(Okay so here's he deal guys, Alamea is going to be taking her family to another pack, I have a few in mind and that'll be opened up for discussion in this thread. I'd like the family to stick together but I also acknowledge that they may seek to go their own ways. That can be worked out ICLY.  Any pack members that want to tag along are welcome too.)

What was she going to do? Rune had been gone longer than expected and everything was falling apart. He had been the back bone of he pack and she was in no position to step up to take his place. They were sitting ducks out here and she needed to do something. Her family needed to come first and so she gathered up the pups and herded them out of the den. Tipping her head back she called for her remaining children and any pack members who wished to join them. Hell if some of the pack didn't feel like family already. She doubted some of her children's friends would be left behind. Where would they go though? She wished she had spoken more with her mate about who their allies were... It would have to be a pack, she wasn't going to lead a rogue band of wolves with such young children to look after. The white woman sighed, wondering just where exactly it had all gone wrong. More than anything she wanted Rune here, she had always been able to lean on him and he would have known what to do... but then if he were here she wouldn't be faced with this problem would she? "Speech"

Clueless as to what was going on in Secretua, Warja came bounding in from the land beyond. It seemed she spent more time outside the pack than in it, and truth be told, her family was probably the only thing that brought her back time and time again. When she was little she'd wondered if maybe she was adopted. It certainly felt like it at times. Everyone seemed to move at the same speed except her. She wanted to go, go, go but it felt like her family just wanted to stay, stay, stay. Warja slowed as she took note of the energy her mother exuded. Was something wrong? "Hey mom," she ventured lightly in an effort to test the waters, "Is everything alright?" Not surprisingly she was the first to arrive, and silently the slight fae willed the others to show up in a reasonable time. Everything would be made clear when everyone was present. In other words, they needed to shuffle a little faster. ""

Truth be told though something had felt a little wrong with Secretua lately, Kismet simply hadn't been able to put his paw on what was going on. He had grown a little more accustomed to Rune in his time within the pack though he had still never actively sought out the man, the fading scent was the only clue that he wasn't around though for all Kismet knew he had gone on another trip to the surrounding packs, he had been venturing out a little more lately after all. The fact that Alamea now summoned them all was a little strange as well, Kismet didn't think she had ever called the pack for anything before. Curious and growing worried as he begun to feel that tension in the air he joined the currently small group. The rest of her family and perhaps others of the pack would surely appear soon enough and he figured that they would need to wait until that moment for any answers to be given. Quietly he would take a seat just behind Warja and wait.

Walk | Talk | Think

He had known his father had set off on a trip to visit some of the nearby packs, to establish relationships and get to know what his neighbors were like, but Eirik had not been paying close attention to just how long his father was gone. In his eyes, the man was indestructible, an unshakable figure that could not and would not back down from a challenge, and he saw no reason to worry about him for anything. If he was taking too long, maybe it meant he was making good progress with their neighbors and had decided to stay longer, or maybe even found another close by pack that he had needed to investigate.

Whatever the case, the worry in his mother's voice as she called for the pack to gather together seemed out of place and deeply concerning for the Kaname boy. His black tipped ears were perked as he followed the sound of her own, and his rosy eyes were filling with worry. What was this all about? What had he missed? He was desperate to know, eager to see if there was a way for him to fix it. He might have been a poor substitute for Rune, but Eirik wanted to see his family whole and comfortable and was willing to step up and take on more duties and responsibilities in order to to do it.

He found all of his family, except for Keiki, standing outside of his parents's den, his younger siblings huddled around their mother and Warja standing with Kismet close by. Just vaguely he wondered where Saga might have been, if she had heard and whether she would show, but she was always such an independent thing; he could never be sure of anything she would do. Turning his thoughts back to his absent sister, gauging from the overall atmosphere that something was amiss, he quickly offered, "Should I go get Keiki?"

The call that rang out across the gulley was not necessarily meant for her, but she found herself interested anyway. Alamea likely wouldn't care if she left, though Saga wasn't deterred by this thought. Saga could hunt for her and her family, but she wasn't such a help that her disappearing would affect their survival at all. Still, it was difficult to imagine leaving Eirik. He was a certain for her; honestly, he was the only one she felt she could honestly depend on. He never disappeared, never left without a word. If he was going to leave, she wanted to know where he was headed - and if he wanted her to join him. The quiet woman's ears would perk attentively, paws carrying her lanky frame toward the small group of wolves that had gathered. The lack of leadership in the pack had been obvious to her, though she hadn't expected him to be gone permanently. Her pawsteps were nearly inaudible as she drew up to the group, instantly finding Eirik as was customary of her, coming to sit at his side with the softest exhalation of breath. If they were leaving, she certainly wanted to go with them.. as she really had nowhere else to go. This was her home now, and she couldn't imagine finding another one again.

In the end Akemi had decided to come back to where Alamea was trying to gather the members of Secretua. Her heart felt heavy, but, in some senses, light. The tiny female would strode into the lands where the others were gathered, her gaze looking around at those present. So many faces... friends she knew and cared for. She would take a breath, knowing that what she had to say may or may not be received well by those present. This time Tiny was with her, holding onto the fur of her head as his mother got ready to speak. "My fellow Secretuans... I know not what the rest of you are planning but I wish to say something to you all, if I may." She knew that Alamea had called them all here to gather them, but, if she could prevent them from being misplaced then wouldn't that be for the better? "In the absence of Rune Secretua has fallen apart. It will take a bit of time but... I want to rebuild our pack. It will not be the same as when he lead it, no, for no one could ever hope to replace the great leader he was. However... I have hopes that we could all stick together, if you would wait for me for just a little while. I swear to you, by the time spring comes, we will have our pack once more." Akemi would let her gaze travel around to each wolf present. Would they wish to wait, to stay together as a pack, or would they move on and go their separate ways? "Hear me talk," 'but read my thoughts.' "Hear Tiny talk," 'but read Tiny's thoughts.'

Table by:: Keno

Keiki was completely oblivious of the inner machinations of the pack, or that it was slowly crumbling down around them. Her father had been gone for a while but she wasn’t worried, he was a titan and nothing could break him and by extension them. She of course had no notion of the call that rang out for her and her siblings, at least not till a familiar shape zoomed by overhead. The bat wheeled back towards her and as it became obvious she was being summoned in her usual fashion the girl trotted back towards the den site; tongue lolling from her jaw and tail wavering behind her. When she arrived however it became clear something was wrong. Much of the pack was facing her mother, though some attention had been turned to Akemi as well and she could sense the tension in the air. It crackled around her and her tail dropped immediately. The Bat flew off to a nearby perch and the girl slunk over to her brother, snuggling in to his unoccupied side, a tiny whine escaping her lips. She had no idea what was going on. "What’s goin’ on?" She whispered, though probably a bit louder than necessary. "Talk" "You" Think

Slowly her children would start to trickle in; led by, no surprise, Warja. She offered the girl as reassuring a smile as she could muster.  "In time." She promised, knowing that the waiting was going to be the hard part… for both of them. Her daughter’s companion joined them and she smiled kindly at him. She silently hoped that wherever Warja went he would accompany her, she had never said anything about it but he was such a constant in their life that he felt more family than stranger. Next would be her son, punctual for once. His offer jogged her memory and the woman glanced behind her, pleased to see the usual perch for her companion empty. Elliot rarely needed prompting these days and though she hadn’t said it she was grateful that he was so willing to help with Keiki. Shaking her head she turned a smile towards Eirik. "It’s alright." Then Saga too would join them and she couldn’t help the small smile at seeing that. She didn’t know the girl much but just as she was glad that Warja had found a friend so too was she happy to see her son find the same… now if only Keiki could do the same… Before the last of her children could arrive however Akemi would join them. It was a pleasant surprise to be certain, she wasn’t close with the smaller woman but she knew that Rune trusted her and that was more than enough for her. The white woman listened patiently, though her mind was already made up… it would be good for her children to have options if they so wished. Finally Keiki trickled in, settling in next to her brother and the snowy female spoke once more. "I am grateful for the option Akemi but I cannot accept…"  She shook her head and glanced down at the pups at her paws. "Winter is coming and for my pup’s sakes I cannot stay, they will need a pack to protect and feed them." She glanced up at the woman again. "However the moment you come into power I will be there to support you, I promise." She wanted nothing more than to stay, this was more her home than anywhere else in the wide world and it was killing her knowing she had to leave it behind, but she couldn’t afford the unpredictability of a winter with no pack… not with her kids still so young. "I cannot speak for all of my children however…" She shifted her gaze to her three grown children, a sadness tugging at the corner of her smile. They were adults and she could not force them to do anything, though she hoped they would stay with her she wasn’t deluded into thinking that would be all of their first choices. "Speech"

Aware of his arrival, Warja would have bumped Kismet's shoulder in greeting if he were in bumping range, but he sat just out of reach, so instead she spared him a brief and preoccupied smile. She was glad he was there. Her mother's words did little to soothe her unease. The young fae was debating scooting back so she could lean against the big lug when Eirik arrived. Sage soon followed and then Akemi, who spoke her heart and offered the promise of a future in the form of Secretua's rebirthing. Lastly came Keiki who voiced a question before buddying up to their brother. Alamea was the first to respond to Akemi's suggestion. After a few more seconds of thought, Warja also made up her mind. She had an idea of where she wanted to go, of what she'd do next. First and foremost she wanted to find out what had happened to her dad. Secondly, as her mother had pointed out, winter was coming. Warja, as her mother had, recognized the need for a pack. "I too appreciate the offer, but I also can't accept. I'm going to look for dad," her gaze flicked to her family and lastly to Kismet, who had been her rock since puppyhood, "And while I do that, I think having the support of a pack is in my best interest. I have a pack in mind. I met a woman by the name of Katja not long ago and I was impressed with her. She has a pack by the name of Yfir and while we talked she told me a bit about it." She shook her head slightly in remembered awe. "I think it will be a good fit for me, and while I'd love it if you all came with me," Warja shrugged and smiled softly, "I think we'd look for different things in a pack, so I understand if you don't want to come with." She'd miss them terribly if they decided to go elsewhere, but ultimately it was up to each of them and she respected their sovereignty. ""

As others gathered around and settled down, Alamea would confirm what they'd all feared; Rune and Secretua had both gone. Now was time for a discussion as to what they would all do it seemed. Alamea and Akemi, and he respected them both for it, tried to keep them together. Their slightly different methods and Warja's completely different plan however would be what would drive them all apart, truly separating the former pack. Kismet already knew where he was going, he may not have known the direction or anything as such but he knew he would stick with Warja. "I'll go with you."

Walk | Talk | Think

He was only mildly surprised when Saga appeared, and though he did a double take when he noticed her he still offered a welcoming smile as she joined the group and took up a spot next to him. That was one of the missing accounted for, but still his sister was absent, probably unaware that they had even been called. He wanted to help her get to the meeting, knowing it now to be important after seeing his mother's face, but with a smile of her own she assured him it was fine. Eirik tried to placate himself with his mother's confidence, but still he worried. Would Keiki arrive soon? She could not possibly miss the entirety of their meeting, could she? I hope she's close by.

The concern that hung heavily over him was momentarily distracted by the appearance of the small, scarred Huntress Akemi, and though he had suspected it from the state of the meeting so far Eirik had it confirmed for himself how serious things within the pack were. Akemi wanted to rebuild them, to keep them together and try to cling to the stability they had once had under his father's rule, and while the idea was tempting and sounded promising to the young male his mother had different plans. His rosy eyes shifted between them as they spoke, and he listened quietly while each of his family and pack members offered up their plans. Just briefly he let his attention slide to Keiki as she appeared - Thank goodness! - and he offered her a silent smile and a nuzzle as she leaned against him, but otherwise the whole of his attention was on the others.

Decisions were being made left and right, his family and pack beginning to slowly split apart. It pained him a little - they had always been together, always had each other to lean on, and now that was going to change - but it was not altogether bad. Warja seemed to have a promising plan in mind, and with Kismet joining her he felt sure she would be safe and well taken care of. Without realizing, he knew already where he was going to end up, and as he glanced toward his mother and his baby siblings there was no question about it. I'll go where you go," Eirik promised, "and try to keep you guys safe."

And I Know That I
I Sometimes Tend To Lose My Temper
And I Cross The Line

They didn't want to side with her. It wasn't necessarily that they were against her, no, but she had to admit she couldn't give them the sort of security an already established pack would. Akemi would dip her head to Alamea. "I can understand. It's alright." Gaze shift to each as they gave their answer. It seemed they were going in two directions for the most part. It was a shame... but perhaps this was for the best. Akemi would breathe in before she spoke up once again.

"I know not if I'll see any of you again any time soon... but know this. I respect and care for each of you. Wherever you go from here on out I wish you all the best, and my whatever gods you believe in watch over you. Be safe... my fellow Secretuans. I guess, at least for now, this is goodbye." She would manage to offer a small smile before turning away. She would not cry. Not here. She would miss them all dearly for certain... but she would mourn later. When there would be no prying eyes to see her form.

-Exit Akemi-

"Speech"

I Know It Gets Hard Sometimes
But I Could Never Leave Your Side
No Matter What I Say

Table by:: Tealah