remade (again)

[bigwig.]

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( 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃, 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃 )

It has been nearly a century and a half since the first werewolves came to settle on the shores of Harvest Lake. Nestled in a remote mountain valley and enshrouded by rich pine woods, it seemed a perfect place for their kind. In fact, there were several packs who came to stake their claim to this wealthy land, carving out territories for themselves alongside the lake. For many years, they fought one another ferociously, but eventually terms were settled upon. Six packs used to roam these woods, marking the edges of their territories with splashes of dye on the trunks of trees.

But things changed. The six who had once established themselves slowly began to dwindle. First it was the Yellow Eyes, plagued by sickness and finished off by a hard winter. Then it was the Blue Lake, their territory slowly constricted to nothing as they struggled to stand up to their neighbors. Then the Green Bough, killed off by infighting that tore them in two. After them, the White Peak, who left for a new home after years of human tourists encroaching on their camp.

Then there were two: Red Pine, nestled on the northeast shores, and Black Sky, positioned across from them on the southwest side. And then, about a year and a half ago, there was one. The Red Pine pack, following the way of the White Peak, packed up and left in search of a new place to settle, hoping to leave only one thing behind for the Black Sky - a peaceful life.

But it was not to last. The Red Pine pack has returned, and they have changed. Their leadership is new, and their mentality seems to have done a complete 180. They've reclaimed their old camp and pushed their borders as far up against the Black Sky pack as they can, forcing the other pack into suddenly having to fight once more. The onslaught remains relentless, akin to an all-out war between the two factions, the likes of which have not been seen in the valley in a great many years. A question looms large over the heads of every pack member: is there only room for one?

( intro ) ✧ ( rules ) ✧ ( red ) ✧ ( black ) ✧ ( status ) ✧ ( disc. ) ( 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 )

[bigwig.]

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( 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃, 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 )

one. post all forms on the discussion thread. two. you may reserve slots via pm or the discussion thread. reservations last for 48 hours unless otherwise specified; please let me know if you need an extension. three. at least four lines per character per post is preferred. wb is understandable but no one-liners please! four. there is no limit to how many characters you can have, just make sure you can maintain reasonable post lengths for all of them. five. on a similar note, you are allowed to have up to two high ranking (captain, general, or leader) characters, but they cannot both be in the same pack. six. realistic faceclaims only. descriptions are also okay, just no anime fcs/etc. seven. lgbtq+ characters are welcome eight. discord is not mandatory but you are encouraged to join if you can!

( intro ) ✧ ( rules ) ✧ ( red ) ✧ ( black ) ✧ ( status ) ✧ ( disc. ) ( 𝐈 '𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 )

[bigwig.]

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( 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃, 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 )

Since their exodus over a year and half ago, many things have changed for the Red Pine pack. A difficult journey harried them, and they failed to find a new permanent settlement within the expected amount of time. The pack soon began running low on prepared supplies, in addition to having picked up several outsiders, and were left scrounging at many points. A general sentiment of anger at their leadership arose, with the majority now either questioning or outright disagreeing with the decision to leave. Eventually, the former leader of the Red Pine pack was deposed by force, the new leader ousting the council members and appointing new ones favorable to himself. Some pack members fled, but most stayed, ready and wanting to return to their homeland. The pack has now been resettled for about a month, fixing up their former camp and staking their territory as close to the Black Sky's as possible.

𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 - 1/1
The leader is the ultimate authority among the pack. They are looked to for all major decisions, and their word is taken as law. They take advice from their general and the captains, but always have the final say in matters.
𝐢. paris clément - male - 36 - bigwig.

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 - 1/1
This military title is given to the pack's second-in command. They deal with many day-to-day plans such as organizing patrols and hunts and relay information to the leader, considered their right-hand wolf. Along with the captains, they form a council around the leader.
𝐢. mikael haggard - male - 33 - Ashton_99

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂 - 1/1
The pack's designated healer. They use a mixture of natural remedies and field medicine, depending on the severity of the ailment and availability of medicine. When there is no healing to be done, they help tend the camp.
𝐢. raime albrecht - female - 28 - fortissimo

𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂 - 1/1
The medic's assistant. They may be a trainee, or just someone who steps in when a second medic is needed.
𝐢. antonio suarez - male - 44 - ghostlyhamlet

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 - 0/1
The leader of the patrollers, they take orders from the general but otherwise are in charge of the others of their role. The patroller captain is in charge of mapping where the borders fall.
𝐢. name - gender - age - user

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 - 4/5
Those who patrol and guard the pack's territory. Their duties include chasing off outsiders or making advances as instructed, and they are considered the fighters of the pack.
𝐢. jasper mackenzie - male - 27 - bigwig.
𝐢𝐢. atticus han - male - 23 - mtuan,
𝐢𝐢𝐢. addy han - male - 22 - gunthyr
𝐢𝐯. name - gender - age - user
𝐯. bodie kang - male - 26 - jennie

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 - 1/1
The leader of the hunters, they take orders from the general but otherwise are in charge of the others of their role. The hunter captain is in charge of monitoring the pack's food supplies.
𝐢. valencia platt - female - 24 - senna_

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 - 5/5
Hunters are responsible for hunting, fishing, and foraging to keep the pack as self-sufficient as possible.
𝐢. torin merrick - female - 23 - _humblebumble_
𝐢𝐢. rona blake - female - 24 - Spiritstar3
𝐢𝐢𝐢. arden halston - male - 23 - otisblue
𝐢𝐯. juliet lavaux - female - 23 - Ashton_99
𝐯. dominic ferguson - male - 24 - ghostlyhamlet

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐒 - 3/3 (flexible)
Young members of the pack or new recruits unused to the pack's way of life. They are often trained by the hunter or patroller captains, and help tend the camp outside of scheduled training.
𝐢. salem song - demiboy - 21 - jennie
𝐢𝐢. cameron emerson - male - 22 - humblebumble
𝐢𝐢𝐢. reserved - gender - age - gunthyr

( intro ) ✧ ( rules ) ✧ ( red ) ✧ ( black ) ✧ ( status ) ✧ ( disc. ) ( 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍 ' 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 )

[bigwig.]

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( 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃, 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄 )

The Black Sky pack currently faces a crisis worse than they have in many people's lifetimes. The results of the Red Pine's failed migration have proven to be about as bad for their neighbors as imaginable. In the absence of any other established packs, the Black Sky relenting on guarding their lands and shifted most of their focus to having hunters to cover their new, larger territory. They have not had designated 'patrollers' nor a captain since shortly after the Red Pine left - until, that is, very recently, when they have suddenly had a need for them again. Unease is palpable among the pack members, who are unsure of how to confront the abrupt aggression from another pack. Many fear the Red Pine means to destroy them entirely, whereas others are willing to accept it is only temporary. However, tensions remain incredibly high even within their own ranks.

𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 - 1/1
The leader is the ultimate authority among the pack. They are looked to for all major decisions, and their word is taken as law. They take advice from their general and the captains, but always have the final say in matters.
𝐢. knox gwon - male - 23 - gunthyr

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 - 1/1
This military title is given to the pack's second-in command. They deal with many day-to-day plans such as organizing patrols and hunts and relay information to the leader, considered their right-hand wolf. Along with the captains, they form a council around the leader.
𝐢. jeazhoni rhaenys - female - 26 - revile

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂 - 1/1
The pack's designated healer. They use a mixture of natural remedies and field medicine, depending on the severity of the ailment and availability of medicine. When there is no healing to be done, they help tend the camp.
𝐢. dawn noh - male - 26 - mtuan,

𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂 - 0/1
The medic's assistant. They may be a trainee, or just someone who steps in when a second medic is needed.
𝐢. name - gender - age - user

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 - 1/1
The leader of the patrollers, they take orders from the general but otherwise are in charge of the others of their role. The patroller captain is in charge of mapping where the borders fall.
𝐢. adam rutherford - male - 32 - bigwig.

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒 - 4/5
Those who patrol and guard the pack's territory. Their duties include chasing off outsiders or making advances as instructed, and they are considered the fighters of the pack.
𝐢. brooks falco - male - 28 - senna_
𝐢𝐢. name - gender - age - user
𝐢𝐢𝐢. kiran mallick - male - 32 - Ashton_99
𝐢𝐯. cherry salvatore - female - 21 - ghostlyhamlet
𝐯. ambrose ruiz - female - 24 - otisblue

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 - 1/1
The leader of the hunters, they take orders from the general but otherwise are in charge of the others of their role. The hunter captain is in charge of monitoring the pack's food supplies.
𝐢. jangmin jang - male - 23 - jennie

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 - 4/5
Hunters are responsible for hunting, fishing, and foraging to keep the pack as self-sufficient as possible.
𝐢. churchill de vries - male - 21 - bigwig.
𝐢𝐢. lynx zheng - male - 26 - borahae.
𝐢𝐢𝐢. maddox kang - male - 24 - mtuan,
𝐢𝐯. name - gender - age - user
𝐯. faline valez - female - 21 - senna_

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐒 - 4/3 (flexible)
Young members of the pack or new recruits unused to the pack's way of life. They are often trained by the hunter or patroller captains, and help tend the camp outside of scheduled training.
𝐢. darius sable - male - 32 - _humblebumble_
𝐢𝐢. night song - male - 20 - Spiritstar3
𝐢𝐢𝐢. maria wilson - female - 20 - ghostlyhamlet
𝐢𝐯. wraygen eryce - female - 32 - revile

( intro ) ✧ ( rules ) ✧ ( red ) ✧ ( black ) ✧ ( status ) ✧ ( disc. )( 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍 &𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅 )

[bigwig.]

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( '𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐈 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 )

𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑
𝐢. season: late autumn; approx. mid-November
𝐢𝐢. time: late morning; approx. 10:30 a.m.
𝐢𝐢𝐢. temperature: cool; approx. 50 F / 10 C
𝐢𝐯. conditions: overcast with pale clouds and mild wind. no precipitation yet, but rain or possible snow is expected in the evening.

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒
Feb. 20 - roleplay officially opened. forms will be accepted via the discussion thread.
Feb. 28 - roleplay has officially begun!
Apr. 2 - new forms are no longer being accepted

( intro ) ✧ ( rules ) ✧ ( red ) ✧ ( black ) ✧ ( status ) ✧ ( disc. ) ( 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍 '𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐄 )

[bigwig.]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ red pine leader ✧ location: red pine camp ✧ tags: --
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A pair of seething eyes - one dark brown and one a murky, marble-like blue - scanned the cluster of cabins that sat huddled together near the northeast shore of Harvest Lake. Paris was sitting on the porch of his lodge, a relatively small shelter positioned at the very edge of the camp. It had been about a month since they'd finally arrived here, back at this place so many of them had called home. For Paris, it had been the first time he'd ever seen the place. More than a year and six months of disrepair in the rural woods had laid it low, leaving all the buildings fairly battered, but it was much better than being on the run all the time. The land around it was rich, relatively secluded, all but a perfect place for their kind. Their previous leader was a fool to have left it behind - what did he stand to gain? Some misguided sense of moral pleasure for deferring to his neighbors? To make a martyr of himself and his entire pack?

It didn't matter anymore. His folly had caught up to him. Paris did not carry any such sense of purposeless honor. He watched his pack silently; it was late in the morning and many of them had woken up already, with the usual patrol sent out at the first sight of dawn. The Black Sky seemed to be deliberately trying to avoid letting their patrols encounter Red Pine's, possibly because Paris' patrollers had orders to attack them on sight wherever it was feasible. Red Pine's hunters had been working harder than usual as well, since winter was fast approaching and they had very little time to stock up reserves before the season of scarcity descended upon them. They were hard workers, though; Paris admired the dedication and determination of this pack he had claimed for himself. They had seen how inhospitable the outside world was, and it had steeled their determination. For Paris, that determination had come as soon as he'd heard the strange pack speak of their homeland. They had almost all remembered it fondly, stirring Paris immediately to formulate an idea. An opportunity so good it felt untrue.

But all too attainable - as proven by the fact that they were here now, and Paris was with them, at the helm of their journey. Magnificent. However, he couldn't spend all day sitting around rolling the idea over in his head. Paris rose to his feet, in one swift, sleek motion, stepping out from the shaded porch of the lodge and down into the light underneath the gray sky. A cold breeze skidded over the forest floor, ruffling the boughs of the dark trees that encircled the camp. They were near the shores of the lake, a single pier jutting out over its surface from the outermost edge of the camp.

Paris cut a strong silhouette; his outfits were typically all black, much more elegant than the average. The generally rustic lifestyle of a werewolf pack was not something he had previously sought out, and there were many things he already missed about being able to move freely on his own, including among humans. His previous way of life had distinctly made him an outsider among the Red Pine Pack at first, though he had done everything in his power to demonstrate that such was a misconception. He was not an intruder, a usurper, he was a leader who had united a pack and saved them from suffering.

Paris strode languidly through the center of the camp, not heading anywhere in particular, just silently surveying. This hour was a fairly calm, neutral time of day, but it was still important he keep his finger pressed to the pulse of his pack. That was where his predecessor had failed, and where he was most determined to succeed.

[bigwig.]

𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌 𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ black sky patroller captain ✧ location: black sky camp ✧ tags: --
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It was a cool, crisp morning - warm for the season, even, although it was not likely to get much warmer even as the day went on. Adam's fleece-lined leather jacket was a little warm, even unzipped. The sky above was like a vast, silvery ocean, a sheet of pale clouds covering the sun and sky with a foreboding totality. It was the kind of weather that welcomed snow, although the heavy snows had not quite fallen upon the valley just yet. A few taunting flurries here and there, but not the kind of snow which piled up into stoic banks and weighed down the boughs of the evergreen trees that blanketed the hills. It was always a difficult season - not only was prey scarce, but the snow often coated the roads and it could take a long time for these rural backroads to be cleared, and even then they remained icy and treacherous. Voyages into town for supplies they couldn't get naturally took twice as long and were sometimes not even feasible. To top it off, it wasn't uncommon for their camps to lose power during snowstorms, which could remain out for days at a time this far out in the hills. They could survive, though; they were a hardy bunch.

The Black Sky camp was not pushed up to the very edge of the lake as some of the other packs' had been, but looking out through the trees, it was not hard to glimpse its flat surface, a flat dull blue reflecting the gray expanse of the sky. And beyond that the placid stretch of the lake, a backdrop of misty blue-green mountains, and thin wisps of smoke rising from the camp across the lake. It had been a little over a month, but it still felt strange to see signs of life over there. Unreal, almost, like the opposite shore was another world he was merely viewing through a veil. Staring across the water was a habit Adam had developed, something which distracted him from his work, and all it served to do was make him uneasy. Supposedly right now he was cutting wood - a fairly tedious task, usually reserved for trainees or off-duty medics, but Adam was feeling restless. He needed something to occupy his mind, to keep his muscles moving.

Adam tore his gaze away, trying to forget about the threat that lingered on the other side of the lake, always waiting, closing in like a bear trap, trying to slowly suffocate his pack out of their own territory. A sharp crack cut the relatively quiet air as he split a readied round of wood, with swift and precise efficiency. A bit cathartic. Adam couldn't be on patrol at all times; he didn't have the ultimate say in regards to the schedules, anyway - that was Jeazhoni's business, under the careful guidance of their leader of course. Knox was young - younger than Jeazhoni and almost ten years Adam's junior, but the title had been passed to him, and Adam would respect that. The enemy's patrols were quite hostile and intrusive, and Adam's patrollers had suffered plenty of wounds in the weeks since they'd had to hastily re-form their ranks. If it were up to him, he would be pushing back against them much harder, fighting fire with fire.

The axe splintered the half-round fiercely, leaving a gouge in the tree stump beneath it. A noise like a growl came from the back of Adam's throat at the effort. Alright, that was enough. They had plenty of wood for now, and the action was now serving only to rile him up. He took a deep breath, shaking off the growl of his wolf in the back of his head, and threw the last few splints of wood onto the woodpile, resting the sharpened axe against the wall of the cabin. He would do better to find something more placid to do, perhaps.

[bigwig.]

𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐈𝐄
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ red pine patroller ✧ location: red pine camp ✧ tags: --
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The patroller was restless as always. He had a hard time keeping himself busy - but that was nothing new. It had just grown much worse since the pack had come back to Harvest Lake. He'd connected with them not too long shortly after they'd left, and had been running with Red Pine for a little over a year now. It'd been a hard year; surviving on his own had been a little rough at times, but it was nothing compared to trying to keep a whole pack afloat without a home to speak of. Navigating unfamiliar territory, moving back and forth among humans while trying to remain inconspicuous, their pre-prepared supplies gradually waning down - all of it built stress on their backs. It was no surprise that infighting had taken over so easily. However, it had actually taken longer for the Red Pine pack to start splintering than Mack would've expected. Conflict had descended on the White Peak pack much more quickly. Hence why he had left.

Even after all these years, though, it still hurt him to have never known what happened to the rest of them. But he didn't like to talk about that. It stayed dormant in his mind, like a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, guarded eternally by the constant roiling of the surface. One of many reasons the werewolf hated being alone with his thoughts. Sitting on the edge of his bed inside a shared cabin, where it was at least a little bit warmer, he decided it would make him feel better to be out and about. He'd never been a particularly early riser, and as things grew ever colder it was all the more tempting to stay inside for as long as possible until he was summoned elsewhere. But inevitably, he grew too restless for that.

Pulling on his heavy denim jacket and slipping into his work boots, Mack made short work of getting ready. He had never been the most fashion-forward of people, preferring simple and rugged clothing. Practicality had always been more important to him that aesthetics, but he could appreciate that others saw things differently. He combed his short hair into place hastily, noticing that his beard had grown rather scruffy. He could probably stand to shave, but he'd save that for later tonight. Without another thought, the man exited the cabin and stepped out into the cool autumn morning. The hills were still quite green this time of year, with the forests being overwhelmingly coniferous in composition. It wasn't until the heavy snowfall started that they changed color, rapidly shifting from smoky blue-green to an unbroken sea of white.

Mack laid his hands on his hips and breathed out a deep sigh. He would've preferred to have gone out on morning patrol already, but he acknowledged he couldn't have the same schedule every single day. However, he enjoyed patrolling - even when it ended in fights. Things had cooled off ever so slightly since they'd first returned, with most assuming the Black Pine patrols were deliberately avoiding the other pack's patrols as much as possible. Their orders were still to keep pushing the borders if they could, but the insistency from Paris had soften some already. That was presumably due to the fact that winter was almost here, and the camp was still in quite rough shape after a month. There was nothing that they had quite enough of, and though they'd only been gone for a year and a half there was still some disrepair to the buildings that needed to be closely monitored. But hey, at least squirrels hadn't moved into all of the cabins.

This situation also meant, fortunately enough for Mack, that it wouldn't be hard to find something to do.

[bigwig.]

𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐄 𝐕𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ black sky hunter ✧ location: outside black sky camp ✧ tags: --
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A lazy yawn graced the face of the young hunter as he lay on his back, army green jacket splayed out underneath him, still wearing a tight grey sweater and a white t-shirt underneath. His greenish eyes blinked slowly in the late morning light; it was still quite cloudy, and the sun was unlikely to show itself at all that day. Speaking of, what time was it? He suddenly sat upright, brushing his messy curls free of dirt and pine needles. Hopefully nobody had noticed he was gone yet - at least, nobody who would care. Disappearing wasn't uncommon for Churchill, and he usually got a lecture about it from one person or another, but it had a tendency to go in one ear and out the other. He had been woken up quite early in the morning, as most members of the pack were very early risers, but having not been sent out on any particular task, Churchill had taken the opportunity to quietly slip away and go get a few more hours of sleep somewhere he would not be bothered. He wasn't too far outside camp, though, so if anything happened he'd still be close by.

It was cold out here, though. Churchill had always been more of a summer person - he loved chasing smells in the green woods, searching for fresh herbs, going swimming in the lake. Maybe it was just because things tended to be more relaxed in the warm seasons, when rations were plentiful. Now, especially with all this Red Pine nonsense, the atmosphere in the pack was positively frigid. Churchill didn't like to think about it too much; even before the Red Pine pack had left and then come back, he had never been much of a fighter, and he didn't really see any point in squabbling over things. Even with the presence of humans growing closer, there was still space out here. Why bother trying to kill each other over it?

Just human nature, he supposed. Or wolf nature. Churchill pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his jacket from the forest floor. He stretched as he stood upright, bowing his back and extending his arms into the air. It was cool, but it hard warmed up ever-so-slightly, which meant it was at least mid-morning by now. Nevertheless, Churchill still didn't feel too eager to head back yet. He trudged through the woods lazily, dragging his boots through the cold forest loam. The morning's frost had mostly melted, and the dense earth was somewhat soft underneath it. Thank god the snows hadn't really started up yet. Hard snow could start any day now though. It was a good thing most of the cabins were raised up on a foundation; most of them had been constructed quite a long time ago, back when the first members of their pack had come to settle here, with some new construction and a lot of upkeep since then. Temporary tents and other setups came and went, and the electricity was seldom consistent, but living off the land was in their blood.

Churchill peered through the trees at the humble cluster of buildings, smoke rising up from a chimney or two already. If anyone caught sight of him, they would most likely promptly accost him and ask what he was doing out here - a bunch of nonsense he didn't want to deal with right now. Churchill scampered around towards the back of the camp, hoping for a more inconspicuous entrance, when he was distracted by the sound of something rustling in the near distance. He froze up for a moment, olive green eyes the only part of his body moving as he looked around. Couldn't see it, but it was only a couple yards away. Probably a squirrel or a marmot, or maybe a marten or something.

It was a great opportunity! All of a sudden he had a convenient excuse as to why he he had been outside of camp this whole time - obviously he'd been hunting. If he came back with even a small kill, it would be easy to forgive him for his acute absence. Crouching low, his wolf shift took over and he prowled through the low boughs after the unknown sound.

[Ashton_99]

⇥◈ᴍɪᴋᴀᴇʟ ᴀ. ʜᴀɢɢᴀʀᴅ◈⇤
⇥◈ Red Pine General ◈ He/Him ◈ Tags: None/Open (Mentions Paris) ◈ Location: Red Pine Camp + Pier ◈⇤

The slow rise of the sun met the groggy gaze of a man that had been deep in the throes of a fitful sleep. Mikael only ever slept well after a fight. Only when his body was sore and his mind had no other option but to give way to darkness did he not dream. But Mikael hadn’t had the time for a good fight in weeks. Not since his time had been consumed by organizing patrols and hunting trips. There was too much land to claim and too little food to go around. With a puff of breath Mikael forced himself to full consciousness. The dark tinted world of dreams left behind for the light of day.

He’d fallen asleep sometime around midnight. On the floor, apparently. Which wasn’t great for the health of his spine but neither were most of his pursuits. He picked up a dime novel from where it had fallen in his sleep and frowned at the crumpled page. “Fantastic.” His voice wore gravelly with the early hour. Tossing the book on a reclaimed table Mikael forced himself to his feet.

His morning routine was a basic thing. Teeth, clothes, and half an attempt at straightening out his hair. He scratched at his stubble. It was getting on into full beard territory but with only a few hours of sleep under his belt Mikael had no desire to track down a razor.

Cleaning himself up and changing took only a handful of minutes and not a moment later he was out the door. It creaked on the hinge, complaining of it’s abandonment and the weather growing colder.

It was just another thing to add to the ever growing list of tasks he had to see done. Boots crunching over rock and dirt, Mikael looked just about as friendly as ever. He cut around the edge of the small grouping of cabins and down towards the pier. It was second nature to revel in the cold breeze glancing off the lake. Something to cool his naturally high body temperature and abate the hot anger always sitting in his chest. The pier creaked under his weight.

Mikael breathed deeply. His head momentarily cleared as he looked out across the lake. But reality was inevitable. Far on the other side was the other pack. The Black Sky. Mikael didn’t feel any particular ire for them, but there was no love there either. If all went to plan, he would still follow Paris into Black Sky territory and do what was needed to make it their own.

As it were though, conquering was firmly off the table until they figured out a way to survive the winter. Game was scarce, the hunters not finding much as winter darkened their door. Mikael’s next breath was edged with a growl. He missed when the most complicated aspect of his life was scheduling a prize fight between paper deadlines.

“Yeah. Just fantastic.” Annoyed at his own train of thought Mikael ground his teeth and trudged back into camp. He had things to do. There wasn’t any use dwelling on the past.