't doing anything! he had only just dropped off another little mouse as a present and was wild-eyed with disbelief that wolves were belligerently attacking him. he spun around, tail between his tucked haunches and his legs well under him in defensiveness -- only to see the wolves were not in pursuit of him.

his ears tore forwards in surprise as he caught the scent of a wolf he didn't know and shortly after, the thundering footsteps of lasher and dante. he would be of little use in hot pursuit, being still weak from his travels -- but he would try his best to intercept whatever wolf it was that was heading towards the den.

Wahahahah >:D Also totally cool with injuries and things!

As ever, the lumbering giant stayed within a howl's distance from Wednesday. He had a certain loyalty to the woman, though whether it born from respect, fear or admiration (if anything) it was hard to tell. She was certainly useful, though, despite her antics. She seemed to share Gristle's hunger — actual, physical hunger that was perpetually present within him — and general nonchalance about the ways of the wild.

Still, Gristle spared a slight thought as he passed over the borders of claimed lands as he followed his companion's trail. Instinct tugged at him, urging him to back off and away from the territory as he drew closer to the heart and the scents of others. He had not the chaotic nature of Wednesday, but neither was he a generally good man. He simply lived and went with life. A true neutral.

But loyalties were loyalties.

The man charged through the tall trees, paying no mind to what he stepped on and where. His focus was solely on finding Wednesday. After that, he guessed he would engage with the fight that was surely to come. Already, the scent of other wolves were nearby. Two males. Another female. Others were scattered here and there but these were the strongest. He came upon the girl lagging behind the group just as he heard Wednesday's summons. She was small and a non-threat and so he barrelled past, making no effort to dodge her in case she got in the way of his charge. The man set his dark gaze upon the two wolves hot on Wednesday's heels, eager to instigate a surely messy brawl. Whatever his companion's intentions were, he did not know or care, but he surely didn't want to miss this.

It was chaos.  He was first on the chase, but his packmates weren't far behind.  With a snarl he tried to push his pace even faster, but he felt himself flagging, lungs burning with effort.  His girth meant he just couldn't keep it up.

Dante thought at first she was jeering at him with the bear comment, taunting him for his lumbering run.  But instead a few moments later, another presence made himself known. There were two of them.

"Male... Mine."  He half snarled, half called,  breathlessly attempting to indicate to Lasher that he would try to slow the one perhaps slightly closer to his own physical capability.  There was no way he would catch the other, that was apparent.  Snapping, he lunged at the 'bear', hoping to draw him into a likely bloody exchange.

the woman shouted a name, but lasher was beyond caring. red flooded before his vision as the woman continued to run -- he did not see aria, nor did he sense tachyon. however, the scent of a second stranger, a savage foreigner, surged to the fore, and the druid felt a flicker of fear in his mind for the babes that lay innocently in their den. the convoy of pursued and pursuers drew closer to that blessed place with each passing moment.

from within lasher found a wellspring of alacrity -- he sped, muzzle straining just at her flank. the old injury set deeply within the straining musculature of his own began to twinge, alerting the male that he had scant few minutes left to him before he must slow or risk worse injury. dante's snarled words entered his ears and he himself slowed only to send a sharp howl skyward before lengthening his stride to keep pace with the creature who surely intended murder for reasons he did not understand.

@Blue Willow @Osprey @Pearl @Eilidh @Eigma @Raven @Behati

I'm typically only online once a day, so feel free to skip me in the post order and I'll catch up when I'm on next.  :)

Raven wasn't doing anything of note, merely pilfering about as she had been since her initial acceptance into Donnelaith's fold, exploring the lands and getting to know the wolves who lived here.  Her attachment to this place was still tenuous, having only been here for a week or so.  Still, she was a pack wolf.  She was Donnelaith.  When the urgent call of her alpha tore the air, rending the afternoon calm asunder with its message of invasion and danger, Raven's instincts kicked in and before she even consciously realized it, her legs were already carrying her at a blistering run toward her leader.

Though she was mostly a quiet and withdrawn girl, she was descended from a long line of strong, athletic, fast wolves. It didn't take her long at all to close the distance between her and the chaotic madness that crashed through the brush in a cacophony of snarls and thundering footfalls. Raven approached from the direction in which they were all running, so the intruder -- whom she had quickly deduced was the threat -- was running directly toward her. Raven wasn't dumb enough to throw herself directly at the white wolf running full speed, but she thought that maybe if she could trip the stranger, cause her to stumble, that'd be all her packmates needed.

So quickly, Raven veered off course, made a wide circle around, and then streaked in from the side like an arrow of black shadow, teeth snapping at the white wolf's legs.

Also feel free to skip / PP me, Pappa! <3

Eilidh was actually near the alpha's den when her father's howl rose up, and though the panic began coursing through her veins at the alarm in his voice, something told her to say with the children. So she dropped the bundle of herbs she was tending and immediately found her way toward the den, ushered the children inside, and hunkered down outside the den's entrance. If anyone wanted inside that wasn't her mother or father, they'd have to get through her. And as laughable as that was, she was willing to lay down her life to protect her sisters against whatever threat was coming their way.

Because no matter what else might be happening, nothing could cause her father's voice to scream such alarm than intruders or some other unwanted incident. So instead of finding her father and seeing what was the matter, her gut told her to remain with her sisters, and protect them come hell or high water.

:')

deirdre had been sleeping in the den, curled up near her mother and her sister. her mother moving caused her to stir, and she blinked tiredly at her sister. a howl fully wakened her, and though she did not yet know the meaning of it or the apparent danger that had come past donnelaith's doorstep, the child responded with her own howl, the inclination to do so too strong. she always had loved to sing, and presumed that their fathers song was for she and emaleth both, and mother, too! mama, mama, mama! she bounded toward the inkjet woman, but was prohibited from going too near to where the woman stood. deirdre looked to emaleth in confusion, not able to process what was the matter. in their babble, which for a short time longer deirdre would be able to lapse into, she asked, did i... do something?

and then eilidh had come to them! she, too, stood out on the edge, and deirdre fell quiet in her confoundment.

Mature Content Warning

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posting this one ahead of @Aria since she hung back in the last post, but if that's an issue mag let me know! also @Raven let me know if i'm off my mark with what raven had done?! <3

In the corner of her eye she saw the crashing of foliage. One wolf truly was diverted, much to her amusement... until she noted the scent of Gristle. Wednesday, if she felt a damn thing, would have found that hilarious. She laughed unfeelingly, the crazed detachment making the sound limp and the notes as chaotic as she so happened to be. The relationship between she and Gristle was terribly symbiotic. She would not do for him as he would do for her... unless, of course, it was of benefit to her. Surely this did benefit him. It made life interesting.

A tiny howl caught Wednesday's attention. A beautiful, twinkling, sweet sound! She snarled as she ran, hungry to take... all this was enough to make her miss the arrow-of-a-wolf coming from her front, as no other had. As Raven surged forward, the whole of Wednesday slammed into her forefront that had dove toward her legs (presuming Raven had not stopped abruptly as she did what she intended) and she fell to the ground in a sliding thud that burned. Even the woodwork assaulted her here; burrs caught between her shoulders, and a tree branch cut deep into her lip. What it left behind was a glasgow grin; she would forevermore wear a sick and horrific smile, as she never had before. It was only this--the falling--that prevented Lasher's fangs from landing their initial mark, but as she stood and stared into the face of his ferocity now, she knew his next blow would land true.

She threw herself at him, to throw his body weight away from her own, knowing she was sacrificing some portion of her face for this but knowing that this would be better than handing him her life. There was the matter of the back wolf, too, who was surely on her feet by now. Windedly, Wednesday began to run back from the direction she came. She could only hope to escape with her life. Fangs upon her face, a terrible burning, but not yet was she aware just what the attack had been! And her cheek bled, too, the fangs there a terrible fright.

no harm done <3

It seemed that this 'Bear' was indeed that good at masking her scent. The girl snarled with frustration as she was rammed into, thrown to the snowy ground. With a rough hit to the shoulder specifically, the white princess found it weak as she moved to stand- probably just bruised. With more adrenaline Aria shot forward, her slim figure allowing her the ability to catch up to the main group again. The quick wolfess sprinted with all her might, her white paws forcefully launching her forward off the ground. 

She was not okay with whatever was going on, these intruders meant to harm and she couldn't figure out why. 

The leaders of the chase suddenly came to a stop, and to her this was an extreme advantage. She watched as the bloodied woman turned from where she was, Lasher brutally going after her at the same time. In her rush, Aria lunged at the woman as well, planning her attack perfectly as to not get into Lasher's way. 

He heard, distantly, the call of a young cub that echoed their father's howl, and suddenly realised Wednesday's intentions. But what use did she have with a child? Fresh meat was the only thing that came to his mind — as he knew of his companion's cannibalistic tendencies — but why go to all the trouble? An easier opportunity had presented itself just a few days beforehand on the cape, and he had been certainly much larger than a pup.

Gristle didn't have much time to dwell, for the chase was abruptly halted by a streaking shadow. He heard Wednesday trip and stumble, and the surge of pack wolves came to meet them.

His focus quickly turned back to his own battle, though. One had turned to him, the larger grey one. Gristle slowed his charge as the beta bore down upon him with snapping teeth and a force that reckoned his own. Claws dug deep in to the frosty ground as he met his lunge, being shoved backwards by the sizeable male. He reacted with a flashing of his own fangs, aiming to snap at the man's scarred face. Wednesday was quick to begin her retreat as the scent of blood and more pack wolves filled the air. Gristle snarled. The fight had only just begun!

Im thinking we can go with no hard post order here?  If anyone has issue with that let me know :) but since there's so many participants post order gets confusing/difficult

He was successful in his attempt to waylay the male into an attack, but had no time or cause to celebrate.  Now raging with a territorial fury, he met the attack head on.  In order to expediently turn the man around and get him gone (or, honestly, dead) he sacrificed defense for a harsh and aggressive offense.  Fangs met his already scarred face as he returned the favor, but pushed through and went right for the neck instead. One wicked fang sank in just above the eye, almost too close for comfort, and he knew he would carry added scars to join those already present.

tachyon's gut and limbs ached as he neared the den, a sinking feeling plummeting in his stomach as he rounded the terrace. had he been too late? he bolted into the den and nearly collided with @Eilidh -- but seeing her in the den assuaged his fears and he turned rapidly back towards the entrance. by now the sound of snarls and fangs had reached them. tachyon knew his energy reserves were limited -- if he dived into the fight he would be of no use. instead he placed himself as a barricade over the entrance, his body blocking the hole entire as he dared any wolf to come hither. should any enemy come his way they would be met with the sharp reprimand of every fang he had.

There was a great commotion in the area, something that Eigma had not experienced in this peaceful pack. She heard voices, many different sounds, and saw bodies rushing through the great trees. Her den was still on the outskirts but she had been exploring parts unknown when she caught sight of not one, not even two different wolves - but almost the entire pack charging in from every direction. She followed a gray male when he passed by her location, seemingly oblivious to her; whatever was going on, it was very important. As she charged in, she heard the howl - and it was a desperate call to arms. It came from near the Alpha den, and so Eigma picked up her pace.

There was a stranger among them, and it seemed as if their efforts had been routed. Whatever they had been trying to do - Eigma gave a quick glance around, trying to figure things out, but it was all happening so fast - whatever they had attempted, it had failed. The stranger was in the dirt with multiple wolves advancing on their position, and all Eigma could do was stand there, confused. The fur of her spine spiked, and she felt the return of her fighting spirit, but there was nobody for her fight - the intruder had been taken care of by others. She had been too late to help.

deirdre! she sang, and though innocent her song, meaning only to mirror that of her father. it diverted the bulky woman toward the natal den, and lasher snarled, the sound a mingling of fear and rage. but it seemed the very trees and earth of donnelaith were in aid to the druid!

though now three wolves sought to pin the pale intruder to the earth, eigma's help would be of note: guard the babes, aid dante with the male brute. as it was, the would-be murderer plummeted to the ground, and the sharp tang of blood entered the air. but as swiftly as she had fallen she regained her step, and as his teeth flashed in rapid attacks, an ire as he had never before felt roused with a roar inside his soul.

he would kill her! he would slay her! his teeth snapped; he lunged for her flesh, her eye, her neck, almost with no sense of direction. red veiled his vision; he meant only to kill, to rip out her throat for daring to enter his sacred trees and threaten his children

her shoulder connected bruisingly with his own, and he stumbled into aria, presumably tangling their accursedly long limbs together and bringing the beta down into the snows with him.

but it was not all for naught; in his teeth was clenched the long strip of gory flesh that had been one of her ears. in the lunge was the man after her again, but his efforts clenched his body painfully, and he was forced to slow, then to stop, sides heaving, mouth gaping as he fought for breath. jaws bloodied, the man circled 'round and headed directly for his den, where he found tachyon and eilidh there with the healer, a stalwart guard for his tiny witches.

I FINALLY CAME GUYS 
feel free to pp

 

Just Pearl's luck, she heard the call of her beta faintly on the other side of the territory. Her ears perked up and she immediately dropped what she was hunting (a squirrel). The call sounded sharp and urgent with underlying rage. She gave a huff of frustration because she knew she would be late to the party before taking off like a speeding bullet. She hardened her resolve as she raced through the blurred trees, teeth in a snarl and eyes narrowed. The scent of blood reached her nose before the sound of fighting. In that moment, she realized where she had ended up. 
The den. 

She finally came to the scene where she quickly identified the intruders before coming to an impressive sliding stop (overshooting the den) with hackles raised and snarling, sending a spray of snow on the female attempting to retreat from what looked like bloodied Lasher's attack.  No one was getting to the young if she could help it. 

Pearl took in her surroundings with a fierceome look upon her usually bright and happy face. She noted Aria getting out of the snows, Lasher rushing to the den, looking hurt, Dante fighting a large male intruder, the two new females, and the bloody female intruder. She would help if needed, but she was going to defend with her life the two precious kids of her pack.

Raven's assault was successful.  The rampaging intruder crashed into her like a stampeding moose and both females went tumbling.  Raven could not watch what happened next, for she herself was knocked into the brush and rolled several times from the momentum of her movements and the sheer force of their collision.  But she could hear teeth -- the hollow, wooden sound of jaws snapping together on empty air, silenced only by white fur caught between them and torn asunder.  There was a chorus of snarls and angry yelps, and the smell of blood rent the air.

In the space of only a few seconds, she had a sudden flashback to the day her half-sister had been slaughtered by the wolves of Redhawk Caldera.  That situation had been much the same, only Wildfire had been the target and the monster had been invited into their home by her father himself.  What was it with crazy assholes and kids?  Pulling herself to her feet, she shook off the aches and pains that nagged at her -- there would be time for that later -- and rejoined the scene.  

Dante, Lasher, and Aria appeared to be handing the intruders quite well -- Raven only just now noticing that there were, in fact, two of them -- though Lasher looked pretty winded.  The Redhawk girl had never truly fought before and didn't know how much help she could be now, so she hung back by Lasher's side, her mane bristled and a soft growl rumbling in her throat.  The majority of the pack had stationed themselves protectively around the den, and no matter how driven the strangers might have been in their mad quest, they could not hope to defeat all of Donnelaith.

Wednesday felt she might not escape until she snapped toward the face of Aria. The pale, lither female was quick to withdraw as though the idea of having her face touched repulsed her. She saw an out, then, and continued this, though her effort was not even to truly land a bite, simply escape. She was a madwoman! Her jaws clicked and clicked on empty air and she felt her face tearing and a fire flaring as blood dripped downward and she ripped away. The thin skin was torn until it broke away entirely, and her ear was Lasher's trophy.

She was done for the day. She continued to harass Aria until she had room to move and once she did, she lurched forward to finish it, to grab her shoulder and turn to shove her heartily at her leader—Lasher—before her fangs dragged and detached in a quick, cutting fashion rather than her typical take-your-flesh-to-go. It was difficult to release, and her mouth felt bruised from the way she needed to press into her, but it was done!

It must have been effective. BEAR, she roared, knowing that he could escape with his life if he left now. He would no doubt have something to show for it, given the silver wolf had in fact caught up to him... but! She could warn him to go, and that was that, she was off, the woods of Donnelaith whipping her and having their fill of her blood, too.

ooc: almost missed all the fun. Hope you don't mind Osprey joining the last minute fight - @Gristle, @Dante . I will make this thread my priority.

Osprey had been rather unwell during the past few days, starting off with a cold and coughing and then proceded to fever. What made things even more miserable, was the fact that once again she was completely useless to the pack. A hermit, who existed, but who did nothing for the greater good of the pack. She was clever enough not to reveal any of these thoughts to Dante, not wishing to burden him more than he already was, and it was easy to pretend that apathy and depression was due to sickness and nothing else. 

She had been out of the den, searching for scraps, when she heard Lasher's call and realized that something was very off. Cursing her weakness and dizziness, she ran as fast as she could towards the culprit of the action, just in time to see a blood-covered stranger darting away and her mate engaging in a fight with another intruder. At that moment, forgetting that she was in no way fit for a fight, she let out a growl and charged at the attacker full speed, aiming to bite him on the hind-legs.

Blue Willow heard the howl and ran as if her life depended on it, though it wasn't her own, but rather the babes. Curses of all the curses to have just gone for a quick break, and to have someone go after their little ones. She rushed forward anger in her eyes and a snarl on her maw. Rushing towards the den she stood near it, growling low and fiercely daring any single one of them to come near her babies. She hoped the children would stay inside and she stood still. THough every fiber of her being wanted to attack the unwanted intruders and rip them entirely apart, the smart part of her told her to keep the babes safe all of them, even those in adulthood.

She got a piece of Wednesday, snarling and fighting alongside the others with her- she was only aware of Lasher, but she felt that there was at least one more. Unfortunately, Aria was smaller and weaker than the beast, and was thrown from her with a sharp push. She snarled, continuing to block her path and in return being harassed just as much. Finally, in an attempt to escape, the woman grabbed hold of her shoulder, tearing flesh and throwing her back towards Lasher.

The pale girl fumbled to stand back up, her fur turning a rusted brown as the blood bled through the white furs around her shoulder. Behind her left splats of blood in the snow, a trail that showed her wound. She scrambled up away from Lasher, almost embarrassed by her failure to take her down and for getting in the males way... But there was no use in chasing after the woman, if Lasher wanted to he could but she was still in her spot.