season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
#1
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oooh deary me! writing this late at night with a banging headache, so this may not be the best quality! this is a joint mateship ceremony and harvest festival! We shall have the ceremony first, and then proceed on to the celebration of the harvest! Wine to be provided by Siku and food to be provided by Adonia! Ichikans, you have one week (8th August) to respond before I start the round again. It would be wonderful if we kept this nice and fast paced, please and thank you!


The day had finally arrived. While the young male had been thinking about it for the past few weeks, he hadn't put his plans into motion until he'd been told about the harvest festival that was to take place on the first of August. Speaking to Gideon and Nayru about it had been awkward for the male, but he'd managed to arrange the ceremony none-the-less. In Ichika, the mateship ceremony was either organised by the couple themselves, or those close to them. Saul felt happy in the knowledge that his brother and sister-in-law were allowing him to take over their little wedding. He had also spent the last few days concentrating on his gift to Nayru- all of the Stormbringer children had wooden charms given to them by Saul for their coming of age. It felt right to him that he should give his newest family member a gift of the same calibre on her wedding day. Saul himself had only recently found the charm he'd made for himself, a dark little owl that he had tied around his neck on a leather cord. Nayru's own gift was wrapped in a pretty piece of fabric- although it was small and almost insubstantial, he hoped his leader would grow to like the pendant he gave her.


Preparations for the wedding and the harvest festival hadn't been too hard to throw together. He'd informed Siku of her duty, as well as Adonia. Wretch was aware that it was her job to lead the congregated Ichikans through to the orchards once the wedding was done. They'd worked out a few days in advance that it would have to occur with Saul carrying her- while he had tried to make some crutches for the girl to walk with, the break was too high for them to be of much help. She could no more walk at the moment. She had a few weeks to go, but Saul checked up often on her wound and declared it healing well. She was doing better, although Saul had chosen to house her in one of the unused rooms downstairs than up the perilous stairs to get to her own room. For today, his own mind was beginning to ease itself.


The male had chosen the place where Gideon and Nayru would declare their mateship to each other with ease. A glade of tall trees in the area close to Phoenix Forest provided a closed off clearing that served well as an assembly hall. Saul and Wretch had spent the better part of the day tidying and decorating the area, or perhaps Saul had spent the day. Wretch had sat upon a carefully placed log and directed him on where things should go. Towards the end of the day, Saul had rolled some fallen logs for seating and turned to the naturally forming archway that would serve as their joining place. Saul smiled softly before he took Wretch back to Cerne Rise to get dressed properly. The male had found a white shirt and had cleaned it enough for it to be called white and some black trousers that, while a little tight, fit him well. He had doned these on, glancing around to see that Siku had already left. He'd bounded down the stairs, Nayru's gift in his pocket, before escorting Wretch back to the clearing.


"People will be arriving soon Wretch, so you'd better chose where you want to sit!"


He chuckled, moving to sit at the front of the circle in anticipation for Nayru and Gideons arrival. Soon people would be here and Nayru and Gideon would be the spotlight. The ceremony wouldn't take long, but as soon as they were declared mates, they would move on to the orchard that Wretch had found and indicated for the harvest festival. A deep sense of calm settled over the male as he waited for their pack mates to arrive, anticipation trying to worm its way forward.


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#2
WC: 3+

A howl came though the lands, waking the tripod from his sleep; he was up all night again once again falling in love with the night. The mistress of the night and him where in a very deep relationship, it only grew deeper and deeper as the nights passed and the male spent more time wrapped up in her black shimmering cloak. The silver scared beast lifted his head, with a sleepy yawn looking around as he smacked his lips together. If there was a call for the member to rally demand or not the silver male wanted to show good faith in the pack and be there. It had been hard for the two packs; Saul had been a great role model he had gone out of his way to make each member feel welcomed with in the pack. The silver made stood up, shaking his coat trying to wake him-self up. The tripod hopped out of his little sweet home, as he stumbled out of the house and made his way to where he had heard the call come from. Seeing the male sitting there Noah smiled to the male, as he looked around, it was clear he had a reason for all of these fallen logs put together like they were sets for someone sit upon. Noah found him-self one bowing his head to all of the members of the pack that where already gathered with a smile, before he walked over to the set that he found, sitting down and somewhat stretching out, as the male waited for the other members to come to the gathering, the male found it hard to sit still, he was excited to see the first official turn out for the pack since they last parted in agreeing to call these lands home.
#3
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Word Count » 000 :: Out of character text here.

She had been tending to the garden she had, there were sprouts, and they were coming in nicely, though she doubted they would last through the winter, but that was why she had more seeds to sow over the spring, but she would learn now. She had many years to perfect her growing techniques. She was nearly finished when she heard the howl. Eclipse looked up and smiled, was it really that time? She had known about the mating ceremony and knew Saul was doing his best to make preparations for it as well as numbers of others. Eclipse could only watch, and learn. This was the best possible thing she could do that would make her worthy of helping the next time there was a mating ceremony. She washed herself good before she headed to the area the ceremony was taking place. She liked it and thought it would be perfect for Naryu and Gideon. She glanced at Saul and smiled at him.

“Do we have to sit in certain spots, or can we sit anywhere?

She whispered to her cousin. These traditions in this pack was a bit new to her, even though she grew up for a short while with most of the canines that littered the pack lands. She was still getting acustomed to the rules and ideas of the pack, though most of them were to her liking.

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Table by Anna
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#4
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Feel free to PP them arriving together, Kris! Here's the ring :]


He held the charm in his clawed hand as he jogged along, fingertips rubbing against the ridges in the wood. Saul had given him the bear charm as a gift when they'd come of age, and Gideon wore it often as a reminder to himself of his family and his duties. In this new pack he was playing a new role, a different one than he had ever anticipated wanting to play. He was a warrior. So far, the male had been doing a good job. He'd defended his brother Saul's daughter Wretch from harm when she had been ambushed just outside of the borders and had chased the beast off after attacking it with a knife. They hadn't been able to find the secui after that, but they were still on the lookout even weeks after.


A bit of uneasy nervousness fluttered through his heart at the thought of the day's upcoming events. Gideon was a little uncomfortable being the center of attention at any time, but he would push through this ceremony and try to not to show it. Normally when the male became nervous he just became quieter, more thoughtful. He would consider his actions carefully before doing or saying anything today. He wanted things to be perfect for Nayru, for this to be the kind of day that she would remember and think of fondly for the rest of their lives.


Gideon had awoken that day like any other, nestled into bed beside his love. He'd told her that he was going out for a quick run before leaving, and had come back later in the morning with two things. Ever since the night that she had confessed her feelings to him, and he to her, he had been thinking about what he wanted to get her for this day. It had taken weeks of searching for him to find the shop in Tenton, and even then the place had been a complete mess. Gideon had gone down the street and had gotten some couch cushions to put over all of the broken glass in the shop so that he could get to the things that really mattered.


He'd measured her finger while she had been sleeping, and had brought the little piece of paper with him into the shop. He'd wanted to find her a ring. And so the male had begun his search once again, looking until he had found a ring that was to his liking. He'd already given her other jewelry in the past, but never one of these before. The one that he picked was a silver color with a bright ruby stone in the center. He hadn't wanted her to see it, though, and had hidden it inside the hollow of a distinguishable tree in the park that was not far from Cerne Rise.


While out on his run, he picked up the box and also a potted plant that he had been keeping downstairs. It was now in full bloom, he was glad to see. Gideon knew better than to pick any flowers for Nayru; he didn't think that the alpha of the pack set on re-growth would appreciate him cutting off the life of beautiful flowers within the packlands. So potted flowers it was. He came back up to the room to get her, keeping the box closed in one hand and the flowers in the other. "Ready to go?"


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#5
WC: 249

The young wolf made his way in a mildly rushed fashion towards the celebration.
Today is a very special day, yup yup!
He would already be smiling before having arrived yet, as is his nature to be happy. His nose twitched as a smell reached it he stopped dead in his tracks. Turning slowly he dropped to one knee on the ground. Leaning in closer his snout almost inside the flower bush as he began to inhale.
"Mmm Eclipse is so good at what she does..."
He said out loud to himself, his snout never leaving the bush. He made his way slowly to the next bush of tiger lillies, once more burying his snout deep within.
My favorite...aahhhhhh....
His eyes shot wide open realizing he was wasting time, he instantly started a mild sprint the wind pushing his fur back.
I goofed I goofed I gooofed Oooohhh!
He arrived there thankful everything hadn't started yet he looked for a familiar face, recognising his uncle he ducked beside the seats and made his way up swiftly sitting between him and eclipse.
"Hey uncle Saul! How's it going?"
He is excited his tail wagging behind the chair as he realizes that Eclipse is off to his right.
"Eclipse, your flowers are almost as beautiful as you are!"
He winks playfully turning back to his Uncle awaiting a reply.
"Sorry i was late, I stopped to smell the flowers....litterally."
He chuckled to himself.
#6
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Saul had carried her to this place, though she was unsure about her own part in the festival. Wretch was nervous in general about being around such a large group of wolves; she would likely close her eyes once all of them arrived...or try to sit outside of their view. She didn't like other canines looking at her. The mateship ceremony was important, though, as well as the seasonal festivities. So she did need to be here. Her rank as Antei defined that fact, despite her reclusive nature.


Wretch sighed a bit, clasping her hands in front of her. She was stuck wherever Saul had chosen to put her down at...but she could wiggle a little. She moved back a bit, trying to get more out of view as Gideon and Range arrived. She knew the two of them, but that didn't necessarily mean that she had any desire to speak to them. The girl hoped that the ceremony would go quick and that she and Saul could show the others the way to the orchard soon so she could go home and have some alone-time.

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#7
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385

They had been mates for nearly a month. The same night Nayru had told Gideon that she loved him, he had asked her to be his mate. The girl’s agreement came swiftly and with much excitement, but for the most part they had kept that excitement to themselves. Range and Melee knew. Saul, Siku and Wretch knew. Yet Nayru did not make it so public to those who did not reside in the apartment building with them. It wasn’t that she was shy or embarrassed; Nayru simply did not know how to go about announcing such a change in their relationship. Yet Saul had been excited from the start, and the man quickly arranged to have the whole pack in on the celebration. For that, Nayru was grateful.

And yet as she sat in her room, waiting Gideon’s return a mostly unfamiliar feeling crept up from her intestines and spread like wildfire in her stomach. The nervousness she felt was much the same that Gideon possessed, though they both hid it from the other. The quiet girl, although head of the pack and often leader of pack meetings, was unaccustomed to so many eyes and ears dedicated to her. When they held pack meetings she simply felt like a catalyst, she spoke for the pack, not for her. They listen for the pack, not for her. Now they would be there for her, and Nayru was unsure what was even expect of her. Or of him.

As Gideon came through the door it was a great relief to see the man. Nayru rose to greet him as had become habit for the two. She moved to nip his cheek lightly and noted the items in his hands. ”Yes. I’m ready." And they set off, side by side, walking at the same pace until they came upon the prearranged spot. Others were already gathered, but not all, and Nayru did not know whether to feel strangely that they were not the first two there. Or the last two. To arrive right in the middle of their friends and family seemed awkward, and Nayru pulled Gideon aside as she surveyed those already gathered with a strange and unusual anticipation for the ceremony about to take place, casting curious eyes at Saul who was orchestrating this whole event.


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#8
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your yay!

The great mountain dog had lumbered towards the sound of the howl as he had heard it - although large and seemingly spaced-out, Ansui wasn't oblivious. He knew that this was a call for celebration, although for exactly what, he wasn't entirely sure, but he had heard rumors of love drifting along the peaceful pack, and that was a reason to make the mountain dog happy - love was a pure thing, a wonderful thing.

He arrived in the area where the call had been held - the celebration, he was sure it was now, was taking place in a beautiful, broad valley; it seemed that Ansui hadn't explored all there was to his new pack just yet. The valley was large, and in the middle were decorations of every sort, and seats - he saw that several members had already arrived. Deep brown eyes seeking out his black and white leader, he found her with another - one he did not know, for the mountain dog did not know all in this pack yet - and, with his hands clasped together, he bowed down, the hood of his cloak momentarily drooping over his eyes before clearing up again as he raised his head.

He saw Saul before he sat down, and made to bow to the Stormbringer man as well, although he saw that he was busy. He then bowed to each of the other pack members he saw in turn, never rushed, hands always pressed together in the same patient way. The tricolored dog then saught out a log and slowly sat upon it, ears perked slightly.

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000+
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#9
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When Adonia learned of the mateship ceremony and the festival she was excited to say the least, however that excitement was stifled by the shear fact of knowing she was responsible for killing one of the farm animals. She wasn't naive to the fact that some of the farm animals were there for the purpose of food, but she never thought she would be responsible for being the killer. Yes, she'd killed before but it wasn't an animal she'd cared for. With a heavy sigh she looked out among the livestock trying to be the judge of who was to die. A lump formed in her throat as she knew what would probably be the one to go. Honestly, she would have been okay with killing the bull, but the bull needed to stay to produce calves from the cow. Her eyes drifted to the flock of sheep. They had plenty of sheep, but she feared that there wouldn't be enough to go around. Adonia already made up her mind that she wouldn't be eating especially if it were the sheep. She worked so hard on gaining their trust and now she had to be the one to slaughter one.


Slowly she made her way to the small flock. Climbing the fence a little she leaned over and looked at them all. Her eyes looking over each one and her lips pressed together as she took a deep inhale of farm fresh air. Finally, she knew which one was going to go. It was one of the rams. He wasn't the largest one of the group, but he wasn't the smallest either. He was a bit of a bully sometimes when it came to feeding time which was why the other one wasn't as hefty as him, so she figured he'd do. Still it broke her heart a little to have to do this. Again a heavy sigh came from her as she leaped over the fence, not bothering to use the gate. The sheep bleated and shuffled away but she quickly closed the gap and cornered them before she scattered them into two groups narrowed down until she captured the ram she wanted. Opening the fence she herded the ram out and guided him away from the flock and into the part of the barn where the horses couldn't see her. It was stupid but she didn't want any of the animals to see her kill the animal.


With a swift hard cut of the throat she did the deed. She stood as the ram fell. Now she had the task of taking the heavy male to the spot of the mateship ceremony. She knew what she'd use, a little trailer that sat at the side of the barn and Adela would be the one pulling the 350lb animal to the ceremony and festival spot. With that in mind she brought the trailer in and loaded the animal onto the trailer, then began to dress Adela up in her gear. Bringing her out of her stall she turned her around and backed her up to the trailer then hitched her to it. A smile came to Adonia for a moment letting her take her mind off of just killing something she took care of for months. It was sad, but she let it go trying not to think about the fact it wouldn't be the last time she had to kill one of her livestock.


She was soon off to the mateship ceremony and it wasn't too much longer that she was coming up and over to the group that had already began to form. Her eyes scanned the crowd looking for Ookami wondering if he was to be here. She missed her mate and she hadn't seen him much lately, something that was a little depressing to her. Her job had her very busy, and in fact she couldn't recall what job Ookami did for the pack but surely it was just as busying as hers since he barely had the time to come to the ranch. Out of the many faces that she saw there were only two that she knew well. One was Saul's and the other was Noah's. In fact she recognized Nayru's but she didn't know the leader that well but she knew the Ceremony was for her and her mate to be which she quickly assessed who this Gideon she heard so much about was.


Stopping a few feet away from the crowd she calmed Adela and whispered a soft command to here before she moved away and found a spot to seat quietly and reserved from the rest. She wanted to say hi to Saul but saw he was busy, then there was Noah, but left him alone not sure if he would even remember her. A light sigh came before she relaxed fully and began to wait patiently for the ceremony to begin.


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#10
Recently Ookami had been pretty much keeping to himself. He wanted to get the kinks in his job all worked out before he tried to socialize. He knew that that probably wasn't the best idea since he had one of the highest ranks and should probably be getting to know everyone. He wasn't happy with that decision but there was nothing he could do now except try to make up for everything. He had had a very good memory in recent times so he had memorized all the plants that were growing in the pack's garden and he knew them by heart now. He was proud of himself and now he just needed to learn how to tend to them. He was planning on making another trip to the library inorder to find a book about tending to plants because still he had not figured everything out.

He was just making his daily walk through the garden when he heard a howl. That's when it dawned on him. The wedding! He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about it. Jace had even asked him to sing a song with her. Lucky for him he had learned his part and he still remembered it. He breathed a slow sigh of relief as he quickly shifted into his Optime form and jogged towards the area.

As he arrived he spotted Adonia. His heart sank slightly, he hadn't even made time to see his own mate. A frown came over his face and he sighed. He had promised her that he would be a good mate and he hadn't lived up to that promise so far. So he would start right now. He put on a smile and walked over to her. She was sitting down so he plopped right beside her. "Hello love." He smiled gently, pecking her on the cheek. He looked around, smiling at everyone. The set up was nice. He looked around for Jace, they probably had to speak about the singing before the wedding began. He didn't exactly know every detail.
#11
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My goodness you guys replied fast. This post's a bit rushed, gotta go to work. :O


Like all the others, Razekiel was stirred by the calling sound, but from a nap unlike the rest. Ah, yes, there had been festivities of some sort planned for the day, one of which he knew to be a ceremony for Nayru and Gideon, the Stormbringer he had yet to meet. Collecting his satchel, the coyote whistled for Lark, double-checked the contents of his bag, and set off for the Forest to join with the others for the celebrations — Ichika's first holiday, as it was, and he would naturally be late for it. Would they expect much different from a pot-smoking hippie?


Leaving Lark a ways away, the male hopped the fence and sauntered with hands in pockets, unrushed and unworried by his tardiness. For once, his smile did not wrap around a joint — he had smoked earlier, but had chose to leave the drug behind in respect for the lovebirds. A youthful, smirk and wink to Nayru and a gentle nod for who he assumed to be Gideon, Razekiel simply allowed Saul to do his thing, much contented with glancing over his members and seeing that they were happy.


Taking his place beside Eclipse, the coyote ruffled her hair with a smile before folding his arms and relaxing.

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#12
Enter the Jace~Face slight pp of a few people Big Grin if its unwanted then i'll remove <3
7+

It was time! Oh!She was just so excited and it wasn't even her wedding ceremony, in her old pack weddings had been cause for huge celebrations that had gone on for days and nights, and even one time she remembered a double one. The pack had gone crazy at that, sometimes she could swear she still felt the headache from all the alcohol she had consumed. Not enough time to get everything ready, damn she was going to be late she just knew it. She pottered around the house she shared with Temo trying to find her braid enders, where had she put the damn things?! Eventually she found them in some dark corner, how had they gotten there? And quickly layered them into her braids, long strings of vibrant colored ribbon entwined with her dual toned locks, the white fading to tan brown as it went down.

Randomly strewn about her hair and tail were small blue flowers she had asked of the trees that grew around her house, she did not know their names, of which she was regretful. But the blue looked so good against her coloring and eyes. Her hair itself was behaving for once and hadn't turned into a frizzy mass of madness, it hung long, curly and loose, with a few plaits here and there, to complete the entire ensemble a small, thin band of cloth had been tied around her head to keep stray curls back. The woman wore no fancy clothes simply because she had none to wear, so she went in her fur which had been brushed and tamed until it gleamed in the sunlight.

Finally she was ready, she had no idea where Temo was but if he didn't hurry he was going to be embarrassingly late instead of simply fashionably late. Still late or not, she began to make her way across the pack, it took her a good while though as her house was far from the meeting site and by the time she got there, the small clearing was already packed with people, some she knew and some she didn't. The WolfDog mingled for once, threading throughout the crowd, saying hi to those she knew and introducing herself to those she didn't.

She waved to Noah who was looking sleepy and tired and felt sorry for the grey male, his obsession with the stars was getting to be a bit severe. She frowned slightly as she saw a child sat alone and trying to stay out of sight, the girl was also bandaged and injured. She looked around worriedly but no one else seemed to be worried for her so Jace left the white girl be. She saw Ansui who she had met just the day before and bowed to him; Oh! There was Eclipse! Sat with their Hippie leader, she waved at both of them, not wanting to shout across the congregation just to say hi. Saul at the nerve center of everything, he organizer of this chaos, she dropped by him and asked if they were still going ahead with the duet, she smiled as he nodded at her.

Ah! There he was, the wolf she was looking for, Ookami was sat with Adonia, who looked a bit green around the gills and she pondered what it could be as she mvoed through the throng and then remembered she had been the one tasked to kill an animal for the feast, her tsked in sympathy for the woman, Jace knew how much she loved the animals. She plopped herself down on the log in front of the couple, facing them and grinned.

"Aye up, Haven't seen you two for a while. Sure you haven't been hiding from me?" She laughed at her own joke, the festive air and excitement was getting to her head, she leaned forwards and spoke again,

"Saul said he'd rather us sing after than before, as they are walking away. If that's okay with you?" As she spoke the she wolf kept an eye out for the brown eyed, black furred mate of hers and silently rolling her eyes at his tendency to wander off at the most unneeded of times, she huffed to herself.
#13
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finally, i'm at the party


That day, if anyone was looking for Temo, they would have to go into town where he was on the roof carefully removing some shingles that were still good. The roof of the house he shared with Jace needed some patching and it had taken him several days of searching the neighborhood to find good ones the same color as what was on the house. It had taken several more days of careful removal of the shingles so that he could reuse them.

It was one such day that he had spent most of it on a roof getting hot and dirty in the sun. A quick look at the sun told him it was time to go to some party that the pack was holding. Jace had mentioned to him that it was a festival. He wondered what it was and what would be happening. His birth pack was not in the habit of having festivals. Occasionally there was a gathering with another pack or two where they had a feast and did some trading.

Temo climbed down the ladder and dusted himself off. The sudden cloud of dirt that he raised made him sneeze. He looked down at himself and frowned. I need to get cleaned up first, he thought to himself. A short walk to a creek, he jumped in and scrubbed at his fur washing out all the dirt and dust. After he climbed out of the creek, he shook out the water from his fur and stayed in the sun to dry as he made his way home.

He arrived home to an empty house and set his tools down in the storage room. Jace must have already left, he thought to himself. He figured she would probably be mad at him for being late, but he was not concerned. He was not fond of being in large crowds. He always felt out of place and that he did not belong. Temo made sure his fur was combed out and presentable and left the house and headed to the gathering.

They lived a ways away from where the area that the pack gathers and it took him a bit of time to walk there. When he arrived, he stayed towards the back, using his dark fur to help blend into the shadows. He was not even conscious that he was trying to hide. It was something he had always done since he was a pup and continued to do today. His eyes scanned over everyone that had already arrived. Some he knew and others that he had met. There were a lot that he had not even met or recognized. he found a good spot to occupy where he could sit comfortably and watch the proceedings and stay out of the way. As he sat down, he saw that Jace had arrived already and was busy talking with Ookami and his mate and he decided not to disturb her having fun with his awkwardness.

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#14
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^.^

Word Count →



Rendall had been staying at the vineyard for a couple of weeks since she was accepted into the pack. It was a peaceful place that allowed her to take her mind off Noah and his anger. She spent her days watering the vines and caring for their needs. She wanted to start working on the cottage but decided she needed to talk to the alphas first about her staying permantly at the vineyard.


Ren heard the howl about half way through her evening chores and decided the vines had enough care for today. She cleaned herself up, put on the new dress she got, and made her way over to the gathering area. The female took a look around happily at everyone, smiling at all the cheer that was going on, unti lher eyes rested on the three legged male. Her smile faded and she looked away, suddenly very depressed. The woman turned away, pretending she didn't see him in the first place and that she didn't have a large sting in her heart.


Rendall desperatly looked for away out and found her long time friend Ookami and his mate Adonia visiting with Jace. Joy leaped back in her heart as she quickly approached them "Ookami! Adonia! Its good to see you again! Hello Jace, I hope your doing well since our visit on the borders." She smiled at everyone and gave Jace a small hug. She decided to take her place with them and away from the male she so badly wanted to be with so that she could focus on the ceremony rather than her pain. After all this was a joyus occasion and not one meant for sarrow.


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#15
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Table by Ehno


Word Count: 1,066


Melee hadn’t known how to feel about the mateship between Gideon and Naryu. Of course she – along with most of the pack – had known about today’s combined event. It was to be a mixture of the harvest festival and a celebration of the official handfasting between the Stormbringer and his lover. Yet for her, it was more than just that. Gideon was her adoptive father, so that would make Naryu – officially – her adoptive stepmother. The girl felt… odd about that. Because of her birth circumstances, the girl had never had a mother, never wanted a mother, and hoped fiercely that Naryu didn’t expect to be that to her. The word was even foreign as she rolled it around on her tongue: mother. The female who had birthed her was an unknown entity who had abandoned her and her brother in some way that Gideon had taken them in, that was all she knew. He never spoke on why that had happened, but whatever the case it had left the name “mother” marred and distasteful to her. The entrance of Naryu into their lives had changed the dynamic of their little family, and Melee wasn’t sure that she was going to like it. Already, things had changed, and this made her apprehensive.


These turbulent feelings were the reason that she hadn’t rushed to be one of the first to arrive at the ceremony. She had sulked around her apartment some, pondered going for a walk in nature – nature tended to calm her – and wishing for rain. This wish was not one meant to ruin the ceremony or rain out the lovebirds’ joining, but rain was what calmed her the most. The sunshine delighted her in its own way, yet it could never bring her the inner peace that rain did. So a day that was undoubtedly quite pleasing to everyone that was going to the festival was displeasing to her. It meant that she was still feeling unsettled and mobile. This would make the ceremony worse, as she didn’t want to sit still at all, much less for a ceremony such as this. The young Soul moved apprehensively through her apartment, pacing back and forth. She wished that she had a valid excuse to not attend the pack’s gathering or at least to miss the ceremony. The festival and feasting she was looking forward to, at least somewhat. First she had to get through the wedding, after all.


At least they would be in nature, though, that would be something. Maybe it would soothe her to at least be able to see the natural scenery around her. That and thoughts of the festival would get her through. She could spend the festival with Range, ignoring the blissfully beaming couple while she stuffed her face. Perhaps she could even get out of there early and go exploring for a few hours before night fell completely. As of late, she had begun to gather herbs that were of use to the pack. Maybe she could find something new tonight. She had no aspirations to be the pack healer, but she did want to learn about herbs and gardening for her own purposes. Growing some additional plants in her apartment wouldn't be a bad idea; then if the stockpile that their healer (when they got one) had was low, she could help replenish it. Alternatively, if she needed herbs herself, she could just use it from her own stock instead of the pack's. Thinking about going on a nature hike afterward helped her to still her feet, at least for the moment. She took a deep breath, and left her home.


Despite her pacing and discomfort, Melee had carefully planned when she wanted to leave so that it would be timed just right... or so she hoped. The girl didn’t want to hurt her father – or even Naryu’s – feelings, and she knew that her attendance was mandatory at this pack event. On the way, she didn’t dawdle. Though she had hesitated and pondered and sat around her apartment deciding a time to leave and not be too late, the girl didn’t like to walk slowly when she had somewhere to be. Her arrival at the ceremony site was, in fact, rather opportune. There were enough wolves already present that she wasn’t going to stick or have to wait too long for the ceremony to begin. At the same time, it wasn’t as if everyone had been gathered for a long time. Wolves were still settling in, quiet conversations were happening as they all awaited the ceremony and festival. Hopefully her appearance would go mostly – if not completely – unnoted by those gathered.


Of the wolves that she did recognize, the ones that she cared to see most were Range and Saul. She didn’t look for Gideon and Naryu, because she knew they were probably preparing. Besides, she didn’t want her father to catch any of her ill ease before this big event. The turbulent rolling of her stomach was something for her alone to worry about. Now was a time for celebration in the pack and she was not so selfish as to want to damage that. If she did accidentally catch Naryu or Gideon’s gaze as she looked around, the girl would smile and wag her tail at them to indicate good intent, then turn her gaze away. Purposefully, though, her gaze turned first to Saul, who she gave a grin and a happy bob of her head in greeting. Since he was in charge of the ceremony, she didn’t want to mess up his clothes with her more customary rough hug. Later, at the festival, there would be time for hugging. Her brother, on the other hand… she walked up to Range and nipped at his ear.


Melee’s eyes were mischievous and her grin still present before she spoke by way of greeting to her sibling. “Ready to have a mom?” she asked in a good natured tone, though perhaps her sibling would notice the tightness around her smile and the discomfort that edged her gaze. No matter his answer, the girl would find a seat nearby after he responded, and wait patiently for the ceremony to start. She hoped to ignore the anxious knots that burrowed deep down in the pit of her stomach. Her tail twitched occasionally, impatient for everything to start so that it could end.


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#16
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Slight PP done with players permission! NO POSTING ORDER NOW! please, please post as much as you want from here on out. The end of the post is Wretch leading them to the apple orchard, and therefore the autumn festivites have begun and you may post whenever. I will be posting frequently <33


The peace and calm of the evening air was doing nothing to settle the roiling in the young male's stomach. He was unbelievably happy about his brothers mateship, there was no doubt about that. Saul had watched for the past months as Gideon's looks grew more forlorn and unhappy. He had never seen him so happy as this last month in Ichika and it pleased him to no end to see that it was Nayru who caused this happiness. However, very deep down, the agouti male couldnt help but feel a tinge of jealousy for his brothers happiness. That Saul hadnt found it himself was a frustrating part of his life. He already knew that he was ready for pups, ready to be a father and a husband to someone. That Gideon had found it before him was something that he tried his hardest not to resent. Of course, he was immensely happy for his brother and he would never have admitted that he was jealous to him. These thought distracted him from those arriving, but he was pulled from his thoughts as Noah took up a seat not far from him. Saul smiled softly, offering a customary greeting to acknowledge his presence.


Green eyes lit up as Eclipse entered the scene. She looked at him uncertainly, before whispering softly whether they could sit anywhere. Saul smiled softly, patting the seat next to him. "You can sit wherever, but you're welcome to come sit by me!" He said with a soft smile. He was happy that his cousin was fitting in well within Ichika. She had found a job for herself to do and was well on her way to converting the gardens in Cerne Rise into something tame and prosperous. He was about to ask her how the gardening went when Range swung in, full of energy. He squeezed himself between himself and Eclipse, his deep voice loud in the quiet clearing. Saul grinning softly and ruffled his nephew's hair. "I'm good thank you Range. A little excited." He chuckled, turning back to the clearing as Range's words washed over him. He apologised for being late, but it was clear from the three in the clearing that he wasnt late.


He didnt at first notice the little girl sat on his right side shuffling backwards so that her body was shrouded in shadow. Her fur brushed against his and he looked round to see her looking apprehensive in the shadows. A soft smile echoed on his lips as he patted her good knee, understanding that she didnt want to be center of attention, or even visible. A rustling to the entrance of the clearing made Saul look around, spotting Nayru and Gideon on the outside of the clearing, peering in. They would make their actual entrance once everyone had arrived. For now, the two were content to stay on the outside until their time was coming. Nayru looked a little apprehensive, but otherwise amused. He turned back to his own little gathering, but was distracted by Ansui's entrance. The mountain dog bowed to him, along with everyone else in the clearing, before taking a seat close by. It was good to see the male out and about- Saul had been afraid the male would retreat to the Abbey as Alae had done.


Adonia was the next to enter, looking a little green if he was honest. He spotted Adela in the background, content to wait until her mistress was done. He caught her eye, a soft smile given to her and a wave in her direction before she took a seat away from him. He had wanted to say hello, but there was a lot going on and it wouldnt have been easy to extract himself from his family and go over there. Hollering over their heads was also an undesirable so he remained content with the wave he'd given her. Her mate was the next to enter and Saul waved towards Ookami as well. He was drawn to the dark coyote as he made his way through the throngs of wolves to sit by Eclipse's side. Unusually he was silent, ruffling his cousins hair good naturedly but otherwise remaining silent. Saul offered him a smile, pleased that he had made it. The next to enter was Jace and Saul allowed a grin towards her as she made her way over. A quick conference occured between the two, too quiet for Range or Wretch to hear, as they sat to the left and right of him. A disturbance to the rear and Saul caught the brown eyed gaze of Temo. He seemed uncomfortable and stayed to the shadows as Wretch was doing. Whatever he wanted to do was fine by Saul.


One of the newer members, Rendall, entered. She seemed happy enough until she spotted Noah, in which her face fell dramatically. Saul didnt want to disturb her, so left her to find her friends amoung the crowd that had gathered. It pleased him greatly to see so many here. Melee came in almost last, her eyes tight. Saul had been around Melee since she was a few months old and he knew his niece well. She was worried, at the very least. She slipped in beside Range, nipping his ear softly in a sibling affection that Saul missed. Wedged between Range and Eclipse, Melee spoke to her brother in a low tone, although the agouti male caught the words. He knew Melee was apprehensive of having Nayru as a stepmother, but he doubted the black and white leader would spend any time being mother to them. With Melee's arrival, it was time to begin. He caught Gideon's eye, gesturing and watching the two walking towards him.


"Welcome friends, to the mateship ceremony of my dearest brother, and his darling Nayru. We come together today to celebrate love and happiness in its pure form." He paused as Gideon and Nayru stopped before him. With a grin, a gripped his brothers shoulder tightly with his left hand, squeezing his right to Nayru's hand. "I have watched these two grow from best friends to lovers and it gives me great pleasure to see them so happy now." He spoke clearly and succinctly as he drew a red ribbon from his pocket. Moving his hands from both their bodies respectively, he picked up Gideon's left hand and Nayru's right, the two closest together as Gideon stood on the right and Nayru on the left. He placed Gideon's over Nayru's in a quick motion, before laying the middle of the ribbon across Gideon's wrist, allowing the rest of the ribbon to dangle down for the moment. "Gideon, do you take Nayru to be your mate?" He asked, seriousness creeping into his voice. When his brother confirmed softly, Saul grinned and bought the ribbon from the right hand side, under Nayru's wrist and over the left hand side, half of the deal done. He looked to Nayru, a soft smile on his lips. "Nayru, do you take Gideon to be your mate?" He asked the same question, a grin slipping over his muzzle as she confirmed it also. He repeated the process, bring the end of the ribbon that hung on the left side, under and up on the right side.


"It gives me the most enormous pleasure to pronounce you, man and wife." He called louder so that everyone else could hear clearly. With a grin, he wrapped both ends of the ribbon around their joined wrists once more, before securing it as tightly as he could without cutting off either of their blood supplies. They would have to cut the ribbon off when tomorrow dawned. With a laugh, Saul lifted their joined wrists high about their heads, visually showing the rest of the pack that they were physically joined, even if it were just for tonight. Before the masses descended to give their congratulations, Saul embraced them both softly. Drawing back, he took one last thing from his pocket, slipping it over Nayru's head before she could see what it was. "Congratulations, brother, sister." He murmered, reaching out to tweak the small wooden cat he'd made for her as a gift. He stepped back, allowing others to congratulate them. Those who had known about the wedding beforehand were then able to give their gifts to the newly weds.


Saul slipped back into his seat beside's Wretch. He glanced over at her, a small smile on her face. He wondered if he would ever see her married, if he would ever tie a red ribbon around her wrist. He didnt know. He hoped he would. The congratulations went on for a good while and Saul eventually looked back at Wretch. She was ready to lead them all to the orchard. Standing, he watched as she leaned towards him, arms uplifted so he could cradle her in his arms easier. She settled awkwardly, before Saul gave a soft whistle. "Wretch and I will lead you to the orchard, where the Autumn Harvest Festival will begin!" He called over the crowd. With a nod to Wretch to guide him foreward, Saul led the way to the orchard. It took them perhaps twenty minutes to reach it, and as they did, Saul set Wretch down where she asked to be put, looking back to see the rest of Ichika following them.


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#17
OOC: Umm...yeah. crap here, I know. -__- Sorry. But Nayru and Gideon get some pretty neck jewelry. Big Grin

The howl had not carried to her out in the forest and near the stream, so she had just gone about her day like any other. Things in her day went normally, creating random junk and making all kinds of little pretties. The new ring, found at the bottom of a pond, on her pinky finger made her smile and think of Range every time she saw it, which in turn gave her the idea to make more necklaces. With that idea stuck in her head, she took some strings and started braiding until there was a chord as thick as her finger, every now and then slipping a small colorful rock in and weaving around it. There were two of those pretty little sparkly necklaces done within an hour of starting…but she had no one to give them to.

Sliding the necklaces into her rabbit skin satchel and securing that around her neck, she shifted into lupus form and took off for the middle of the pack lands. There were certain areas that most of her pack mates liked to hang out. Most of them were unknown to her still, not that she wasn’t willing to socialize, just a bit nervous. Upon drawing closer to the general area around where she thought the winery might be located, she could hear a lot of excited voices and insanity going on. There was music, and a large fire apparently, judging by the smoke and lights. Following all of it, she began to catch snippets of conversations; the happy voices letting her know what was going on. A small smile drew her lips up when she realized that it was a joining ceremony.

However happy the young lady was for Nayru and Gideon, she didn’t want to be in such a mess for too long. Sniffing around nervously, she staying in the shadows until she caught Saul’s scent. Darting out of the trees, she ran up to him and shifted into Optime form. Reaching into her little neck pouch, she took out the two necklaces and dropped them into the male’s hands. “F-for Gide-eon and N-Nayru…” Her head bobbed a few times as she nodded and then her form whipped around and she tried to escape the loud, hectic environment.
#18
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The ceremony was beginning before he knew it. Gideon's heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest as they walked forward together. He wanted to do everything right, for each movement and word to be perfect on this day. As Saul began to speak he stood at the front of the group with Nayru, turquoise eyes set upon her luminous form. She looked as beautiful as always...but even more so on this day, the day that they would be joined together by their love.


He gave a quiet "Yes" to Saul's question when it was asked. The world seemed to slow down for a few moments as Nayru gave her own reply. The rest of the ceremonial words came as a blur as things sped back up, their ribboned wrists raised so that the pack could visually see the bond. The male leaned in, aiming to give her a swipe across the muzzle with his tongue as their new titles were announced. "I love you, Nayru."


He grinned widely, heartbeat beginning to return to a normal pace as the attention went from him to his brother and her daughter once more. He looked to Nayru - the ring was still in his other hand - and held the small box out to her. "I got you something. I hope you'll like it..it goes with a few other things you own" It would match the jewelry that he'd given her in the past.

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#19
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405

More faces trickled into the clearing but Nayru hardly noticed. Her eyes stayed on Gideon and Saul, waiting for whatever cue one of them would give her to let the lady know what to do next. This was all new to her, she had never know anyone to celebrate a mateship before and how that was done she simply didn't know. Her parents had already been mates, when Conor and Bris began a family they had never officially announced it. A fleeting feeling of sorrow washed over her as she realized that neither the lavender eyed man nor the snow-white woman was here to see her and Gideon now. Conor had been a father and Bris a mother to her once; now one was dead and the other a reoccurring ghost at best. Yet she did not let the feeling sink in, for soon Gideon was leading her into the clearing and Saul's voice was raining down on her and all of sudden they were in the middle of the ceremony.

When Saul asked out-loud whether they would take one another Nayru nearly giggled. Hadn't that already been determined? Already she had declared herself to Gideon, and so when it came her turn to answer Nayru could not answer out loud. Her ever quiet voice failed her more than usual and lips parted in a silent "yes" but her nod was confirmation enough. With that finished Saul Stormbringer quickly joined the two together, both with words and the ribbon he looped about their wrists, binding the pair physically to one another. With that he slipped a necklace over Nayru's head and the girl barely had time to finger the fine jewelry before Saul stepped back and allowed others to come and greet them.

While Nayru smiled almost shyly at the others, her eyes lingered over Gideon and his words comforted the female who strangely felt jittery with all the attention she was receiving just then. When the man murmured "I love you" and slipped the box into her hand. Nayru opened the gift and smiled up at the man. It matched both the necklace she wore almost always, and also the hue of her eyes. Thank you. The soft words fell only on Gideon's ears as she stood on tip toe to both whisper to him and nip the tip of his ear simultaneously. Guess we're stuck together, huh? And that was fine with her.




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#20
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Word Count: 541

Table by Ehno


Melee clenched her jaw uncomfortably as she watched Gideon and Nayru strolling up the makeshift aisle. Her father looked happy and it mad her heart ache to see it. Part of her waned to be happy with him. She wanted to delight in this day for him, to laugh and make merry like everyone else. Somehow, though, she had a bitter taste in her mouth that just wouldn't go away. Her gut was clenched in uncomfortable knots that no amount of deep breathing seemed to fix. Yet she wanted no one to know. Only those closest to her - Saul and Range, particularly - would notice the tightness around her eyes, the tightest of her fingers pressed against her knee, and the clenched line of her jaw. Melee relaxed her jaw after a time, since it was starting to ache. The other signs of her discomfort and unhappiness remained, silent markers that few would probably catch. This was the way that Melee wanted it.


The ceremony began and she relaxed slightly; this surprised the girl. She had suspected it would be harder to watch it than it had been to prepare, yet somehow it seemed easier as the words flowed from her uncle. The ribbon was a red slash across the wrists of her dark father and her dark-and-light stepmother. Binding them together with the color of blood. That seemed oddly appropriate, given that someday blood might indeed be shared between them. Blood that would circulate through the bodies of their children. The ache in her heart returned then, thinking of the children that would be her siblings, but not at the same time. Puppies that would have the honor of sharing Gideon and Nayru's heritage, whereas she looked nothing like her father or her stepmother. Surely this meant they would care more about their blood children - their true children - than the mud colored mongrel Gideon had picked up when it was abandoned.


As soon as it had begun, the wedding ceremony was complete. Some moved forward to congratulate the new couple, to give their good wishes and gifts. Melee Soul held back. She had not gotten a gift for either of the newlyweds, but she also hadn't seen a need. Gideon and Nayru had everything that they could need, she thought, and she hadn't seen anything that suited them. Besides, not giving them a present was a kind of silent protest against the marriage again. She swished her tail from side to side, her arms crossed as she waited to move on to the harvest festival.


Melee was noticeably relieved when Saul and Wretch led the way, eagerly trailing behind her uncle. She would try to walk near to Range, but wouldn't attempt engage him in conversation unless he started talking to her. Perhaps this was the most telling sign of all - the talkative, energetic girl being quiet. Once they got to the festival's location, she would stick close to Range still. Her heart rose somewhat at the prospect of a good time with the pack, her body relaxing now that Gideon and Nayru were no longer the center of attention. Her stomach grumbled. Hopefully there would be food, too, to sate their hunger amid the celebrating.


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