Grouse Thicket Man on the moon

What is this.. 4th traveling thread? I think that's about right! :D @Kinvara @Alkiva @Akazia @Jaida @Scully @Thea (if she decides to come along). All welcome, especially prospective lone wolves! <3 Oh! and @Malice amd @Burke if you want to warn him off! We always need da drama.

They had made it.. to the new lands at least. Upon arriving and scouting about, Zaavier had found a prospective forest just beyond the isle. However, he had found the isle heavily scented and with a chuff, he decided to move on. They had stopped for the night at Grouse Thicket so he could really think things over. Should he at least try to scout out the woods over there? For all he knew, there could be a vicious pack living between the two rivers, and the large man didn't want to risk injuring himself once again. 

He turned around and adressed his followers with a gruff bark. "We've made it so far, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank ya'll. We're almost there, I can feel it! And I do think that our hard work will pay off," He told them, meeting each and every on of their gazes with a warmth shared by all. "I say that we head South, then East. During my brief scouting, I found that a forest near the mountains is scented with wolves, and the isle a ways in front of us is marked. If we head this way," Zaavier pointed with his tail to the direction he had mentioned before, "We should be able to find a clear spot." He gazed around the group. "Who's with me?" He gave a smile, ears pricking to listen to the responses.

Akazia had been hesitant to head back to the west, in the direction of the Molech worshippers, wanting to put as much distance between her family and the cultists as possible. She was even more cautious now that they travelled with a large group of strangers, keeping her daughter close to her until she trusted these women. Jaida didn’t seem to have any problem with that, she was shy in nature as it was.

The group came to a stop, Akazia glancing up at the sound of Zaavier's bark. They were in a thick forest, a cove of woods on an island nearby settled between two rivers. Smiling slightly as their leader gave a speech, 'Kazia reached down and rubbed against her daughter. She was certain they would be okay now that they were in a group. Let's see the worshippers try to sacrifice me now.

Akazia was hesitant to step forward to second Zaavier's opinion, given it would draw attention to her and her daughter, but did so with a shy smile and a glance around at the others. "I second the decision," she called out loud enough for the other's to hear.

Jaida wasn't sure how she felt about Zaavier. The yearling wasn't entirely convinced she could trust him, given that he was a man, but her mother seemed to. Jay was developing a tentative bond with the tall male, she no longer stared at him so distrustfully but then she wasn't the same with him as she was with Mother. 

Travelling with the other women was intriguing and scary at the same time, Jay worried that they too might attack but clung to the reminder that not everyone here was out to hurt them. At the very least, the fact that their little band of wolves was mostly female was a bit comforting to the shy girl though she hadn't made any moves to get closer to them. 

They came to a stop, next to a tiny island of forest with rivers on either side of it. Zaavier spoke up with an idea about moving onto a nearby forest and Mama moved forward to second his idea. Jay moved forward slightly, not looking at any of the others as she joined her mother in a third approval of the plan.

Malmal isn't really aggressive, so don't worry everyone! She just wants them all to know they're settling nearby.

Ever since the group of misfits had arrived on their closed off island, Malice hadn't gone out to explore just yet. She had hunted nearby and marked the borders, but never had she scouted away, afraid her young might get wounded in the time she would be gone. But now that Burke and her had had a little talk, she felt much more at ease with leaving her children with him. It was obvious his words had been sincere, and otherwise Aeronwyn could watch them. Being mother didn't mean being with your children 24/7, otherwise they'd never grow up. They were around a month now, maybe even older, they could waddle around and see the forest for themselves. There was no need for a mother near at all times. At least, in her humble opinion.

And so, as the sun lit up the sky in the most fantastic hues of soft pink, orange and yellow, she left. Of course she let out a bark to warn the others she would be gone for an hour or so, but no hugs or anything. That was not her style. She soon remembered Burke and her had decided to use fake names outside the territory, and hers was Absinthe. Have to remember that...

It did not take long for her to find the scent of wolf nearby one of the rivers on the south side. She raised an eyebrow above her good eye that was not marked with a scar of battle and shame. Instantly, her tail raised high enough to be seen, swaying from side to side rather gracefully. It was not just one wolf, she could tell, there was a whole pack of them. She couldn't tell with how many they were, but it was enough to get defensive about their new home. She trotted over, soon finding the group, and let her eyes scan the ones that were present.

Good day; ladies, gentlemen. She spoke loud enough to be heard yet soft enough to not sound angry. What is the meaning of all this? You see, my home is nearby, and we do not have the best memories of neighbors so close. Were you planning on settling here? She rattled for a moment. Well, at least it got the point across.

Thea found the group to be one of the oddest she had ever seen. There was Zaavier, whom was the only male and their leader. Kinvara, the amber coyote-esque woman with the strange accent. Alkiva, the dainty white woman whom hadn't seemed to like Thea in the first place and almost appeared to be Zaavier's girlfriend. Scully wasn't someone she had gotten to know and appeared almost normal. Finally there was the mother-daughter duo they had picked up recently. Akazia was quiet and very protective of her daughter, a girl whom had just turned a year old and was puppyish in appearance. Thea wasn't sure what they all looked like from a stranger's point of view but she had to admit she liked the group dynamic.

They had come to a stop in a wooded copse not too far off from an island surrounding by rivers, Zaavier coming up with the idea to head for a different forest nearby. Akazia and Jaida both agreed and Thea stepped forward as well, ready to agree to the plan when a stranger appeared and spoke about her home nearby.

Thea wasn't sure if there was about to be conflict or not but moved forward to group with her band of companions in a silent display of unity.If it came to it, Thea would fight for them.

Burke watched how Malice crossed the river. It wasn't like he wanted to check upon her but he kind of wanted to. He didn't want to lose her. The male trotted up to Malice and walked with her in silence. They didn't need to say much. However where he would have gone for the spy mode she just marched right in. Burke smirked. Motherhood was doing Malice good. She was becoming more assertive. Burke instantly followed her. His eye falling on the one that he seemed to remember. God that whiny female about their family (and he had frankly scared away) was there with them.

His pale eyes fell on her for a moment, before he looked around at the other wolves. "Don't cross the river, onto the island, even if you aren't settling here. It won't end well," he stated. "We are Absinthe and Thor and we rule Arthendal. We protect our family at all cost so let it be known to you, even if the scent marks didn't tell you enough, that we live close," he added. They didn't need to know they were settling also, they were settling longer. Hell, he even saw himself as a pack already. Plus he was kind of smitten that they used their secret names. Though Burke did not want them settled here. This was their land. Yet, it was not clear if they were traveling or settling here.

Two others had joined them, a young mother by the name of Akazia and her yearling daughter Jaida. The pup intrigued Kinvara, Jaida had only turned a year old recently and still looked the part of a child. She was short, fluffy, a bit chubby rather than muscular, and completely adorable. Akazia was protective and that kept the flame woman from getting too close but still she liked the duo.

She wasn't sure how Alkiva would feel about the new additions as that would be more competition for Zaavier's affections. Kinvara had gotten over her short crush, realizing Alkiva for what she was. Manipulative and fake. Kinvara didn't want that in a partner and had quickly moved on.

They stopped near an isle and Kinvara listened as Zaavier mentioned moving to a forest nearby. Others agreed with him, but were soon cut off by a pair of strangers appearing. Their words put Kinvara on edge and she too moved forward with Thea in case things turned ugly.

sorry Alkiva she throwing shade inside her head XD

a wild Dany appears! I'm a bit late to the party but she's with you guys @Zaavier @Akazia @Jaida @Alkiva @Kinvara @Scully and everyone else I don't remember off the top of my head!

Dany was drawn to the area by the commotion and scents of several wolves. She didn't know any of them and they appeared to be quite the bunch. There was a rather tall man, the only of the larger group, with a red tinted coat. There was a small odd looking woman who appeared to be some other type of canid that Dany couldn't place. There was a pale woman nearby with her young daughter, not yet grown into an adolescent's body. There was a fluffy teen with odd brown markings. Another wolf hung about as well though there didn't appear to be anything particular about her.

The opposing group was only a pair, a dark woman with a scar across her eye though it didn't seem to affect her sight and a male to her side with a docked tail. Dany quickly did the math and joined the larger group, slipping in towards the back as if she were supposed to be there.

Haughty, proud steps brought the pale woman toward the group, silver eyes gleaming as she took in the scene before her. There were her Lord and Lady, though Shink was not to be found, perhaps he was playing with the pups. Aeronwyn did not know if Malice trusted the other enough yet, but he had been with them for quite a while so she supposed that it was possible. She had not arrived in time to hear the end of Burke's speech, thus she had only the tail end of his words to work with. 

She assessed the group with the practised eye of a warrior, judging and evaluating their strengths. The pup was obviously a weak stop, that chubby juvenile she judged to be...six month old, judging by it's appearance. Should this turn sour, she could go for it, perhaps as a bargaining chip. A number looked smaller than average, this too could be an advantage. 

Finally, the beautiful femme revealed her position, walking purposely from the woods to stand alongside her Lord and Lady. She eyed the others with stunning eyes devoid of emotion, speaking with a voice brisk and sharp as the waters of a spring pool. "What business do you seek her? Be it that you come with ill intentions, make it known such."

Her eyes slipped to a straggler, slipping into the group at the last moment, then back to the motley crew. So what, if they were fewer? She would gladly hand them their asses on a silver platter.

Zaavier was met by a black female, who he took as a friendly, non-threatening character. She greeted them with friendliness and Zaavier gave a respectful dip of his head back to her, tail twitching as she told her stale news. "Good Evening. I had gone exploring earlier and noted your borders. I have to admit, I was certainly thinking of settling in that forest over there," he told her openly, pointing towards Shadewood. "I will not invade your privacy however." A large male with a docked tail then approached, immediately presenting himself as a bold creature. He introduced himself as Thor, and the female as Absinthe, stating that they ruled Arthendal. He nodded towards him in a greeting, even if Thor had never offered an acknowledgment himself. 

"Well, I was just speaking with my wolves and we were going to head South. With luck, we will settle somewhere there." He explained to them, hoping they would take him as no threat. Large head swayed to the right, glancing over his shoulder to meet the gaze of another white wolf that slunk into their midst. He would talk to her later, and with a twinkle in his eye, he turned back to the duo. 

Soon, another female slunk up beside them, her voice hostile and edgy. He bristled just a bit, studying her closely. She must've been one of their followers, but either way, she had not right to challenge him. He shifted his gaze from her to Absinthe and Thor, opening his mouth once more. "We were going to rest here shortly, then move on. Are you uncomfortable with this?" Tail lashed as he eyed the white female again before turning his head back to the pair to await their answer.

Jaida moved forward with her, Akazia smiling encouragingly. She hoped the yearling would begin to open up around the others though it would likely take time. It appeared Thea, the brown and white adolescent whom Akazia liked most in the group, would move forward to join the group of wolves agreeing to shelter in the forest but was cut off by the approach of first a dark furred woman. The woman bore a scar through her eye though she seemed to have perfect vision and was soon joined by a large male with docked tail and a slender woman. 

Akazia could sense some tension between the two, stepping in front of Jay who was getting too big to stand over as she finally was hitting a growth spurt. The male seemed a bit more pushy than his mate, or she presumed the woman to be his mate, but the white woman at their side was downright rude in Akazia's opinion. Honestly, they were only testing nearby, not attempting to take over their land.

Akazia turned, stiffening as she caught sight of an unknown wolf joining them from the back. The slender female didn't seem threatening as she only stood in the back, but Akazia made a note to keep an eye on her.

gonna be pping Jaida from here on out so feel free to skip over her. Also slight pp @Dany I can edit if you want

for once, Malice was not pleased with being followed around by Burke. She knew he was stubborn and rough around the edges, and they could not use that in a scenario like this. These problems, if she could even call it that, should be handled with care and peace. As soon as Burke opened his mouth, she hoped he wouldn't sound too aggressive. She loved him more than anything, but perhaps she could manage to solve a problem for once. I think they know, Thor. She said softly, looking over to Burke for a moment. 

They all seemed rather quiet, though their faces changed with the arrival of Aeronwyn. Oh boy, this couldn't end well. She placed a paw before Aeronwyn to hold her back from any more quite threatening speakings. She looked apologetic toward who she assumed to be the leader of the bunch, feeling rather embarrassed by their rude behavior. They hadn't done anything, yet, why already scare them into a corner?

She listened to the stranger with a neutral expression. There really seemed to be no problem at all here. It is nice to know that our borders didn't go unnoticed, and that you are not settling right beside us. She stepped forward, taking the upper hand for once. As long as you stay a respectful distance away from the borders and you do indeed leave after you are all rested, I see no problem.

It hadn't been until the male showed up that Thea recognized the small group as the one she had run across earlier in her travels. Her face soured as if she had smelt something foul, stifling a groan of annoyance. No wonder they seemed so hostile, as usual the mother was the one trying to make peace and her skullhead companions were being rude.

The pale woman had been somewhat kind to Thea last time though she had ruffled Zaavier's feathers this time. The adolescent shifted closer to Akazia and Jaida, ready to help defend the underdeveloped girl, certain she saw the pale woman's eyes flick in Jaida's direction.

An unknown woman slipped into their ranks, Akazia's turn causing her to look in that direction briefly before turning back around. They could deal with the stranger, obviously on their side, later.

Burke noticed there were more coming, and Malice seemed to be irritated by his way of talking to the others. He was not changing. He wanted them away of their turf. Plus this was the perfect good cop, bad cop situation. Burke could just be the grumpy one and Malice could soothe it over and seem that they weren't out for real trouble. He nodded to Malice. "I believe so too," he agreed and looked at their leader. They didn't really have to protect their lands but they did make a statement.

He nudged Aeronwyn to make her calm down a bit. "We will leave you to your travels then. You may rest, though by tomorrow night I expect your band of followers to be gone from this place," he spoke, which he found very reasonable. That gave them more than 24 hours to take their bags and leave. He looked at Malice, seeing if she agreed to it, well she had to. He had already said it. Burke looked over the group, he believed he made his statement clear.

The couple opposing them is joined by a volatile woman, pale of fur and sharp of tongue. Kinvara feels her hackles rise as Zaavier attempts to settle everything down, his tail lashing in aggression. The former slave barely contains a growl, certain they could take the small trio. Even so, it isn't her decision to make and she keeps herself under control until one of them attacks or Zaavier gives the word.

Thea and Akazia, alongside the rude woman who's eyes flick in the direction, turning cause her to be distracted briefly to glance at the straggler joining their ranks. Kinvara turns, certain she wouldn't be joining them if she was with the other wolves. Zaavier doesn't seem bothered and so Kinvara decided to leave it be.

The man speaks, making it clear they have twenty-four hours before they must be gone. Once more the amber woman must stop herself from aggression, still entirely certain they could take the group. Especially if it was only these three here against Zaavier's group, a total of eight with the stranger.

Several of them turn to look at her as she slips into their ranks, including the male leader. None seem particularly aggressive towards her, maybe it's obvious that she's on their team, although the young mother stares at her warily. Dany takes no offense, certain the mother must have been cautious if she had raised the child alone. If the pup had been raised with the group, it would be a little harder to understand given she had a whole pack to keep her child safe.

Either way, Dany shoots them all a grin, dipping her head a bit in respect. She's weasled her way out of worse situations, surely joining what looked to be a harem would not turn out against her would it? Dany knew she was a fine specimen, a she-wolf in her prime. If this truly was a harem it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have another pretty woman. 

The male of the trio seems a bit testy, Dany has to hold in a snort laughter. As far as she can tell there's seven adult wolves here against three. It isn't exactly in his odds to be ordering, especially when it isn't even his land the group wanted to reside in. Dany was certain should the male leader give the word, the trio would be defeated in moments.

The ridiculous she-wolf, the one who slipped in late, looks...amused? The femme's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight, turning her gaze back to the obvious leader of the group. After Malice's and Burke's reaction to her entrance, she thinks it might be well for her to remain silent, for now. Her entrance, it seems was not entirely warranted. Still, she did not slink nor lower herself, as she never did, but remained in her proud stance. These wolves would be sorely mistaken should they think they might be able to defeat the trio. 

The red-furrd woman shows signs of hostility, and Aeronwyn fixed her with a deadpanned stare. She held the gaze a moment longer, making her intentions clear; should the woman become violent, Aeronwyn would not hesitate to leap into battle. This large a group near their borders, on their borders, made her wary, and she was in no mood for the woman's moodiness. Still she remained silent, standing alongside and slightly behind her leaders, offering her support in the form of a string stance.

Once again, Zaavier was met with a friendly Absinthe, a testy Thor, and a hostile white she-wolf. She remained silent this time, finally realizing her boundaries, he supposed. A cool gaze rested on her for a moment, following her gaze to Kinvara, who was standing at his shoulder. Zaavier placed a large paw in front of his firey friend as if to warn both her and the white she-wolf before him to calm down. After that was done, he returned his atention to the alpha pair.

Absinthe gave her permission, and Thor agreed, giving the wolves a warning. Zaavier nodded, tail swishing with pleasure. "Fair enough," He said, glancing between the two. "We will simply be here for little over two hours so we can hunt and rest. We will surely be gone by then." He said, nodding towards Thor.  "I hope we can meet again soon."

Thea moved closer after a glance from the pale femme, Kinvara no longer the only one with issues holding in a growl as Akazia found herself stiffening. She pushed Jaida further between herself and the teen, suddenly finding herself relying on one of the group's members for assistance. 

Zaavier seemed to be trying to stop Kinvara from attacking, the amber woman's hackles rising as she seemed to be fighting against setting the pale woman in place. Akazia watched the happenings with worried eyes, not wanting blood to be shed.

Zaavier was quick to make peace, saying they would be gone in two hours. Akazia began to edge backwards slowly, not taking her eyes off the trio until she was certain that they were going home.

Malice listened to Burke, nodding at him when he was done talking. She found it reasonable enough, and it seemed the leader of the group found it alright. Though she was still worried that Burke and Aeronwyn had made them look more like beasts than anything and wished she had gone alone. She realized that, although she had been part of the Dark Brotherhood just like them, she was far from being rude and took everything into consideration. Perhaps from now on out she would handle these kind of things alone and only discuss it with Burke if he so pleased. She ignore the large group of wolves, most of them -except for one- looking rather peaceful. It seemed she had saved them all from a fight.

It was a pleasure to meet you all. She lied, as this had mostly been a heart attack. Please, do make sure you are all well rested before leaving, and have a nice day. She followed with a polite nod, her tail never lowering and her stance proud-not mocking. With that, she had found enough her time had been wasted on something so unimportant and turned around to go back to where they belonged. She hoped Burke and Aeronwyn would follow and not start a fight while her back was turned, but knew not to think so lowly of her family and friends.

Thea didn't look at Akazia as she found Jaida pushed further between them, placing a foreleg out in front of the pup as her mother had. She glanced between Kinvara and the pale woman, reaching forward to lay a paw against Kinvara's back. Once she held the amber woman's attention she shook her head slightly, hoping to encourage her to keep where she was.

Thea could have laughed at the mention of it being nice to meet them, if she hadn't been worried about it sparking a fight between the two groups and only nodded absently to the words. She certainly hadn't expected to meet up with the group again, and as nice as Absinthe seemed, she didn't want to meet them again.

They began to edge backwards, Thea nodding to Akazia to let her know she would watch their backs as she turned with the others to leave.

Burke nodded to the male that seemed to be their leader. A sign of mutual respect. It seemed this male at least understood what other leaders felt like. Some of his members didn't seem to like his demand but it was not about them. Burke had spoken to their leader after all. It seemed that they were just traveling which meant they could return home safely.

Burke looked at Malice with a bit of a frown. 'Pleasure to meet you all' seriously? Burke didn't think it was a pleasure it would be pleasure if they would stay out of their hair. Burke just looked at their leader and gave him a firm nod, that was the only thing he did. His members he ignored.

The large male walked away with Malice, even though they had been in the minority they had made their claim, which was important. Burke was pleased enough about the outcome.

Kinvara cocked a brow at the white wolf across from them, presenting her with the same challenge. Step forward and face death or at least injury. She had been to Hell and back and a scrawny  female didn't frighten her, nor did her companions.

She glanced at Zaavier as his leg appeared in her line of sight, nodding silently to the command. The former slave would keep her violence out of the delegations. Feeling Thea place a paw on her back as the meeting came to a close, she backed up with a glance over the three as they left.

Muttering in Latin beneath her breath, Kinvara turned and stalked off with ears flat against her head.

After exchanging formalities, the Lord and Lady turned back into the territory, the other group taking their leave as well. Some seemed nervous, others, like the red girl, angry. But none challenged them, even though Aeronwyn, wary and alert, would probably have beaten them all (in her mind, of course).

She watched the retreating group a few moments longer, making sure none of them turned back, before padding after her Lord and Lady. She would be back, to monitor this area- she wouldn't be forgetting about the group.