OOC: Harmony's calling for Starling, Sparrow, Finch, Shrike, Lark, Shaye, Vail, Karabela, Lilliana, and Calypsei. Anyone else wishing to show up should check with me first as it's not a social occasion. :) ty!

The siege was over with, the wounds of the few Abaven wolves who had fought were minor, and Harmony was greatly relieved as she returned to Abaven with the rest of the healers. Relieved, but thoughtful beneath it. Thoughtful beneath the ache of her over strained body. She didn't like the squabbling of the yearlings when Bass had called the meeting for the siege; they were a pack, not a bunch of scavengers brawling over a carcass. It should not matter if they held a difference of opinion. They were still a pack. Still a family. Several of the yearlings had spoken out of turn by seeking to correct adult members of the pack - others had compounded the problem by seeking to correct their age mates. They showed no trust, no respect, and no love for each other in their actions. Though she was not a ranking member of the pack, Harmony was an experienced one and more importantly she was a healer and could not allow this wound to fester. She'd allowed them their time to rest and recover, allowed herself time to rest and for the herbs to take their effect, but now it was time. Seating herself in the new land Bass had claimed she raised her muzzle and calmly, gently, but firmly called for all of Abaven's yearlings, and nearly-yearlings. Bass' older children, both of Motif's children, Lilliana and Karabela and Calypsei. Then she waited. ""

Her ears perked at the sound of her aunts call, head tilting to the side as she glanced over in the direction of the sound. She was calling her from Abaven's newest land, and Finch was still unsure of the place. The overly cautious girl put on her brave face and let out a huff, the tiny weight of Civetta on her shoulders calming her slightly. She wished that she could go and find Starling before making her way over to the Thickets, but she needed to be brave sometimes, right? Curious as to what this was about, and eager to see her siblings after the siege, she finally pushed passed the borders of the plains into the thickets, the grasses tall and wavering here. Finch had no doubt that Star would enjoy these lands, there were lots of flowers and pretty things. Oh yes, a new place to look to add to her collection! See, there was bright side of things, at times. Carefully picking her way towards Harmony, her heart hammering in her chest, she finally spotted her tan cloaked aunt. Picking up the pace, eager to be with someone she knew, she leaned forward and brushed her nose against the older woman's cheek. "H-hello Aunty." she said softly, most of her stutter fading away by now. Her finch friend stood quietly on her shoulders, for once not being the loud mouth that she normally was. "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"

Sparrow had returned to the pack. The injuries were few and weren't hard to deal with. Sparrow was a little proud that she had gotten to heal some and that her family hadn't all butted in the way. She had been able to show her own skill for once, and even if no one said anything about it, it made her happy. She had worked on putting back whatever herbs she had left in her den, making note of what all else needed to be fetched later. She needed to be prepared for Winter. Sparrow sighed, looking at her shelf. She didn't like the fighting, but she loved the healin-

Someone called. It was Harmony, Sparrow's aunt. The fluffy girl turned around, her fur bouncing with the movement. She wanted all the yearlings? Okay!

Sparrow set off in the direction of her aunt's call, some alfalfa hanging from her maw. Maybe Harmony had noticed hwo well they had done in the war- or at least the aftermath. Maybe Harmony saw her healing Lillie! Quickly, Sparrow approached, "Anth Hrm-" she remembered the herbs and set them down, "Aunt Harmony! How are you doing?" She greeted, glancing between her aunt and the herbs, "I was sorting," the girl chuckled. Finch was there and Sparrow let out a small gasp, running over to nuzzle her sister, "Finch, it's been, I don't know, two forevers? How are you?" she asked energetically, though softly. The two hadn't spoken a ton recently and it was really good to see her, Sparrow thought. She glanced to Harmony, making sure she wasn't interrupting something. Surely Aunt Harmony would understand Sparrow's eagerness around her sister!

Karabela was determined to stick her nose in every nook and cranny in this new territory that Abaven had claimed. Grass… grass…. more grass… tufted grass! Ohhhh pretty! Raba gazed up at the tufts of white fluff waving above her head. With a wiggle of her tail she leapt up, jaws snapping solidly over the tassel and immediately she made a face her fur standing on end as she spat it out. Yuck! Oh oh, ick! It was sticking to her mouth, oh ew! How did healers stand to put this crap in their mouths? Speaking of… Karabela's ears flicked forward at the sound of Harmony's call for the yearlings of the pack. Oh, maybe she was calling them together for a hunt? Yea! Bounding in the direction of the call Karabela strode in with a bounce. "Hello! Whatcha got cooking Harmony? Are we going hunting?"

Silence was not necessarily a bad thing, nor was it all that uncommon with the ocean child seeing as she often found herself lost in thought. Her icy blue eyes were focused intent on her path, walking around the new territory that they had won through fighting – but she hadn’t, hadn’t she? She had been taken out in the first round, and it was because of that she found herself more distant than usual, not fully recovered to where she felt comfortable taking another swing out on the battle field or something else. Part of her had considered seeking out her friends, Tinaro and Lark, but she didn’t quite feel in the mood for a social convention… That was when she heard the call, scoffing slightly as she realized the very thing she didn’t want was what she was going to be getting. She slowly started to make her way towards the meeting – only yearlings, which she personally saw as peculiar as she arrived. There was a small dip of her head in greeting though she didn’t speak another word.

She did not... really want to answer this call. She wanted to be alone; secluded, quiet, in her own world. But no. Knowing her luck, this would be an important meeting of the yearlings. It made her wonder why it was a healer who called and not one much more high ranking, but... she was a yearling who was able to call a meeting of the messengers.

A soft murmur and her beloved Farrym would be clinging to her shoulders, quiet and calm, if a bit excited. She had to explain what the howl meant; oh how her little kitten loved to learn. She quickly realized that most seemed to run to the meeting and she sighed to herself, spotting Finch. She bypassed Sparrow entirely, nodding a greeting to the female as she stood near Finch's other side, a soft murmur of greeting and an attempt at pressing her nose briefly into the other's fur. then she would look up at Harmony, Bass' sister, with a quiet and hard set expression.

"Speech" "Language" "Farrym"

Her father had explained the siege to her as best as he could, and she'd understood it rather well. She knew that her cousins and family in Threar had been relieved of their home, and now to show those wolves who had taken it that they were mad they were returning the favor. Now, with the victory beneath their paws, they would gain more land, and have room for those of her family whose home had been stolen. It was a while after everyone had returned, to her relief safely. Her mother and father hadn't been touched, but she hadn't been in the presence of very many returned veterans. She'd been scared that her mother and father had gone off to war, what if they hadn't returned? Her emotions had been upset and all she'd done since they returned was spend time with them. Dad had gotten back to work pretty quickly, but her mother was always willing to spend time with her. However as Harmony's call was heard in the new lands Motif would urge her to go. Vail would make her way there, though she knew the plains and rapids like the back of her paw the thicket was a whole new world. She hadn't thought about the trouble it might've given her when she'd been back in the den, if she'd thought about it the mostly blind girl would have asked Motif to come with her. Vail was a stubborn thing though, and she'd charge into the brambles like a pro. Eventually she'd make it to the meeting, after much crashing through the underbrush and many scratches later. By the time she appeared in the clearing the short white fur on her face was covered in tiny streaks of blood. With her grand entrance the almost yearling would slink to an inconspicuous place and seat her rump, ready for what her aunt had to say. ""

Ugh, he very nearly sighed out loud. What is this all about? The siege was over, and many of them were still recovering, both mentally and physically. Lark hadn't been one of those who needed any time. He hadn't fought at all. Hellstrom had been so outnumbered it wasn't even funny, and he regretted that he hadn't jumped into a fight sooner rather than guarding the back of the group. He felt disappointing, somehow, for perhaps the first time in his life. It wasn't the kind of aching sort of feeling that his siblings had almost all expressed to him that they felt, but more of an annoyance. He could've fought, and he hadn't. Grumbling, he would move to answer Harmony's call. A few of his siblings were there already, and quickly he would pad over to Finch. Sparrow and Lillianna both sat at her side, and he fought the urge to snarl at Lillie and tell her to get off her ass and move. Instead, he'd shuffle near Calypsei, briefing nodding to her before returning his gaze to Harmony in quiet curiosity.

Harmony greeted her nieces not with words as they came, but with soft nuzzles and hugs. It was so good to see them all again; she never stopped being grateful for the opportunity. "I am afraid not, Karabela," she sighed regretfully at the girl's question. She missed participating in pack hunts, missed the joy of working as a group to feed their family, but that was no longer to be. None of the others chose to greet her, so she would simply wait. As she passed her eyes over the group as it trickled in, then slowed, and then stopped altogether, she felt her heart sink sadly. The three yearlings that hadn't appeared at her call were her siblings' children... the ones she had hoped would be more receptive to her call. Sparrow and Lark and Finch, and even the youngest Vail had appeared despite the handicap she bore - Harmony felt a pain of guilt for not considering Vail when she chose Bass' newest land, the land Vail would probably be least able to navigate, but she had managed - and though only the yellow-eyed girl... Karabela... showed any sort of welcoming behavior among the yearlings she didn't know well, at least they had appeared when her own niece and nephews had not. Starling, Shrike, and Shaye... she would have expected Starling and Shaye at least to have answered the call of an older, more experienced healer if nothing else. Her eyes lingered on the girl Lilliana, who reminded her so much of Mirabelle, the girl with the hard eyes and the uncompromising attitude What she had observed showed her to be ambitious and pushy, and Harmony had no doubt that of them all she and Lark might be the most difficult to engage in this. "Good morning, everyone," she began softly. Sadly. "I am afraid this is not much of a social occasion, and you likely have many questions. Why only yearlings? Why all of you, and not just the healers? Why not just... family?" She fixed them each with a stern eye. "If you ask yourself that last, you do not yet understand that when someone joins Abaven they become a part of that family. It is not Destructions and Outsiders. It is Abaven." She stopped to collect her thoughts before continuing. "What I have observed since returning home has been disheartening. Arguing. Name calling. Belittling the opinions of your pack mates. Treating those who are not Destructions as second class." She shook her head. "Not all of you have done this, and it most certainly has not been just yearlings, but it is symptomatic. You do not act like a pack. I do not see a pack when you are together. I see a bunch of yearlings who happen to be in the same place at the same time. That is foolish, and that is dangerous. Do not think I am blaming any of you for the bad behavior of any of your pack mates - everyone's behavior is their own responsibility. But you must be aware that your own behavior will effect your packmates, and act accordingly. You are not children anymore," she added, her voice low, gentle, but grim, "and refusing to work through your problems as a team can, and someday will get one of you killed." She let the dire prophesy sit between them for a moment. "Trust." She added one word, let it float gauzily there while she examined it. "You must be able to trust in yourself, and in your pack mates even if you don't like them or their opinions. They must be able to trust you. This trust must be built to be as a mountain, unbreakable no matter what quakes and winds may assail it. This does not come on its own. You must work just as hard to build that trust. If you are not willing to try to trust your packmates, and not just a cursory try, but to truly put in the work to learn to be together as one despite your differences, you are not willing to be part of a pack." The last was said with a firm finality to drive home exactly how serious she was about this talk. Casting a glance over them, at their battle lines drawn and their tetchiness towards each other, she came to her decision. "Lilliana, and Sparrow, please go stand with Lark, Karabela with Vail, and Calypsei with Finch." She waited. ""

Karabela's smile faltered at Harmony's somber tone and the words she spoke that this would not be a hunt or social occaion.  Had something happened?  Harmony began to speak and Raba paid careful attention though her brow furrowed in confusion as the older woman spoke.  Questions?  Not really.  Well, she wanted to know what they were going to hunt but as she'd jumped to a premature conclusion that question wasn't really relevant.  She would agree with the rest of what Harmony spoke however, there did seem to be divisions among some of the Abaven wolves and between those of the Destruction line and the other, unrelated, pack members. Raba had indeed felt a bit awkward around other Abaven wolves with the Destructions being such a close-knit family and the greater population of the pack.  Sometimes it was hard not to feel like something of an outsider.  Though Raba knew part of her own situation was just that she was new.  She hadn't even been in Abaven a full season now and she was more a wanderer by nature.  Most everything would take time…. especially trust.  One of her ears flicked back.  She would trust her new pack within reason of course, she was no fool and she knew first hand how crucial that trust was during the siege.  However, trust was the one thing it would be very difficult for her to fully give.  She'd lived on her own for so long, even the basic workings of a pack were taking some getting used to.  She'd try though.  She could do that, she just hoped Harmony wasn't looking for a miracle. Karabela was instructed to stand with Vail.  Vail… vail, vail, vail… Raba's eyes swept over the crowd, struggling to match names with faces.  Well poop. "Umm.. miss Harmony?  Could we all maybe introduce ourselves?  I uh…." she chuckled in embarrassment.  "I don't know who Vail is.  I barely got settled before we were off to siege I haven't really had a chance to actually meet everyone yet.  I'm Karabela Thyre for those who are wondering."

She had been the first one there, meaning that she was there when everyone else arrived. She let out a squeak when Sparrow bounded at her with all of her energy, her ears pulling back slightly against her skull. It wasn't that she didn't love her sister, she loved her very much! She just wasn't used to all this bubbly stuff, she was very much more reserved and shy than her other siblings. "Y-yes, its been a-awhile." she whispered, shifting from paw to paw slightly. "We s-should go on a-an adventure o-or something?" She offered, really wanting to spend more time with those that mattered to her. She should also be making more time for others in the pack that she didn't know, even though the idea scared the crap out of her. Oh how she wished that Civetta would do all the speaking for her, but it would seem that for once the bird was silent. Until she started to pick up on Sparrow's energy, tweeting from where she stood on Finch's shoulders. "And me! She saved me and made good friends with me, and now we are bet friends!" the bird sang, fluttering from her perch to land on one of Sparrow's paws, tiny head looking all the way up to look at Finch's sister. Finch shook her head and let out a little laugh, ale gaze turning as a stranger came in. Well, not really a stranger. She knew that her name was Karabela from what Starling had told her, and she had seen her at the meeting as well. Had she actually ever talked to her though? She didn't think so. Her head quickly tucked back down and away from the tall girl, grey marked tail curling around her as she shook slightly. She wasn't liking this, this was going to be a big gathering. Mostly her siblings, but still. Large crowds were not her thing. Calypsei came in next, followed by Lillie who came and sat on her other side. Civetta eyed the brown woman's cat friend, flapping until she was standing on Sparrow's shoulders instead of Finch's, as far away from that stupid cat as she could get. She was about to say hello when Vail tumbled in, thorns in her coat and cuts along her pale, pink skin. Finch let out a squeak, she hadn't seen her cousin a lot but seeing her all covered in cuts was not settling well with her. She nearly ran head long into Lark as she turned, and quickly nuzzled her brother before making her way to Vail, leaving Civetta with Sparrow. "V-vail! Look at you y-you crazy girl." she said softly, bending down to lap at the blood that had started to pool at her flesh. She didn't rest until Vail was all clean and clear, looking her over to make sure that none of them were infected. Maybe she would get Sparrow or Starling to look them over after, or even Harmony. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though, as Harmony started to speak. Finch settled down beside Vail, letting the little girl lean against her if she needed to. And what her aunt had to say, well it didn't make her feel very good. While Finch tried to love everyone, she was just so closed off and shy. It was hard for her to trust others, to let them know herself like her siblings did. She was right though, so right. They were a pack, a family, and they should trust each other. How many times had she been thinking that she wanted to be able to help everyone when she could. Finch found herself nodding along with Harmony, a soft sigh leaving her maw. Ears hugging her skull she looked over to Calypsei when they were paired off, but she wasn't going to leave Vail in this unfamiliar land. She stood and was about to nudge her over to the group that she was in when Karabela spoke, saying that she didn't know anyone and asked for names. Finch hesitated, pausing, until Civetta flew over to her and landed on her skull, tiny beak clacking together. "This is Finch!" she called, leaving the wolf to shake her head and gawk at Raba. "Erm, y-yes. My name is F-finch." She said, head pulling to the side as her pale gaze left the woman. Then she had realized that Harmony paired them off, even though they weren't all here. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at Harmony, a squeak leaving her maw. "W-what about the o-others? Starling, S-shrike and S-shaye?" "SPEAK" "CIVETTA SPEAKS"

Calypsei sat attentively as others filtered into the group – Lillie, then Vail, and finally Lark, who had chosen a seat next to her. The new Bruni gave her friend a soft grin, glad to have someone who was familiar around. She gave a brief nod to him before Harmony began to speak and her attention snapped back up to the healer to listen to her tale. Calypsei hadn’t questioned the call too much herself, focusing mainly on the dull aching in her shoulder, a wound still recovering from her fight in the siege, and trying to keep up with her job as a guard. Harmony spoke of pack unity, and a division between family and those who were not of the Destruction line. Calypsei hadn’t honestly noticed that either granted her social circle consisted of whoever she was paired up with to spar with, Lark, and Tinaro because they were the only two whom she had conversations with in the past, and she enjoyed their company. She definitely wasn’t a social wolf, that had been pulled out of her in her childhood before she came to Abaven, so that played a role in it all too. Calypsei had been around long enough where she knew who each of her packmates was by name and she could match a name to a face, but she didn’t really know anyone than said social circle. Harmony called out her name, pairing her with Finch, to which Calypsei looked over at her partner expectantly. She trusted each member of Abaven, because they were a pack, even if she didn’t know them all that well. She headed over towards where the other girl was, noting that she was standing with Vail as the other girl asked a question that caused Calypsei’s attention to float back to Harmony. What about the others?

She knew that everyone had seen her embarrassing arrival and with her head lowered she didn't even realize that Finch was on her way to her side until the girl's words reached her pale ears. Perking herself at the company Vail would allow herself to be looked over, her pride wasn't so hurt that she would deny care when it was needed. She would even lean into her cousin's touch as she soothed the sting of the many tiny cuts. She'd probably be picking brambles and sticks and leaves from her pelt for days to come, but for now her face felt better at least. A soft smile would play at her features as she nestled into Finch's fur, where was Shaye? Had she gone to see their aunt Rhythm with out her again? The ghost marked she wolf would try to make out her sister's shadow, but her nose told her that her sister was not here. Feeling a little let down she'd sink slightly as she listened to Aunt Harmony's words. She seemed very disappointed, alabaster ears would fold to her skull as Harmony told them her observations. Vail was sure that she hadn't called anyone names, or looked down on those who did not share her last name. She was guilty of not being more social. Vail wasn't incredibly timid but she did have a lot more bravery when she was with Motif or Shaye. That seemed to be what her Aunt was talking about though. She should be able to feel like that with all of er pack, that's what they were there for. Vail would listen closely to her Aunt's words, they didn't look or act like a pack, and if they carried on their current path it would likely end up in one of their deaths. Vail would shiver involuntarily at the words. They needed to fix where they were, they needed to work and to build trust. Vail was sure that she didn't have a problem with anyone around her except that maybe she couldn't see them. Now that they needed to do as Harmony said she wasn't quite so sure. How did you build trust like a mountain? In the end Harmony would pair them off, Vail was unaware of the girl who would be told to take her place next to her, and curiously she'd sniff around as she attempted to look but all the shadows looked the same. "I don't know who Vail is. At those words she would perk, her jaws parting slightly to speak up when Finch's companion reappeared. "This is Finch!" Her ears would fall back to her skull as she waited her turn. Though she wanted to know about Shaye too it was important that her partner find her. Softly her words would leave her ivory jaws. "I'm Vail." ""

Almost immediately as she sat down, Finch's finch fluttered away. Lillianna laughed lightly, even more so when Farrym balanced on his hind paws and swatted at the bird as she was fluttering away. "Behave," she chastised the little kitten - though she knew he had no real desire to catch or eat the bird. After all, Lillie made it very clear that you don't eat other's companions. And if there's a prey fluttering around another wolf, it's best to check. Now all other birds were okay, of course. Lark would arrive, and green eyes would fix on him as he swerved to sit next to the blue girl she had not met as of yet. Ears would twitch, flattening slightly to her head momentarily as she recalled their argument, and she would turn back to face forward.

Ears would prick and the femme would turn around as Finch stood suddenly, and she saw a glimpse of Vail. Vail. Her eyes widened. Why was - oh, right. The brambles that Lillie carefully avoided. Concern fashed through her for the pale girl, but Finch was already there, plus... she had not exchanged words with Vail since her scarring. It felt awkward, stiff, and she would not approach, merely listen and watch as Harmony began speaking.

Annoyance was her first and immediate reaction, though she carefully hid that. Will get one of them killed? Having arguments? Right. Of course. That was obviously reasonable. Ha. Lillianna would keep her gaze trained on Harmony as a resentment boiled in her - this was why she was being called? To be told that because there were disagreements, it will get one of them killed? To be told this by a woman who returned barely in time for a siege? It was a joke. Unfortunately, this woman was a Destruction - Bass' sister. To walk away would cause serious problems, with the entire Destruction family. And that was perhaps the only point Lillianna agreed with, the fact that those who were not Destructions could often be ostracized - or had to tread their ground if they dislike a Destruction.

Her annoyance would flare back up as the woman spoke of trust. So, because they disagreed with one another, there was no trust? That was a stupid, ridiculous assumption. She trusted the other yearlings, even if she did not particularly like all of them. Why would she not trust them? They were pack - though Harmony claimed that they did not look like or seem like a pack. Which was bullshit. But whatever.

Lillianna would sort of tune out as the woman went on, only refocusing once her name was called. "Sparrow and Lillianna, go with Lark.". Okay, whatever, she was cool with that. She stood and stalked over to Lark, green eyes passing over him, blank, emotionless as she dipped her head in greeting and sat next to him. Despite their... argument, she did respect the much bigger male; he was much like her. He did have to get over her caring for Finch.

"Would this be an inopportune time to ask what vaffanculo meant?" she muttered to him, voice low, low enough it hopefully wouldn't be heard by others. She was still wondering, and she knew it wasn't a good meaning - but she hadn't had the opportunity to ask anyone. Might as well ask the one who said it.

Raba would stand and Lillianna's ears would swivel towards the Thyre girl, watching as she admitted with some embarrassment she did not know who Vail was - and asking for introductions. Raba knew Lillie, but others may not - namely, blue girl. "Farrym?" she questioned the cat lightly, and she could feel him shifting on her back. She was asking if he wanted to do the honors of the introduction; she would smile warmly as he did so.

"I'm Farrym!" he squeaked, leaning back on his haunches in a position that was oddly reminiscent of a meerkat. "And this is Lillie! She's my momma!" he announced proudly, purrs emanating from him, loud enough that at least Lark would be able to hear clearly - and loud enough that Lillianna felt it through her fur, even as her ears fell back in a slight embarrassment. Not exactly... what she wanted Farrym to announce, but... kinda too late. She'd keep her mouth shut even as her ears twitched back up - and a smile appeared on her face.

"Speech" "Language" "Farrym"

Art by Engravedinsilver

Late! Goodness he was late. Shrike had heard the call for Harmony, but had ended up rolling over in his den instead, falling back asleep. He would awake with a start, jumping up to his paws and rushing headlong towards the meeting. Late! God Harmony was going to give him an earful, he just knew it! The boy would have tongue hanging out of his mouth, almost tripping and skidding across the ground as he arrived at the meeting. After a few, awkward stumbling steps near Finch he'd plop his rear end down, giving a swift nod to his aunt.  "Sorry! Sorry I'm late!" The boy would apologize, his words coming quickly and breathlessly.

"Speech!"
'Thoughts!'

Table by:: Eve

Finch was such a cutie! She had a bird friend?! Sparrow would barely contain a squeal when the small bird spoke and perched on her paw. The fluffy girl held still as to not disturb the small animal. As others arrived, the bird would move to her shoulder, allowing her to move when poor Vail came in. Finch tended to her and Sparrow joined in lightly, inspecting to see if any of the wounds would need treating while aiming to pull out small spurs and sticks from her little cousin's fur, only pausing once Harmony started talking.

Sparrow was happy to listen to her aunt. She knew her elders must have more experience than her and wanted to learn, but she still felt a little bad. They were being scolded. They didn't trust each other. They were supposed to be a family, not just the Destructions. Why didn't they all change their last names, then, Sparrow wondered. Aunt Harmony spoke of trust and Sparrow's mind thought of how her brothers knew of the war before her. She wanted to ask, but her aunt did not seem open to questions.

The small, fluffy girl frowned slightly as they were assigned to groups. She did as her aunt told her, rushing over to the other side of Lark as to not stand next to Lillianna. She wasn't mad at the muddy red girl anymore, but she didn't think that she liked her all that much. Sparrow would offer a small nuzzle into Lark's neck. Lillianna asked about the word, "vaffanculo" and Sparrow would snort in surprise, her wide, minty eyes darting to the woman. Surely she didn't know what that meant and was asking honestly! Sparrow was willing to bet no one else heard her other than Lark. Sparrow flicked her ears back slightly, hoping Lillie would get the gist to not say that word too loudly, like, ever.

Another girl spoke up, she didn't know the names of everyone. Sparrow listened to the others then nodded, about to introduce herself when Shrike barreled in. Sparrow's breath caught and her eyes darted to Harmony to see if she would be angry.

It felt awful that he hadn't fought. Even as Harmony began to speak, he was briefly distracted - his father had believed in him, and he had sat back and done nothing.  It wasn't because he'd been afraid, but the enemy had been outnumbered. Still, he felt like he'd somehow let him down. A soft huff left his lips as he brought his gaze back to Harmony, listening to her words. He didn't really know what she was talking about in particular. He hadn't caused an uproar at the meeting.  Perhaps his face had shown how frustrated he was, but he'd mostly kept to himself, speaking to Shrike and his father to ask his permission to leave.  A lot of the name-calling, in his opinion, had been warranted... for any of them to imply his father had been thinking selfishly was absolutely idiotic. He frowned at Harmony, though considered her words. Trust was what they needed. He trusted some of them.. many more than others. There were two outside of his own family that he trusted quite a bit - Tinaro and Calypsei. But even his relationships with those two were nothing like what Harmony spoke of. Unbreakable, no matter what? He could've laughed, and his brows furrowed together at how optimistic she sounded. Finally, she instructed them to stand together. He was happy to stand with Sparrow - but Lillianna? He watched with a cool stare as she padded toward him. His attention shifted to the female he didn't know, offering a slight nod. "Lark," he offered back firmly. Anything to get him to not stare at Lillianna. This wasn't the time to fight.. Harmony had made that perfectly clear. He couldn't help but hear Lillie's question, though he wished he had ignored it. What did his words mean? "It means - go fuck yourself," he'd whisper under his breath, moving to press against Sparrow. Lark welcomed his sister's touch, grateful now that no lasting harm had befallen his siblings and Abaven.

Few of them seemed particularly eager to join their partners, though as Karabela spoke up a reasoning would quickly become clear for some - not everyone knew who their partners were. She blinked, brow knitting in consternation; she had not expected that. She would have expected someone to have introduced new members of the pack to the other members, but maybe everyone expected someone else to do it and no one ever took it upon themselves to do so. Well - she would have to remedy that in the future, and be certain to make it a point to take new members under her figurative wing. "Karabela, allow me to introduce you to Sparrow, Finch, Calypsei, Lark, Vail, and Lilliana." She deliberately did not add the surnames of anyone present, though she observed wryly that it was not difficult to tell Destructions since it seemed her brother had taken quite seriously the family's tradition of naming his children to a theme. It was an attempt at making no differentiation between them, anyway, and she hoped that the other yearlings would take it in the spirit it was offered. "And... Farrym," she added with a quizzical twist to her tone as she blinked at the strange desert kitten who had called Lilliana his mama. She took a deep breath and squared herself to answer Finch's question. "Anyone who has chosen not to come will not be forced to do so. It is their own choice. If they come late they will be added to an existing group - " And Shrike came bustling in as though in proof of her words. "You are fine, Shrike. If you will please join Karabela and Vail?" She had admonished them already - she would not do so any more. They were not pups, after all, and continuing to harp on the subject would only cause more resentment. The time for talking about it was past, and it was time to work on fixing it. She pushed forward what she had brought with her... a series of rabbit-skins, carefully "gloved" which is to say, removed from the rabbit nearly all in one piece without legs or head or tail, and then preserved. She had carefully adjusted them so that they would fit snugly over a wolf's head with the soft fur covering their eyes, and the leg holes enlarged to allow for ears. A mask that would prevent a wolf from seeing ahead of them while still allowing them to hear. "One wolf in every group will put on a mask to be a follower, and the other will be the guide. In groups of three, two of the wolves will be followers while the third will be leader. The leader will walk in front of the followers to walk the course I have laid out for you - " The course was not easy, winding through and around brush and brambles and over logs, but the hardest part would not be simply walking through the maze. " - and will verbally guide the followers and they do so. We will alternate so that every wolf in a group gets a chance to be the leader. Decide among your group who will lead first. Remember that it is not just the followers who must trust the leader to watch them and guide them well - the leader must also be able to trust their followers to follow their guidance and to make the effort to overcome obstacles even if they don't understand the reasons behind it. Companions will be asked to please not assist their wolf friends at this time," she added belatedly, looking to Finch's bird and Lilliana's kitten. Fair was fair - not everyone had a second pair of eyes watching for them, though she would have to find some way of working them in. After all, they might someday need to rely on the animal companion of one of their packmates as well. ""

OOC: please decide (IC or OOC) who is going to be leader and who will be follower in each group, and post here to start. All the groups will be going at the same time so feel free to interact as though your character can also hear other "leaders" and work around not running into other followers as well as obstacles (feel free to make these up as you go). I would like at least two or three rounds for each leader and then we will switch to new leaders until everyone's had a chance to lead.

Lark coldly answered Lillianna, but warmly pressed against his sister. Her maw would form an "o" again at his response. Had something happened between the two? Sparrow looked at Lillianna for a second. She didn't doubt Lillianna did something to- oh, she shouldn't think like that, especially not at this meeting! Sparrow looked away, her cheeks flushing in brief shame as she pressed into her bother. Aunt Harmony named off each wolf for Karabela. Harmony then explained that they would be doing an obstical course where some would be blindfolded and a leader would lead. Looking between her brother and Lillianna, Sparrow's tail was sent wagging. She pulled away from her brother and threw on her bubbly demeanor, turning to face the other two in her group, "How about I leader first between you two?" she smiled nervously. If the two couldn't get along, she didn't know what she would do! It wasn't that she loved Lillianna's demeanor or felt good about her brother knowing about the war before her, but she still didn't want them to fight.

Harmony too would introduce them as Shrike tumbled in and was placed with herself and Karabela. Quickly going into what they were supposed to do. Her ivory ears would listen as her aunt explained what they were to do, and it sounded like she would not really even need the blindfold. That and she wouldn't be leading anyone through this thicket. She would turn her features to the two who were her partners, or what she thought was the shadows that belonged to those particular two. "I probably shouldn't be the leader." her graceful entrance as well as the scratches on her face were testament enough for how well she got through the maze of vegetation. She would also wonder for a moment if there was much point in her even wearing a mask when it came to her following the leader. ""