Duvessa:

Keenly interested eyes watched as Daisy had groomed the pelt of Kipo, the young pup always seemed to find himself making an effort for his packmates, even in his youthful innocence. As the Omega started to drift to sleep, the pup's gaze lingered longer on the entrance of the cave than what was comfortable, as if the little pup had considered making a break for it and escaping into certain death. Yet, his mind changed as his path led him towards her, ears perking to listen to what the pup might have to say. 'I’ll take care of the other pups. You can take care of the rest of the pack'. A vice gripped her heart, achingly as the soft, almost timid voice of the pup that carefully chose his words reached her ears, softening her eyes and warming her heart. Duvessa wasn't certain how she felt, realizing that time spent at her side had shaped this youngster into a mirror of herself, rather than that of his mother, Athena, becoming more caring of everyone around him, whether it was pack mate or litter mate.

The silvered she-wolf had been trusted once more to care for the pups when the Alpha pair had left to seek prey, but that role had shifted in their absence, as their dear friend had to step up to the responsibility of the parent to the litter left behind when they didn't return. But nobody could truly replace Athena and Lupin, least of all Duvessa, who mourned the loss of her friends deeply. She didn't begrudge or despise Shibaan for stepping up when many wolves wouldn't dare to do so, and their pack was vulnerable without their leader pair and therefore needed a new one to once more stabilize and strengthen the pack. But the loss, the change, still tugged at Duvessa to her very core, and it would take time to grow accustomed to it all. Nodding to the pup, watching as he padded back to his litter mates, and the female eased into Shibaan once more. Duvessa had always been there for her pack, every wolf having a shoulder available if it was needed, and that was true even for Athena and Lupin, whom Duvessa had forged a friendship with throughout the years, from babysitting their pups to offering sage counsel in times of need. 

Interest glimmered once more in Duvessa's gaze as she peered curiously at Tenn, the male Omega lying down on the opposite side of their newly named Alpha. 'Don’t be so hard on yourself, it’s nearly impossible to find anything in this kind of weather, no matter our ranking'. It was sound reassurance, something that Duvessa could agree with. There wasn't a wolf alive that could best a snowstorm, they could only survive it and pray to the gods for their mercy. However, what came next unsettled the female, opening up the gaping hole that caused her stomach to drop at the thoughts that came with it. 'Try not to worry too much, Sylvain has proven to be strong in conditions like this'. The uncertainty that they had shook Duvessa, after all, words wouldn't ensure the safety of their Beta, and the loss of Sylvain would surely cripple them in a way that would be unrecoverable, ensuring the doom of them all.

Closing her eyes, Duvessa enjoyed the warmth of Shibaan at her side, exhaling a long breath, humming as a stray thought of the closeness between Shibaan and Tenn was taken note in the female's mind, as it was seemingly confident enough to approach the new Alpha to lay beside her, despite rank and their unmated status. It was something that Duvessa would have to keep in mind for the future, a worry for another day when Sylvain's disappearance wasn't heavy on her thoughts. Her eyes only opened when Kipo awoke and approached.

'Shibaan. Should I go hunting or not?'. The black-furred female had started, with sleep gunk still in her eyes showing that she was up on her paws quickly. 'I can get something for the elders'. Sniffing, Duvessa pinned her ears down, allowing Shibaan to make the call, but it was clear that the Caretaker thought that walking out into the blizzard would be a fool's errand, especially since the current dilemma was that Sylvain hadn't returned yet, and losing Kipo to the snowstorm would only add to the problem at hand. Turning her head away, Duvessa licked her lips, hunger biting at her stomach once more, but she suppressed the feeling. None of them was a stranger to hunger, but this winter had been especially harsh, and she was doing her best to tough it out. But, her hunger was all but forgotten when a howl reverberated into the den, echoing off the walls in a symphony of natural design that overshadowed the gushing wind of the blizzard outside the mouth of the den.

Sylvain! 

Duvessa's head snapped up, her body lurching as an excited yip left her lips before she could catch herself, and the female stood to her full height, her tail high as her ears perked forward, the skin prickling beneath her fur with the thrill that coursed through her veins like a rush of static electricity. Their Beta had made it home, he had braved the storm beyond and returned, a feat that surely wouldn't be forgotten any time soon. But one thought caught Duvessa's mind before it was pushed away once more.

If Sylvain could return... why couldn't Athena and Lupin?

[ Good morning everyone, sorry for the late-ish and short-ish response ]

Duvessa:

The exhilaration throbbed through the very veins of the wolf, coursing with burning adrenaline as the pack jumped to action at the mouth of the cave. With a soft growl of determination, Duvessa launched alongside the pack, blunt black claws digging at the snow with a renewed vigor that the exhausted wolf didn't know she still had left. Helping claw the snow away from the entrance, and then moving it to the side so the pack could continue tunneling deeper, the female held a breath as she spotted what Cedar had; blood. The sight ripped through the female, and a whine escaped her lips as that coppery scent hit her nose, stronger than the scent of whose blood it was. Turning, the female loped to the back of a cave, where a smaller cave was hidden away from the curious eyes of the pups, packed full of herbs and the likes that were meant to last the entire winter.

Thankfully, her stocks were plentiful, and she sniffed around for what she needed. Her gaze locked onto the yellow-orange flowering plant, and she carefully plucked the herb from her store and padded from the den, her ears perked forward as she surveyed the process. Marigold had two purposes, the primary was to prevent infection, but it also helped with minor bleeding, which was a hopeful side of Duvessa that the wound wouldn't be severe enough to warrant cobwebs or the like. Seeing that they were making their way through the snow, Duvessa began to chew the marigold into a poultice, her nose wrinkling against the taste that she never truly got accustomed to. Her silver eyes flicked to the pups, who had roused in the excitement, and were looking curiously toward the entrance, their innocent little eyes gleaming. As the snow cleared away enough for a wolf to squeeze in one at a time, Duvessa spat out the marigold poultice onto a rock and carried it toward the mouth of the den, her pelt prickling with excitement as she waited for her packmate to climb his way inside.

[ Duvessa will temporarily be paused for NarcissisticDelusions to have a chance to post. ]

Hemera:

Eyes of dark umber glared at the stranger with due suspicion, ears pinned back against the creamy fur on the pup's skull. The littermate with a silvered coat stood before her and their other siblings, attempting to shield them from the intruding male, causing a rumble of warning to escape the lips of the young pup.

Hemera, one of the last daughters born to the late Athena and Lupin, wouldn't permit any of her siblings to hide her away, sacrifice themselves to stand before her in the face of danger. They would stand side by side, at the very least. Hackles arose along her spine, a glance flicked toward Daisy before returning to lock directly into the olive eyes of the possible enemy. The litter had the entire pack between them and the dispersal, and their first line of defense was already impenetrable; Shibaan stood, her white fur a stark contrast within the dark of the grey cavern, the sharp pearly canines of their future Alpha on an intimidating threat display. 

Her naive mind couldn't wrap her mind around the reasoning behind why their loyal and beloved Beta had returned with this male, but with the snarling of her seniors, Hemera could deduce quite easily that it wasn't a welcome surprise. Most of the pack seemed on edge, besides the female who had become a second mother to her. Duvessa sat with peaceful patience, her gaze guarded and uncertain, yet her lips didn't quiver with the desire to snarl at the stranger, simply awaited with a stinky poultice for the outcome to be judged by Shibaan.

Licking her lips, Hemera hunched down in the nest, there wasn't much hope for any pup to survive the attack of a fully grown, matured male. However, if the necessity came, Hemera wouldn't lay down and beg for mercy, this intruder would feel her fangs as she joined her parents wherever the gods had taken them. A soft growl escaped her lips, reverberating deep in her chest with the bite behind her effort. She wouldn't show her fear, not now until the last moments, even if the sour stench of it reeked from her pores.