The Sun is Still Rising (Secluded Sunrise Pack Meeting)

[Rykett]

6dewdrops
@tearinmyheart
@dancer
Fierfly
@shiver
Stormy May
@brogle

Blaise:

Blaise loped into the clearing. Her mind was occupied with new improvements that she was hoping to implement shortly. The charcoal she-wolf stopped in the center of the clearing. She dropped a rabbit carcass that dangled from her jaws. With a small intake of breath, Blaise flung up her head and howled. The sound echoed throughout the territory, calling for a pack meeting. The Alphess's howl faded and she lowered her head to pick up the rabbit again.

Whilst she waited for the pack to gather in the clearing, Blaise decided to start one of the first steps in her improvements. There needed to be a place to gather food for the pack. Blaise had decided on a place to store it. The location needed to be unique but not completely out of the way. The she-wolf had chosen a tree with a visible crack down the middle and a partly scorched canopy that grew on the edge of the clearing. The tree was still alive despite its scars. Blaise dug a shallow hole at the bar of the tree and dropped the rabbit in before covering it back up with dirt. The Alphess looked up at the tree imagining how the wolves of her pack would know to always search beneath the roots of this tree for a meal. Whatever food was not eaten would nurture the tree to continue growing as a beacon of survival.

Blaise trotted back to the center of the clearing to continue her wait for the gathering to form. She sat with her head erect and her ears listening for the pawsteps of familiar wolves.

((Hey, Duchess, I’ve been trying to contact Dew, but she hasn’t be online recently. I was hoping that'd she'd return before the meeting so both alphas could be present, but alas, no Dew. So, you can post right away instead of waiting the week.))

[Deleted]

Tear:
The multi-colored she-wolf trotted along. She was feeling better about herself after having helped out Mist, but she was still ashamed of the fact that she had fled from her family. Just because of her stupid fear of storms. She mentally snarled at herself, then heard a howl. A single thought whizzed through her mind as she turned to face where she was hearing the calling. Alphess. She sucked in a deep breath and prepared to face others again. Shaking her head, she rushed as fast as she could to the Clearing. She gave a nod in greeting before sitting.

Chance:
Her son on the other hand had also heard the call and left the cave in curiosity, slipping past his father Ramone when he went to see why Bianca was so unresponsive. Nonetheless, he had taken quite a bit of time, seeing as he still had short and kinda chubby legs. He was still a pup after all. He sniffed loudly, taking in as many smells as he could. He smelled two wolves. A dominant scent and a familiar scent and....artichokes? "Mom!" He cried and raced over. She smiled, "Hey Kiddo! Say hello to Alphess Blaise of our pack."

Dahlia:
How eventful! Freshly into the pack and there's already a meeting! So cool~! She thought to herself as she trundled along to the source of the calling. She snatched the chance to take in the scenery of the pack territory and found that she really liked how it looked and smelled. It wasn't too large, but not too small either. It was definitely easier to find her way around when she had had a voice that called to the pack, which now included her in it. Catching sight of three wolves, one not too much younger than her, she rejoiced.

[Fierfly]

Epsilon:

The silver-gray male could feel a tingling sensation on his spine as he focused on creating the carpet of ice beneath his paws. He lifted his left paw and concentrated. A small ice figure, a snowflake. He smiled, pleased with his efforts; his attention was diverted when he heard the leading howl of an Alphess. He straightened and galloped toward the sound, slowing his gait as he approached the Canopy. He took in the surroundings. Alphess Blaise sat, alert and authoritative on her own perch. 3 wolves were already present, 2 were she-wolves, although one was still quite young, and the 3rd was male, little more than a pup, but bright and eager, wriggling with excitement. He hesitated for a split-second, then padded slightly away from the others and chose his own seat, but he didn't sit. He lowered his ears and tail and nodded solicitously, "Alphess Blaise," he relaxed and locked his legs to stand. He sensed a mission and purpose behind this meeting, he wanted to stay standing to hear this.

[Deleted]

Ramone: padded into the clearing immediately spotting Tear. Not wanting to make a scene about her absence (in case she wanted it private); Ramone merely nuzzled her cheek affectionately and stared her in the eye as if to say 'we need to talk later.' He then approached his Alphess. While the newer members of the pack treated Alphess Blaise like a deity or queen, she and Ramone were on a much more personal level. He had been around her when she refused the rank thrust upon her, he had been one if the wolves to cheer her on. Ramone had been around since her son and daughter, Amora and Ruko, had been wee little things. Now here they were, many seasons older, wiser too. Hopefully wiser. "Hey Blaise, can't wait to get this thing started." He bumped her side playfully, his tangerine eyes glittering with silent laughter. Ramone truly was insufferably informal.

Helios: A brown, cream, tan, and gold pup sauntered into the clearing after his father. He was incredibly handsome and had the body of a god. He scanned the growing crowd, his bright eyes dimming when he saw no other pups besides his own brother Chance. He wondered where Bianca was....
( @wolfling )
However when his gaze fell upon Tear, he was overjoyed. "Mom!" He whimper-barked before trotting quickly to her side and planting his rear in the grass next to her.

[Stormy May]

Sigma shook the dry twigs and leaves out of her fur as she hauled herself up a particularly steep hillside. She'd lost her footing and managed to tumble deep into the undergrowth, and skidded to a stop only to find herself staring into the face of a rather unlucky hare that had gotten itself tangled.

Nonetheless, she was making her way to her new alphess Blaise with the drowsiness of a full belly coming up behind her.

She was a newcomer, both to Secluded Sunrise and packs in general. She'd expected a lot to change for her, yet somehow, nothing felt different. She still did things her own way, and she was still her own person. But as she made her way to the area to which Blaise had summoned her, she understood how wrong she was as the excited voices of pups greeted their alphess. That sound gave her a smile; she wasn't used to hearing pups.

She gave her blue fur one last shake before she presented herself, knowing there would still be stray twigs no matter what.

"Hey, Blaise!" she said, a small grin spread across her maw. It was interesting how casual everyone was towards the alphess, but it suited her just fine. She wasn't great at formalities.

[Deleted]

Hawthorne wasn't too far away when he heard the howl which called for a pack meeting. He yawned widely, stretching his legs out in front of him. The dark coloured wolf stood up, ears twitching slightly and taking in all the sounds around him. After a moment of consideration, he turned around completely and started at a slow trot towards where he thought the howl had originated.

Secluded Sunrise, as a pack, had grown since the beginning and he had been expecting Blaise to hold a meeting soon. He smiled a little, happy to know that their family was becoming bigger - stronger.

It wasn't more than a moment before Hawthorne came to a stop, moving to stand near his alphess. He looked towards her, nodding his head in greeting.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

Wolves began trickling into the clearing in the time after Blaise's howl. "Tear! Welcome! I trust you family is well," Blaise greeted Tear, the first to arrive. One of her pups, Chance, came barreling in close behind. The alphess smiled at the pup, "Hello, young Chance!" Dahlia, one of the newer members, padded into the meeting. Blaise nodded her welcome to the young she-wolf. Then the alphess stiffened ever so slightly as Epsilon joined the meeting, with his eerily familiar sapphire eyes flicking around the clearing. At his greetings, Blaise responded rather formally with a nod of her own and "Epsilon."

Ramone sauntered into the clearing with the other of his and Tear's male pups, Helios. His casual air was infectious and a rather relaxed smile quickly spread across Blaise muzzle. "Hey, Ramone, I'll start things up momentarily." She'd been too stiff lately. Maybe she should follow her gamma's lead and just relax. These were her packmates, her friends, after all, though some she knew better than others. Hopefully, this meeting and hunt would bring them closer together as a pack. Sigma's 'hello' followed in the informal fashion of Ramone's. "Welcome, Sigma!" It was satisfying to see the blue she-wolf adjusting to packlife. Hawthorne was the last to enter the clearing. Blaise hadn't seen her Beta in far too long. She decided to have words with him later about keeping up a presence within the pack, maybe encourage him to try meeting with some of the wolves on the border. Blaise returned his nod of greeting with a smile and another nod.

Blaise waited to see if any others of the pack would show up, but none presented themselves. So the charcoal she-wolf moved to a location within the sight of all the wolves gathered. She cleared her throat, mentally running through a list of things she wanted to say. This was Blaise's first time addressing the pack as a whole, so naturally her belly was flopping with nervousness. Despite the butterflies, she spoke loudly and confidently as to be heard by all the wolves, "Welcome to the first pack meeting of Secluded Sunrise! We are still a new pack to the valley, so there are many things that must be done to establish Secluded Sunrise as a strong and thriving pack. Firstly, all members should be given a responsibility and a rank according to their skills and talents. Secondly, we must build up a solid food supply as to not risk starving in harder times. Third, we must connect as a pack to the point where we trust each other with our lives. We live together, we eat together, we fight together, and we survive together!"

Blaise paused looking proudly at the pack. All of their faces were quickly becoming more familiar and friendly every second that Blaise met each of their gazes. This was home. The alphess took a breath and continued her speech, "In order to accomplish these goals, I have decided that we will go on a pack hunt. I will be assessing your skills during the hunt so that I may assign you a proper rank. We shall depart immediately as there is no reason to wait any longer." Blaise paused again, running over her mental list in case she needed to discuss anything else. Satisfied, she ended her long string of words with, "That is all." The alphess stepped away from the place from which she'd chosen to address the pack. Out of the spotlight, she waited for the members to discuss the hunt with others or with her before they left.

[Deleted]

Tear:
Tear smiled. "The three little ones sure are rambunctious,"she said and laughed lightly. "I hope yours is as well." She turned to looked towards the new wolf that entered into the clearing that seemed to be new. She smiled again and turned to him. "Hi, I haven't seen you before. I'm the gammess, Tear. This is my little one, Chance." Her voice was once more filled with the cheer that it had been lacking when she ran from the family. When she introduced her son, she reached a paw over to the blue pup and lightly tugged him over.

She returned to where she had been before, but Chance seemed to have stayed interested in the male. When her mate arrived, she gently leaned into his muzzle,lovingly, but her eyes held an apology that could never be put into words. She was distracted when he walked away from her and their eldest son followed after him. "How's it going," she asked, with a smile. Yet another wolfess entered the clearing and she gave her a smile. Although, it caught her slightly by surprise by the fact that she was so casual. Everyone else had known Blaise for years.

Chance:

When he felt himself being pulled, he turned his attention to the wolf that his mom was introducing him to. "Hiya! Nice to meet you...." the child thought for a moment as he tried to remember what the male's name was. "Epsilon! I'd like to let you know, that I'm the bravest pup in the pack! After my older brother, of course! What about you?" The pup was really curious. To the point where he was distracted enough to miss the other four wolves that were entering the clearing. At the moment, Epsilon was the center of the pup's attention.

Dahlia:
The young pink she wolf casually sauntered over to the other wolves and watched as more and more arrived. Her heart ached a little when she found that she was still standing alone. Alone, yet amidst a crowd of many. Dahlia wore a slight frown, but she noticed another wolfess by the name of Sigma join the group. She seemed casual so Dahlia approached her with a smile. She stopped when she stood diagonally to her "Hi! I'm Dahlia. What's your name?" she asked curiously. There seemed to be a pause in which she could respond before their alpha spoke.

All together:
The three stopped talking in general. Tear had calmly remained standing, but her aqua-turquoise gaze shifted to her Alpha to listen intently on what she was saying. She quickly shot mothering looks to her sons to tell them to pipe down and listen before she focused once more. Chance briefly looked away from the interesting male to listen as well, but he decided that it wasn't important, seeing as he was just a pup and couldn't hunt. Although, Tear and Dahlia would be hunting together with the pack. Tear gave a nod before moving to Blaise to talk about formation.

Dahlia grinned excitedly and turned to Sigma. "Wanna work together?" She asked, sounding ecstatic. The pink she wolf wore a look of hopefulness on her face as she waited for another response. Chance huffed and moved to his brother's side, seeing that the adults would be occupied. He pounced on his brother as his mom moved past. "Blaise, will there be a specific formation, or will it depend on team work and trust? Both ways would work well. This sure does seem to be a hardworking, yet laid back lot that has come together," Tear said, speaking comfortably, yet formally.

[Fierfly]

Epsilon:

He felt an ear flick in response to the Alphess's curt nod and held her gaze for a moment longer, trying to understand what was behind those deep amythest eyes, but his attention was diverted when the older of the two females introduced herself.

Gammess Tear - a capable, amiable she-wolf and Chance was a bright little cub. He felt a gentle grin start playing at his maw; Chance didn't want to settle down and go to his mother, he was more curious about his new neighbor. As he boasted of his bravery, then deferred to his older brother Epsilon felt the grin broaden slightly. He'd not been so different when he was that age...it was a surprise to see a young family in the pack - but he was going to enjoy having the pups around. He bent down onto his front paws to be more eye-level with Chance. "It's nice to meet you Chance, I'm glad I'll have some brave pack-mates nearby." he considered Chance's question, not entirely sure what he was referring to. Was he asking about how brave he was or just for information in general? He decided on an answer to satisfy both questions. "I'm new to the pack, I suppose you could say I'm brave, I'm mostly here to help the team." he glanced back up and then straightened to listen, he didn't want to miss anything.

Several other wolves arrived, the only names he caught were Ramone, Sigma and Dahlia after she introduced herself to Tear. Ramone was obviously Tear's mate and therefore the gamma if that was how things worked in Secluded Sunrise and Sigma and Dahlia appeared to be subordinates like himself. One final wolf entered the clearing after another pup - probably the older brother Chance had been talking about - took his place beside Tear. While he'd never met him he recognized the Beta's scent from the border and briefly nodded a greeting.

As Alphess Blaise began speaking he found himself wanting to nod and he almost broke out into a full grin as she brought up loyalty. How glad he was that he was in Secluded Sunrise. She was a born leader and well understood the importance of trust, something that so many others took for granted sometimes. She wanted everyone to trust each other, she was a wise one and had his support entirely.

She announced her plans for a pack hunt and Tear approached her to discuss the plans. Quiet murmurs began as pack-mates looked for partners with which to hunt and rely on and he found himself nodding and starting to turn to leave. As she'd said: there was no reason to wait. He didn't care about the rank, he'd be whatever Blaise needed, he just wanted to be part of the team.

[Deleted]

"This is wonderful!" Ramone piped up once Blaise had finished. "We should leave at once!" The black male wagged his tail and his tongue looked out, stance spread wide with excitement. His dream had come true. He had a pack, a family, friends, life couldn't be better. And if this hunt would bring his friends closer together, than why should he oppose it? His tangerine eyes narrowed playfully and he swung towards Tear. "My beautiful mate, you!" He grinned as he nuzzled her, before whipping around to face the rest. "It's nice to meet you all!" He addressed the congregation. "I would like to learn all of your names and one thing about you. I'm Ramone, and I'm always like this. Accept my apology in advance." He grinned and planted his rump in the ground. As Gamma, he felt that it was his duty to bring the pack closer together. While the Alphas and Betas dealt with the inner workings and technical dealings of the Pack, he was thrust right into it. Ramone made it his personal duty to get to know each and every one of them, whether or not they wanted him to.

Helios grinned as his dad sprung in front if the pack, chatting away. The tannish pup nudged his mom playfully. "Geez dad is weird." He whispered before piping up. "Im Helios and one day I'll be just like my dad!" The pup thrust his muzzle in Ramones direction.

[Stormy May]

Sigma looked around her after nodding in response to the alphess' greeting. It was a somewhat large gathering, and it was almost shocking to her.

She turned to see a pale rose-colored pup approaching her, and met her polite greeting with a smile. She didn't have to look very far down to meet the pup's eyes. "Nice to meet you, Dahlia. I'm Sigma."

Just then, Blaise's voice addressed all attendees. Sigma could only feign understanding in her ignorance of pack life, but she nodded and agreed anyway. A pack hunt sounded like the perfect way to meet some people and to show her alphess what she was made of. Suddenly, at the conclusion of Blaise's short speech, Dahlia's little voice piped up next to her. She thought about it for a moment, and with a carefree flick of the head, said, "I'd love to. You might even outshine me.

Another voice caught her attention as it moved across the gathering, introducing itself as gamma Ramone. Sigma dipped her head towards him in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Ramone. I'm Sigma."

[Deleted]

Hawthorne stood next to his alphess, looking around the clearing at the pack members present. Many faces he didn't recognise - had he really been that unobservant? He was mildly disappointed in himself after noticing his own folly. He grimaced briefly, turning his head to focus on what Blaise was saying instead. A pack hunt sounded like a marvelous idea; it'd give him a chance to learn about the newer members of the pack for one.

Once the short speech ended, he sat back, relaxing a little. "Blaise, I think a pack hunt is an excellent idea. When do you suggest we go?" A small, soft smile crossed his face briefly before it returned to its usual stoic expression.

Whilst waiting on a reply he carried on looking around, wondering who to talk to first.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

The alphess was ready to address the questions that were obviously on the edge of many of the wolves' tongues. Tear spoke up first as she approached Blaise. The charcoal she-wolf turned her head to answer, "To be honest, I haven't considered working in a formation. I suppose it would be a good tactic, but I believe having to rely on each through teamwork and trust other would bring us closer as a pack." Ramone's cheerful bark piped up quickly after. He had no problem with putting himself in front of the pack to introduce himself unlike Blaise with her primary anxiety. His pup, Helios, followed his lead, eagerly, and also spoke up with his name.

Hawthorne was next to speak his mind. Blaise was sure she'd mentioned their immediate departure though perhaps she'd forgotten or Hawthorne's thoughts had been on other matters when she'd mentioned the fact. "We'll leave immediately," she rephrased from her earlier words in answer to his question. Then raising her voice for all in the pack to hear, "We'll head for the Hunting Plains. There will be plenty of prey running there. If there are no more matters to be discussed, we should be on our way. I'd like to return not too long after nightfall." Blaise waited for a minute, allowing the wolves to finish up their conversations, before slowly padding out of the clearing. Sure that the others would follow, she soon increased her pace to a steady lope, her paws guiding her out of their territory and towards the Hunting Plains to begin Secluded Sunrise's first hunt as a pack.
-Exit Blaise-

((Sorry for the wait, I've been on the road recently and haven't got as much inspiration or time to post as I'd like. I'll get the hunting thread posted by Monday or Tuesday. ))

[Fierfly]

Epsilon:

Ramone the Gamma spoke up as the murmurs began and introduced himself, then asked for introductions. They started going around the circle and Helios - Chance's brother and Sigma introduced themselves. He was torn between answering as it came his turn and proceeding to the Hunting Plains. He was here to contribute true, but conversation had never been a strong suit of his and he felt that hunting was more practical than just standing around talking.

Blaise - flanked by her Beta and Gammess held a brief conference with them and he caught Blaise addressing Tear's inquiry as to how she wanted the hunt orchestrated. Teamwork. Wise choice and a good way to build bonds of trust between the infant pack. Then she turned to her Beta and repeated that she wanted to leave at once - and she meant it.

The charcoal alphess lightly jumped from her perch and proceeded to lead the group out of the clearing an on to the Plains. Hesitating only slightly to show respect, he followed not too far behind. It was probably rude of him not to offer his name like the others had, but the alphess was calling them to action and he would act. So he padded a respectful distance behind her, following his superior to the Hunting Plains where he could finally take his place as one of the team.
-Exit Epsilon-

[Deleted]

Ramone stood as a few wolves introduced themselves. Unfortunately they would have to cut the festivities short, for Alphess Blaise was leaving. "It's nice to meet you all! But we need to get going." the Gamma spoke to the remaining wolves before taking his family and heading out. The black, gold, and blue leggy male trotted behind his mate and strongest pup Helios, joining the ever increasing armada and exodus to the Hunting Plains. Helios turned his yellow masked face to the wolves behind him, "This will be my first hunt, EVER!" the handsome pup wagged his tail with excitement as they passed under the emerald shape of the Saplings and older scarred trees. Frogs chirped and cicadas thrummed in the trees, the fresh scent of green life exploding in a wonderful array of foliage and blooms all around them. This was the another chapter in the book that wasSecluded Sunrise. A pack that hopefully would last for many more wonderful years.

-exit Ramone, Helios, Tear & Chance (I'm taking Cinders characters out until we find a suitable player.)-