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LIGHTNING
Shadow | Alpha | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
A lot had happened over the past couple months. A lot more than Shadow would’ve liked, in all honesty, but life went on, and as the birds sang to the approaching dawn, rousing her from her sleep, Shadow's mind was immediately filled with the what-ifs that so often plagued her. All the more it just reminded her that she needed to appoint her Leads and Beta, help keep the Pack strong. She wasn’t quite ready to rise just yet though. It was still relatively quiet outside, things weren’t bustling and busy yet, and that meant there was nothing to sort out, the Hunters probably weren’t awake yet, not enough of them for a hunting party, anyway, and no sound of the pups playing either.
Pups playing. Goodness, sometimes when she looked at Kaden and Sorin, it reminded her all too much of her own little ones when they had been around the same age. Tumbling and wrestling on the camp's grassy ground, getting weeds all tangled up in fluffy, thick fur. She’d spent forever trying to get the clumps out of Leo's stubborn fur, every bit like her own, he had with time grown tall and strong, but still as thick-furred as ever, blue eyes shining, making him the perfect…well… shadow of his mother. Ah. She couldn’t afford to think back. There was no point now in wishing for days long gone. Even so, it warmed her heart to still have those memories as vivid as ever.
Karter | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Karter had been awake for a long time. Longer than he cared to admit. It had been raining most of the night, freezing rain. Then that rain had stopped abruptly, and that had roused him, the change in weather suddenly, and he hadn’t been able to get back to sleep at all after that. So finally he had dragged himself from the den to sit at the edge of camp and eat an early breakfast, mindful to take something small. Their prey pile was gradually diminishing, and he didn’t like the looks of it any more than the next wolf, he reckoned. Maybe today would be a good day for the Hunters though. Maybe they’d be able to catch a straggler elk who had fallen behind the herd, or maybe some squirrels or rabbits preparing their food stores for the winter, that would do them some good, would it not?
Then the birds were awake, as the sun started to rise over the horizon. Karter settled on damp grass. He slowly breathed out, staring down at the remnants of his half eaten meal. In the cold season, not a scrap of meat could be wasted. It would practically be a crime when food was so hard to come by. He knew that there were so many days when wolves went hungry, so while they still had enough food to sustain them, he couldn’t let it be wasted, but…in all honesty, he wasn’t particularly hungry yet. Maybe he’d save it for when he got back from the morning patrol, because he absolutely wasn’t missing that. Not for anything.
Toby | Hunter | L-Pack | Tagging: Storm | Location: Camp
Toby had roused himself early enough to set out before the others had awakened, and had tried for an early-morning hunt. As long as he had been out, just as he had expected, he came back empty-pawed. This late in the season though, he really wasn’t surprised. Disappointed, perhaps, but certainly not surprised. So late into fall, catching a plump rabbit was rare. Heck, he’d even settle for a scrawny one. Recently, their luck had only been getting worse and worse. It couldn’t be helped, and everyone knew it, but it was still disheartening.
Trudging back to camp and honestly feeling a little ashamed, Toby shook his head to himself. Better luck next time. His amber gaze shifted towards one of the other Hunters, Storm, and he padded over towards her, dipping his head in greeting. "Good morning. Think you might be up for a group hunt once a couple of the others have gotten themselves up?" He asked. Maybe a group would have better luck, right? At this point, anything would do, no matter how small or scrawny, they just needed to catch something. He knew Shadow wouldn’t blame them for their recent difficulties, but maybe just for one day, they could bring back a good haul and be heroes for a day. Yeah…that’d be nice.
Micah | Warrior Trainee | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Micah didn’t want to wake up yet. She’d gotten herself off to the den pretty late as a result of an evening patrol that had run late, and she’d curled up and went to sleep as soon as they’d gotten back and made their report, even if said report was a whole lot of nothing. It really hasn’t been worth the late night trip, in her opinion. Now she could hear the sounds of some of their Packmates getting up and going about their morning, and it had roused her from her sleep, leaving her in a foggy headspace, but she wasn’t ready to face the day yet herself. Surely they’d allow her to sleep in just a little more, right?
Micah curled into a ball, wishing she could close her ears to all the noise that was starting to form. Voices. Footsteps. Birds. The distant, disappointed sigh of an unfortunate Hunter. A sound that was getting to be just a little *too* familiar these days. Why did this winter thing have to be so winter-y? So cold and gloomy. Was the sun and its usual warmth ever going to return? At close to nine months old, this was Micah's first winter. Smoke had warned her about it, she’d insisted it would be fine, and was now taking back that statement. She couldn’t say she was a fan of it so far.
Smoke | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Every morning was always the same ever since Smoke had learned how to talk, and it seemed nobody could ever stop her. Shadow had tried countless times. Eventually, so had Leo and Karter, to no avail. It was like the grey Warrior *liked* annoying her Packmates. Okay. Not just like she did. She absolutely did. It was always vaguely amusing to see what kinds of reactions she got, if any at all. So far she hadn’t been kicked out or demoted for it, so she figured she wasn’t technically breaking any rules, right? As she did just about every morning, the grey she-wolf walked to the center of camp and started yelling at any Packmates who might still have the luck of being asleep.
"Hey! Wake up the bunch of lazy berry-eaters! The day's here and we’ve got work to do! So good mooooorning!" A laugh tore itself free from her throat. Of course she knew it was annoying. Of course she knew she was bound to get a little resentment, but honestly? It didn’t even matter to her. Smoke had always been an active wolf, for better or for worse. Far from a couch potato, the grey Warrior had always liked being up and doing things, and a lot of the time, she couldn’t do much until some of the others were up and they could collect a patrol.
Fish | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: River | Location: Camp
Although it had been painfully early, Fish had gone for her swim in the calm part of the river this time, not in the mood for a workout, but still finding the frigid waters somehow soothing, and she had come straight from her usual morning swim, fur still soaking wet in places and the rest sticking up like a giant puffball where she had shaken as many of the water droplets as she could away. Her Packmates always complained when she came dripping into camp and made the dens or ground they had to walk on wet with river water, and she wasn't in the mood to be hearing them complain. Especially about something she still had a little control over. So she’d dried off as much as she could before returning to camp, fur sticking up and a bright sparkle in dark blue eyes.
Upon entering camp, Fish's eyes almost immediately landed on the familiar figure of her best friend, River, not far away, and she bounded over, not at all unlike an excitable pup, despite the fact she was already four years old and therefore a fully grown adult. "River! River hi! What're you up to today? Didn’t get to see you and say hi before I left earlier. Guess where I just came from?" She knew the answer was obvious. Her trips to the water were no secret to her Pack, but she was bouncy and excitable, and always simply said the first thing that came to mind.
Kaden | Pup | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Kaden had wanted to sleep, but he was used to rousing himself early. It wasn’t hard, given he had no parent to curl up against. Given he'd lost his parents after he had been weaned, he hadn’t needed a replacement in order to feed him, and it had been neglected. As a result, Kade had grown quite independent, but it certainly didn’t mean that there weren’t moments he could be normal, with a mother to curl up beside, or siblings to tussle with, but such things weren’t for him, as it was. Oh well. Just a couple more days and he’d be at his third month and become a Trainee anyway, so there was no point in wishing for such things anymore, right? Still. Sometimes it was hard to see Sorin with his mother, and barely be able to remember a time when his mother had held him like that.
Kade hurriedly shook the thoughts away. He was still young, he was supposed to be out enjoying life, not worrying over such things. He pulled himself away from the den and out into the open area that made up the main area of their camp. A few wolves already out and about. All the better! He’d been watching some of them. One day, one of these wolves would be his trainer. He already knew what his path would be. Just a couple more days and he’d start his training, and in all honesty, Kade couldn’t wait to be moving forward. Staying in one place was simply not for him, a little too boring for his taste.
Cody | Hunter | L-Pack | Tagging: Phoenix | Location: Camp
Cody had heard others rousing themselves already, and she drew herself from the welcome warmth of her nest in the Hunters' den and out into open air. There was already a chill hanging thick in the air. Now it wasn’t her first winter, by any means, but Coby had certainly never found any pleasure in the cold season, even when the snow was so pretty falling on the ground and covering bushes and trees. The delight of youngsters, she was sure, but an adult wolf knew it meant the coldest part, and therefore the hardest part, of the year was only just beginning. Hopefully the snow would wait a while longer, but the rain last night was already freezing.
Spotting a familiar face not far off, Cody collected herself, grooming her fur back just enough that she figured she was presentable, and approached her friend. "Phoenix, good morning. You’re up with the sun today, aren’t you? Did Smoke wake you too?" An warm flicker in her eyes accompanied the words, tone bright and friendly. Cody really didn’t resent Smoke at all, even if she was loud and obnoxious. She was young and vibrant and figuring out where she stood. In all honesty, it was actually really good to see someone still had that kind of energy, even in the cold season.
Blizzard | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Chronos | Location: Camp
Blizzard figured he might be the only wolf in the entire Pack who wasn’t bothered by the bitter cold, and it was only because he’d been— thankfully— blessed with a thick pelt in winter. At almost five years old, he’d seen a number of winters before, he swore he must’ve been born in winter, he’d adapted so easily to the cold, yet that was impossible. Breeding season ran from spring to early summer. In fact, he was certain that was why the last litters had been so small, they’d been on the late end. Ah. No sense in overthinking what couldn’t be changed, right? Blizzard himself was no parent, so why worry?
Blizzard crossed the damp ground to join one of his fellow Warriors, nodding in greeting. Admittedly he was surprised to see someone up and willingly out of the den who didn’t absolutely have to be, so early in the morning. "Good morning, Chronos." Words spoken in a tone neither cold nor friendly, simply indifferent. Professional, perhaps, as he was with the majority of his Pack. Blizzards friends were few and far between. He still tried when he could though. "Been up long?"
Leo | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Leo huffed, blowing away cold air like it would help keep him warm. What he would do to be able to lock in some warmth. It was official. His fur was big and fluffy, but it wasn’t thick enough to offer any kind of real protection. Disappointing, really, but it was what it was, and he would just have to deal with that. He dragged himself reluctantly from the den at the sound of Smoke's loud voice cheering on the new day and urging them to wake up. Leo was a generally kind wolf, but all the same, he couldn’t help but shoot Smoke the stink-eye as he slunk out of his warm den and into cold air. Heck of a way to start the day, really, and just as he did every day, he asked himself why he still wasn’t used to this.
Denzell | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Denzell stepped out into the clearing. With his fur so thin still and winter coat not yet grown in, it was still majorly uncomfortable, but he could manage. His fur stuck up in places from tossing and turning in the night, but he didn’t even make efforts at grooming it yet. Honestly, he’d never seen the point in prettying up. These wolves had seen him at both his best and worst, so why worry so much about impressions on the same wolves he lived with 24/7? He shook himself out and headed for the prey pile, so dangerously low now. Hopefully the Hunters would be able to bring something in today and replenish their food stores as winter started to set in.
Night | Warrior | L-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Night half hid under a bush at the edge of camp. She’d been chased out of the Warrior den by Smoke's yelling, but nothing was happening yet, and she just desperately wanted to stay as warm as she could until she had to be up and moving about again. The brown and white she-wolf huffed, glancing around the camp. Boring. Everyone was always so dreadfully slow to get up in the morning. Like seriously, what was taking them so long? Was she just living in a Pack full of good for nothing slackers? Well. Go figure. Night dragged herself half out of the bush. Food stores were down. Pity. She was hungry, and she was a big and muscular wolf, she needed a lot of food to maintain that kind of size and muscle mass, but she wouldn’t be afforded such luxuries for the time being.
Uciel | Healer Trainee | L-Pack | Tagging: Terra | Location: Camp, Healer Den
"Hey Terra, I found these! The last of the season's bunch, I think. Do we have enough stored up to last for a while?" Uciel padded into the den, voice muffled by a mouthful of late-growing herbs, even if they looked to be in a bit of sad shape. That was expected though. He figured he was lucky to have found anything at all. The cold season was always harsh and cruel. This would be his second winter, and in his experience, the first hadn’t been the most wonderful experience, and the way older wolves talked about it, it seemed that they almost always dreaded the cold season. Minimal food, gentler water sources froze over, even the prey they did find was thin and meagre, wolves got sick, and with not much growing, herbs were few and far between. He couldn’t help but worry.
FIRE
Max | Alpha | F-Pack | Tagging: Enui | Location: Camp
Long after he was normally up, Max remained in his den that day. Much troubled his mind, whether it was his lack of a Beta, or how little weight Catania had put on since her sickness, even as she had grown, to his own mate's disappearance, even though it had been months ago and without word. He figured a lone wolf in Pack territory, used to Pack life…chances she was coming back were slim to none, and in a way, it had left a hole in his heart for a long time. Stopped him from doing the things he needed to, but it was time to move past the point of self-pity. There was no room for such things these days. As a Fire wolf and as an Alpha, especially, he couldn’t let something like lingering feelings get the better of him. Let his emotions get in the way.
Finally, the black furred brute pulled himself from his den though, grooming himself into looking as presentable as he could. An Alpha certainly couldn’t show up looking too ruffled by a restless night. Then he stepped outside and crossed the clearing. He’d thought far too much about what he already knew. What he’d already decided. "Enui!" He called for the she-wolf in question, nodding to her briefly as he approached. "If you have a moment— no big rush if you’ve busied yourself already— then might I have a word with you? I’d like to speak. In private if you would humour me."
Catania | Hunter | F-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Catania poked at the prey pile, ears laying back, flat against her head in disappointment. This was all they had left over from a week of hard work, hunting, more often than not failing? Well. She had chosen a heck of a time to graduate, only a couple months before the cold season had set in. A tiny whine slipped out. She knew she shouldn’t whine. She was the daughter of the Alpha, and proud of it, a princess of sorts, and such behaviour was unbecoming of her, her mother had always stressed. She couldn’t help but be just a little disheartened though by what she saw in front of her. Or rather, what she didn’t see. How little they had to sustain the majority of their Pack. As a Hunter, she had hoped she’d be able to contribute a little more than whatever this was once she had graduated, but she’d graduated right at the start of the cold season, and so far, their luck had only gone from bad to worse.
Arian | Lead Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Canary | Location: Camp
Arian had been up early, rising with the dawn as per usual. Such was only suiting of the Lead Warrior of the Fire Pack, was it not? She had to be on her toes, making sure they didn’t just have a bunch of slackers. A few of the Warriors were already up and about, and she could set herself to work. Good. The day was young, but that didn’t mean they could afford to start off the day so gently, they had to be up and ready to go, things to do. She of course had to allow her Warriors time to prepare themselves for the day and eat their breakfast if they were hungry so early in the morning, but the less standing around they did, the better, as far as she was concerned.
Spotting Canary not far away, Arian headed over towards her. Arian didn’t really have many wolves around that she would truly, genuinely consider her friends, but Canary was most certainly one of them, and she certainly did enjoy the Warrior's company. She also expected a large part of that was because she’d come to know Canary as a hard worker, and dedicated. She had trust. As someone who put high value on respect and hierarchy, seeing a hard worker, loyal and dedicated, was something that always caught Arian's attention, and with time, her respect. "Canary, good morning, my fine friend. Do you have any prior engagements this morning, or would you be so good as to join me and a couple other Warriors for a patrol by the river border?" She prompted.
Jasmin | Healer | F-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Jasmin's pale eyes scanned the slowly but steadily dwindling herb store. It certainly wasn’t reassuring, given it was still fall, just the beginning of the cold months, albeit late fall. They hadn’t even hit the snowy weather yet. She had spent the past few days desperately searching for even scraps of herbs that might remain, for she feared at this rate, they may simply not have enough to make it through winter if too many wolves were hurt or sick for whatever reason. Jasmin always liked to be prepared, so being in such a predicament certainly left her feeling just a little uneasy. She closed her eyes. No sense in wishing for what she’d been unable to change, right? Time to move forward, maybe fill Max in and ask the Warriors to take caution not to pick needless scraps. Sure, Fire wolves were known for a quick temper, but the more she looked at it, the more Jasmin realized that even if it meant sacrificing their pride a little, weren’t their lives far more important than a bit of pride? They really couldn’t afford any injuries right now.
Kassandra | Hunter | F-Pack | Tagging: Quin | Location: Camp
Kass emerged from the Hunter den and into the bitter cold, and the gust of wind that hit her full in the face first thing in the morning left a sour taste in her mouth. So it was going to be that kind of day, was it? Ah well. She wouldn’t let that ruin it for her. The day was still young and she couldn’t let being caught off-guard early on ruin an entire day, after all. She was Kass! She was strong, and adventurous, playful, and honestly, she was a beautiful wolf, even if she knew that thinking of herself in such a way was quite vain, the huntress wasn’t blind to her own selfish nature. She simply didn’t care. So what? She could have a streak of vanity. She preferred to call it self worth and confidence.
She twisted to give herself a thorough grooming. No, Kass wouldn’t be caught dead with her fur a mess. She could have spent much longer grooming, but there were things to do, and wolves to see. Ah well. Time to get on with the day ahead. Composing herself and taking a deep breath if cool, clear air in, Kass rose to her feet and headed over to Quin, a friend and a fine wolf, really. She playfully bumped against the other she-wolf's shoulder in a friendly greeting. "Hey. It's been a bit since we really sat down and talked, huh? How’re you doing?"
Kazill | Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Solomon | Location: Camp
Kazill woke up as camp started to get busy. A little later than he figured was probably ideal, but he saw Max emerge from his den not long after he himself was out. So it appeared at the very least he wasn’t the last one out. That was a little reassuring. He couldn’t get yelled at for sleeping in, then. Even so, it’d be best to get to work as soon as he could wake up a little. Before Arian came to hound him for slacking off, whether intentionally or otherwise. Kaz shook his thoughts away though. Then the massive brown furred Warrior arched his back, carefully stretching out all the muscles that were tense from a night spent tightly curled up for warmth in his nest.
May as well get out there. Upon relaxing, Kaz scanned the camp, gaze falling on the familiar figure of Solomon, not a wolf he talked to very often, particularly, but one that he liked regardless. The guy had his heart in the right place most of the time. "Hey, good morning, Solomon! It’s been a while. You up to much this…fine day?" He wasn’t sure fine day was the right way to describe it, but hey, just because the day was grey and gloomy didn’t mean he had to be, right?
Sira | Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Sira sat by the edge of camp with the last scraps of her morning meal remaining laying at her paws in front of her, but all she could do was stare out at the forest looming ahead of camp. Sometimes, she got lost in her own thoughts. It certainly wasn’t something she’d choose to go through of her own free will, but she’d made her choices back in the day, and most of the time she didn’t regret it. She was loyal, she had trained and worked hard to get to where she was now, even though it had been a lot of relearning with the ways of the Fire Pack, such a different way of training. There were still days though where she looked out at the forest and remembered that once, this had been the enemy. Once, Lightning had been home, and now, her elder sister had risen to power. Wondered what it’d be like to be under her leadership.
Sira would never for her life dream of going crawling back, pleading to be taken into the Pack that she had so willingly chosen to abandon in the first place out of nothing but sheer spite. She had found her home here, and she was happy with it. Sometimes though, the red and white Warrior couldn’t help but wonder. She’d been training to be a Hunter there, but she’d left, she’d come here, and made her home here, and erased her old self, even her old rank, to become a Fire Warrior, and she was proud of it. Enough of this. I can’t get lost in what-ifs. Sira scolded herself, tearing into the last of her meal. Not a scrap should go to waste in the cold season, and she could not afford to get herself down in her own thoughts.
Móraín | Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Tesla | Location: Camp
Having emerged from the den, and finding Arian already occupied collecting members for various patrols no doubt, Móraín took it upon herself to find out where her Trainee had gotten off to. She found him not too far off from the den and headed over that way, but not before grabbing the first thing she could off the prey pile, a squirrel, not much, but it was still something, still nutrients. A growing wolf surely needed that to grow big and strong and healthy. A suitable future Warrior for their ranks. She stopped close by and dropping it beside Tesla, nodding towards it.
"Tesla. Here, eat this if you haven’t already had your breakfast. The season is starting to get cold. This is your first winter. You’ll have to learn that in the cold season, prey is scarce, and precious. The earth is no longer as generous with us as it was in the warm months," she told him. "Unless you’ve been assigned to a patrol already, once you’ve eaten, we can head out to have a training session while the day isn’t too busy and bustling."
Acero | Warrior | F-Pack | Tagging: Open | Location: Camp
Acero had awakened long before the sun came up, and was unable to get back to sleep. Largely because of how loud Kazill could be when he started snoring. So he had made an escape after a while of trying and failing to sleep, and had drawn himself out to the main clearing and settled at the side of the camp, close to the entrance. Although the night had been more than just a little drizzly, the wet and cold was still better than the loud and frustrating, and a little sleep was better than none at all. He finally lifted his head as voices started to fill the clearing. The Pack was awake for the day.
