Peace Gathering #5 (I know, it's late >.<)

[kestrel]

Kestrel padded quietly into the clearing. She'd thought she was going to be late, since the moon and stars were far passed their half-way mark in the night. However, much to her astonishment, not a soul was seen in the clearing. ”Well that's strange...” She muttered, glancing down at Lavish. The little weasel was glancing around, mostly oblivious to her surroundings. Kestrel enjoyed Lavish's mind, it was clean, free of most impediments, and completely childish.

Perhaps she had the wrong night? She glanced up at the skies, reading the stars and glancing at the moon. No, it was definitely the night of the Gathering. Surely she wasn't old enough yet to be forgetting things like this? She frowned and glanced around. Nonetheless, she should stay in case others do come. She hoped Ra would come this time. She doubted it, but still hoped.

'Really? What was the point in coming?' The female blinked. Seriously? She asked herself this question almost every time, and yet once again, here she was. She sighed, knowing deep down inside she wasn't going to leave. Instead, she lay down, head in paws as she stared longingly at the ground. What was the point in life? You are born, you live, you love, you reproduce, and then you die. She didn't even get to -or rather had yet to have the chance- to do one of those. Pups were a joy she'd yet to experience.

The female began plunging deeper and deeper into her depressed state. Eventually Lavished sensed it and pattered off to play in the bushes at the edge of the clearing. A high whine came from the wolf, before her eyes focused on a rock, and she lay there unmoving as she watched it.

[iceflame]

A warmth and a light appeared besid Kestrel. The wolf with yellow eyes sniffed her, then tilted her head. From her other side, a calm voice sounded. "Why are you sad, my friend?" the real Iceflame lay beside her while her clone acted as a sort of guard. She smiled gently, and her green eyes were almost motherly. "I do not enjoy the sadness of others."

[venom]

Venom races to the Gathering, anxious to get there on time. He stops and sees two females there. He makes a triumphant bark and exclaims, "Yes! I've finally made it on time!" He walks over to the center with a smug look on his face. Then he recognizes one of the wolves. It was Crystal pack alpha. What was her name again, Icey-Hot? All he remembered was that they didn't get to finish their business. He walks over to her, nods at the other wolf and says, "Hey, Crystal pack alpha, I still have to questions for you about that purple wolf chick."

[aisu]

She was tired from her training and didn't even see the point in going to the Gatherings anymore. Her pack was non-existant, Grizzly was gone, and it wasn't like the old gatherings she remembered from her childhood. Still she pushed on though, remembering that she was Alpha and it was tradition.

Hopefully this one would be better than the last. And she wouldn't faint or get into a fight. Walking into the clearing she saw only three wolves tilting her head to the side she gazed up at the moon and noticed that it was half pass the cycle. Why did no one join in? Sighing she went to sit upon the rock she had once started a fight over and looked out onto the wolves below.

Maybe she would just take a nap like her father did on some Gatherings. A smile graced her lips softly at the memory. Why hadn't someone start the Gathering already? Even though only four wolves including herself filled the sacred grounds.

[daimen]

It had been a while since Daimen had been in this area. He heard that there was a peace gathering going on and even though he was a loner, he figured he might as well enjoy the company of the other wolves.

He padded towards the area, his head lowered as he thought of his old pack. He would have been flanking his alpha if they were to attend something like a peace gathering. Now here he was walking alone towards the meeting. He sighed, kicking at a small pile of dirt, sending it into the air. He sneezed once as the dirt entered his nose before finally making it through the bushes and into the large clearing where not many wolves were present. He glanced to the side, unaware of the wolf he walked into.
"Sorry," he mumbled yet he got no reply and so he looked up in time to see the she wolf walk to a rock. Either she hadnt felt it or she simply choose to ignore him because he was a loner.

He turned his head to the other 3 wolves, noticing not much was being said and decided to walk towards a tree, sitting down in the shade not too far from the rock that the she wolf he bumped into sat.

[kestrel]

A strange light beside her, accompanied by warmth, interrupted Kestrel’s hollowness. Her head raised, fur on end and tense, though she settled when she saw it was only Iceflame. She smiled at the Alpha, though all happiness was next-to devoid in the motion. She shook her head at the Alpha’s question, not particularily wanting to answer. She didn’t, either, her attention focused on the entrances of others. She gave a nod to her Alpha, though she doubted the she-wolf noticed it.

She turned instead back to Iceflame, finally, and shrugged with a sad smile. ”I guess I’m just old. I wish for things to be back to the way they were. They say change is good, but I’ve just yet to see much of the good that’s come of it.” Was her simple reply.

[aisu]

"I agree," The Alpha hadn't meant to easedrop on the her packmate but there wasn't much of an option to turn an ear. "But there's not much we can do about that, now can we?" She smiled and it was hard for her to admit it "All we can do is move on." She thought about the past years she had been through growing up on a baren land. She had seen her brother die not even a year out of puphood, then her father disappering along with her brother, and then her mother dying.

She had grown up alone meeting again with her puphood crush-but then he too disappeared. Blinking her ears swilved backwards to catch a "sorry" from a lone male just minutes before she sat utop her mother's rock. Her eyes watched the male as he went to sit underneath her father's tree.

And even though it stung to see another male sit there she let it go. So much unlike what she had went through a few Gatherings ago with Freya. "Hello," She greeted him trying to fight her pup-hood side who screamed that it was her father's tree that he didn't belong there. "I'm Aisu, Alpha of the Galaxy Pack, you are?"

[daimen]

The lone wolf glanced up and around, no one one had spoken to him, it was all in his head. He was about to put his head back down on his paws when this time he did hear a voice directed at him. Again he looked around, finding the she wolf on the rock had spoken to him. He sniffed the air, she had the air of authority around her, either she was an alpha or beta. His bet was alpha and so he dipped his head in respect to her title and then she confirmed her title by addressing herself.
"My Lady, i'm Daimen," he wasnt sure what title to use, head warrior of the ice clan or loner. He was both but then his own pack hadnt come to find him. Did they think that he was dead, along with the other wolf that had been with him. Had they found her body and figured he had suffered the same fate. Ice Clan wolves were tough, resilient but they werent invincible.

He stood and walked towards her, feeling the sun bearing down on his back as he moved from the shade. It wasnt harsh which was good.
"I'm the head warrior of the legendary ice clan my lady, but currently my title would have to be loner as it seems my pack have not yet come for me. Maybe they fear that i am dead like...like the other that was with me," his voice grew softer, respect for the death.

[abraxas]

Abraxas walks the unfamiliar path to the clearing. He uses the scents of different wolves to help him find his way. He passes trees…and trees…and more trees. He pauses every now and then to make sure he’s alone. Paranoid, yes, but he has a good reason to be. Years of torture and torment causes him to be this paranoid. The memory now makes him shudder. The shackles on his feet clink together as he continues the path. Finally, he reaches a clearing with the moon high above the sky. There are a few wolves already here talking among themselves. He scans the area, only this time looking for his pack mates. None of them are here yet. He decides to walk over to a spot surrounded by bushes and trees. He settles himself down, making clinking noises as he does, and closes his eyes, waiting for this meeting to be over and done with.

[beauty]

Beauty saw Aisu leave already for the gathering back at the den. She was still getting herself ready. She wanted to be “presentable” in front of the rest of the wolves. Besides, this is the first time she’s been to a gathering. The previous time didn’t count. After she was done preening herself, she hurriedly followed Aisu to the gathering.
Now, here she is gathering looking for her pack. She spots two of them and other wolves. She smoothes out her tail and walks towards them, while looking for any cute wolves who haven’t mated yet. She heads closer to Aisu, then eyes a colorful, beautiful male wolf talking to a higher ranking she-wolf. She smiles gently at him, then says to Aisu, “Sorry I’m late. I had to get ready. You know how long it takes to dry my fur out.” She this a little too loud, hoping that the male heard her.

[blackdiamond012]

Niko walked into the clearing feeling lighter and more relaxed with himself than he had in a long time. He and Featherstream had made a great jump in thier relationship and quite honestly he was only here to make sure they were in no harm or danger. What he really wanted was to get back to his new and still secret mate. It was up to her if she wanted to the other wolves to know now. He no longer had fear-they were wolves and he realized that Peace would never come and it would never last. If he wiated for Freay to calm down than he would be waiting forever.

There was no life in that. Smiling lightly at the other wolves and feeling more relaxed than he had in a long while the silver wolf sat down eyeing the newer wolves with his one eye.

[kestrel]

Kestrel smiled and nodded to her Alpha. Aisu had quite possibly lost more then herself with the cataclysmic events. Her mother, father, brothers and sisters, and now her mate. The older female, herself, could feel a tinge of pain in her chest. Her meetings with Ra were fewer and far between though they lasted a while. She hadn’t seen much of him since that last meeting on the cliff; only occasionally catching a scent.

Lavish noted her “mother’s” growing socialism as the time ticked by and the night waned, and so she came crawling over. Kestrel’s muzzle tugged in a smile and she licked the weasel’s fur. Lavish was so far her most consistent companion since the deaths of Pandion, Jade, and Kookie. She was almost like the child Kestrel now feared she may never have. Of course, her fears were almost meaningless since she was still fairly young, and it would be a long while until her womb would officially be unable to bear pups.

Her mind wandered, sending the tendrils to the wolves in the clearing, gently touching their thoughts. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she read them, though refused to dive into their depths in fear of being detected. She lingered on her Alpha’s, wondering how the younger female was doing since her change. Nothing too much seemed to be out of sorts other then the underlying pain that Kestrel’s own dreariness had drawn. The black and silver wolf’s eyes closed in concentration as she gently dug into her Alpha’s mind, trying to subtly push the pain and memories back; holding them at bay.

”Sorry I’m late. I had to get ready. You know how long it takes to dry my fur out.” Kestrel felt a slight grating on her nerves of annoyance and she quickly pulled away from Aisu’s mind, hoping she hadn’t affected the female’s own thoughts. She sighed and opened her eyes to give a small glare to her fellow white-and-pink pack mate. To say she hated the girl would be far off the mark; she couldn’t hate someone in her own pack. No, she just didn’t exactly like her. She found the female’s obsession with her appearance to be quite annoying in fact.

’I just hope Ra shows up soon.’ She thought grimly.

[ra]

Ra sighed as he jumped from the last little bit of rock jutting from cliff's outer ridges. It was only a few minutes walk to the clearing and he was still uncertain with his decision in attending. His mind went over the pros and cons while he made his journey through the forest as it had been for days since the moon began to wax more fully. So far, the pros outweighed the cons. He hadn't been to the last couple of these meetings in disappointment and disgust in the sudden outburst of fights that had emerged lately. Call him old fashioned, but such violence and mayhem was meant to be taken care of elsewhere other than at peace gatherings. On the other hand (paw), happily, he would be able to see a couple friends as well as to see what the other clans were up to. It would do him good to be updated in both.

Arriving at the destination, he paused momentarily to scope out the already arrived. His golden orbs skimmed through the clan members and non, his muzzle wrinkling at the spotting of a Demon. Yet, there was only one, so far. Shaking his head to clear any thoughts of leaving, he stepped onto the suddenly smooth ground, making his way towards a familiar female wolf. He passed by Niko along his way, sending a small nod and a flick of his tail, noticing the male was doing the same as him. Ra's eyes still flickered to and from the selection of wolves, paying slightly more attention to the ones unknown. Newbies, especially a white and pink wolf who happened to have remarked quite loudly about her fur as he passed by. Though knowing that it wasn't for his benefit, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to comment.

"And it's lovely, my dear, but I'm sure not everyone needed to know." He quipped lightly, an amused smile gracing his features as he continued on to Kestrel's side. His smile grew and he dipped his head in greeting before sitting himself down.

"A pink wolf, how...strange." He murmured politely, in case the mentioned wolf had decided to pay any attention to him. Kestrel, however, would be able to tell from his thoughts that the odd occurrence wasn't just strange as it was humorous to him. Of course, he wasn't exactly one to talk, but his pelt had come from his ancestry and the colors befitting. Ra would have loved to see what the Galaxy Pack's warrior looked like, hoping the father had been the white furred.

[aisu]

Ice clan huh? Aisu had never heard of such a pack before but she listened intently anyway. And liked how he had such respect for the ones lost. She was about to ask about his former pack before the newer member of her own pack walked up and rather loudly annouced about her fur. Aisu smiled tightly trying to hold in a growl "It's nice to see that you made it, Beauty." She said hinting in her voice that she wasn't exactly welcomed in their conversation.

She saw how she eyed Daimen with interest and a slight tug pulled at her. Maybe it was because she had seen other females flirt with her intended mate before that made her so protective or maybe it was because mating season would be coming soon. Either way on instinct her fur bristled and again she smiled at the pink and white wolf.

"Well, since your fur takes so long to dry why don't you go and wait for the Gathering to start, over there while the grown-ups talk." She grinned sweetly finding it laughable that she was so protective over a male she just met. She was a pup herself so to speak-but she still gained higher rank over the self-concious wolf.

While she waited to see if Beauty would follow out her order or not she felt the familar tingle of someone else inside her mind-knowing that it was Kestrel. 'I can't wait until she learns her place, huh?' She joked lightly to the other female.

[kestrel]

The female's head almost instantly shot upwards, her ears pointing forwards and nose twitching slightly. Her nose had caught the subtle scent, and just barely she could hear the almost silent rustling just beyond the clearing border. Her mind's tendrils snaked out, and grasped to see, just to make sure it was who she wanted it to be. When her mind touched his, it felt as if she'd found the other bit, and she sighed, her tail thumping against the ground violently. A smirk crossed her features when he responded to Beauty's narcissism, and she ducked her head to try and hide it from the pink wolf.

Once she had her face under control, her head tilted back slightly to see Ra as he made his way beside her. Her tail thumped against the ground again ”A pink wolf. How... strange.” His words were polite, though the thought patterns behind them showed more amusement, and Kestrel merely settled beside him, her own mind just gently touching his so they could share thoughts, but otherwise making herself unobtrusive. Some small, mean part wanted to include Beauty to the small mind network she was making so the female could see what everyone else thought of her self-oriented outer facade. She brushed it off, though, and glanced up quickly at Ra and Aisu to check and see if they'd heard her thoughts. Of course it was completely logical that they would of, but she didn't want to be seen bad in their eyes.

Her Alpha hadn't seemed to mind, though, and poor Aisu seemed rather annoyed at the female's glancing over the male she'd been talking to. 'I can't wait until she learns her place, huh?' Kestrel chuckled slightly, shifting her position to one of more comfort. Her ears twitched, and she glanced around, eyeing the wolves that had shown. With a detached tendril, she tested their minds, checking in, before withdrawing and giving a small smile. 'Well, this meeting is certainly... energetic.' She commented in the network of three. Of course, it was a bit nicer then all of the fighting that had been going on lately. New blood, what could you do? Speaking of new blood, she eyed Beauty. No, this wolf probably wouldn't be getting herself into any fights. She just might break a nail or tweak a tail fur. The thought was laced with her humour as it resounded in her thoughts, easily able to be picked up by either Ra or Aisu.

She yawned, her tongue curling, and she sent a small tendril to Niko. 'Hey Niko, care to join in the party?' She joked, gently connecting him with them. If he declined, she'd leave him be, but she certainly didn't wish to leave her old friend out of the fun. Her eyes twinkled as she glanced over at him, sparkling slightly in their laughter. The female certainly had fun with her powers, and she'd grown to become more skilled and enhanced in them since the deaths. However, too much effort exerted her, and she could feel herself becoming slightly more drowsy. She could hold the network probably until the end of the meeting, but she'd have to have a long sleep in the morning hours.

((Woot! Mental party! *dances*))

[daimen]

Daimen watched the she wolf. She seemed very interested in what he had to say. Other wolves entered the gathering, but he was only looking at Aisu. He was curious about her and about why she was talking to him. Was it simply because she was trying to be nice.

He heard a wolf enter, exclaiming loudly that her fur took a long time to dry. He glanced at the wolf as she walked towards them. Pink fur, that was unusual. He glanced back up at Aisu as she spoke to her and then to the pink wolf, concluding that this wolf was under Aisu.

He was about to introduce himself to Beauty, only getting his mouth open when he heard Aisu speak. Daimen had to admit that what she had told the pink wolf was a bit harsh, but decided to say nothing, it wasnt his pplace, he wasnt from that pack. He sent Beauty an apologetic look before turning his attention back to Aisu.
"Is there anything else you'd like to know, my lady," he asked, still keeping his voice polite even after the whitnessing of the harsh words.

[blackdiamond012]

Niko jumped slightly hearing a familiar voice and turned to look over at Kestral. He was glad that Ra was there along with the other wolves. Anything was better than a bunch of demons in his opinion. Raising an eyebrow in the female's direction he cocked his head to the side. "And what party would that be?" He had a feeling that even though he hadn't voiced it out loud she'd heard him just the same.

[kestrel]

Kestrel's tongue lolled merrily, her tail lightly brushing the ground as she watched Niko. 'And what party would that be?' She laughed out loud, and her thoughts tinkled with the amusement. 'Why, this one.' Her words bounced around the four minds, surprisingly chipper considering how tired she was becoming. With the tendrils, she pulled the minds closer together, strengthening the network and making the other two presences more obvious for Niko. In fact, she was quite over-joyed with herself for pulling this little trick off, and was contemplating doing it more often during the Gatherings so her and her little “possy” could make and share their own humorous snide remarks.

The female rolled onto her side, panting now, but otherwise physically fine. Her eyes half-closed and zoned out while she focused more internally and on the network.

[iceflame]

((OCC: sorry about the last week, I've been packing, packing again, moving furniture, and traveling. I came to Columbia, SC, and i had to pack for that, on top of moving, which, again, i had to pack for, and i traveled for two days strait by bus to here. Same thing for Brightfang, Horjacc, Lucifer and Fang, Aiden, and Alex... Featherstream is the only one I've had time for, though, i have tried for the others... Sorry... I hope no one hates me! -_-)

Iceflame blinked at the other wolf. She was about to ask Kestrel to excuse her while she talked, but she left already. She shrugged, allowing her clone to disappear. "Ah yes, that's right. Erm...?" She hadn't seen him in such a while, she forgot his name. "I'm Iceflame, by the way. And you must be speaking of Celeste, my healer." She looked around at the goings on. It was so... peaceful. She perked her ears, listening to everything, but nothing in particular. It was nice here right now.

[aisu]

Aisu stared at Beauty with a glare wondering if she was that dense or if she actually had the guts to challenge her Alpha. Turning back to the Ice wolf she smiled softly as if she hadn't been harsh toward her subordiant "I've never heard of the Ice Clan before, mind telling me a bit more?" She asked tilting her head to the side-she felt as if she were flirting but payed no mind to it. She was having fun talking to the stranger.

'He seems cute enough, maybe he could join our pack?' she thought smiling forgetting she was connected to the other wolves. She glanced around off to the side noticing her pack mate lolling in the cool ground like a pup. It made her laugh. For the first in a long time, she felt at peace. It had been so long since she felt at home.

'How long do you expect it to carry on like this? So at peace?' She thought slightly sadden as she knew that this was only for a short time.

(( A/N: Sorry it's so short. And that I haven't posted in awhile-muse is fading. And I have a Math Exam next week and I'll be going to see Miyavi today~! So I won't be here for the weekend! <3 ))