Blacktail Deer Plateau Let it be - (Mandatory Pack Meeting)

@Amelie @Finn @Kaihra @Kesuk @Koda @Osprey @Saēna @Tytonidae

Mandatory pack meeting! Leaving off Lasher and Junior since I am figuring they join after this point (though they are welcome to join, we can adjust time lines). Blue Willow also doesn't have to join if she left for the caldera already. Wasn't sure when she made the trip to help Fox!

Occurring after this!

Edit: Sorry for the multitag, but forgot to include this: First round ends 10/10 or when everyone has the chance to post

Dante was dreading this meeting on so many levels, but the pack needed guidance. They needed to know that their home here was solid and would continue to thrive even without the previous leadership. In order for that to be true, they needed a new Alpha.

And that job, according to the decision that had been made, would fall to him.

He had wished Blue Willow to take the role, her longevity and experience far greater than his own, but she had declined firmly. Not only did her healing need to come first, Atticus taking priority, but she had determined that the spot need be left vacant should Dante choose to take a mate in the future. The second answer was one he would have argued, for any mate Dante should take would not, unlike Peregrine, get the honor by default. They would need to earn the position through loyalty and gaining respect, much as any would. The first reasoning, though, was logic he could not argue.

It seemed his fate was sealed, and he would step up, though doing so terrified him thoroughly.

Tipping back his head, he let out a call, the tone strong and firm. He would not show his uncertainty to others. The tone was clear; all who wished to still call this place home should come.

The lanky teen was proud to say she was the first to arrive.

Saēna's outlook on life and involvement in the pack had changed a lot since she'd left a month or so ago. She'd been indifferent to the goings-on of the plateau in her youth, but now that she was a little older and had seen betrayal in the worst kind of way, she was ready to accept responsibility and blossom into a contributing member. The first thing she'd done was establish herself as another resident Outrider, though she would surely branch off into other pursuits soon.

Dante's voice had woken her from a nap. She was the first to arrive probably solely because she was close by, but when she arrived in the clearing with only the Beta in attendance, she was proud nonetheless. "Hey Dante!" she said, beaming at greyscale Beta as she sat herself down front and centre. She'd spent next to no time in his company prior to leaving, but that was something Saēna planned to change as well, with everyone that called her pack home.

She twisted her ears back briefly, listening for the telltale signs of others approaching, then quietly asked, "how've things been here, anyway?"

Although Tytonidae missed her father, she did not think poorly of him. He was just like all the other wolves who had come and gone in her life, and it was easier for her to believe that it was just the way things were supposed to be. Her mother, her sisters, her brother, and now her father had left. Saena had been outspoken about Perry's departure, though Tytonidae would never have the heart to dislike anybody at all. It merely confused her.

Having spent next to no time with others in the pack, Tytonidae was a little worried that she would have trouble finding her footing. Without her father here, would anybody be able to understand her? He was the only one who would talk to her friends, after all. The Redleaf-DiSarinno arrived shortly after her cousling, giving her a glance before turning her attention to Dante and awaiting his words.

Blue needed to keep Atticus as her number one priority, especially as time moved on and he seemed lost to her again at times. She was doing her best however, and she was not about to abandon Dante in anyway. She would be there for him to lean on, she would offer her opinion and her advice and all of the above at all times. She had decided when Peregrine had left to take a different stance. She was not going to be silent mostly anymore, if she found something not to her liking she was going to say something. At least she wanted to do this, knowing the gentle heart that beat beneath her breast though, she was mostly all talk and no action.

She heard the howl and her gain increased and she arrived after both Saena and Tytonidae. Giving them both small nudges, she stood at the right side of Dante and simply waited. She gave him too a small nudge to the shoulder.

Edited with some fast internal thoughts. Just wanted to get them down before the meeting continues tomorrow.

Kaihra had lingered a little closer to the meeting site that day. Her mind still churned with Peregrine's announcement, and she found herself near useless at any task she'd tried to set her paws to. Her ears remained pricked and alert, but not for prey or hostile outsiders. Instead she listened for the howl she knew would light the air at any moment, to give assurance to their future or to deliver grim news of their disbanding. Kaihra did not know how many had left after Peregrine's departure, but she knew any upset in the ranks had potential to throw the land into chaos.

To the dark woman, the situation only brought confusion. Peregrine's motives perplexed her, and his actions and words seemed to contradict. He claimed to care for them, but then why had he left with such abruptness? If he had wanted the Plateau to follow, then they would have followed, but Peregrine seemed intent on forming a pack without their presence there.

These thoughts filled her mind, but when the howl finally came, Kaihra found herself ready and sprinted toward the gathering wolves. She could still smell Peregrine's lingering scent on the bushes and trees, but she pushed him from her mind as she entered the meeting site. She felt a momentary surprise at how empty it stood and she let her gaze dance briefly over the two young wolves who had been the first to gather. She knew neither and began to pace toward the outskirt of the clearing, but then paused, hesitating. Whatever her confusion and fear, wasn't now a better time than ever to stand as one? Unease pricked her through and through as she turned back toward the young girls, but diverted her path and sat nearer them, giving them both a small nod before dipping her head to Dante and Blue Willow who waited at the head.

Though the broken pieces of her heart were still laying on the ground, Dante did not waste a second to call a meeting of his own. His request echoed in her ears loud and clear, it demanded the presence of those who would stay. Amelie tipped her face to the side, her eyes drifting to the path where Dante's voice came from.

Finally after Kaihra's gentle nudge, the charcoal girl finally abandoned the murder scene that had been Peregrine's meeting place and quickly trotted off behind her friend and packmate Kaihra.

As they arrived at the new meeting place, Amelie was surprised to see a Ty and Saena among the crowd. It both warmed her heart and deflated her belly to see that both girls had let their father (biological or not) go. While she felt that letting go of a parent was painfull -- she had gone through it -- she was glad that the girls could see reason and not let the blood ties cloud their judgement.

Peregrine would forever be their father, but the Plateu would be their home.
After giving a quick smile at both, Amelie sat down, her eyes lingering on her mother's pained face. A small whimper escaped from the yearling's mouth, a reassuring whisper meant for her mother and a grieving moan for everyone else.

When the first rush of anger and disappointment had waned all that was left was sorrow and regret for the bad way she had parted with her brother. Even though his choice of leaving them still felt like a betrayal, she could see his point and understand him. Always to follow his heart. Wasn't she the same way? Sometimes her head was in the clouds, most of the time she made rational decisions and yet, when it came to important matters, she let her heart lead her. Had it not brought her here after March Owl's death? Had it not taken her on a journey to heal her troubled soul? In the end - had it not told her that this time she wouldn't follow, that she would stay behind? Therefore she made a solid decision that right after things were settled here in the Plateau, she would go looking for him and tell that she was sorry and that she supported him, no matter how hard it was for her and how disloyal it would feel to the rest of the Plateau wolves.

She was neither the first, nor the last to arrive to the place, where Dante had called the meeting. She had a pretty clear idea of the reason for this and she gave an encouraging smile at the young wolf. Ever since their encounter under the starlit sky (oh, how cheesy it sounds) she had held a soft spot for the fellow. Now and then she would catch the sight of him at the plateau and catch herself smiling for no apparent reason at all. Osprey wouldn't admit that she had begun to like him. Like... a lot. Her glance then drifted to those, who had gathered here - she recognized Perry's girls, but unfortunately the rest of the folk were strangers to her.

It was painful to stand there.
It felt as if the floor was made of lava which slowly crawled up his ankles until it reached his thighs -- and undeneath his stomach the quills of a million porcupines pierced though his skin, reaching his intestines and slashing them open allowing all the stomach acids to burn his body from the inside out.
That's how it felt.

He didn't even remember how he had gotten there, after the image of Finley's tail waving a last goodbye thing had been pretty hazy for him. In the middle of the shock and disappointment his paws had dragged him behind those who would stay at the Plateu. His olive eyes fell blankly on Dante, the man in command.

Though he shared a good friendship with Fox, the Evil Witch of the story, he did not agree with her choice; moving in with winter just around the corner was stupid enough ( though something he would've done if the circumstances were different) but to leave behind such a prosperous territory as the Plateu was flat out ridiculous.

Peregrine had never been more than an acquantaince --even if he was his superior he was pretty sure they never exchanged more than a hello. Dante on the other hand had been a warm and welcoming wolf that had managed to reach out to him during his times of trouble.

He was tied to the Plateu, even if his heart had left for the Caldera.

Round 2! It ends Wednesday, Oct 15. If we need a third round there may be one, we shall see!

Saena was the first to arrive and greeted him warmly, her happiness helping to sooth Dante's frayed nerves. He had been dreading this meeting from the moment he and Blue Willow had finalized their decision, not in any way knowing how the wolves before him would take what he was about to say. He knew, as they filed in one by one, that many had an idea of what he was about to announce.

"Interesting, and hectic, but good," he responded to her softly, giving her a warm smile before his silver eyes returned to tracking each one who came into view. He remained standing, but willed his muscles to loosen, for they were tensed with nerves. He let out a breath, steadying himself, and a little more calm seeped into him. What was the worst that could happen? They would reject him. And if that were the case, he would step back, for he would not rule a pack who did not deem him worthy of their respect. To try and step unwilling into leadership was to invite all sorts of troubles and often led to disaster and disbanding. Even his departure from the Plateau would be preferable to that.

He caught Osprey's eye and saw her encouraging smile, another friend who seemed happy to see him. It was good to see her stay, though he knew she and Peregrine had a close relationship and hoped it was not in danger. She was one who might have followed them to their new pack, but he was extremely glad she hadn't. Of the wolves gathered here, only she and the one who followed on her heels, Finn, had held lengthy conversations with him. The rest he had seen in passing, but never gotten to know. That would need to change if what he said next held true.

God he was gonna throw up. No, no he wasn't. Because he wanted this. He wanted his family to stay together. "As Peregrine said before departing, Blue Willow and I met to discuss the future of the Plateau. Of entirely her own volition, Blue Willow has decided to remain as Beta. I then will be stepping up to claim Alpha of these lands." His voice was steady despite the turmoil within. Big words, bigger than he had ever thought he would speak. "If any of you have questions or concerns, please, do not be afraid to voice them. I will answer as best I can." He would not be a dictator, not now, not ever. If he was going to do this, he was going to learn from past mistakes. And one of those lessons was that it was only when an entire pack was behind their leadership that the pack truly thrived.

Dante's announcement didn't come as much of a surprise to Osprey. There was no one apart from him and Willow to take the job. They were known by all, they were respected and what's more - they had earned their place in the ranks by hard work to the benefit of them all. She knew Willow a little better than the king with the silver-pelt, but she had all faith in him. No matter, what kind of leader he was going to turn out, plateau would have a ruler once again. That was all that was important here.

She dipped her muzzle respectfully - a gesture of approval to the new alpha. There was nothing she wanted to know or ask, therefore she remained silent and waited for others to voice out, what was on their mind.

Blue didn't say much else, but she did step forward and spoke enough for everyone to hear. I am always here if anyone wishes to speak with me. I have decided that at the moment my healing is going to be extremely important come Winter. And I want to be able to make sure I can help those who are sick, without feeling as if I am shirking my responsibilities. We are a family and we will continue to persevere.

She grew quiet and curled her tail around her side and simply waited for those who wished to, to speak. She was not going to abandon them and she was still very much a leader, just not alpha. She was and would always be a healer first.

"That's good!" said Saena, who felled silent as others filed in. Tytonidae was next, earning a smile from her cousin; then Blue Willow, a nameless female, Amelie, Aunt Osprey, and the sad-looking male from the first meeting arrived shortly after. Her gaze lingered on him a little longer than the others, but she couldn't gauge what he was thinking or feeling, and soon Dante was making announcements and she turned to watch him.

Blue Willow didn't take up her rightful place as Alpha female. This came as a surprise to Saena, who wholly expected the woman to return to the rank she'd given up for the selfish female that had left it vacant, but she didn't say anything. She watched the healer expectantly for a second, then glanced back at Dante. Osprey's approval was evident, and Saena waved her tail and tucked down her snout in an approving wolfish smile. She said nothing, though, as she had no questions she wished to ask.

Ty listened as Dante spoke, though she did not know him well. Blue Willow she knew better, but none as well as her father. Slightly confused, she glanced around and wondered why Dante was speaking, rather than Peregrine. It took her until the end of his speech to remember that he had left with Fox to go live somewhere else. Her expression switched from anxious to relaxed in an instant, glad that she had remembered what was going on.

As she waited for the meeting to be over, Ty wondered when Blue Willow, Dante, and the others would leave. She assumed, eventually, that they would. Everybody left eventually. Ty even supposed that she would leave one day, too. It seemed to be the "right thing" to do. But not right now. She didn't want to go anywhere right now.

Edited with a third paragraph. Hope that's alright!

Kaihra felt a wash of relief at Dante's reassurance of their security as a pack - and a glimmer of surprise at his claim to leadership. She had come into the pack at a time when Blue Willow still stood as Alpha among them, and Kaihra had expected her to take up the role again. She understood Blue's reasoning, but hoped the ebony queen did not make a mistake in surrendering her role to Dante, as she did when she gave it up to Fox.

But Dante was not like Fox. He had proven himself a loyal member to the Plateau, as both a subordinate and as a Beta, and his rise to leadership came entirely from his own hard work to preserve their pack. Though Kaihra did not know him well, and did not know if she could trust him, a wolf had told her once that trust would only come in time. The dark woman passed her golden gaze around the clearing once and saw the approval that passed between her packmates. Though silent, their actions spoke loudly enough for Kaihra to understand their acceptance of Dante as their new leader. Assurance stirred in her heart. She still did not trust herself, but she bowed her head to the silver man regardless, willing to give him a chance.

But there was a question on Kaihra's mind, and this time she would not keep silent. She lifted her head, but kept her eyes steadily averted from Dante's gaze. "And what of Peregrine's pack? Should we consider them our sister?" The term felt strange on her tongue, but she knew of no other word than that which Peregrine had used himself to describe the relationship he desired to bud between their packs. Uncertain she was in the right to raise the question, the dark woman ducked her head and waited for Dante's response.

Finishing it up! feel free to post again <3 I'll wait a few days to close this up.

As he looked around, Dante was surprised to find no one questioning his stepping forward. Instead, on most he saw simple approval, and that gave him a rush of happiness and more than a little relief. Apparently he had a higher regard than he had imagined, for most accepted without any comment what he had put forth.

Kaihra's question was to be expected, though Dante had not yet formed an answer to it. The decision was not only his, but Blue Willow's also. He needed more time to iron out the details, but he knew the basic direction that their relationship would take. "I do not know as of yet whether we will officially term them as such. However, I do know that our position with their pack will be friendly. We need to lay down some ground rules, and much of that decision will lie with what you all are comfortable with, but I would like for them to be welcome here within reason." He did not wish to keep Peregrine from his children, though a part of him wished to say that he had given up his rights to visit them when he chose to leave them behind. That was the part he was trying to shut up, though, and the reason why he did not want to make any final decisions just yet. He was still angry. Such visits would likely be confined to the lands nearest the borders, though, and some of the decision would depend on how far Peregrine's hand of friendship extended.

"I would like to hear thoughts on this matter, so please, seek me out if you have opinions. Or if you have any concerns in general. We're family, so don't hesitate." Peregrine left some big prints to fill, but he would do his best to be there for them. Some wolves led by strength... he would lead through diplomacy. It was his goal to hold his position not because he was the strongest, but because he could delegate and keep the peace. "For now, though, that is all." He sat down, intending to remain until all had departed.

It wouldn't matter to Osprey if Dante decided that Plateau wouldn't be on friendly terms with Redhawk caldera. She had always kept her pack duties and deep personal matters separate, therefore she would seek out and meet Peregrine, whenever she felt like to do it. Alpha's rules only reached to the borders of the lands he ruled, beyond that - she was a spirit free to do, what she wanted.

There was nothing else to say, therefore she cast one last glance at Dante, smiled at him, then got to her feet and departed.

Blue didn't say anything else, she just simply listened to Dante. He would make a good leader and she was proud of him. She smiled at those who were around and dipped her muzzle to those who were making their escaped for the time being. There would be much to do in the days coming. There were many changes and everyone had to have their own time to handle them as they wished too. She would seek those out she could in the weeks that followed just to check on them.

Dante's answer to Kaihra wasn't satisfactory to Saena—she would have preferred they cut all ties to her father's new pack in order to keep Fox and her terrible influence away from them. She didn't dare say that now, though. She was young yet and felt overly entitled to her opinions, but she was clever enough to know when to hold her tongue.

Others began to depart as the meeting drew to a close. She lingered for a moment, then said, "you'll be an awesome Alpha," before taking her own leave.

More words were exchanged, though Tytonidae largely ignored them. Her ears flicked this way and that, but it was clear by her expression that she had tuned out long ago. When Saena spoke, it roused her from her daydream state, and she sauntered off alongside her sister, bumping her shoulder amiably before darting off in another direction, hoping to entice the light-colored girl to a bit of chase. Meetings were boring, anyway.