Redtail Rise Claim: And so my watch begins

Posting here guarantees you founder EXP for helping to found a new pack! You need only post once, as it is a pack howl rather than a meeting. This thread will be up for a week or so, so take your time! Lone wolves, if you see this thread and decide you would like your character to join RR, you are welcome to post here as well! Your character would be found and spoken with after the howl, and I can make those threads if applicable.

Saena's eyes locked onto a red-tailed hawk as it dove into the plains far below, careening out of the sky with dangerous precision. From her vantage point atop the ridge, their sport seemed deadly. The birds were natural kamikazes. Yet each time they plummeted, the hawks would rise up from the sea of grass or from the tops of the trees, gracefully climbing back to impossible heights. Each time they dove, they came back unscathed, so expert were they in their craft.

Saena watched for a while longer, catching sight of the same hawk winging toward the forest with something small and dark clutched in its talons. When it disappeared into the darkness, she turned and began to pick her way along the ridge. Her gaze lingered on the distant Sunspire range and her thoughts drifted to her family at the plateau, but just as quickly, thoughts of them dissipated. There was still much to do here; she couldn't afford to visit them yet.

As a fledgling Alpha, Saena knew a time would come when they needed to establish themselves. As she gazed out across the Dawnlark Plains to the south, she sensed that time had come. They were all there upon the ridge, all of them settling into their new lives. There was no longer any reason to hide their presence from the others. Nova Peak to the near north was their biggest concern, with no immediate peace treaty negotiated, but Nova Peak be damned.

Saena swung her muzzle into the sky and howled long and low, inviting the wolves of Redtail Rise to join their voices with her and announce themselves as a true pack.

     Saena's howl cut through the air like a hot knife through butter.  It was finally time to make themselves known. Time to finally make all their hard work official to the rest of the world.  Reek clumsily rolled from his side and on to shaky legs within the cramped confines of his crudely dug den in a strange state halfway between groggy and alert after his new alpha's howl ripped through the rise, prematurely waking him from a nice nap.

     "'Bout goddamn time," Reek tiredly grumbled as he pawed the crust from his eyes.   This new home wasn't all that bad.  Living in the rise would be a much better life for the ragged wolf than living in servitude back at Ankyra Sound.  Although he had enjoyed his newly freedom and living on his own with Wynter, he was still quietly excited to start back anew with a pack. Reek was a social creature at heart. It was instinct after all.

     Awkwardly poking his head out of the narrow opening of his den, Reek lifted his muzzle to the sky to join his voice with his new alpha's.  

The stallion had been mindlessly wandering on the top of the ridge, lost in his own thoughts, having just absorbed some of the extract that Reek had given him the day after they first met, it calmed him down significantly and even the proud greek knew he owed thanks to the asshole healer for finding more effective drugs to use. Or perhaps it wasn't thanks he owed, after all, more drugs equals worse health right? And truthfully, the tactician was not that ready to die so soon, his life just began for god's sake.

Then he was pulled forcibly out of his own thoughts, his leader's howl rang through the air, cutting through the silence that Arion had made his home and announcing that Redtail Rise would now be an official pack, inviting them to sing their claim together. Truthfully, the stallion did not like this boring and dull idea for announcing their claim, after all, battling Nova Peak seemed like a more exciting option to announce themselves an official pack then howling.

But the Greek could see the logic in a peaceful approach for now. And even if he did seem like a wolf accustomed to the life of a loner, he craved companionship. The flaw of being a genius was, after all, that they needed an audience. And there was wolf instinct to be reckoned with as well.

So when his friend or drug dealer's voice rang through the air too, combining with that of Saena, the warrior tilted his head back to the sky and allowed is own baritone to join with those of his packmates and Alpha.

Lacinia looked at her claw with delight and then jabbed into the back of the neck of a half dead rabbit. Just watching struggle to survive was so entertaining that she just couldn't kill it directly. She admired it's will to pull through, it kept things fun for her. But everything had a limit and since it was fun she decided to end it's pain by paralyzing then she gave it a quick death. 

This calmed her desire to torture to a more reasonable level. She wanted at the very least to be able to resist those urges to give pain, or pleasure if it had a better effect on expressions and sounds the victims makes. It was like playing an instrument but what interested Lacinia more was the kinds of reactions each one played out. Maybe one day she'll find the perfect instrument that she'll want to keep forever.

Her attention on the rabbit had shifted to the sky as she heard howls. She understood that it was a Saena who started. Lacinia's instincts did not want to her give away her own position. She was more used to remaining silent and discrete. But times have change, she was now going to be part of a pack that she chose willingly. Maybe just this once she'll join the sounds. She lifted her head and made her sound be heard with the others.

As it turned out, commitment was not Junior's forte. (Narrator's note: I'm sure this comes as a surprise to exactly no one.)

She had done so well at Thief River Falls, up until her visit to Teekon Wilds. Ever since then, the Outrider had been questioning everything and itching to leave again. As the itch grew, Junior eventually came to some (somewhat painful) conclusions about herself and her way of life.

While being part of a pack was definitely tolerable, leadership just wasn't for her. It was too much responsibility for someone so flighty. And that's what she was, she was able to admit. She was the embodiment of capriciousness. She liked her freedom.

Much more painfully, she realized she wasn't built for marriage. She loved Swordfish but she sincerely felt smothered. She had definitely jumped the gun, just like her parents. Junior liked to blame them, though often she took responsibility for herself. It all boiled down to her mercurial nature. Stability and sameness just didn't work for her.

It all came to a head one day in late April. It would have been easy to just vanish, yet Junior wasn't that much of a coward. She called Swordfish first to break the news. Then she sought out Bones and Ira to let them know and thank them for everything they'd done for her. Ira seemed a little miffed, understandably, but sweet Bones just wished her the best in her next venture.

The instant she hit the road, Junior experienced a heady surge of elation. She began to run... and didn't slow down until she reached the Teekon Wilds. She intended to head right to the plateau, in the hopes that Saena was still there or that someone could point her in the right direction if she wasn't. But she never even made it there.

A distant howl arrested her, causing the panting yearling to skid to a halt. Her tongue lolled from her mouth as her black ears pricked. Her mismatched eyes widened, then an enormous grin spread across her face. Her sister's voice was so faint, it was amazing Junior had heard it at all. But she had.

"I'M COMING!" the breathless Junior managed before resuming her run.

Gunnar was slowly become established in the new area. He was learning the places to hunt, and fish and to just lurk. He hadn't sought anyone out yet, for his grief was still fresh. However, he had done what he had set out to do, he had honored his father with his own feast. He had also made sacrifices for Odin, Thor, and Frigga and Freya. The former two for himself, the latter for his mother.

As he set about finding a place suitable to lay his head. The first howl rang out. He lifted his nose and returned the howl and then loped towards her. After all he was a high ranking member and he needed to show it. A pleasant smile went across his face, when he realized that one of the howls was Junior's. He thought he would never see her again. However, the smile was quickly snuffed out when he realized. It would fall to him as Ragnar's eldest son present to pass on the message of his death.