Leif – Diner

Leif grinned happily at his options for breakfast, already beginning to feel his stomach impatiently grumble. “Oh yeah, that does sound good. I’ll have all that’ then.” He smiled contently. Another of his favorite parts of being a werewolf: your metabolism could literally ‘wolf’ down anything and you’d never see a pound. He laughed a bit at his own pun, but quickly snapped back to Claudia at the mention of his ‘family’. Already, he was beginning to regret calling them that. Should’ve just lied.

“I should be staying here for a while.” He said in as vague a way possible, because he honestly wasn’t sure how long he could keep peace with this pack. A week? A month? He’d be lucky if he made it to a year. “Do you know the family that lives in the manor a little ways up the mountain?” He asked, genuine interest weaved into his voice. He didn’t know much about the pack to tell the truth. Aside from a few short encounters, he hadn’t had much of a chance to interact with them, so if he could get some information out of some diner girl, then bonus.

@ViolentViolet

Lucio – Volrath’s Forest

He isn’t exactly sure what he expected after the large stranger wolf ran off. He heard the yowl of something, a feline? He scrunched up his nose and scowled lightly while he watched her drag the oversized panther before them—Christ! That thing was nearly as large as he was, and he wasn’t much of a fan of cats.

Lucio was thankful when his alpha decided to fall back, although, the whole situation still left him with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The forest here was odd, and he didn’t much care for it after this little adventure. He glanced back at the stranger wolf again, just to check if she’d run off herself yet. He still didn’t know whether to peg her as a threat or an ally yet, and decided he’s simply leave it to his alpha to decide, and follow his lead from there.

@MThePathSeeker@ViolentViolet@Arista

Bowing her head, Aurora paused at the new form that appeared, her maw pulling back to reveal her teeth, the new smell of blood sending a shiver down her spine. Gently tugging on Luico's shirt as she passed him, Aurora flicked her ears in a gesture of agitation mixed with unease. The scent of feline filling the air as well as the other scents of the forest sending another shiver down her spine.

Let's go home, we didn't come to fight today. Aurora whispered softly, pausing a moment to glance at the male that had effortlessly moved between her and the she-wolf, a strange feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. Shaking her head and gesturing for the others to begin to move with a flick of her tail, Aurora began to head towards home, the comforting scent of pack and rabbit helping ease her jumbled nerves.

Was this what her cousin had spoken to her about? How Damien's fear of the past may lead them to their deaths? Was this James would sometimes whisper words against their Alpha without fear? Something was starting to click and Aurora wasn't sure she wanted to fully understand what her cousin and childhood friend were planning.

And yet the faint doubt remained as she reached the entrance of the forest and sat down on her hunches, James was always speaking softly into her ear about their Alpha. The fact that he was either planning on facing him or convincing Alpha Yuki to persuade her Mate to give up his position...meant something was going to happen. The fact that James had the idea of splitting the group if nothing was done about Aloha Damien's choices...then she'd have to pick where she'd stay. She whimpered softly at the jumble of thoughts filling her mind, her ears flattening slightly, she wasn't supposed to doubt her Alpha but...she couldn't help but agree with a few thoughts James had whispered few days ago into her ear.
@MThePathSeeker@Maria 127 @Fumari @ViolentViolet @breathofarda



Nose twitching as the scent of rabbits filled the air, Cameron rolled over onto his stomach before opening his eyes, a grin spreading across his lips. Stretching lazily for a few minutes and sighing when several bones popped satisfying, he rolled over until he reached the side of his bed and paused, the scent of pups catching his attention. Sitting up and moving towards his bathroom, Cameron quickly brushed his teeth before washing his face, his lips twitching at the fading sounds of James's excited chatter with Sena.

Slipping out and pulling a gray t-shirt and a favorite of his faded blue-jeans, Cameron made his way downstairs and toward where the sounds of Alpha Yuki's warnin pausing to gently jam his elbow into his childhood friend's back. Pausing to offer a wave and thumbs up towards Leo, Cameron allowd a grin to spread across his lips before quickly stalking towards where Sena stood with a grinning Draco and James.

"Have you finished your work Sen? Where's your mother?...actually where is everyone?" He asks softly, his hands coming up to ruffle James's hair and clap Draco on the shoulder gently. Sena glances up and brings one of her hands up and points in the direction of Volrath's forest. Blinking and taking a sniff of the air he catches the scent of his pack and relaxes slightly, they seemed to be heading back, loading himself until he was eye-level with all three pupss, Cameron smiled softly and gesture towards the garden. "Want to come and see what we can find in the Garden?" He asks, hoping to distract them for a bit , the pack bond wasn't something they could sense yet but it'd help to keep them happy and calm. At least till the others came back, maybe then they could share the food James and Leo were planning on make. He glances up at Rhea and offers a smile, a silent question in his eyes, you never did anything with the pups without asking Rhea for permission, he'd learned that the hard way a few years back when he took Sena with him into the forest by the Manor and hadn't mentioned it to Rhea...She'd forgiven him but not after having hit him several times with a trying pan for 'taking one of her own without telling her'. @ViolentViolet @CallaLily @Trinais

Ribald

One wolf
two wolf
red wolf
blue wolf
black wolf
white wolf
old wolf
new wolf

This one has a little star.
This one has a litt-

Fuck it Ribald was bored, but boy there sure was a lot of wolves, almost one for every experimental chemical in his lab. Almost. He honestly didn't know what to expect in this here predicament. Pack of wolves, some of them not even in their beasty form, confront a rogue wolf. Intense staring ensues, followed by Alphy (the biggest one), responding to some unheard voice. Honestly Ribald thought Alphy was crazy for a second. He just sat there in his bush hoping for the ripping and tearing to partake, then nothing... The bastards just left. Not even a little blood. Ribald was a scientist, he does not get angry. He gets disappointed and restless, an awful combo, which can only be quench with a live dissection of the offending parties.

But damn, he couldn't just pick one up at the store, and he couldn't very well say

Hurr durr, lemme just abduct you in your home turf, with your half-ton of muscle and fur, with rock hard canines, and with your friends still mucking about.

It wasn't fair really. Some back up- or a shoulder to bitch to- would be nice right now.

The walk back to the truck was uneventful, wolves at least had the kindness not to snag the prego doe. He'd check the traps- nothing of course- and leave them over night. Might as well head back to town, get some eats, fire up the old Hunter Horn and rant to HQ for the need of some back up. Hopefully someone who know the locale.

He passed the fountain, and to his pleasant surprise saw Willard, with- whoa, hello, tall dark and beautiful. He waved to Willard as he passed by, guy looks a bit stressed out though, gave him the "Not know" glare his dad used to also do. For the mamasitta, he gave her a patented cat-call. Tried and tested to make any lad- whoa. Yup, daggers, eye daggers. Nope. This one is a no-go. Ribald quickly drove home, got a stu going and rang up HQ.

"Hello, yah stinkoos, uh- yeh. Small chance of wolves? More like a fucking storm."

...

"Can't send any agents? Too tied up in other regions? Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul Shhhhhhharks. You guys better send something. Anything, I just need bait- I mean an assistant. Fine, send an inductee whatever. Tell them to bring syringes...And phosphorus...and petroleum... also silver nitrate... yeah the .95, with a cute bow. Tell them to just enter the house, doors unlocked. I've got some science to do."

@Trinais@ViolentViolet

Willard

Right...

Willard shook her hands. She had canines. Definitely a she-wolf, and definitely cocky. He didn't know if she had the bite to back it up, but one way or another, she was bad news. He knew her type: in their prime, thought themselves invincible, just one errant step to set them off. He didn't like it, but she clearly knew more about this whole wolf situation.

"Anyways, Miss Milane, you and I both know we're not actually welcomed here, and as far as I can tell would be shit out of luck if we got the bad end of a hunt. Now, I personally don't wanna get involved in any of this, I'd much rather you youngins' handle this mess- preferably, handle it outside of town. I wan't to know who to avoid and who to keep an I on, I don't wanna wake up one day and find the town fucked ten-ways to Sunday. So how about it, help your elder out?"

Just then a pickup truck rolled by- it was that young hunter- undoubtedly involved in the shenanigans as well. He waved him off, awaiting for Ms. Milane's response.

@ViolentViolet

Maks

Maks awoke this morning with a bottle of some unlabeled bottle in his hand and the aftershocks of vodka in his head. He recalled having some good booze, a round of cards, and a decent fist-fight with the local patrons at the bar. Afterwards he shambled precariously back to the manor before passing out in the pantry. A good night.

The morning, or should he say noon, came much to quickly however. He opened the pantry door to find people already in the kitchen. They seemed well and lively, the epitome of youth. Even comrade James came down bare-chested, what a true man! Leo, however seemed uneasy, we can't have that!

"Hello friends," he lauded in between the pangs in his head. "Comrade Leo, you find rabbit, yes? Is good day, lighten up!" He gave Leo a firm,hard, reassuring slap on the back, hopefully it wasn't hard enough to (permanently) bruise the boy. With a wide smile, he turned to the shirt-less man and put his arm around James' shoulder.

"James, or should I say, Mr. Enforcer, how goes the enforcing? Kill any more traitorous scum recently? Or get in any worthy fights?" Honestly Maks respected James, he had integrity, a man loyal and devoted to the pack. He heard of his deed and dealings of traitors. Maks believed James would be loyal to Damien and his rule.

"Anyways this is great, to have good friends around! Wheres the rest of the group? Is Damien still shagging up with the Mrs.?"

He gave boisterous and hearty laugh.

@ViolentViolet@Trinais

Jamie watched as the tension settled, though the alpha had yet to relax. She glanced up as the huge female passed her, the voice slipping across her mind. A slight smile curved across her mouth in response, but didn’t bloom as her attention was snagged by Freya’s scent. A small line appeared between her brows as she assessed it, contemplating the difference between the one wolf’s and all the others currently surrounding her. A restlessness caused Jamie’s weight to shift, settling mostly into her right leg. Dark eyes blinked, flicking back behind her towards Moonlight Manor and more normal affairs within. Although she knew there was a general consensus to wait on the decree of the alpha, Jamie wasn’t wholly inclined to share the view. Perhaps it was the age difference that caused her mild insubordination, but the huntress preferred rather to follow spoken demands and ignore any assumed unspoken ones - it definitely made things easier.

Keeping her mind walled against any escaping thoughts, Jamie turned and began weaving through the trees left between her and the manor. Her feet touched the ground with purpose, always shy of leaves and twigs that might make noise if tread upon. Shaking free the concerns of the last several minutes, Jamie let her mind wander while she made the trek. She felt the brimming polarity in the pack, but abstained from becoming involved to the point that she had increased the length of her hunting trips as well as the distance. It had seemed natural at first to join the pack and learn about her new half, to become part of a support group in many ways, but sometimes Jamie felt like she’d taken some wonky trip back to high school and had to do a delicate dance to avoid all the heightened emotions that sought to ensnare and involve her.

As she emerged from the forest and saw Stillwater, a smile flashed into sight. A few errands came to mind, and she had a delirious craving for some licorice. Although Jamie took the time to pause and pluck a forget-me-not, she soon increased her pace. The flower spun between her fingers as she absently worried the stem, though no clouds dimmed her eyes or furrowed her brow.

On the outskirts of Stillwater was a small and humble house, painted a soft creamy white with cornflower blue shutters framing the windows and matching the door. A deep porch swung around two sides of the house, at the final point leading to the gate that barred strangers from the rear yard. Jamie opened the gate, slipping through before closing it behind her. The backyard was consumed by plant life, from morning glory and jasmine to a large fenced-off vegetable garden. Following the stone path she had placed a few years ago, Jamie wound her way up to the back door, found the hidden key, and slipped inside the house.

It didn’t take long for her to water and weed, since she had done much the same the previous week. Plucking a few ripe tomatoes and storing them in the house, Jamie rinsed the dirt from her hands and finally left to go into town. A glance back assured her the house still looked tidy and cared for, despite her frequent absences for pack business - luckily, a young boy took care of the lawn mowing weekly, greatly reducing her own chores. Threading fingers through the thick tumble of dark hair that framed her face, Jamie considered the small fixes she wanted to make to her home in the near future, barring any interruptions. The calm of contemplating such simple things drew the woman’s mind into a lull as she moved further into town, the forgotten forget-me-not tucked crookedly behind one ear.

Damien Lee
Volraths Forest

Damien walked along the stony path that led back to the Manor. Every so often he would trip along the giant roots of the Oaks that dominated the forests. He had calmed down considerably since his encounter with Freya but it was her words to him that stuck into his mind rather than what the wolf herself. She had warned him, though the reasons being irrational to him. They may share blood but his tribe broke off against hers millennia ago. Why would she consider him a relative? This whole situation confused him but still her warning struck deep.
"There will be a bigger threat..." He mumbled to himself, tripping over more roots. "There's always a bigger threat especially to our kind...but what could it possibly be..." He leaned back against a tree to think, the birds singing and the sound of nature helping the process. This threat she warned had to be formidable, as her words there would be no one to protect the forest when she was gone. Meaning there were too possible explanations. One this threat could affect to whole forest and both human and wolf communities. And 2 was this threat maybe targeting Freya, with the strength to kill her.
His train of thought was broken as a familiar scent was carried by the wind. Yuki and her son were nearby as well as a few members of the pact. He began walking again still thinking. He had to prepare, this was no mistake. This warning meant something, but he was not going to leave his home because of it.

Mason

Mason had woken at nearly 4AM this morning when James had made his way to his room, coming back from patrol. It wasn't uncommon for Mason to wake at any noises throughout the night. The man had gotten used to waking up in the night, living in a manor surrounded by people but he doubted he'd be sleeping through such noises anytime soon. He managed to keep his guard up even in his sleep, something that had become commonplace while on the run for six years. It had become etched into him with time and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to attempt to stop it. He'd considered going on a patrol of his own, but decided against it. Instead he found himself lying awake in the bed with his hands behind his head staring at the ceiling, the cogs in his mind turning away.

He couldn't be sure when he fell back to sleep, he hadn't intended on staying up but his mind wouldn't let him rest. When he finally roused the next morning at the noises downstairs he decided to hang out for a bit before heading down. Sitting up in the bed listening in as events unfolded downstairs. Leo, the fresh wolf of the pack showing up with some food for everyone. Followed by James eventually making his way down, some of the others showing up. It would seem he was the last one to actually get out of bed. An amused smile crossed his face at the thought. Slipping out from the covers he made his way to the nearby window with his boxers and sleeveless tank top shirt. He cracked it open letting in a breeze of cold air that rushed over his bare skin. Breathing in deeply his nose picked up on some of some of the other pack members, it would seem they we're returning.

Slowly but surely the man got dressed and made his way downstairs. The kitchen would seem to be the hotspot, as that was where everyone seemed to be. Mason entered the room with a sheepish smile, "Morning." The man said quietly, moving to the sink where he poured himself a glass of water before leaning his back against the counter next to the sink as he took a sip. Mason was content with standing quietly, watching and listening. Just being around those he'd come to care for over these last few months.

The young woman had written down his order and slid the small pad of paper back into the pocket of her apron and tucked the pen behind her ear, the writing tool parting the light pink hair that was already tucked behind her ear from before. “Coming right up.” The girl bounced on the balls of her feet quietly, ready to go ring in his order for him when he spoke again; asking her about the family in the mountains though she knew there was no one there. “There hasn’t been anyone living in the mountains for years. Though there is a family living on the other side of town, just passed the forest. Damian and Yuki are god people, they let those who don’t have anywhere else stay with them as long as they need as long as they pull their weight around the house.” Her smile vanished as she thought about it though she shook her head and shrugged again. “Lucio lives in town now and works with my dad actually. We get a lot of people passing through in these parts, especially in the summer.”

Satisfied that she had answered his question she gestured that she would be back in a moment and walked over toward the small counter where the coffee and such were kept just out of sight of those who decided to visit during the day. She wrote a neater copy of what the man wanted to eat and brought it out back to the kitchen where she clipped it to the line above him with a smile. She waved and the cook laughed quietly at her before she walked back out into the main room of the diner and made her way back over to the young man; surprisingly enough, Kellen hadn’t called her back over yet. “Was there anything else you wanted to know?”

@Fumari@Arista

---

James raised an eyebrow at the young man who had pretty much dropped in front of him, the barely noticeable shake of his limbs and the way he wouldn’t look at him for a while making it painfully obvious to James that he shouldn’t have come down without a shirt on though the Enforcer didn’t care much for the other pack members sexual orientations. His mate was around, and she most certainly, was very pretty and plenty for him, even if she hadn’t admitted yet that they were going to be together. Uncrossing his arms while the boy stood and grabbed another bag, James stepped forward to pluck the bag from his grasp and look inside to see three rabbits – all male – and a hare settled there. Enough to make a good stew once Yuki and Rhea get back, though he was sure he’d be going out again soon to avoid the entire pack being here. If they were all here, then who was watching the grounds. “Of course we don’t eat them raw. We may turn into wolves but we’re not complete animals.” James chuckled as he spoke, amazed by how the boy had been raised, though of course, he didn’t know where he’d come from. The Enforcer already knew that he wasn’t like him, born to a strong family descended of the mountain pack though into this pack with his cousin. Leo was from out of town.

Of course, then the Russian had to come out of the closet and go right ahead and touch him as if the two were best of friends. James couldn’t say he didn’t like the man; actually he quite enjoyed Maks’ company and his love for a fight, an interesting drinking partner as well. “What were you doing in the closet Maks?” James’ first question was full of confusion, though the smell of vodka on the mans’ breath answered it before the wolf rolled his eyes and shrugged out from beneath his grip. In the entire pack, Maks’ may have been the only one to match his size, and perhaps his speed and brutality, though Damian was meant to hold that title for now. “No fights yet, but it’s looking like there’s more loners in Stillwater than ever and I can’t say all of them are friendly.” James remembered following the woman’s’ trail the night before and finding her on the edge of the forest where they had spoken, but not fought; she was in one of the pictures Damian kept on the wall near his and Yuki’s bedroom.

“Damian left earlier. I’d assume he went out to check Volrath’s Forest. The loner’s been coming out more lately.” James looked at the Russian and slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans as he leaned easily against the counter now, his gaze trailing over to the window, outside of which he could hear two of the three children not too far away with their local Queens; Aurora must have been out too with the others. “Yuki is outside with Rhea and the children.” He jerked his head in a way of gesturing toward the window, outside of which little James Hawthorne could be heard laughing and running around at his mothers’ caution. He was always such a rambunctious child and spent a lot of his time bothering his mother or playing with any of the other children. He was the oldest though, and stronger than normal for his size, though he was always gentle with little Sena even though she got mad at him sometimes.

James looked up and over at Mason as he started down the steps with sleep still in his eyes. It seemed that unlike James, everyone else thought it was a good idea to be fully dressed in the morning when they came downstairs. The Enforcer nodded to the wolf who had been here for a few months now and stood straight up again, rolling his shoulders to loosen the tension in his muscles from the run last night and the shifting before the short sleep. “Ready to head downstairs Leo? It’s about time you learned how we eat around here.” He looked back toward the smaller man before heading toward the door that led to the basement, the first floor of which was used to prepare meat and store food. There was a deer from his kill earlier this morning, already gut and skinned and cut up into sections that he was going to have to smoke this afternoon as well since it was for the coming winter when food would be harder to find and the local market wouldn’t be enough for the whole of the pack.

@Trinais@Crono@barkmeat2

Lucio – Volraths Forest

Lucio followed along behind Damien at a casual pace, hands stuffed into his pockets, as he’d long since shifted back into his human form—it made talking a bit more comfortable, in his opinion. Something about telepathy always rubbed him wrong, and he supposes it’s just his own preference really.

“You’ve been mumbling a lot.” Lucio called Damien out with a casual half grin, meaning to sound more joking than accusing, but he honestly didn’t worry too much about how the alpha might take the question.
“I don’t mean to overstep my bounds here, but my advice would be to trust her.” He said, referring to Freya. “That wolf would make a better ally than an enemy.” He admitted. He’d only arrived in time to catch the last few details, but he was pretty sure the loner wolf knew more than the rest of the pack did on whatever threat was bothering the alpha. Lucio wasn’t someone who often doubted the people he respects, and he certainly respected Damien, but he had a feeling that the larger wolf from earlier would be a bigger help to them as an ally. At least, that’s what he assumed his gut was saying; the feeling was weird, and left him wanting to extend just a bit more trust to the woman than he usually would towards a stranger. Weird, he admitted, but didn’t dwell any on it.

@MThePathSeeker

Leif – Town Diner

((Sorry, I thought initially that the manor was near mountains. My bad, I should have checked the map first. ))

Leif felt a bit dumb at first, expressing it through a very dramatic face palm, but otherwise didn’t same much else. He simply let her go on with her explanation of the people living in the forest, which lucky for him, were who he’d initially meant— he must have made a mistake about the mountains being there, or something. It wasn’t like he was the most familiar with such a rural area; he was better suited for large urban areas.

Claudia was talking about the same people, regardless however, as the pack alpha’s names were plenty familiar to his ears. The phrase “god people” hung a bit in his head, and he couldn’t help but smirk about it—he couldn’t tell if maybe she was being honest and this meant that his new pack was actually half decent, or if they were all just really good at hiding their true natures. The familiar gnaw of anxiety reentered in the back of his mind. She mentioned another name, which he recalls belonging to one of the enforcers—a big brute looking dude, if he remembers right. So he lived in town too. Small world, Leif chuckled.

“Hmmm…nah.” Leif answered back, another fresh grin quickly filling his face. “Thanks for the chat though. Didn’t think people’ round here would be so friendly.” He said with an honest sort of sarcasm, which wasn’t meant to sound offensive, but did anyway. He’d honestly expected people here to be a bit more callous towards drifters, and was still wrapping himself around the pleasant surprise that they were not.

@ViolentViolet

Ester – Her cabin, at the edge of the forest near Stillwater

Harvesting season was always one of Ester’s favorite times of the year, as it was often the busiest. With the bulk of her crops coming down, canning in process, and a whole lot of hunting to stock up for the winter, there wasn’t much time she’d be willing to waste. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that she was currently on the bad end of her temperament after waking up to more than half a dozen escaped chickens and a busted up coop-door. She recalls vaguely that it needed fixing earlier in the month, but didn’t think it’d die on her so soon. The resulting mess only made the realization more irritating and bitter. Chickens all over the place, a terrorized garden, and then Boba, who responded by ‘sounding the alarm’ and stirring the damn birds up with his howling.

“Boba, shut it!” she barked angrily at the offending shiba, who immediately turned and grinned dumbly at his owner. She could have spit fire at this point if she tried, and the stray chickens seemed to sense this, as they quickly scuttled away from the woman with every advance she made towards them. It was an annoying process, which was grinding Ester’s nerves down further.

“Christ almighty, will you just. STOP. MOVING.” She shouted the last part a bit too loudly, and only succeeded in chasing a couple of the chickens over the enclosing fence and into the freedom of the neighboring trees. She murmured a few choice curses and smacked her forehead with a groan. She didn’t really want to waste time chasing chickens through the forest, but she knew if she didn’t get them now, something else might. She turned to scowl over her fence at the offending woods, like it was responsible for leading her chickens astray.

“Crap...” she finally huffed, taking a moment to breathe and cool her nerves. She’d be drinking early tonight at this rate, she thought briefly and frowned. In the next moment, she was grabbing a pair of gloves and hopping over the fence. Already, the chickens had run off further into the forest, making the woman pick up pace after them.

Aurora silently followed the group, her mind spinning with a jumble of thoughts, the scent of rabbit drawing her attention every now and then as they continued their treck. Alpha Damian's mumbles audible even when spoken so softly had her ears pinning to her skull as a wave of uncertainty filled her, a huff of irritation eacsping through her snout at her spike of emotions. By God's she just needed to focus on getting home, eating, check on her daughter and cousin and make sure no animal needed medical attention. Everything that happened today was going to go into the back of her mind, where it'll stay until she needs to sort it out.

Nodding absently to herself, Aurora move towards Lucio and gently nudged his arm with her snout, rumbling happily at the scent of Draco that always mixed with his own. Pulling back and jumping over a fallen log, Aurora failed the question she's be itching to ask since the scent of rabbit from the Manor drew her attention back at while still in the forest.

"What do you think the others are cooking? Rabbit hasn't been a speciality for a a while, I'm curious to see what's being prepared. Any guesses?" She asks with am excited wag of her tail, her stomach rumbling as if in remainder of her missed breakfast.

@Fumari @MThePathSeeker @Maria 127

Damien Lee-Volrsths Forest

Damien nodded at Lucio's opinion on the matter. The young wolf was indeed correct. Freya had come from the main tribe of his that broke off from centuries ago. But one thing bothered him, he was told that when both tribes were one, it was a force equivalent to that of nature. That they were worshiped by the natives as protectors and possibly deities. While his people chose to break off and eventually fade, Freya's tribe chose to stay and preserve their hold on the forest, so why was a tribe so powerful only down to one female. The possible answers in his head were not good ones, and the ones that were good eventually led to even worse outcomes. Lucio's opinion was that she would make a better ally then enemy, and truth be told he was right. Damien wasn't proud enough to not say that Freya was indeed strong, but strength can eventually lead to fear and eventually death. He himself knew that better than anyone.
"You are right Lucio. She would make a better ally then enemy. Her strength is indeed praiseworthy and she can be of help with gathering information on whatever this threat is. But still one thing bothers me..." He said stopping and turning to the group behind him "She has said that after her there would be no one left to protect the forest. Implying that she is the last one of her kind. By her size and strength it's safe to assume that she maybe average for her people. So the bigger question is, if there others like her, stronger than her...what happened to them? Why is she the only one left? And is it connected with this threat? There are too many questions that must be answered. What are your opinions on the matter?" He asked the two younger wolves walking behind him.
The wind blew bringing it with the scent of rabbits being cooked. A dough drank from a nearby stream not noticing them. He had eyes the dear from afar. He wondered if the younger wolves could see it as well. His stomach grumbled, after the events that took place he could go for some cooked rabbits or terison right now .
@Fumari@Arista

Maks

The morning seemed strained at first but as others trickled into the kitchen the mood began to lighten up. Leo and James had already departed for the basement to prepare the game meats when Maks finally noticed Mason standing silently by the sink. A nice and quiet fellow, a bit on the drear side, but an honest to goodness fellow nonetheless. Maks was one of the more recent arrivals to the pack, proceeding even many of the younger wolves, he just having immigrated to Canada just a few weeks prior. It was tough going at first, barely knowing the language, but Damien and his pack had been kind, and got him adjusted. That said Mason alone took quite a few days worth of goading and pestering through broken English to even illicit a token response.

"Friend Mason, how are you goings on? Sleep of good?" Just then Maks' stomach rumbled despite -or maybe because of- the vodka bottle he had been nursing since James had departed for the basement. "God, I am of hungry, breakfast could not come fast enough, no?" He found himself laughing again. As his hunger grew and self-control eroded he started to rummage through the refrigerator. Of course there was very little, as the pack relied on caught game, which more often than not, led to Maks without any handy food. Fortunately he managed to root out some week old tripe?, and while raw it was only slightly off making a nice light snack while he waited for breakfast to be served.
He started to bite into it, not as "moist" as he wanted, but it was chewy and went down easily enough. "And you friend Mason, would you like some?" He sloppily offered through a full mouth.

As he lazily chewed through the tripe he looked on through the kitchen windows and to his delight saw Damien returning with the rest of the pack. He caught their eyes and gave a fantastic wave.

@Crono@MThePathSeeker

@MThePathSeeker@Arista

Lucio listened to Damien’s thoughts, and couldn’t help but simply frown in response. Yeah, this was one hell of a problem, one that the pack definitely hadn’t faced before, but it wasn’t bad enough to lose a handle on the situation, at least not yet. He didn’t doubt that he alpha could handle anything really, but he reasoned that the man needed some reminding every now and again.

“Hey, don’t get yourself too stressed out over it just yet. I have an idea that she’ll have all the answers you’re looking for. We just gotta extend a hand to her is all, and then see what follows.” He spoke with a positive tone, confident that events would go smoothly if they kept themselves calm and ready. “You’re a good leader, Damien. You’ll get us through this.” He added for good measure, hoping the man would chin up already. The smell of fresh rabbit was slowly beginning to distract him, and he hoped that Damien and Aurora would let it do the same. No use fretting on an empty stomach, after all.

“Anyway, we should get inside before the grub gets eaten. Seems like we’ve got a full house tonight.” Lucio smirked, recalling Aurora’s earlier mention of rabbit, and continuing past the other two wolves. He could smell a majority of the pack inside the manor, and it made him relax a bit more. Somehow, family just had the effect on him. He hoped whatever was going on in the other forest wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle, because he wasn’t prepared to let this family go anytime soon.

Jacob - Lone Wolf
Jacob was staring at the giant wolf with his ears back and his head low watching it’s every move and even then he wasn't able to dodge her paw as she pinned him to the ground. He growled in her face but made no move to attack her but his body language would tell her he hated her for pinning him. When he was allowed up he showed no signs of submission and just growled really aggressively but still made no move to attack. After a few seconds of this he calmed down but kept his eyes on the very large wolf. Eyes only leaving the other wolfs when he was nuzzled by the she wolf he was trying to protect. It surprised him a pack wolf thanking a loner. Not many would do that.

He ignores the strange wolf who brings out a foul smelling two tailed feline and keeps his attention on the pack.

He smiled to himself, this pack was beginning to remind him of the one he and his brother had lost. There was such kindness in this pack or at least that is what it seems. He was actually considering staying although he doubted that the package would be happy about that. He was beginning to forget the reason they came here when his brother coughed, which reminded him.

He closed his different colored eyes and focused on connecting his mind with the pack. "Wait, I need to speak to your Alpha, that is if he will allow it..."

Josh - Lone Wolf
Even though Josh heard something jump out of the tree not too far behind him he paid little to no attention to it as he was more concerned about his brothers safety. What idiot dives head first into a confrontation. And what on earth made him think it was a good idea. It was then that he felt someone behind him. A shiver ran up his spine but he didn't move or say anything. He knew that this person was no threat to him yet, but he wasn't a fan of sneaky people. As the woman moved around him his eyes caught hers for a brief moment enough time for his eyes to convey his worry for his brother before he turned back to the commotion.

He watches the way his brother acts around the pack, cautious but inquisitive but not forgetting what they came here to do. He listens closely as his brother politely address the rest of the pack. He comes to the conclusion that his brother wants to be in this pack, but he didn't understand why. He just seemed too drawn to this pack. So he walks up close to him and taps his head before saying only to him telepathically "be careful how you act around strangers..."
@Arista@breathofarda@ViolentViolet

The young woman hadn’t expected the man to think her brash or cocky like many young wolves were though she had to admit that it was easier than telling him she was here to either kill the hunters and possibly a few of the wolves in the area. What she had expected though, was the human who passed by and looked at her like she was just some piece of meat and her red eyes followed him with a deadly accuracy and the intent to say she knew though she doubted he would get it from her. Cass turned her gaze back to the older man and her rage melted away with his request.

“I don’t plant to kill anyone. Damian was once very close to me and I want to make sure he and his pack are alright. If I have to slaughter Hunters and Rogues to do that, then the blood is on my hands.” Cass was well aware that he was not someone who would trust her word, the man smelled of blood that he had long ago tried to wash from her hands and she knew a hunter when she saw one now. “Never fear, the innocent and those seeking peace will never be harmed by me.” She reassured him; standing from the bench and slipping her shoes back onto her bare feet and bowed lightly. “Now, you have a woman to find, and I have a place to be. I will see you again, Sir.” And then she turned away and started walking without another word.

Her progress would be steady, though not secret as she walked from the town, picking up a basket of fruit on the way as a peace offering to the pack in the case that Damian wasn’t there when she arrived later that afternoon. The forest was quiet and she bypassed two women with a few pups before finding her way onto the estate, unnoticed by the other wolves; her scent was very similar to that of Damian, though she was clearly female and alone.

@barkmeat2

---

Yuki looked up just as she heard the small girl running out of the house with Cameron in tow, walking toward where the group of the three of them stood out on the path where the boys were playing tag while Rhea and the Alpha Female watched them.[color=darkturquiose] “Cameron! It’s good to see you’ve woken as well. I keep hearing the others begin to move though none had come outside yet.”[/color] The woman commented as James skidded to a stop and nearly toppled over in his rush to go see Sena. He was a year older than her and clearly crushing on the smaller girl though he didn’t realize it either way. He greeted her excitedly and grabbed her hand before dragging her off to the garden to play; Draco of course followed in tow as well. “Be careful!” Yuki called after them, smiling and laughing happily as they ran, listening carefully for them and any danger of course.

“Of course Cameron. No need to ask permission, so long as so you keep an eye out for danger.” Yuki answered his question before Rhea could say anything, knowing that the woman would feel as if her authority was being overstepped by the Alpha Female, though the Japanese woman was a Queen as well after she’d become pregnant with Arthur’s child and later Alpha Female with the birth of the young James Hawthorne. She could smell something faint on the wind though she dismissed it as a simple animal and those that resided in this forest would never dare attack the pack that made this estate their home. She thought she smelled Damian though and as she looked up she saw her beloved emerging from the dappled shadows with other members of the pack.

“Damian!”

The woman smiled happily when she saw him, running up and throwing her arms around him in a desperate hug before looking him over for injuries. “She didn’t hurt you did she?” She asked, her brow furrowed in worry as she tried to look him in the eye. Something was troubling him though she couldn’t tell what it was. The Alpha Female looked over his shoulder toward Lucio and Aurora; “Go inside; leave us to talk.” She took on the qualities of a leader for a moment, leaving the mother behind as she ordered the other three away with Cameron and the children, her gaze hard and unyielding. Turning her gaze back to her mate she looked at him with a mixture of love and worry; her soft grey eyes trying to find what it was that was bothering him without him having so say it.

@MThePathSeeker@Fumari@Callalily@Arista



James didn’t wait for the other boy before he picked up the bag of dead animals and walked through the door to the basement, leaving it open enough that the others would know that he was down there though the scent of fresh prey would attract them first. As the Enforcer of the pack he was meant to watch over everyone and carry out any punishment though he was also one of the better male cooks and the only one with enough time to butcher animals and clean them up after they’d been brought back to the pack house since he did all of his patrols after dark while the other males were fucking their mates or sleeping. Him and Rhea didn’t see each other much, though she didn’t seem to want to accept him as her mate, having spent her time with him resisting the tug of her soul and heart toward him while he attempted to attract her the normal way.

The man sighed heavily as he approached the table, still bare chested with his muscles working together in their perfect definition, stretching the scars on her body while he lifted the bag to the hard granite counter in front of him. The surface was covered in blood stains but freshly washed as this room served as their primary work station for preparing foods for storage though this would be eaten today. He glanced around to make sure that there wasn’t anything lying in wait for him and saw nothing but the two dead deer – both fair sized bucks – waited for him in the corner, surrounded by dry ice to keep them cool. He’d brought them back only a couple hours ago and it usually took at least three days for them to begin to spoil in the basement designed to keep it. He pulled out the two rabbits and the hare, laying them out each on the surface and inspecting them for the amount of edible meat and the state of their health and death. He couldn’t smell any diseases on them and whatever bacteria was in them would either be cooked out or one of the many things that the wolves were immune too.

Alone in the dimly lit room, the shadows danced across his back as he worked; his hands deftly pulling the rabbits out while he carefully skinned them. If he laid it out to dry he could continue making the coat he wanted to finish for Rhea to see how she liked it though he didn’t know if that would work. Turning his mind from the woman as he felt himself getting slightly more excited than he wanted to be right now he thought about Damian and Freya, Yuki and little James; he didn’t want to hurt his cousin though he knew that under Damian’s leadership they were never going to evolve any further than they had already. Perhaps one of his circle would come to see what he was doing, considering he’s up earlier than he usually is and he hadn’t bothered to dress this morning. He’d run into Freya the night before on the other end of the town where she’d left the forest in one of her rare trips to town.

“Why does this have to be so damn complicated.”

Aurora paused only to bow her head before she moved to follow her cousin and daughter, nuzzling her snout into little James's neck before leaping forward and pinning her cousin to the ground, her tail waging happily as she licked his face.

Your up early Cam, what's the occasion? She asked before she jumped away and rolled on her side as a familiar small body crashed into her own, she rumbled happily as she begun to scent Sena once more, the feeling of little James on her other side had Aurora's tail tugging the little boy closer.

Cameron rolled his eyes and rose to his feet, a soft smile reaching Aurora his lips as he gently pats her head. Pausing in her excited pup-scenting to sniff the air around the Manor, her ears twitching when she caught the scent of rabbit mixed with James from within the house, nudging both pups up, Aurora rose to her feet and shook her body out.

"Where you going Mama?" Aurora paused before making her way toward the Manor, her gaze falling on her daughter as she clung to little James's hand, her bottom lip wedged between her teeth, huffing softly she moved forward and nudged the two pups towards the entrance to the garden.

I'll be inside little one, James? Do me a favor and play with Sen for a bit? Tell her about the flowers you and I planted alright? She watched fondly as they moved forward, Cameron hanging back for only a moment, his hand falling on her head and tugging her ears affectionately before following after both pups. Turning and heading back towards the kitchen, Aurora took a moment to deliberate whether or not she should shift back, snorting softly she allowed her body to shift back to human, wincing at the protest her strained muscles voiced. Shaking her head and fixing the ruffle in her gray t-shirt Aurora paused at the sight of the open basement door, a silver brow arching in question.

Sniffing the air and grinning, she made her way towards it and began to head down the steps, her head reaching out to stop the door from fully closing as. Reaching the bottom and pausing when she caught sight of her childhood friend, Aurora bounded forward and instantly clung to his back. "Jamie~ What are we having to eat?" She sung happily, nuzzling her cheek against his skin before pulling away and peeking at the rabbits on the table, truth be told James was like an older brother to her, she'd been the youngest in their group of three since they met all those years ago. Waiting for his answer, she began to roam the basement, keeping close to her friend as she searched, she wasn't down her often so she wanted to get a good look at everything. She blinked when the sudden scent of Alpha Damien filled the air faintly from the other side of the Manor, head tilting she made her way back to James' side and rose onto her tiptoes, her lips close to his ear. "Do you smell Damien? Or is it just me? His scent shouldn't be coming from the front side of the house when he's with Yuki in the backyard..." She whispered seriously, her nose twitching as the faint smell of fruits mixed in with the other smells of the Manor, she didn't like it, yet she couldn't place why.




Cameron watched Aurora leave with a fond shake of his head, his attention shifting to the excitedly bouncing pups that stood before the door that would lead to the indoor garden, chuckling softly he pushed it open and allows them inside. Truth be told, Cameron was glad Aurora had gone to see James, their friend had seemed restless as of late and knowing Aurora like he did, she'd be able to find out what was wrong. Shaking his head he bent down and allows Sena and James to begin their explanation of the flowers near the door first, he couldn't help a roll of his eyes, he'd be getting the flower lecture today it seemed. Though he loved it anyway.

Pausing when the smell of fruit filled the air, Cameron absently nodded along with what the pups where saying as his nose twitched slightly at the familiar scent of Alpha, however Alpha Damien was with Alpha Yuki just a few feet away...so why was it coming from the other side of the house as well? @ViolentViolet @MThePathSeeker @CallaLily @Fumari

Mason

Mason watched as James disappeared through the basement door. As he turned his head he found his eyes settling on Maks as the man neared with vodka in hand. It had taken Mason a while to warm up to the him early on, like many others. Maks lack of English hadn't helped but even so Mason could see the good intentions even across the language barrier. Maks sudden comment on his sleep had Mason wondering if he looked tired or maybe had bags under his eyes, he hoped not, it was likely Maks just making small talk. Mason opened his mouth to answer when Maks stomach interrupted and Mason smirked, "Slept fine Maks. What about you? How was the closet?" He may not have seen the Russian exit the closet but he'd walked by it on the way in, and had smelled the odor of alcohol.

Mason shook his head amused as Maks went digging into the fridge. The man couldn't even wait for the food to be prepared. He took another sip from his glass of water, holding back a yawn. When Maks came back up for air, the grin on the Russians face was like he'd just won the lottery. Then when he'd been offered some of the raw food Mason brought both hands up, one with the glass still in it, in a defensive gesture. "No thanks, you dig in." The man really could learn to not talk with his mouth full but Mason couldn't bring himself to complain.

He was aware of the returning pack members presence outside, the scent of alpha reaching his nose. That combined with people filing inside was causing him to tense lightly, his grip on the glass becoming more firm. It was becoming one of those days where everyone was in the same place, not that it was that uncommon. Mason was resisting the urge to slip out, quieting his inner self. The man did however move from his position, crossing the kitchen so that he was just outside of it's borders, that way he wasn't in the midst of everyone.

Willard

Another woman?

Willard repeated Cass' words in his head, trying to make sense of it. Rather cryptic to say the least, but at least it may lead him to the right direction. His bones creaked as he sat up from the bench, for now he needed some time to think. A walk. Preferably alone and out of town. He headed back home to fetch a lighter jacket and his car. He drove silently out of town and parked at the edge of the forest. It was against his better judgement to get closer to the Local Wolves' territory, but he needed some time away from it all. He got out of his car and just started wandering, making small notches in the tree bark to lead him back. The relative silence of the forest, contrasted with the storm of words in his head. Constantly making contingencies and plans for the future, potential rebuttals and answers, an all together jumbled mess of loose thoughts. His heart raced as fast as his mind, the revelation of this wolf pack heavy on his mind, always plying an-

*Cluck* *Cluck*

Willard's concentration was broken by poultry. It pecked around, naive and ignorant to the world's troubles. It looked at him and gave a soft crow. Now, Willard wasn't a biologist or anything, but he was pretty sure, domesticated chicken breeds didn't tend to roam the wilds of Canada. He gently picked it up, it didn't seem too startled by him, content to pick at the loose bits of lint on his jacket as he carried it. It had to have come from somewhere, and again Willard wandered through the forest, backtracking the path of his new feathered friend. What he found came to his surprise. A small cabin, the scent of dogs, chickens and... wolves hung in the air. Had he stumbled into one of the wolves' homes? He looked to just place the chicken and run when a uppity Shiba started to bark and yapp at him.

"Shhh...shhh... Easy little guy. Just passing through, don't need to wake the neighborho- ow, shit. Stop that. OW. FU-"

@Fumari

Lucio – Moonlit Manor / Kitchen

There was little time to waste when the smell of rabbit was wafting through a house full of werewolves, which was Lucio’s second though, right after his son, of course. He assumed the little tike’d be waiting for food too, knowing his appetite, so he didn’t bother changing course. He strode confidently through the manor, plenty familiar with the layout of everything. It took maybe a few seconds for him to make it to the kitchen, where he just caught a glimpse of Mason scurrying off before having his attention grabbed by another, this one half-jammed inside the fridge. Lucio cocked his head to the side and smirked crookedly at the other wolf’s display.

“That really a wise choice for a hangover?” he asked, more out of curiosity than concern for his fellow pack mate. He could admit that Maks probably had as close to what Lucio would respectfully call an iron stomach, but watching the man bite down raw tripe like it was a ham sandwich was pushing it.

Ester – Edge of town / Outside of her cabin

It had taken her maybe twenty whole minutes of tip-toed jogging and a hell of a lot of coaxing, but Ester had managed to recollect all but one of her cursed hens. She spent maybe another ten minutes circling the property again, but came up empty in her search for that one, remaining chicken. Sure, it may have only been a single bird, but the thought of being outwitted by a tiny, feathered rodent kicked her pride just hard enough to irritate her. She circled back towards the cabin, grumbling, but otherwise done searching for the damned bird. There was a chance it’d find its way back anyway, so there was no real reason to fret.

Just as the woman stepped back into her own backyard, the familiar yapping of Boba began on the other side of the house. She groaned, wondering faintly if maybe, by some stroke of luck, the dumb mutt had somehow found the missing chicken. Then Jango started howling bloody murder too, darting out from inside the house and around the bend. Alarm bells rang inside Ester’s head. She knew her mutts well enough to know that her pitbull doesn’t get this fired up unless there’s wolves or people. God, she hoped it was wolves.

Ester quickly cut around the house towards the commotion, casually grabbing a shovel on her way out and hiking it up defensively. A few long strides later and she was suddenly within sights of some poor sap with an angry shiba hanging from his jacket, and a pitbull only yards off, displaying teeth. She momentarily thought that the man looked familiar, maybe from town? When she couldn’t put a name to the face though, she gave up, and simply filed him under ‘intruding stranger’.

“Oi, Boba.” Her voice snapped quickly, followed by a quick whistle, which successfully caught both dogs attention, most importantly being the shiba, who responded by releasing the offending stranger and trotting proudly over to his visibly disgruntled owner.

“You have some business here?” the woman asked coldly, less annoyed at the stranger, and more at the entirety of her days events. She didn’t care who caught the bad end of her frustration though.

@barkmeat2

Damien felt her worry in her eyes. By the look she was giving him she would not drop the subject until he told her everything. He sighed he had originally hoped to have more time to think about what Freya had told him. But that will have to wait for later. He took her hand into his and intertwined his fingers with hers "I'm fine love." He smiled to reassure her bad pressed his lips to her and in that second time seemed to slow down as he felt the softness of his mates lips press against his. When he broke away he smiled once again, stroking her check with his hand. He gently took a tuff of her long black hair and placed it behind her ear.

"As you can see I am fine. And so are the others. Aurora followed my orders to the letter, and this...rouge didn't seem to have the attention of attacking any of us either. It has been a memorable morning dear, and I am tired. There is a lot to think about now." He said kissing her once more before attempting to make his way into the house. He stopped and turned to look once more at the forest. As he stared into giant oak, he felt it stare back at him.

He shivered at the thought, but he soon calm down as he remembered Freya's words. "There will be no one to protect the forest huh?" He had thought to himself Freya had said those words to him for a reason he believed. Is that why he was here to protect this forest from whatever is coming? He had to admit it would make sense. From the very beginning he felt like something had drawn him here. When his grandfather had told him to find the birthplace he never told him where it was. To just follow the voice of the wind and forest. And that voice had lead him here. For the first time in a long time Damien felt frightened. Not at Freya or this oncoming threat but at whatever force it was that lead him here. And what this force will have him do in the future.

@ViolentViolet@Arista