remade (again)

[Ashton_99]

⇥◈ᴍɪᴋᴀᴇʟ ᴀ. ʜᴀɢɢᴀʀᴅ◈⇤
⇥◈ Red Pine General ◈ He/Him ◈ Tags:Paris ◈ Location:Camp/Supply Sheds ◈⇤

They'd arrived at the small grouping of supply sheds that Mikael had planned to go through but rather than getting right to work the man leaned against one of the small buildings. He nodded in acknowledgment to the order. Putting pressure on Black Sky wouldn't be an issue. To some degree, the other pack would be too caught up in their own issues to do much in the way of retaliation. But it wasn’t them he was concerned about. Mikael phrased his next point carefully. “Black Sky might not push back much over the winter, but I don’t know if the same could be said for certain wolves among our numbers.” The Red Pine general glanced around, making sure no one was close enough to hear their conversation.

It could be argued that the pair weren’t discussing anything the rest of the pack didn’t already know but the last thing Mik wanted to do was add to the unease. He continued, “With some, their trust is tenuous at best and their resolve will only weaken as conditions get worse.”

He left Paris to think on that, finally venturing into the shed. For all he spoke Mikael said nothing of his own loyalty. Unlike many in the pack who were still adjusting, he had made his choice long ago. There was no changing his mind now. Paris would either prove to be all Mik had hoped or they would crash and burn. For him, there was very little chance for anything in between the two extremes. In contrast to his dramatic thoughts, though, he only continued to work idly in the shed.

Rifling through boxes and counting out supplies under his breath, Mik worked efficiently. This was, perhaps, the most boring part of being a pack general. The day-to-day chores were egregiously tedious and Mikael was not a patient man. He faltered for a moment when Paris continued speaking, bringing up Raime. Shoving the box he had been holding up on a shelf, Mikael clapped the dust off of his hands and slipped back out of the shed.

“I’ll check in with her today to make sure the medics have what they need.” It always set him on edge- speaking about Raime to Paris, or for that matter speaking of Paris to Raime. Mikael wasn’t an idiot. He was aware of the pair’s mutual distaste for one another. It put him in a precarious position. After years of being on his own, the two had become important figures in his life for wildly different reasons. Paris, for his strength and all he could do and Raime, for her offer of genuine kindness and warmth.

Mikael forced out a breath. He kept his gruff tone even and brute forced his way through the hint of unease in his gut. “I’m hoping we can fit in one more big supply run before the worst of the weather starts.” It was already overcast more often than not lately. Pale clouds cast odd shadows overhead. The window of time where they would be able to get in and out of the valley without issue was coming to a close and there was still much to prepare. 'Breakfast 'll have to wait then.' The corners of his mouth twitched into a frown. Mikael looked back to Paris, "We done here? I've gotta finish going through everything."

[Ashton_99]

⇺✧​ᴊᴜʟɪᴇᴛ ʟᴀᴠᴀᴜx✧⇻
⇺✧ Red Pine Hunter ✧ She/Her ✧ Tags:Antonio (mentions Torin/Atticus/Raime) ✧ Location:Camp/Medic Center ✧⇻

’Ah I didn’t even manage to get away with it for a second. Lame.’ Juliet wore an appropriately abashed expression at being caught. She was many things but an actor was not one of them so she wasn’t particularly surprised that her ruse hadn’t worked.

Mourning not having chosen a different path to get to her cabin, she crossed her arms and waited through Antonio’s inspection. The neutral expression she wore morphed into a frown when she noticed remnants of emotion on the man’s face as we worked. Juliet worked her jaw, contemplating the right words to use to ask after the emotion but the deputy medic spoke first.

The hunter shoved her hands in her pockets and resolutely avoided eye contact as she debated the merits of taking Antonio up on his offer. Who was she really even trying to impress by toughing out the most menial of injuries? That and, well, she couldn’t quite forget the sight of him distracted by his own emotion. The more empathetic part of her didn’t want to leave the older man alone to stew in his thoughts.

She didn’t need more than a moment to deliberate, smiling ruefully as she answered his question, “It's not too bad. I landed on my ankle weirdly when I was out hunting and scraped myself up. But I did get the rabbit so that’s something.” Shifting on her feet Juliet moved to give him enough room to get up. “I wouldn’t mind some help cleaning up the scrape. The last thing I need is for something this small to get infected or something.”

Completely ignoring his offer to help her get to the medical center for treatment, Juliet staggered on her own. She was already admitting defeat and getting cleaned up. That was as much as she was going to put herself out to satiate her empathetic needs. Part of her wanted to start poking at what Antonio had been thinking right away but she doubted he’d welcome the intrusion. People didn’t often enjoy someone poking around in their private business. It was unfortunate that Juliet enjoyed doing exactly that.

The grass and pine needles crunched underfoot as she trudged along at Antonio’s side. She wasn’t altogether unfamiliar with the medical center. A decent chunk of her free time was spent there drawing quietly or talking with Raime about art. The combination of smells- both herbal and sterilized- was familiar as they stepped in. Juliet found a place to sit, idly she noted who else was around. Raime, Torin, and Atticus were all grouped in one place and that was interesting for lack of a better term. The group was not one Juliet would necessarily pick out to be around one another but given the scent of blood in the air it was obvious something more was happening there. But, as she was currently involving herself with whatever it was Antonio had going on she decided it was rather not her business.

Instead, she turned back to watch Antonio. “So,” she started, not sure where she was going with her sentence, “what have you been up to lately?” Juliet winced at her own words. ’Oh that was great. Fantastic start. Good job Juliet.’ That was why she usually tried to avoid small talk like the plague it was. Despite enjoying spending time with others she’d never been particularly gifted with charisma. It was truly her Achilles heel.

[senna_]

𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎
↳ 28 . he/him . black sky patroller . location: black sky cabin . tags: jeazhoni, adam

Physically, little movement had occurred between the both of them, but emotionally, there was enough activity to provoke a natural disaster. Brooks could tell that Jeazhoni’s wolf was just as antsy as his own. For what reason? What was it that was prodding at the creature? Hatred, bitterness, desire, shame? For Brooks, he felt like a distant fool. Yes, he was indeed sharing the same space with her, standing on the same tiles and sharing the same air, but it truly felt like he was floating in midair, unable to control the sensations that surged throughout his body. He was present, but at the same time, far from it. He couldn’t wrap his head around the cause of such a feeling.

Silence following the last few words struck them hard, similar to the uneasiness that blanketed the forest grounds after the collapse of an old tree. The lingering quietness didn’t feel like they were in a lecture-based situation. If anything, it felt like he had just picked at her brain and was now granting her the time she needed to sculpt an appropriate response. Jeazhoni’s brain was beautiful; her creativity had always amazed him. She was logical, realistic, whereas he had once wrapped himself in the world of idealism. As youngsters, she was the brains and he was the one who ensured she remained planted on the ground. Lovestruck in different forms. And yet — somehow — they fit.

It was evident that Jeazhoni still held that pride dear to her. Brooks, while still the softer of the two, grew into the notion of also grounding himself into the reality of the world. His sunshine was sheltered amongst a swirl of misty clouds. Despite being so far apart, he somehow felt closer to her than ever. Perhaps now, he had split that bridge in half with his almost-sarcastic choice of words. Was he straying too close to the den entrance of memory lane? They weren’t pups anymore. Life meant business. He hadn’t meant to offend, but rather offer it up as a joke, but he genuinely wasn’t sure if Jeazhoni would catch onto that. Did she still loathe him? Part of Brooks wanted to say no, for she surely wouldn’t have stuck around for this long, but uncertainly was rooted too far down for him to immediately jump to that hopeful assumption.

There did seem to be a fleeting “what if?” moment when Brooks caught sight of a twinkle in her dark eyes. The playfully smug look that fell across her features reminded him of when they were kids, and for a second, he seemed to fall right into a trace. Distant laughter echoed in his head at the gathering memories of all those many times she shot him such a look — it often showed after she showed him up in one way or another. Unknowingly, the boyish smile that never seemed to fade in their younger days had comfortably found its way onto his lips. Was there any point in lying? He wasn’t ashamed to agree or disagree. Words were just words, right?

“Always staring,” he returned lightly, shrugging his shoulders innocently in a “you caught me… what can I say?” type of way. That really wasn’t a lie. Regardless of what sort of feeling was attached to it, Brooks was always very aware of her presence when she was near him. Then again, he seemed to be on high alert in general; it was rare for him to not get at least a general sense of the placement of the pack’s pawns. The game was never over. “It’s hard to ignore your presence.”

He stood then, not in a cocky way, but certainly because he was digging himself deeper into this. His eyes remained locked with hers, and his head tilted just slightly, as if to examine her for the first time since they started talking. “You’re hard to ignore,” he continued. A wave of her familiar scent hit him, perking up the beast within him yet again. Longing desire was battling hesitation, and while the angel on his shoulder was warning him to stop where he was, that boyish energy within him had reached too far out. His gaze softened as he watched her. I miss you. It was on the tip of his tongue, but it couldn’t pop over the barrier. Still, Brooks inched closer. He wanted to comb his fingers through her hair the way he used to, lay her head against his chest, kiss her temple, and murmur until she fell asleep. He craved her warmth, her comfort. It was a dangerous game to play. He had gotten close to her — so close — that their breaths synced, the rhythm of their heartbeats as one. Or so it felt. Brooks’ eyes darted across her face. “It’s hard to ignore you when you’re always so close,” he murmured. That was safe, right? She could take it different ways. Physically in the same pack, or the fact that she lingered on his mind so often.

He had inched so much closer to the door that he could feel its chilled draft touch his skin. Movement caught his eye, and at last second, Brooks perked up like a dog whose name had just been called, gaze sharply shooting towards the porch. “Adam.” The name rolled of his tongue in a whisper-like way, almost in a sigh of relief. His eyes quickly glanced at Jeazhoni once more, as if in silent apology, but grabbed the door a bit too eagerly. His hands were slick with sweat and shaky — one would think he just downed five cups of coffee. The beat of his heart was so intense that it caught him off guard. Two more seconds and what would have happened? What had happened there?

Brooks almost seemed to lunge towards the outdoors, inhaling the cool autumn air as if the oxygen had been stolen from his lungs. “Adam,” he called out, in a tone much louder than the first time. His face flushed at the sight of the Patroller Captain. He stood still for a moment, seemingly fixated by the way Adam moved as the axe clutched in his hands split the wood in front of him perfectly in half. He was anxious to glance back at Jeazhoni, but lingered on the porch for a moment later. “Good morning! What’s the plan for today? I’m all yours.”

[senna_]

𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐙
↳ 21 . she/her . black sky hunter . location: black sky camp (near patrol cabin) . tags: cherry

The moment Faline had stepped up towards Cherry, she was starting to second-guess herself. The brunette didn’t dare to connect gazes, suggesting she was far from pleased to see Fae’s presence. Fingers tangled with one another as a burst of heat flushed her cheeks. Cherry had every reason to feel that way, truly. Even now, Faline felt on edge; her father’s voice lingered in the back of her mind. His shadowed figured raised a red flag. Disapproval flooded through her body, as if he was standing right there alongside her. Young Faline had never quite understood the reason for her father’s distaste for the Patrollers, especially Cherry herself. Present Day Faline understood it perfectly, and was determined to prove him wrong, regardless if he would physically be there to see it or not.

Cherry and Fae were opposites. Opposites attract. Cherry had an admirable spark to her that crafted a cunning smile and a confidence stance. She was the one always dragging Faline into trouble with her. Faline was the one to yank them out of it. Things were different now. Cherry had the reins and Faline watched from afar, unable to have a say in whether the woman would crash or drive on. Cherry never seemed to crash, though. Even if things didn’t go as planned, the quick-witted woman always managed to spin it around to work in her favour. She always took the winding roads. Faline was most comfortable rolling down the simple path. She supposed she had spontaneously veered off onto another trail, acting against the demands of the Valez family. She didn’t care. She missed Cherry, regardless of whether or not those feelings were mutual.

“Seems it,” Fae hummed in return, keeping her stance casual. She kept her hands behind her back in a relaxed position. She hadn’t approached with the intention of acting like a threat. “I could be better. But such is life.” Her lips turned upward in an attempt to lighten the mood, although she wasn’t too sure Cherry would even catch it. If it was anyone else, Fae would’ve snapped her fingers at them and directed their attention onto herself, but Cherry had the right to act the way that she was. If anything, Faline was the one stepping outside the lines.

Her eyes grazed over her old friend once more, watching the way those dark eyes captured every small movement in the camp. Like a hawk, she was. “You’ve captured the autumn aesthetic perfectly,” she continued with a ghostly laugh, nodding her head in the direction of the mug Cherry was holding. “How very artistic.” Her smile lingered for a second longer before fading, and her head tilted back down towards the dirt beneath her feet. “How are things with…” She paused a second, waving her hand around as if searching for the right word. “…Patrolling and all that?”

[Spiritstar3]

Night Song/ Night- m- 20 years- Black Sky trainee/new member- Homosexual; Lynx- open for a mate- wants to adopt kids or have a surrogate one day- Corr x Tani (both missing) : Day (back in Thailand with mate)- Tags: Amethyst (mentions: Maria)

The white toed dark wolf shook himself, and smiled a wolf smile as he looked around. He twitched his ears and flicked his tail. He blinked his eyes a couple times, then looked to Amethyst. He noticed she'd been watching Maria, as the other went off. He shook his head a couple times. She seemed annoyed at the younger female for some reason. He tilted his head a bit as he thought on this a moment. He then shook his head a couple times, before focusing fully on her.

He giggled a bit, in his own head of course, then let out a small sigh. He dipped his head to the much older female. He then raised his head back up, and shook it a couple times. In fact, he ended up shaking his whole body. He tilted his head again, as he just watched her a moment. He barked again, then blinked at himself and turned human again. "I...just wondered if you'd want to hang out, or maybe you could show me some hunting. We could even go looking for Blake. He's...your friend, right?" he asked her. "He probably thinks all the young wolves don't care. I do like both of you, and honestly you're more fun then most of the younger wolves. They've already all got their friend groups and stuff..." he sighed.


Rona Blake- f- 24 years- Red pine hunter- Pan; open- open for a mate, wants to have or adopt kids one day- Rome x Rena: Roa and Rana, Ryland and Rene and Reem- had a dog when she was younger- Tags: Carter

The reddish-cream/golden female flicked her white tipped tail again. The white muzzled one let golden eyes wander, as she slowed to a trot. She sniffed the air a bit, then shook her head. She looked around a bit more, then stopped. She phased back human, and decided to go back into the cabin. She knew some of the others were definitely in there. She was right, as she found one of the patrollers in there. She knew his name to be Carter, though they hadn't interacted much, yet.

She hummed a small sound as she approached the messy haired one. She noticed he'd been looking in the fridge. He didn't seem happy about the food he'd found in there. She didn't know why, considering they themselves were humans. They just happened to be able to turn into wolves. Shaking her head, she said "Good morning, Carter." She paused a moment, then offered him a small smile. "Do you...would you like me to hunt something for you, like a rabbit or something?"

[Queen of flames]

“Sean Taillows ♂
Red pine pack patroller captain”
Tags: Paris, Mikael

He enjoyed the views when he saw smoke coming near the forest line, getting to his wolf form he got closer to see what it was. Ears perking he peeked at the place and saw some humans gathering near their so-called camping place, which he thought to be long abandoned, but maybe not. Those humans seemed pretty young so they were maybe just camping at their own risk, the packs were forbidden to attack any humans, so he carefully left the camping place and run back to the camp. He turned back to his human form as he walked to the camp's front door and got inside the house.

His eyes looked over to the alpha, seeing him with the general which was pretty good as he could maybe inform either of them "Morning Paris, Mikael" he called out with a gentle nod as he approved the two males "I need to inform you about something I saw, it's nothing bad, but I think it's best not to stay unsaid" he called out for them as he looked over them.

“Carter Taillows ♂
Red pine pack patroller”
Tags: Rona

He turned to the female at the kitchen door "Hmm, hunt for me? How generous, but that could be too much" he responded to her with a sight "If you want to hunt you could do it for the pack, not for me..." he kept saying. He walked past the female as he walked over to the living room and sat on the sofa there, it was not the most comfortable, but he didn't mind, as everything didn't seem comfortable in his human form. Now he started to understand why those humans were so picky about stuff, the colors, the texture, and even the smells needed to be right for them to be happy about things.

He looked over to the hunter there, as he stood up "I am going to ask someone if I am allowed to go to the town...there is that new restaurant and I want to taste their products" he said to her. He know that going to the town was risky, but as far as he stayed in his human form and kept putting off problems the trip could get just fine.


“Angelique Ingrid ♀
Red pine pack trainee”
Tags: open

She was in her room, grooming her long hair, which did feel like rather a waste of time when nobody even saw it really, even if she walked there naked they could see anything then why could she waste time making her human body look better? She sighed and looked in the mirror 'In the end, I just do all this for fun? I am not doing it for my pack just to pass time here, alone...' she thought to herself sighing again "Kind of sad..." she muttered out of her breath, silently.

After making up and choosing the clothes she wanted to use today, she left her room. Sighing she looked through the silent hallways, but all the noise come to the main room, which was nothing original. She walked down the stairs and looked toward the kitchen, but she knew there could not be anything interesting to eat and she was not that hungry anyway. She could eventually lose some weight, as she felt like she was getting fat, and even if others could say another way she didn't believe them.

She walked to the second door, which brings to the backyard, she enjoyed being there and there was nice to run in her wolf form, the human's form was pretty clumsy and she got tired faster with that form. She turn to her wolf form and started her morning run around the large backyard.
_____
“Beatrice Blackstars ♀
Black sky pack deputy medic”
Tags: open

She entered the building again looking around all those werewolves here and there, but still, she didn't find the one she was looking for, the medic 'where she is? did she leave to collect something earlier or what's going on?' she thought to herself as she kept watching around, but didn't see her anywhere. She sighed as she decided to get back to her room she didn't know what else to do at the moment, maybe she could ask if anyone needed any help with something, but everyone seemed so busy that she kind of let the questioning others pass away. Slowly she get to her room and fell on her bed looking at the ceiling

“Blake Silva ♂
Black sky pack patroller”
Tags: open

The black long-haired male left the building at the backdoor earlier, he walked to the forest and enjoyed the weather. The general or the patroller captain could not need him anywhere, they had a few more patrollers to tease at, and he could not be one of their minds at all. Now as he thought about it he was not very close with any of them, they were so young too so they could even understand each other anymore when he was the oldest one of the pack 'forgot the elder...' he thought to himself with a smile as he keeps walking forward.

Actually, he didn't have any clue where he was even going just walking whenever the path takes him, the path was going another way of the Red Pine packs borders so he didn't need to worry to pass that border either. He thought about his friend Amethyst for a moment, who was pretty angry for no reason yesterday evening. For her, all those years now felt like a dagger to the heart, she was getting older by a year, but still, she seemed not to know what she was supposed to do or what she was supposed to look at. He shook his head and sighed 'Well I could love some adventures too. something to happen?' he thought to himself and watched as some leaves fall down in the wind.

“Amethyst Bellatrix ♀
Black sky pack hunter”
Tags: Night

She listened to the younger male, sighing when he started to talk something about care and stuff "It's not that, we're not afraid about who cares for us and who don't, you're still young Night, you want to be seen and hear by others, that normal for a young age, but as older you get the more you like to be just by yourself, alone just enjoy the silence and look after other without trying to get their attention" she responded to him "Yes, Blake is my friend, so I know that he loves to his solo walks around our lands...that's nothing to do with you much younger wolves" she kept saying to him.

She did know too that Blake was adventurous nature, so far he was being loyal to the pack, but she knows that he wanted to adventure around the lands to see and experience new things, but he was stuck with these may be too small lands to suck a large pack.

She sighed once again "I don't mind doing some hunting, but I am not going to be your mentor, you could have at least the basics down about the hunting so...I assume you have at least some knowledge about hunting right?" she kept asking him "We could look for other hunters too, and tell the hunter captain if we're heading out, but I am not really seen him this morning..." she said with an annoyed sight.

[Spiritstar3]

Night Song/ Night- m- 20 years- Black Sky trainee/new member- Homosexual; Lynx- open for a mate- wants to adopt kids or have a surrogate one day- Corr x Tani (both missing) : Day (back in Thailand with mate)- Tags: Amethyst (mentions: Blake)

The dark haired boy tilted his head a bit as he looked at her, hearing the sigh. He himself sighed, yet nodded other as she spoke. "Well...I'm glad to know we haven't been like...ostracizing or upsetting him. Walking alone...does sound nice once in awhile," he said. He glanced around a moment, then shook his head. He hummed a small sound, then. He thought about walking, and adventures, and other such things. He then shook his head a couple times, and focused on her once more.

He nodded as he said "I...yes, we've gotten some training so far. I know at least a bit of how to hunt, and can catch smaller things so far." He didn't know if he wanted to be a hunter or patroller. He could go either way, either worked for him. He then looked up again, as she mentioned getting others. She also spoke of telling the hunter captain. However, she said she hadn't seen him yet...and Night said "That's a problem..." He then said "We could at least start gathering some hunters."


Rona Blake- f- 24 years- Red pine hunter- Pan; open- open for a mate, wants to have or adopt kids one day- Rome x Rena: Roa and Rana, Ryland and Rene and Reem- had a dog when she was younger- Tags: Carter

The she wolf hummed a small sound as she looked at him. She sighed but nodded, knowing she needed to do the hunting for the whole pack. "Well...I don't know if there's a hunting party planned. I haven't really seen anyone else today...or hears anything," she said. She watched as he then went to the sofa. She shook her head a couple times, but didn't stop him. She watched him sit there and seem to think. She shook her head a couple times, and glanced around.

She hummed a small sound as she continued to stand there. She didn't know why she wanted to hang out with him; well, maybe because he wasn't bad. She tilted her head as he looked to her again. When he spoke to her, she wondered if he wanted her to go with him. Shrugging, she decided to ask. "Do you...want me to go with you?" she asked. Maybe he just felt the need to tell her he was going. Seeing as she'd asked if he wanted her to catch him some food or anything.

[bigwig.]

𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐈𝐄
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ red pine patroller ✧ location: red pine camp ✧ tags: valencia (torin ment.)
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Mack smiled at Valencia's spirit; the younger girl had a way of lighting up her surroundings no matter what. It was something Red Pine could use more of lately - things weren't the best, but the dour moods of the superiors didn't make things any better. Of course, they had all been through a lot; it would take a while before they got used to feeling safe and secure in one place again. It was good to be back, though, even if this wasn't the same exact place Mack had known as his home. He laughed lightly when she joked about eating bugs, knowing fully well she wasn't being serious. She was a hunter, after all, although insects wouldn't make much of a meal - they were much too small. Mack might eat one, just to see what it was like. Or, if someone dared him too, he of course wouldn't be able to say no. Some people might make fun of him for it, but at least it would be entertaining, no? Well, that was all purely theoretical.

Bug hunting wasn't actually on his agenda for the day, nor was it on Val's. Nevertheless, she continued joking around with him, despite the relative grimness of his assessment. "Very behind schedule." He chuckled faintly. "Think they're having trouble finding the place." Just like Valencia's, it was a joke - but a joke similarly tinged with anxiety. Everyone in the pack knew that winter was coming fast, and with it the harsh weather would bring scarcity, cold, and darker things like sickness. It had never been pleasant for White Peak, whose territory had been further up in the mountains, but they had simply grown used to it. They'd never faced a situation like this. But it was at least better to be here than out there. Now they had consistent shelter at the very least, a place to stay, which was one less worry.

Mack returned his attention to Valencia quickly, finding her looking somewhat distracted as well. He tried to subtly follow her gaze to see where she was looking, and saw her eyes pointed towards the medical cabin. Or maybe she was just looking at Torin. The other woman seemed hurried as she made her way to the medical center; hopefully nothing was wrong. He didn't think much of Val looking at her, though. He figured her eyes were just wandering, and if she was staring, well, that was none of Mack's business - mostly, at least. He knew Valencia and Torin were close friends, but didn't really speculate on whether or not there was anything more to it. It would feel silly to ask, though. Val was probably much better at that kind of romantic stuff than he was, anyway.

What were they doing again? Valencia snapped back to attention and gave him a joking salute. Funny, considering she was technically of a higher rank than him! "Ah, I'm not captain material." He answered bashfully, toeing the line between being genuine and just being facetious. To tell the truth, he wasn't sure what he was best kept busy doing; he didn't like to bother Mikael, who had a lot on his plate and was usually busy, and he definitely didn't want to bother Paris, who no doubt also had a lot to do. "Well, if you're not busy, I suppose we could take some weight off Mik's shoulders and clean up the place. I know there's a few cabins that still need weatherproofing, moss that needs removing from roofs, and the like." He suggested, with vague gestures towards the places he knew needed the most work. Thankfully, it was late fall, so trimming back foliage or pulling weeds weren't on the agenda - for the time being.

Mack turned back to Valencia, before breaking into a small smile once more. "Or, if that's not up your alley, I suppose it's never to early to see if we could head out on another patrol." He said. Most of the patrollers were seeing quite a bit of work thrown their way, with the leader and the general keeping quite a strict regimen of training and patrolling. Mack didn't mind, though; it kept him occupied.

[ᴮᴸᵁᴱ]

♢ 𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧
♢ | red pine hunter | he/him | location: red pine camp | tags: n/a, open
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arden was usually an early riser; ❝the early bird catches the worm❞ , and what not. the feeling of waking up before the sun had even risen was simply unmatched, in his opinion. today was different for him, though, as he woke up hours later than he normally did. probably due to the late night reading; it had become an unhealthy habit for him recently. when he finally awoke from his deep and much needed sleep, arden's brain took a little longer than his body to wake up. as he realised how late it was, his hazel eyes widened, his heart began beating at a hundred miles an hour, and his body immediately kicked into gear. while nothing specific, to his knowledge at least, was happening today, he still felt that sleeping in was a complete violation of his role in the pack. arden hated the feeling of being useless to his peers and often put 150% into every single thing he did due to this, but- while it benefited the pack - it did cause his body to weaken significantly over time.

once he'd gotten out of bed he threw on his clothes - some slightly roughed up dark jeans and a loose fitting shirt - he turned to his hiking boots and quickly slipped them on. it seemed that everyone was up and at it, which only made arden feel more guilty. what if something had happened and he could've helped? what if he missed orders? lots of scenarios went racing through his mind as he got himself ready to leave the cabin. 'just.. just get yourself together and get out there!' he thought to himself, quite literally shaking the anxiety-inducing thoughts away. once he had finally gotten himself outside, he realised that.. nothing was really happening. everything seemed so normal, laid back. the panic quickly left his poor mind and he became calm and happy. it wasn't difficult to change a bad mood into a good one for arden- it never had been. one of his greatest qualities, in his mind. looking around, arden couldn't see that he was needed anywhere, so instead, he ducked back inside the cabin to grab a book and simply sat outside to read.

[bigwig.]

𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌 𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃
🐺 ✧ he/him ✧ black sky patroller captain ✧ location: black sky camp ✧ tags: brooks
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No sooner had he decided to wrap up his woodcutting than Adam was greeted by the presence of Brooks, one of his patrollers, lingering in front of one of the cabins. He had not quite heard the other man calling out to him at first, too lost in his own little world, but was glad now to hear his voice. The eager demeanor with which he presented himself on this morning was pleasant, feeling almost youthful - although Adam knew Brooks was only a few years his junior. He often found himself dwelling on it, though. Thinking of Brooks as young was a way for Adam to distance himself. He avoided the thought of them being close, even in age. It wasn't that he didn't want to be close to Brooks - no, so much of him did, but he pushed away from it almost as an instinct. A way of martyring himself? Perhaps. Or perhaps something else. Some instinct too ingrained into him for him to even really delineate it, a thought pressed flat far beneath all his others.

Adam didn't like to stir up those thoughts. Feelings clouded a person's judgement, and someone like him needed to remain fair and objective. Before he was Brooks' friend, or any of his patrollers' friend, he was their commanding officer.

Brooks was flushed, faintly, a look about him like he'd just been cornered. Adam was concerned, dark brown eyes roaming Brooks with a sharpness about his gaze. He was flustered; Adam could almost hear the fervid beat of his heart from here. It made him seem vulnerable. He glanced back at the cabin Brooks had emerged from for only a split second. He didn't want to speculate on what had been going on, although a protective instinct nagged at him to pry. Deep down inside, he already knew the answer. And it was yet another place he didn't want to go to.

He managed to remain silent, focusing on Brooks' upbeat greeting rather than worrying about the tiny details of the way he looked, wondering if something had happened. The longer he lingered there, the more it hurt, a stabbing pain of something he didn't want to call jealousy. It seemed almost that Brooks himself relished in this same kind of hurt, found it addictive. Lovesickness was like sweet poison. But he was just chasing cars - running after something endlessly with no idea what he'd even do if he caught it. It was all in the thrill of longing.

Adam would do well to heed his own advice in that regard. Taking a deep breath, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "I think we ought to go out on patrol soon." He suggested, more impulsively than he would have liked. But he was restless, still feeling agitated, with negative thoughts fluttering in the back of his mind. Near midday was not as common for a patrol; usually, they went out in the morning and the evening, giving themselves a bit of a break throughout the middle of the day. Too much rigor in their schedule would only serve to leave them exhausted. It was in fact one of the few things Adam considered Black Sky to have going for them - Red Pine's relentlessness would eventually wear them out. Of course, Adam was suggesting that his own pack do essentially the same thing - if only once. "As long as Jeazhoni has no objections." Adam continued. Ultimately, the general had the final say over when things like patrols went out. He knew it would be a touchy subject, but he wouldn't defy her orders.

Quick to keep them from dwelling on the subject, he continued, "I just think we ought to stay on our guard." in a gruff voice.