Swiftcurrent Creek rise to the occasion

Mandatory meeting set before Star's pack hunt. First round ends the 7th.

He sat, claiming a smooth boulder near the creek edge as the cold winter wind ruffled his pelt. Hunger gnawed at him, like it did many of his comrades – their hunts had been failing, and Star had yet to call one to attention – she was likely preparing. It did not ease his worry though.. Paarthurnax was pregnant, and would require more sustenance than the rest. Bazi was injured, and would need to stay strong for recovery. And, the pack was brimming full of wolves.

With the potential for war looming over them, he found he was constantly tense now – pain dug at his shoulders with it, and at night, when he would try to settle, he found he could not.

But he could no longer delay what needed to be discussed, and so, tilting his muzzle back, the cinnamon male beckoned his pack members forward – emphasizing the importance of the meeting by making it mandatory. The cloud was dark with grey clouds as evening rolled above him – the promise of more snow to gently fall was apparent, but not unwelcome. As his song died down, the Frostfur stiffened, his tail curling around his creamy paws as he waited for them to come.

Swiftcurrent Creek, it would seem, was never without its drama.

@Kaskara @Galileo @Star @Dovev @Falwasi @Kieran @Bazi @Saber @Estoc @Kaede @Esperanza @Luka @Nefarious

Saber heard the song sung by his brother, and whether it was mandatory or not, he would not ignore the summon of his sibling. However, the DeMonte mix heard the seriousness of the howl, and after putting down the trout he had snapped up earlier within a hole in the earth. He had done only few caches, and ran across very few prey. It seemed like the only plentiful pretty was fish, and soon, that source would be gone as well.

With godsped muscular limbs, the sand and tan cloaked man left his past at the North East border point, and found ease hoping over the fallen trees, all while pondering his brothers call of the pack. Obviously, it was of importance.

Arriving in the clearing, the tawny pelted Hessian affectionately bumped his brother's shoulder with his own, the glacial irises searching his brothers face for whatever could have caused for the meeting, only to give a nod, and seat himself at the darker coated agouti's side, though a considerable amount lower, the combination of respect and natural hierarchy.

Kieran lifted his muzzle from the game trail he was following. It was not as new as it could be and he hoped that it would lead to a new one. He debated whether or not to skip the meeting and continue after the trail, for they were in dire need of food. But he heard the sound of something in the call and knew he needed to make his way there, something was important. So with one last sniff he turned and loped towards the song sung by the leader. Finding a quiet space a little away from others, but so he could still hear. He settled to his haunches and he waited.

Weeks had dragged by, and still Paarthurnax found it difficult to settle. Being unaware of any encounters that may have occurred between Shadow and her pack-mates kept her feeling incredibly on edge; she would be to blame, undoubtedly, for any attack to arrive at Swiftcurrent borders. No one had informed her of any bad news, however - things had remained quietly tense between her home and that of her former mate, who had yet to seek an audience with Scimitar as he'd informed her during last meeting.

She was now heavy with pups, and her flanks swelled with the promise of a large litter despite her lean frame. With around three weeks to go until her suspected due date, Paarthurnax had focused to the best of her ability in finishing the building of her whelping nest. The hollow was comfortable now, compared the the bare and lonely hole in the ground she'd crawled up inside on her first day back on Creek territory. It was a home again, and soon it would be so for her brood.

When the Alpha's call summoned the pack, Paar abandoned her search for prey and made her way promptly in the direction that the howl had come from. She moved carefully through the territory, her additional weight and strain on her sore paws making the journey feel longer than it really was. Paar was surprised to discover that she was one of the first to arrive on the scene and, with ears pricked back and head lowered submissively, the mother-to-be greeted the trio of males with a nervous sweep of her cinnamon tail before settling nearby to wait.

After what her brother had said to her after returning with Bazi, Kaskara only knew that this announcement would come sooner rather than later. She knew that they needed a meeting, not only to announce her new rank, which scared the shit out of her, but to also warn the others of the possible threat that Shadow and his pack posed to them now that Paarthurnax had returned.

Kaskara was already on the way to the meeting place when Scimitar's howl rose into the air, and she followed Paar's fiery form into the clearing. Though the creek was now on rocky waters partially due to her choice in leaving Shadow, Kaskara didn't blame the girl one bit. As she walked past her, Kaskara gave her a bright smile and pressed her nose against her shoulder. They knew each other little, but Kaskara considered the girl a friend. The warrior's two-toned eyes took in the girl's swollen frame and she smiled, glad that at least some good may come of this uncertain time.

She walked past the others, giving Kieran a grin and bumping her nose into Saber's shoulder, before seating herself near Scimitar - closer than she had in previous pack meetings. She sat on his left, below the boulder, her gaze scanning those gathered and the area around them, hoping to see who else would come. She truly hoped that others would join them, especially Bazi, because they all deserved to know what potential threat they faced.

Kaede slipped in just after Kaskara (another who he had not met) and kept towards the back, looking around with a friendly air at those surrounding the Alpha already. The call had been imperative and so he assumed all would gather; a good chance for him to take stock and note his packmates. He did not know what the purpose of this summons was but assumed it to be important and therefore worthy of his full attention. If he could help in any way with the situation he would try, but he was so new and low in the ranks he doubted his input would be welcome. Kaede wasn't one to worry much about his placement in a pack. It was his goal to improve his skills and better himself so that he may better serve this pack and whatever future homes he may travel to. That was the philosophy his parents had instilled within him and it would lead his life until the day he died.

He remained standing, able to better see Scimitar by doing so and wishing to remain alert so that he would not miss a thing. Now that he had learned their territory his next goal was to find out as much as he could about their relations with the surrounding packs. Did they have sisters here as his own family had been with his Uncle's pack? It would be worth investigating.

Star was running along the Creek. A serious sounding howl split the air. No! Keep running, idiot! Ignore him! But she ignored the voice and turned her direction towards the source. She arrived after a few members were there already. She dipped her head politely to the Alpha and Gamma, and swelled with pride at the fact that they were the only ones ranked higher than her.
She knew this was probably about Bazi. She'd been gone for what, two months now? And she was probably not coming back, in Star's mind. Even her scent no longer drifted in the air or was stale on the borders. It was so long that it was gone.
Star got ready for the news to break, and sat down on a flat stone by the Creek. "Sir." She addressed Scimitar respectfully once more.

Bazi was still a little slower than everyone else. The cold had intensified, and her joints were stiff first thing in the morning. En route, she worried about the cause for Scimitar's call. Swiftcurrent Creek was not without its problems - as usual - but this
could be anything from the poor hunting to.. well, something altogether more dramatic.

When she arrived at the meeting, Bazi made a bee-line for her pregnant friend.

Not before sending Kaskara a warm, broad smile and offering a slightly more timid version to her brother. The others she greeted briefly as she passed them, winking at Star and nuzzling Kieran's shoulder.

"Hi girlie," she whispered, settling down so close to Paarthurnax's left side that their winter coats merged.

Nefarious had been doing what he could, stocking his personal caches, turning his attention to the more practical cache, the medicinal, instead of the poisonous one, given he had no idea when someone would need to be healed. He did not know if they would go to him, or one of the other aspiring healers within the Creek's ranks, but it was definitely better to be prepared. Food was scarce, and there was always a slight rumble in his stomach that did not deign to go away, though this was largely because of their failed pack hunts. It was nothing to be proud of and the shaman did his best to ignore it. He took only what he needed to scrape him by food wise, knowing at the very least that Paar, being as pregnant as she was, needed more food than the rest of them, and it was her and her unborn children's welfare that currently mattered the most. The shaman wasn't overly privy to much else and did not know that there was also an injured wolf in their ranks that also needed the food to keep up her strength. When he wasn't running a patrol of the borders he was traversing when he could, while trying to stay as close to the Creek as he could, in search of medicines. He had begun to learn some of the flora of the land, and was better at recognizing things, and of course he was lucky enough that there were some plants indigenous to both the Teekon Wilds and the Seahawk Valley, which was definitely a big help to Nefarious in his plight.

Even so, Nefarious wondered if he could potentially help to do more in the hunting vein, taking some time out of his agenda to hunt what he could. Even if he got nothing more than a rabbit or two, or a squirrel well that was better than nothing, wasn't it? When Scimitar's howl rang through the territory, Nefarious turned his attention away from his caches; abandoning what he was doing made his way to where the howl had originated from. He was not the first to arrive he saw, dipping his head to Scimitar, and in turn the woman who sat beside him, though below the boulder that the Alpha stood upon, despite that he could not recall her name. Nefarious recognized Paar, easy enough to spot even without the tell-tale swell of her sides, heavy with child, he recognized Star, Kieran and Kaede, though the others names were largely unknown to him. Not knowing anyone well enough to claim that it was okay to sit near them, the shaman sort of plopped down where a few feet closer to the group than where he'd entered the meeting place, though close to no one in particular.

He wondered if there was anyone to blame for the lack of food surfacing around the Creek. The pack had an explosion in numbers by the onset of winter, but the problem had persisted before that. Having stayed with the group for more than a season, it was still hard to detect if it was a lack of motivation, no prey, or bad hunting experiences that led up to Dovev's pack going into winter unprepared. He could only hope Star would call the hunt soon and find something to eat.

Dovev wasn't far away when Scimitar let loose a howl, but the tundra beast slowly picked his way through the dry bramble and grass towards the site. He could now feel the extent of the new recruits as they excitedly scrambled towards the cinnamon Alpha. As he neared, he was a little uneasy at not being able to recognize many faces that swelled and ebbed as wolves milled around, waiting for their leader to call them attention. Stopping a bit away, he let his gray eyes ponderously sweep over the congregation.
He acknowledged Star, sprawled on a rock near the Creek as being the closest to him, and Dovev could see Scimitar and Kaskara gazing over the massing wolves. The spritely sister to the alpha had taken up a position closer than usual, and Dovev's brow furrowed in brief confusion, before his eyes left the pair and instead roamed over several new males, with Kieran not far off. But they weren't what drew Dovev's steady stare.

It was that yellow traitor and her new companion. It all made sense now- the den, the off-putting demeanor; Paar was preparing to bring her pups to the Creek. He had been informed of it before, but the tundra brute was still surprised to see he was shocked when he saw her in the flesh. And the young wolf standing beside her.

If Bazi had returned, Dovev wanted to see how long it would take before her standings would be replaced in the pack. For now, he could be happy to ignore the return of the arctic female, and seemingly stared past her as he returned his gaze to their leader. Yawning, Dovev anticipated the arrival of Falwasi and Galileo, who were currently absent.

The young Frostfur had been hunting by the Creek's edge when his brother's howl rang through the air, he frowned, somewhat upset that his hunting had been disturbed. Though he had been a member of the Creek for quite sometime now, he still found it hard to get use to being part of a pack. Answering to a leader's summons when they called, it had been so long since he yielded to another wolf's rule......Estoc was not entirely sure if he was able to stay at one place for so long, once he had been sure but now...

But that could wait until winter was over, any wise wolf would stay in a group when the cold winds attacked. Perhaps once this season was over, the ashen male might find comfort in these lands, with his brothers and sisters. Shaking his fur, Es made his way over to the meeting place, golden eyes taking all his packmates in, noticing a crimson furred female's belly was bulging...with pups? Who's pups? His gaze lingered on her for a moment before sitting down.

galileo is such a depressive butt lately :o

He had slipped silently after Estoc made his entrance, and though he saw the many bodies of his packmates lingering around the meeting place he simply sinked away from them all in order to take a seat aside from the crowd. While the rest of the pack assembled to hear the man's speech, Galileo kept staring down, his gentle features twisted into sharp angles that contorted his face into a frown. Maybe the harshness of growing old was finally catching up to his young spirit, or maybe he was just tired of being a fraud.

The coldness of the first weeks of winter had brought more than just snow; for reasons unknown the generally smiling man was sulking in a corner, his ears positioned not to miss any of Scimitar's words, but his eyes and his heart gone somewhere else.

Second round ends on the 10th

One by one they began to arrive – Saber was the first, and Scimitar offered his brother a warm greeting by nudging his cheek affectionately. Kieran was next, followed by Paarthurnax, who captured his attention quite quickly as his eyes fell to the roundness of her belly – something they could no longer hide from the pack. He gave a nod to each wolf that came in, his turquoise eyes studying their features, feeling his throat feel dryer and dryer each second as some of them passed their own curious gazes to the crimson beauty. He was pleased to note that Bazi was quick to find the side of the pregnant she-wolf – at least she would maintain one close friend in her time of need.

Moments passed, and it was quickly noted that three were missing – Falwasi, whose scent was relatively strong still within the lands, and both Esperanza and Luka.. neither who were. It panged him to know the darker male had likely left the Creek behind without even a word, but he made no motion to speak of it now – there was a reason he had called for everyone to be here.

“Thank you for coming,” he began, his tone echoing down the creek as he tried to make sure he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “There is news I have to share – good news.” He offered a small smile, casting his eyes down fondly to his sister. “First, Kaskara, Kieran and Falwasi have returned from their scouting trip to Njal and Tuwawi’s old pack. They have found Bazi,” he indicated in her direction with a nod – “and have brought her home to us. She was injured, but she will hopefully heal quickly among friends.” There was a small pause then, his eyes scouring for expression – what did they think of their previous Alp-ha returning? And would they expect him to submit to her once more, and give up his crown? “I have also placed Kaskara as the pack’s Beta – she has proven her loyalty during her stay within the Creek, and has shown her loyalty on many occasions.” Glancing down to his sibling, he gave her a small nod.

But now it was time to turn to a more serious matter. “Finally.. Swiftcurrent Creek welcomes home one of its previous members, Paarthurnax,” he nodded in her direction, his eyes falling upon her own and hoping to catch her gaze. “In the past, she has offered the pack medical skills that have proved to be handy on many occasion…” There was a pause, and he swallowed, hoping to barrel on in his words without seeming he was shaken. “Paarthurnax has come back from Noctisardor Bypass – Shadow’s pack. As you can see, she is pregnant.. they are Shadow’s.” Again, he offered another pause, this time to shift his weight. “For those who do not know of him, he is unwelcome in these lands – his past indiscretions have made it so, and I want everyone on their guard and to patrol the borders more heavily. I am told he is seeking audience with me in the near future – I hope to mitigate what tensions might arise from this.” With a nod then to open up discussion, he added. “I want everyone to take this as good news – the Creek has not had puppies since Njal and Tuwawi left.”

Saber returned the soft touches to both siblings, and after all the appeared lupines took their places, he too, settled to hear the news.
Frozen glacials cast a cool gaze around the pack, his auds catching the pronunciations of names.

Saber nodded his thickly maned head in Bazi's direction, a small smile to the snow fae he had encountered and escorted for the small amount of time they had. Such a reminder told him he had yet to talk to Rain, the grey hellion, on the pack information he had finally learned.

At the note of his sister earning the second in command, a tail wag was offered to her direction. He was happy she had earned her spot, and from what he had known deep in his heart, Saber knew the rank suited her quite well.

Soon, Scim dropped the obvious in the mist of the Creek, the exotic femme who was carrying several extra pounds below her, and he forced the skeptical caution from his mind of the girl. She was a fellow Creek, and he would treat her as such, even if she did look as if she was trying to find some ordeal of protection from her previous mate. Disregarding the vice his usually cold heart had for others, he sent the copper eyed femalis a reassuring smile.

His brother had welcomed her home, so would he.
And he would do what he could to keep Shadow away from her, and her young.

She sensed the approach of another from behind, and Paarthurnax canted a velvet lobe backward to listen to the padding paws of another. As they neared, she blinked shyly over a slender shoulder, though let her muscles slacken upon recognition of the dark female. With a fond smile and a content flop of her crimson tail, Paar crooned affectionately for her pack-mate and made to flick her tongue atop Kaskara's crown as she dipped to bump her muzzle to a russet shoulder. She was afraid, yes, but it was refreshing to have another friendly face to help settle her frayed nerves.

Next to arrive was a little white female, her pelt seemingly too fluffy for her dainty form, and although Paar did not know her by name she did recognise her as a long-term Creek member. The other wolfess did not regard the others, instead focusing on the tawny Alpha and his sable sister, which didn't bother her. She was a subordinate now, no longer a leader, and she did feel that the less attention on her, the better.

Bazi's appearance brought greater confidence to the mother-to-be, and she welcomed the Arctic girl to her with a happy chuff. Paarthurnax leaned into her companion as Bazi sank against her, and they both found support in one another's presence. So much that the crimson sandflower did not register the arrival of her pale stalker, who fixed her with a stare filled with contempt.

It did not take long for others to gather, and Paarthurnax listened carefully when Scimitar made to proceed. She observed him quietly, knowing what was to come and when it did, lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. Eyes turned on her, fixing her with stares, and Paarthurnax simply gazed up with copper doe eyes at her Alpha as he announced her very obvious pregnancy and the unwelcome sire of her litter. He did not leave out the fact that he wished the birth of her pups to be a happy occasion, though she could not help but wonder how many might object to her presence.

Kaskara simply listened as her brother told all gathered about their return, about the fact that they had successfully retrieved Bazi from her near-death experience. She smiled at Bazi across the clearing, glad that her friend was back, and hoping that soon she and Scimitar would mend their broken hearts and finally be together. It was written clearly on their souls that they cared for each other, but they were both stubborn and, quite frankly, a little stupid when it came to love. Kas didn't have much room to talk, so she didn't, but she silently wished they'd just get on with it.

When Scimitar announced that she had been promoted to beta, she grinned and nodded at everybody, accepting whatever congratulations they would give. Saber smiled at her and she winked at him. She hoped she would do a good job as beta. It had never been her ambition to be a leader, but she was here, taking on the responsibility without (much) hesitation. It would have to be good enough for now, at least. If she messed up, she would ask for forgiveness and learn from her mistakes. It was as simple as that. However, with her brother, Bazi, Kieran, and Galileo to consult, she didn't think she would mess up too badly.

Then the meeting moved onto Paarthurnax and her pregnancy. Kaskara's gaze returned to the red beauty and she smiled gently, glad that she had returned to their ranks. Though she didn't know her well, Kaskara hoped they would become friends. She made a note to herself to find Paar after the meeting to talk with her about the pups. Her gaze roamed over those gathered, watching out for signs of displeasure or unrest, wondering if any would retaliate against her presence. If so, she would readily put them in their place. She was part of their pack now and that meant she was to be protected.

After Bazi came Dovev, Galileo, and two wolves that she did not recognize. A swift glance over her shoulder showed two somber faces - not unusual on Dovev (the former Alpha was wholly unaware of her fellow Arctic's behaviour towards Paarthurnax at this point, and did not connect his stare with mistrust), but strange to see in Galileo.

There was no time to chat - as soon as her sterling friend sat down, Scimitar began.

The official welcome back made Bazi's heart swell. She returned the nod with a vague smile, waiting for more... but Scimitar swiftly moved on - no smile, no details about her accident, or any effort to justify her absence. Kaskara's (very deserved) appointment to the Beta position soured her mood further, but the white wolf kept silent. Of course she couldn't waltz back into a pack that no longer belonged to her and expect to be given the crown - and none of the wolves present would ever suggest it. One day, she might make something of herself again. Until then.. there was Scimitar to crack, and Paarthurnax to look after. With that in mind, she flashed Kaskara a broad, encouraging grin. Good on you.

Already, Bazi felt a fierce protectiveness towards her friend's unborn brood. She kept her own head high when the pregnancy was unannounced, ready and waiting for the first wolf that looked anything but happy for Paarthurnax (Saber offered a kind smile, which Bazi returned on behalf of her friend). The pups' father was irrelevant - a good wolf was raised, not born, and little lives in the Samarkand woman's belly had plenty of good role models within the Creek.

"I'll be staying with Paarthurnax until they're born," she announced, nudging her pregnant companion's downy cheek. "And help out afterwards, if she'll have me." Most of all, Bazi wanted to curl up with the 140 pups that would surely drop out of Paarthurnax's rear at any moment, but she would - begrudgingly - accept the soon-to-be mother's right to privacy if she had to.

Kaede listened with distinct interest to the proceedings, especially the news of the mother-to-be and the sire of her future children. It seemed perhaps his skill set might get some honing here after all. Not all was sunshine and roses as it had first appeared.

Now that he had knowledge of the situation, he would do some exploring of his own. A tactician by nature, he knew that knowledge could oftnetimes be power when it came to disagreements between differing groups. Personally he had no qualms about her presence here, so remained neutral, reading the situation around him with a diffident air. He did not know her so did not bristle defensively as some, but nor would he be so callous as to express displeasure at her return. If she felt this was her home, and her loyalty had brought her back, then he had no place to say whether or not she belonged. Still he could not help but be a bit curious. As he had said before, those who left rarely returned, and he personally would question the solidity of her place here. What was to stop her from leaving again?

A few more wolves showed up, including Bazi. Star's attention flitted towards Scimitar as he began. She also noticed the absence of Esper and Fal. As he begun to speak about Bazi she listened happily, glad her friend- well, hopefully friend- was back home. As he announced the news of the dark brown female, Kaskara, as she recalled from past meetings, Star smiled a little at her. She had never had the gift of meeting the long time member of the Creek and Scimitar's sister, but she thought either way that she seemed like a good wolf. She glanced over to the fiery female who was getting rather large. She hadn't gone unnoticed by Star, but she hadn't stared at her either. But... She was familiar. She was the healer, the reason she'd found Esper, the one who'd run away and choosen love over loyalty with who? Shadow. Star had hate for him, but it was only because of how much everybody else didn't seem to like him. She didn't truly know why he had left. But there would be two litters born here soon- that was good news. And hopefully none of them would be moving away to a glacier.

A few others filed in after Nefarious had entered the little gathering, but soon after the meeting started and the atmosphere around Nefarious became of a more serious demeanor as Scimitar began. Pumpkin orange gaze rested respectfully upon Scimitar as the alpha started off the meeting with good news and went forth to introduce Kaskara, the shaman's gaze followed his alpha's nod in the direction of the dark woman was now beta female and that her, kieran and someone named Falwasi had found Bazi. Two of those names he did not recognize, and while the shaman supposed he should have been overjoyed that the mysterious woman 'Bazi' was found in reality it meant little to him beyond that she was obviously lost and returned home. He did not realize that she had once reigned over the Creek as it's Queen, having been before his time within their ranks. The tone changed quickly then, becoming a little more grim as the joy was placed way for the intention of 'getting down to business'. Nefarious listened intently as Scimitar spoke of Paar, and the shaman's eyes went to her, easy enough to spot even if she wouldn't have been heavily pregnant. Scimitar informed them that she came from a pack whose name was irrelevant currently to Nefarious, though it was obviously supposed to mean something to him, and went on to confess that said unborn children belonged to Shadow, this Bypass' alpha. Nefarious had assumed that Paar's mate had lived with her and in the Creek despite that he hadn't scented really one specific male scent heavy upon her.

In hindsight, it made the shaman feel better that he had considered her exotic and attractive and gave relief where he had worried he might be torn apart by some overly possessive mate. It came about, then, that he was not welcome within the lands of Swiftcurrent Creek, and Scimitar spoke that he wanted them to guard and patrol the borders more heavily. Something that Nefarious could do considering he had been thinking of warden as a secondary trade. He did not mind shifting his trade priorities so long as there was a legitimate reason why considering healer was always his primary trade as Shaman, but this was a legit reason to Nefarious. The protection of Paar and her children, and the intention of keeping out one that was no longer welcome and had done wrong to the Creek and it's members. “If he comes seeking the audience and one of us intercepts him are we to call for you or send him away?” Nefarious spoke up, hoping it was not out of line for him to do so, but wanting to know just in case, even if he ended up being reprimanded for speaking out. It wasn't something Nefarious was used to being punished for, but then again this place was not Akkuma and he was not sure what to expect, given the culture shock he was left to suffer internally from.

Kieran's green eyes went wide at the sight of the pregnant female in their midst he hadn't known she was here and a churning rolled in his belly. The longing for his own children that he could have had while at the same time a deep seeded discomfort as little ones scared the large irishman. They were so very tiny and he just well wasn't.

He tilted his head and dipped his muzzle to both Kaskara and the pregnant female, offering a smile in return to Bazi. He lifted his gaze to the leader and listened. He would watch out for this Shadow and if he had his way he wouldn't draw breath again. Because as far as he was concerned the female had left him for a reason, he must have wronged her in someway and that was just not something you did around him. He would make sure to take on more hunts and take it too the pregnant female. He would make sure she was well fed and healthy.

Galileo took in every word said by Scimitar, letting each syllable to sink into his concience. Even if he had heard all abaout how Paar's case would be handled beforehand he listened intently, only raising his eyes from the ground to look at the dark coated female that was being appointed as Beta. He allowed his amber eyes to rest on her for a moment, watching how she offered a proud smile to rest of the pack as a thank-you. The man nodded his head in silent approval, though he had not had the chance to speak with her personally he could see a whole load of potential withing her.

Then, as Scimitar proceeded to give the packs the recommendations and welcome the former Artic Queen into the pack, Galileo synched out, lowering again his head as he once again found himself engulfed by his own thoughts.

[size=x-small]Sorry for the late post :([/size]

At the distant sound of his call, Falwasi cursed herself for being away from the Creek. She was going to be later than most, she predicted, so she cut the faff and ran off into the direction of the Creek. Precise location was to be sussed out nearer to their territory.

The lanky woman took great strides, hoping not to arrive too late. She bounded through the white snow, feeling the frost covered grass beneath the sheet. She was well fed from the Glacier, but the full stomach was thinning away. But with Star's hunt on the go and their fortunate weekly hunt, maybe the catches were to fill up again. Maybe the Creek was beginning to grow out of their unsuccessful streak, much like spring growing from winter.

Falwasi arrived just in time to hear half of Scimitar's speech, concerning the subject of Shadow and Paarthurnax. Her mood quickly plummeted at the subject of not only the silver Roman, but of his beloved too.

"I apologise for my... delay," she started reluctantly, dipping her head towards her Alpha, and giving a genuine look to her pack mates. But she didn't sit down. "Why should we risk our damn lives for a wolf who has brought, wouldn't you know it, more drama to the Creek?," Falwasi said, apathy strongly coloring her tone as she slanted her eyes without gesturing towards Paarthurnax. He would know she was talking of the former Bypassian. "Scimitar; you and every other Creek wolf know we haven't had the greatest luck hunting lately. And if this were to escalate into battle... we would be lucky to come out alive, let alone vanquish," Falwasi finished in a milder voice, but with a shake of her head.

Then she sat down.

Next round ends the 14th.

There seemed to be a general consensus of agreement amongst the pack – though as the soft, honeyed colors of Falwasi flashed in the background as she stumbled upon the meeting late, she was also quick to vocalize that stirred a blink from the man, his own gaze snapping toward Paarthrunax and cringing inwardly, wishing he could shield her from the accusations.

Pausing a moment, the cinnamon male let silence fall amongst them for a moment, his bright turquoise eyes seeking out the Lambda once more. A slow nod was offered in turn – accepting her opinion, despite his disagreement with it. “Because Paarthurnax was here prior to many of those here and had plenty to offer the Creek,” he began, withholding a dry comment that Falwasi might have heard that aspect of the conversation had she not been late.. but perhaps she had caught that tidbit as well. “She has proved before she is a loyal member, and did not make the decision to leave the Creek lightly – she left for love. Just because it was something that didn’t work out, does not mean that I personally will turn a cold shoulder to a friend in need.”

“Shadow has always loomed over the Creek – we have already been attacked by a Bypass wolf. The Sunspire casts its own threat over us in their own way, though a shaky truce is still maintained.. Probably only because Ferdie is missing. Yet at our last meeting, I had brought up the potential to move away from these threats – and it was met with a clear defiance that we stay and protect what is ours. Paarthurnax is one of ours.” There was a small pause as he allowed his eyes to sweep over the group, studying them quickly before his gaze fell once more on Falwasi. “Does anyone disagree with any of that?”

They sat together, solid and united, but Paarthurnax could not bear to lift her gaze and look upon them. She felt Bazi's reassuring weight against her flank, a strong reminder that she was far from alone, but she did not find comfort in the silence from their pack-mates. Unaware of their opinions and uncertain if she even wanted to know, she sat hunched at her pale companion's side, wishing with every fiber of her being to be dismissed sooner rather than later.

She continued to feel incredibly on edge, even more so with the approach of a late wolfess. Curiously, Paarthurnax peeked up at the approaching female who wore a mottled coat of honey and butterscotch, but averted her copper gaze to her alabaster paws once again when the latecomer spoke up to apologise for her delay.

What she said next made her heart plummet, however, despite how right Paar knew she was.

The crimson Frostfur did not object, but she seemed to sink further. With a soft whisper audible perhaps only to her former Alphess, Paarthurnax prepared herself for the likelihood of similar responses from others. Before those came, however, Scimitar made to regain control of the situation by leaping at once to her defense.

Stop, she yearned to beg of him, don't turn them against you because of me. Paarthurnx inhaled deeply, breathed in the scent of Bazi in attempt to keep herself from crumbling, and awaited further opinions of her pack-mates.