The Feud in the Forest (Private Rp with Wingfeather)

[wingfeather]

The Visdomr wolves reached Council Rock just as the red sun was setting below the tree line. Before the blood colored sun sat the high Alpha Nolryn, the red light bathing his black coat a dark red giving him a warrior-like appearance. The Visdomr wolves approached the alpha's high place slowly, stopping before two guards who kept watch just below the Alpha's high seat. The guards nodded slightly to them in acknowledgment to their light bows, and motioned for them to proceed. They continued climbing the steep incline. Once they reached the top they were confronted once more, this time by the Alpha's Beta, Kverk. All four bowed again this time lower than they did to the the guards, Froedi spoke, ''We of clan Visdomr are come to pay respects to our high Alpha and attend the council of which he has called upon us to join.'' The Beta bowed before Froedi and stepped back allowing them to pass. Now they approached the High Alpha himself, in all his glory, regal head aloft, black-red coat shifting slightly in the breeze, wise golden eyes trained immovably upon the four approaching wolves. Once Froedi came close enough he immediately fell onto a low bow the three behind him following suite. ''Rise, wolves of Visdomr, you have my unending thanks for attending this council on a matter of utmost importance.'' ''We are honored to join you High Alpha Nolryn.'' The black wolf nodded, ''you may take your places upon the clan stones.'' The four bowed again and retreated back down the low mountain to the Visdomr stone, its name chiseled in ancient wolf runes near the base. The Kvikr wolves, Froedi noticed with a slight smile, was already there. They then seated themselves to wait for the rest of the alphas.

[tenebria]

The sun was sinking lower and lower as Vanorr and his warriors raced down the trail, speeding up their pace slightly. Until suddenly, they broke through the tree line. Before them, the stone mountain rose, layers upon layers of shelves of rock carved by years of wind and and rain. And at the top of this magnificent structure, the High Alpha, almost seeming to be made of stone himself as the Sun lit his dark coat ablaze. Swiftly, Vanorr began making his assent, the two wolves following silently behind him. Spiraling up the stone tower, they were met by two steel gray guards, who looked them over with pale eyes as they bowed lightly to them. With a slight nod they were allowed onwards, ever closer to their High Alpha. At the top, the dark coated Beta stepped forward, and the three dropped into a graceful half bow. "Clan Araedi is come to pay respects to the High Alpha, and attend the council for which we have been summoned" he spoke in his deep tone, and the Beta dropped into a bow of acknowledgement, shifting back to his faithful place so they could approach the mighty Alpha. Stepping forward, Vanorr dropped one paw, stretching the other out as he dipped his head low, the two behind him following suit. "Rise, wolves of Araedi, you have my unending thanks for attending this council on a matter of utmost importance" High Alpha Nolryn spoke, his golden gaze fixated on them. Slowly rising, but keeping tails and heads down in respect, Vanorr stepped to the side slightly "We are honored to join you High Alpha Nolryn, and as a tribute, we have brought the most rare of the forest" he said, inclining his head once more as Einvaldr stepped forward, placing the bundle down and tearing the leaves apart to reveal the well kept Jackalope, before bowing and retreating once more. "My thanks for this trophy of tribute" High Alpha Nolryn said solemnly as he viewed the prey. "You may take your places upon the clan stones" he spoke deeply, and they bowed once more, turning and quickly making their way down until they reached the large flat stones, each delegated to a Clan. Vanorr glanced at the other clans, seeing that Kvikr, Visdomr, and Heille had already arrived. Trotting to their Clan stone, he leapt upon it, the two behind him swiftly following, then sitting behind him as he rested, waiting for the last clan to arrive.

High Alpha Nolryn remained still for a few moments as he watched the wolves descend. "I am pleased to see him bring those two, they have served me well in the past" he murmured to his Beta, who had come closer. Kverk gave a slight nod. "That they have my Alpha, and no doubt they shall serve you again before this matter is closed" he spoke, knowing the two wolves had more courage than many in their Clan. "That is the truth" Nolryn agreed, then glanced down at the tribute they had brought once again. "Call a scout to bring this to Laeknir's den, my mate will have need of sustenance, and I can think of none better for her than this" he commanded, and his Beta gave a slight smile, then stood and howled lightly, his tone drifting over the darkening land. A few moments later, a scout raced up the trail, pausing at the guards before approaching and dropping into a bow. "My Alpha, My Beta" he said respectfully as he waited for instructions. "Take this to Laeknir's cave, it is for the High Luna's teeth only" Kverk ordered, motioning to the half wrapped prey. The scout bowed again, then quickly picked it up and turned, racing back down the mountain. As he left, a movement in the forest told Nolryn that the Styrkr clan had arrived. Soon, the council would commence.

As the wolves of the Styrkr clan, Alpha Regin and his most trusted guard, climbed the stone mountain, the sun was just glimmering over the edge of the horizon. And to the east, the moon was beginning to slink into the sky, hovering at the edge of the sky as it waited for it's turn to traverse the heavens. "We of clan Styrkr are come to pay respects to our High Alpha, and attend the council of which he has called upon us to join" Regin spoke as he bowed to the Beta, his muscles rippling as he moved. Kverk bowed and stepped back, and they approached the High Alpha himself, dropping down in deep bows. "Rise, wolves of Styrkr, you have my unending thanks for attending this council on a matter of utmost importance" "We are honored to join you High Alpha Nolryn" came the well known ancient speech "You may take your places upon the clan stones" Quickly, the Clan Alpha and his guard bowed once more deeply, then slowly loped back down the mountain. In a moment they were trotting across the open space, placing themselves on their clan stone and completing the attending clans. As they settled themselves, the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, and the moon began rising, bathing the previously red landscape with it's yellowed hues.

[wingfeather]

Froedi noticed some slight movement at the foot of the mountain, looking down he watched intently as two wolves loped out from the darkening forest, and climbed the dimly lit mountainside. He watched them as they passed the guards, acknowledged the Beta and finally came to the High Alpha. After bowing low and having a brief conference they bowed again and quickly made their way back down toward the Visdomr wolves. Soon the two wolves came before the stone and bowed before their alpha. ''Esoom, Lanaria, I am overjoyed that you were able to attend.'' The two wolves nodded and smiled, Esoom spoke, ''We were returning Visdomr to visit with our son but we heard of this council and made all haste to come.'' Before anything more could be said Alpha Nolryn spoke down to all the wolves from his high seat.

[tenebria]

Alpha Vanorr watched as the last clan arrived, and then two more wolves. As they came closer, he recognized their features as two wolves who regularly attended council meetings with the Alpha of the Visdomr clan. Suddenly, the High Alpha's deep voice echoed from the high rock. "Let the Council come to order, and may our judgement be as clear and pure as the Moons light" he recited, pausing as he waited for the Clans response.
Vanorr and the two warriors behind him quickly spoke, their voices melding with the rest of the clans "May we begin this Council with clear minds and strong hearts, and may all be of accord."
With the ceremony completed, Nolryn began speaking personally to the wolves gathered before him."I am pleased to see all Clans seated in front of me. This matter will concern us all." and with that, he began to recount the problem. "Early this morning, a scout came to me with troubling news. In the forest border, closest to the edge of the humans land, he witnessed a band of ten or more elves, and in their midst, a young human boy, bound with ropes. They were headed in a northerly direction." he paused, letting his firm gaze sweep the Clans. "We all know the Ancient Law, which, until this day, has been kept with utmost vigilance. For them to have broken it means it was no mere whim. They have a plan, and that is what we must discover tonight." he said, pausing once more before continuing "I have sent out my remaining scouts to scour the land for this band, and mayhap when they return we shall have more knowledge of this matter. I wish this not to cause the war we have so valiantly suppressed to resurface, but we must know what they are planning, for our sake, and the boy's." he spoke gravely, his deep golden eyes watching for murmuring or dissension against his words. After letting his words sink in a few moments, he finished his speech openly "I have given myself up to thought in the waning hours of the day, but I have been unable to surface with an acceptable reason for this heinous crime. As such, I am opening this Council to you, my faithful Clans. I wish to hear your thoughts, or worries, as they may be. Let us begin with Clan Kvikr." he turned his attention to the Clan in question, watching them keenly.

[wingfeather]

Flyja the tall lean female alpha of the Kvikr clan stood and addressed the council, ''my alpha and fellow clans we of Kvikr have thought long and diligently about this terrible matter and have come to a possible reason for their actions. We suggest that they may have stolen the boy and will somehow place the blame upon us and therefore causing the humans to declare war on us, splitting our forces and making our defeat simple and easy, and dare I say inevitable. We of Kvikr humbly suggest that a small force of wolves should be sent out intercepting the elves, steal the boy from them and return him to his people before there is any chance of war.'' After she had finished speaking and bowed, alpha Flyja sat and awaited the suggestions of the other clans.

[tenebria]

High Alpha Nolryn listened carefully to Clan Alpha Flyja, leaving his face an expressionless mask as he thought over the proposition for a few moments, before whispering to his Beta. "Their thoughts are not far off from my own, but I would feign know the others thoughts before announcing any plans whatsoever" Kverk gave a slight nod, then stepped forward. "The Council thanks you for your swift thoughts." he said with a slight nod to the Clan Alpha, as it was custom to not reveal any preference to any clans thoughts until all Alphas has spoken in turn. "Clan Styrkr, what are your thoughts on the matter?" he barked over to the muscular wolves.

Clan Alpha Regin turned slightly to the black wolf, who had intriguing very dark green shimmering grizzle, with very dark green eyes. After a few moments of whispered conference, Regin turned back to the Beta and High Alpha, standing with a slight bow to them both. "My Alpha, and surrounding clans, we of Clan Styrkr are in slight accord with Clan Kvikr's statements and suggestions" he said, turning to dip his head slightly to the Alpha Female before looking back to his Alpha. "If we may though, we have some more to add to this, some concerns. If we do as is suggested, and steal the boy from his captors with the aim to return him, will we not be breaking the Ancient Law as well? For we would have to escort him into the human realm so as to avoid further disturbance from the elves." he said, a slight frown on his stolid face. "I believe we should know more of the situation before jumping to action, as such a move will no doubt be seen as an Act of War, so we should ponder carefully if we can risk so much for one human boy" he said, knowing his words were harsh, but also believing what he said. "These are the thoughts of Clan Styrkr, and let it be known that we do not wish to cause discord with any of our thoughts" he said with another slight bow to Clan Alpha Flyja before sitting.

Nolrynn listened to Regin calmly, as the Clan Alpha voiced a thought of his own once more. There was no way around it, if they escorted the human boy back to his home, they would nullify the Ancient Law. Looking down to Kverk, he inclined his head slightly, and the Beta turned and gave a nod of acknowledgement to CLan Alpha Regin. "The Council thanks you for your powerful words" he said, turning his glance to the next clan. "Clan Visdomr, we are prepared to hear your thoughts on the matter" he said, and he could feel his Alpha shift slightly, knowing the clan was not named after wisdom for nothing.

[wingfeather]

Alpha Froedi stood up wearily and bowed. ''My Alpha and fellow alphas, weighty indeed is this matter and there is no course of action that will not bring some form of consequence. But this I do know for certain, whatever the conclusion of this council, war is inevitable.'' Froedi paused allowing the weight of his words to sink in. ''This struggle must and will come to an end, and that end will arrive with the sun setting on a bloody battlefield. I apologize for the heaviness of my speech but it is truth, as much we I hate and wish to avoid it, war will seek us out and find us wether we wish it to or not. I have but one last statement to make, the boy must be removed from the elves, if possible. That is all I have to say. He bowed low before Nolryn and the other alphas before resuming his seat.

[tenebria]

Nolryn didn't show it, but he was stunned by the wise Clan Alpha's words. Although they rang with truth, it was a somber truth. One he did not want to face, and he was sure, neither did any of the others in his pack. There was a longer silence than usual after that, but as much as Nolryn wanted to address it immediately, he knew to keep to protocol. Resuming a stoic expression, he glanced down to Kverk, who was watching him carefully. With a nod, the Beta turned to the Clan Alpha, his voice steady. "The Council thanks you for your wisdom" he said, with a light bow to the Clan Alpha before turning to Clan Araedi. "Clan Araedi, we are prepared to hear your thoughts on the matter" he said.

Alpha Vanorr quickly turned to Einvaldr and Faraya, holding a whispered conference. "All that has been spoken here is true. My personal belief is that we cannot in good conscience leave the young human to the elves. We must rescue him. That is first and foremost. But we should not be rash about it. And i agree with Alpha Froedi, war is inevitable, as we have known." Einvaldr looked worried, his thoughts drifting back to Alistra. War. What would that do to his precious daughter? Faraya was swifter in her thoughts, and more succinct. "Yes Alpha, I agree with that. But I also agree we must know more. We should most likely take a few days, sending out scouts to make sure of where they are holding him before we attempt any action. And we should have two bands, one to distract and one to rescue. It will result in war, but it is a war that is past it's due date" she said with a slight growl. Vanorr smiled briefly at the two. "As usual, your advice is worthy and true" he said, before turning, raising his head to the High Alpha and bowing slightly. "My Alpha, and fellow Clan Alphas. All that has been said has a ring of truth to it, in some aspect at least. The facts are, there is a human boy, weak and helpless in the hands of the elves, and whether or not they plan to implicate us with the crime, we must rescue him. Whether we shall need to break the Ancient Law or not, I think will be discovered in the future. I also agree that the war that has been silently simmering for so long, must come to an end. We cannot live in such discord, training our pups up for a war that has lasted for generations. We cannot let them finish it for us, we must take responsibility now, before it is too late." he paused, letting his firm speech echo down the mountain. "But, I am not against using some caution in this venture. As much as I'm sure we'd all be willing to leap from this mountain and rescue the human, we mustn't be rash. High Alpha, as you have said, you have sent out scouts to find these elves and their camp." the Clan ALpha said, pausing once more before concluding. "If I may therefore make a suggestion, I believe we should all return to our respective Clans, and send out scouts of our own. The more eyes on this, the better. If we can find where this human boy is held captive, we will be better prepared when we launch our rescue. As such, I also was considering there being two groups sent out, one to distract the elves, and the other to slip in under cover and spirit him away back to our High Alpha." he barked, finally falling silent, then bowing to his High Alpha. "May my words serve our High Alpha, and may we come to an accord" Vanorr said quietly before sitting once more.

High Alpha Nolryn listened silently once again, his moonlit coat shifting in the night breezes. There were many good points in Vanorr's speech, and many things to mull over. But there was still one more clan to listen to, and he turned his gaze slightly to Clan Heille. He was curious for the healers outlook on this matter, especially on the talk of war. Kverk saw his glance move on, and quickly stepped forward again. "The Council thanks you for your words of Courage" he said, then looked to the last Clan. "Clan Heille, we are prepared to hear your words now" he said with an inclination of his head.

[wingfeather]

Hvila, the female alpha of the Heille clan, stood and bowed slowly, her forest green eyes glistening sadly. '' My Alpha and esteemed friends, as you well know we of the clan whose lives are committed almost solely on healing those who are sick and dying, we abhor and at all costs try to stay away from war of any kind. But, we see that this war is necessary and though there are few in my pack who would be of much use as warriors we will use all our knowledge of herbs we posses to heal and serve as best we can, those who can fight. This is all I have to say. And with that the little fox colored wolf bowed.

[tenebria]

Nolryn's eyes flickered slightly at the healer's emotional speech. Now he knew that war was inevitable. He had hoped the council would somehow clear a way to avoid it, but it had only made it more apparent. Kverk stepped forward "We thank you for your true words." he said, then turned to face his High Alpha, bowing low. "High Alpha, the Council is prepared to hear your final thoughts on this matter" he said solemnly. Nolryn remained seated as he looked out over the serious faces of the wolves gathered before him. He knew what he had to say, but still he took a few moments to steady his thoughts. "Clans, your words have brought insight, and have helped greatly in this grave manner. As it is, I have made my decision on what shall occur." he paused, then continued. "If my words bring accord, let them be carried out with haste, strength, wisdom, courage and care." his voice rang out over the moonlit rocks. "The human boy must be rescued. Though war it shall undoubtedly spark, this action must be carried out. This war has been stretched long enough, and we cannot, as you have said, wait for the next generation to take up the cause. We must act as one, and finish this unending strife. Before we do so, the rescue must be carried out. I shall have my strongest and most vigilant scouts patrolling the border between our forest and the humans realm, to watch for any unrest there. My orders to you all, are these. When you return to your clans, send all your available scouts out to scour Felltree wood for this boy. Have them take to memory the exact location, the number of elves guarding him, and the state in which he seems. When they return, having found him, Clans Styrkr and Kvikr shall choose five warriors each. This will be the protection force, and distraction that will be necessary to get past the elves defenses. Clans Visdomr and Araedi, send out two wolves each of discretion and speed. These shall slip past the elves, and bring the boy to safety to the nearest Clan. Once he has been cared for there, bring him straight to Council Rock, where we shall further determine our next steps." he stopped his speech, letting it echo down the mountain and into the forest. As he looked down upon the Clan Alphas, he could see slight nods of agreement passing amongst them. "My Clan Alphas, I have one more action to demand of you all." his eyes closed briefly, as he prepared the words he had never expected to have to use in his lifetime. "On this Council Night, let it be recorded and known throughout the wood that I, High Alpha Nolryn of Felltree pack, do hearby declare War against the elves, and call to action all able bodied and minded wolves. May we fight well and true and end this evil war." As he spoke he bowed his head for a moment as a stunned silence fell over the wolves. They had all known it was coming... but to hear it declared officially was another matter.

[wingfeather]

Froedi looked up in admiration at his strong and noble alpha. He could only imagine how difficult it would be to send one's own pack to war. He thought sadly about all the young wolves in his clan, good wolves, who did not deserve to learn what they were about to see. He shook his head 'war is an evil that benefits few, but harms all.' All this was going through his mind as he waited patiently for the Alpha's howl, the signal that the council was at an end. He looked over at his fellow alpha and friend Vanorr, his partner in planning the rescue of the human boy. 

[tenebria]

Vanorr bowed his head briefly as he heard his Alpha call for War. He knew it was the correct course of action, but the pain and suffering that would come of it would not be easily forgotten. His mind wandered to the apprentices in his clan, one being the daughter of the two wolves who sat behind him, their heads briefly nestled together in grief as they steeled themselves for a possible pain they had never wanted to consider. The Clan Alpha raised his head, looking up to the High Alpha who had his head lowered as well. He could feel the grief of the wise wolf, the grief for the deaths that would come of this action. The image of such a powerful wolf saddened by his own decision struck deep in Vanorr's heart and he felt a pride surge through him, pride to have such a compassionate, wise, strong leader. They could end this war. They WOULD end this war.

Nolryn took deep steadying breaths to calm his racing mind as he lifted his regal head. There would be time enough for sorrow and grief after the war was finished. Now he had many orders to command, if he was to lead his pack to victory. Looking over the council, he saw sadness and looks of pain pass over the wolves faces, but then they faded and were replaced with determination and courage. They were ready to follow him. They were ready to take back Felltree woods. "I thank you for attending this Council and hearing my words. May you run well and true, and may the moons light ever brighten your path." he spoke strongly, then lifted his muzzle and howled to the stars, signaling the end of the Council.

[wingfeather]

As the mournful yet strong music of the alpha's howl surrounded him Froedi could feel courage and hope race through his entire body as if it were his very blood, he could feel its effect in the very atmosphere of the wolves gathered around him. Slowly he retreated down the dark moonlit mountainside, his five clan members following behind closely, in search of alpha Vanorr. A plan must be made, and quickly. Froedi did not know why, but he felt that they had little time left.

[tenebria]

Vanorr felt a thrill race through him at his High Alphas howl, and as the wise wolf watched with golden eyes, he jumped from the Clan rock and began traversing down the rocky mountain, his two silent warriors following him. Reaching the bottom, he moved to the forest path and seated himself, watching as Clan Heille swiftly disappeared into the night. Clan Styrkr and Kvikr quickly found each other and walked off, most likely to discuss the upcoming plan. Claws on the rock told him that Clan Visdomr was making it's way down as well, and he stood, eager to greet his fellow Clan Alpha and begin the plans.

Einvaldr was silent as he followed his Alpha, but his heart was pounding hard. As soon as war had been declared, all he could think of was his precious daughter being exposed to the horrors of the battles. He wouldn't be able to protect her out there, and neither would her mentor, or her mother. As they reached the bottom and sat waiting for their partnered Clan, he turned to Faraya. "War..." he murmured, trailing off as she turned her glittering orange eyes to him, shining with unshed tears. "Alistra" she murmured in response, burying her red head in his fur. He immediately bent his head to hers, nuzzling her comfortingly. It moved him deeply to see his carefree, reckless mate so distraught, and he murmured quietly to her. "We can protect her, we have to" he said. Faraya raised her head "You know we cannot. We can only hope that what we have taught her is enough. She is strong, brave, and swift. She will find her place and she will survive. She has to" she said, her voice breaking slightly as she turned her head back to his soft silver fur, shining in the moonlight. "You are right my vixen, she has been a good student. The war will not come so quickly that she will not have time to prepare her mind for it, and Vaskra will do her utmost to make her ready" he said in a strong tone. The red wolf nodded, lifting her head as she was suddenly aware of paw steps approaching. "We must return to our duty, but when we return, we must speak to Vaskra and Alistra." she said, quickly moving to her Alpha's side as Einvaldr gave her a quick loving nuzzle and returned to his faithful place.

[wingfeather]

Alpha Froedi stopped walking when he noticed Alpha Vanorr approaching. He greeted the other wolf with a slight courteous bow.