Walk | Talk | Think The trip had been thankfully short, but no less tiring. The grey male with the black markings alongside his mate had supported his ill daughter for a portion of their journey until he had finally come upon his son - the dense, unobservant boy had finally noticed something amiss and had set off late to his father's call - and from there Eirik had taken over in caring for the sick girl. Thankfully he had had no qualms about it, stepping up willingly beside Keiki and changing his whole demeanor to suit her needs. He was still angry with the boy for not responding to him sooner, but it was hard to be upset with him when he so readily filled the role asked of him. With Keiki now provided adequate support, Rune had turned to his mate and allowed her the same luxury, knowing that she needed it as much as their daughter whether she wished to acknowledge the weakness or not. Together they had made it to the location Warja had spoken of, and at first Rune thought she might have been selling it short. She had spoken of it being safe and sheltered, and he could see that she had been right about it. The vegetation here was so thick it shaded them entirely in places, providing a cool atmosphere through which they traveled. The burly wolf was a little surprised to note the stale scent that inhabited it, suggestions of Covari still lingering, but said nothing about it. What did it matter if they settled in one of the pack's old outlying claims? Covari was no more; no one would miss it. Slowing his leading gait, Rune glanced over one shoulder at his family: Eirik and Keiki walking together, Warja assisting him with their direction, and Maia following behind herding her two sons. Turning his frowning gaze toward his mate at his side he figured now was just as good a time as any for them to stop. "This is good enough," he stated to them all though mostly directing his comment toward Warja as she was the most knowledgeable about where they were and how to navigate through it, "We're far enough in that we should be alright." He stopped, allowing the rest of them to do the same, and leaned his head to place a soft lick between his mate's ears. OOC: Hopefully the assumptions about the characters were okay. x: Kind of wanted to set things up a bit. Feel free to rewrite it in your posts though!

They would leave behind Covari lands without so much as a second glance. She would herd her boys, bringing put the rear of their little family. Her brother and his family were ahead, a small distance between them as her boys could only walk so fast. She would peer down at them every so often, looking for signs of weariness. It was not a far walk, but she was sure it would be more than enough to tire them out. She would smile down at them, hoping to appease any worries they had. There was no doubt in her mind that would defend them until her dying breath. They don't deserve it. The voices continued to haunt her, they were unavoidable and sometimes just outright vicious. But it was something she had come to tersm with. Her brother would speak, and voices would lash out. Until you kill him and it petty family. This would be their home now. They were away from Covari and safe from any searching retribution. She would sigh, haunches reclining as she lowered herself to the ground to pull her boys in close for a brief rest. She would place kisses on both their heads, eyes briefing searching their growing frames for any injuries from the journey. Her gaze would lift to her brother, silently asking him 'now what?'. What where they going to do. Alamea and Keiki were ill, she had two young boys, and the rest of Runes kids were still to young to be of much help. There simply wasn't enough of them to care of everyone. But she wouldn't voice her worries just yet, she didn't want to frighten her kids anymore than they already were. Talk like this

Traveling abreast with her father, Warja moved with single-minded purpose. She was so focused on the task at hand that when he stopped walking she continued on for a few paces. Turning back, she looked up at him expectantly. "This is good enough," he said, drawing a confirmatory nod from his daughter. They were close to the heart of the territory now. Having not been the main hub of Covari, she was relatively sure they would be safe in Fern Gulley. Though few, any misgivings she had would be kept firmly to herself; there was no need to worry her father any. Of this she was certain. Taking in their surroundings, Warja did her best to imagine what lay in their immediate vicinity. Her eyes closed briefly - blocking out the present - allowing her to navigate the terra as it was remembered. It took no more than a couple of heartbeats, but when at last she was sure of their surroundings, she spoke, eyes flicking open to rove over the faces of those gathered. "There's a stream not too far from here, if anyone's thirsty." She eyed Maia's kids in particular, although her mother and sister were each a concern. Warja was no longer a child. She'd had ulterior motives when suggesting Fern Gulley as their safe haven. It was a healer's paradise, stuffed to the brim with medicinal wonders. As a growing herbalist, she'd coveted the territory from the minute she'd laid eyes on it. It was here that she wished to sharpen her craft. The yearling had long since put away childish dreams; now she looked to the future. For what she desired, was there a better than this? Surely not. Speaking of healing, maybe she could test out the new pharmacy... "Mom, Keiki?" Are you feeling alright? Would it be selfish of her to hope that they had something to complain about? Speaking - -Thinking

Walk | Talk | Think

He knew he was likely to get in trouble at some point. He had heard the call his father had sent up before he had eventually found them, but rather than answer right away he had investigated, sensing something amiss and trying to do his own part to figure out what. He had, later than the rest, and Eirik knew now that had he simply gone when he had been called he would have found out sooner. But considering the severity of what was happening, that the pack they had all assumed to become their new stable home had fallen completely apart, he had made no argument when his father ordered him to assist his sister. One look at poor Keiki had been enough to show him clearly that she had not yet recovered, but even with as slow on the uptake as he tended to be the boy knew there was nothing to be done for it now. They needed safety before anything first.

They found it too. Warja had marched at the front of their party beside their father, pointing the way toward somewhere she had already been, some plac that she vouched would make a good temporary home for them. Eirik was curious - she did always seem to find such interesting places - and kept on slowly after them with Keiki offered his shoulder and side for support. He spoke to her as they went, soothing and quiet and only for her though he was still unsure if she heard any of it. She never did seem to respond right to words. But the fact that she was still managing to keep up was good enough, and he continued to set an easy pace for her to follow in her present state.

When finally their father instructed them to stop, Eirik did so slowly, glancing at his grey sibling at his side. "How are you doing?" he asked softly, his rosy pink eyes assessing as they skimmed across her weary face, feeling how she leaned against him. "You can rest now." To make is point, he began to crouch down, bringing her slowly with him to guide her to the ground where she might settle and rest. It was probably not the absolute best of places - there might have been a spot somewhere he could tuck her in - but after pressing her this far he hardly wanted to make her move more than was necessary.

The boy's dark ears perked and swiveled in the direction of Warja, speaking both to their sister and their mother about how they fared. Eirik glanced at Keiki again, wondering how and if he could speak on her behalf. But what really would have benefited her the most in that moment? He was still unfamiliar with what ailed her; maybe it was best to leave that question up to Mom.

It seemed like they had created their own little enclosed pack, but one only of family. Amarant was normally very brave and fearless, but for each step he took he raised his paw slowly after. He was very unsure of this new environment, but it was only so frightening because this would be claimed as his new home; he didn't understand yet. His eyes were wide, but still gentle and he couldn't help but smile back to his mother who had placed tiny kisses upon her children. His tail wagged little as he looked to her matching optics, but stopped as he continued to follow his uncle and cousins.

The thought of why he only had Koray as a brother, where Eirik seemed to have a hundred. But in reality, Rune only had three children, maybe the fact that those children had a complete family, a mother and a father, is what made their side look so large to Amarant. And for the most part, Maia didn't go out much or have friends come and see her. Amarant was still too young to really notice the lack of a father, the lack of a Maverick. If only he knew of how large the other side was, it would make him seem like the bigger brute.

As they caught up to the others, Amarant waited for Maia to settle before leaning up against the outside of her left leg. His thoughts stayed upon Uncle Rune and didn't speak a word. If his mother or Koray or any of the other family were trying to speak to him, he was tuned out. Only Uncle Rune's voice would sooth his mind.