Bearclaw Valley Three Musketeers

The BFW pups arrive to BCV! @Cicero & @Potema will post first and then we'll open it for @Scarlett & @Kove and other BCV wolves :D

It was time. Damien had made all the necessary arrangements with mother to get permission of finally coming to visit his firend Kove in his new home and meeting his new wife. The night child was excited when his mother gave him and his siblings the blessing, but it all changed when he was told they would go there on their own.

Damien was a boy who liked being home, and he enjoyed his time in the darkness because he knew his pack was behind him to protect him all the time, so having to make such a long journey accompanied only by two pups didn't seem all that fancy. But both Potema and Cicero were experts when it came to traveling. Both of them had gone in exploration trips, both acompanied and alone, sometimes further than others, and that gave the eldest Melonii pup some kind of tranquility.

"Don't be such a girl! Lets go!" his siblings had said at the borders of BFW where Damien had started to re-.think his desicion, but he wouldn't allow his siblings to call him a girl, and he took his first step outside of the darkness of Blackfeather Woods. It was surprising how indifferent he felt when he did, and the journey from home to Kove had been as peaceful as one could wish.

The journey was no shorter than four days before getting a glimpse of the valley behind a thick copse of pines. From up high, the valley looked beautiful. A river crossed right through the land, circling a bear-paw-shaped island right at the center of the valley. Just how Kove had described it.

"We're here!" Damien shouted with excitement and took off to run down the hills that lead to the lower grounds that Kove now called home, disregarding completely the fact that he might be crossing borders without announcement. He didn't care about that, Kove was the Alpha here, and he was still a Dark Brother. He was still one of them.

She was in the middle of this venn diagram of who went beyond pack borders. Cicero was the more worldly of the three; he had visited other lands and packs. She had only gone beyond pack borders once or twice, and not as frequently as Cicero. Damien had never left Blackfeather, but there was always time for something new. He didn't seem to think so, as he lingered at pack borders, staring uneasily at the world. She came to realize that Damien spent more time in the darkness than the other two (metaphorically and literally), so the change would be uncomfortable.

The journey was long for still-growing legs like theirs, but it was worth it. The valley that their Brother lived in was beautiful, even to those born in darkness. She understood why it was called Bearclaw Valley from the paw-shaped island in the river. She hadn't seen a bear before, but she had to believe them. 

Damien ran off the moment they arrived, excited. Potema faintly remembered Kove, the not-father. Regardless, she threw her head back and gave a short puppy-howl to announce their arrival, and then ran after Damien, feeling the first sense of fun she had in weeks.

sorry for my delay, first week of new work was exhausting so not been on the pc much. :)

Cicero calmly followed. He had left the lands of Blackfeather Woods more often than his siblings, and while he had always laughed at everything as a child, Cicero had grown more serious in recent times. He had considered a great deal about life and his place in it. As Cicero grew more aware of himself and his surroundings, he had become less amused by the darkness that surrounded him, although he accepted it as a part of him. Damien accepted his darkness, Cicero knew; he was a savage beast, and yet here he stood, excited like the child that he still was. It showed Cicero how little Damien really knew of himself, how little he understood of his own nature. If he understood better, perhaps he would be serious like Cicero. Perhaps he would consider where his place stood. Or perhaps Damien understood as well as Cicero that there was a darkness in him, but he accepted and savoured it rather than to consider exactly what it made him.

When they arrived, Cicero was snapped from his thoughts. He howled alongside Potema to announce their arrival, and watched as Damien and Potema bounded off.

Cicero followed behind his siblings at a leisurely trot while he studiously observed the surroundings. Bearclaw Valley, so far, reminded him a bit of Scarlett. It was so light and welcoming; nothing like Blackfeather Woods.

Nothing like Cicero.

Scarlett is a whale haha sorry guys! :P

Scarlett couldn't really move much, let alone walk the the boulder path. She was resting by her den when she heard the younger howl echo through the valley. Her ears perked up. Oh-- The pups. Scarlett howled to them in greeting, soon followed to a howl to @Raziel. He would be the one that would need to bring the 3 youngsters to her. He had recently turned Beta which meant it would be perfect for him to greet them. Scarlett had instructed him to be nice after all. Or at least... visit he babies.

Scarlett then realized Kove had returned. She was so used to him being gone that she had kind of forgotten about him. She found that Kove did need some rest, yet the 3 pups did know Kove better than Raziel. Oh hopefully they would feel a bit at home in Bearclaw. She had yet to tell the members, though most of them seemed to be... out of the valley anyways.

He had been staying by the borders, guarding the entrance from a distance when he spotted three youngsters charging into the Valley without regard. Immediately he stalked forward, like a prowling panther, with his hackles bristling, ears flattened against his skull and black lips peeled back to reveal gleaming silver fangs. When he approached though, his posture relaxed and his hackles rested along his spine once more. "You shouldn't rush into another pack's territory without issuing a howl outside the borders first," Raziel said with a tilt of his head, his stance telling them he was a wolf of high rank

The Beta's grey ears pricked as the albino's howl rang through the air, then a howl rang for him. Tilting his proud crown back, Raziel let loose a howl for her, informing her that he was there already. Raziel offered the kids a smile, remembering his promise to be nice. "I apologize for my attitude at first, Scarlett's pregnancy had me on an edge. I'm Raziel, Beta of Bearclaw Valley." He studied them with bright teal eyes for a moment. "Scarlett's expecting you. Come with me."

Damien's a butt :3

Damein didn't look back when his siblings announced their entrance to the valley, he just kept on jumping even deeper into the territory without caring for their borders. He had been expecting to run into Kove at any moment, but instead, a grey male, of big size and visible scars intercepted him a few hundred meters into the forest, with a clever suggestion that Damien didn't give a fu*ck about. Damien could see that he was a wolf of high rank for the way he arched his tail behind him, but once again he didn't care about the guy. He was there to see Kove.

"We come to see Kove. He knew we were coming." the boy said with a cold tone, and when the Alpha's howl sounded through the winds he looked at the Beta with a bitchy "told you" face. The Melonii pups were important even in this pack.

Damien didn't think there would be a need to introduce himself, they surely knew who they were and he expected to have just the same status in this pack as he did in Blackfeather. After all, if Kove was still loyal to the Brotherhood he would surely aknowledge his mother to be his superior, even if he was the Alpha here.

The dark pup followed after Raziel, eagerly putting pressure on the pace. He was anxious to see Kove again after so long.

Potema was not far behind Damien, but she noticed the gray male first, sensing him on her blind side. Over the past few weeks that side had become more sensitive to sound and touch, and it helped her now when the wolf appeared. Her brother answered for them, explaining that they had been invited. But there was no need, Scarlett, Kove's mate, howled to her subordinate, telling them that they were allowed. Both Damien and Potema got smug looks on their faces, even though the gray wolf, Raziel, offered them a kind smile. They didn't need smiles. They needed respect. Nonetheless, Potema followed the wolf, her eye looking around this new, temporary home.

Cicero stayed behind his siblings. When he arrived by their side, they were both giving the proverbial finger to a grey wolf that had approached them. Cicero was not certain when Potema had become like that, but perhaps she had always been and his view of her had been the one that was clouded. Cicero did not mimic their smug grins, instead remaining neutral, his duo-toned eyes coolly staring at the Beta. He did not care if they were invited and welcomed by Scarlett; they were still on another pack's borders. He expected respect upon Blackfeather territory, and so he would give it when elsewhere.

With neutral expression he turned his head to look at Damien. He looked upon his brother both in awe and admiration as well as fear. He did not fear Damien, did not think his brother would ever turn upon him, but he feared what Damien was becoming. Not for Cicero, but for Damien's sake. Cicero liked to believe darkness was not all Blackfeather wolves had. But perhaps he was the one who was mistaken by not helping his siblings tear this Beta apart. Perhaps he had yet to acknowledge just how dark he was.

"Potema and Damien are either Blackfeather wolves or Bearclaw wolves. No wolf is both," Cicero told his siblings after Scarlett's howl, while they were following the pack's Beta. "Do not forget a smile at the right time can hurt a wolf as much as a big mouth, but a smile at the right time can also save a wolf's hide." Cicero preferred to steer clear of personal quarrels. Some day they might be in need of the Bearclaw Beta's help, and where would he be then? Not by their side.

Cicero could not determine whether it made him a better or worse wolf than his abrassive siblings that he liked to keep others befriended so he could use them like objects when he needed to, or crush them from the inside out.

Cicero wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Scarlett didn't know what was going on since she couldn't meet the pups. She waited patiently for the three to arrive with Raziel. Hopefully he wouldn't be too mean to them but then she realized these pups lived in a dark forest. She had no clue how rude they had been to Raziel. Scarlett eventually laid down by her den, waiting their arrival.

Once they arrived she sat up. She recognized Cicero and she knew Potema was white and Damien she hadn't met but they all looked lovely. Actual teenagers. Now it made her think go what her young would look like as teenagers. How their voices would be. "Hello," She greeted. "Sorry I wasn't at the border but I can't really move a lot," she chuckled.

Scarlett then cleared her throat. "You are welcome to stay wherever you like and don't bother Arthur too much. He is out bear. There is a waterfall and a lot of herbs and plants that thrive by the riverbanks. Damien you can have spars with Raziel and Kove if you like that," she smiled as a suggestion. Her big belly moving by the little ones inside of it. The female looked clearly exhausted.

I think Kove is not yet Alpha in this thread, correct me if I'm wrong.

"I'll show some more respect if I were you," Raziel said coldly to Damien. "Kove is not Alpha here anymore, Scarlett is. And if it wasn't for her, if she wasn't leader, you wouldn't be here at all." He withheld himself from saying anything more, though in truth, he wished to beat the arrogant, cocky little monster into a bloody pulp and teach him a lesson. Gods knows what would happen in the next generations with bastards like this ruling packs. Probably meaningless deaths and wars. Whoever was this batch of youngster's parents needed to stop spoiling these 'princes' and 'princesses'.

But while he disliked the black pup and the half blind one, Raziel decided he liked the one with the mismatched eyes. His words were true, and he was wise beyond his years, and his thoughts were right too. If the Blackfeather teenagers ever needed his help, he would definitely not be on their side. In fact, he would probably be by the side enjoying the show. 

Once he brought them to Scarlett, the Beta stood by the side, staring emotionlessly at the kids that would simply be a burden to the pack and listened as she spoke to them. When they were gone, he would speak with her, they had important things to discuss about this alliance with Blackfeather Woods.

Sadly, Damien did not share Cicero's morals or ethics in life. He was young, and bold, and he knew little about the outside world unlike his brother or sister. He had never come out of his dark sanctuary before, and his mind often took him to more internal matters than socializing. He was an odd child, not like many others, probably unique, and he was slowly turning into a twisted member of a society he did not fit in.

Cicero's words came as a surprise to the dark child. He had never heard his brother talk like that before, but the conversation they'd had before in which his sibling had started to demonstrate his deep insight and psichological development should have been a clue of it. He sounded a lot like Burke, so clever -no- so wise...

The night child quickly pushed those thoughts aside when Raziel mentioned Kove's new status in the pack, whic also came as a surprise to the proud teenager. His ears fell back, flat on his skull and his wagging tail went still in a fraction of a second. Things were going to be a lot different than they were supposed to be, he had messages from mother that he had to deliver to Kove, but it would be different if he was no longer Alpha.

As they arrived to Scarlett's den, the elder pup took the front as they were introduced. He bowed his head, giving Scarlett the respect she deserved for her higher status. She was the Alpha after all, and every friend of Kove's was a friend of Blackfeather Woods. "My mother sends her regards, and thanks you for having us as your guests." the dark child said with a regal tone, just like his mother had taught him so. "We pray for the night mother to hide your children in the shadows." he said, meant as a good thing for as strange as it might sound.

Potema, unlike Damien, was not surprised by Cicero's words of wisdom. She knew her second-oldest brother and she knew he was right, even though she would never think of merging into this pack of all things. It was too bright to be comfortable in, for one. Cicero and she both had traveled, but the princess had lingered longer in Blackfeather, accustomed to darkness and shadows under the cover of trees and bushes. She could adjust, but after a while she would long to go back into darkness.

She was not as shocked as Damien when it was announced that Kove was no longer Alpha. For one thing, she did not know him as well, and secondly, it didn't matter. They were still guests, and Kove's mate was still Alpha, the tiny woman with the large stomach.

Potema matched her brother's bow of respect, but kept silent as he spoke for them. Instead, she had her eye trained on the stomach of the woman. Pregnant. She had never seen it before, and it looked ridiculously uncomfortable. Had her mother looked like that when she was pregnant with them? Blown out of proportion like the Alphess, or was this a product of her size?

The Beta brought the children upon Scarlett, and Cicero nodded in recognition and respect for the Alpha while he showed appropriate respect. He approached her momentarily and licked the underside of her chin in respect, before he backed off again. Damien spoke on behalf of the three of them, and Cicero did not add any more words, for they would not add to the situation any.

The pregnancy intrigued Cicero, and he imagined Scarlett had to be happy with it: she seemed like she had wanted pups when they met that time before, and now she had gotten what she wanted. Cicero waited for them to be told where to go or what to do next, eager to find some sort of base from which to explore the Valley, a haven in which they were welcome to stay for however long they were staying in Bearclaw Valley.

I'm laughing. And I think we can wrap this up soon :3

Scarlett watched the three teenagers arrive with Raziel close on his heels. He didn't look too happy, since they had a talk about this. But the light hearted female still liked the idea of an alliance. She was sure there was some form of friendliness towards each other but then were expecting to fight for each other. She would have to talk with Meldresi about that. Maybe one day she could bring her babies to have a look at Black Feather. Her red eyes lit up once the three arrived before her. A soft hum came from her lips when Damien sounded so cute and respectful. She even got licked by Cicero who she met before.

"So Respectful and cute!," she let out, looking pleased. "See Raziel! They are not going to create any trouble," Scarlett spoke cluelessly. She then looked at the three faces again. "Well, welcome to Bearclaw Valley guys. Thank you for your sweet words. Your mother is a good friend. I won't be around too much since I have my babies soon, but I am sure you will be good young wolves, right?," she smiled.

Alliances were worthless in Raziel's mind. It only led to hard decisions and betrayal and more and more wars. Scarlett was too soft, too innocent, too pure, too green, she did not know the world and the horrors in it. She was too gullible, too naive for her own good. He would let her have her precious alliance and he would watch as it crumbled to ashes and dust and blown away in the wind, he would watch it fail and he would make her understand that alliances were not worth the trouble. That they only led to death and death and more deaths. If she wished to rule, he'll let her rule, but he would make her see the dark side to it, the side she did not know nor understood.

Raziel kept his stoic facade on until she spoke to him, saying his name and that they weren't going to create any trouble. He scoffed derisively and inclined his head towards her, teal eyes cold and unyielding, eyes of the North, of the Romans.  "You may call them whatever you like, my white queen. But you were not there when they came in, charging in like a bunch of barbarians, disregarding our borders, thinking that they're princes and princesses here, not guests in another pack's territory. You were not there when they outwardly disrespected me. But you trust them more than you trust me even after you appointed me Beta. What am I here for then? To be your servant?" he whispered all those into her ear, making sure none of the children heard him.

Then he withdrew, offered the teenagers a curt nod, bowed to Scarlett and spoke, "If I may be excused, Scarlett, I have business to attend to." With one final look at the Queen and the disrespectful bastards, he turned and left.

-Exit Raziel-

Damien looked coldly at Raziel when he approached the Alpha to talk in secret. He knew he was talking about him and his siblings, so pathetically immature of him. They were pups, that's what pups do, explore and crash in the road, but here, even if they weren't part of the pack permanently, they deserved respect too, even from the Beta. Kove was a Dark Brother, which made his mate a part of the family as well. It made them as good as blood-related as it did every wolf who was part of the Brotherhood.

"We will be no trouble to you, I give you my word." the pup said to the Alpha as he too approached her to lick her chin in respect, wanting to seem just as polite as his brother. He liked making good impressions.

Scarlett had mentioned the bear before, and Damien was eager to see him the most, only after Kove, his old friend. When he finished the greetings with the Alpha he turned around to his siblings and motioned with his head to follow. He would try to track down the beast with them and in the way he would probably comment about how cool it would be to pull a prank on Raziel.

Potema might have had some kind of liking towards the Beta before, but that quickly disappeared when the Beta strode forward, whispering in Scarlett's ear. She could not make out everything he said, but she heard a few choice words to quickly start despising the wolf. Yes they were guests, but they were an Alpha's children, from a pack that could quickly turn on Bearclaw Valley if they were ever harmed. They would give respect, but they deserved it too.

When the silver wolf left, Potema strode forward and licked Scarlett's chin. She said nothing, but simply smiled in greeting. She didn't want to sound redundant after her brothers spoke, of course. There was not much else to say or do now, except look for a place to sleep for this month-long visit. Hopefully the Beta would not be sleeping nearby.

Cicero did not care what the Beta went to tell Scarlett. It did not matter much to him. His siblings had cocked up and if there would be consequences, they would be deserving of it. As he was their brother, Cicero understood that this might mean consequences for him, too. However, it seemed as if Raziel was just going to leave. Cicero nodded briefly at him before he left, although Cicero was not sure if the Beta even caught his gesture. Then he watched Damien try to suck up to better the situation, guessing that Raziel had whispered something negative.

Cicero did not suck up, seeing no need in it -- if she wished to know about the situation, Scarlett could ask him -- and instead waited to be excused by Scarlett, or for her to say something more.

Scarlett frowned when Raziel spoke to her so quietly how much he disliked Meldresi's young. "You know that is not true," she returned to Raziel. "But yes, be excused," she grunted. Not liking how Raziel could dislike them. But then again. He was a male of honor and pride. Scarlett shook her head. But then Damien made up for it by promising they would be good and even licking her muzzle. Scarlett smiled and then nodded to all three. "I'm going to take a nap now but i will check up on you later. Go explore!," she encouraged.

With that the light female retreated back to her den. She hoped that the pups would give some life into their pack. By the looks of it Raziel wasn't amused by that. Hopefully she would still have time for the BFW pups after her own young had arrived. She hoped so. With that thought she drifted off.



End thread.