Horizon Ridge chasing the sun · pack meeting

This is a pack meeting for all current pack members as of 1/11/14. This will also include a joining ritual in which Kisu and Pied will become mates; your character will have gotten advance notice to bring some form of gift for them. EDIT: As of 1/18, this pack meeting is open to EVERY pack member and while it is not mandatory, attendance is HIGHLY encouraged and will affect your character's rank. In light of this change, the first round will end on 1/23.

Endless moments stretched out, impossibly long, drawn thus by the slow progress of sunrise. A lone figure was seated at the zenith of Horizon Ridge, his lupine posture erect and quite still. In the earliest moments of dawn the world was still quite dark and with it the wolf's black coat seemed a thing of inky darkness all its own, some remnant of night. An enigmatic smile curved the male's dark lips; his pale blue eyes were half-closed as of one deep in meditation. It was Akhlut Kesuk-Nereides' favorite time of day, and he never missed it, spending that time in spiritual devotion and a profound appreciation for the world in which he lived and particularly for his own little corner of it.

He spent a long moment in regret that he would soon be shattering the sanctity of the hour by bringing together his pack, but he quickly rationalized that he was not disrupting so much as enhancing the beauty of sunrise by showing it to the wolves who were now his family as much as blood, and for whose health and happiness he was solely responsible. Yes, this would be a suitable introduction to the Light for those who did not know it, and those who did would revel in its glory much as he did. The symbolism of dawn-time was not lost on the male either, and it was entirely appropriate. He could linger no longer in solitude. He was no vagabond any longer; he was the Sun Prince, and it was time.

A long and low howl was whipped up into the air upon the sea breeze, drowning out the constant murmur of the sea, and carried to the wolves of Horizon Ridge a message. Jinx. Pied. Kisu. Pump. Kanti. Naga. Each would hear their own name within his tones. Come to me. We will meet the day together. The sky steadily lightened from indigo to coral tones, and the first rays of light spilled over the horizon and onto the dark face of the sea beneath the Ridge. As the sunrise illuminated the world, the unnaturally still form of a doe became visible, casting a long shadow where it lay on the ground several lengths away from the Alpha, his generous wedding gift for his Iota and Kappa.

Akhlut breathed deep the salty air and waited as, one by one, his wolves came.

I power played Kisu a lil' bit, hope that's okay...

Nighttime still clung to the horizon when a cotton-mouthed Pied roused and peeked her head out of the den she and Kisu shared. She paused there, the top of her head lightly brushing the tree roots that formed the opening of their lair, and listened to the distant pounding of the surf. Silently, she crept forth into the open, leaving her mate slumbering peacefully behind her as she turned right and padded down the towpath that led deeper into the territory.

She stopped at a pool of water to wet her parched throat, then decided to scout out a spot on the ridge with a good view of the beach below. Breathing in the bracing winter air, she sat there for a little while. Sleepiness gradually returned and she stood again, shuffling back up the pathway now. She paused right in front of the den, her head cocked as she listened to the sound of her mate's slow, deep breathing.

She slung her pale belly low and squeezed into the den. Pied began to circle her customary three times before lying down, only she never completed her third revolution. Instead, she froze when a howl rose up in the air, summoning each of the ridge's members by name. Akhlut's beckoning howl barely began to fade before the freshly-enstated Iota bent over her mate, nipped his ear and vigorously licked his face.

"Rise and shine, Kisu," she murmured quietly. "Akhlut's calling. Let's go." After making sure Kisu was rising, Pied turned and sprang from the den again. She waited for him to join her, then led him along the rock wall. The small trail was their only route to and from their secluded den site, so they'd have to go down before finding a way up to the top of the ridge, where the Alpha male sat.

Moments later, they arrived together, their flanks touching lightly, and Pied's eyes widened slightly when they fell on the doe. Unaware that it was meant for them—she assumed it would be a meal shared by the pack—the dappled yearling approached Akhlut, giving him a brief nudge and a soft, "Good morning." She then retreated to sit a few yards away, making room for Kisu to sit alongside her and carefully stifling a yawn.

OOC: Pretending Jinx found lots of petrified plants and... Mmm also powerplaying that Kisu is there already, hope that's okay!

<style type="text/css">q {font:13px Georgia; color:#BA6D00;}</style>IC: Jinx had mulled long and hard over her choice of gift for Pied, and had collected a variety of materials: dried and desiccated basil, frostbitten catnip, chamomile, coltsfoot and horehound, all plants guaranteed to wreak havoc on pregnancy and possibly cause miscarriage. She had collected a birch branch that curiously bent in the middle to form a misshapen V, and after soaking it in the ocean shallows for two days to give it a crust of salt, had affixed strandy bryony and cinquefoil roots to it, to amplify its magical properties. She had found some rare henbane, and affixed that in well-spaced intervals too, for sexual vigour; perhaps the new couple would wear themselves out, only to lose litter after litter to the magical effects of the herbs.

But Jinx had puzzled for days over which herb to plant in that bend in the wood, which would be best suited to thwarting the couples' attempts at procreation... And had come across many snags. All of the plants had good properties alongside the bad: basil gave courage, catnip gave clairvoyance and sleep protection, coltsfoot was calming, and horehound gave heightened intuition. None of these were gifts that Jinx particularly wanted to bestow upon Pied.

For Kisu, she had gone more simple: a somewhat straight twig of oak, for powerful protection from the elements, decorated with crinkled mugwort leaves for protection from lightning (since they lived in a tree, although ironically, Jinx didn't know where they lived), dispelling evil, and prevention of unwelcome visitors. She had also soaked the oak wood in salt water, so that both amulets were dusted in sea salt, to amplify magic and banish hostile influences, such as spirits.

Jinx thought long and hard about her meeting with Pied, and what had been revealed there... And at long last, chose three shoots of horsetail to put in the bend in the branch. These amulets she carried with her to the meeting place when Akhlut summoned them with the rising sun, pausing once or twice along the way to adjust them in her mouth. They were not large, but they were big enough to be cumbersome together, and awkwardly shaped to boot. Jinx was careful not to press her tongue to them; she did not want to dislodge any of the salt that had cured on their surfaces.

When she arrived, she approached with dignity and authority in her stance, cowed only by Akhlut himself. Her amulets were placed on the ground a short distance from the Alpha male, and she moved forth to pay her respects with the lowering of her hinds, bending of her legs, and the upward turn of her muzzle as she thrust her tongue respectfully against his throat. Her gaze lingered long on Pied and Kisu, her expression uncertain and perhaps a little stormy, as she trotted back to seat herself protectively over her gifts, and await the time of giving.

Their purposes she would explain... Having thought long and hard over Pied's own, it would be important to explain what she had chosen. The why would be evident when the what was explained... But Jinx also kept secrets, and perhaps she would do so now.

Kisu sighed deeply as he felt Pied move from his side. Sleep tugged at his relaxed body, though, and soon he was fast asleep once more. He would have to get used to the disturbances that Pied caused sooner or later, and in his dreams danced images of him pulling her back to the den to lay next to him and stay.

The howl entered his dream, and Pied called him awake, bouncing with energy. He quickly stretched and caught up with her, following alongside her slim body. He briefly glanced at the doe, too tired to care about food at the moment, or to wonder why it was even there in the first place.

He connected his eyes with the Alpha, showing that the other male was the dominant wolf. Feeling quiet, he simply followed Pied to where she sat and boredly looked around, resting his eyes curiously on Jinx and the items she brought when she arrived.

It had been a few days since Tulok had been accepted within the ranks of Horizon Ridge, yet despite this, he had managed to be promoted to Lambda, though aside from his frequent patrols and occasional efforts to help stock the food caches he was not sure what he had really contributed - though he was not about to point this out to Akhlut. He had not really had the chance to get to know Horizon Ridge’s Alpha in excruciating detail, but then again, Tulok was not known for being perceptional in the fine art of overtly long and unnecessary conversations. In essence, he knew all he needed of Akhlut - the basics. A name, his rank. It was sort of the same principle with Jinx - he knew her name, her rank, and that they were somehow, related. It was as simple as that. Having been given notice in regards to the pack meeting and some of it’s contents - namely the ritual in which two other members would become mates - though the ritual was unknown to Tulok; and admittedly he was a little weary of any sort of ritual in which two wolves became mates (not because of any other reason than his mind was in the gutter). Despite this, he had been encouraged to bring a gift to offer the happy couple to be. Though, yet again, Tulok was at a loss as to what sort of gift one gave in situations like this. Suluk had never held any rituals - they had just howled to announce it, congratulations were offered by their den site and that was that.

It had taken him a few days to find a couple rabbit furs from abandoned dens a few territories away, assuming that the couple would be aspiring to have puppies in the near or distant future and that puppies - or at least he and Arux had, at any rate (Sos knows they fought over them enough) - had a tendency to love furs. It was as practical a gift as Tulok could come up with, not really interested in selflessly parting with the few trinkets he’d managed to find on happenstance. When the call broke through the morning air, stirring the bear-like Kesuk from his sleep, his head rose, icy blue eyes blinking sleepily at the dirt wall of his den, before he sneezed once, having incidentally given himself a noseful of dirt. He stretched as much as the confines of his den would allow before he gathered the three furs he had managed to find in between his jaws and headed towards the origins of the call.

It did not take Tulok long to find the small gathering of his pack mates, noticing Akhlut and Jinx but unable to put the names to the faces of any of the others. He settled down a little ways away from everyone else, setting the furs gingerly at his paws, turning his attention towards their leader for further instruction.

Pump did not have set routine for her days - no getting ups in the mornings or going to sleep in the evenings - her active hours mixed with the cherished sleeping hours in patterns, which differed from day to day. Therefore, when Akhlut's howl reached her, she was busy chewing on a dead sea lion's hide, which she had brought back from the shores. Since the weather was not exactly warm or cold, it did not rot away too quickly, but it still smelt very bad.

She was reluctant to leave her meal behind, but alpha's call was something she was not allowed to miss. That she knew from her days at home and that she respected here - at her new home. Therefore - after casting a quick glance around - she finally dug a shallow hole and hid her meal there. She went so far to put a scent mark on the mound, in case someone came here and wanted to claim her food as his/hers own.

And then she ran to the meeting place, being neither the first, nor the last to join the group of wolves that had gathered there already.

The black female's ears pricked at the alpha's summoning howl. Hauling herself to her feet from her comfortable position in a somewhat-shady spot, Cidra started towards the direction the call had originated from, green eyes flicking back and forth in a longstanding habit born of chronic nervousness bordering on something like paranoia.

The easy trot that Cidra had begun with quickly broke into a lope, carrying her faster and faster as she strained to get to the meeting ground. She was new to the pack, and therefore worried terribly about messing up. She hadn't really been in an honest-to-goodness pack before. It was a new experience.

When she reached the meeting place, she was definitely not the first wolf there. Well, at least she wouldn't have to wonder if she was in the right place, but hopefully she wasn't late...that wouldn't be good. Not good at all.

Ah, present. Yes... She remembered, thankful she'd managed to bring it. Cidra held it carefully in her mouth, trying hard not to break it. It was a sand dollar from the coast, an unbroken one at that. Many tens of hours had been devoted to scouring the shores for something to offer to her new packmates, and to her, this had fit the bill perfectly.

This is the start of Round Two. I know some members have come and gone since the start, so anyone is still welcome to join the meeting. This is mostly a text-post with lots of info to cover. This round will end 2/5, and Round Three will respond to Round Two, and then initiate the mateship ritual for Pied and Kisu.

Horizon Ridge was submerged in golden light, and Akhlut was grateful that the skies were clear and cloudless. They had endured more than enough freezing rain and falling snow for his tastes, even if the worst of it was inland, and even though the dawn air was crisp and cold, the sun lay warm on their backs as they gathered. It was a fitting introduction for the pack to come together in the gentle light of dawn.

The dark leader watched as they assembled, returned each of their greetings with a smile and a nod or a soft-spoken hello, and he surveyed them as they chose their resting places to sit or stand or lay. Pied and Kisu, Jinx, Tulok, Pump, and Cidra. They were not the only wolves who bore the scent of Horizon Ridge upon ther pelts, and for a moment the Alpha frowned at those who were not in attendance, but he supposed his chosen timing might have been inconvenient for those who were early risers and already stalked in the rainforest and mountainsides for breakfast, or who had run to other packs on errands. They would avoid his displeasure for the time being. The morning was meant to be one to revel in the joy of being together.

Speaking of togetherness, Akhlut was pleased to see that his wolves had remembered his mention of Kisu and Pied's relationship, and had brought gifts accordingly. That would be a matter he addressed soon, but there were strong foundations that begged to be laid first. Akhlut took a final moment to gather his thoughts and smooth down the frayed edges of his nerves; he had never had an occasion to address so many, and yet he was fiercely proud to do so now.

"Horizon Ridge is a pack built on values of Light," he said by way of introduction, casting his pale blue eyes to each wolf in turn to assess their reactions. "I have gathered each of you to my side in the hope that we will be a force for justice, truth, and honor in these Wilds. There are enough evil-doers in this world, and I will harbor none of them at the Ridge. Liars, cowards, and cheaters are not welcome here." It was both an announcement and a warning. His next tone was softer and encouraging; his features, which had been held in a serious expression, now loosened as he spoke excitedly. "I expect you to recruit others who follow the same path. We will grow strong and hold the Ridge as a fortress here on the coast. It is easily defended, and will provide a safe haven for the pack and the children that are yet to come."

With those words, he eyed Pied and Kisu, for he knew that they were the most likely couple to bear the first progeny of Horizon Ridge. Still, there were matters that came first; he wanted to ensure their mateship was a strong one, and that they did not intend to splinter off and establish a pack of their own, before he would permit them to breed within his. Despite the necessary logistics of loyalty and leadership, he liked them both, and so he smiled freely upon them now, tail swaying. The time for their mateship ritual would come soon, but for now he cast them just a significant glance, then continued on to search the faces of his other pack members.

"We have nearby packs as well, one newly established and one with firmer roots. I know Neverwinter Forest only by name, but I have met the leader of Blacktail Deer Plateau, our closest neighbor. Pied," he nodded indicatively, "joins us from that pack. The Alpha, Hawkeye, and I have arranged for a tentative alliance, in which Horizon Ridge wolves may pass through the Plateau and on to the south; otherwise we would be forced to travel a much further distance to circumvent them. Plateau wolves on our borders should be treated politely, and permitted to pass through if they have legitimate cause to do so, but if they cross our borders uninvited and unexplained, they may still be treated as trespassers. " That had been Akhlut's personal caveat, even though Hawkeye had obviously wanted her wolves to have free passage to the sea. Such was against the way of the wild wolf, and did not sit well with the traditional male. "Horizon Ridge wolves should expect the same treatment at the Plateau, and if you should offend them on their own land, expect no leniency from me."

With such administrative matters settled, Akhlut's stance relaxed, and his smile spread genially. "Formalities out of the way, what news have each of you to bring me? What questions or concerns can I address?"

OOC: I'm just gonna ignore Tulok here since he's no longer in HR, hopefully no one minds!

IC: She sat in silence, observing the others as they arrived. She recognized Pump, the strange female from the coast who had questioned her choice of food, for it hadn't been terribly nutritious. Jinx watched her with an unabashed stare as she came in, mentally remarking once more on the strangeness of those ears and the wavy pelt that she wore. Pump had pointed out that food used for anything but energy was essentially non-essential, and though Jinx had disagreed then and would disagree now, she had liked the woman well enough.

The other wolf to arrive was also black-furred, making a 3:3 ratio of black to non-black wolves, not that she cared too much what colour another wolf's fur was. This one bore acidic green eyes, and in her lips, a sand dollar. Jinx recognized it from Shearwater Bay, though there had been nothing but broken sand dollars there, crushed under the feet of exuberant youths running up and down the coast. She suppressed a scoff, finding this present much inferior to her own... But of course, anybody's would be. Jinx's was wrought with magical plants and reagents, so it was automatically better.

And that was all. She looked around with a frown as no other wolves arrived, her face pulling into a dire expression as her gaze flicked back to Akhlut. He didn't seem bothered by the lack of faces, but she wondered if internally he might've felt embarrassed. Of course, she didn't know there were other pack members who hadn't shown up; she assumed this was the entirety of his group of wolves, and what a sad group it was.

The following speech was grand, but it touched on a number of points that should have seen Jinx running out the door. The first was that the pack was one of Light. While Jinx didn't necessarily subscribe to notions of Light versus Darkness, she did believe wholly in Atka and Sos, who in Their own way, embodied light and darkness. She thought of it more as life and death, but that was not how it was taught in Shearwater. Akhlut went on to outline some of the behaviours he found intolerable... How ironic was it that Jinx, being still highest ranked of all the wolves but himself, was all of those things. A liar, a coward, a cheater; she hid it well, tucked close under her misleading smiles and eyes, but she was all those things when it boiled down to it.

There was also the issue of the pact, which Jinx had heard about from Robur Aqua (presumably, unless Chelsie just botched a timeline really badly), but hadn't believed at the time. This brought a small huff of breath from her nose, a sound of disbelief, but she didn't say anything; the look in her eyes was likely disapproval enough. It wasn't natural for wolves to share territory with other wolf packs, let alone to let those wolf packs within a mile's radius without some form of alarm. To do so was unnaturally pacifistic, and highly against her nature. But it was not her pack, so she couldn't argue it, at least not without good evidence against it.

He asked for news, and she supplied none. It was in her better interest to keep her own knowledge to herself until such a time as she deemed him worthy of it. She sat politely, hunching over her gifts in a protective manner... But still she said nothing.

Jinx arrived shortly after the mated pair and Pied's eyes followed her until she sat, then flicked back in the general direction of Akhlut. She remained silent and patient as they mutually awaited the rest of their pack... which didn't number very many. Like Jinx, Pied felt slightly dismayed at the pack's small size. It didn't bode well. She glanced questioningly at Kisu, catching his eye for a moment, when the Alpha male's voice drew her attention.

She listened raptly as he spelled out the pack's ideals. When he made it clear that liars, cowards and cheaters were not welcome, her eyes narrowed slightly and she shot Jinx a sidelong glance, then quickly looked back to their leader. Before she could contemplate the pack's obvious—in her eyes, at least—misfit too deeply, Akhlut said the word children and looked directly at Kisu and herself.

Warmth bloomed in her chest, butterflies danced in her stomach. Her lips twitched into a smile and she looked up at Kisu again, touching her nose lightly to the side of his neck. He's going to let us have children! her gleeful expression said, though she knew they didn't have Akhlut's explicit blessing yet. Anyway, Pied wanted time to get to know him better and prove herself as a worthwhile pack mate.

She barely heard the remainder of the monarch's speech, too caught up in daydreaming about her future pups. It was the eventual surcease of Akhlut's deep timbre that made her snap back to attention. She licked her lips and thought over what he'd said. Besides the mating ritual—which would surely come next—he hadn't left many stones unturned in his address. Pied shook her head lightly, then felt herself growing excited all over again at what came next: this mysterious matrimonial ceremony...

Akhlut spoke and, even though Pump was very determined to listen to his every word, she soon lost both interest and track of the subject, because he used so many words and went ahead, when she was trying to contemplate on some of them. Liars, cowards, and cheaters are not welcome here. This one phrase stuck to her and made her thoughtful. Because lying, cheating and being a coward were good traits, when used at the right moment, and she had done all of this in her short life. Was she an unworthy member? Did he apply this to their former lives too? Odd... she remarked to herself. The wolf-dog was not going to ask anything, however. She had learned that everyone should have secrets.

The leader also mentioned some alliances, which Pump did not care to remember, because they were too far away and she had not the slightest intention on leaving the pack lands anytime soon or at all. Plus, why were such alliances needed, anyway. Each pack were enemies by nature, unnecessary competition, which needed to be fought and kept at a long distance. Then again she hadn't heard the whole story, therefore she kept silent on this too, trying to appear as a person, who has understood everything and didn't need the slightest explanation. Maybe others would fill the empty gaps.

This is Round 3 and the final round of the pack meeting. It is a brief explanation of co-ranks, and then the joining ritual for @Kisu and @Pied . If either of you want something about the ritual changed, just let me know, I wasn't certain what to do with it without it being too much like a wedding, LOL. The meeting is then concluded by a pack howl to spread the news of Kisu and Pied's mateship far and wide.

Akhlut frowned as none of his wolves came forth with information, or questions; he supposed he was pleased they voiced no concerns, but nevertheless he felt more than a bit foolish as they all sat silently and waited for someone to say something. Hastily, he took over the reins again and steered them all in a different direction. "As you all begin to settle into the pack, it will be up to everyone to fill the caches, mark the borders, and generally keep busy, but some of you may find yourselves drawn to a particular calling. Those with a particular skill in hunting and tracking the herds may request the role of Gamekeeper. The Naturalist may predict the weather that could drive away prey and make good hunting hard to find. Wardens will guard the borders and keep things secure at home, while Warriors go on the offensive, when we need to fight for our home. Outriders leave the packlands to serve as ambassadors and to scout out the lands. Healers keep the pack healthy and whole in body, while Counselors keep it healthy and whole in mind and spirit. When we have pups or elders among us, the Caretaker will look after them and see that their needs are met. Seek me out once you've realized a particular calling, and arrangements will be made."

Akhlut turned his attention fully, then, to Kisu and Pied, whose morning this truly was and who, he hoped, would remember it fondly. He'd seen a few mateship ceremonies before, mostly in the Nereides tradition, and he knew his own meager words would fall short of anything either of his mothers could have composed. Yet he persevered and hoped that it would be adequate, for he hated to disappoint Pied, particularly, who had come to his pack seeking this mateship and had turned out to be a loyal follower. "With all pack business addressed, we look to Kisu and Pied, a couple who has found great care and fondness for each other in these past weeks." He didn't even sound dubious that a few weeks was enough time for their relationship to blossom; whether it was due to love or simply determination to make things work, Akhlut could see they were intent upon their mateship. "I thank you for your gifts to them this morning, and I hope that we may join them in celebration of the bond they will create this day."

Fittingly, the clouds that had been intermittently shading them from the sun's rays parted, and obligingly illuminated the Ridge in morning light. "By the Sea may they dwell and in the Light may they walk, today at Horizon Ridge I do bind Pied to Kisu, Kisu to Pied, in enduring mateship." Perhaps in a stereotypical fashion, he might say something about kissing the bride, but that was all too cliche, and so instead Akhlut lifted his head in a howl. Pied and Kisu would be bade by the message in his song to join the howl first, in acknowledgement and agreement that they would become mates this day. Then the rest of the pack might join in a chorus to usher in the day, and to celebrate Horizon Ridge's first mated pair.

Akhlut's grand speech ended with a brief description of jobs, which of course was mandatory in a meeting of a newly put together pack. Jinx's eyes were set already upon Warrior; it was her calling as a Kesuk and as Nanuq's daughter to fight. She would prove herself in days to come, and would one day be the pack's first offensive defender, who strode upon the borders with strength and dignity both boasted in her straight posture and her fierce bearing.

Next was the giving of gifts. Akhlut presented his first, and Jinx took the initiative second to come forth with hers... As rank dictated, she supposed, she go second. She shuffled her gifts awkwardly along the ground, and though her eyes held curiously on Pied initially, she chose Kisu first. Kisu was a friend to her, who had helped her harvest the oak bark from the woods to defend their pack with... And to him she wished no ill.

"To you I give this amulet of protection," she murmured, lifting it to set it before him. The oak was the smaller of the two, but she hoped he would not take that as a slight. "Oak guides the elements away from itself, and the leaves banish lightning and chaos. Salt for amplification." A simple explanation, but hopefully sufficient.

Next she turned to Pied, her bearing hesitant for only a moment; how would she take it? She nudged the birch branch forth, so that the catnip pressed with care into its crooked center was visible. "For you, an amulet of fertility." A less unusual wolf might have looked around themselves, uncomfortable with these presents, but she came from a land of magic and voodoo where this was customary. "Catnip, for fertility and protection in sleep. These others—cinquefoil, hensbane for vigour, bryony, birch, and salt—will all amplify the effect of the catnip." There was the small matter of catnip being bad for pregnancies (but only when ingested which she didn't know), but Jinx kept that to herself for obvious reasons.

At the conclusion of the mating ritual and the giving of gifts, she rose her head to howl with her pack, as of yet still confident of their success and strength.

The piebald yearling sensed some of the Alpha's discomfiture when his hopeful query was met with uncertain silence. He didn't let it linger long, launching next into a description of the pack's co-ranks. A few of them intrigued her, though the one that stood out to her most, that called to her, was Caretaker. Pied hoped to be one of the pack's mothers, for sure, but her interest in children went beyond her own hypothetical brood. She would be very happy indeed to help rear and teach all pups born into Horizon Ridge's ranks.

At last, the monarch conducted the ceremony and it, like the couple itself, was sweet and simple. Akhlut gave them a blessing of sorts and then those with gifts were welcomed to present them. Pied leaned into Kisu as their pack mates approached, setting down little tokens and trinkets that were received with a smile of thanks. Pied even favored Jinx with such a response, though secretly Pied wondered at the voodoo nature of the Kesuk's gifts. Although the amulet looked very well put together, Pied would most likely store it in the back of their den, out of sight and out of mind. Thoughtful though the gift certainly was, Pied did not trust Jinx's ulterior motives whatsoever.

"Thank-you, Ahklut," Pied said once the little ceremony drew to a close. "Thanks for the gifts and well wishes, everyone," she added, looking at the small smattering of wolves, whose heads bent back toward the sunny sky to howl in celebration. Although it was meant for her and Kisu and she wasn't sure she should join, Pied found her own throat rippling, so she closed her eyes and threw her own head back, howling in unison with the pack.

There ceremony was short, befitting to Kisu's patience level. It was not very high at the moment, and he felt odd with attention on himself. A quick lick above Pied's eye was given.

A smile and a nod appeared from Kisu to Jinx, even if he had been quiet most of the time. "I thank you, White One, mostly for the gifts to Pied. Having a litter means everything to us." It almost sounded as a plead, he desired to have a family again at any cost and hoped that the items from Jinx would help.

Pump was unaware of the customs and traditions of this particular pack, therefore the fact that she had had to bring a gift for the newlyweds hadn't occurred to her. This did not mean that she felt awkward in any way - no, not at all - if other wolves were strange in the way they were living - then why should she feel bad about that? Her background was simple, therefore she took life by simple and easy terms.

After Akhlut had mated the pair by the Sea (which she also found very strange and odd), some went ahead to give gifts. Jinx's one was particularly elaborate - she could feel the complex scent of the various stuff she had put in it and frowned. After this was over and everyone joined in the howl, she slipped away quietly to return to her own world and deeds.