Thunder Dome Be My Mirror, My Sword and Shield

Forward dated 3 days from the post date. Pack meeting, y'all! @Kuroishi , @Moor , @Kiche , @Void, @Páli 

Meylodi crawled out of their den and stood atop an outcropping in the Thunder Dome's rocky surroundings. The sun was surprisingly clear overhead, favoring its rays within the Dome and onto the forms of canines that had recently moved to its land. 

Their land. 

The once-upon-a-time princess among bandits and warriors lifted her black muzzle to the sky and called for them all to come together. Void could come to her side if he wanted, but of course, the she-wolf wanted to do it on her own. 

Aye - all o' ye - first pack mee'in' we've e'er 'ad, be'er not miss i'.

Kiche was nearby, but he instinctively moved closer upon hearing her call. Her tail flicked behind her as she raised her head, narrowed her eyes, and sniffed; she was excited to meet the other wolves, but she had many doubts.

She tried to breathe softly to calm her heartbeat, would they accept someone who wasn't the same species as hers? Winning they trust would be a challenge, the good thing is that she liked challenges.

How should she behave in front of the wolves? with the other dogs, she used to hold her head and tail high, with the usual dignity of her breed, but she supposed that such behavior would be misinterpreted by wolves as dominance, so she held her tail low, showing kindness.

Páli hears Meylodi’s call and padded out of the mothers den. She was a hunter but while pregnant, did not sleep with the hunters. She padded up to where the female Alfa was and dipped her head, before sitting down

Void was surprised by Meylodi’s call. They hadn’t talked about doing a pack meeting now so he wondered what this would be about. He sat down beside her, but slightly behind her, giving her the higher ground and ability to lead the meeting

After everyone had settled down around her, she stood tall. 

Aye. I call ye all 'ere ta be able ta know what everyone else be thinkin' 'bout all this. We been real busy these last coupla days, an' I feel it's impertint ya'll got a voice in pack matters. Building trust was important, and she wanted the pack to feel included - especially Kiche - poor dog wasn't even a wolf and she'd promised to teach her how to be one. The dark-pelted leader could see her trying to figure out how to sit during such a meeting. She grinned but held her stance.

She wanted the pack to be honest with her, and to not be afraid that she'd disagree with everything they had to say. In truth, the final decisions would be the Alfas, but they weren't the only heads in the pack. Every voice was important to her now that she was, in part, responsible for the ones talking. 

Meyoldi internally thought she'd never be truly independent again. But somehow it didn't feel as scary as before, and in fact it felt kind of nice to see faces. Hopefully, in time, they could put their trust in the young Alfas to protect them if they needed it.

The she-wolf shuffled the thoughts aside. So, I want cha ta be honest with meh. We still gotta lot ta do, an' we goh'a do it tagaether. The territ'ry needs ta be marked ou' an' es'plored, huntin' grounds need ta be discovered, an' we gotta let ta o'her packs on ta mountain range know we settlin' here. Anythin' else any of ya wanna bring up thus far, feel free.

Kiche nodded his head slowly. Mark a territory? she was not a male, and only males marked her territory... she remembered that since she was a puppy she had been taught to relieve herself in a fixed place, but that was another place, another time. Surely the wolves marked her territory, both male and female.

She was no longer a domestic dog, now she was part of a pack. She felt nervous about being surrounded by wolves, but they hadn't shown her the slightest hint of hostility, she even doubted that everyone knew she was a husky.

She listened carefully to what Meylodi was saying. She had many questions, about the ways of wolves, but she supposed they wouldn't be relevant. Over time, watching the other wolves, learning from them, little by little she would understand the true meaning of freedom.

“Once i have my pups, or even in this time before i have to be on bedrest, i can be a hunter. It is one of my strong suits.” Pali said, speaking up.

The wolfdog recognized that the other women next to her was also not a full wolf, and frankly she seemed full dog. She seemed really scared so quietly, the german shepherd mix whispered to her. “what do you like doing? hunting, fighting, building, healing, scouting.. stuff like that.” She asked

Void added on a little to what Meylodi said. “We will be open to suggestions for other pack roles in the future but for the time being we need the basics. We will eventually have lead hunters and fighters, and roles for younger members to learn how to hunt and fight and such, but for now, please just tell us if you’re a stronger hunter or fighter, and if you’d be able to help us scout and mark territory. And oh, also if you have any healing knowledge, we need a pack healer and my basic knowledge won’t help much in a bad situation.” He said.

She didn't quite know what her role would be, apart from Alfa, but she'd figure out what she was good at and her own importance at some other time. There was time for things before the pair of Máthairs would need to rest before their pups were born. Moorhen would have her paws full with the two closer to the birth of the first two litters of Midnight Scar's existence.

There be time to get everythin' all proper like, but fer now we need ta make t'is land 'ere aurs. Kaychai can come with me ta mark ta borders, and Void can be the le'er o' a scoutin' party ta find where ta prey be an' such. Anyone else tat wants ta go with either o' us can.

Meylodi hoped he'd be okay with that. He seemed to be the one who knew the area more than anyone else did, and he did want to provide for his mate. That meant... finding the food. And if they could find a healer, that'd be nice. Try not ta get inta fights if ya can. Questions?

Kiche raised her head when they talked about healing. Did wolves heal other wolves? the most the dogs did was lick each other's wounds, but that didn't help much.

She was not interested in fighting or hunting, the idea of hurting gave him a chill. Could I be useful to the clan? What if, instead of hurting, she learned to heal others? she was as big as a wolf and her fangs could make considerable wounds, but she was graceful and delicate.
"I can learn to heal," she said, answering Pali's question.

She listened to Meylodi and was relieved to hear that she was given a simple task: mark the borders, not hunt.

“i can help with scouting, i did live here first, after all.” Páli said. “i know good borders and places to hunt, and where to find what prey.” She added

Void nodded approvingly and what was said. “Great, for now, Páli you’ll come with me scouting and Meylodi and Kiche, i’d say hunt until we find borders, then one of us will lead you along them and you can mark.” He suggested. “Or make dens, while we scout.” He added.

“And Kiche, we’d love to have you as a healer, i can teach you what i know and then we can also go out scouting for another experienced healer to teach more. I know some that are around here.” He told the young dog.

Lass like 'er ne'er hunted a day in 'er life I bet, Meylodi countered Void's suggestion, her limited knowledge of dogs making sense that humans would have cared for their non-wolf packmate. She had never hunted before, and thus she would have to be taught. There was a reason Meyl had suggested a different task for the two to do. As... wrong as that thought sounded to her, accommodations were in order at times. We mark, she repeated, her words, in her eyes, final. I catch on da way. She can watch an' learn.

Void nodded with a sigh. "Sure, mark the forest cave." He said. "Me and Pali will find official borders, outside of it, in the thunder dome, but until then, we at least know this area is ours." He said, firmly. He could tell Meyl was getting a little hotheaded from trying to prove her point so he spoke sensibly and firm. You can mark territory before borders are set.

He turned towards the wolfdog. "Pali, lets go." He said, and he started off.

sorry for the wait! I was on a lil vacation

Moorhen arrived just a little late to the party, having been a bit further out on patrol. She had been just a little reclusive while she got used to the scents of her new pack mates, but she didn't mean to snub anyone, either. Meylodi least of all!

She remained stoically at the back of the pack when she arrived, tallying up the assembled wolves(?) and taking in their varied appearances.

Meyl's eyes drifted to the only one in this pack who could be described as a midwife, as well as the oldest one present. 

She didn't have much else to say, but her heart burnt terribly to speak with the older she-wolf. 

That be all I has to say. Marhin, I would like ta speak ta ya fer a mohmint, if ya don't mind.

Her tail moved sharply, signaling the end of the meeting, and she further made it clear by jumping off her perch and padding away.