Bass Destruction Abaven had been quiet. His wife was missing, and it would seem that he had let his pack grow stagnant. With a sigh he made his way to his den, leaping on top of the flat stone roof. It was his favorite place to be, and where he commonly held meetings. A light drizzle of rain dampened his coat, and he looked skyward. Blinking his golden eyes against the moisture, he let out a summoning howl for all of Abaven. All of those who failed to show would be assumed to no longer be part of Abaven. Those remaining will be handed apprentices, most of the young ones were old enough now to be given a mentor in their respected fields. Lowering his head, Bass awaited his pack. He feared that their numbers would be much smaller than they had been in the last few seasons. Another sigh left his maw, tail curling around him as he took a seat. ooc;// First round will be due by April 9th. All those who do not show will be taken off of Abaven's roster. "SPEAK" "SPEAK ITALIAN"

The Lastic male had also noticed the eerie quietness in the pack, and he didn't like it. Not long ago he was bumping into an old friend or unfamiliar face almost every day. Not long ago the pack was bursting at its seams population-wise. Not long ago the pack was bustling with activity and life. There had been something happening every day, though not anymore. He had seen little of Abaven's children, the ones he adored talking with and teaching, and his own friends. He had searched for a couple in particular, growing tired of his loneliness, though his search had been fruitless. With the coming of autumn - his birth season, came a pack meeting. The confidence had been drained from the Primo's call, he could tell. Had he also noticed the lack of activity? There was only one way to tell. Making his way over to the plains, the chestnut man was the first to arrive, bringing a chilling notion over him. Usually he was one of the last with many more already gathered around the leader. Not today, however. Even if a few wolves had gone missing or left the pack, Bass could be pleased the Tinaro still remained loyally in Abaven. "Hello Bass," he greeted the Destruction with a dip of his head, finding a nice patch of grass to sit on. "SPEAK"

Piper's ears perked when she heard her father's voice and she immediately left what she was doing to go to him, abandoning the rabbit hole she had been investigating. She gave a shake of her fur along the way to shake off some of the water that clung to her even though it was useless with the drizzle currently falling on her. Her blue gaze landed on her father as she arrived, a big smile falling into place as she trotted up to him. She had been close to being first, but Tinaro arrived just before she did. That was okay! At least she wasn't the last one here! "Hey, daddy!" she told him cheerfully, her tail wagging behind her and she came over to sit on the ground near his perch. She knew he hadn't been in the best of moods lately with her mother being gone and all. She put aside all of her worries over it though, instead focusing on cheering up her father. She couldn't fix the fact that her mother had disappeared, but she could do everything she could to make things a little more fun for her dad. "Talk" "You" Think

(may delete if you find this post unnecessary!)

Wren really didn't want to make her appearance at a meeting. She really didn't. She'd rather wait in the shadows for the perfect time to come out and say "I'm home." Not show up at a meeting all the sudden out of nowhere. Especially not an important, mandatory meeting. But she missed her husband and her kids. She wanted to see how much they've grown while she's been gone. And oh, how she heavily regretted refusing to tell Bass about her absence. She hated herself for it. Her kids and him must have been worried sick, and she knew her family didn't need that type of stress heaved onto their shoulders. Especially not Bass, who protected a pack and a family. Ah... he might not be happy. She'd done this twice before, both intentionally. But whatever scolding he had in store for her, she was prepared. She deserved it after all. Wren felt her heart sink into her stomach as her husband summoned the pack with the similar urgency in his voice. She didn't want to go. But she had to. She needed to see them again, after three seasons. She was tired of waiting around for that perfect moment. The woman stood to her paws and sighed, making her way toward the sound of her lover's voice with a nervous feeling bubbling in her chest. Nervousness... along with excitement and sadness. She was so excited to see her family again. Bass might be mad, but she still loved him. She still missed him. Her kids... how she missed them, too. She wanted to curl around each of them and snuggle them forever. If only she was big enough! Her first litter of puppies must be around two years now, if she was doing math correctly. She was so excited to see them and hear about their adventures and what they achieved during her absence. She arrived momentarily, lurking in the shadows. Bass, Sandpiper, and the boy she knew as Tinaro were here. The woman stared at Bass for a moment, fighting the urge to run up to him and smother him in as much love as she could muster. The same for her dearest Sandpiper. She wanted to wrap both of them up and tell them both how much she loved and missed them. But she stood her ground. Nobody was here, nobody accept Tinaro. But she knew that right now wasn't appropriate. Her heart thumped aggressively in her chest and she stepped out of the shadows partially, sitting down with a nervous whine. Her tail flipped over so that the tip rested neatly on her paws and she looked up at Bass. Her ears flattened against her head. Not now, Wren. Not now.

Hmm, a meeting? Alright, then. A soft smile on her face, she rose to her paws anda started heading towards Bass - she was moving slowly, so no doubt she'd not be the first to arrive, which was fine with her. She wouldn't be the last, either. She was rather curious what Bass had to sa- Váli froze. What was that? Why was there a foreign scent? Why was there a strange wolf in the midst of Abaven, and why had no one stopped the wolf at the border? An immediate disgust rose - what kind of wolves were they, to be that oblivious? But being the only one who noticed the female - who was staring up at Bass with her ears flattened. A snarl ripping from her throat, Vali flew towards the other wolf, hackles raised as she positioned herself directly in front of Wren. Anger was clear in every taut line of her body - her hackles were raised, tail even with her spine for balance, ears flattened, eyes narrowed, knees bent for balance and legs spread for the same reason, and her toes were splayed into the ground for a better group. Her shoulders had rolled forward, and she stared at Wren with all the fury of a pack wolf facing a clearly trespassing wolf. "Who the hell are you and why the fuck are you on Abaven territory? You better start talking, and quick, especially if you think I'll let you anywhere near my alpha and my pack." So help her, she would tear into this wolf should it make one wrong movement. "Talk" "You" Think

Finch Sartaddi-Destruction At the call of her father, Finch's head rose, nearly toppling Civetta from her perch. The small bird let out a chip of surprise, flapping her tiny wings to keep herself from falling. Finch muttered an apology to her friend, waiting for her to settle herself before making her way to the meeting. There was a new air of confidence around Finch, she walked with her head held high and more of a swing in her hips. Her grey marked tail swirled behind her, ears perking forward as she walked into the meeting. She saw Tinaro and her younger sister first, and she was about to make her way over to Piper when she heard the sharp snarl coming from someone. Her head twisted around to Vali, seeing a woman that she was growling at. Her pale blue eyes settled on the form of the perpetrator, when her whole body froze. She knew that coat, knew the shape of that woman by heart. Her eyes grew wide, her ears pinning tightly back against her skull as she rose her left front paw. Tucking it towards her chest, the rest of her body lowered slightly. As she stared at her mother, so many emotions raged through her. She didn't know how to hold herself, or what to do. She looked to her father for guidance, but he was just as frozen as she was. She kept staring at Wren, trying to control her emotions, when a very rare one rose to the surface. Anger. It shocked Finch, but it didn't take long for it to fully take over. A small, almost unsure growl left her maw as she rose to her full height again. She didn't notice as Civetta moved herself in between the woman's shoulder blades. Her lips curled upwards, and she took a few steps towards her. Red hot tears poured down her face, another step taking towards her mother. "H-how could you," she whispered, stuttering for the first time in awhile. Her stutter had finally left her, but now there was such a flow of emotions in her that she couldn't help it. "You left when we needed you most. Did you know that I had been missing for awhile? That they think I might have been poisoned? And where were you for that, mother? Where were you?" Her voice was getting louder and louder now, raising more as she spoke. "I was sick for weeks and you couldn't even be bothered to show up! Whe-" "Finch! Enough!" At Bass' roar she fell silent, sinking back from Wren and looking towards her father. He was saying something to Vali now, and she could tell that he was hardly containing his emotions. Sniffling, she rubbed her face on her leg and twisted away, turning her back on her mother. She stalked away a few paces, freezing, and taking one last look at Wren. Her face fell, and she turned away once more. Civetta let out a soft thrill, rubbing her beak softly on the back of her head. "It's okay Finch, the rest of your family was here for you. That's all that matters." The woman sighed, nodding her head. Her friend was right, but it still sat in the back of her mind. "SPEAK" "SPEAK ITALIAN" "CIVETTA SPEAK"

She came at a bad time. Oh gods did she come at a bad time. Frozen a few feet away, Lillianna watched in abject horror as Finch snapped at the woman who was her mother. She had... not expected to come to the meeting and witness this. Everything had been fine, she had woken up, was heading towards the meeting and then this. She was not prepared to witness this. And it was less Wren randomly appearing after seasons and more... Finch being angry. Finch being hurt. Anger darkened her eyes, and when Bass snapped, she gave Wren a dirty look. How dare the woman not be there for Finch! How dare she hurt Lillie's friend, her own daughter. How dare Wren cause the one thing Lillianna never expected to see: Finch upset and angry. Finch walked away... and paused, once, to look back - it was in that moment Lillianna felt her heart break; oh, the look of sorrow on Finch's face was too much to bear. Scampering after Finch, she scooted close enough just to hear Civetta's words. Aiming to press against the taller woman's body, Lillianna sighed. Farrym hopped down from Lillianna's back and rubbed against Finch's paws, purring softly, attempting to comfort the girl and Lillianna smiled at the kitten. "I'm here too, Finch. We all are, I promise." She sighed again, looking down. She suddenly felt regretful, guilty - she hadn't visited Finch when she was wounded. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Would Finch know what she was apologizing for? Probably not. Hopefully Finch wasn't angry at her, too.

"Speech" "Language" "Farrym"

Art by Engravedinsilver

Lark wasn't necessarily okay with the state of Abaven. He was disappointed in a lot of things - and in himself. His relationship with his siblings had grown strained, though with Finch he was still quite close; his mother had been gone for some time now, and the passion that had once burned bright in his chest had seemed to have faded. He cared about his pack, he really did; but did everyone else? He already felt a bit down about this meeting. Why had his father called it on such a dreary day? It wasn't pouring, but the light rain was enough to irritate him, and he scowled a bit as he slid from his den and into the elements. His brows furrowed as the large man glanced up at the cloudy sky, examining it for a moment before heading towards the gathering. Quite a few had arrived already, and he would slow his approach as they entered his vision. One of the first wolves he noticed was.. his mother. Already feeling a bit uneasy about the meeting to begin with, he felt his heart sink in his chest. Where the hell had she been? Through Finch's poisoning, through everything? She had left them before, and now she was back. Why now? What had changed? He frowned, his expression visibly discontent. He noted that Sandpiper had arrived, and so had Tinaro and.. Finch, looking visibly upset. Quickly he would move to sit by her, his snout pressing firmly against her shoulder to calm her. Though he'd missed her words, she didn't seem okay. It took him a moment to realize Lillianna was at her other side - and not knowing whether to greet her or attempt to seek her gaze, he would quietly tilt his head toward the earth and wait for whatever was to come, his tail curling absently about his forepaws.

Darkly, Sparrow had been avoiding the rest of the pack. It was normal for her siblings to disappear, why not her too? It was those types of thoughts that drew the girl away from her family. She never made the accusation that pounded in her head. It churned in her heart, toxic, turning the girl bitter. Her emerald eyes swept over the horizon as her father called. It was her duty, so she came. She would continue to come and continue to listen until the day she could make her feelings known.

The girl walked into the meeting with far less bounce than ever before. Her shoulders rolled beneath her pelt, her eyes kept level. She was just in time to hear the last of Finch's words, then Bass cutting her off, then Lillie comforting her. Just what was going on here? Narrow eyes snapped to Lillianna as she spoke to Finch. Her attention tore from that moment to look at Bass intensely. She couldn't watch Lillianna get near Finch. It made her blood boil. She had to figure out why Bass had-

OH.

Oh no.

Oh hell no.

Wren- her mother was there. After all this time. Lips curled, then were clamped between teeth to control them as she looked at her mother, then away, then back again. Tears welled in her eyes, her heart felt like it was going to burst. Her whole face was heated, stinging with longing and hate swirling together. Her brow furrowed and she stepped forward. She was thankful Lillianna hadn't said anything in Finch's defense towards their mother. Sparrow didn't think she could have stopped herself from doing too many stupid things if there was that type of conflict here.

The girl trembled, her lips slipping from between her teeth as she grit them to contain her emotions. The small girl circled defensively, her eyes glaring into her mother's pelt, "You need to leave. Go, please." Her eyes shifted and bore into the ground, her words sharp, feeling toxic as they left her maw. A sob shook her and her eyes looked to her father, pleading for help, "Make her leave! Can't you make her leave? It's a pack meeting, so..." Sparrow's voice cracked, her body slumping, "Why couldn't you wait until after the meeting?" The girl shook slightly as she sought to control herself, "I can't- I can't... Why is every meeting like this?" Sparrow took a long, deep breath and shook herself. She had to be composed, she couldn't let herself slip like that. She couldn't bring herself to apologize either, "You can't just show up like this. It's cruel. It's so cruel." Sparrow muttered, turning away from her mother to be near Finch and Lark. She glanced at Lillie in what could have been a symbol of a temporary truce or a if-you-do-something-now-I-will-rip-your-face-off. Sparrow aimed to bury her face in Lark's shoulder for a moment. The man might be able to feel her shaking as she sought to control herself, "We still have each other- we always have each other." she repeated to herself quietly. She wanted to turn around and fight her mother for being gone, but lately her anger had been getting the best of her. Feeling more under control, Sparrow turned to face her father, giving her mother a cold, miserable glare through the misty rain before finally tearing her attention back to Bass.

A meeting, it was his time to shine. At least, with his lack of activity showing up at a meeting was the least he could do. The male's paws carried him towards the call, and with him being in a relatively good mood he was surprised to find the tension in the air when he showed up. A family spat perhaps, the smiling male didn't know as he only picked up a piece of the conversation as he arrived. His smiling face became a little bit more awkward, he had no idea what was going on. Seriously enough, he was here for the meeting not anything else that seemed to show itself. Looking to Decim with a expression of, I'm sorry, he backed up a bit from the crowd. Sitting himself as he made his smile vanish so he was more calm. His tail curling around his body. He would just have to wait and see, maybe then some things would become clear to the male. That way he could choose the proper way to react to the situation. "Talk"

Piper heard the sound of paw steps and when she eagerly turned her head to see who had come to join the meeting next her bright blue gaze landed on the last form she had expected to see. She could only blink and stare, the shock freezing her in place. She barely paid attention to the gray woman that was growling at her mother, her eyes too fixed on Wren's form. She hadn't seen her mother since she was still a little pup. She was a whole year old now. "Momma...?" she asked softly, but by the time the word left her mouth it was being drowned out by her sister's angry outburst. Her eyes snapped to Finch, her ears falling back against her skull. She had never seen Finch like that and it possibly shocked her more than Wren's sudden appearance. Lark came next, immediately going to Finch's side. That was good. She didn't think her legs would let her stand to do it herself. Sparrow's words stung even more than Finch's had. A soft whine escaped her and she felt her shoulders pull in toward themselves as she shrank back from the anger that was swirling around her. She wanted to be excited for her mother coming back. That meant that their father wouldn't be so sad and lonely now, right? That's all she wanted. "Stop... Stop yelling," she told them, but her voice had no volume and no conviction behind it. She looked from her group of siblings to her mother and back again, torn and conflicted. She didn't want to pick a side. She wanted everyone to be happy. She glanced at her father desperately before letting her eyes settle on Wren once again. She didn't understand the hurt and hate that was swirling around her. She couldn't comprehend it. "Hey, Momma," she said softly, her tail thumping weakly against the ground. "Talk" "You" Think

He had taken his time to recover, and with no contact with the pack at all it was no surprise that it was a possibility everyone would be amazed he was here. Qualm was still a bit unsteady on his paws, but he had managed just fine with herbs he had taken with him to his new den. The boy had reached his full height by now, being turned a year in the summer time. A whole year without his parents, and that's something he would like to forget. The male however was surprised with what seemed to be a fight. Bass' kids were arguing and Wren was here. Since of his absence he didn't know the full situation, with his already nervous nature when it came to conflict he took a few steps back. Taking a seat, his two different colored orbs would look to Bass with confusion. The meeting had been called but somehow torn apart by this sparse. He was hoping he didn't have anything to do with it. Qualm was already expecting some sort of rejection from his other packmates since he had left. As much as they had been a family to him, he left just like his mom and dad did. He was just like them, he lowered his head painfully. "Talk"

Starling moved slowly into the plains, knowing he would probably get in trouble...again. He had been travelling, trying to find answers to his anxieties and to be something better. He didn't like himself, all that much, really. Didnt like how he reacted to things that were and had happened, didn't like how he had practically abandoned his family when they had needed them. Finch included. But he...felt better out there. Yet he had to come around every so often, do what he needed to do for the pack, for his family, before he allowed himself to go back out there. Hopefully this time, however, he wouldn't cause a fuss or do something that caused everyone to get mad again. He hated knowing he upset so many, especially his father...especially Bass. Oh, he missed Cath. Slowly he walked along, his tired eyes staring at the ground as he did. A whisper of a smile crossed his face before it fell away again. Cathaoir always seemed to make it all melt away. He didn't know how, didn't understand it, but it worked...somehow. But after he left the man's side, it all crashed down on him again, and he felt so tired of it. Shaking his head, he moved along, hearing his fathers call and moving to meet it. A meeting, at least her was here for this one. Oh, but he could already here the yelling. Pausing, he shook his head and sighed heavily. Abaven was disintigrating in the drama, and he was so tired of it. He missed his travels already. With a deep breath he carried on, lifting his head to look at his father and give him his usual apologetic smile before looking around to his family. For a moment, he just stood there, eyes wide and staring at his mother who seemed to be the epicenter of the yelling, which was coming primarily from Sparrow...typical. But Finch and Lark both seemed distraught, and Piper was piping up and....he sighed. "Benvenuto a casa, madre..." He called over the din, too tired to care, too tired to say anything to Sparrow. He wanted to tell her to be quiet, but the last time he did that he had been told he was childish. So instead, he turned and moved to sit a good distance away from everyone, but close enough to his father to hear. He was so so tired of it all. "Burn Baby Burn" || "Bruciare Bambino Bruciare"

The cool, damp weather was playing merry hell with her joints, not only making it more difficult to go out and collect the last of the herbs she could before winter hit, it was also making it very difficult to sleep at all and exacerbating the problem. She was curled up in her den having dosed herself with poppy in an attempt to catch up on her sleep a bit, the pain a dull ache in her joints even as she dozed beneath the somnolent of the opiate, when Bass' call to the pack pulled her back into wakefulness. Automatically she was pulling herself out of the den even before she was fully aware of the sound, her slim legs steady enough as she made her way along the familiar path to Bass' favorite meeting spot. Even through the slight fog sleep and poppy seeds had drawn over her mind she was aware of the tension swirling around the group, harsh words snapping over the plain to reach her as she approached. Finch, surprisingly, and Sparrow, and Bass' friend Vali. She blinked in an attempt to banish the cobwebs and concentrate. The drama this time seemed centered around Wren, of all people, lurking in the back of the group. Harmony hadn't seen Bass' mate since she'd given birth to Sandpiper and Merlin, so it was a surprise to see her here now, let alone being castigated by the children she bore. "Bass called us together for a reason," she said mildly to the pack as a whole, seating herself neatly with her tail tucked around her paws. "Perhaps we should leave private disputes for later and allow our alpha to conduct a meeting without disruption?" She felt sorry for the children who were upset by this, she really did. At least a couple of them seemed to feel abandoned by their mother's constant wandering, and who knew how Bass himself felt about it. He hadn't confided in her about it, anyway. But a public meeting was certainly no place to go about airing one's dirty laundry, and it was by no means fair to the rest of the pack to be made uncomfortable by it when they had no choice but to be there. ""

	It seemed like a dreary day for a meeting, but Dart was eager to arrive seeing as how the pack had grown quiet lately. Of course,  he'd been scarce too with a sudden fever, but he was feeling better now after some rest. "Time to lay off the fish for a little while..." Shaking out his pelt, he stretched out his legs on the way,  and as he drew closer, he folded his ears when he heard yelling. Furrowing his brow, he approached the meeting with apprehension. The tension was incredibly thick, and it put him on edge. He could see a gathering of wolves, mostly Bass' family, and a few others. He spotted finch looking really upset, and as much as he wanted to go and comfort her, there were a bunch of others surrounding her. Flicking his ears, he glanced nervously at Bass before taking a seat near the front. He curled his tail around his body, settling himself to wait for what might happen. "Speak"

The howl hadn't gone unnoticed, so the girl made her way there with her uncle close behind. She hadn't seen anyone in a while, was something happening to them? She tried not to focus on it too much, but when she arrived she felt the tension and it made her slink closer to the ground. Why did everyone seem so upset? She spotted Starling and offered a small smile, noting he looked upset as well as everyone else. She moved to sit by him, gently touching his shoulder with her nose and remained quiet.

As her eyes roamed, she spotted the form of her brother, and instantly froze. When had he come back? Why hadn't he come to see her? She had no idea he was here, and at that moment she tensed and subconsciously pressed herself against Starling. She didn't know how to feel or react. The tension was so thick, she doubted anyone would notice her own personal tension and stiffness. She would wait then to see what would happen.

He followed his niece to the meeting called by their alpha,  curious to know what it would be about. When he arrived however, he too felt tension and heard voices yelling at someone. He would move to sit next to Qualm, tail curling around his legs as he pressed against the young male.  He saw Quake looking at her brother, crimson eyes gazing steadily at her for a moment before focusing his attention on an irate Bass. The quarrel going on behind him was none of his concern. Thoughts turned to his brother...what was Quake thinking right now? Qualm had shown up out of nowhere, and he hadn't told her because he thought it best for Qualm to reach out to her, but evidently...it hadn't happened.

Things had been rather quiet, that is until bass called for a meeting. He was nearby, his stiff bones causing him to arrive a little slower, but he certainly wasn't the last to arrive. He heard the yelling, felt the tension even before he arrived, but he paid it no mind as he moved to find a seat among those gathered. The old male sat away from the drama, flicking his ears and settling on his stomach to ease the chill in his bones that was not helping his potential arthritis. Blue eyes settled on bass as he waited for the meeting to start, offering a nod to him before resting his head on his paws. "Speech"

Bah, the tension was too thick. Was every meeting like this? The tall male strode into the meeting with a look of indifference and annoyance, mostly towards the hostile group nearby. At least it wasn't him who started it this time.  Still, the awkwardness was real enough, especially around the members who weren't involved. Who was that lady anyway? He'd never seen her around before...an outsider maybe? Eh, it wasn't his business, but bass didn't seem too happy either. Sitting near the back of the group, he looked irritated as the squabble went on. Waiting for the meeting to start.

Karabela had been outside Abaven when she’d heard the call far off in the distance to gather for the meeting.  During her excursion she’d run into Aserlín again and the woman’s news of the state of her family weighed heavy on her mind as well as the news that she had a niece, a niece who’d mysteriously vanished somewhere in Alacritis.  The girl was pronounced dead but both she and Aser were left unsure.  Raba had decided to search to see if she could find any traces in the Soulless Forest but she’d come up empty.  A shame…  Then there was the fact that Aserlín had asked Karabela to join her.  She felt conflicted, so conflicted and confused that when she arrived at the meeting it was clear she wasn’t quite her exuberant self though she tried to smile and play it off… but, well, as seemed to be the norm for Abaven there was some internal family drama that seemed to be taking place.  Karabela sat by herself to wait for everything to calm down.  She couldn’t even begin to wrap her brain around the going on’s and so felt it was better to keep silent. ""