Starscream & Others

It was early in the morning, two hours before the sun would crest the horizon and light up the hilly home of the Aspen Grove pack. It was the time of day where everything was silent and still, with hardly a breeze to part the fog that hung between the birch trees. Cortinarri lay wide awake, staring through the misty darkness around the den site, watching as Darling groomed the fur over Starwhisper's back. A few yards away from them, Sentalia was gnawing on a leg bone from the zorse that had been taken down three days ago. Their wasn't any meat left on it, but the youngster was more focused on strengthening her jaws than feasting - after all, Luna Moth had provided the pack with more than enough meat to fill their bellies, and with the talk of war being whispered amongst the adults, the brave daughter of Tay and Starscream was determined to show she was tough enough to help defend the pack.

Cortinarri shifted her head after a few minutes, now looking to account for Liseli again. Between her and In'Alak, the ex-alphess had been worried whether or not the two would pull through, or whether shock or infection would take them. Alak, at least, had rebounded fairly quickly, to the point that he had patrolled a short section of the territory last night. Starscream hadn't let his injuries slow him down either; a pronounced limp still impacted his gait, but the alpha was constantly surveying their land, marking borders, and keeping at least one member on patrol at all times.

In the early hours of today, Star was standing on the outskirts of the den site, speaking quietly with Namir and Keap.

Kurok & Others

Kurok had wondered the borders of the territory with is brother Torek covering his flank. The two were just now returning to the den site. Everything has remained quietHe spoke towards starscream as he came to rest by the alpha male.

Torek went and laid down next to tay and began grooming his sister. The pups were getting so big now. They were all weaned and were getting bigger and bigger.

Megatron the son of Starscream and Tayzeka had his own leg bone and was chewing on it while sitting right by his father. He wanted to be just like his father whether it would be to take over this pack or another only time would tell as he got older. He was practically pressed right up against star scream.

Fierra meanwhile was chasing her own tail.

Hulia was grooming Sakura dispiste her young pups protesting.

Gwen was laughing at her.

Kaina*Others

"You're so good with them." The soft voice was Kaina's, as she smiled vaguely, watching Darling groomed her younger half-sibling. She hadn't violated the sanctity of the den, not about to invade there when things were so tense and the mothers had their pups to tend to, but she had made her resting place relatively close to the den, as a show of protection for whatever her small frame was worth, and with herself awake in these wee hours, she couldn't resist the urge to speak to Darling. She'd had the urge, ever since she'd met Starscream, to get to know the daughter that he so treasured, and she'd never had the opportunity. Her ear twitched back, subtly accounting for the sound of Liseli as she huffed out a heavy breath; the beta had been asleep the past couple of hours, and it had been a fitful rest for her. Kaina's soft silver ears swiveled to the quiet shhhhhh as Liseli shifted positions... and then settled back to sleep, sighing a little and relaxing again. Once the beta was quiet and sleeping soundly again, Kaina went on, "It's been so long since I've been around pups; this is the first time I've seen one up close in... several years." Her nose twitched, taking in the scents of all the pups and all the adults in the den. But even with that attention on them, Darling might still note that Kaina's ears were constantly on the move, listening to the beta male and his brother as they came back, and to Cortinarri as the old female looked around herself. She was consistently aware of all that was going on around her; that was why she was useful, in her position so close to the den.

Starscream & Others

Starwhisper was taking to her bath with much less protest than her younger cousin. The soft-gray female was enjoying it in fact, and even tilted her head up so that Darling could focus on grooming the fur around the front of her shoulder and throat. For Darling, this simple routine not only aiding her little sister and reinforced their bonds, but it also gave the wolfess a sense of purpose, and a relaxing activity to keep her mind calm. She smiled at Kaina's compliment, and spoke back after a few moments, "There's something about a pup that draws me in. Besides that, I think Tay and Hulia deserve a break from their duties now and then." The shy female didn't look to Kaina, but Starwhisper frowned a little and looked up at her sibling, then fleeting passed a glance to Kaina, "I'm not a puppy anymore. Dad said I can start practice hunting next month." Darling only smiled further at the half-hearted protest, and went on cleaning the youngster's fur. She didn't even pause when noise came from Liseli, though she did perk her ears and shoot the beta a look tinged with worry. Kaina proved adept at handling the older fae, which was noted by Darling and Cortinarri, with silent approval. After a few more moments of silence, and no further unrest from their beta, Darling carried on, "With as many young ones as we have in the pack, every bit of help counts." In her own words, Darling invited the newest member of the pack to help with the pups, without being too direct with it - that simply wasn't part of her personality, nor did Darling have a particularly high ranking in the pack, with her quieter, submissive attitude.

In the past few days, Star had kept himself busy with patrols, and also delivering strict orders for the pups to remain either in the den, or within sight of it; Sentalia had proven a bit difficult to keep in line, but Megatron was perhaps the most domineering of them all. In the early morning hours, he was content to have his son sit beside him now and play with the bone, but when it came time for Star to leave the den site next, he would have to give the youngster a sternly worded lecture to make sure he stayed behind. "No scent of the Haunters? Good, good..." The alpha nodded at Kurok's report, "I can't imagine what's holding them back, but it's given us some time to recoup. The horse is nearly picked clean now though; we'll need to organize a hunting party by tomorrow and secure more food for the pack."

Kurok

Kurok listened as he sat down and tilted his head. I've heard whispers amongst the birds but I don't know if its the truth but supposidly the leadership has changed, Greyfell no longer rules them. It seems a tigeress by the name of Senka now leads them. But it isn't confirmed it were the rooks that were over by the east end.He said sitting down.

Torek had dozed off.

Megatron hated when his father made him stay. He wanted to follow his father every where and next time, He would, he defy his father if he had. Plus if his sister was right and she along with them would be going on the next hunt then it was only fair that he could follow his father on his patrol's. If trouble occured he'd willingly run back to the den like the devil was at his heals if he had to. He chewed the bone growling as he did so.

Fierra finally got tired of chasing her tail and ran over to her sister and Darling.MY TURN she said wanting Darling to clean her since they were sisters. She nipped her sisters ear to try and get her to move.

Tayzeka smiled at Darling glad that she willingly without being asked to helped.And your help is greatful as would yours be if you want to KainaShe spoke softly.perhaps starwhisper will let you groom her since Fierra insists on Darling's attention now?SHe said.

Hulia finished cleaning Sakura letting the young one go before grabbing Gwen and beginning to groom her. Gwen actually fell asleep while being groomed.

Sakura watched Starscream's tail. She had always been wondering where her own father had vanished too. Word had it he was dead but she wouldn't believe it. She pounced on his tail at the last moment.

Sylar and Arcadia

The white wolfess and her silvery black daughter had left the packlands for a few days in search of Kaiser. Sylar had spent time after her long absence re-bonding with her family and pack, and once her place within the Aspen Grove had been comfortably re-established, she had decided to seek out her mate to check on him. He had not been seen by the pack for a long time, and she had been worried; the trip to seek him had been for her own benefit, to put her mind at rest. Arcadia, who had reintegrated herself back into the pack fully since her mother's return, had gone with Sylar to find her father. She hoped she could take any news to Magadan when she next went to see her brother, knowing he had felt the injustice of Kaiser's dethronement too greatly to stay with his bloodpack.

Crossing the border, the pair immediately picked up on the scent on Haunter, and Sylar did not need to glance at her daughter to see the same fear she felt grip Arcadia. They wasted no time in racing into the territory, tracking the scents of their pack through the misty morning to find them gathered near the den-site. Sylar called out to her packmates, her voice full of worry, to announce their arrival. They did not stop running until they came right up close to their family, and were relieved to see almost everyone accounted for, and with nothing too ghastly confronting them at first glance.

"What happened?! We smelled Haunter!" Sylar cried anxiously, her amber eyes flashing round each wolf to check them over, before finally fixing on Starscream for an explanation. Arcadia padded more towards the den itself, her expression equally as anxious, and she seemed most concerned when looking at the sleeping Liseli.

Kaina*Others

Darling's quiet, clearly submissive nature struck a chord in Kaina; she remembered what Starscream had subtly hinted at, about the young female's life - to Kaina, it seemed that Darling had lacked a mother figure she'd always wanted, and indeed had witnessed that she was extraordinarily submissive, particularly to other females. She couldn't know the true extent of what Nachi had done to her daughter, and yet there were signs left to tell the tale. The silver fae had resolved not to speak about that to Darling though, knowing it was really none of her business, and so she instead addressed Starwhisper's protest, when the pup voiced one. "Of course, dear... I'm sorry. As I said, it's been a long time since I've been around pups. Even almost-grown ones like yourself. I'm a bit out of practice." Truth be told, Starwhisper wasn't really 'almost grown'... but she did know that it was likely the little female believed that she was. Still, she hesitated some at Darling's suggestion that she would be welcome to come help them with the pups, not because she did not believe it to be a genuine offer, but because it had been so long, and plus... what would the mothers think? Tayzeka cleared that up for her only a moment later though, and Kaina let out a breath, allowing herself to relax a little, and tip of her tail to sway ever so slightly. "Well, I can hardly argue with that, now can I?" She replied pleasantly, and then trotted over to select a place close to Darling - but she didn't reach right away for Starwhisper, instead creating an open place between her front paws for the growing female in an inviting way, proving that she was not going to insist that the pup come to her. At the same time, her ears were moving again, this time hearing the approach of Sylar - she'd met the female before, and the former alphess had been kind to her, but she wasn't going to hop up and interfere with her talk with her brother, especially when her input had not been invited.

Starscream & Others

A change in leadership amongst the Haunters came as a surprised to Starscream. He honestly didn't know much about the pack or their leaders, but he took this news in a cautiously optimistic light, "If their hierarchy was disrupted, that may be the reason they've not attacked us yet. We can only hope that the change in leadership continues to play out in our favor." The alpha looked up at the branches above him, without expecting to see the black-feathered birds that Kurok had mentioned. Sure enough, nothing greeted his sight save for a cardinal, and he knew better than to try and get the brightly-colored bird's attention. "If you can find the rooks again, see if you can't get more information from them; maybe offer them food, or something." Star was never a big fan of seeking out other species for help, and only trusted Namir on account of his mother, but these were desperate times. He was just looking back to the cougar, in fact, when his sister's voice sounded in the distance. He and Keap immediately turned in the howl's direction, while Darling, Cortinarri, Sentalia, and Starwhisper momentarily paused to do the same.

Relief was etched over the alpha's expression when his sister and niece came into view. He stepped forward to meet her, with a few cautionary sniffs and an anxious look over to make sure she wasn't wounded. Finding no marks on her body to suggest she'd tangled with the Haunters, Starscream heaved out the breath he'd been holding, "Cavan is what happened. He found out about.. Nachi." The alpha wrinkled his nose subtly and glanced to the northeast, where his mate's remains still lay. "He brought a small war party with him, and we just barely managed to drive them back." The wounds Star bore across his body stood in testament to the brief but heated battle that had taken place, while the deep gouges on Liseli's muzzle showed where Cavan had tried to smother the life out of his old adversary. "Glider ran off after them during their retreat, and was killed. And Mikomi-" The alpha hesitated, and where he was hesitant to deliver the news, Keap was not. "She killed herself." Starscream parted his jaws to say something else, but closed them without uttering a word. A sudden pressure batting against his tail had the big male whirling around to see Sakura as the culprit. "Go play with your siblings." He murmured to the youngster, not in an unfriendly way, but in a very distracted manner all the same; Star was not in a mood for playing right now, unfortunately for the youngster.

Nor was he particularly happy to see a third figure pad into the clearing a few moments after his sister and niece. Kaiser had returned.

Closer to the den, Starwhisper was the first to return her attention back to Kaina. Her tail wagged merrily, swatting against Darling's side with every lively swing, "I've been practicing my hunting a lot, too. Do you want to see how good I can shake that bone over there?" "When your done with your bath, you can show her." Darling temporarily quashed her sister's plans, but did it in a gentle enough voice that Whisper didn't protest. She tilted her head up again so that her throat could be cleaned... and suddenly found Fierra nipping at her ear and demanding her place. "Hey, it's not your turn!" Whisper protested, even as she was scampering back and giving way to her sibling's authority. The little female definitely took more after her big sister than anything, though at least she wasn't afraid to voice her displeasure at being pushed around. Darling was hesitant to intervene, and thankfully didn't have to when Tayzeka and Kaina came to the rescue, offering a compromise that would see both of the pups cleaned without any fighting. "Alright Fierra, lets see if you've gotten into any burrs..." Meanwhile, a tail-tucked and mildly indignant Starwhisper was quick to perk back up at Kaina's invitation. Showing little reservation for the female she hardly knew, Whisper slunk over and rolled onto her side between the wolfess's front paws.

Sylar and Arcadia

Keeping one ear turned to catch whatever information her uncle was sharing with her mother about what had happened to the pack, Arcadia kept most of her attention on the wounded Beta. She cautiously moved forward to sniff at Liseli while she slept, and took a look at the wounds she had suffered at the jaws of Cavan. She didn’t get too close, knowing Liseli to be a little mentally unsettled some times, and having not been around her as much as the rest of the pack, Arcadia still was uneasy around her. This didn’t stop her feeling very concerned though, as she glanced to Kaina and whispered, “How is she doing?”

As she moved forward to greet her brother, Sylar’s ears flicked back against her head to show her distress at seeing the wounds across his body. While he did not seem hampered by them now, it did not sit at all comfortably with her that the pack had had to face Cavan and his followers while she had been absent. She mirrored his anxiety when he confirmed that some of the Haunters had indeed been here, and while she felt a surge of anger, she also equally felt fearful of what else Cavan might do now that he knew Nachi was dead. Sylar glanced about at the pack, and shuddered to think what might happen to them all if the Haunters were to return. The two most seasoned fighters here were too elderly to have a real impact, and Sylar would be very uncomfortable with letting Liseli and Cortinarri face the Haunter’s fighters again. There were lots of pups to protect, and most of the adults in the group were very inexperienced in fighting, especially compared to the Haunters! She was even more disheartened to hear of the death of Glider and Mikomi, and the anxiety she felt flooded into fear and pain. “I’m sorry to hear that…” she said quietly. Hearing pawfalls behind her, she turned her head to see her mate approaching, and managed a weak tail wag, touching her muzzle with his. Turning back to her brother, she fixed him with a firm, but not unkind look. “He is not here to challenge you. I just want my family back together, Scream. We need everyone together, especially now that Cavan has us all in his sights.” She sighed heavily, before she asked the question she was dreading to know the answer to: “Did he threaten to come back?”

Kurok

Kurok stood up and nodded.Me and my brother shall go and see if we can find themHe said calmly. Once he had the alright from star he turned to his brother and the two headed back to the east where they last saw the rooks.

Sakura cowered down at his snap and instead of returning to her siblings she ran off just ran. She was sensitive one. She missed her father and sure she heard he was killed but she didn't want to believe that.

Fierra ignored her sister as she allowed Darling to groom her closing her eyes as she enjoyed it.

Megatron sat by his father still chewing on his bone. His ears listening to every detail.

Tayzeka rested her head on her paws and let her eyes shut.

Hulia had her eyes shut as she groom gwen and had no clue her daughter had run off till her eyes opened and she nearly knocked Gwen voer when she stood up.Where's Sakura?She spoke.

Kaina*Others

Hesitant as she had been to enter the den and settle herself in amongst the pups, Starwhisper's eagerness and generally friendly, quiet demeanor - coupled with the acceptance of the two mothers occupying the shelter - encouraged Kaina to relax a bit, and to turn her eyes down to the pup as she plopped down between her paws. "If you're anything like your father, I'm sure you'll be a fine hunter one day," she told the pup while offering Tayzeka's close-eyed face a slightly-apologetic look; she didn't mean to suggest that Tay was a slouch in hunting, by any means - she just didn't know the female too well. Of course, to her eyes at least, it was easy to see that Starwhisper at least resembled her mother more. "Your family is full of fine hunters," she finally stated, both to iron out whatever wrinkle she might have dealt with her earlier statement, as well as to comment what she knew of the wolves up further in Whisper's family tree. That said, she reached forward and began to unceremoniously run her tongue over the pup's fur, showing a little hesitancy at first because Whisper was so much smaller than her father, who was the only wolf she'd groomed in years - she didn't want to use too much pressure and hurt her. As the moments passed though, she began to relax, and settled into a more natural rhythm as instinct took over. It was at this point that her ear perked to Arcadia's question, and she paused to turn her eyes up to the other female, her voice low and even. "She has rested relatively well since the fight, and she does eat... past that, I'm afraid I do not know Liseli well enough to estimate. Cortinarri has a far better eye for her than I do."

Starscream & Others

A moment of wordless tension rose thickly in the air when Kaiser revealed himself. Starscream felt a bolt of fear lance through him, knowing that his wounds would be a distinct handicap against him if Kaiser decided to reclaim his status as the pack's leader. He was on the verge of expanding his coat and peeling back his lips at the brute, until Sylar assured him there would be no conflict today. To Kasier's credit, the ex-alpha only gave Star a passing glance before touching muzzlings with his mate, and declaring his own disinclination for fighting, "Your sister's right, I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to be with my family, and.." Kaiser peered across at the many faces around him, from those standing nearby, to those closer to the den, "..to protect them from this new danger." Starscream couldn't help but feel uneasy about this, but even he had to concede that there were more important fish to fry than asserting his dominance over Kaiser. Satisfied with the pair's explanation for now, he merely nodded to the other male, then went straight to answering Sylar's dreaded question. "He made it very clear he's coming back." The alpha snorted and drew his face back into disgusted grimace, "My life, and that of half the pack, is the price he wants when he returns. If that sorry, flea-festered mongrel thinks he's gonna get that, he's got another thing coming."

Starwhisper's tail thumped back and forth, striking the dirt at one end, and slapping against Kaina's leg at the other. The quieter sibling of the litter was enjoying the attention from Kaina, and not at all minding that this small fae was more or less a stranger to her. Even being as submissive as she was, Whisper showed no hesitation, nor any fear with the older wolf, "I caught a frog the other day even. Sentalia said I couldn't, but I did." She grinned as she proclaimed her hunting budding hunting prowess, and eventually closed her eyes and settled in further to the bath she was getting. Darling carried on with Fierra's, only pausing when Hulia questioned where Sakura was. Darling lifted her muzzle and looked around, and spotted the other adolescent bounding just out of sight, amongst the summer foliage. The young fae gave a sharp, commanding bark to Sakura, urging her to come back where the adults could see her. Darling didn't think too much of it at the moment though; for as many young ones as the pack had right now, they were always running about, scampering just out of sight.