Ulfric
84 posts in 42 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Gabe on Dec 7, 2013 13:15:31 GMT -3
Gabe's paws felt heavy and he just wanted to collapse into his den. Only it wasn't his den anymore. It wasn't his home. He carried one of the dam's pup in his mouth while another clung to his back and he led his pack through the Gorge, he moon already rising high in the sky. Pups were yawning and a howl of alert from the Wise Wolves in the mountains behind them could be heard. He couldn't, wouldn't think about what had happened. Father was dead, mother was in shock, Iris has killed Dad, Iris had driven them from their home. He shuddered and the pup on his back snored loudly.
Luke and some of the strays had told them about the area in which hey had lived before coming to the pack. Sure it was much closer to the Village, but on such short notice they had no where else to go. Maybe one day they'd make it to a more secluded area, but then again, maybe one day they'd be able to fight their way back into their home.
Turning to look around him at the pack, he did yet another head count, making sure they had just as many as when they'd entered the Gorge. The first steps out of the rocky crevice was... invigorating. It improved Gabe's mood some to smell the clear unmarked wood of the forest, a light layer of snow still clinging to the ground. Unfortunately, they were unprepared for the gust of wind blowing through the area, having been sheltered by the rocky crevice of the Gorge. The alpha male shuddered and scooted some snow off the ground to place the pup on the ground. Raising his head he addressed his pack, "Alright everyone, we're going to head west along the mountain and try to find shelter for the night. I don't want us to travel any longer than necessary!"
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Ranger
23 posts in 40 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Luke on Dec 8, 2013 1:44:02 GMT -3
Luke paused as his Alpha gave the orders and the tired dogs and wolves moved left along the mountain, searching nooks and crannies in the dark, trying to find dry and warm nests or caves to sleep in for the night. They were most worried about the dams and the elders, to be honest. The rest of them would do fine for one night in the snow, especially with it not snowing on that day. It was windy though, and Luke watched one of the dams carry her pups, and exhausted look on her face.
He looked to the young wolf, only a few moons older than he, but he already looked so old and worn. So much had happened in that day. He was, quite frankly, surprised they'd been able to cover as much ground a they had in the short amount of time they'd had, but it must have been the adrenaline. He looked to the ginger wolf, who was still staring after the elders, keeping an eye on them. "I still have some energy, sir, why don't I take a few dogs and head off to hunt us something. The elders and dams and pups must be starving and if we go without, we won't be able to stay warm or build up dens in the morning."
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 2:03:45 GMT -3
Nalto walked along, following in silence as he did.
Arragont and stupid pup! Nalto snapped in his head about what Iris did. She's done more harm than good. And those that stayed with her are idiots.
Gabe was the real Alpha, not Iris. Perhaps the recent and sadly deceased Fenrir saw that Iris was a poor choice. Sure she had strength, but she lacked the heart. Hearing Gabe's words and watching Luke walk over to him, Nalto didn't lay down and rest like everyone else was. He went over to Gabe and Luke, course he waited till after the fellow pack member had spoke his business. Course he caught hearing of it.
"Fenrir, I would like to join this hunting party." Nalto said as he stood there now in front of the two. "The hunting party can use any able member that is strong enough to hunt at the current time while others rest."
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Post by Sable on Dec 8, 2013 2:14:44 GMT -3
Sable had been plodding along with the group since they'd left the camp. Briefly she'd paused, while they had all worked to pitch in to bury Bobby. She'd lingered over his grave, hunched over and wishing she could have been buried with him, because how was she supposed to live without him? The group had begun to move off, but Sable hadn't moved until one of the dogs nudged her, urging her to her paws once more and striding along beside her as they moved on to wherever they were going.
Her mind was no longer a whirl of thoughts; instead, it had gone blank. Not six hours earlier, she had been Rhea, she had been one of a pair of Alphas to the Pack, she had been needed, old as she was. Now, the pack had torn itself apart, the dogs and those who were fond of the dogs exiled. Leadership of the pack had fallen to Gabe upon Bobby's death, and even with only half the pack, he was still counted as Fenrir. Sable was just an elder now, old and frail. It didn't matter; she'd known one day this would happen. But she'd always expected Bobby to step down, to turn leadership over to Gabe... so they could retire together, and live out their glory days in each others' company, perhaps watching over pups and doing their part for the Pack in an entirely different way. She'd expected full and happy days and nights spent curled up against each other, sharing warmth and love. Taking it easy, knowing the pack was in good paws.
It had all gone wrong. Bobby was dead, Iris and Linden had exiled half the pack, and nothing was certain anymore. She was just an old wolf, her mate of countless moons was gone, and why was she still breathing and going on? She ought to just lie down and let nature take its course, because what good was she anymore?
Bumping into the wolf ahead of her, she stumbled, took a step back, and sat down once more. Gabe's words were only a dim buzz in her ears, and she only stirred again when the female dog nudged her to her feet and forward out of the wind and snow. Once there, she settled down, head between her front paws and her eyes very far away, mindless of anything that was going on around her.
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Ulfric
84 posts in 42 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Gabe on Dec 8, 2013 2:35:19 GMT -3
Some of the dogs and wolves seemed to have found some more shaded spots to nestle the dams and elders down. He sighed with relief and then turned to Luke. He like Luke, his mother's guard. He was strong, reliable, good-hearted, and seemed a good canine, but more than that he was loyal and steadfast. He'd helped to carry Bobby's body all the way to the Gorge and had been helping Gabe silently the whole way there. They made a good team. His words made Gabe even all the more sure that Luke should be his...
The words tense in this head. Romulus. No. Never again, so more Romulus. All he could think of was Gabe. No, the Romulus was the second in strength, but not leadership. He didn't need someone who was only second best to him in strength. He needed someone reliable to help lead the pack. He needed someone like Luke. He'd discuss it with him later on, and with Sable, of course, but he knew already there were going to be some major changes once they'd found their new home, where it may be.
He nodded his head in agreement with Luke and before he could rattle off a list of names, the elder, Nalto, also volunteered. He wasn't going to argue and thus insult the elder. He knew his limits and if he could help Luke, then he wished them luck. "Take some of the squires with you, and anyone else who has any energy. Keep an eye out for scent markings, in case we begin infringing upon another pack, and if you find a better nesting ground, mark it and come back to help move once more." The words rolled off his tongue easily, and he hoped that his father was looking down on him with pride for not breaking down, even though he felt as his mother looked.
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Squire
33 posts in 12 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Faith on Dec 8, 2013 4:46:45 GMT -3
Faith moved with the squires and other pack members, helping the dams and elders all settle down. Her mother was helping the elders and she didn't even know where her brother was, so she turned her attention to her Uncle Gabe. In a way, he'd always been like a father to her and she was still in shock. Alistair was hit the hardest though, as he'd been the closest with Bobby. She slipped in to hover behind Gabe, listening to the wolves exchange words. Oh, she could hunt! She bounced into the meeting, not even realizing she'd just disturbed them
"Oh, I have plenty of energy, can I go hunting too?" She begged.
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Ranger
23 posts in 40 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Luke on Dec 8, 2013 16:59:12 GMT -3
Luke nodded his head seriously at Gabe's words and then again as Nelto joined them. Since they had left, none of the wolves treated the dogs any different, not even Timber, who'd long been against the idea of dogs being a part of the Pack. None of that seemed to matter. They weren't just living in half-assed harmony and managing to work together, they were trying to survive. They were all working to do what was right and keep the pups, dams and elders safe.
As Faith bounded up to them, Luke looked to Gabe for approval, but he seemed to be passing it to Luke, taking the mountain dog aback a bit. He looked to the squire and sniffed as he thought it over. Well, they needed able-bodied dogs in the camp in case anything attacked. "Faith, get two more squires, preferably ones training under hunters and go out. Nalto, Timber, Giselle and I will hunt individually and see if we can get any rabbits." He ordered, looking to Gabe for approval, but the Alpha just nodded his head and moved off to help the pack. Luke let out a sight and raised his voice,calling out to Timber and Giselle to join their hunting party, while Faith hopped off to round up the squires.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2013 17:09:18 GMT -3
Nalto nodded his head. He was glad that nether tried to talk him out of it. True he was a elder, but one that still had strength left and was willing to use it toward something that was going to do good. Many were in need of food and pushing his own needs aside, that was best.
Faith soon appeared and his gaze went to her. He recognized this pup. Just one of his normal days in his den and she had come bringing him food; just doing her duty. It pleased him to see that she was up to the challenge. Turning his attention to Luke and Gabe in a moment.
"Good hunting." Nalto said and with that the elder headed off into the area around them.
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Squire
33 posts in 12 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Faith on Dec 14, 2013 12:50:17 GMT -3
As her mother joined the hunting party, Faith calmed considerably. Se wanted to show her mother how good she was at hunting, despite the fact that she was training to become a scout. She wagged her tail furiously and trotted after Luke. He'd always been one of her of the dogs, just because he had played with her all the time as a pup. He'd watched her and kept an eye out for her, let her wander from camp only to help her out and bring her back.
"What do you think we'll find?" she asked the small group excitedly. "Deer? I hope we find deer! I'm o hungry I could eat a moose!" She seen some once, in the southern territory. They were huge! Their antlers were so huge, it was amazing they manage to hold their heads up!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2013 17:23:04 GMT -3
The pup was curious and that was understandable. He turned his gaze to her.
"There's a chance, but we must remain very quiet in order to find a deer or a moose." Nalto told her.
He wasn't trying to ruin her excitement but he really did want them to catch some food for the others. Hence why he tried to put it nicely. So the young Squire wouldn't be discouraged but would at least calm herself enough to where she'd be a bit more quiet in order for their hunting to work. Besides, the trip would be a good one in some way.
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Ranger
23 posts in 40 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Luke on Dec 28, 2013 14:59:08 GMT -3
The mountain dog rolled his eyes and smirked at the young wolf. She was a favorite of his, as he'd spent a better part of the last year following her when she tried to sneak out of camp. She had a soft spot in his heart, she did.
He nodded at Nalto's words in agreement. "Come on, Faith. You've been training to be a scout. It's not so different from hunting. Now, help us find some tracks in the snow so we can bring supper home to the pack." He'd yet to see any tracks and tried to keep his spirits up as he moved.
Deer sounded wonderful and his mouth watered. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until she'd mentioned deer. He hoped they found food, and plenty of it. Despite the snowstorm the moon prior, the weather was rather mild for mid-winter, and he hoped that meant more prey would be accessible to them.
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Squire
33 posts in 12 moons
The Stormsoul Pack
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Post by Faith on Dec 28, 2013 15:57:08 GMT -3
Faith nodded her head as she listened to her elders. Not that Luke was an elder, but he'd always been kind of like an uncle to her. They'd both had so much more experience than her, even if Nalto was an elder. She couldn't wait to surprise her mother with a deer. At Luke's words, she blinked and slipped into what she thought of as her training walk. Light on her feet, eyes on the ground and the sky, eyes everywhere all at once, taking all the information she could in. She could smell a squirrel, but it was in a tree. She padded forward, past Nalto and Luke quietly, swiftly.
She caught the scent of something and blinked, pausing midstep, looking back at the two males. The scent wasn't nearby, it was something the wind had carried, but she'd never smelled an animal like it before. "What's that?"
[OOC: It's supposed to be the smell of a horse or cow, coming from the farm]
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2013 14:16:54 GMT -3
Nalto was glad that Luke agreed with his words, it meant that there wasn't going to be some foolish discussion about what to do. Watching Faith go past them, Nalto kept his gold gaze upon the youngster. She was lively and willing to help, that was good. The smell of squirrel went ignored by the old wolf, he had smelled it but it was in a tree, besides. Something else caught his attention. It was most likely the same scent that Faith was now smelling.
"It's something I've never smelled before, Luke, what do you make of it?" Nalto asked, Luke was a dog after all, he knew things that the old wolf didn't.
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