Arrow Lake tomorrow will be worse
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Ooc — JB
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#1
Joining 
Referencing the lunar eclipse!


The frozen expanse north of the wilds was an interesting place, but boy was she glad to be rid of it. Beyond the frustration of trying to survive somewhere nearly inhospitable in the middle of winter, Fern was more than a little fed-up with the resident wolves who had, for a time, welcomed her. She grew bitter with the deepening of the snow, and decided to take her efforts elsewhere. When she crossed back in to the Teekon it wasn't because they were familiar or anything sentimental like that; in fact, her time in the north had taken her so far outside of herself that she could barely remember her first visit. The mountains were vaguely familiar; she recalled that her siblings had lived at a caldera for a while - but had forgotten that she'd lost track of them, and that's what sent her roaming north to begin with. Had she remembered, she'd be bitter about that too.

Fern had grown accustomed to living on her own during her weeks of south-ward travel, and when she crossed paths with the scent of packs (such as the pack on a willowed ridge, and then a pack by a river), she made sure to avoid them. Until she was faced with this particular mountainside. It was late in the evening, there were some clouds in the sky which forecasted possible snow — but mostly, it was the dimming of the moon that caught her attention. That bright beacon she'd been using as a light source was suddenly missing, and she hastily stopped and looked skyward, perplexed.
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#2
darkness slowly consumed the heavens above.
stars peek out over the horizon to glimpse the cretures who walk this mortal plane. a golden figure moved across the lake, gentle in her steps with caution riddling them oh so subtly. crown turned skywards, observing the cloak that blankets the sky, where the moon once laid atop her throne was now nothing but a seeming tear in the sky. finch had only experienced this one other time, unsure if there were a way to call it... but she ponders this. she continues moving throughout the claim of diaspora with vigilence and purpose, patrolling their borders generously. it was dark, and anything can creep up on you in the darkness. now was the time to remain alert as she can.

before long: movement. she notices a form, prowling amongst the background as a shilouette.
a little too close for her comfort.
she approaches the canine figure with a curious but cautious demeanor-- intrigued by what they could be doing underneath the blackened sky. staying a fair distance away, she lets out a small chuff to announce her appearance before her voice breaks the blissful silence.
,,are you lost out here?'' she asks as she leans her muzzle in a little, swiveling her ears, attuned for attention.
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Ooc — Rachel
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#3
As if sculpted from the full moon, the she-wolf that remained along the outskirts of their home seemed to be plucked from the night sky itself. Ketzia approached with open interest, her almond-shaped eyes flicking idly to her golden comrade who she had seen in passing, but hadn’t interacted with one on one yet.

She did not boast dominant confidence toward Finch—she respected the woman as higher among the ranks—for now. Ketzia could feel the desire to challenge within her bones—every other season she had felt the need to hide away, but now, she curiously considered what it could be to rear glitter of puppies. One she believed would truly be loved among the pack, as it should have been. Diaspora was beginning to restore her faith in the unity of pack.

She could appreciate the stargazer before them in terms of her beauty. Deep charcoal fur that spoke of a shade that could rival gunmetal grey, and the darker stripe along her spine. She was a fine specimen—one she knew Stigmata would enjoy if her personality matched. Such a thought didn’t stir jealousy in her. Not yet. She had her eyes upon three of the men within their ranks—but she was not a woman of an ego that believed she had their rapt attention.

For now, she remained studious, her gaze holding a light calculation as she internalized whether the stranger was worth inviting an audience to Stigmata or not.
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Ooc — JB
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#4
The stars were still bright, though it took a moment before she could see them in full splendor. What she thought was a startling shift in to darkness turned out to be something else, too - a change for those stars to gleam where they were set, no longer challenged by the distracting moon. Fern began to trace familiar shapes across them with her eyes; but this did not last, because she was soon discovering that the stars were not her only company tonight.

The voice was not familiar, but it was welcome. The wolves further north were not as vocal and so she had fallen in to the habit of keeping to herself, but that did not suit a Blackthorn. It was good to hear voices again, to be in the company of wolves that might be more tame than what she'd recently abandoned. Still, she wished the moon could return. Its absence was unnerving and the woman was not pleased that she had been found-out so quickly, not when she had the skills to keep out of reach.

Not lost, exactly. Roaming. Fern finally glanced away from the stars and looked to the origin of the voice, and it was a ginger-clad woman (although in this murk she could barely tell). And just behind her - another, sharper and brighter even with the gloom of the black sky. Fern's gaze trails between the two wolves before she focuses on the first to speak, and continues, Have you ever seen the moon do that before..? Was it some kind of omen? God, she hoped not.
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#5
another joined her at a distance. not one she had necessarily interacted with, but one who's existence she remained neutral on. the distinct scent of heat was not one she was unfarmiliar with, it was one that was running rampant throughout diaspora, through the wilds-- she had not felt the effects of such a thing yet. she's not quite sure how she'd feel about it.
but this wasn't something to ponder over now.

the night-cloaked stranger replied, glancing towards the golden idol. her gaze flickers to ketzia for a split second, and then back to finch. her voice wasn't harsh, but it was confident in her initial statement. finch nodded in silent response, her paws shuffling idly underneath. her words continue shortly after she settles, curiousity riddling. she asks of the moon-- the subtle sense of uncomfort this canine holds whilst she speaks is noticable though not obvious. not that finch could find a reason for blame-- it truly was an odd thing.
an odd thing she didn't quite understand.
there probably was no sense in trying to understand.
she probably wasn't meant to.
,,i have, actually,'' her voice quiets slightly. ,,only one other time. i don't know why it does this-- but i remember it coming back after a little while.'' she turns her gaze towards the sky once more. the rip in the heavens where the moon once sat is still there. it's light consumed by the shade above-- only for its radiance to be awoken as a dream later in its life. the stars, however-- they survive. their shapes & patterns do not cease to exist as the moon does.
she can't help but wonder why.
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Ooc — Rachel
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#6
Her gaze roamed upward, the awe in the stranger’s voice causing the she-wolf to bristle almost with a sense of unease, feeling a light tremor quake within her breast. She did not worry for the moon—even Finch responded she had seen it before. No, the eclipse before her now only served as a reminder that the heavens could, at any given moment, shatter the world as they knew it.

“No,” she finally spoke, her almond-shaped eyes continuing to stare at the sky as she considered her words. “But I have seen the stars fall and burn the earth.” The meteors had taken her home, leaving devastation that shook her to the very core.

But she wished to get to the point at hand—and pointedly looked back to the beautiful stranger. “You’re close to marked lands. Unless you can serve a purpose to us, it might be wise to take your star-gazing further away.” While the words themselves seemed brash, Ketzia’s lilting smoke voice was soft, not looking to offend, but to simply remind the daydreamer in front of them that trespassing would not be received lightly.
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Ooc — JB
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#7
Despite being in the prime of her life, Fern had not seen very much of the world around her. This was probably the furthest she'd ever been from her parent's claim —  but that had been her choice. She'd given up any chance at a future for herself and done what duty required of her; she'd cared for and protected her younger siblings for years, but it had taken Cyclone's spontaneous visit to get her moving in the first place. She'd gone from being a protector to being a loner in the big cold world. She could relate to the stars in the sky in this moment because they stood alone, no longer fighting for their place beside the gregarious moon; perhaps this was her shot at doing something more with her life. The woman was not fully aware of this string of thoughts as she stared heavenward but she did feel like she was witnessing some kind of celestial malformation — an omen maybe, but certainly nothing normal. A change to the moon and stars seemed like a fundamental shift.

—only one other time, shared the first wolf, and then after a pause the second added an even more intimidating concept: I have seen the stars fall and burn the earth. Was that about to happen? It jarred her to think about the stars falling, and even so Fern wondered what it would look like to witness it. But before Fern had a chance to ask her for more of her story, the wolf was reminding her of important details. The Blackthorn paused and looked around at the mountainside for a moment and her ears twisted with uncertainty.

Serve a purpose. When had Feidhelm ever had a moment of peace from purpose and duty? One might suppose that her jaunt to the north had been exactly that. I could be useful, she countered with a touch more vehemence in her tone that she meant; her thoughts lingered on all her own missed opportunities and she was a little bit soured when thinknig about her duty to her parents — and then, counter to that, the duty to herself, which she never acted upon. This time she'd do things differently, she thought. I'm a skilled warrior first, hunter second. I've also got experience with pregnancy and childbirth — ah, the medicinal end not the having kids part. Think someone like me could be of use to you? Why not start over here, in the middle of nowhere, beneath a black-moon? Her parents could get along without her; Feidhelm had lost Cyclone ages ago and it wasn't like she was put on this earth to be her sister's keeper forever.
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#8
from behind her, ketzia's smoky voice reverberated through the darkness. finch glanced over to her, emeralnd eyes contrasting beautifully against her brighter coat as she stood, a beacon of light amongst the blackness of the sky. she knew not of ketzia's past, when the words of the stars burning the earth came, finch couldn't help but wonder what such a sight would look like. tearing her sight away from her packmate, she looked towards the heavens once more, picturing the hot streaks of light landing upon the peaks of mountainsides. wildfires burning bright, consuming the darkness, swallowing it up: only the fire remains now.

ketzia, respectfully so, informed the blackened woman in front of them how close she was to a claim. finch turned her attention towards the hellion, swivelling her ears. it took a few moments, but upon hearing the words her bright packmate spoke, the stranger started her own monologue. her talents mentioned: fighting. hunting. midwifing. asking then if she may be of use, and finch's senses pitch. ,,i believe you could be,'' her words start softly, shifting her position as if to direct her attention fully to the stranger in front of her. ,,the land before you belongs to disapora. we are a nomadic pack, our gunsmoke general guiding the way alongside his shadow of a companion.'' she moves a little closer to the stranger in a half-circle as the words escape her throat. ,,i believe you could be a valuable member to us: whilst hunting is something we are no stranger to, we lack members with significant medicinal knowledge. does this seem like something you would be interested in joining?'' she keeps her words steady, her demeanor confident. whilst she was highly ranked enough in the pack to accept new members on her own, she would likely still call for @Stigmata and @Mahler, to make them aware & hopefully, accepting.
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Ooc — ebony
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#9
the moon had rankled him; mahler lifted a lip at it, but was otherwise still, muzzle raised to inspect the trajectory of the darkening sky. it was not fear that gripped him, rather an annoyance of how the event might scatter nearby prey, brainless things without the sense to know that this happened every handful of years.
the man soon lost interest; tail lashing at his hips, mahler strode for the border. there he found the gilded finch, the proud-eyed ketzia, and a newcomer the colour of rainclouds. another female for stigmata's harem, and allowing himself an inward, private chuckle, the gargoyle approached with a nod to the first two she-wolves in recognition of their rank.
the stranger was not male, therefore mahler felt no reason to flaunt his place atop the hierarchy before her beyond a brief flick of his plume. cold lilac eyes burned silently in her direction, appraising her hale body and intelligent gaze. but he had not heard what offerings she made to diaspora; therefore, she might find it prudent to repeat them, though his body bore not a hint of aggression in this moment — merely a careful silence.
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Ooc — Rachel
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#10
She would have answered the pretty creature, but Finch had covered her own thoughts accordingly—with the knowledge that the General did intend to breed this year, she could only firmly believe he would find the rogue’s skills to be essential.

Her tail gave sway in idle thought, but before she could speak more, the quiet yet commanding presence of Mahler drew her gaze. She returned his nod, her glittering eyes languidly drifting back to the smoky she-wolf, the hint of a smile tracing her lips. “Mahler, our Kapitän. Ranked only after our General, Stigmata.” It was a light introduction—but the girl before her was smart, and surely would know this was one of the wolves she would need to impress to gain a place among their ranks.
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Ooc — JB
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#11
They used curious terms as they explained things to her. First was the mention of a general, and as that caught in her ears Fern found her interest piqued; she wondered for a moment if she'd come upon some kind of roaming militia. It sounded like fun, whatever they were. However, as the wolf segued back to comments about medicine and the inevitability of children, it became clear that the group needed someone with her specific skill set. It was not the skill set she wished to utilize, but it would at least set her apart from the rest of the group should she choose to align with them. 

Before she could comment further, Finch called for someone of higher rank to tend to them — and then they were swiftly joined by a swarthy man, explained by Ketzia to be their kapitan, another word she had never heard before. If it was in league with general then her mild inkling towards this group's purpose was becoming clearer. She nodded her head to the new arrival, letting her head linger just shy of her shoulder-line as a sign of submission before she adjusted to full height again.

Hello, she murmured, and tried to think of what else to say while she glanced between the wolves gathered. My name is — ah, its hard to pronounce actually. You can call me Fern. I've already explained to these two, she motions at this point between the women with her snout but keeps her gaze trained carefully upon Mahler's face, I'm trained in the care of children, and I have a lot of experience with childbirth. They said that my skills could be of use to your people... If you'll have me.
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#12
mahler joined them, silently the shadow crept amongst the claim only to slide up into view. the kaptian's demeanor was relaxed as he quietly took a seat to observe the character at their borders. the wolf's name came-- well, almost. a shortened version was one that escaped her lips. fern. not unlike the flora for which she was named of, the aura this canine held with her was one of healing. finch nodded as fern went ahead to address mahler of what they were already told, asking then if they would have her.

finch stepped forward, nodding her head slowly. ,,i would be more than delighted to have you-- but here in disapora, we are a family.'' she turned her head towards her packmates; the golden ketzia & stigmata's nightbrother. ,,their approval of you matters just as much as my own-- if not more.'' her words came to an end as her ears swiveled in their direction.
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Ooc — ebony
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#13
the woman showed submission, enough to relax mahler. and the gentle, friendly air of the wolves already gathered did much to assuage any lingering doubt he had in regards to their newcomer. she spoke of the healing arts, and the man's interest was piqued glowingly in his hard eyes.
"i am a healer also, vith some midvife experience. perhaps we could be of help to one another." a pack was only as strong as its ability to bring forth children. therefore, those who dedicated themselves to the health of ducklings were worth a great deal.
stepping aside, mahler invited the newest geist over the borders, murmuring a quiet "velcome, fern," as he moved aside to grant her the first glance of her new home.
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