Broken Antler Fen Creepy Crawlers

Okay so as promised, The activity with the bugs! We will work in rounds. Round 2 will start after the 2nd of May. No posting order, and you can post max. 3 times in each round.
@Pearl @Ambrosia @Aduin @Kinra @FallenStar @Horosk @Val @Kareja

Sebastian noticed there were and awful lot of bugs lately, they were everywhere. It was starting to worry him. Their beautiful grounds were getting stripped. Luckily for them moose fed on aquatic plants. Those bugs could not reach it, so even if all those bugs would eat away all the vegetation perhaps one of their prey would remain. Sebastian was starting to think that drastically because he was seeing them everywhere. He sat in the Cove where it was a bit better than in the open fields. The thick woods surrounding the fen, and where the Cove was kept out most of them. The canopy was also quite thick as of now. Sebastian howled for the members of his pack that weren't here yet.

He wanted everyone close because with these bugs they would need a plan, they had the Cove as a shelter, not a very good one. Sebastian rather wanted to be underground, so maybe they would have to dig an emergency den, if the ground would hold it. It was all so wet and moist from the many waters and fens in their territory. "Everyone! These bugs are not normal! We have to take shelter or at least do something!," he spoke once everyone was there. "Does anyone know about this and what is happening?"

Aduin came close to Sebastian, staring in awe and horror at the swarm. These were what had taken his and Brandy's area. He suddenly felt anger toward them. A growl rose up. But he knew better than to charge in and start snapping about. These could have been poisonous, or might be able to eat other things than plants. Who knew? He certainly didn't. The buzzing did nothing to help, only giving him a massive headache. 

"Where will we take shelter?! We have no dens!" Aduin shouted back over the buzzing. Except his and Brandy's, but that was too small for an entire pack. They needed to make one, and fast.

Brandy came to Sebastians call at once, trotting into The Cove with her copper and cream pelt clumped out in anxiety. A few locusts clung to her fur, and she looked none too pleased about it. She at least knew what they were, though, but hadn't ever seen so much damage done. She sat on the roots of the tree in which her mother had dug for the two, snapping her jaws around the final bug and EATING it. Her pretty face twisted, suggesting it tasted not so well, but didn't spit it out. Her lemon eyes reflected her anger, and she snarled her answer down at the dead ones at her fiery paws.
           "Locusts. Ambrosia and I have seen them here and there, but I've never seen them so bad."
As for the den part, well, that might be a little harder. There were okay places in their sanctuary that could be used for dens, but the firm, dry ground was spaced out throughout it. A den big enough for all of them, like tunnels, could not be possible in an area like this. 
                 "Mother dug us a den right here, but its only just big enough for us. There are a couple other places we could dig, but a tunnel system of any sorts couldn't be safely done in the fen."

Ambrosia was a little later in coming to the meeting, but she was lugging the closest cache of kills to The Cove. She put them in a pile near the meeting, and explained herself after spitting out a feather. One or two had come in on her long tawny pelt but one shake sent them flying from the silky strands. Her eyes reflected her worry, assuming that if everything was striped no prey would stick around. 
          "Damn locusts were swarming the cache and it felt wrong to leave it there.... Plus, we'll need food if we're staying close. I can go get more if you want me to Sebastian."
She glanced around the cove to see if there were any of the bug sourges now, but only the two from her pelt seemed to have gotten in. She pounced on the first one with both paws, growling deep in her chest, and trampled down the other one.

Kareja stepped forward after the others, she was training for a Naturalist trade. She knew quite a bit about many species including insects to the huge moose. 

"They're right, these are locusts. They were once grasshoppers but an abundance of vegetation were they came from allowed them to go through many generations of breeding rather quickly as insects have short lifespans. They evolved rapidly into locusts and due to their large numbers will continue from place to place in search of enough plant life to sustain their swarms. Once they run out they will mostly die. Those left will once more become grasshoppers." 

Kareja moved back after her small speech. She kept her eyes down, happy she hadn't stuttered. She hoped no one thought she was a know it all for spewing out so much about the insects.

oh heck. i'm going to reply anyways! :D

Sebastian watched some members tickle in. He looked very worried, especially with all the bugs around. The large male was pleased to see Aduin, Ambrosia, Brandy and Kareja. She was telling a whole story about how these insects came to be but, as horrible as it sounded, Sebastian really didn't care for it. Yet, he waited till she was finished talking. He nodded to her in thank you for the information. "Good thinking Ambrosia. We would probably need more, but first we need to know where is member is," he spoke.

Sebastian felt his stomach clench. He got the horrible feeling that now he was starting to like Pearl that he would loose her to something like this. Always when he had a crush himself they died or left him. "Where is @Pearl?," he asked. It sounded really worried. "And @Horosk and @Val," he quickly added. He let out another howl for them, almost choking on a bug in the process. "We will start digging at the roots of these trees surrounding the cove, even though they are small we will be close together, only a few meters away. I don't know if tunnels will hold with the soft ground but we can try once we have enough shelter for everyone. Ambrosia, can you get the other meat? Aduin, Brandy, Kareja, all pick a tree and start digging. Use the roots of the trees to make a den. It doens't need to be pretty!" Sebastian knew he had to take the lead now. This was his time to shine, his final test if he was ready to guide and lead a pack, even through a disaster like this.

The tawny female nodded at Seabstians thanks, sitting a little straighter. Ambrosia didnt stay long after the orders were given though. She took only the time to nuzzle her daughter before she bound off again. Inky paws crushed the bodies of locusts, but it didn't phase her much. She kept her lemon eyes squinted and head low, even ears folded back; all in order to have the best chance at keeping these damned bugs away from her. She'd keep an eye out for the called wolves, hoping they were okay. Her paws carried her to the closest cache, and she knew this was gonna take quite a few trips....

Short post

Aduin nodded, then rushed around to find a tree suitable. He found one soon after and went right to digging in it's roots. The constant buzzing really annoyed him by hurting his ears. Would it ever end? He could only hope that this swarm would end soon.

Brandy listened to Sebastian with undivided attention until orders were given. Activity broke out, her mother gave her a goodbye nuzzle and took off and Aduin set to work instantly. Brandy picked a tree close to him, unwilling to stray far from her mate at a time like this.

So turns out I never posted my reply....XD

 

Pearl's ears flickered to the sound of what she thought was Sebastian howling, but with all the buzzing she could barely tell which direction it was coming from. All these darn locusts were irritating, in far more ways than one. She could visibly see the rich emerald color of the territory dissapearing before her eyes, a crushing sensation overcoming her. It was full of both amazement and worry, as the dangerous power of numbers these insects had were so easily stripping the land barren, leading to terrible consequences. What on earth were they going to do? 

She stayed standing slackjawed in a daze until Sebastian's second howl jerked her out, ringing more clearly and with more detectible emotion. She hurriedly ran to the Cove, her paws smashing countless bugs into the ground, a sensation that was weird beyond belief. Arriving to the scene late, she looked around at the digging, but remained trotting until she got to Seb. Pearl nudged him to let him know she was there, and nearly had to shout over the buzzing, "What's going on?" 

Sebastian instantly rushed forward when Pearl came into the Cove. "Pearl!," he let out and let out a softer whine because he was glad that he had her back. He gave her a lick over her cheek, ignoring the bugs for now. "We have to start digging, we need one more den, just in case. So we are protected from the bugs," he spoke to her.

Sebastian stepped towards a tree. He inspected it, wondering if it could support a den a size that would fit him. The large male looked a Pearl and then had to smile a bit. Because he planned on sharing a den with her after all. Hopefully that would give them some more bonding.

last round? Them digging the dens? :D

Kareja could immediately tell no one particularly cared about what she said, her ears drooping a bit as she glanced down in embarrassment. 

Nodding, she moved to a tree a bit away from the group and began to dig at its roots. Every now and then her sapphire eyes scanned the treeline for signs of Horosk. He was her only friend here so far, the only one who bothered listening to her. Maybe he would want to share a den?

Horosk approached the other wolves, panting. He had run all the way here, because the damn locusts were everywhere! He nodded to Sebastian as he walked past. "So we're digging dens," he thought to himself. It seemed the best option, and there wasn't many at the moment. He joined Kareja, turning to her he said "Hey" and began digging alongside her. He hoped she didn't mind.

Aduin dug into the tree's roots, only pausing for a second to acknowledge Brandy near him. That brought a smile to his face. "We'll get through this, right?" heasked, searching for any hope he could have as he dug. Surely these bugs did not did not get underground. "If we don't, Bran, I..I-" He couldn't help but get choked up over the words. He was so scared of what was happening, and the smile he had was gone.

Brandy was hard at work, off in her own little world. The bronze female jumped as Aduin brought her to, smiling at him as if nothing in the world was wrong. When he suggested otherwise, a frown soured her happiness. 
         "Of course we'll be alright, Aduin. If we have to, we move, no big deal. We just have to stay together... Promise me we'll always stay together, okay? Cross your heart?"
The tricolored shewolf found herself getting upset, worrying that somehow the two would be separated. What would she do if he went missing? She'd never stop looking, that's for sure.

Kareja turned a hundred watt smile on Horosk as he appeared, a genuine smile. Already she felt better once he had appeared. He was the closest thing she had to a friend here after all.

She knew it wasn't fair to think so but she honestly felt so out of place in Broken Antler Fen. It felt as if everyone else around her was part of a family and she was just some eighth cousin no one knew from faraway. Kareja felt like an intruder in the pack, Horosk the only one she felt even wanted her there. Seeing him made her feel ten times better.

"Hi,"she murmured back to him in greeting. "Would you want to share a den?" 

Horosk looked up at her as he began digging, scraping the earth away beneath his paws. He was worried about what might happen, so he stayed close to kareja and replied "Hi! Sure, I'd love to." He wagged his tail slowly, before looking around at the other wolves digging away. They all seemed to have worried expressions, though some were trying to keep a smile. He was one of them, smiling to try and make others cheer up, and to cheer himself up.