King Elk Forest Tinker Tailor, Soldier Sailor

Looking for @Primo (hope you don't mind the powerplay), @Carlotta can also jump in if she wants ;p

A splinter group of the Ferretti family set off into the Wilds in the early morning with the intention of scouting. They eventually came to a forest and the present Ferretti's slipped into the cover of its wooden embrace. For a while, they walked in silence until Giancarlo broke the quiet spell with apprehension.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," muttered Giancarlo under his breath as he stole a nervous glance at his father who walked at his side. Uncertainty ruled the mind of the head of household as he began to second guess his decision to uproot the entire family from the Saltlick Basin. Even under the threat of conflict and strife, anything was better than this. The forest, it was stripped bare. Nothing green remained. What once appeared to be a sprawling wood was now nothing more than a skeleton -- a graveyard of spindly trees.

The Don felt as if he was leading his family into certain death. The Ferretti family was his responsibility after all. His father, Primo, would understand that more than any other wolf -- as he had once been in the same position as Giancarlo. His rule, of course, had been more decisive, but no Don went without struggle. 

He looked around and shook his head with dissapointment. "What should we tell the family Dad?" Surely, they were all waiting with baited breath back at the camp for the information Giancarlo and Co set out to gather.

Nope, don't mind at all!

The old bones of the cranky man followed his son with long, slow steps as they traveled into what seemed like a wasteland. There was hardly any green left, the treetops were now see-through and the smell of prey was weak. If the old stumper was alone right now, he wouldn't have mind it all that, but now he had his family with him. Sure, he wasn't the leader of the group anymore, but deep down inside his shattered heart he still cared. He kept quiet for most of the trip toward (hopefully) better days, just barely keeping up with his son's much younger and fitter body.

But alas, the silence couldn't last forever. Well, isn't that fitting? He commented in a hoarse voice. If he would've been in his son's place, he would've fought the damned wolves who had dared to threaten them. Sometimes he didn't understand Giancarlo's thought process. Yes, the enemy was with more, but they had wolves with way more experience in life as a whole. He snorted softly as he came to a halt. He thought they'd seen enough to say that living here would be hard.

He sighed at his son's words. That it's either getting ripped to shreds back home or this. Personally, I'd go for the latter, I'm too old to die. He spoke grumpy with just a pinch of dark humor.

He snorted with a quick chortle and once again fell silent. His father's attempt at humor brought a brief smile to Giancarlo's face -- however, it was brief in span and the lighthearted quip felt out of place. Attention returning back to the ruined forest, the Don shook his head defeatedly. It seemed he was now left with two choices: either lead his family back home to Saltlick Basin or continue forward -- each option, Giancarlo felt he was leading his family to certain death. Either way, he would not succumb to fear and doom the Ferretti's further.

"We can't turn back now," he said, decision to push forward being resolute. "If we keep heading north, I'm sure things will get better." It was a pipe dream and there was no true way to gauge the scale of the destruction without passing though. Giancarlo could only hope that this barren forest was an isolated incident and not a harbinger of things to come.

He pushed forward, drawing away from his father's side, and rounded the side of a particularly large tree that had been stripped of all greenery. The Don looked up and squinted so he could see all the way up to the peak. Nothing remained. "What do you suppose can do this sort of thing?" He asked. This sort of destruction was something Giancarlo had never seen. Whatever force decended on the forest remained a mystery to him.

Primo kept a stoic and grumpy face as his son snorted, not that amused by his own jokes. He played with a small stone with his paw as he watched Giancarlo be all down in the dumps. Boo-hoo, so they stumbled upon a wasteland, how bad could it be? It wouldn't help anyone to change direction now, for who knew how far the things that did this damage had spread. Maybe they were lucky the insects were gone already, now it wouldn't take long for the green to return. They say that when the first generation of something has vanished, the next generation could grow stronger. He hoped it counted for wolves as well...

That's the spirit. The old man said, rolling his eyes slightly. He meant his comment, though it was kind of cheesy for him to admit it happy peppy. Instead, he lay down, his slightly muscled frame hitting the ground with his side with a thump. Aaaah, that's better... His voice rumbled as he stretched himself out.

He watched his son with a side eye, inspecting a half-dead tree. Yeah, that was going to help them, totally. He let out a soft snort again, one that probably wasn't loud enough for Giancarlo to hear. A plague of any kind of insect that eats plants. He replied dryly. It didn't matter what kind of insect it had been to him.

Giancarlo turned his skyward gaze from the barren tree to his lounging father a few meters away. His brow furrowed with disbelief in response to his answer. "Bullshit," he quickly shot back, believing his father was still just joking with him. He had never seen an insect cause so much damage, let alone a swarm large enough to wipe out an entire forest. It was all too unbelievable.

"I think it might be some sort of disease or something," he incorrectly theorized. His shoulders rolled forward in a shrug. Whatever had stripped the leaves from the trees was of no consequence... Not anymore at least. Now, they had to deal with the problem at hand -- leading the family into a wasteland.

He raised an eyebrow at his son when he turned, but soon was distracted by an itch on his aching back. He rolled around in the dust for a bit, but stopped when his son cursed. Had he raised him like that? Or was cursing a thing that came with age? Bullshit, my ass. He grumbled loudly, rolling back on his side. He clicked his tongue loudly as he yawned, the hot summer sun shining on his now dusty pelt. He could really go for a nap right now.

Trees with diseases? What are ya, talking in tongues or just stupid? He questioned. I'm sure that if you walk a little further, you'll step on a body of the things that did this. With the word "this", he looked up at the nearest tree with a nod. He had seen a bug eating a plant before, it was only logical for him to think that a whole swarm of them could destroy a whole territory. Even if it wasn't true, it made a lot more sense than trees with diseases.

"It's plausible," spoke Giancarlo in his own defense. "I mean -- plants can get get diseases, wither, and die... Trees are all in the same. Who's to say that didn't happen here on a large scale?" His response was accentuated with a smug humph. Of course, his idea was no more plausible (perhaps even less so than the explanation offered by his father), but it was his own idea. Giancarlo, of all things, was headstrong and once he got an idea in his head, it was tough to budge.

However, guided by the goading of his father, Giancarlo pulled away from the tree and pressed further into the withered forest with his nose to the ground. Eventually, he came by the brown carapace of locust: one of the swarm that had been left behind to die. He lifted a brow and shot a glance at his father. "This?" He asked, pushing the body of the locust across the forest floor with his forepaw. "You think these things stripped the entire forest? I knew you were old Dad, but I didn't think you were full-on mad." Smugly, Giancarlo began to laugh.

Carlotta stepped up behind her Grandsire silently, crystalline eyes taking in the devastation with awe. The young wolf had grown tired of waiting for the two to return, so she had followed their scent, not going far before she heard their voices. Carlotta had to agree with Primo, his idea of insects seemed to fit better then disease considering the relatively healthy limbs and trunks of the bare trees. 
Her father's distress was turning to snarkiness as defense and understandably so, considering he had the entire family waiting for him to set up home. 
Looking at Giancarlo with sadness, the female came closer to her sire and sighed. "It matters not how this happened or where we go, there is still the Family. We will follow you anywhere Father." The young girl flicked the tip of her plume against his side in an act of reassurance and hoped he would stop the pointless arguing with Primo. The journey had been a long, hungry one and Lotti just wanted to find somewhere to rest her weary body.

It's stupid, that's what it is. He scolded with an angry sound that came from somewhere in the back of his throat. He removed his eyes from his son, his neck beginning to hurt from lying in that position for long, and instead focused on the bare tree branches and the blue sky. Oh Luisa, if only you were here. She would've known what to do with Gian, he was sure. 

His ears perked and his head shot back in the position before to look at his son. With an angry glare he nodded. Those were indeed insects, and a bunch of them could cause some trouble. Just as he was about to lecture Gian, Carlotta barged in. He made a cranky hmmph sound and bumped his head on the hard ground. He got up slowly, clearly not as agile as he had once been, and walked to his granddaughter and his own flesh and blood.

I am old, but at least I'm not so dumb as to think this destruction was because of some weird tree disease. The trees look perfectly healthy to me, and it's no coincidence this whole area is scattered with bodies of these weird things. He pointed at the weird insect with his muzzle and ended his lecture with a snort.

The more Giancarlo looked around, the more locusts he saw littering the landscape— each adding more and more validity to Primo's theory. Correct or not however, Primo's constant patronizing attitude throughout the trip had grown grating -- though he was family (and the bond between father and son was something nearly unshakable), Giancarlo was nearly at wits end with it. He rolled his eyes in response, yet before he courld respond with a snappy lash of the tongue, they were joined by Giancarlo's youngest daughter, Carlotta.

Giancarlo sighed and tore his gaze away from his father to draw his attention to his daughter: his angular features softening significantly in the process. She spoke truth, and though merely a teenager, she was wise beyond her years, unlike the other two of Giancarlo's little hellions. 

"Lotti..." He spoke, voice soft. "I told you to stay with the rest of the family." He shook his head. She, along with her siblings, were meant to stay  at their temporary camp until Giancarlo and Primo returned. It seemed, like most of the Ferretti clan, she had trouble following the rules Giancarlo had outlined.

Giana came from a slightly different area than her daughter and mate, obvious that she was exploring, but nonetheless found her target: Giancarlo. Much as she didn't like leaving her pups, however grown, behind, the ivory woman just couldn't let her lover go off without her in such a strange new place. Shamelessly, she trotted right up to the Don and pressed into his side. She was not only vain, but dominant: with her mate the lead of the family, she felt entitled to take her spot next to him. So she did, albeit silently, she gave a respectful nod to Primo before turning kind stormy eyes on her daughter.

If they're gonna be their own pack and start somewhere, I feel like Shimmering Sands or Coconut Grove would be a good place :3

Carlotta smiled as her father gently chided her, knowing what he was thinking. Though she sometimes disobeyed there was no denying the respect she had for her elders. "I thought this to be a good opportunity to see what plants are around here, I'll need to start a new cache but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon." She had been hoping to pick up her self-training as a healer. She had become quite knowledgeable in that area over the last six months.

Her ears twitched, hearing the approach of her mother and stepped away from her father to make room. She was very conscious of the family ranks, knowing if she wasn't,  she would hear about it. But she loved her mother and didn't mind being set aside. "Should we maybe find somewhere to go for the night?" The sun wouldn't be around for much longer.

I think it'd be best to join a pack since we otherwise need to wait for 3 months until Gian can be an alpha. Just a temporary stay though, since The Ferreti Pack sounds pretty amazing!

The roll of his son's eyes meant nothing to him. At least he wasn't defending his theory anymore, which had been the whole point of the lecture. Now, he looked to the insect on the ground and wondered if it was edible. If it was, they could use that as food source until the green grew back and the prey returned. He said nothing about it for now though, only glancing up at his youngest granddaughter.

Sooner than you might think. The old man spoke. 'Don't believe this place 'll be barren forever. He followed turning around to find his spot in the sun again. Before he could though, Giana also came barging in. It seemed no one could follow the rules of the alpha anymore. He snorted softly, hitting the dusty ground again with his old bones.

And there he stayed, waiting for his son to give new orders or for the rest to go away themselves so Gian and him could go exploring like it had been planned. The sun was so relaxing that he rolled onto his back to expose his lighter colored belly, sending up dust in the process that almost looked like glitter as it was lit up by the sun.

I was thinking they'd all settle in the Black Morass eventually (Coconut Grove would be pretty cool too), but since pack formation is tentatively closed, and due to the changes in the pack formation process (3 month wait time), I figured the Ferretti's could be nomadic and settle in multiple places until they can permananly settle down. Maybe we can keep the timeline straight, location wise, though an external source like a private Slack channel.

Before Giancarlo had the chance to rebuke his daughter further, the scouting group was joined by yet another member of the Ferretti family -- Giana. His gaze settled upon his mate, frustration etched across his features. She, just like the children, was meant to remain behind and wait for further instruction. Nevertheless, his wife's behavior surprised him far less than Carlotta's wandering. Giana was headstrong and tended to do what she wished— it typically made parenting much harder than it needed to be. 

He shook his head disappointedly. How could he teach his daughter to follow when her very own mother was a poor example. "I know you want to be a healer darling, but that's not enough of an excuse to disobey me.  No more," he said, directed to his daughter with a stern voice. Though his children had grown, and to most they would be adults, Giancarlo still found himself incredibly protective. Every opportunity he had to clip their wingspan, he took.

He pressed into his mate's side and said, "Same goes for you too." Though she was his wife and equal, Giancarlo didn't want her wandering around unattended. 

Turning his attention back to his daughter, Giancarlo answered, "We'll settle here for the night. Wait here, and I'll fetch the rest of the family." He pulled away from his mate's side and began to walk in the direction from which he came. Turning his head backwards he called back to his father. "Watch them for me Dad— I can't have anyone wandering off again."

I don't know how to do that, so you will have to tell me haha

Carlotta turned her eyes back to her father as he spoke, and she instantly felt guilty for giving him one more thing to worry about. Nodding, Lotti agreed not to go wandering anymore without permission. Even with the prospect of a rough beginning in their new homeland, the young wolf was excited to be here. This was a real adventure, with unknown territory, possible hostiles and new challenges around every corner. Just wait till her brother, sister and Remmy arrived. There would be a fight to contain them in camp.

Giancarlo had announced that they would sleep where they are tonight, so Carlotta began to set up and area for her family, dragging any fallen branches and debris into a pile, and using her wide plume to sweep aside any remaining locust corpses. It helped keep her mind away from the problem of dinner, knowing everyone would be starved from their long journey. Hopefully they could look around for something to eat. They had encountered the scent of other wolves here and there but all were faint and not a danger just yet.

The ground was loose and dry, so it was easy for her to shift the soil aside and create a round crater in the earth, under the shade of a boulder. The grounder underneath was soft and moist, making it a perfect spot to cool down. "Here Grandfather, you should rest in the shade while we wait. I can maybe find some water for you when father returns."

I was hoping they'd stay nomads for a while <3 Black Morass is a great place for them!
P.s, Calamity, watch posting order ^-^ 

Giana gave her dark mate a nuzzle as he returned her affection, and stayed silent as he reprimanded their daughter. When he scolded HER, however, and pulled away from their touch, a soft growl formed deep in her chest. Her snowy tail lashed, and she placed herself in a sit directly where she was. How dare he treat her like some subordinate! The ivory female didn't follow him, however, even if it was only out of pissyness. 
Her stormy dark eyes flashed in anger, and she stood only after he was gone to sniff around. She explored out a little father, her petite paws quiet against the barren earth. Giana made sure to keep in sight of her daughter and father in law, but only just; not because she didn't want to earn Giancarlo's wrath, but because she was wary of the dangers in this new land. She needed to be close if they needed help, the very reason she'd followed them out here in the first place. The cranky female muttered and cursed to herself unintelligibly as she circled the perimeter of their temporary nesting place, her rust-frosted back fur standing at half mast in irritation.

Whops didn't think it was my turn since I was first after Carlotta. Please watch the post orders! :)

Primo chuckled softly at how hurt Giana acted. She was nothing like Luisa. Luisa had been kind, gentle and calm. Giana was a pain in the ass for the most part, but part of the old man liked it, especially when his son stood up to her like this. Her reactions were always priceless.

He didn't care where they slept nor where they would settle, Primo could sleep anywhere. He could fall asleep in the middle of a storm and in the burning sun. That was part of the fun an old man had, but just as he was about to close his eyes, Carlo-boy gave him an order too. He rumbled. I'm retired! He shouted at the back of his son. He was going to do it, simply because his son was indeed the leader now, but he did it mostly because he didn't know what else there was out here. He needed to watch them, however irritating that might be.

He watched as his granddaughter made a comfortable place out of this hellhole, and the old man placed his head on his paws. Watching others work was all he could do really, for his old body wasn't capable of it anymore. He could still hunt, fight and run, but it was nothing compared to the stuff he did back in his prime. When Carlotta was smothering him though, he let out another rumble. I am perfectly capable of caring for myself. He said angrily, getting up to lay on the moist sand in the shade. The sun was getting too hot anyway.

He noticed how Giana roamed the part around their temporary home, and all was well for now.