Novella had been busy at the time of Jupiter's call, that beckon for Song that caused a shot of terror to strike Novella's heart she feared the worst and certainly wished she could have ventured though with dramas within her own lands she simply hadn't been able to go right away. She of course intended on speaking with her sister or nephew, though before the chance had presented itself she had heard Jupiter's call ring out once more. The sound was far too close to home for comfort and filled Novella with an awful realisation. Sawtooth was no more.



Why had Jupiter done this? The titling herself as an alpha once more she could forgive but to take the crown from Dhiren wasn't necessary. She had no idea what the fate of her family was now though given that no Destruction had made their way to the Threar borders Novella would find herself worrying even more. She would try to refrain from jumping to conclusions and check with Abaven as well, perhaps they had appeared at Bass' borders instead? Maybe it was wishful thinking but the woman would find herself at that place now herself. From this side there was no trace of Song, Dhiren or anyone else but she would continue to hope all the same as she let out a call for her nephew.

by macabre

He too had heard the call that had rung out for Dhiren's pack, and he had been worried ever since. He had his paws full himself with all these pups coming soon, and hoped that at least some of them would have made it to Thear. When Novella's call rang out for him though, his heart dropped slightly. He hoped that she came with good news, but he honestly didn't think so. It wasn't often that his aunt left her pack, so he knew that there was a reason behind it. Taking in a deep breath he left the plains and made way for the river, finally lowering in volume after the floods. Snow crunched beneath his paws, sending a shiver down his spine as the cold winter air bit into his coat. He fluffed himself up, golden eyes squinting as he kept a look out for Novella. With the snow blanketing the earth she blended in quite nicely, just as he did. The man couldn't help but let our a little chuckle, head shaking as he picked up her scent rather than sight of her. Following his nose he was able to finally see her, his tail wagging behind him slightly.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Aunty Novella." He called out as he approached her, taking a seat beside her and sharing his warmth with her. It was a cold winter, that was for sure. Not the time to have pups. "I hope all is well?" His eyes sought to lock with her own, concern laced within his gaze. It was obvious that he too had heard the call, and hoped that she came to tell him that Sawtooth was save within Thear. Dhiren had a small pup, not even a year old yet. There were other children there too, and he doubted that they would fair well unless they were cared for properly. There wasn't much room left in Abaven, but he would do all he could to see that his family was safe.

Bass was often prompt and it wouldn't take her nephew long to appear at the borders now and he would swiftly find his way to her, greeting her pleasantly. Unfortunately this was one meeting that surely wouldn't be described as a pleasurable one, of course it was good to see Bass hear about Abaven though the bad news of Sawtooth would surely taint this meeting heavily, even any good news would suffer and not be quite as enjoyable as it potentially should have been.

Her heart was heavy though she would still greet the male with a nuzzle as he settled himself at her side. "Hello Bass. I wish I could say it was." She responded the sadness seeping through into her voice as her gaze briefly met his. Her head would drop with a sigh though, knowing there was no use beating around the bush but wishing she had something better she could share with him than this.

"Did you hear the call for Sawtooth recently?" She would begin with the simple question to determine how much he knew of the situation. The pause would only be for a moment however before she continued. "It was was an old leader of Ludicael, when she left Song took over the pack." Was the history really necessary? She wasn't entirely sure to be honest though she would share it anyway. "She must have gotten the pack back, but I'm worried. I haven't heard anything from Song, Dhiren or anyone."

by macabre

His ears pulled back as his aunt spoke, his hope dashed away quickly. So they had not made it to Thear that he had hoped. Sighing, he leaned more heavily against his aunt, heart falling to his paws. She told him a bit about the past, and he just nodded his head numbly. If neither of them had seen the wolves of Sawtooth, then truly all hope was lost. They must be held captive by the new Queen, by this cruel woman. "I fear the worst then, Aunt Novella. I neither of us have heard from them..." He swallowed hard, gazing up at her with anger burning in his eyes. "If that woman dares to hold them captive..." Bass stood then, tearing himself away from the pale woman's side as he began to pace in front of her. He couldn't just leave them like that, but neither was his pack fit for a war. Too many of their warriors were pregnant, and he didn't want to risk it. They were too far along, it was too much of a danger to them. Grumbling to himself, he suddenly paused and looked slowly up at the woman. "I will go fight for their freedom, all of them. I will take on this woman who dares hold my family captive, for that is surely what they must be." He growled, gaze hardening as they narrowed into slits. Yes, that would be what he needed to do. But he did not rush off, he waited to hear what his Aunt had to say. He respected her wisdom and yearned for her thoughts, his whole body freezing before her.

Unfortunately it appeared that Bass would jump to the same horrible conclusion that her fearful mind already had suspected. There would be a moment of shared sympathy and worry held between aunt and nephew for their trapped family though it wouldn't last long, the male suddenly springing from her side with a determination his his voice as he began to speak once more.

It was a noble plan and yet Novella couldn't help but worry for the idea. Was it a solution or would it be a flame dancing threateningly close to an explosion? Jupiter was no push-over, she had seen that for herself after all. Whether Bass lost or won she worried for what fate that would bring to his pack. Of course she worried for ever Sawtooth wolf as well but she was personally at a loss with what to do. Threar was hardly fighting fit at the moment, with many ill, too young or unable to fight there wasn't much they could bring to the table if anything more serious began. "Please think about it first, for you and your pack. Jupiter is a talented fighter if nothing else." She hoped it didn't sound like she cared little for her family, she loved them of course and it was the very reason she gave this warning now to try and prevent any harm coming to more of them.

by macabre

Her words sank in and the male paused, head hanging so low that his nose nearly touched the snow below him. Of course she was right, for him to jump in blindly was no just cause -- it was foolish. What if he became injured? Motif was expecting any time now, his wife not far behind that. Bass let out a shuttering sigh, his breath bouncing off the sheet of snow and back up in his face with an icy touch. "You're right, you're right." He said, his chest deflating as he stood stalk still. Raising his head he looked over to her, golden eyes clouded with emotion. "What do you propose we do?" It was obvious that she was a more rational thinker than Bass was, who would jump in paws first if it meant protecting those he loved. But his Aunt was thoughtful, calculating, and she knew more about this Jupiter than he did. Falling to his rump once more, he looked to his aunt for advice, on what he could do to help them. Sitting around wouldn't be an option for him, he had to do something.

It was good in some respects to see that Bass would listen to her words. The feeling of being respected and trusted ought to have been a good one though the defeated look that feel about him from realising she was right certainly wouldn't bring such feelings to her. In fact it pained her to see him like this and even more so to admit that she had no better solution for them or even one at all. He thought so highly of her, believing she would have some sort of better plan for them in the works and yet she had nothing at all. Now as he looked towards her and questioned her on any ideas, that feeling of guilt and helplessness would consume her and ashamed by herself, she would look away from her nephew with a heavy sigh. "I don't know Bass. I really don't know."

How could her parents, her mate, siblings and family have put such faith in her in the first place? Bass' plan may have been a risky one but at least for a moment he had boldly stated what he could do. Right away she had perhaps cowardly abandoned the idea of fighting from her mind. She would sensibly put it down to her children, and her pack but how much of that was the truth and how much of it was that lack of faith in herself? Those short lived moments of pride when she had first created Threar had certainly faded now, replaced by that similar doubt when she had first been nominated to lead.

by macabre

Her look was not lost on him, he caught it before Novella tore her gaze away from them. A low whine left his mouth and he closed the space between them, trying to nestle her head under her chin. Bass pressed a delicate lick atop her head, his ears pulling tightly to his skull. "Its fine Aunt Novella, we will figure something out." He said softly, nuzzling himself closer to her. It broke his heart to see her in such a state, to think for a moment that she had no faith in her skills. He did look up to her, she had a much more level head than he did. "Together, okay? Why don't we call our packs together and host a meeting about this? We can see what the others think, and build our way up from there. I cannot just sit around while that woman holds them captive, but you were right in the fact that I shouldn't just charge in. With Motif expecting as well as Wren, they need me here. Whole and well." He pulled back, trying to nose under her chin to turn it up towards him. "I know that Mother would be proud of you, Aunt Novella. To do so well like this... its a feat that I as well admire. It was always your plan to pull our packs together for training, right? Well, then lets pull all the minds together. As one, I am more than positive that a solution will be found." He smiled at her, kissing her cheek. Novella was stronger than she might realize, at lease in his eyes. speech

Her nephew would only manage to comfort her a little bit, those doubts existed and weren't simply going to vanish just like that. She would appreciate the gesture though of Bass trying to make her feel better but unfortunately it simply wouldn't be enough. Her family was possibly in trouble and she had no idea what to do, how did that make a good leader, how did that even make her any good to her family itself, even simply as a daughter, sister, aunt, wife or mother? Together however that perhaps was the only way they could do anything. But still Novella wasn't sure she could trust herself to actually come up with some sort of decent plan of action. "Alright." She had certainly wanted to strengthen the bonds between the packs, though she hadn't wanted some drama to force them to suddenly pull together like this. Hopefully Bass was right though, surely together they could create some sort of plan. "I would say we should hold it in Abaven lands, though I'm not sure all of Threar will be able to travel, some of them are still rather ill." That was the only problem with bringing the packs together that she could see but surely they could create some way to manage. She would have choose not to comment on the faith that Bass had in her nor the pride that Lyric might possibly feel, she still wasn't feeling worthy of such praise at the moment. Life had been looking up at the start of the year, what had happened?

by macabre

He nodded at Novella's words, he knew that an illness had effected them. How badly though, he was unsure. "Why don't we hold it on neutral grounds then, or on the border we share?" he asked, referring to the border along Monument Rapids and Fontamo Bay. Perhaps that would be easiest for all wolves. "I will wait for your call. Now, would you like something to eat before you go home? We caught an elk not that long ago, there is still bits left," he offered, not wanting her to wander home without being offered something at least. His tail thumped on the ground, a smile on his face. He would do anything for his family, even if it meant laying down his life. Bass was looking forward for her call, for their packs to get together and discuss what had happened. He had the thought to send a member of Abaven to the old Sawtooth lands, one that bore no looks that resembled the Destruction's to see what was happening. He was not going to stand idly by.

To be honest even Novella herself wasn't aware of quite how bad the illness seemed to be. They were certainly weaker than normal, rather under the weather as well though how long it'd drag on for she had no idea and it seemed that no one did either. They just had to keep fighting it seemed. "The border would be best." She hated to be a cynic though she did worry about others discovering any plan or lack of and the word somehow getting back to Ludicael. She knew not what the next plan of action was, whether they'd be expected to simply live in peace or if Jupiter had any more sinister plans of her own.

"No thank you Bass." To be honest feeling so down about herself even despite Bass' upbeat flattery there was a part of her that simply wished to return home. Surely the pack would need the elk anyway with all these expectant mothers to feed "You keep it for those soon-to-be-mothers, I'm sure they need it far more than me." A small smile would find it's way to her features at that point. "I'll see you soon, keep in touch." And once the goodbyes over she would depart, making her way back to Threar, still clueless as to what to do about this mess.

by macabre