Firefly Glen coeur du libre
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Ooc — Zina
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#1
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Backdated to somewhere between Oct 12 and Oct 17 - before the pumpkin party
Once Meerkat had told her the news, Toad could hardly contain herself. Many emotions were running through her. She was worried about Mira, but with so many helping to search for her, there seemed little that she could really do. The huntress figured that she would be more helpful in securing the borders of the forming sister pack. Hydra herself had seemed pleased in Toad's interest and encouraged her to push forward with her ambitions, despite not being on @Osiris's shortlist.

It made sense — although she had met Osiris before and knew that he was one of Hydra's more ambitious children, they hadn't exchanged many words. Toad also was not one of the "cool kids." She didn't carry a fancy name or title, and her age and stature tended to put her at the bottom of the pile when teams were picked.

Toad set to work patrolling the massive borders of the Glen. It was a place she knew well. She was no guardian, but they would need as many free wolves as they could get to ensure that the huge territory would remain held. As she went to mark a tree, she noticed that Osiris himself had only just been there; she broke into a run to catch up to him.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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Ooc — Chan
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#2
Osiris had been mindful of Neverwinter's interest in the glen, and he prioritized tending the borders in their neck of the woods. He cruised along at a leisurely pace, pausing every so often to reinforce the essence of their markings. All was calm—for now. 

The sound of thundering paws and rustling grasses caught his attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to see who was approaching. He didn't recognize the figure initially, and he turned on his heel stiffly, anticipating an ambush. His heart began the race, his tail lifted full-mast, and the hairs along his neck became quill-like. 

He recognized her once she was close enough, and he visibly eased. There was enough time for him to search his memory for her name, and once she was near, he called to confirm: "Toad, right?" The peculiarity of her name struck a chord within his recollection; who named their kid Toad?
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#3
Osiris! Toad declared, nodding with a sweet grin as he remembered her name. She had made it a point to know the names of most of her Moonspear packmates, though some of them were far more elusive than others. As the huntress moved closer to him, the tip of her tail wagged quickly while her ears bowed in playful submission.

I see the borders are coming along nicely, she affirmed, looking around them. She wondered if other packs further north would take notice and feel uneasy about their sudden presence. With Mira's disappearance, overall tensions were high. Any news? The question was vague on purpose. They hadn't spoken properly to one another in... well ever really. She hoped that he might tell her of a trace of his younger sister, but knew that this was unlikely. If clues to her absence had been discovered, the whole family would have jumped to follow the trail and find her.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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Ooc — Chan
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#4
Although Toad hadn't been on his short-list of founding members, Osiris was glad to see that she had decided to stay with them. They were practically strangers—only seeing each other in passing—but he was confident that they could change that. 

Her compliment brought a smile to his lips; they really were coming along nicely, and much quicker than he could have ever anticipated. He was grateful for all the help he had. "No," he replied to her question with a wave of his tail, "It's a quiet day, thankfully." 

Curious, he asked next, "How have you been settling in?"
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#5
A quiet day indeed. The weather had cooled dramatically from just a few weeks ago. It seemed they had only a tiny window of warm sunlight before Autumn's fierce winds had started all over again. Toad was already looking forward to Winter. At least then the herds would be easier to track and catch.

Very well, I stayed here for some time before I came to Moonspear actually, she explained, walking past him and along the border so they might continue their work as they spoke. Toad thought back to the evening she had met Kukutux fondly. Her puppies must have been just weeks, perhaps even days old. It's wonderful terrain. The herds have been scattering some, but I'm sure the hunting grounds will prove stable and fruitful in time. When the huntress wasn't assisting in the marking of borders, she could often be. found attempting to track and otherwise keep tabs on the deer herds that frequented the Glen.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#6
Osiris was surprised to learn that Toad had already lived in Firefly Glen. "Did you?" he asked rhetorically, turning to follow her lead, "I had no idea." 

They set off at a leisurely pace, walking parallel to the borders. Ever-so-often, Osiris stopped to inspect any scents that caught his attention before carrying on. "It really is," he agreed; he had kept watch over the glen since he was young. "I can't say that I've ever paid too much mind to the herds here, but that'll change." It was reassuring to know that somebody was paying attention. 

"With that said, there's something that I could use your help with," he said. "I was thinking of arranging a pack hunt once we officially form, and since you've been keeping an eye on the herds, I was hoping you could keep me up to date about them as we get closer to the date." It was an easy enough task, but it would prepare them for a successful hunt.
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#7
Toad smiled and glanced at Osiris to confirm her story. While she had been trying to figure out what had happened to the Redhawks, she was often nestled within the Glen. Although her efforts had come up empty, the Glen itself had been a good place even for a lone wolf to reside, if only for a brief while.

As Osiris mentioned that he could use her help, her ears perked and she straightened considerably as she walked. Toad loved having a job to do. She loved to feel useful. He spoke of the herds, asking her explicitly to keep an eye on them. Though she hadn't had the best luck recently with actually hunting down large game, tracking was something she could do.

She nodded firmly. Of course, I can do that, Toad said, thinking about what routes to travel to ensure that she had as good of a lay of the land as possible. Perhaps she could recruit Bronco to assist in her task. I have this vision of a superpack hunt one day, you know, one with Moonspear and allies, all coming together to do something amazing. She said it mostly without thinking. It was a far future vision, but one that she enjoyed nonetheless. Sorry; I get excited thinking of what cool things we'll do, she admitted.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#8
Toad was quick to accept, and Osiris appreciated her willingness to help. "Thank you," he replied, "I appreciate it—I anticipate we'll form before the next full moon," fated, somehow; the Ostrega's tended to accomplish great things when the moonlight was strongest. Hopefully, that'd give her enough time to track them down. 

Toad then spoke of her far-off ambitions, and Osiris regarded it for a moment with a thoughtful grin. "You have no reason to apologize," he assured her quickly; he wanted to see his packmates achieve their goals. "But, that would be nice, wouldn't it?" he mused, thinking of Easthollow in particular. "I know that one of our allies, Easthollow, is skilled in hunting bison," he remarked, impressed by their expertise. "And Yuèlóng, I'm sure, must be skilled fishers," he added, not wanting to focus primarily on his favored alliance. 

"There would be so many opportunities to learn new skills in that hunt," he added, liking her idea the more that he that he thought about it.
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#9
The next full moon wasn't far off, but Toad felt confident that she would be able to confidently track the movements of the herds. Well, perhaps not all of the herds, but enough that things would run smoother when it was time to gather the pack for a hunt. She was pleased that Osiris was able to see her value to the new pack. They were laying the foundation of something strong.

As Osiris expanded on her idea and even mentioned bison, Toad dragged her face against the trunk of a small birch tree to mark it. Yuèlóng she had nearly forgotten about, but nodded excitedly at the mention of their aquatic expertise. Together the allied packs would surely be able to push hard against both invading enemies and harsh times. Absolutely. Our younger hunters will benefit the most, and we could cache what we catch for weeks, she thought out loud. Bronco, she knew, would quickly grow into an expert hunter as he matured.

Bison would be quite the challenge, she said, a curvy smile appearing as she stared ahead of them. She was imagining the epic hunt through the grasslands, perfectly orchestrated, all dust and fur spinning about. Toad had never hunted anything larger than a moose, and the moose hunt had failed.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#10
Sorry for the wait!!

Osiris nodded in agreement. "Yes," he said, "The cushion on the caches would be great, too, with Winter approaching." Moonspear had thrived last year, and he was carefully optimistic that history would repeat itself this year. Not wanting to jinx them, he kept his thoughts to himself. 

"To be completely honest, I've actually never seen a bison before," Osiris admitted as the scent of a fox caught his attention. Distracted, he paused, sniffed, and confirmed that the smell was stale before catching up to Toad. "Leta's told me about them, though—she's from Easthollow," he explained. "Apparently, they're big enough to feed an entire pack for days?" he said, his tone quietly seeking confirmation. It wasn't that Osiris didn't trust Leta—he did—it was mainly that he couldn't imagine an animal that large to support the hunger of an entire pack.
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#11
Toad nodded with an, Mm-hmm! Everything was turning out to look very positive for the members of the Glen. Toad was very pleased and excited to be part of Osiris's new up-and-coming group. They had so many wonderful, talented members aboard. The coming winter would surely be easier with the lot of them making sure to keep everyone fed and healthy.

At his mention of the bison, she smiled. Oh, me neither, don't worry, she said, smiling. He was distracted briefly, and she followed the scent as he did. Though it was stale, she was reminded of the need to present an offering to her sister. Kukutux had told her it could help to bring her sister's voice to her. She knew that she would only be able to do it at the Caldera, unless there was some other place her sister had used that would be important.

I've also only heard of them from stories, she said, wondering what Easthollow was like. It was far, she thought. Perhaps one day she would travel there. Yes, they're massive. They are fantastic beasts with great, woolly heads and a power that rivals a great pack of wolves, she said, voice distanced, excited, grand. My mother used to say that bison are the spirits of mountains, and that their herds are only healthy as long as the mountain is safe, she said, dipping into her grandmotherly story mode. She smiled, realizing it was not the time for such things, and walked on. A capture of one would be fantastic indeed, she said, glancing briefly toward her new leader.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#12
Osiris was fascinated by Toad's story. "They sound quite remarkable," he mused, imagining a large, wooly animal that didn't resemble the animal they were talking about. "I hope that we are lucky enough to happen across one." But what good would encountering one be without having a proper strategy? 

"Do you know how to take one down?" he asked.
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#13
Toad had to think about his question for a moment, looking toward the sky and the tree boughs above them. She tried to remember if her mother had ever told her how to bring a bison down, but she couldn't think of it if she had. Perhaps she had been too young to care about hunting tactics if she was told. She had a tendency anyway to only learn hunting by doing rather than listening. Hunting was something she had learned from her brothers and aunts and uncles in the pack instead of her mother.
I don't, she admitted, looking at Osiris with an apologetic frown. I'd imagine something that big, you'd have to be persistent, get them to run for as long as possible, she posited, wondering if such a strategy would work. Really, she had no idea if that was the case, but that was how other big animals worked. Moose were practically impossible because they stuck to the woods and conserved their energy for a fight. She wondered if bison did the same thing.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#14
Osiris noticed Toad's apologetic look, and he shook his head to reassure her. "All good," he added, smiling.  He didn't expect her to know everything.

"You might want to talk to Leta," he suggested next. "She could take you to Easthollow, and maybe you can talk to their hunters about strategies." He was all for enhancing the skillsets of his pack, and if it meant losing Toad and Leta for a week, so be it.
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#15
I'll hop into a new one cuz this thread be gettin' crusty

Leta? Cool — that's a great idea, she answered, smiling. Toad assumed that Osiris had mentioned her because she was from there or knew people who were. Toad had never been to Easthollow, and she also didn't know much of anything about Leta. She had seen her around but had never really properly interacted with her, which was probably true for a lot of folks at the Glen. The idea of travelling to Easthollow was indeed a tantalizing one, and she considered it strongly in her mind as they walked. Toad didn't know how far Easthollow was. She just knew it was somewhere vaguely on the other side of the Sunspires.

Toad looked at the path ahead, and then at Osiris. I'm gonna go see what Bronco's up to. We'll see about those herds! She was very confident that both she and him would make a great team at keeping track of things for their new leader. Everything was fitting together beautifully; the huntress was very excited about it.

Listening to any other pleasantries he gave her, she left him to his work and headed to the interior of the Glen.
Moonspear and Firefly Glen members can powerplay Toad for whatever they'd like barring injury, just tag her!
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#16
"I can introduce you to her," he offered, knowing that it was the least that he could do. "She's very friendly, though, if you do decide to approach her on your own." She was free to decide to do whatever she wanted here. 

Toad seemed eager to work on her assignment, and Osiris would not waste more of her time. "Please keep an eye out for any other prey, too," he added as the thought came to him; they couldn't be picky. When she left, he continued his patrol on his own. Thankfully, it continued to be a slow, quiet day.