The woman listened quietly as her mate moved away, the warning in his voice for a moment, though she knew that she wouldn't be useless after this as well as she nodded quietly without saying a word as the male left her behind. He'd asked her to get her med kit and after she heard the first of his words she retreated from the room, going to the closet in the hallway to fetch the small bag/box that she used for her supplies though the rest of it was kept in a cabinet closer to her bedroom and the guest room that was often used as an infirmary just down the hallways from it. She didn't have to use it often, though there were the odd times when one of the pack members was injured badly enough that it warranted a night of rest where she could reach them if anything went too far wrong. With the box in hand she passed by the door to the basement again just in time to see the girl leaving the basement, the scent of food clinging to her as if she had been coking though knowing the small red haired girl she had been. She must have been trying to cheer up the pack after the last days events.

"Acacia, good morning."

The Lupa greeted her when she saw the girl, her hand held with that of the red headed boy from last night. Markus must have deemed the oblivious boy innocent of the wrong doings last night. Susanna and Ted would be missed, the two were young with plenty of life in them and ahead of them. "Ryan, was it?" She asked, trying to remember what it was that he had been called before though she had not had much interaction with the injured male. She could smell blood on him still though from how heavily and easily he had stepped she didn't think his injury was bothering him much at all after the nights rest. "How is your head? Sore I'm sure. Has it scabbed over?" She asked him, peering at him with the pale eyes that couldn't really see anything though whenever she looked at someone it was as if she could see them in a sense that few ever would. It was an unnatural sixth sense that even humans possessed to some degree of the ability, though some - like her - had a stronger one. It was what allowed her to see people as she did when she did not have to touch them or ask how far away they are.

Her pale eyes flicked to the two girls ahead of him in the hallway and she smiled, softly and strangely motherly, even though the two were not much younger than herself at all. It was unfortunate really that she would have a hard time conceiving with Markus, she had the traits and attitudes of an excellent mother. She would have loved to have a child. "Do you mind if I join you and the others for breakfast and tend to the boys head?" She asked them, not sure how the odd, new werewolves would react to her asking though since the girl had come back because of Markus she had assumed she was a decent girl though she had not yet found that out for herself. She wouldn't turn her out, not without her posing a threat to the pack, and even then not without the Ulfric's consent.

@Guess Who@AcaciaMalikov

Marrec

Marrec didn't try to peer after Emil to discover his secret places, instead turning his back on the Bolverk and staring forward. When Emil finally returned and asked Marrec to lead the way, the enforcer shrugged. “Sure.”

He began the trek back to the house, keeping his path fairly straight so as not to cause Emil unnecessary difficulties. Marrec walked with purpose, but his senses were attuned to his surroundings, drawing in sights, sounds, and scents to be quickly analyzed as normal or strange. He occasionally crossed trails that smelled strange and human, but didn't deviate to follow them, instead decided to come back later and see where the trails originated and led, if he had the time.

"So, how many did they get? Did the hunters get anyone?"

“Two hunters, two dead werewolves – Susanna and Ted, specifically. It's not clear if either of the hunters are responsible just yet, but Markus will find out. Or perhaps you will, I guess.” A dark look crawled through Marrec's eyes as he finally added, “at least they were killed quickly. Some hunters are far bigger monsters than we could ever become.”

Marrec led the Bolverk towards the pack house, his long-legged stride quickly devouring the distance so that they would arrive fairly soon. Having reached the path that wound up to the deck's stairs, Marrec glanced back at Emil. "Need anything ready if you do need to go to work?"

Sam

"Nothing much bothers me Samantha."

“It bothers me,” she muttered seriously, cocking her head when she heard a surprising amount of voices drifting up from the basement. A glance to the side showed Sasha digging into a plate of food, but Sam didn't engage the other woman in conversation. She liked the female enforcer better than Marrec in terms of efficiency, but she didn't trust her for the same reason. Marrec might be a blundering hunk of muscle, but at least he was too dull to be disloyal. The uncharitable thoughts made Sam emit a small laugh as she took a seat at the bar-styled counter in the kitchen. She tracked James movement as he wandered further into the kitchen, clearly happy with his present surroundings.

"Want me to fix you up some French toast?"

“I'm sure there's some food lying about,” Sam assured him with a smile, raising up slightly off her seat to scour the counters for leftovers. Amidst a pile of unwashed dishes was a platter of already cooked french toast. Pointing at that, Sam triumphantly claimed, “There! Though, feel free to cook whatever you want.” Settling back down into her seat, Sam perched her chin in a cupped hand, eyes slitting to a narrow glare when she heard multiple bodies making their way upstairs. The kitchen was in proportion to the house and included several tables with chairs beyond the long bar, which meant it was reasonably huge. Acacia, the new werewolf, and a young man Sam hadn't seen before trooped upstairs. As the three infiltrated the kitchen, Aldo appeared at the large entrance and quickly tried to become invisible.

Sam eyed Aldo curiously, always finding some amusement in his wariness of her, though she didn't go out of her way to antagonize hiim. Although the Bolverk meted out the punishments sentenced by the Ulfric, Sam often handled quite a few of the daily corrections needed by some of the pack members, which sometimes got a little messy if they weren't immediately contrite. Sam grabbed an orange from a nearby bowl of piled fruit and began peeling it, looking up against as Valerie made her way into the kitchen as well. Breakfast time had the tendency to be loud, messy, and crowded.

Moved lightly on her feet as Vashti moved along to the kitchen, ears fluttering with the sounds of the ginger-haired males footsteps trailing behind her and she still without thought realized she was grasping his hand. As the Lupa passed, and spoke lightly towards her, "Acacia, good morning.", she'd halt in her tracks and quickly release the hand of the human behind her, lanky arms then pulled behind her as she intertwined her own fingers. She'd huff under her breath quickly at the fact she was called Acacia, and lightly thought to herself, How many times do I need to tell people, it's Ace, not Acacia, the tone of her huff in relation to thought was audible and probably indicated her annoyance, though she did little to voice it and merely nodded with a gentle smile.

"Good Morning." she spoke softly, being polite as always before looking towards the boy behind her as he was spoken to, "Yes, this is Ryan, we were just on our way for some breakfast," she then glanced back at her Lupa, the staring eyes of pale tones, almost lifeless if it wasn't for the fact they moved about, made Acacia shudder partially and turn to look at Vashti who was able to continue to the kitchen.

"Do you mind if I join you and the others for breakfast and tend to the boys head?" The Lupa spoke, she didn't have as much authority as her mate and her kindness led her to asking permission from others even those who were decently lower than her. Creating a light grin while in thought she began moving down the hallway and spoke once more, "You may join us, there is plenty of food to go around, though that depends on who has already been and gone," she joked lightly, and could almost hear the determination of Ryans stomach rumbling and demanding it's serving of food.

She'd try to beat him in to the food, and barely noticed his attempts at creating converse with her before the run in with the lupa and barely seemed to notice them now as she turned and found herself within the kitchen's confinement once more, Phew, it's all still here, she thought lightly and moved to grab a single piece of her masterful breakfast, the room's hefty waft of delectible and edible food, killed off all stench of the deceased wolves and seemed like a great hideaway for those unable to stand it, along with also preventing the human gaining any curiosity of what they'd keep in the house of such overpowering scent strength.

Moving off and placing herself at the end of the counter she'd lean over lightly to rest her elbows and forearms upon it's surface, mixed hues watching the Human and Lupa enter behind, and she almost couldn't help but chuckle a light smile of amusement when the human lit up at the sight of food. Shut up you idiot, don't make him think you're interested in him, go make sure he doesn't eat all the food... He looks like he might, she quickly bit into her own piece of French Toast and remained where she was, legs perching her up as she bent over the counter and just watched the happenings, taking note of Samantha and a strange male werewolf she'd never seen before already gathered within the room.

She'd merely shrug and lightly speak up, "Sorry about the mess, I didn't get around the the dishes once I cooked breakfast," she'd leave it at that and return to taking bites from her food, keeping close eye on the Lupa and Human who she felt she was partially responsible for at this point. That's when she noticed Aldo enter, he headed straight for Vashti and appeared like he was going to speak, but then he quickly moved off to the corner of the room and Vashti followed to instigate some conversing between them.

The french toast smelled good, but Markus was in no mood to eat at the moment. Still sipping his coffee he waited for everyone to clear out before going to the door and shutting it. He tossed the meat tenderizer on the floor and slide his pistol out of the back of his pants. Yanking the slide back he let it go forward so it seemed he had put a round in the chamber. Gingerly he set the pistol on his thigh so the barrel was pointed at William. “So… Now we are alone.. Do you know what happened to my pack members?” Markus stands up and walks over to William standing about three feet away and letting out a deep exhale.

“You see…” he rubs his face as he seems to have a hard time coming up with civilized ways of saying things. “I’m tired of dealing with you shits coming around here and killing my kind. We don’t hunt humans unless they pose a danger to us. Yet you bastards seem to keep finding your way up my mountain…” He turns around and sets the pistol on a table near William and moves to the door to make sure it’s locked. With his back turned he places a hand on the door and growls a bit. “You just keep coming back and spilling blood, then we have to spill blood and clean everything up. Why does this vicious cycle have to continue here? Why can’t you just leave us in peace. It’s one things to hunt down the beasts who steal your children in the night, but another to seek out a bear’s cave simply so you can hang it’s head on your wall.”

As North neared the kitchen, it became apparent that many others had already gathered there. She focused on their voices, trying to pick out the woman who'd helped her earlier. It was going to be difficult to find her if she wasn't in the kitchen, as North had just realized that she didn't know her name. She regretted not taking a closer look at the note, as it may have been signed, but then again she probably wouldn't have been able to read it anyway. Just figuring out where to go was difficult enough. "I should probably devote some time to learning the skills of civilization - including walking on two legs." Making it down the stairs had been reasonably easy, but she was pretty sure that any attempt at something more advanced would end up with her falling on her face.

North edged just barely into the kitchen, keeping her back pressed against the wall and trying to blend in."So...many...people." she whimpered nervously.

"Hungry?" repeated Aldo. "No, no..." He flashed a brief, awkward, fake smile in an attempt to reassure Vashti. "Maybe later. I'm um, I er--I don't have too much of an appetite, y'know, in the morning." He mentally hit himself over the head and sheepishly watched Samantha, and then North, enter the space. "But that just means more for everyone else. I, um... I've gotta go and-" What was a good lie? "-take out some trash," he finished in a half mumble. He made his way toward the kitchen's exit, his heart fluttering at Vashti's previous closeness to him, and turned his head back to her briefly to blurt, "Sorry about all this crazy...stuff," before slinking out and heading outside into the morning snow.

He planned to stay until his head was clear. He'd felt Sam's curious gaze and it had been incredibly successful in intimidating him, although he would never admit that for a million and a half years. He took a seat on the porch and closed his eyes, focusing on the cool mountain breeze that tickled his skin. "Whew," he muttered. Yup, he would definitely be dead in a year.

Ryan half-sprinted to the bench where the French toast sat. Taking the nearest empty plate, he piled three slices of the deliciously smelling breakfast, deciding that he'd put more on his plate after he finished what he had already, and quickly took a seat. He had been so focused on filling his empty stomach with food, that he had almost missed Valerie's question. "Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah it stopped bleeding last night, so I guess it scabbed over," he responded. Ryan grabbed next to his plate, expecting to find a fork or other utensil in his grip, only to find nothing but air. He looked around the room to see how everyone else was eating their food, only to find them enjoying it with their hands. Well, if everyone else is fine with it, I guess I can too. Picking up one of the slices, he took a bite. "Mmm, this is really good. My compliments to the chef," he complimented before taking another bit.

As Ryan took another bite, a horrible thought crossed his mind. He turned to the pink-haired, blind woman and said, "Y'know, I never cleaned it up or anything last night. The cut, I mean. You don't think it's infected or anything do ya'?" Even with the threat of becoming horribly sick hanging over his head, Ryan continued to enjoy his meal. "Mmm-mmm-mmm, a fine breakfast," he said once finishing the first slice, picking up the next. Then Ace mentioned the dirty dishes and Ryan decided to inspect the kitchen from his seat. It's no that bad. "Oh, hey. What if I help? You gave me a place to sleep, food, and now you're helping me with my head," Ryan took another bite of the delicious breakfast before continuing, "Least I could do is help you with cleaning some plates and what not."

William eyed the breakfast that had been delivered to him and the Ulfric. It looked like a rather nice meal, but now felt like not the time to eat. The hunter eyed the pistol that Markus set on his thigh, then glancing back up as he began to speak. He listened, placing both his hands on his own thighs and leaning forward slightly. The Ulfric set the pistol on the table beside him, William's eyes following it as well. As the werewolf went to insure that the door was locked, William contemplated grabbing the pistol. He decided against it, feeling that taking action now could jeopardize his own chances of survival.

The hunter straightened up, it being his turn to respond. "I heard that two of your pack members were killed, and that their killer is still unidentified." He replied, responding to the first question. "While I pity their deaths, especially more now that I see you lead your pack much more civilized than other Ulfric's that I have encountered. Their deaths however, were not by my hand, and if they were, i'd reek of their scents would I not? I did hear two gun shots while I was following wolf tracks to this cabin though." The hunter readjusted his hat on his head again. "Hunter's and werewolves have an odd attraction to each other. We simply call it the 'Will of the Hunt.' Perhaps its mere coincidence that we always seem to find eachother, or that we just know where to look."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes, still feeling a bit weary from his interrupted rest. "As for the hunters you've encountered in the past, I have no way of knowing if they belonged to the Hendrick's Order or not. There are quite a few independent hunters, many of whom disagree with the way our group conducts itself. Although, that is mostly politics and drama i'm sure you have no interest in hearing. Returning to the topic at hand, the message I received in regards to a large werewolf pack that was on the move, informed me I was the only near them at the time, and our other hunters were busy with their own tasks. It couldn't have been any of our hunters.."

William removed his hat, setting it on the cot beside him. He looked Markus in the eyes, the clear fearlessness of the man showing. "I came here not looking to slay more innocents Ulfric, I came here to hunt beasts. If your word is true, that your pack does not hunt humans, then I shall not hunt them. Blood will still be spilt though, and I can only hope that it is not any of yours or mine."

The room went silent for a long time as only the music could be heard in the basement. Markus finally turned to look at William and walked over to the table picking up the pistol and pointing it at William. He pulled the trigger and it clicked. “Pass.” He turned back towards the door tucking the pistol into his pants and with a quick flick of his wrist the door came open and he stepped up the stairs leaving William to make his own way out of the basement. He was smiling as he went having narrowed down the list of possible killers at least. He believed William was genuine in what he was talking about.

As Markus made his way into the kitchen there was a ton of commotion. The noises from everyone eating or talking was filling the air. He coughs loudly and steps up on a chair. “FAMILY!” He holds his arms up in the air. “I have spoke with our guests, they are welcome here until it is time to take them to town! Later today I will be taking the truck to town. Now normally I would say everyone can come, but being that we are taking these two fellows into town we won’t have enough room for everyone. Marrec you are coming with me to watch my back. Sasha I’d like you to take a couple of volunteers and go on a patrol. Now I need two others to come with me and Marrec to town. Whoever would like to is more than welcome. Whoever is left at home I need to go down to the sacred grounds and prepare it for a service later.” He steps off of the stool. “Everyone knows how to do this.” He grabs a clipboard with a paper on it and sets it on the counter on it was sections for people to write their name down for what they wanted to do. “We leave in three hours.”

Vashti had tilted her head; half saddened by the tone in Aldo's voice. She could sense his pain for the pack's recent trauma of murder, but amongst that she was confused by another, more hidden, tone in his voice.....one she couldn't quite name.

Listening to him she stood up when he announced he would take care of the trash. Not knowing what to say or think she nodded in silence and let him leave.

That was when the Ulfric appeared and told everyone there would be an assignment of duties. He had worded his announcement.....strategically.....due to the little ears of blissfully unaware hunters.

Attention drawn away from her troubling thoughts Vashti's eyes brightened at the mention of a territorial patrol. In her old pack she often volunteered to go out and walk out the perimeter of the pack's land. It had served as an activity to ease her mind, and after resting for the night her leg was surely up to it.

Moving foreword through the gathered pack members she made way to the clipboard set on the bar counter. Grabbing it she jotted down her name and that she wished to participate in patrol. She really had no desire to go to town......and while helping with the sacred grounds seemed like a good way to repay the pack's kindness, she felt as though she would do better on a patrol.

Acacia continued to glance about as she watched Aldo vanish out the kitchen door into the chilled whether beyond, shoulders rolling slightly she'd remain haunched over the counter top and then jumped slightly as she hadn't heard the Ulfric enter, standing upon a chair as he spoke loudly, her eyes stared directly at him as she froze where she was, mouth still half full as she listened intently.

She'd shift after a moment as he stepped down from his podium and placed a clipboard upon the bench, requesting everyone chose a task and write it down, Sacred grounds, Patrol, or town... Uh hmmm, she though to herself before watching Vashti move and write upon the clipboard, standing up and finishing her mouthful she'd slink towards the paper and pen, placing the small peice of bread within her mouth she'd lead over and quickly write upon it, 'Acacia - Accompany To Town' and then quickly moved off to the side once more.

Glancing towards the Ulfric then everyone else in the room she'd grab another slice of the still warm French Toast and begin munching away as if she was oblivious to the previous nights happenings, though in all honesty she was fully aware and proved very good at ensuring there was a decent distraction and for her there were two, feeding the pack and also baby sitting the oblivious human sitting in a room full of werewolves, the though making her grin a light smirk to herself while munching a mouthful down.

"Need anything ready if you do need to go to work?"

Emil smiled again as he sat, and mulled over the question "Hmm, not much would hopefully be needed. But if you find a screwdriver, Phillips head, a nice sized stone with a flat bottom and some rags. Feel free to leave them within reach of wherever we are keeping them, if you happen to come across them that is. And thank you my friend, for leading me back."

With that Emil turned and began to follow the familiar path towards the house, his nose picking up both familiar of home and the smell of death unfamiliar in this place. Slowing down as he neared the house, he breathed deeply as he settled his nerves, and hoped silently that the door was unlocked. As he reached the door he probed its surface with his nose until he found the handle, and after dropped his bundle momentarily he bit down on to turn. Thankfully it turned and opened with a satisfying clunk, and allowed the Bolverk inside. He entered gingerly as not to run into anyone, turning the slunk through the hallways till he found what sounded like an empty bathroom, it's echoing and lack of shouting/screaming at him confirming that it was safe to enter. Closing the door he deposited his bundle and went to the center of the room to sit. Clearing his mind he began the shift, groaning internally as the discomfort spread like wildfire. He kept his mouth shut as his bones rearranged, changed, lengthened and popped into place. But after it was all said and done he lay back on the cold tile floor with a satisfied sigh. He waited a moment before he stood and dressed himself in a slight hurry, he was running late after all.

After he pulled his jacket on Emil paused. Reaching up he undid the tight hooks that held his blinder in place. Breathing deeply he removed it with a touch of hesitation. But, much to his relief, the light in the bathroom was off and did not dazzle him as he removed the bandage like blinder. Using his fingers he combed his tangle of hair back before using the blinder to tie it in place. As he opened the door he was greeted by the familiar nondescript smear of color that was the walls of the house. Emil slightly laughed internally, he used to hate abstract art but now his world was a minimalist painting with only the two shades of light and dark, the artist's revenge he supposed. As he laughed he traced his way to a small out of the way supply closet, in which he had stored his cane. After retrieving it he began to make his way to the sound of the group and the smell of food, the *tick-tack* of the metal tip of the stick preceding him. He paused a moment as the smell of death grew, overpowering the smells of food and home. Hanging his head he muttered a few nondescript things, his face solemn. He drew in a deep breath, committing the last scraps of Susanna and Ted's sent to memory.

Shaking his head he put on a slight grin, fake or not it was better than looking like a undertaker, and continued on. He entered the kitchen, seeking out the sound of the Ulfric among the crowed. He looked for a couple minutes, passively passing people to register them against his memories. He did this until he found someone he hoped was the right person, (as both the smell and sound fit the bill), he bowed slightly "I apologize for my lateness, and any possible dishevelment of my appearance. But I respond to your summons as I am."

William watched as Markus rised, his stare intensifying as the pistol was raised at him. The pistol clicked however, the Ulfric exclaiming that he passed, turning to leave him in the basement. The hunter exhaled deeply after he left, his nerves slowly easing up. It was too close of a call, but if he was lucky, he may have gained potential support in the area. William grabbed his hat and placed it atop his head once more standing up. He reached for his plate of french toast, grabbing a piece and taking a large bite out of it. He glanced over at where the Ulfric had sat, noticing his plate was left untouched. "Must not have been hungry." William thought, grabbing his plate of french toast as well. With that he made his way back upstairs and headed towards the kitchen.

The hunter entered, taking note of everyone in the room. He grunted to himself, approaching Ryan as he half-listened to the Ulfric speak. He placed the plate that was once the Ulfric's in front of Ryan and sliding it toward him. He then proceeded over to counter, leaning against it as he enjoyed his breakfast. Occasionally wiping the crumbs from his mustache, he turned to face Acacia, giving her an appreciative nod and a thankful smile. Once the plate was cleaned of the breakfast it once carried, William set it down on the counter and crossed his arms. He couldn't wait to return to town.

Blanc Skavdr

Blanc didn't sleep. No, it would be better to say he could not sleep. The reason why was fairly obvious.

The people here, in this cabin. Every one of them. For some reason, they gave Blanc the chills. Or jolts. The feeling was different but similar every time. Brushing past one had him freeze in his spot; even the most harmless of them made him want to turn away in fright. There was something wrong, and Blanc could feel it, he just didn't know why this was happening. It was driving him insane.

It started with the woman that brought him here, Sasha, and it progressively got more intense as she led him inside the cabin, on the basis that it looked like he was lost and needed a rest - he wasn't denying that at the time he was both of those things, and he was grateful to Sasha for helping him, but he couldn't bring himself to fully trust her, not when he could feel his skin crawling whenever he got near her.

The young man got up from the bed Sasha had lent him. He frowned and wondered how he had missed this cabin after all those times hiking up the mountain, even as he wondered why anyone would build a cabin in such an inconvenient area in the first place. Blanc shook his head and dismissed the thoughts; there were more important things to do right now, like . . . something.

He took a quick bath, though he was slightly apprehensive about using the same clothes, it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Drying up, he slowly went downstairs, where the sound of voices and the smell breakfast lured him. He felt nervous, the feelings from yesterday still lingering, and now becoming more and more intense with every step towards the dining area.

As soon as he got down, he was treated to a bolt of electricity down his spine. He knees buckled for a moment before he quickly propped himself up. He forced a small grin, before saying, "H-hello? Good morning to you guys, and, uh, thanks for inviting me here," he said.

Upon hearing Markus' commanding voice shouting "Family!", Aldo rushed inside in time to hear what the Ulfric had to say. His head wasn't totally clear, but he told himself to just live with it because the pack could need his service now. Relieved to have heard everything, he thought briefly about his three options, although it didn't really take much tossing around in his head for Aldo to reach the conclusion that he would be most useful, and most comfortable, on a patrol.

He made his way over to the clipboard and almost gasped when he saw Vashti's name written in that section. Shit. She's going to think I'm some kind of stalker. Go with the sacred grounds. Do that. He scrawled in mediocre handwriting, "Aldo- patrol." His heart sank. Idiot.

He turned his head toward Blanc and tilted his head. "Morning," he said tentatively.

James chuckled at Sam and nodded; taking a seat at the bar and taking a deep breath of the sweet smell of French toast.

Slowly, the room began to fill and bustling activity became heavy on their air. More and more pack members gathered, before a tall man appeared and stood up on a small stool at the head of the room.

"Family" he had called them, and right away James knew this man was the Ulfric of the pack. Sitting up straight in his chair he watched him announce the day's chores and activities. A trip to town, patrol, or work setting up the sacred grounds.

Well then.....I wonder if they'd mind my helping them.....

James thought for a moment. He didn't really want to go to town just yet.....not after taking all that time just to get up to this part of the mountain. Patrol didn't seem enjoyable either.....too much moving around.

So, with a smile on his face he stood from his seat and glanced over at Sam. Reaching out with his thoughts he attempted to mindspeak with her, "Do you think the Ulfric would mind if I helped out?"

He stepped foreword through the crowd and made way to the head of the room; where the clipboard had been set.
James hung around it for a moment and watched as other pack members wrote their names and the activity they would like to take part in.

Not many signed up for working on the sacred grounds......maybe that would be a good job for him....

The woman had followed the others into the kitchen, her feet bare and quiet on the hardwood floor, her steps making little to no sound though the Lupa was always one who was noticed when she entered the room, especially with her bright pink hair. She walked up to the same counter as the others, finding a place not too far away from the injured boy though she couldn't clean his face very well if he was eating so much. She could hear the loud sounds of the others eating and she flashed those around her a small smile though she had not yet forgotten what she had touched in the other room, what none of them had seen yet. "Thank you Acacia." The Lupa spoke again, quiet and mild mannered as she always was when she lifted the box up onto the counter in front of her and motioned for the boy to come closer to her. She could reach the boy from where she sat and did so, taking a cloth with rubbing alcohol on it and touching it to his face while he ate. The Lupa herself wasn't very hungry and didn't plan on eating today unless she had too.

By the time she scented her mate again before he'd entered the room, his voice booming loudly in the room that was bustling with new activity so early in the morning, she had finished cleaning the boys wound though she had not bandaged it for fear of him getting stickiness all over it so soon and for the fact that he wouldn't need it now. She moved, carefully repacking her bag while she waited for her mate to either come to her, or start speaking to the pack as she had assumed he would. He was always such a busy man, though tonight, hopefully would be more relaxing for him after they had resolved this little bit or the ordeal. She turned on the stool she sat on, quietly listening to her mate talk until he was done and she heard the clipboard hit the counter. It didn't take long until she heard people writing on it and she blinked, turning her pale eyes on Markus as if she was watching him; she was in a way, all of her senses trained on him as he moved. "Markus. . . " She started, choosing her words carefully. She swallowed and licked her bottom lip as she thought, her brow furrowing as she thought.

"May I go with you?"

Marrec

"Hmm, not much would hopefully be needed. But if you find a screwdriver, Phillips head, a nice sized stone with a flat bottom and some rags. Feel free to leave them within reach of wherever we are keeping them, if you happen to come across them that is. And thank you my friend, for leading me back."

Marrec didn't offer surprise at the odd response, only acknowledging the thanks with a nod and then a sheepish, "Of course, Emil." He watched as Emil went to the door, thinking about the tools to collect. Heading to the nearby shed that was home to the landscaping tools and most other useful things, Marrec stepped inside and approached the massive tool cabinet. He quickly found the Phillips screwdriver and a handful of rags, only to stash them in his pockets. Marrec hesitated, unsure about the stone bit, since snow covered the grounds and any gardening and decorative work that utilized stones were well buried.

A light bulb went off as Marrec remembered there was a stash of old landscaping junk stashed in the far back from a previous Lupa's attempts to spruce up the house. He struggled his way to the rear of the shed and found bags of loam, seeds, walkway lights, and --- rocks! Digging through what happened to seem like mostly pebbles, Marrec found a decent sized one, but didn't think it particularly flat. He searched for several more minutes, but wasn't particularly satisified with any of the options. Shrugging, the enforcer left the shed and went inside to find some food before returning to the Ulfric, only to find the Ulfric in the kitchen, with the majority of the in-house pack and some extra bodies.

Marrec was in time to catch his own role guarding the Ulfric while in town, unlike Sasha who would have to lead patrol. A broad grin stretched across Marrec's face as he looked at Sasha, a deep laugh rumbling from his chest as he caught her glaring at the sign-up sheet and wondering who she would get struck with. In her defense, Marrec had never enjoyed leading patrol – there always seemed to be that one werewolf who got lost, injured themselves, or tried to be a hero and go off on their own, which inevitably led to them being lost and injured.

“Okay. I'll need to get prepared, then,” Marrec said, thinking of a couple concealable weapons he wanted on hand. Turning around, the man went to find the armory.

Sam

Sam watched as people began to converge on the sign-up sheet, nudging curls of orange peels further onto the counter so they couldn't fall to the ground. She eyed the quickly depleting stack of french toast, not sure if she was hungry enough to try for them. Her attention turned to James when his voice brushed against her mind like velvet fur.

"Do you think the Ulfric would mind if I helped out?"

“Doubt it,” she responded aloud, smooth voice carrying across the babble of the other werewolves without raising in volume. Her eyes turned to glimpse Marrec before returning to James' figure as he approached the sign-up sheet. Popping an orange wedge into her mouth, Sam stood up and followed him, placing half of the orange on her seat as a form of dibs. Weaving around the bodies, she caught up to James and watched his indecision. Shifting her body so that she crowded him a couple inches to the side, Sam grabbed a pen and scrawled her name under Sacred grounds duty. She had failed to save them, so she would instead help prepare them for their next stage as a packmember – as the Munin.

Shifting the angle of her head so that she was peering at James from mere inches away, Sam raised an eyebrow at him and offered the pen. At the same time, she removed another orange wedge from the rest in her left hand and ate it, a smile curling the corner of her mouth. Once he had taken the pen, Sam would turn and head back to her seat to fetch the remainder of her orange and settle back into her chair to wait until everyone had picked their chore.

Sasha

Sasha lifted her head at the mention of her name, refraining from sighing in exasperation. She watched the werewolves move forward to pick a job, frowning as she tried to discover who was choosing to work under her. Her scowl deepened as she saw Marrec laughing at her, only to fade away until her face was pleasantly blank. She noticed North hiding near the kitchen's entrance and raised her hand high to capture the girl's attention, not bothering to try to yell across all the noise.

The chair was nice and comfortable a bit away from the commotion of the kitchen. In front of him was a notepad and his pen danced across it writing down different things to pick up in town. He took a deep breath and looked up as some thoughts raced through his head. ‘two dead family members, two known hunters we are setting free… Rituals to take place. My Lupa seems to be discouraged but I am not sure what to do. I just have so much to do...’ he lays the pen down just as he writes down toilet paper. Then just who he was thinking about was stepping behind him. Markus lifted his head to look up at Val and raised a brow at her. “You want to go to town?”

A single hand came up to rub his bearded face before he turns his head to look back down. “I thought you might lead in the setting up of the Sacred Grounds since you will be leading the rituals tonight. I think it is time for such. For you to act as a priestess to our pack.” He picks up the pen and taps it on the paper a few more times leaving black dots dancing across the white background. He chews on the pen for a minute then before speaking again. “Though if you rather go to town I will take you.” He pushes up out of the chair and turns to face her then gives her a light kiss on the forehead before walking off and heading towards the armory himself.

As he steps into the room he sees Marrec and takes a deep breath. “After all these years as Ulfric, you’d think it would get better..” He walks over to the shelf where he kept his ammunition and looks across the bullets. He always carried silver rounds in his trips to town. Ejecting the magazine from his pistol he began loading it with the silver hollow points and slid it back into the pistol and slammed a round into the chamber. He then filled a second magazine and slide it into his pants waist along with his pistol. “Got a inventory of what ammunitions we need to fill up on in town?”

Ryan looked at Markus as he entered the room, not turning his head though since Valerie was still trying to clean the wound on his head. 'Family'? So they're all related? Oh no. What if Ace is that dude's sister or something and he's like her overprotective big brother? That's why he told me to stop hitting on her. Or worse, what if they're all his family because this a huge ass harem? Maybe Ace is one of his many wives or something. Oh man, he's totally going to shoot me. Well, I've dug myself this deep. Nowhere else to go, but down. Ryan continued eating the meal in front of him, only half-listening now that he knew that the speech the bearded man was giving wasn't directed at him.

Hmm? Did he say 'sacred ground'? Is this some kinda religious nut job church? Or maybe it's a cult? Maybe they're all cannibals! Maybe they're going to eat us! No, they're returning us to town. Besides, why would they eat French toast if they eat people? Unless they eat people and bread! Or maybe this isn't really bread. It's people! Soylent Green is people! Soylent Green is people! Ryan looked down at the now empty breakfast plate in front of him. He had eaten all three slices that he had grabbed earlier. Then William approached him with another plate of the so-called "breakfast" and passed it to him. "N-no thanks, I'm full," Ryan said, for he had now lost his appetite.

Ryan snapped out of his thoughts about people eating people as he saw Ace get up and head to the clipboard. He was now filled with overwhelming curiosity about what she had signed up for. Ryan continued sitting in his seat waiting for her to return before asking her the question on his mind. "Hey Ace, what'd you sign up for?"