Gargoyle's tawny paws came to rest at the roots of the mountains. His yellow eyes, usually so blank and bland, were hard today. His soul was heavy with what he had just discovered, with what had to be done... again. The Chief stopped and flung out his chest, taking a breath of the mountain air to steady himself. Black ears twitched, dismissing away his hesitance. Best to get this overwith. Crusade would be following him closely and she?d be there to back up his word. After all, she knew even more of these things he did. Bring his stocky forelegs together, the howl flung back his head and let a throaty howl come rumbling out of his golden chest and spread through the noontide air like summer thunder. He was calling his pack together.

ooc: Reason Behind this Thread (sorry it's a bit of a rant, I just want to explain) So I apologize if this feels like a bit of a cop out, but it's really more a calculated (and rather creative) move to keep my muse from being smothered out. I just lost Glaciem which was my baby that I dreamed up and worked hard for and won a contest with and somehow kept alive for so long. That was bad enough, but my charries have scrounged up some other home and that's being threatened too now. I'm sorry, but I am sick of challenges and I have absolutely no muse for any fight threads, mainly because I no longer have any confidence in my rp fighting. I don't blame any of the players - Yumpy, Aly, you're still good in my book - and I could blame the system, but the truth is (as has been pointed out to me) we have one of the fairest fight systems you're gonna find out there. So in the end, it's just that I drew the short straw this time and I have to deal - which i plan on doing by letting my characters become a band of rogues. The fact is, I'm sick of my character's happiness being a target for wolves with ambition to destroy - it's one thing when it's plotful and planned and the players both want drama; it's completely different when you can't do anything about it. so for this thread: I'd really like everyone to post - it does NOT have to be long. Make it was short and simple as you'd like, but just so we have a roll call and know who's doing what.

The dame came to her Uncle's call. Silently and calmly did she emerge from her hiding place. Her turquoise gaze settled on him as she noted he looked a but stressed. Was there something wrong? And why were they called here? Or was this just something for everyone to get situated? No more questions Maka. Just sit down before him and wait for the others; and keep your mouth closed. She wondered where Keki was as she sat down on her small haunches. Her mother as well. The small dame hoped her three nephews weren't up to any trouble as well.

Her mind ceased all if it's thoughts as she turned back towards her Uncle Gargie. She would wait and eventually hear why they were here. Maybe something else would be done. But Maka would cooperate. And she wouldn't give up on her family. Never.

Walk | Talk | Think

Mercianne arrived at her typical sedate pace, her head lowered meekly and her steps light and careful. As she came close to the beginning of the gathering wolves, she waved her tail in a subtle yet happy greeting, smiling gently at one of Crusade's children and then over toward her uncle and their Chief, Gargoyle. She did not meet their eyes long, just long enough to make contact if they had chanced to look her way before lowering her gaze to the ground, though her dark gaze did dazzle with its own happy secret.

The revelation had come about suddenly and unexpectedly but had undoubtedly changed her life for the better. Awaken liked her - loved her, actually - and had been brave enough to ask her to be his mate. Surprising herself, she had been bold enough to say yes. It still amazed her, and she was eager to see what would come of it, even more eager for the simple pleasure of remaining wrapped in his embrace for as long as he would have her there. She had never realized how much she had wanted that until given the chance to experience it.

But Merci was a private little thing, not one for boasting of her accomplishments or announcing to the world the small, delightful moments of her life. Even now as she sat herself down and continued to look bashfully at her paws, she didn't try to bring attention to herself, more than willing to go unnoticed. Let Awaken have the attention, she would be more than content to sit at his side. Which she hoped to be able to do soon. Swiftly her eyes rose to glance around once at the thought of him but she was not worried. He was as just dedicated to this place as she was; he would show.

The dame came to her Uncle's call. Her three children were off somewhere but no doubt they would probably appear soon. She worried for her children and their well-being. Fearing that she hadn't raised them well enough or taught them enough. She was tired often and a bit guilty of how she hadn't spent some time with her sister. Raising three pups alone was hard, a she knew it. Of course this time of year she was in hear again so Maka probably was too. And hopefully this time she wouldn't be raped as well. A shudder ran down her back as she came through the foliage. Her bi-colored gaze set on her sister as she walked up to her. Keki ignored the heat rolling off her as she sat beside her sister

A sigh escaped her maw as she sat down and rested her bodice. Things would get better right? They had to.

The boy had followed his mother's scent to the meeting. His purple gaze looked this way and that. No expression was on his face as be walked. Come Summer he would be a yearling and could make more decisions for himself. Of course he had been a bit rebellious as he tried to find out who his father was. He was so close and he knew it. Of clues she also felt bad because it was visible that everything had taken a roll on his mother. Even his brothers were aware of how they had came to be. But their mother didn't know...she didn't know that they knew. It was also obvious his brother Tiberious was well aware of how they came to be. He would be there for their mother, he was probably the favorite. But Kai knew their mother had no favorites. She loved them all the same. So Kairos came up beside his mother and aunt and sat beside them. He looked up at his Uncle Gargoyle and waited for words to fill his ears.

Desdemona was hurting, physically, mentally, emotionally, she had done a halfway decent job of hiding it, but now... she limped with purpose, her eyes had dulled and lost their shine. Her injuries had led to so many failures, the loss of her pack, the loss of her pups... she was a failure, completely. Every hate filled word Morphine had screamed at her that day on the battlefield had been true. Tortuga was in shambles and about to be handed to Morphine on a silver platter. Failure, that word seemed to encompass her, she had failed yet again. Clenching her eyes to hide the hurt from view she leaned heavily against her lover, slowly making their way to Gargoyle's call for order. They had decided to take their chances with their ally, providing he would have them. They came to an unsteady halt, her broken limb still dealing her a vast majority of pain, before her gaze fell upon Gargoyle. She pushed her own failures away, to make her request. ?Gargoyle, I know we have not known each other long, but if you would have us, my mate and I would be honored to join you.? her voice, always steady, never cracking made the request with resonance. Speech,

Mahniya was heavy, her back ached, her legs quacked beneath her and Rogue... Rogue was nowhere to be found, she stressed about him constantly wondering where he may have gone or what he might be doing, did he think of her? Or had he forgotten her entirely? Insomnia had been her shining beacon, the woman had helped her from Glaciem to Tortuga and now on and into the forest. Her best bet at finding her lover was staying with the pack, but God damnit... she didn't think she could keep this up much longer.



Speech!

Insomnia arrived with Mahniya, helping the heavily pregnant dame walk, all of this moving, all of this traveling was wearing on her, as much as the woman didn't show it... and speaking of which where in Gods name was the poor things mate? She recalled hearing joyous news about this litter and now it seemed the dame had been abandoned and if the size of her abdaman was any indication it would not be an easy birth, Insomnia would know, she had already been through this process herself. She helped the ex-slave to the site of meeting and gracefully dipped her head, Gargoyle had her teeth and claw if ever he should need them.

TABLE BY LU ? CODING BY TIFF

Desdemona was back. Alive. Not necessarily well, given her extensive and possibly permanent injuries, but she was alive nonetheless and the man was beyond thankful that he had his wife back. She wasn't entirely whole, but she was here with him, and that was that mattered. The pair moved slowly, Demonio using himself as a crutch for his wife, helping her along as she slowly limped beside him, favoring her right hind leg. He wished things would've turned out differently. If he could, he would take away all her injuries and take them on himself, but since that wasn't possible, the most he could do was help her heal the best she could. It was his job as her husband to be there for her and that's what he was going to do. They weaved through the group of wolves that had begun to gather, moving towards the multi-hued giant at the head of the pack, the one that had called the meeting. He wasn't sure who this man was exactly, who had come to stake a claim in Demonio's old pack territory, but Desdemona seemed to know him and that was good enough for the ivory man. Audits twitched forward, the pair coming to a halt as his wife spoke to the man, addressing him as Gargoyle, asking him if he would take them in. This is my first time meeting you sir Gargoyle, but if my wife can come before you and ask humbly to be a part of what was once our pack, then I can too. If you allows us to stay, I humbly pledge my allegiance to you, to serve you loyally and to protect every single member of this pack with my life sir. Ivory crown was dipped in humble respect to the new king, mismatched gems searching the man's serpent like ones for any clue as to what his verdict would be.



Talk like this

Awaken heard the howl and galloped to the scene as wuickly as he could. He was lucky he could even ear yhe call from how far away he was. He snorted as he arrived, slowing down and taking his seat next to Merci. Now that it was official he could be allowed alittle PDA right? Awaken brushed by her side silently, planting a kiss on the side of her cheek.

"Hey sweetie, whats going on?" ?

The brute traveled silently behind his mate with Creed trailing behind him. The air around them was tense and Cifer had a solemn look that clearly spoke that something was up. He could feel it within his bones. Everything was changing. Again. Whatever it was he didn't like it. He was getting too old for it. Crusade was too. Was it too simple to ask for things to remain calm? The trip to Tortuga had taken a pretty big toll on him and Crusade. He couldn't complain much about the altitude. It wasn't Glaciem, but it was far enough North for him to not complain. However, if he had to travel too much around this terrain anytime soon he couldn't promise his health would be all that great. Ears flicked towards the snowy owl as it let out a soft screech before lighting on his shoulder as he took a seat waiting to find out what the meeting was about. Speech,

The boy trotted silently behind his father and mother. He couldn't figure it out. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but something was wrong. It hung in the air and coated everything. He just couldn't figure it out. Whatever it was he was extremely curious about it. Ears flicked forward as he brought his fluffy form between his parents and plopped himself down looking at his uncle. He seemed upset too, but why? "What's wrong Uncle Gargie? Why's everyone seem so sad?" Speech,

The young girl wandered in behind her Father. She had been playing around in the bushes just a little ways off, and hearing her Fathers call both surprised and startled her. She wondered what was wrong...she knew it was something, she could smell it and see it from the way he walked into the clearing. She stopped next to him, lightly brushing her head on his leg and looking up at him. She gently crawled in between his forelegs, lying down and placing her head on her paws. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what was wrong...was that why he called them here? Would she find out what the trouble was? Her eyes scanned the gathering wolves, her pack...her family. She knew that they knew something was wrong too. It was thick in the air around them. A sense of foreboding...surely it couldn't be something as bad as before right? They just got here, what could be the matter?

Her ears perked as she heard a she-wolf speak, shortly after another spoke as well. A wife and husband, asking to join their pack. Her Father would accept, of that she was sure...but would his mood affect his judgment? She thought not. He was always fair, always strong. She looked at a healing cut on his foreleg, a result from the battle for Glaciem. Turning her attention back to the others, she waited for her Father to speak.

The brute silently followed the scent of the others. After he'd heard of Gargoyle's demise he slipped silently from the borders to wander for a while. Of course he had every intention of returning to the group. He quite liked the wolves that he'd made himself at home with, even if he never really socialized with anyone. He was more of a thoughtful wolf. He preferred watching the sun rise and set and observing the wildlife over finding others. If he so happened to cross paths with some they'd be welcomed with a warm greeting and perhaps a smile. Small conversation would be provided as well. Other than that he was something akin to a nomad, without actually leaving the sanctuary of a pack. It was in his genes. He gave it a few days, and then after that he followed the scent of the wolves that left (which happened to be the majority of the pack) and set out to rejoin them. A howl rang out and black ears pricked forward. It happened to be Gargoyle calling the rest of them, but what for? He moved his massive frame to join the gathering crowd and took a seat near them to listen. What was going on, and why did some of them seem so grim? Speech,

It wasn't his business. He shouldn't care what was going on, or why this male was calling his members together. So why did he even bother rising to his feet as the howl rang forth? Still he found himself sliding silently from the den leaving his family to travel to where others were gathering. Granted that he stuck to the shadows, he still was lingering at the edges of the group. He could still be seen and scented, but he wasn't truly mingling with them. Just barely there long enough to figure out what was going on. Lately he'd felt rather out of the loop, so answers was what he sought, even if he wasn't a part of them.

"Talk"

Thaddeus Rogue was up down around, looking for something, anything, so that his mate was safe and warm. He had left when Gargie lost Glaciem to look for him and his mate a home so that he knew she was safe, so that the birth of his young would be comfortable, nothing more, nothing less. But he had come up with nothing, and after a word on the wind of Gargoyle finding an abandoned pack and taking up rains he was returning, fallowing the trail of his brother. But he came up short, he had passed through the supposed pack lands and into the mountains. The going was slow for he had lost his brothers scent more times then once and had to back track. But as he drew higher into the hills he caught another scent, one of his love. Rogue sighed in gratification, she was still with his brother, still safe.

Thaddeus picked up his pace and soon cam upon the rag tag group. It was not hard to find his brother, he was in the lead, like always, where he should be. Fallowing in a close line where some of the most loyal to him, many of them where family, some of them where not, but now in Rogue's book they where all family. But he was not looking for his brother or sister or there brood he was looking for Ayala, Sa Lumi?re. He scanned all the face's and soon fell upon his mate, leaning on a female that he had never seen before. He raced forward, and took up her other side, taking some of her wight. He eyed the timber female then, his blue green eyes watching her face. "Thank you for taking care of my mate." Thaddeus Rogue then turned to Ayala and nuzzled her scruff. "I am sorry that I had not been with you, love. I was trying to find a new home for us and our young, and after I heard that Gargie had found a new home before I, I came back, but it seems that we are on the move again." He looked at her, knowing that she must be very tired, carrying not only her weight but also those of both there young. "If you need to rest, Ma Lumi?re, we can stop for a bit and then catch up later." He smiled at her and wiggled his nose. "I can smell my brother's rank stench anywhere."

Crusade had come stepping with with her mate and her family behind her. Gargoyle had already spoken some with her. She knew the topic of the meeting that so many wolves had drawn together for. It was wonderful to see how quickly they all gathered, she only wished that there was better news to announce. Still, in Crusade's eyes, things could always be worse. They had eachother -and for a wolf who had been tortured and imprisoned on her own on more than one occasion, that was a blessing she truly appreciated. But there were some at this meeting who hadn't come along with the main group from Glaciem. Rogue was back! And the black odd-eyed male had Gargoyle had said saved Asheni's life once.

And there were more - two white strangers that Crusade didn't know. Yet they introduced themselves. Apparently they were the ruling pair before their pack had disbanded. And now, without any hesitance they were willing to pledge their loyalty to Gargoyle. Crusade cast a glance in the Chief's direction. Sometimes she only saw her 'baby brother' when she looked at him, it was another reminder that he was his own wolf. As powerful, no, no, in many ways more powerful than herself.

She figured that early on, she would be called upon to say something, and indeed, she had much to say, but it was for Gargoyle to begin the meeting, and until then Crusade was content to gather her hindlegs and flop her rump down beside her mate.

~*~ Cross padded along with his family, his piercing green eyes taking in all the wolves that had flocked to the little mountainside clearing. Creed was here too, looking up and asking slack jawed questions. There weren't too many sad faces really, just a couple grim ones. Most wolves gathered were just curious, wondering what was going on. So many changes lately, but rather than making things harder, Cross had become more relaxed. He could go with the flow much more easily now and didn't complain about the twists and turns that life took. Actually, he didn't really complain about anything anymore. Mainly because he didn't speak much. Every now and then, if asked a direction question, he might say a couple words to one of his brothers or to his parents, but that was all. He didn't need to voice his every thought or draw attention to every idea that came into his head. He'd found that he learned more by keeping his mouth shut. A lesson some wolves never manage to learn. So it was that with a shut mouth and perked, black tipped ears, Cross waited with the others. ~*~

~*~ Orica came rushing into the clearing at a high lope. She hadn't wanted to miss out on whatever her father was about to say. But the gathering of wolves was huge - larger than it had been since they were in the North. It made her grin to see so many faces brought together. But there were still some missing. She searched diligently for her family. Daddy was up front of course, but where was Mother? Where was Gali? In the end, Orica's blue eyes rested on Avalon. Perfect! With a little grin on her white muzzle, the she-wolf, who was quickly developing long legs as she neared her first birthday, trotted through the crowd to her older sister's side. "Any sign of Mom and Gali?" she asked, planting her rump right against her sister's. Her wide blue eyes looked about, curiously. ~*~

Th boy was curious. Perhaps too curious for his own good but he couldn't help it. Ever since his father had brought him to meet the Alpha of that other pack he was curious about the whole group. He hadn't understood much of anything while that conversation had been going on. What he did know was that he wanted to see them again. He wanted to get a reaaaaallllyyy good look at what their appearances were. It was the first time he was really allowed out of the den, and these were the first wolves he'd seen other than his immediate family. He had every right to be curious, right? On wobbly legs he carried his fluffy white and black body towards where his father had gone. How he managed to slip past his mother was beyond him, but in his mind he was quite sneaky about it. Tongue lolled from his mouth and he let out a puppyish growl of excitement as he took off after his patriarch. He grinned as he saw the familiar white form in front of him. He tottered for a moment about falling on his face before he slunk in under his legs. Black tipped ears flicked forward as he looked around with toxic blue and green orbs. First he looked up at his father giving him a soft nip and then a nuzzle. He knew he'd be in trouble later, but it was worth it. Then they traveled to the other pups that were at the gathering. Lastly they traveled across all the other wolves. Tail wagged furiously behind him. They all looked different, some even larger than his father, and his father was huge! Eyes then wandered up to his father again from between his legs. "Papa, what are we all doing here? Who are they?" Speech,