Callie had to have been the most unlucky wolf in the world. Not only was she the only child of her litter to be sent away to Abaven for 'extra training', but her father had alluded to paying the headmistress for the trouble of taking her. It might have been fun even to learn on the cliffs, surrounded by others her age and without a judgemental father at her back, but then the headmistress had vanished. In her absence the pack crumbled away, and while a teacher had tried to insist on escorting her back, the last thing Callie wanted to appear to her pack was a child in need of babysitting on the back of Abaven's failure to 'fix' her.

And then, as if life couldn't get any worse, she'd made her long trip home and found it... empty. Utterly devoid of canine life. The dens were collapsed, the cellar emptied, the obselisk was even gone. It was as if no trace of her home or family existed, like it was all a dream. They'd left, and they hadn't even bothered to tell her. Did they care at all if she ever came home?

Callie remained in the plains for weeks after, watching the seasons change from winter to spring and almost childishly hoping that they would return for her in time. Perhaps some disaster happened and they were forced to move, or quarantine or something. Maybe grandma got kidnapped again and this time Sirius devoted the entire force of the Armada to find her. Whatever the reason, they'd come back, right?

She was woken from her hastily dug den by the roar of wind. It was sudden, and while wind did happen on her cliffside home regularly, she never remembered it being so loud and frightening. Was it the lack of bodies that shared her den, that made it so intimidating? Or was it something else, some further evidence that Calypso Fatalis had the worst luck in the universe? Whatever it was, the sound intensified by the second.

She remained in her den for as long as she could - which wasn't long, because soon there was water. A torrent of water that flooded the base of her den in seconds, wetting her fire-touched pelt and bringing her pulse to frantic levels of rhythm. Callie needed to get out of this waterlogged hole that was quickly becoming death itself, and the yearling was forced to crawl through layer upon layer of mud to exit on time.

It was worse up above the surface, the world around her was being unmistakably ravaged. It was unrecognisable, not just by the wind and rain but by the tufts of long grass torn up and thrown in every direction. What grass had hung on in the plain was as 'low' as she'd ever seen it, the winds bending it with such force that she could for the first time in her life, see above the blades. There even seemed to be an almost grainy feel to the air, almost as if the winds had picked up the shore's sand and infused it into the atmosphere she breathed. The only thing she could be glad for was the lack of loose objects around to become weaponized by the strength and speed of the winds.

Callie didn't know what to do - nothing had prepared her for weathering a storm like this. Perhaps the cellar, had it been reinforced for such a storm? She'd need to try, and so she turned from the sandy shore and ran. The wind was strong and occasionally buffeted her strong enough to toss her off her feet, more then once shoving her against a heavy boulder. She could feel the bruises begin to form deep in her tissues, and if the rain was not weighing so heavily against her skin she'd have noticed tears streaming down her face.

She ran, against the harshness of the rain and against the winds, her eyes half-slitted in a feeble attempt at protection. It was nearly impossible for her to even see where she was going, there was no way she'd recognize the location of the cellar in the chaos even if the obelisk had still remained. She ran, and she ran, and eventually, she found herself back at the cliffs.

How had she gotten so turned around? Callie whimpered, her body growing exhausted from the stress and fear and sheer effort of trying to navigate this storm. The winds seemed to be growing slower, but still the storm raged on around her. She had long since given up trying to outrun it, there was nowhere safe to hide. The longer she stood against the powerful storm the less hope she had. One massive burst of wind pushed her hard, picking up her young body and throwing it against the cliff beside which she had sheltered, knocking her large frame against it and bringing with it, sudden darkness.

Word Count: 825

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He’d been heading east, with Spring just peeking its eye around the wintry corner in shy preparation to spring. What he hadn’t expected to find on the way was a dead, scent-marker free border where Armada’s claims once stood. He’d stopped short of his usual northward diversion to circle around it when he found… nothing to circle. He skirted the edge, heading south, and had been pondering what to do about this development when the storm had rolled in. He’d managed to find shelter, and in time, the storm died out – although a stiff breeze sent his long tail and mane buffeting on the air, coat flaming in agitation from the friction as he pushed forward. Rain pelted his face, and he remained cautious. However apparent it might be that the Armada no longer claimed these lands, he wasn’t about to be taken off guard. The two large cats followed, on guard, but it was Lyr, struggling on the currents above that spotted the frame of the wolf laid out against the cliffs, and croaked an alert. Ardyn shifted to follow the glowing black and white raven, and soon enough, an unconscious yearling came into sight. For a long heart-stopping moment he thought she might be dead, but as he drew close enough, he realized her flame-colored markings were glowing, just barely, with a pulse. He blew out a breath and lowered his head, listening over her ribs while he held the hood of his cloak with one nimble-toed front paw, blocking the wind from buffeting his hearing. Alive. That was good. And she didn’t sound like she had any water in her lungs. She was large, and had bear-like claws, sabers, and bony spurs and spikes that tickled at his recollection, but he set the details aside as he reached around to pull a spare cloak, tightly rolled and folded, from a pouch and let the wind unfold it with a fluttering snap of fabric and bent to working the material over the girl’s frame, vigorously working the sea-water and rain out like a healer might seek to revive an unresponsive newborn pup. It wasn’t a good place to keep a soggy yearling dry and warm, though, and he sent Lunira and Sädir out to find saplings while he worked a supple hide out of one of the oversized, extra pouches draped over his back. He had no desire to remain in these lands, wanting to tend to this surprise patient in a land that was previously unclaimed to start with, and further inland to boot. But if it came down to it, he’d rig a quick shelter that he could turn into a travois if need be. He supposed this was going to put a halt to his visit to Abaven, but the safety of an unconscious wolf took precedence over visiting friends. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Kotori needed more members for his upcoming pack.  He wouldn’t show it but the horned wolf was still eagerly excited that he was doing this.  He hadn’t wanted to be a lower-ranked member of the pack.  Reaper or General had sounded better but, would that have been enough?  Kotori wanted to lead.  He wanted it to be his rules and his way in everything.  He was going to be in the position he was meant to be in!  Surely his pack would become great.  The main flaw in his plan so far was the princess he wanted wasn’t obtainable.  He needed a mate to give him those perfect children.  Not just anyone would do, he wanted a bloodline that would mix well with his own for exceptional stock.

His pack was growing in numbers quickly thanks to meeting up with Asla and Indigo.  How long until he’d need more land?  There was so much he needed to do! Kotori had stopped at the hot springs as a storm picked up, finding a spot of rock jutted out so that a bit less of the storm reached him.  Still, it had been a nasty enough storm Kotori’s left side that had faced the entrance was soaked with a few twigs and bits of gravel stuck to it.  

He had waited it out until the worst of the storm had passed, the wind still whipping the air in fury and rain still falling but safer now all the same.  Kotori headed to the grass plains, slowing for a second as he picked up faint scents, muted from the storm but the hunter still picked up with the careful observation he gave to things.  One of his nieces and Ardyn.  Yes, he remembered the wolf who had taken away a curiosity Kotori had been interested in.  In this weather of all places?

Kotori continued forward until he saw Ardyn with the unconscious girl, a quickly made cover from the rain over her.  Who had created the hide and who’s cloak was it?  One had set things up and the other used it.  Friend or enemy?  Kotori strode forward, eyeing Calypso to see her condition before eyes turned to Ardyn.  “What’s going on?” It was a question but there was a warning edge in the tone.  If Kotori decided she’d set this up and then he’d knocked her out for some reason the pooled water around them would soon run red.  Ardyn hadn’t seemed the type last round to hurt a stranger but Kotori wasn’t taking any chances.  Besides, he was still irked about the guy stealing from him earlier, at least that’s how Kotori saw it.  He was not taking Kotori’s niece as well.

"Kotori Fatalis"

Despite knowing that the Armada had relocated, there was still a strange sense of emptiness left in the lands that had once belonged to the mighty pack of the Fatalis clan. Walking through the sea of tall grasses, Artorias peered with concern darkening his amber eyes. He was hunting, searching for something that had been lost. Word of Abaven's dissolving had reached his ears, and instantly the young alpha's heart had been wrenched with worry. His thoughts went straight to Audra. He had set her free to go teach at the academy for a time while she sorted out her own turbulent emotions, but with the school shutting its doors as quickly as they'd opened, he feared the girl would be lost, wayward and afraid to return to the Hallows. He had hoped to intercept her before the pack was officially disbanded, but by the time he'd arrived at Abaven's doorstep, he was greeted only with silence and stale scents. He was too late.

Artorias' search began that very second. He'd scoured the northeastern coast desperately, but found no trace of her scent. Slowly the Aegis worked his way south, hoping that perhaps she'd begun her journey back home, but again he found nothing. It was as if the woman had simply vanished into thin air. His brow furrowed with concern, pausing atop the crest of a hill to survey the surrounding land. A breeze tousled his thick fur, rippling it like the endless grasses around him. The weather in Boreas had turned unpredictable and violent with the turning of the season, and another spring storm seemed to be brewing nearby if the wind was any indicator. He’d only just managed to avoid the previous night’s typhoon by seeking shelter in his family’s old dens in the cliffs of the Sunset Falls. Had Audra gotten caught up in one of the storms? Was she still all right? With a deep frown on his face, Artorias continued his search, parting the grasses with his sizable form. Wandering down toward the shoreline, an urgent caw from overhead caught his attention as Corbin sounded the alarm. Fire opal eyes snapped up to his inky-feathered companion, his heart missing a beat. They'd found someone.

Corbin came down with a graceful glide against the buffeting winds, managing to relay to Artorias the news he prayed he didn't hear. There was a body down by the oceanside cliffs. But it was when he was informed that they were not alone that Artorias' heart lurched. There was no pause to think, no moment of reflection to consider any other possibility than the worst. He pulled the strap on his sword’s scabbard tighter across his body and took off at a sprint down to the shore with his ravens as his guides. Large paws thundered across the plains, leaping over hidden rocks and dips in the ground, running like a wolf possessed. His gaze was steeled and hard, ready to go flying into battle to defend whoever it was on the beach—though of course his hopes were held out that it was Audra. If someone had hurt her, then someone was going to die today.

Arriving at the cliffs at breakneck speed, Artorias was greeted by the sight of two other wolves—a dire, just like himself, and a smaller male—looming over the collapsed body of a wolf. He couldn’t tell who was on the ground, but already from their fur color he could tell it wasn’t Audra. That mattered little though, as now the Aegis was faced with someone hovering over someone who was either dead or unconscious, and both prospects did not suggest a positive interaction. Dark lips peeled back from pearly fangs while the young alpha advanced on the scene, already preparing to charge the standing wolves as he reached for his sword—pausing for only a moment when he got closer as the gusty wind blew two familiar scents his way. All protective rage faded away in that instant, teeth retreating behind his lips and fiery amber eyes calming as he skidded to a halt in the mud and damp grass. Though the one figure was cloaked, he knew their scent. The closer he got, he began to recognize the distinctive spotted pelt of the other wolf as well.

"Ardyn…?" Ardyn and Kotori. Artorias had met the other alpha only briefly once before, but their interaction had been positive, and though he didn't know Briar's brother well, the young man had seemed well-intentioned, and as his brother-in-law he held some degree of innate trust. The Aegis came closer, looking from his peer down to the unconscious wolf at his paws whom Ardyn was urgently trying to resuscitate. His fears of an assault were gone; he knew there was no way Ardyn or even Kotori would have been culpable for whatever happened here. Fiery eyes shifted to glance down at the wolf. She was young, younger than even he was, likely just freshly turned one. He didn’t recognize her though. There was no blood on the air and she didn't seem to have any external injuries. "Is she alive?" he asked, moving up to the girl’s opposite side while Ardyn dried her with a cloak. Though Artorias was no expert healer, enough time governing the Hallows and learning the basics of triage and first aid from his sister had given him some knowledge and experience. He did as the Valhallan alpha had done before him, checking her pulse, checking her breathing and ensuring her airways weren’t blocked. That had been drilled into him by Gywn. Step one: ensure they’re still alive. Check. Step two: try to get them responsive.

Armed with the knowledge that the waterlogged wolf was still alive, Artorias carefully lifted his paw to rest it on the girl's forehead. She felt cold, no doubt from the exposure to the storm and elements. How long had she been out here without shelter? "She's cold," he murmured and rubbed his paws over her back, hoping to stimulate some warmth back into her frozen muscles while he shifted into crisis management mode. "Ardyn, can you spread that hide out so we can move her onto something drier. Kotori, help me get her warmed up." If she became hypothermic, she could die within minutes. What they really needed was to get her into some shelter, somewhere dry, preferably with a fire. "Do we know who she is?" Artorias was suddenly wishing they were closer to the Hallows. The girl would need medical attention swiftly, and while Art knew enough to be able to patch up a wound on the battlefield, he was far from a doctor. He didn't know the lasting consequences of exposure or ways to treat it beyond getting her dry and warm. Dammit, why couldn't he have Gwyn here with him when he needed her?

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

She had followed along with Ardyn, though somewhere along the way, she had fallen a bit behind during the raging storm. Her pelt was half soaked but the cloak she borrowed from the packs stores did a decent job at keeping most of her dry. She had it pulled over her head in an attempt to keep the driving rain from her face as she pressed on. With Ardyn's darker pelt against the surroundings, she had a difficult time in seeing which direction he had gone, but considering they were on their way to Abaven, she headed in that direction. She knew where their lands were at least, so she was likely to catch up at any moment.

The glow of her pelt was as bright as it could be, like a beacon guiding the way. That at least helped her to see the path she was on. It took a matter of minutes before she caught sight of Ardyn's burning pelt, but as she drew closer, she noticed he was hunched over something and there were two others that she didn't recognize at all. What was going on? Had he found something? Were the other two threatening him? She wasn't close enough yet to know, so she hurried her pace until she was close enough to see what was going on.

Someone was in distress. Ardyn and another male both worked to try and get her conscious, though she couldn't help but feel a little tense with the two strangers. Still, if something ended up going down, at least Ardyn wouldn't have to face them alone. "Ardyn! What's happened?" she asked cautiously. Her eye turned to the brown wolf. Did he have something to do with this? He was just kinda standing there, so she assumed so but...she'd wait for an answer from Ardyn first. And if her alpha requested her help, she'd oblige. But for the moment, she wouldn't get in the way until asked by him.

Ooc// short phone post is short.

The crotchety old wolf had crossed into the plains in search of her brother but he was nowhere to be found. They must have moved already. She'd helped him knock down the cottage but had left soon after. Now that she was back around this way, she'd sought him out. Waste of time, it seemed. Oh, or maybe not. The sound of voices caught the small fae's ears and she moved towards them.

During the storm, Iolaire had holed up in a thick tree. The aftermath had tamped down a lot of the tall grass and Io could easily see the group of wolves yammering and standing around something. Coming closer, she recognized Kotori and she recognized Artorias of course. "Oh look, a party," she croaked as she came upon them. The fae's two-toned eyes fell upon the unconscious girl and her brow furrowed. The woman smacked at the ones trying to move her and drew in close. Delicate, dexterous digits gently manipulated the various bones of the girl to make sure that they weren't broken. Moving her before figuring that out could damage the child irreparably. "Bring her up here," she indicated a rise in the terrain beneath a tree that would keep them out of the water and would also provide a bit of shelter.

"What happened?" She didn't look at anyone as she worked. Instead she focused on the child whos scent was familiar, but she hadn't met them before. Or had she? Things were muddled sometimes even though she was no longer dead. Digging around in her pack, Io brought out a few different herbs and began mashing things up to place them over the abrasions that seemed to be on one side of the girl's body. Only once the wounds were cleaned and tended to did Iolaire gently try to wake the child.

"Speech"

Calypso was roused from the depths of unconsciousness to much more action than she'd anticipated. She had been alone, battered by unforgiving winds and rain, and quickly coming to accept that she'd likely be pulled beneath the ocean before she found refuge. Everything had gone black, she could not determine how much time had passed, and then there were voices. More than voices, someone was vigorously rubbing her, and then gently manipulating her, bringing even more stinging pain to the surface of her skin. Was that why she was so sore? Was she being eaten by a scavenger? It was not as painful a feeling as she'd expected it would be. The world around her was quickly coming back into focus, and suddenly an uncontrollable urge to cough came over her. Her chest heaved with the effort, sea water spluttering out from her maw and onto the ground on which she lay.

The instinct to protect herself warred with the utter exhaustion of her bruised body, and the only bit of self-defense she could manage was the lazy parting of her eyelids, watching wearily the strangers who had surrounded her. One stranger in particular was closest, the one who had been manipulating her body and bringing a resurgence of pain to her skin. Even with an addled mind however, Calypso could recognize the touch of a healer. Pain now to prevent pain later. Absently, she wondered how bad it was to have drawn the attention of so many.

Finding it easy to categorize and trust the monochromatic woman who had the hands of a medic, Callie's gaze drew settled next on the brightest of the canines behind, flickering back and forth between the vaguely celestial looking woman and her deep onyx companion. Both individuals wore a unique glow, one reminiscent of fire where the wind caught at his pelt, and the other seemingly wearing stars that she'd harvested from the night sky. She blinked rapidly, half expecting them to fade away any moment.

They were not the only wolves around her, and Callie's gaze shifted to regard the next, a man more conventional looking (by Boreas' standards) with a deep charcoal coat, a rich azure underbelly, and burning orange eyes. Hugged tight to his athletic frame was what looked to be a weapon of some sort, a sight that managed to speed the slow, steady rhythm of glow upon her markings. To his side was a fourth individual, and one who she could no longer claim as a stranger now that clarity was beginning to slowly return. Her uncle, the brother of her father, likely sent to the plains to recover Azure's useless, waterlogged loser of a child.

Had she more energy to argue or explain, she might have tried to send Kotori back empty handed, requested he simply leave her here to die of embarrassment alone. The last thing she needed was to face the disappointment in her father's eyes when he would hear that not even Abaven could handle the disaster that was Calypso Fatalis. She had missed the bits of conversation and question that had been posed over her unconscious body, but surely her uncle at the very least would want to know how she'd arrived here.

Lifting her head slightly off the ground, she attempted to explain. "Abaven is gone." She managed, her throat raw from the water she had inhaled before the storm had passed. The words were directed mostly at Kotori, though her gaze was everywhere but. Who were these strangers, and what were they all doing on Armada's land? A violent shudder ran down along her spine, and her head fell back upon the sandy ground, her strained muscles refusing to hold it upright any longer. Gods, nothing could be as embarrassing, painful and confusing as this moment. "I don't want to go home anymore, Uncle." The yearling whimpered.

"Speech"