Blackfeather Woods to hear the softly spoken magic spell
Ghost
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Ooc — mercury
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Pack Activity 
First Pack Meeting! Join us! Set for tomorrow night, early evening; first round ends Wednesday, April 3. @Titmouse @Ramsay @Tundra @Abraxas @Moonshadow @Wintersbane @Jazira @Zeus @Sanguinus @Fire

Once upon a time, Meldresi Melonii set up camp in these woods. And seasons afterward, her daughter told her daughter—her twisted, blighted daughter—that Meldresi would have wanted her dead. The Meldresi. Queen of Blackfeather Woods.

So it was with more than a little bitter satisfaction that Maegi Melonii, standing near the heart of the territory, lifted her nose and called for her pack as the new ruler of the forest.

She had been laughing since Flicker's turn at the border. No. . .she had ceased, for a few moments at a time. Checking on the wolves involved, securing the perimeter, speaking with Mou and Ramsay about the issue. Making sure Damien and his crew were totally vacated from the place. But the giggles kept bubbling up, and they weren't the girlish kind she was accustomed to. No, these were darker, tinged with mania.

After all, if one wanted to get technical, she was spawn of Sheogorath, not Cicero. So it only made sense.

This would be no walk in the park. She had help—she had Rams and Mou and a few other wolves loyal (for now) to her. But Maegi had no leadership experience, and was proficient only in an odd little set of skills. She was not the ideal leader at any age; her youth made things even more difficult. Damned, though, if she wasn't going to give it her all.

Her life had never been easy. She had come into this world staring death in the face, and she would leave it that way, too—whenever that moment came. For now, she stood and waited for her pack in the Redgrove, one side of her maw grinning like a fiend, the other set in a determined scowl. Every once in a while, another chuckle came.

A chuckle, rising like embers from a fire. And the ravens cried her praises, all around.
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Ooc — Talamasca
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The borders were fortified; their numbers grew with faces he would slowly come to know, and all was well. Titmouse was oblivious to the dangers that had been present during the past few days. There were strange smells all over, but he attributed these scents to the myriad of bodies that the forest had collected. His mind was focused on mapping the tunnels.

As he finally emerged and was greeted by dim daylight, Titmouse noticed something else. There was a renewed energy to the woods; the ravens were calling from the tree tops, cackling at one another, dive-bombing roosts and generally causing a ruckus. Intrigued by this, Titmouse began to drift through the trees until he was in the heart of the chaos - but he wasn't alone.

The flurry of wings seemed endless. The closer Tit got to the center of the swarming ravens, the clearer the laughter became - and it bordered on maniacal. But it wasn't the collective voices of the birds, it was more familiar than that.

It was Maegi.
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and among them stalked the Raven. as the birds grew maniacal and swarmed on the pale girl, he sat motionless a stone's throw away. his gaze was on the girl, the one the wood accepted and the crows sang praise. it was merely another shift in the long, tumultuous history of the wood. he would bear this with no animosity nor good will toward these new denizens of the wood, but an acceptance of their presence here. 

above all, his loyalty was to no thing save his birds and the wood itself. as long as it served the interests of the latter, he would stand with those who made it home. in this way his loyalty was fickle and yet too unwavering. a raven split from the rest and handed heavily on his nape, fangs digging past even the callouses that existed there. with that, abraxas stood and was gone from the coronation.
always in this twilight
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Ooc — Jem
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soft footfalls carried the phanthom like being through the wonderously gloomy woods. however dark eyes were lost in unhappy thought as she wandered. there was no point in denying it, the second she'd caught the intruder's scent she'd known she'd come across it before and it took little digging to realise it had clung to the dark nameless brute's pelt last time they'd encountered each other. not only that but after the little commotion with maegi and flicker, tundra had remained for a little while after the other's departed. his scent had mingled with theirs as clear as anything- tainting the air of their forests. 

it wasn't even this fact that exactly bothered her, it was more the fact that she cared in the first place. it wasn't like she gave a damn about the man in the first place- on the other paw he greatly infuriated her. she wouldn't mind putting him down. yet standing there aware that he was an enemy to her now not that he hadn't already been in her mind's eye- something had stirred unhappily within her. which had led to leave her deeply unsettled. nevertheless she was grateful to hear maegi's call to help distract her from whatever she could call this. shifting her direction ever so slightly she'd continue to slink like a ghost through the looming trunks until reaching the commotion of ravens swooping around the wood's new leader. the continued chuckles to slip from the girls lips quite like what tundra had witnessed right after the flicker situation left her cocking a brow but no comment slipped from her as she moved to lean back on her haunches, intrigued.

it was good to see the sharp minded raven's accepting her in such a way, as good a sign as tundra would take it. a quick swoop of dark eyes would see mou fixated on the pale being and another dark man who was quickly joined by one of the equally dark feathered birds before he turned and left, slipping smoothly into the shadows. she would blink curiously but draw her attention back to maegi whilst waiting for the others to arrive.
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Ooc — Alyssa
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It was as if the hole in her heart had finally healed as she travelled through the woods she once called home and now because of Maegi she was allowed to call it home once more and that brought a joy to the woman’s heart as her ears prick up at the noise  of a call.

Her vision adjusted to the lighting as she made her way towards the group of wolves who had gathered it was clear that Maegi made the call.
quote or smthn here idk
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Ooc — Ellie
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#6
lil rambly cameo post <3

All of this was so new to her; communing for what might be the rest of your life in a singular area, among those who may or may not become familiar to you. Well, Jaz heeded Maegi’s call anyways — after all, she had allowed the desertress to stay for some time, who could think this was the least all she could do to show her gratitude.

She went, all things of Daedra and sects and Melonii (as far as whispers of some skirmish that’d happened) quite unknown to her. The cocoa took up place alongside Moonshadow despite not even having known or met the female prior to any of this. Perhaps it was the communal skinship Jazira’s been raised in that made her so comfortable and close.

At the present, though, the wanderer kept quiet; kept burnished eyes on those who departed or arrived, as she had.
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Since receiving the news that Flicker had returned, this time with Damien, Ramsay spent all his time rounding the borders in a furious temper. Any who approached him in that intervening time were likely to think twice; his face was contorted into a dark glower and his steps thudded with malign intent. He'd heard Maegi's call for the woman, of course, but had been too far into the swamp to answer it. When he heard after the fact that his sister had been attacked by the traitorous cur, he regretted going so far from the territory's heart. What he wouldn't have done to rend the flesh from her bones for her insolence.

Thus throwing himself into his duties with the rage of a tempest.

When he hearkened to Maegi's summons, uncertainty was the foremost thing he felt, quickly snuffing the embers of his ire as he drew nearer. There had always been an abundance of crows and ravens in the woods, endlessly at war with one another, but they rarely swarmed like this. In the center of it all was his sister, shaking with quiet laughter, and dread ran cold in his bones. What had they done to her? Ramsay hadn't noticed this when first she spoke with him about Flicker and Damien. He'd grown used to Euron tittering and giggling at all hours of the day, but Maegi had never been like that. It was unsettling coming from her. He set his mouth in a grimace, passing by the strange shadow of Abraxas as he departed the gathering, and found his place by Titmouse, whom he shot a nearly imperceptible look. What is this, his concerned eyes seemed to say.

To Moonshadow and Tundra, Ramsay offered a familiar smile. To Jazira, he offered only a blink; he didn't recognize her and would need to remedy that in the near future, but now was not the time.
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#8
he could not say he was upset about the events that transpired, nor distressed, nor angry. no, he was excited. the past couple days had been way more thrilling than he anticipated and his blood still bubbled with adrenaline hours after the encounter. he focused that energy on tearing branches, imagining it to be the bones of the intruders. he hoped they’d be back another day. that would be fun.

maegi called for an audience and zeus stopped what he was doing to see what the fuss was about. it had taken him longer to arrive and it seemed like he was one of the last wolves to get there. he stayed a ways away from the group that circled the chuckling queen.
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Ooc — torvi
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quick before work post; vague b/c his joining is still in progress.

despite being present during the time it actually happened there is a general air of uncertainty on how he once again ended up with blackfeather woods. the first and second times were pretty clear cut — not enough to raise any sort of suspicion at the cosmos to wintersbane — but a third? again and again he is drawn back like a moth led unwittingly to a flame, unaware that's where he was heading until he found himself there a bit dazed. was this mephala's influence? after months of trying to form the vartija and not gaining traction to call themselves a pack the warlord tundrian's choice to dissolve it had seemed like the right thing. enok tundra? well, he never actually made it that far and it seemed apparent that he wasn't going to.

mephala has led him back to this place, to these wolves some of them familiar and others not. he has mixed feelings about the skirmish on the borders after being so newly established: did that bode well for them? or was that a precedent as to what kind of never ending feud was about to start? and screech-mou-titmouse? and maegi ...were they prepared? did they know how to lead, more-so could they? despite the tundrian's concerns here he was, heeding maegi's call nevertheless. questioning authority newly appointed seemed poor and a lot like insubordination ( and it was, he knows ) so he keeps his concerns to himself figuring that the pale pair that he still had mixed feelings for deserved a chance to settle into their new roles and prove his concerns unfounded.

mephala's snitch drew nearer to the group, to the swarm of ravens and the borderline maniacal sounding chuckles of maegi and his concerns rise up like an unbidden tidal wave once more though his face remains impassive and as cool as the frigid glaciers his people come from.
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He had never belonged to a body of creatures before or had the task of defending an entire territory. His mind was mapped and paved with the singular assignment of tending to one and the idea that he now had to help care for not only himself an another but an entire pack was, well, overwhelming. He thought himself equip to do such but that didn't mean the sudden change was going to be easy by any means. Besides, he had never belonged to a group with a structure such as this and was ultimately lost in where he fell in terms of all the figures gathered in the woods.

Because of all that said above, Sanguinus had remained largely oblivious to the intrusion that had unfolded not that long ago. He was aware something had gone down but what exactly, along with the history between the two packs, was lost to him. Still, he answered the summon dutifully when called and let himself slip among the backdrop of those who had gathered. He was for the most part undisturbed by the bickering fowl or the eerie laughter that might have unsettled others. After all, he'd seen crazier in his lifetime. 
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Ghost
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Ooc — mercury
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Wow y'all I'm sorry for the wait on this--crazy week. Next round will begin, oh, let's say Monday, April 8 (or whenever I post next!). I'll eliminate post order for now; just post when you can/want to, but of course keep it to once per round. Also, those who haven't popped in already, please feel free!

They came, and understandably most looked concerned at her wry (albeit sporadic) chuckles. She wasn't one to laugh, usually. She had no idea why the hilarity had struck her so suddenly. All she knew was that they had a home—and though outside forces threatened that home, all she had in her was happiness. . .and, apparently, giggles.

Mou was first, and she beckoned him closer with a gentle nod, eyes softening. Abraxas left without a word, which displeased her, though it was par for the course for him, really. Then came Tundra, Moonshadow, Jazira. . .her brother. She summoned him in kind, hoping that he and Mou would settle themselves near her. Zeus, Wintersbane, and Sanguinus completed the order. They all had come. And stayed—well, all but one. But they had come.

This is our home, Maegi said, trying to pitch her normally fairly quiet voice over the gathering and the cries of ravens. Despite everything, all of us have found our way back to the woods, by one way or another. We belong here—despite what anyone has said. Take that, Potema.

Her eyes drifted along the gathered wolves, resting on each one in turn for a brief instant before moving on. I trust Ramsay and Mou with my life, she said, glancing at the pair. They will lead alongside me. I feel like it's my responsibility to step up—but I do need the guidance. And I need all of you, too, she added, looking back at the larger group. For now, I trust you enough to stay here. I hope you don't break that trust. Take that, Flicker.

There will be no innocent blood shed here. No horrific violence. No trouble will be brought to this forest under any circumstances. The wolves who ran this place before made several terrible mistakes—they let the darkness overcome them. We're not like them; all we want is a home, a place to call our own. We are not evil. We will not be evil. Understand?

It was a threat, but it was a plea, as well. There was simply too much at stake for them to make the same errors that Vaati, that Cicero, had. There always had been too much at stake, but Maegi had been younger, then, unable to make a difference. Now the power rested in her paws, and she would see to it that Blackfeather Woods inspired no fear in the hearts of those living outside it.

Awe, perhaps. Wonder. Curiosity. But not terror. And certainly not blind hatred.
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Ooc — Talamasca
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He flowed to her side and waited there, watching as wolf after wolf came from the darkness of the trees to meet them; the giggling of his beloved was strange at first but soon Titmouse couldn't hear the occasional sound, growing accustomed to it in the manner that a cat might. It was there, but it didn't matter. He watched as Ramsay joined them — they shared a glance, to which Titmouse's expression remained empty — and then Maegi was speaking. Her voice took up the space between the wolves and there was nothing else; all that the ghost could do was listen in silence, agreeing with everything, basking in the confidence that his beloved gave off. Here was where he was meant to be; beside her, home within the wood.
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He watched as the last few trickled in, unfamiliar faces all. When beckoned, Ramsay paced the remainder of the space between himself and his sister, coming to stand at her other shoulder in silent solidarity. Naturally, he agreed with everything she had to say. His ears flickered when he was named lead alongside her; if he had ever been in doubt of this, he gave no physical indication. Titmouse, too, he had expected to stand alongside Maegi. He wished to know the man better, but felt confident enough in what he had seen thus far.

Good thing, then, that Ramsay did not know it was Redhawks who had descended on them with the intent to drive them from their homes. Good thing he did not know it was Redhawks who had slaughtered Miraak.

Should any wish to be shown some defensive maneuvers or places where the border is best defended, I am always available, offered the Morta, with nothing more to add to Maegi's speech besides.
always in this twilight
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Ooc — Jem
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#14
permission given for the slight pp of maegi

one by one the forest's shadowy inhabitants filtered in and for the most part the ghostly woman remained aloof as their forms became nothing more than bodies she would work alongside. with time she might come to know them but for now the nameless wolves held her loyalty only by the scent of the forests that clung to their pelts. however she did blink slowly upon noticing wintersbane approach the gathering- so he too had returned. expressionless orbs of swirling darkness would rest upon his form for a few moments longer before shifting fluidly back to surveying the general area- leaning back on her haunches but remaining tall and poised nevertheless. finally things seemed to settle and she had to admit, she hadn't realised quite so many wolves had found their ways here since the pack had been revived. already it seemed to flourish with a new determination it had perhaps lacked in the past.

with that maegi would begin to speak and tundra would allow her full attention to switch to the new leader. everything she said worked well and sparked the smallest little kindling of...hope? a dangerous emotion she knew and it was easy to squash down her mind's weak attempt at breaking through, now was not the time. she'd watch on as ramsay and mou took their places alongside maegi, it seemed to be the right choice. three was stronger than one and ramsay had seemed efficient and reasonable on the borders. as for mou...well she'd certainly be intrigued to properly meet him, no doubt he wouldn't be able to recall the memories of the cave. when the girl finished her speech- the ex soldier would simply dip her head in silent agreement, tail tip twitching where it rested in the dark grass.

when the purple eyed man spoke- offering to help anyone with defense moves and tips with the borders it made her wonder. she had been a soldier and although it was a time she wished not to return to even mentally- perhaps it would be selfish to withold the skills she picked up along the way. her long tail would swish to rest at the opposite side of her tense form as she made up her mind and lifted dark eyes to fix maegi with a questioning look; clearly expressing a request for permission to speak. upon receiving a small nod from the fae, tundra would stand smoothly and simply nod before murmuring in tones although soft- laced with a cold indifference. "i had to fight a lot in the past..and was taught by some very talented wolves so i've picked up quite a few tricks here and there. so should anyone want help whether you're a non fighter wanting to learn how to defend yourself better or simply wanting someone to practice with i'd be glad to help." never being a fan of talking she was all too glad to fall back into silence. something had held her back from referring to herself as 'soldier' despite the truth to it. for now that term would remain between her and her mind.
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Ooc — mercury
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last round! feel free to post whenever and i'll wrap this in about a week.

She was happy with the contributions made by Ramsay and Tundra, particularly the latter. Though she didn't know Tundra well, the woman seemed to fit this place like a glove and was already making a name for herself. Maegi just hoped that she wouldn't go the way of Flicker. It wasn't anything that could be predicted. . .but she would watch carefully, even through her pride in the woman.

That goes for everyone, Maegi said, scanning the crowd. If you have skills or stories to share, please do. We all never should stop learning, and lessons will bring us closer together. We can help each other; we all have something to contribute. Her eyes drifted up briefly to the trees before straying back down. I am happy to teach newcomers about this place, my family's history and their gods.

She gave a dip of her head, feeling satisfied enough to conclude. That's all. You can go.

Maegi padded over to Mou and gave him an affectionate touch of her nose to his cheek, taking in his scent. She would mill about the departing wolves for awhile, exchanging brief words here and there, before vanishing into the trees, headed for Nightcaller Temple. She had gathered her mortal friends together; now, she must consult those less corporeal spirits that crowded her thoughts and guided her path.
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While his sister wrapped things up, Ramsay cast a critical eye over the crowd. They were a more motley assortment than he was used to seeing in Blackfeather Woods. Something about that niggled in the back of his head, but he shook it off. It would take some getting used to, but eventually these wolves would be more family to him than his biological family had ever been. All they needed was time.

When Maegi dismissed them, Ramsay dipped his head in his peculiar fashion, bowing his front half slightly at the knees to bring his head lower, then pivoted away into the trees to resume his patrolling.
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Ooc — Talamasca
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Once the meeting concluded and beings began to disperse, Mou lingered. He brushed his snout through Maegi's fur and chuffed happily, wheezing his pride - it was amazing that they had managed all of this, and he would do anything to keep their home and their people safe as the days wore on. For now he hoped to follow Maegi wherever she would roam, silent, but present.