Barrow Fields seaside, whenever you stroll along with me

on the edge of the fields, near the forest that Grimnismal claims, close enough to be seen by any border patrols but not cause alarm. tagging @Wylla and @Lycaon but any other Grim member can step in; it's AW. Morningside is just coming by to say "hi diddly-ho, (new) neighborinos"

grayday and easy went north, to visit the pack on the cliffs, while aditya, @Spiritwalker and @Sorrel Marie stayed on their course to undersea, stopping near another coastal pack on the way. the scent markings along the edge of the forest were strong and fierce, and so he chose to hang back on the fields; they could talk to their neighbors on their front lawn. he wouldn't risk bringing a pregnant woman and a sickly girl too close to a border, particularly if he had no idea how the other group would react.

he smiled over at cat as they stopped to rest, looking to see if she was still fine. catori was a strong wolf, and going to visit seelie had been her idea, anyway. still, it wasn't without a touch of concern that he asked, "all right, cat?" in casual tones. he gave sorrel a kind look as well; she had recovered, it appeared, from the illness, which was sublime news. perhaps she would start to come out of her shell.

tipping his muzzle back, aditya let out a soft, ululating howl for the pack in the sound, nodding at the others to join him. his call was an aural olive branch, full of peace and hope and trust. morningside were kind wolves, and, most importantly, they'd keep to themselves, just as they had on the plateau. he hoped there was no mass conflict brewing here.

he lowered his head and closed his eyes, the sea air cool and bracing against his face. he belonged by the ocean; he hoped grayday would send him on all the coastal expeditions needed. there was a swamp between the plains and the sea, but at least that was better than the bleeding forest and the formidable mass of silvertip, the former claimed by a new pack. he had worried about being too close to ravensblood; those worries were gone, now, as morningside began to stretch out on their new land.

attn: any other Grimnismal wolfies to respond, feel free to PP meeting with Nyx and having her tag along if they head out to greet Adi & co.  :)

She'd spotted the approach of strangers as they crossed into the neighbouring fields, and remained crouched among the foliage at the edge of Grimnismal's sequoia forest. Fierce yellow eyes followed the trio's movement as they travelled deeper into the land that bordered Nyx' home, and her curiosity peaked as they paused to regroup.

The tawny Ostrega's raven-tipped lobes pricked forward, though the small group was far enough out of earshot that she couldn't catch their discussion. She rumbled softly as her thoughts turned to recent hostility within the pack, wondering with concern if these might be scouts from Drageda to bring further conflict.

Her uncertainty dwindled somewhat when one of the strangers tipped his muzzle back to beckon the sound's wolves to them, but still she lingered uncomfortably. While his voice sounded peaceful, Nyx maintained a certain edge; for all she knew, this was an attempt to lure Grimnismal out into the open.

Uncomfortable stepping outwith Ankyra on her own, she opted to remain in her place in wait for the response of a comrade. There was safety and confidence in numbers, she felt, and knew it would be wise to await the support of her pack-mates before facing what could be a potential threat.

Long journies were always made easier when in good company, which is what Sorrel had decided Aditya and Catori were. The trip had meant that she'd had to leave @Honeybee behind, but she hadn't complained. The kitten would always be there when she got back, but trips like these didn't seem to be a common occurence. 

One of Sorrel's favorite parts of travelling with Adi and Cat had been imagining what the chiots would be like once they came to life. If they were to be anything like Grayday, Sorrel thought that they would make for fine young fellows. While she didn't know Cat quite as well, she was content in thinking that she would raise little ladies who were just as fortunate.

The border that they reached was new and fresh; it reminded Sorrel of the Morningside borders after she and papa made their rounds. It had been horribly uninteresting work in the beginning, but Sorrel had come to take a liking to it. Forgetting herself for a moment, she bent down to sniff at the border, only stopping when she realized that Adi and Cat weren't doing the same.

the siren queen heard the summons, and with a wracked sense of furious duty, shimmied right up to the borders. she passed nyx, who hung (intelligently) around the borders -- it may well have been a trap, but caiaphas had always been impetuous and she answered the call on clipped, quick heels.

she came upon them like a wizened witch rudely awoken from a nap -- all white-rimmed, bloodshot of eye, and wild of hair --  as if they were a timid trio of jehovah's witnesses perched upon her door. she summarized each of them with a cripplingly cold stare of her falcon yellow eyes, and promptly metaphorically slammed the door in their face with a brusque dismissal that read well of her intentions: we don't want any, fuck right off.

a scoff announced her derision once her appraisal of the gang was completed, and she was quick to turn back to the cusp of grimnismal. perhaps it was beyond her authority, but caiaphas had never been a she-wolf to bend to the whims of others.

she rejoined with a shrill howl then, her voice shattering the dull silence that hung over the shivering sequoias. go away, or else. 

his legs carried him in long strides to the sward, ears fanned forward as he sought the source of the bid for Grimnismal's congress. it hadn't been from any of their own, so he presumed the moments preceding his arrival were precious--awaiting him was surely a subpoena issued by Drageda to compel his own packmates to deliver him unto their kurdaitcha for purposes of execution. all because of a stupid remark he'd made weeks prior. would he be quartered by four horses, or buried alive à la vestal virgins? 

he drew up to Nyx, letting her know he was coming up behind her with a genial chuff, and if she would allow it, a nip on the chin in greeting. "what's up buttercup?" he intoned--to pester her--yet unaware of the interlopers. he gave ears to breakage in the grasslands, and turned his attention to the unfamilar wolves milling about several yards away. he hunkered down, ears pancaked against his head to lend him some breadth of obscuration just time for Caiaphas to come suddenly crashing from the trees like an outraged bull elephant, telling the trio off with a disposition of implicit wrath for having been disturbed.

unwilling to weather any offense gleaned from the summoning party after their inhospitable reception by his mother, Lycaon leaned into Nyx's shoulder and mumbled, "this is her on a good day."

 

She didn't find that journey was too hard - they went at her pace, checking in often enough - and Catori was still at ease when they had parted from Grayday and Easy. She missed them both almost instantly and found that although she was fond of Aditya's company she was feeling almost like Seelie. She wanted to corral her family close and keep them all tucked together in her presence. Once they'd made it to the edge of the territory she had nudged his shoulder fondly, nodding. "We're good, thanks."  It brought her another basking glow of warm fuzzy feelings to think of how she was a we now, after all. 

Catori fell into a silence as she focused on the pack lands. Curiously enough once they were addressed it wasn't with any sense of curiosity for their reason for showing up. The figure that approached cut a curious silhouette - a pattern almost as unusual as Catori's although not nearly as strangely colored - and the Spiritwalker waited for word. It didn't come, the bristled female deciding pointedly that she had better things to do and about facing back into the territory. Cat glanced between her companions with a slight frown. "Well. They seem a pleasant lot."  She said with a bit of a shrug. She wouldn't force information to them for their mutual benefit; they'd only become a blip on her radar on the path to her true focus anyways. 

by now tired of his status in the lower ranks, aware of what it would take to rise, mahler's dappled auds swept straight above his skull at the affable howl that unfurled across the nearby plains.
regardless of the call's friendly nature, the musiker tensed with the years-worn hardness of one of who had seen too harsh fighting in his time. mahler hesitated no longer; the man's broad paws carried him in a dash to the shadows of the treeline that separated grimnismal from the remainder of the melting winter world.
a trio of wolves; mahler's breath came softly as he slid into the embrace of the trees. there were a pair of his fellows here, and one a leader; the musiker offered lycaon a brief but submissive dip of his ears and muzzle before the stone of his amethyst stare turned toward the strangers that called sirenlike from across the expanse.
but when the slim, sinewy woman he had not yet seen except in passing lunged from the foliage, mahler had no pause within him. compelled to follow, a mixture of instinct and curiosity, the musiker broke into the open some feet behind the she-wolf.
pausing some short distance from her flank, the wretch turned his own flat glare upon the strangers. however, they were unassuming enough as not to hold his boredom from bay; presently mahler flicked his gaze sideways and bristled in a sudden and startling horror at the veritable scythe the woman — harpy, truly! — had cut down the interlopers!
mahler felt his gut pale with fear — he kept his gaze forward when she had turned away, snorting haughtily like a stallion at the wolves too stupid to quail. in the next moment, he followed the woman back into the borders of their territory. his stark terror of her had not abated; mahler veiled it behind his stone countenance, but within his heart the mortal fear took root and coupled itself with a deeply cutting interest.

there was a lot to unpack in a very short amount of time. first, a pair of eyes, staring at them from the edge of the trees. aditya blinked kindly back, hoping the figure--female, by scent--would emerge. then here came another woman, a fierce looker, with a dark head against a gray body, who strode right up to them and gave them a look old as time itself: piss off.

before aditya could react to this rude dismissal, watching the woman walk away with wide golden eyes, a few more shadows lingered at the edge of the trees, and still no one--no one!--had emerged to greet them with any sort of civility. a howl, presumably belonging to the dark-headed woman, rang through the air. piss off, part deux.

with a short sigh of exasperation, just barely held in check, aditya looked at his companions in bemusement, giving a soft laugh at catori's statement. "yes. . .looks as though we're not welcome here," he said rhetorically, nodding toward the trees. "we'd better head to undersea before more of them pop up."

he didn't think this pack was a particular threat; after all, they could have attacked in a blitz from the trees, what with home base advantage and all. no, they simply seemed moody and inhospitable, and aditya couldn't think of anything they'd say or do to change that. he glanced back and forth between cat and sorrel, waiting for their response. once they had affirmed his decision, they would go.

just getting another reply in because I'd really hoped to use this for ambassador-ing XD

Catori might have scoffed at the vague motion in the treeline that hinted at other wolves just watching them. Totally and completely not....odd, that they didn't even come to see what they'd called for other than some clearly angry female (if only Catori knew how much!). It was a disappointment, they'd meant to be polite and informative and maybe lay down some sort of good foundation at the very least for neutrality. It wasn't like Morningside was prone to making waves. They'd discarded their....lesser members for the sake of creating the safe family environment that they'd craved. It was a careful cultivation and the gravid female was grateful for it now especially. 

When Aditya spoke she gave a careless shrug, a sigh leaving her lips. "It's absolutely a disappointment." She admitted. "Well...I guess their loss?" It wasn't like she'd really had too much planned other than just a polite 'hey, we're new in the neighborhood' but then again why not try? She reached out to gently nose along Sorrel's shoulder and then turned back to Aditya. "Well - I guess on to see Seelie?" She confirmed - at least she knew her cousin wouldn't just ignore them. 

Sorry, totally wasn't aware that it was my turn. Derp.  :X

The arrival of Lycaon was regarded with a simple cant of a sable-tipped lobe, and her vivid eyes remained trained on the waiting trio who'd summoned them. He settled alongside her to observe when he took notice of them himself and, just as she prepared to discuss their approach with him, the wild-eyed coywolf came charging from the foliage with a fierce warning that their guests fuck right off. A dark figure emerged behind her and, initially, thought that Wylla had come to take charge. A quick whiff of the air confirmed that her scent was not present, as thus assumed that her male counterpart had been drawn to the strange summons beyond their borders.

An amused smirk tugged the corner of her mouth at Lyc's comment and she watched the confused strangers as they continued to mill around, then turned her head to look upon her pale companion. "Shall we?" Nyx suggested with a cant of her muzzle in the strangers' direction. Lycaon was a leader, after all, and she at the peak of the subordinate hierarchy - someone had to take charge in Wylla's absence. She strode from the trees then, encouraging the ashen Beta to her side with a soft woof, and made to close the distance with greater confidence now that she could rely on the support of her nearby pack-mates should this interaction take an unfortunate nosedive.

Her expression was cool and her tail flagged over her strong hindquarters as she prowled toward the little group with a sharp stare. Nyx offered no greeting or introduction, instead expecting these unknown wolves to make their reason for disrupting Grimnismal with their demad for attention known.

They hadn't even been able to preach their case before the uppity femme dismissed them from the border. Sorrel waited until she was out of sight to give a light, frustrated huff, before turning to Aditya to see what they were to do next. Clearly, they weren't welcome here, and she wasn't keen on staying somewhere she wasn't wanted.

It seemed that Cat and Adi had both decided to move onto Undersea, for which Sorrel was grateful. Who's Seelie? she asked herself, not expecting either of the other adults to hear. It was something she would think to herself about on the way there.

he regarded the slate man’s submissive gesture with a simple tilt of his ear and continued watching the dumbfounded lot of Morningside from the pall of forest-cast shadow. 

ensuing the heated departure of their local witch and the man he was yet unacqainted with, Nyx was brisk to rid herself of obscurity the boscage provided, entreating his audience with a soft yip. mustering a huff of inconvenience he gathered his feet beneath him and trailed out on her lead. presumably he had civic obligations to fulfill in Wylla’s vacancy, but he never had blossomed as Grimsnismal’s second-in-command, and fulfilled them oh-so-begrudgingly. 

thus, ”what’s poppin’ fresh?” were the words that represented their estate as the palewashed male paraded out into the expanse to collect what extraordinary tidings they brought.

"very much so," aditya agreed with catori, then turned to sorrel, his frown morphing into a smile as he spoke. "seelie--coelacanth--is catori's cousin," he explained gently. "she's leader of undersea, the pack we're going to visit next." his own heart gave a flutter at the thought of seeing the sleek dark coelacanth again, but before he could turn and head that way, two wolves emerged from the trees.

his muscles tensed as they drew nearer--one male, one female--but he kept his calm as they came to a halt. then--what's poppin' fresh? aditya blinked a couple of times, taken completely aback at the man's casual greeting. firming his mouth, he gave a curt nod, taking a couple of beats to compose himself before responding.

"my name is aditya. this is catori and sorrel," he introduced them, glancing at the women in turn as he spoke. "we come from the morningside pack, which has recently settled nearby, on the plains inland. we wanted to give you notice, so you weren't surprised if you happened to stumble upon us there."

he dipped his head politely, inclining his muzzle toward catori, should she want to say anything. as the alpha's wife, she was, in essence, the mother of the pack, and had every right to lend her own voice to the discussion.

 

The prospect of seeing her cousin was far more interesting to her than the random inhospitable lot they'd stumbled upon here, but, business was business and Catori had been craving the chance to hone her skills more. She wondered what luck Grayday and Easy were having - and knowing her girl as she did, just how much more interesting Easy was making it for Gray. She nodded to Aditya's explanation, it gave plenty of warning to things for Sorrel. "I'll warn you now, Seelie might read a little.... Shy at first, but, I'm sure she'll claim you right along with us before the visits over." Catori said with a grin. 

Her demeanor shifted just a bit when it was clear they were being approached, her posture still entirely respectful if not a bit more defensive given their previous assessment by the capped woman. The greeting made it hard not to chuckle, lips pressing firm as if to hide a smile before Aditya smoothly introduced them and their purpose for being there. "We're far enough back that it shouldn't complicate any sort of hunting grounds, we simply wanted to introduce ourselves - we're ones to keep to ourselves anyway."  She offered. Unless trouble came to them, or their allies, they wanted to keep steer clear of any trouble.