ooc: Spring Meeting! Just a touch early I know, lol. Ok due date for posts will be January 11

Well, they'd done it!  Ivory Ridge had managed to survive through the winter and with spring on their doorsteps she was certain they could gain traction and begin a fruitful season of gathering and trading.  There was the joint hunt and gathering with Fiori and she hoped to visit Faite and determine if they might have a similar event in planning.  So much had happened, she'd finally visited her mother's grave and was feeling freer and more at peace than she had in a long time.  Karabela hoped everyone else was feeling optimistic as well about the new year and she quieted the cynic that threatened to overthrow her good mood.  Her mother's portents had left her slightly on edge but she was certain it was something she could handle.  Now to get the new season underway.  Karabela tipped back her head and called for her members.  It was time for a meeting.

""

The woman was back in her den at the Stone Steppe; laying, nodding off, trying to stay warm at least, when the call of her Chieftain, Karabela, came across her ears. She was suddenly remembering the bore of pack meetings and important stuff like that, but it was a small price to pay. After a couple moments, she stood and exited her den then made her way to the treacherous Maw. Seeing as she was the first to arrive, she came a decent distance to Raba, not necessarily in the "front row" which was better than she had done in any other meeting she had in the past. She took a seat with a curled tail and looked at the woman with her one eye. "Guess I'm first to arrive..." She spoke just trying to break silence until someone else came hot on her heels. She too was glad to have survived the winter. For years she lived in the Hell's River with the warming of the lava running through. She picked the worst time for herself to escape the prison but at least she was strong enough to make it through the cold and that was worth something to her. Walk "Talk" Think "Charon" "Voices"

It was much to the young healer's relief that winter was once again gone. She had survived another winter and the pack still stood strong as far as she knew. She was dormant most of the winter a lack of activities and no healer training had been called. Now she would have much to do, back to collecting and stock up her herb stores more. She had already begun, since the snow was steadily melting she had begun in the pack lands to collect what she could around here before beginning to travel again. She was already covered in mud, a small pile of herbs by her side. She was stopped, head lifting as Karabela's call rang out over the territory. Wagging her tail the young girl picked up her pile in her mouth and headed off at a steady pace. She wanted to be quick to get there, to show her eagerness about still being apart of this pack. It was her life now, her family and she was looking forward to getting to know the pack members more and form relationships. She also hoped that Qualm was still around, she hadn't seen him much over the winter and hoped that he would be okay. She was thinking this season would be a good time to start her advance from being an apprentice, but she wasn't to sure how to go about advancing in the pack. Perhaps it would be good to have a private meeting with Karabela and see what her thoughts would be. The meeting spot was in view and Delaney was pleasantly surprised to see she was the second to arrive. Still early just like she had wanted. Her tail wagged as she approached Karabela and the unfamiliar female. Laying her herbs on the ground she stopped and took a seat. "Good morning!" Her voice was quiet yet she was happy ready to get the new year started off right. "Talk"

He was being plagued by nightmares. Perhaps just from sickness, the male had holed himself into his den and tried every herb he could to make himself better. Thus far, it felt like it was his own force of will to get rid of it. Qualm had actually took it upon himself however to take advantage of the maw. The sick male held in his jaws a wrapping of leaves that was filled with Elderberries. He'd been lucky to find a patch so close to his den. Which he planned to make the announcement that ever member of the pack should be taking some elderberries. With he being sick he wanted to lower the chances of it spreading until he figured out the right combination of herbs to make himself feel better. So as he arrived, the sunken looking male would shake his fur slightly. Noticing that Delaney sat among them.... his pupil had been doing well. He knew they hadn't had too many training experiences but she was a smart girl and he was proud of her. He also had warned Nah to be careful of him. Hopefully she'd already eaten the elderberries he offered to his adopted daughter. First he would approach Delaney, dropping the bundle carefully near her. "I hate to ask this of you Delaney but I think it's best to take some of these. Elderberries help with your immune system I seem to have come down with something and I don't know what it is." with that he left her a few before heading to karabela. Being careful to keep his distance some. "Hello Karabela. I come to you with something important. You see I'd quarantined myself but didn't want to miss this meeting - I seem to have come down with something. I don't think it's fatal but I brought Elderberries for the pack. It helps with the immune system and I'd rather be safe than sorry. At least until I get better." He smiled towards her weakly. However nudged the bundle of herbs towards her, she could announce it herself and distribute them as she pleased. With that he found his own private corner and laid down ready to listen to what she had to say. "Talk"

It had been a very tough adjustment for him, if not impossible. He had avoided everyone, spending most of his time trying not to die on the mountains. He had come here intentionally, because he'd liked Karabela, but sometimes he questioned if he was really cut out for this. Maybe he could just try harder... but what was he supposed to do? He'd never lived in a pack, and he wasn't quite sure what was expected of him. So, when he heard Raba's call for a pack meeting, he lit up, and felt a bit of relief. Surely she would have something to tell them all, and maybe he could start to get an idea of what pack life was really about through this meeting. Leaving behind the nothingness that he'd been tending to in a dark cave, Dominik tread carefully as he wandered over the mountain paths that had become familiar to him over time. He was still cautious, but he felt more confident, like he knew the twists and turns, the bumps, rocks and perilous drops well enough to move with ease.

When he arrived at the gathering place, it was no surprise to him when he didn't recognize the wolves, except for Raba. He wandered close to her, but not impeding upon her personal and authoritative space, smiling in greeting to her. Then, quietly, Dominik found himself a space to sit alone, carefully eyeing the other wolves as he waited for the meeting to begin.

The scent of spring in the lower territory brought a sense of relief to the healer. Soon it would be time to begin harvesting herbs once again to stock his meager supplies. He had not been idle during the cold season though - pelts were prime in the winter, and he and Rommel had busied themselves with hunting fur bearers to stock his den with warm furs. He was creating a stockpile of extras that they were slowly working their way through preserving as well. He planned to offer them first to his pack mates as den linings, and then to Karabela as trade goods.

Speaking of... Kassander perked up at the sound of his alphas call, and set out to find the meeting he was summoned to. Rommel trotted at his heels, silent and watchful as ever. But Kassander had barely reached the edges of the group when the smell of sickness hit him, and his stomach plummeted. Already he was failing in his duty as healer, concentrating too much on hunting and too little on his primary duties, and now sickness had entered the pack.

His mismatched eyes roved anxiously over the few gathered wolves, finally alighting on Qualm as the source of the sickness-scent. The elderberries piled before the younger healer implied that he was at least aware that he was ill and was taking steps to avoid infecting the pack. "I believe I have some echinacea as well," he offered softly from his position far in the back of the group. A squirmy, guilty feeling wriggled in his belly. As the more experienced healer he should have been keeping up on the health of his pack. In fact, he should have had enough immune boosters for the pack to have been taking them preventatively all winter. Qualm might not have gotten sick at all.

Dagmær still wasn't quite herself but she was recovering from her run in with… well, whoever the hell it had been. Her memory was still foggy and she couldn't quite decide if the memory was a good one or a bad one but Birna had found her wandering listlessly through the the deserts of the West but no matter how hard she tried Dagmær could not remember how she'd gotten there. She was sure she hadn't just been wandering. She'd been hunting. Why the hell would she hunt in a desert? She remembered a bird though… a black and white bird that shimmered like a subtle jewel in the rippling sun. The girl turned her head at her aunts call. She didn't really feel like going to a meeting right now but she knew she couldn't just skip this one and so tired and frustrated she got to her feet and joined the gathering. ""

Birna had been slow to arrive at the meeting. She'd been patrolling down in the Stone Steppe and the hike up the mountain had taken quite a bit of work. While the air was warmer it would still take awhile for the icy chill of winter to fully leave the high mountain terrains, not that she was complaining. Her larger frame and thick coat made her well suited to colder weather than warm. She arrived among the gathering, noting a few new faces as well as some missing ones and she moved to sit next to Dagmær. She'd been feeling dread in the pit of her stomach since finding the girl. Nothing was adding up and then there was Karabela's… hallucination in the Red Forest. At least, she was certain that's what it had to be. Wolves could not speak to the dead. "Talk"

Chaos swaggered toward the summons with a distinct cockiness to his lengthy stride. As if he weren't already cock-sure enough, the young male had found himself the leader of his own little band of miscreants within Ivory Ridge - a mated pair of great horned owls now flew silently over his head despite the unusually late (for owls) hour. Sgili and Heecha they called themselves, and both bore feathers blacker than his own iridescent black pelt, though Sgili's eyes were orange to her smaller mate's blue. He privately suspected that rather than him taming them, they had decided to adopt him as a rather large, flightless son, but he didn't need to tell anyone that. He entered the group gathered around Raba with a bit of a fanfare in the former of Sgili swooping down silently to take a perch on his shoulder, grasping his scruff carefully in her powerful talons and staring at the pack with dignified solemnity. "Hey Raba," he greeted with a casualness in his tone that was entirely spoiled by the smug grin that gaped his jaws.

I rise above it all and
I'm not coming down

Typically the man wasn't prone to wandering outside the pack's borders, especially since the winter, but finally an itch had over come him. He'd thought he'd left the idea of Una fall away from his mind. Originally he'd decided that if he was going to find her then it'd happen, but he wouldn't waste valuable time trying to find a wolf that might not even be around. Finally his curiosity had gotten the better of him so he'd gone off to see if he could find any clues of her. Of course his search had turned up nothing and he'd come home empty handed. Just in time too. Raba's howl had sounded out across the mountain and Tonrar barely managed to make it to the meeting in time. He arrived shortly after a large dark male arrived and upon closer inspection Tonrar noticed the long protruding teeth - had it not been for them he probably would have noticed the two large owls first. He eyed the strange male for a moment before dipping his head respectfully to Raba and then padding over to Chione to sit next to her. He didn't know her very well yet, but it seemed as nice a place as any to sit.

"Speech"

ooc:  Next due date is January 19

Karabela waited patiently as the wolves of Ivory Ridge gathered for the meeting.  She wasn't sure what their thoughts were on their first few seasons as a pack but she hoped they had faith in her and didn't think she was totally crazy.  She was pleased to see that one of her most recently accepted members, Chione, was the first to arrive.  She grinned at the other. "Haha yup!  You get a first row seat to what will either be inspiring, boring or embarrassing."  She couldn't help but joke a bit.  Alphaship could be so tedious at times and she didn't really care to pretend she was something she wasn't.  She took her packs safety seriously but she'd never be a stern old blowhard or gritty alpha male

Delaney was the next to arrive, covered in mud from her herb gathering and Karabela dipped her head in greeting to the younger wolf.  It was good to see her members keeping active and busy and she was pleased that the girls herb hunting was going successfully. "Morning Delaney!  I see your herb gathering is going well?  Hopefully the more the snow melts the easier it will get."

Qualm followed close behind Delaney but his greeting was less of a happy affair. "Ack, I'm sorry to hear that Qualm.  I hope you feel better soon.  I may send Kassander or someone to tend to you, later and don't fear I shall keep the meeting brief."

She turned her attention to Dominik with an encouraging smile.  "Morning Dominik!  I hope you're settling in well."  

Kassander arrived and Karabela immediately picked up on his anxious demeanor, watching the other as he moved to address Qualm.  She smiled gently.  "Thank you Kassander, if you could tend to Qualm and help deduce what he has and what can be done it would be greatly appreciated."

Her niece and Birna followed and Karabela tried to keep her gently smile in place though it faltered slightly.  Dagmær still looked quite run down.  She turned to Chione and spoke quietly to the other.  "Chione, do you think you'd be able to look over my niece Dagmær.  Birna brought her back from a desert not long ago, she still doesn't seem quite herself and I worry for her health."  The whole ordeal had been rather strange but in her wanderings and patrols she had yet to properly talk with the younger woman.

The arrival of Chaos brought the smile back to her face as he swaggered in as if he'd lived there his entire life. "Hey Chaos, glad you could make it!"  She cocked her head at the great horned owls, eyeing them carefully.  "And who might these lovely birds be?"

Tonrar followed after Chaos and she greeted him with a warm smile before gazing about herself.  There was a good turnout of wolves, only a few missing and she frowned slightly but assumed there was good reason and that hopefully they'd manage to slip in late.  Either way it wasn't fair of her to keep the many waiting on the few especially when there were sick that needed tending to and jobs that needed doing and so she cleared her throat to begin.

"Thank you everyone for coming.  I'll keep this brief.  First of all I'd like to say congratulations!  We've survived our first winter as a pack and dI want to thank each of you for doing your part to keep the pack going.  Spring is an excellent time to start gathering and I'd like to see us build up a surplus of goods for trading.  In addition, to celebrate the arrival of spring I've been talking with one of our trading partners, Fiori.  We are currently planning a joint hunt and joint healing lessons between our packs in a neutral territory.  It should be a good chance to exchange knowledge and take down larger prey.

The next bit of business involves the younger members of our pack, Nah and Delaney."  She gazed around and frowned slightly at the missing pup but shrugged.  She'd have someone snag her later.  "I'll be having Nah moved to the Apprentice rank as a fighter.  She's already expressed interest in this though I see her discipline needs work.  Birna if you could take her under your paw I'd appreciate it.  Delaney, I wanted to ask how training is going.  Qualm, this same question goes to you as well.  How do you feel your apprentice is excelling?  If it be your wish, Delaney, and you have the approval of your mentor I wish to progress you to the rank of Mender if it is still your desire to pursue the healing arts."

"I now turn the floor over to the rest of you.  Are there any matters you wish to bring before me or the pack?  Do any of you express interesting in climbing the ranks at this time?"

""

He'd spend the season getting the lay of the land. It wasn't until he fell asleep that he hadn't been able to know Raba was calling. After Tally tried to wake him up a few times, he seemed to be in such a deep sleep it didn't help. Until he felt her sharp teeth against his nose. Jumping up the deaf wolf looked at the rat and she tugged on his fur pointing out into the meeting place. SHIT. Nia let out a soft growl and started towards it, seeing that the meeting had already started. He slunk further. "Should have just left while you had the chance." one of the voices said. "They don't want you here, you defect." trying to ignore it he came out into view. "Sorry that we're late!" Tally spoke. Nia dipped his head, "I had fallen asleep... been exploring a bit too much." his voice cracked as he spoke, but he then went to take his seat. Concentrating on Raba's face now.

Delaney smiled as Karabela spoke to her, chocolate tail wagging happily behind her. "Yes it's going great so far and yes I hope as the snow continues to melt things will get much easier," she replied with a nod. Qualm came up to her shortly after, his demeanor a little off. He dropped a bundle of herbs close to her before letting her know he was sick and offering for her to take an herb to help her immune system. The young healer nodded and took her dose of Elderberries as Karabela spoke to him. She felt bad for him, that he had to sit away from the others, but she knew it would be best in case whatever he had was contagious. Delaney watched as others arrived, both familiar and new faces to her. She was curious of the new faces that arrived as well as the ones that were here when she joined. She was upset with herself that she hadn't spent more time getting to know the others in the pack, but partly she blamed it on the fact winter arrived shortly after she joined. She was determined to get to know the others and to let them know that she was to be a healer, maybe learn something new from the others. There was still so much that she needed to learn and she hoped to continue to learn and grow in this pack. One new face in particular kinda stuck out like a sore thumb upon arrival. He swaggered in like he had always been around, yet she had never seen the male before. The first thing that caught her eyes were the unique striped looking markings that littered his body, the second was his large size, third was the two owls that fallowed him, and finally was the massive fangs that protruded from his mouth. He was quite unique looking and the mutation was something she had never seen before. He looked fairly young too, maybe even close to her age. She definitely was curious about him and hoped that at some point she could get to know a little about him. Turning her attention back to Kara she listened as she started the meeting and more importantly when she turned her attention to her and Qualm. It was almost like Kara had been reading her mind and her tail wagged. She smiled and looked over to Qualm before looking back to Kara. "I feel I am more then ready, as long as Qualm feels the same," she replied with confidence. "Talk" "You" Think

Being a little taken back by her alpha's interaction, she would look around nervously and then to the girl who Raba was speaking about. "Sure Karabela, I'll see what I can do." She spoke quietly back to her. She remained sitting for not long when Tonrar came around and took a seat beside her. She would just look to him with a nod of her head and a smile, not wanting to interrupt the alpha's words with the other pack  mates. Charon slightly screamed in her head from time-to-time, her ears flicking or she would shake her head slightly. It wasn't really normal for him to do that, but it wasn't the first time. Raba would officially start the meeting and Chione would sit quietly and try to listen through Charon. She wasn't aware at how new the pack was and was actually surprised. She was just glad that there wasn't anyone preying on them. The rest was about the younger members and what they wanted to excel in. When Raba asked if there was anything that needed to be addressed. She, herself, would just look around quickly to see if anyone had any concerns. Less than a year, they shouldn't have had any. But who knew; Chione was no stranger to deceiving wolves. She also wasn't interested in going up in ranks at this point, she had only been here for a season. The other pack wolves didn't even know her so who was she to start jumping up as if she were worth something? Walk "Talk" Think "Charon" "Voices"

Nia showed up late to the meeting and she would nod to him with a soft smile. "I see, take a seat and just be sure it doesn't happen again. I just asked if the pack had any matters they'd like to bring up with me. Also, we'll be holding joint hunting and healing gatherings with Fiori as soon as I talk with Leo." She gave him the brief version. She didn't want to take up to much time in case other matters had to be brought to her attention.

She turned next to Delaney and nodded with a grin on her face. "Then I move you to the rank of Mender. Congratulations!"

She looked around at the rest of her members but no one spoke and she opted to move on. She had work to do and a journey to Fiori to finish up the gathering plans. "Alright, if that is everything you're all dismissed. I'll summon again when it's time for the joint gathering." She turned and moved to leave the meeting, eager to visit Fiori and get the ball rolling.

""