The Sentinels the mordant liquor of tears

MANDATORY PACK MEETING*

Round 1 will end Tuesday, February 23rd

(*this is due to the fact that there are going to be changes in donnelaith which may affect all characters. those on absence are exempt) 

@Blue Willow @Dante @Aria @Osprey @Pearl @Eilidh @Raven @Eigma @Tachyon @Chaol @Deirdre @Emaleth

when casmir had been brought to blue willow's den, and installed there under the collective eye of the three healers, when behati had been interred in the earth, her grave marked, lasher completed a patrol of the border where they had discovered the pair and then summoned his wolves to the shelter that now housed three of his children. 

and when they had assembled, lasher swept them with a sorrowful eye, one that also bespoke his lingering anger. his helplessness was kept buried with his soul -- he would not show weakness unto those who looked to him for guidance. 

"you know what has happened. firstly, two madwolves dashed into our midst, and would have killed the children had not they been stopped and routed by our collective effort. our beta female, aria, returned to us, wounded by feral and insane wolves who have claimed the coastline. and lastly, my son --" here his voice threatened to break, but taltos lashed himself past the moment -- "lies injured here, wounded by the same creature who ran among us with murderous intent."

"i would assume, based upon the scents and the information relayed to me, that these are related attacks. why they have chosen donnelaith, i do not know, but we must stand ready to repulse any further sieges upon our gate. following this gathering, i must ask for your help in moving the children, and casmir, to a locale deeper into the wood. i have already chosen the place. secondly, no one must leave our borders without a reason of need, and a clear word of assent from a leader. this is to keep all who dwell in donnelaith safe from being cornered and attacked outside our collective protection, and it will last until i have deemed that the threat is past."

"i will be visiting the pack upon the coast called saltwinter. it is i who must go, and i alone. in the event i do not return, there is no dearth of capable leaders to take my place. the woman who leads saltwinter is a companion close to me, and i will seek an alliance with her. i do not seek to make war, merely to defend."

he paused then to gaze at them again, the only unfamiliar face among them the man called chaol, who had not yet proven himself. this was now his time to do so. "speak," lasher gently invited his wolves, suddenly weary, and stood silent.

There was a great sadness weighing upon all of Donnelaith. It was something that even the reclusive Eigma could feel, working away at the pit of her stomach, at the heart she had given freely to the pack. The chaos after that day on the beach -- where two bodies were found, one alive and one not -- was still fresh in her mind. She had helped as best she could with things. Moving both entities, burying one, tending and guarding the other as was needed. Eigma had the strangest sense that her fate had been tied to the woman in the sand; that she had met her before, knew her to some degree. Perhaps the injuries which had placed her here among the wolves of Donnelaith had waylayed that memory. It was not a good feeling, and only served to cause a marked level of dissociation within Eigma.

When the call came from Lasher, summoning the group together, she doggedly found her way. The sight of Lasher -- having lost weight and replaced it with a mix of sadness and seething -- made everything feel so much worse. The turmoil this King must have been in, having found his own son in such a state... Eigma moved in, slowly. She stopped and sank to her haunches while waiting for others to arrive, and as they filed in, Lasher spoke. At the end, as he breathed a tired command for others to voice their concerns or their support, Eigma could think of nothing to say. Surely no one would be willing to let their King run off to the coast alone; yet if that was his wish, there was no one who could stop him.

Chaol could sense the sadness and grief that plagued Donnelaith. He was new here, and did not know much of the drama that was going on but knew, nevertheless, that something terrible had happened and felt his packmates's pain as if it was his own. Perhaps he might not have been there, perhaps he hadn't been here long enough to understand, but the Iscariot was an empathetic creature and he grieved on their behalf. He did not attempt to soothe or comfort anyone, knowing that a stranger's help would mean nothing, but instead did the only thing he knew to do which was to help out when it was needed and patrol the borders as often as he could.

And it was where he was when the call from Donnelaith's King pierced through the air. Chaol came as quickly as he could, noticing first the bedraggled and grieving Lasher, then his packmates and, avoiding eye contact, sat down and awaited for the meeting to start. When they were all here, the Alpha spoke, filling the white wolf in with all the drama and events that had taken place. There had been attacks, attacks on children and the King's own son had been wounded by the same madmen. Chaol had noticed the tiny hesitation in Lasher's voice when it came to his son, and could only imagine how hard it must've been for him.

Lasher asked for help with relocating the kids, as well as commanding them to stay within Donnelaith's borders. That, Chaol could do. He'd just came here anyways, he had no intention to leave just yet. Right now, the pack needed every single one of them, and it was his duty to do whatever he could do to help. As the lowest rank, there was, really, nothing he could do but to obey. So he sat quietly and listened.

Dante was there to support however he could.  He would guard with ferocious tenacity their lands - ever since the two had managed to get so far in, he'd been increasingly vigilant.  But when Lasher called, he came, and heard the pronouncements quietly.  He was not sure if Osprey felt well enough to come, but if not, he would share with her what had been said.

After, some others remained silent.  But Dante did not like part of what he heard, and he owed it as Beta to speak his mind in times like these.  In the end, the decision was Lasher's whether he approve or not.  But his misgivings were heavy.  "Do you need to go alone, even for the trip?  Could you take another and let them wait while you meet?"  He watched Lasher with concern, afraid his anger and fear would cause him to act rashly.  It was his opinion, until they knew more of these coastal aggressors, none should leave their midst alone.  Their pack was large; those left behind could defend while two or three were gone.

Blue Willow sat beside him stony in her silence. she was angry and depressed, and worried, deeply deeply worried. And she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Disappointed in the youth for letting their petty injustices get in the way of what they needed. Their pride get in the way of something as small as wound, that Blue herself could have easily fixed with a simple poultice and she couldn't help but feel anger and sadness mixed at her son's behavior of leading two girls on, causing them to fight. He was not to blame for their choices, no, but he should have been open from the beginning if he wanted two lovers, then fine he should have been clear. And there was a deep sadness at his plight, and the grief and the blame that he would now lay into his breast heavily.

Emaleth was nestled in the den with her older brother and her dear heart, Deirdre. She no longer enjoyed the confines of the den, seeking an escape to the Otherworld at every chance -- but it had grown darker, wilder, and untamed. She did not fear it, not like when she had been a mere babe. It only gave her a sense of forboding, now. She was torn between escaping it, and the desire to escape the quiet and still tension that now inhabited her home. It was foreign to her, and she did not know what to make of it. But Emaleth grasped the solemnity, especially now with a meeting cast, and she listened to her father's words with her head upon her paws - understanding some, but not all, of the proclamation.

as of late tachyon had assigned himself the distant denfather -- he would not see the pups harmed, and so, had carved a wide swath of territory between the coast and the den in which to stand vigil. as such, when lasher's summons came tachyon was quick to heed the druid's call.

he too had misgivings -- though not for lack of lasher's capabilities. what if the wolves beset the male while he was alone? he canted his head in dante's direction in deferred agreement. "i could go with you." he offered meekly -- he was slower and much less hale than the alpha, and in the event they were ambushed, he could serve as a sufficient distraction. while these dark thoughts remained unspoken, his expression conveyed well the purpose of his accompaniment.

Hearing the summons, Pearl reluctantly left her meal she'd been eating more out anger than hunger. Driving at the scene, she looked around at the others and saw the newer members who had been lucky enough to join as soon as they were in danger. The newest one, Chaol, caught her eye for a brief second. Pearl sat quietly and listened with a stony but interested face. She was glad to hear Casmir was still alive, but there was still broiling rage pent up inside her, reserved solely for the sea brutes. There was a small, concerned expression change that occurred when Lasher said no one could leave the borders without reason, but she understood the danger. His next announcement, however drew out a full blown 'are you crazy?!' look to Lasher before she corrected it. She wasn't opposed to the notion, but she feared for her Alpha's safety.

The pale girl made her way to the place of meeting after hearing her alphas howl. She sat beside Dante, nudging the man in greeting as she did so. Aria listened carefully with her ears cupped forward, nose twitching as she thought about the events he mentioned. At the mention of herself, Aria made no movements. The memories stung, but she didn't really care. She had moved past it and was moving on with her life. She would focus on her duties, now, and there was nothing anyone could do to convince her otherwise. Regardless of any eyes that may have fallen on her, she took none of them to heart. Her pride was not wounded anymore.

But- hearing about Casmir sent shivers down her spine. She sat, dumbfounded for a moment as she pictured the male so heavily wounded. She tried to shrug it off, staring down for a few moments before trying to tune back into Lashers words.

She continued to listen, soon hearing the notion that Lasher would be leaving. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him, tail raising as she processed what he said. Dante spoke first, and she looked at him as he did so. The pale girl nodded along with him, her tail flicking anxiously from behind her. Tachyon then offered to go, and she looked at him with a curious gaze. She'd only seen him when the two wolves attacked their borders- she thought highly of him for being there to defend. 

"I agree," she woofed to him. "I don't think you should be headed out alone after all of these uncivil attacks."

Sorry out of order, but blue wouldn't have let that slide she is irritable.

Blue Willow stirred and shifted and looked both at Aria and Dante her eyes narrowing slight at the former and spoke softly, but not to be misunderstood her voice much more tighter than usual. Not as kind and nice as usual, it was a no nonsense voice, because frankly she was weary. 

Lasher said he shall go alone. It has taken him a long time to gain the trust of the sea witch, and he and I will not have anyone ruining it for him. She will not see him if there are more wolves than just him, unless hse knew ahead of time. He specifically said she was a companion of his, not anyone else. Yes the fear is there, yes the threat is great, but he is a grown wolf he can make his own decisions. And what if those wolves come back for the babes again and all three of you are off down the coast? What then? Though I am fearful for Lasher and I too wish he would take at least one companion, it doesn't matter if he did, if she shall not see him with others.

Eilidh felt worry and anger war within her heart, and hoped she could keep the anger from turning to hatred. Her brother had been attacked, Aria had been kidnapped and attacked, Behati was dead. What else did they have to endure? They had left the plateau to start a new life, one that might have been gentler and free of such outside interference, but the world deemed them unworthy of peace. Her father would go to the sea-witch and plead for aide, for an ally in their time of need, and leave them here to defend their injured and infants. Eilidh knew it was his only choice, otherwise he would not be leaving them.

Though she wished she could go with him, she understood she needed to do so alone. So Dante, Aria, and Tachyon's suggestions that he take someone with him, even just as an escort, rubbed her hackles the wrong way. It seemed to upset her already irritable mother, too, who spoke openly about her feelings. Every wolf in this pack was afraid of what might happen in his absence, but Lasher was a grown wolf, and he knew the sea-witch better than all of them combined. If he said he went alone, then alone he would go. Eilidh simply listened to the exchange, keeping all thoughts on this subject to herself. She did, however, inquire about her father's intentions with the sea-witch. "I know you seek alliance with this woman. Is she to bring her wolves here, to strengthen our ranks? Or send some reinforcements?" Eilidh paused, wondering if she was asking this correctly. "In what way are you seeking her help?"

In the face of recent events, Raven felt strangely detached from her companions.  Perhaps it was a side effect of some of the trauma she'd been exposed to as a child, enabling her to compartmentalize and separate herself from emotions that sometimes ran high in situations like this.  She just felt numb to it all.  She hadn't even known the wolf that was killed, but it was still a wolf of Donnelaith and though Raven was unsettled by the idea of war, she understood it was necessary.  There were babies here now, and if they weren't prepared to defend their homeland -- possibly with their lives -- then those children would be killed, the future generation of their pack extinguished.  The aggressors would continue to harry their ranks, picking them off and worrying their borders, until all of Donnelaith crumbled.

Raven would not allow that.  She was not a warrior, but she was a healer.  And while plants could help, they could also poison.  The black tendrils of that evil little idea snaked through her mind as she listened to Lasher speak, anger flickering in her heart at the distress she saw in her alpha.

Osprey was one of the last to arrive to the meeting place right in time to hear Lasher begin his speech and see Aria taking her place next to Dante and greeting him in a friendly way. A way the elder suddenly found not liking very much - she furrowed her brow and regarded the girl through narrowed eyes for a while, then - out of spite decided not to approach her mate and sat down in the back of the group. A fitting place for someone, who did not take an active part in the pack-life anymore, who did not belong to the leaders. 

She felt ashamed that in the wake of such serious events, the only thing she could think about was her wounded ego, but that changed the second Lasher mentioned about seeking an allience with a sea-witch. She had not met her in person, but there had been rumors. The last time they had had a pack meeting regarding the move nearer to the coast, Malachi had been the one to object for valid reasons. Therefore she waited until all had spoken and then cleared her throat to ask a question of her own: "A while ago a pack led by a sea-witches was accused of kidnapping and murdering children. Isn't this friend of yours from the same pack? And if so - why should we trust them any more than we should trust the vagrants that are raiding the shores?"

hearing his dad's summons, Cas took the opportunity to shuffle blearily to the mouth of the den. there he slumped next to Em, nudging her gently. on a whim, he decided he would called her Lethe from now on. the boy watched impassively as many wolves raised objections to his dad's pronouncement that he was about to go do stupid shit. 

the boy rolled his eyes, feeling like himself for a moment before the terror and pain of seeing Behati's broken body surged again, and he closed his gaze tightly against it.

Round 2 will end Saturday, February 27th

lasher had expected a hubbub to arise, but not from the throat of almost every wolf present. he watched them with a growing sense of weariness -- their love for him was apparent, and appreciated, but troublesome in its collective loudness. when they had finished speaking -- and he glanced to blue willow with mild surprise at her outburst, for normally she was quite calm -- the druid stood to his paws. 

"thank you for your contributions. i still must go alone, for i would not endanger a one of you. and if we are attacked while i am away, donnelaith will be in need of each able body." tachyon, though he had volunteered and for this taltos admired him, was still very weak and in need of tending. lasher would not sacrifice him to the pirates. 

"each one of you has my love and my gratitude, but you are needed her, to guard our gates and to lead in my absence." his eyes swept the grouping for a quiet moment before he went on; it was clear that lasher would hear no more entreaties as to his going alone. his daughter had posed a respectable question, and osprey followed it with another.

"the seawitch, as you may know her, is caiaphas. she has long been my companion. she warned me of the snows that rose up with sea-winds in the winter, and i know she would give of herself to us if i asked. i would do the same for her. if she is the same woman who pillaged and murdered, i do not know it. she has given me no reason to mistrust her, nor any indication that she is of that group."

"the logistics of this will be worked upon when i go to see her, which is as soon as possible. if she is to send wolves, so be it, or if we are to converge for the time being, then yes. but i would not make that decision alone," he murmured, looking to his trio of leaders. "no matter what is decided, we must band together against this common threat."

and he fell silent, awaiting them to speak again. 

tachyon had expected his offer to be denied -- but had not expected it to be swiftly and sharply spurned by the lithe female identified as blue willow. sufficiently humbled and put in his place, tachyon bowed his head -- the tips of his ears cut back towards his skull in deference. tachyon, if nothing else, was easy to subdue -- though there was no denying the worry in his golden gaze as he carefully examined the rest of the group for their reactions to lasher's verdict.

It seemed he was not alone in his desire, for others quickly chimed in to say the same.  He gratefully noted Tachyon's speed in volunteering, but he too would have sent someone else.  Pearl or Aria would have been better, or perhaps the new man.  Two would be more intimidating, yes, but if they did run afoul of the strangers, Lasher needed someone capable of assisting him fully. 

When Blue Willow proceeded to go off, Dante could hardly believe his ears, and an indignant fury filled him.  He did not appreciate being chided like an ignorant pup, not when her argument did not even take into account properly the words he'd spoken.  He had said one or two, and never listed himself among that number.  And he had very specifically stated that they would not attend the meeting, but hover back as far as was deemed proper.  He gritted his teeth against speaking again, allowing time for Lasher to come in and again shoot their concerns down, albeit with more grace.  Putting aside his feelings for the alpha female at the moment, he listened to what Lasher said, trying to do so without letting his sudden fury color the logic he heard.

It did not work well.  Even Lasher's reasons seemed weak to him.  He took a breath before pushing the point, knowing he would only do so once before dropping it for good.  "You say we need every wolf.  I agree.  So we cannot afford to lose you.  Ten will be enough to defend the borders while you are away, but you are passing through dangerous lands completely alone."  He tried to keep his tone patient, but there was a slight edge he could not get rid of.  "But it is your decision."  The last came out clipped, and he quickly turned his gaze downward, knowing he would not say anything more until the meeting had ended.  Giving Aria a small nod, he rose to join his mate in the back, too frustrated to wonder why she had not joined him instead.  He would leave from there as soon as the meeting was done.

Blue Willow immediately felt guilty at her outburst, and even more so at the reactions it received both from the new wolf, who seemed fearful and her long time friend. She tilted her head and sighed softly. A furrow grew in her brow as she watched Dante walk towards the back and she shook her head. She would make amends later, at the moment she was too upset too. She knew her argument had been week, but she had not had the amount of time she needed to process everything, and like everything else she was finding it irritated her. Irritation wormed it's way into her heart on a daily basis, and she couldn't figure out why.

She shifted itching to return to the den, away from all the eyes and the wolves watching her. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts and her guilt.

She had not done enough to stop him. Lasher was set on going alone, and right now she'd have much preferred a war- they had a better chance of winning that. But there was nothing she could have done. Blue Willow's outburst only embarrassed her, even though it had made Dante angry- her ears lowered submissively and her shoulder hunched, staring at the ground for a moment. Softly, and not meaning to invite anymore comment on it, the girl murmured again: "I stand by my opinion." She would not comment again, but occasionally would look to her alpha with a sad pair of icy eyes.

Eilidh looked between her pack members, noting their reactions. Dante seemed angry, Aria was embarrassed, and Casmir seemed distant and cold. Well, good. He didn't seem to care about anything after Behati's death. And while that saddened her, too, it was certainly no reason to yell at her and call her names. Eilidh sniffed and turned her gaze - and attention - to Tachyon, the wolf who had helped her look for the wild onions, and saw his own reaction to her father's refusal. Her ears lowered slightly and she felt her heart fluttered in pity. He seemed so sad, so willing to help in any way, and her father had refused him.

The pale healer wondered where he had come from, what his life had been like before Donnelaith, but couldn't rightly ask him now. Eilidh turned her attention back to her father as he explained and answered her questions, then Osprey's, and thought about it. While it would be good to have reinforcements if war did happen, she wasn't sure she wanted to live with these wolves led by a "sea witch." She sounded horrible. But Eilidh, ever faithful, kept her thoughts to herself, and trusted her father's judgment.

Lasher's words didn't convince Osprey and still she did not think that trusting this Caiaphas, even allying with her pack was a good idea. The witch might have a relationship of close nature to the alpha, it might be even true, what he had said about the self-sacrifice. But to believe the she would so selflessly give a damn about the rest of the pack? Truly noble people rarely existed - in her experience - at the end of the day, when the ship was sinking, everyone was for themselves. 

She agreed with Blue Willow - if the alpha wanted to go on his own, then he should - and was quite glad that he did not require anyone else accompany him. Especially Dante. Say, it turned out very wrong - what then? However, she was wise enough to keep this opinion to herself, when her mate came to her, feeling frustrated. She fell in the role of the loyal wife, greeting him with an understanding look and quick kiss on his chin, then moving aside to let him sit down.

Round 3 (last round) will end Thursday, March 3rd

they were upset with him; his jaw clenched, and no more words were spoken. after a moment, lasher gathered himself to his paws and glanced over the gathering, wishing he could say what it was that would put their hearts and their minds at ease. 

yet he only nodded once. "thank you for joining me here." the dismissal was clear; he would remain as he was if any member of donnelaith wished to speak again. 

tachy out! o7

tachyon had remained cowed, his broad muzzle pointed towards the earth. it seemed no more lashings would be issued from blue willow and carefully he looked up at the dissenting faces in the crowd. lasher's words stung with finality and tachyon dared not defy him. he rose with his tail between his legs and threaded past the various faces of his comrades, making his way back towards his outpost he had carefully carved in front of deirdre's den. he would sleep fitfully, worried both for the safety of his leader and for the safety of those in donnelaith's realm.

She pressed against her brother, loosing a soft whine at his distress; she felt it, too, though she did not understand it. Only bits and pieces of the conversation could she grasp, but the tone of the adults' voices told her everything. Emaleth had only ever known safety and happiness— and everything about this felt wrong. She buried her face into the fur of her brother's arm, as much to comfort herself as it was to comfort him.

Chaol did not participate in the argument but stayed to one side, his face a facade of stoicness, thinly concealing the anxiety, nervousness and distress that plagued his thoughts. Both sides of the argument both made sense and while Chaol wanted to inject his opinion, he stayed quiet and simply listened, feeling that having simply only been here for a short time, his thoughts did not matter yet. He hadn't even proven his loyalty yet; or earned their trust.

Perhaps later, once he'd earned their respect, Chaol would speak his mind, but for now, hearing the chocolate brown King's dismissal, the silver prince rose with his posture deferential and submissive and left, thoughts tumbling through his mind.