"Cubs Among the Gathered Tribe"

Log Date:
	6/8/99

Log Cast:
	Trollkiller, StreamWind, Rillwhisper, Wayfound, Dreamberry, Watermark,
Fin, Ayerth, Clearsong, Skyflame, Reef

Log Intro:
	The elves of the Willowholt have ventured out for a rare visit to some
of their neighbor elves: those of the Gathered Tribe, who have invited them to
come to one of their festivals. For the adults of the tribe it is an opportunity
to break out of their usual reclusiveness; for young Wayfound, the daughter of
the chieftess, it is a chance for her hungry young mind to feast upon an 
entirely new set of sights, scents, and sounds. And to see how other cubs may
behave, outside her tribe... and, for that matter, to make the acquaintance of
a Glider who is quite impressed by how well she presents herself despite her
extremely tender years....

----------
Holt Clearing--Gathered Valley Holt
        Nestled between several mountains, this lush valley is rich with 
  greenery and the sounds of birds and other small creatures. The grasses that 
  grow here are soft and multicolored: some green and some gold. There are 
  numerous trees here, most of them small but sturdy. One large tree looms 
  here--easily large enough to house many elves. The age of this ancient tree 
  is evident from it's height and width. To the west are the tallest of the 
  mountains in this range; the sound of faintly falling water can be heard 
  from that direction. From the east the sound of running water can be clearly 
  heard; there is also a forest visable in that direction. 
        The area in front of the main tree here has been cleared and several 
  logs and boulders have been pulled up for seating. A fire ring has been laid 
  out to provide warmth on cold nights.
        <<+view dens here to see homes here>>
Contents:
StreamWind
Trollkiller(#3442PVc$g)
Watermark(#8630PJXcgy)
Summit
Dreamberry
Wolf
Fleetwind
Lightpaw
Obvious exits:
Holt Tree <HT>  East <E>  West <W>  Tent Clearing <TC>  

Trollkiller rips into a large hunk of warm, fresh ravvit meat, hungrier than 
  he thought he was. As Rillwhisper looks up, he beams, and sends, ** Got 
  ravvit! Want some? **

StreamWind chuckles and picks up his cub and places him on his lap, bouncing 
  him a little. "Hungry too, cubling?" He notes how Dreamberry ogles 
  Trollkiller's meal.

With her daughter riding on her leanly muscled shoulders, the Willowholt 
  chieftess ventures into clearing, hands lightly wrapped about Wayfound's 
  small bare ankles. She flicks a lopsided grin by way of greeting to the rest 
  of the elves present while she steps over to join her befurred younger 
  lifemate, sending a wordless hail to the clearing at large, while the cub on 
  her shoulders pipes soberly, "Good evening, everyone. Your Holt smells very 
  interesting. May I have some ravvit, Fur-father?"

Dreamberry looks at trollkiller and then the meat, satisfied that he might be 
  able to do it. He looks up at daddy, **meat daddy, rivvit dead..** he looks 
  sad about this, almost like he can't believe they killed the rivvit. **Meat 
  from den..** he says noting that perhaps it isn't rivvit.
Dreamberry bouncing on the knee giggles a bit at the movement.

Watermark FINALLY gets Fin to stop crying, even if he IS chewing on her hair 
  now. She continues bouncing the tyke anyway, hoping to keep things quiet.

"Heyla, Chieftess Rillwhisper." Streamwind smiles, from where he is seated 
  next to Trollkiller. At his son's request he nods, "You want the deer meat 
  cubling?" He tucks Dreamberry under his arm, bounces into the den and 
  returns with a pack of meat wrapped in skin. He sits back down and goes 
  about cutting slices for his cub, placing him back on his lap.

Ayerth drops down from the branches of the holt tree.
Ayerth has arrived.
Ayerth climbs down from above...

Dreamberry smiles at the meat, noting that it doesn't have any fur attached, 
  and it didn't come from a cute rivvit. **food daddy!** he sends, look a bit 
  sad for the crying cub. **<<warmth>>** he sends towards the cub.

Trollkiller slices several more pieces from the ravvitflesh, handing them one 
  at a time to Wayfound. ** Of course, as much as you like. **

Watermark sits down again, patting her now thankfully silent pip. She 
  belatedly looks around the clearing with a sheepish smile. ** Calm tides. **

StreamWind gives a grin to Watermark. "Heyla"

Rillwhisper inclines her tousled head to StreamWind, while reaching up to help 
  Wayfound down off her perch. Her daughter, in a rare fit of failure to be 
  verbose, falls upon the offered meat with as much appetite as any healthy 
  Wolfrider could wish, and while she gobbles down strips of the ravvit, she 
  plops down to sit near her befurred younger father. In the meantime, the 
  Willowholt chieftess smiles, reaching over to claim a token share of her own 
  on which to chew, while glancing up to survey the others arriving on hand. 
  They are all sent a straightforward albeit wordless greeting, and then to 
  StreamWind, Rillwhisper adds, ** Is your chieftess about yet? I'd still like 
  to offer her what gifts we've brought from the Willowholt. **
You set down Wayfound.

** I'm afraid not... ** Ayerth sends, lowering himself to the ground and 
  looking about at the mass of elves. ** She's resting right now, but I'm sure 
  as soon as she wakses she'll be anxious to meet with you. **

Clearsong steps into the clearing from the east.
Clearsong has arrived.

Rillwhisper's gaze lifts up to take in the sight of Ayerth, and for the second 
  time since the red-golden-haired chieftess entered the Holt of the Gathered 
  Tribe, surprise flickers across her leaf-colored eyes. A Glider? Or at 
  least, someone as tall as a Glider? It's only mild surprise, though. ** 
  Thank you, ** she replies amiably. ** I wouldn't want to have entered her 
  territory without at least making a proper greeting. ** Alpha to alpha, 
  she-wolf to she-wolf.

Watermark just surveys the crowd and listens and pats at her son's hair, 
  soothing him back to sleep...

Clearsong steps into the clearing, waving a full pouch over her head, a wide 
  smile on her face. She glances around to the faces of the elves--some 
  familiar, most not. "I've got berries!" she calls. "Anybody want some?"

Dreamberry smiles at those in the area, his perch apon his father's knee very 
  comforting. He looks to the once crying cub and smiles. **me good healer** 
  he sends as if to himself. He looks about eyeing out the situation.

Yes...a Glider, or one that once was a glider and is one no longer. He does 
  not glide, you see...he would have flown down otherwise instead of climbing. 
  At the sound of Clearsong's voice he raises his hand and nods. ** I would 
  like some, please. **

Ayerth
         A voice from the shadows, a flutter, and Ayerth stands before you, 
  shyly. He stands about six feet tall, average for a glider, and thin, also 
  average for a glider. The thing that makes him different from other gliders 
  is that he is heavily muscled from his centuries of work on the Nesting 
  Ledge. 
         His dark violet eyes, glinting with inteligence and warmth, are set 
  in a pale, high cheekboned face that occasionally crinkles in a slight 
  smile. His hair, as black as the deepest caves beneath Blue Mountain, is 
  pulled into a single braid that hangs nearly to his waist, bound with a 
  single silver cord. 
         He is dressed as most gliders are. . .A tight tunic made of pale grey 
  material lined with soft ravvitfur, a pair of tight pants in midnight blue, 
  and a long cloak, also midnight blue. A black leather belt with a silver 
  clasp encircles his thin waist. On his left hip is a small silver flask, on 
  his right, a pouch. The only decoration he has is a simpl{e woven silver 
  bracelet on his right wrist, and a gold hoop in his left. His feet are clad 
  in well worn boots made of black leather. His eyes meet yours, and his face 
  breaks into a rare smile. . .
Carrying:
Catclaws
MultiDescer

Watermark smiles at pip, while shaking her head no to Clearsong, with perhaps 
  even some disapproval in her face.

Dreamberry eyes perk up at the sound of berries and says and sends, **me I 
  want some!! from bush I killed?** he remarks as if proud of that fact.

Ayerth's arrival, however, breaks Wayfound out of her food-imposed silence. 
  The little girl looks sharply and curiously up, her voice piping out, 
  "Hello. You are very tall; are you a Glider, and do you live here?" An 
  intelligent interest lights her pale amber-green eyes, and her little head 
  tilts with speculation.

Skyflame is smiling and comes looking for trouble to raise...well, a playmate 
  besides the wolfie that seem to keep following her everywhere. Hearing 
  berries offered, she comes running. "Me..want some. peas......." she says 
  sweetly. loking around to see who offered.

Rillwhisper, having neatly scarfed down the tidbit of ravvit Trollkiller gave 
  her, turns to consider Clearsong. "If those are dreamberries you're talking 
  about," she says dryly, "I think a large number of elves in this clearing 
  are a tad young."

Reef arrives from the tent clearing.
Reef has arrived.
Reef heads to the east, towards the river.
Reef has left.

Ayerth chuckles softly, bending down to look a bit closer at the elfin child 
  who just spoke. "Yes, little one, I am very tall, and yes, I was a glider at 
  one time. " He lowers himself to the ground, taking a seat somewhere in the 
  mass of elves. "And yes, I live here."

Clearsong nods and loosens the drawstring of her pouch, allowing a small 
  handful to roll into Ayerth's hands. She then turns to Dreamberry, and her 
  smile brightens. With a few steps she makes her way over to give some to 
  him. Another pivot on her feet allows Skyflame to get some too. At 
  Rillwhisper's comment her ears perk up, and her gaze shifts to Dreamberry. 
  "Um...Should he not have any?"

Dreamberry munches quickly on the offered berries, a smile creeping across his 
  face. **berries gjljd* he sends, almost like he is indeed talking with his 
  mouth full which it is. He chews contentedly. Noting his dad being busy with 
  something else, good daddy he thinks to himself.

Wayfound might be only five turns of the seasons old, but she can lock in on a 
  conversation as quickly as a wolf locks in on prey. "I hope you are not 
  including me in that, Mother. I think I am more than old enough to--" She 
  cuts off immediately, however, at a steady and unmistakably chieftess-ly 
  glance from her dam; talkative cub she might be, Wayfound knows a signal not 
  to argue when she sees one. Still, undaunted, she promptly returns her 
  attention to Ayerth, whom she informs, "We have a Glider who lives with us, 
  called Zalen. He's come to visit your tribe with us. I would be quite 
  interested in finding out if you live with Wolfriders the same way he does."

Skyflame nods to Dreamberry. "uh huh. you me play." she smiles at him with a 
  twinkle in her eye. "'ush come too." She points to Wolfie and then takes the 
  chance to get those berries smiling sweetly with a hint of mischeif in her 
  eyes. She quickly pops two of them in her mouth. ** mmmm.... ** she sends as 
  she eats them.

Rillwhisper, satisfied that her cub is not going to balk (too much) as long as 
  they're in another tribe's territory, tells Clearsong casually, "I can only 
  speak for my daughter, not these others." She gestures to Dreamberry and 
  Skyflame, and one corner of her mouth curls up slightly as Dreamberry 
  appears to have taken matters into his own tiny hands.

"You certianly are well spoken for a young one." Ayerth says with a pleasant 
  smile on his face, popping a few of the berries into his mouth and chewing 
  slowly. "How does Zalen live with the wolfriders, and how might I be 
  different from him?"

Dreamberry poppes down from his father's lap, to go play with his friend. 
  **yup, me play. Game rivvit hunt?** he says, still not knowing what hunting 
  means. But able to make a go of it.

Watermark looks fairly sleepy herself, where she leans against a tree, now 
  that her son dropped off...

Clearsong smiles and plops down onto a nearby tree root, balancing her heels 
  on a nearby rock, legs crossed. She raises the opened dreamberry pouch to 
  her nose, and inhales deeply, nearly reeling back from the scent. She 
  blushes at a thought, and mutters, "I've never had them before."

Trollkiller finshes off most of the rest of the ravvit, and leans back into 
  the grass. Mmmmmmmm full belly.

Skyflame grins to Berry and nods. Excitement coming to her face at the mention 
  of huntin. "'untin' fun. go find ravvit." She waves a come to Berry and 
  begins looking under trees for her Ravvit that has now escaped her 3 times. 
  "find Ravvit. shhh...."

Dreamberry starts walking towards skyflame, a happy go lucky smile on his 
  face. "who fur-stuff?" he says, looking at the big wolf following his 
  playmate. His little body finally catching up with him. He stands infront of 
  skyflame, looking at her. He does as he is told and is very quiet, as he 
  starts to utter some noises, that he noticed the other rivvit doing. And his 
  little nose twitches a bit. "Rivvit close.." he says, smiling.

"Thank you," Wayfound says politely to Ayerth, wandering barefootedly over to 
  sniff at him, her tiny nose crinkling as she takes in his scent. She tilts 
  her pale-haired head back to take in his height, and appends in musing 
  tones, "You have a scent like Zalen's, like you have been around trees for a 
  long time. Zalen lives with us because we adopted him, and then he 
  Recognized Dawn, and they had three cubs. He is as tall as you are, and has 
  black hair too."

Rillwhisper settles lithely down on the grass next to Trollkiller, reaching 
  over to scritch his nearest shoulder and part of his befurred chest, while 
  calling over lightly to Clearsong, "If you've never touched dreamberries, I 
  suggest you go easy to begin with. They can sneak up on you if you have too 
  many before you're ready."

Trollkiller mmmmms and leans over, nuzzing Rillwhisper's breast, partially 
  crawling into her lap.

Dreamberry looks over at rillwhipser and sends **sore tummy**

Watermark drifts off to sleep, peacefully curled around her son.

"Aye, I have, little one. I've been living outside for the last.." he thinks 
  for a moment or two. "four hands of turns. And I remember Zalen from when I 
  was in the mountain...as I'm sure he will remember me in passing at least. 
  But three cubs? " He shakes his head in disbelief. "How can one elf be so 
  blessed?"

Clearsong takes a small, dark berry from her pouch and clenches it gently 
  between her thumb and forefinger, examining it thoughtfully. She smiles 
  sheepishly over to Rillwhisper, then wrinkles her nose. She nods and takes 
  the words to heart as she looks the single berry over once more.

Skyflame blinks and looks at Berry, she was thinking the same think and strts 
  rubbing her tummy. She also rubs her eyes, as she trys to find a ravvit. Of 
  course whos knows what she might find in these bushes.

The Willowholt chieftess glances to little Dreamberry, and a spark of 
  amusement lights her eyes. "Yes, cub," she says, grinning. "Exactly." She 
  won't elaborate on the more interesting effects of overindulgence in 
  dreamberries, at least not in front of cubs probably far too young to 
  comprehend them -- but then again, considering that Skyflame and Dreamberry 
  have both swiped berries from Clearsong, maybe these cubs are familiar 
  already with what dreamberries do? Here's hoping they don't give Wayfound 
  ideas....

Dreamberry follows shortly behind his playmate, a look of concentration 
  showing on his little face as he looks at the bushes. **dreamberries easy to 
  find, rivvit hard** he sends towards her, his little nose still protraying 
  the motion of a rivvit, as he try's to call the rivvit with sending. 
  **rivvit.. me friend.**

"Sixteen turns of the seasons, then," proclaims Wayfound wisely. Content with 
  her inspection of Ayerth by eye and nose, she contents herself now with 
  simple conversation. "That is not as long as Zalen has been at Willowholt, I 
  don't think, but I can't count higher than twenty without having to just 
  count the eights, and I don't think anyone has counted how long Zalen has 
  lived with us. But Joy and Jylien and Simmel are all grownup now and they 
  have children too."

Clearsong shrugs and pops the berry into her mouth, rolling it around on her 
  tongue before biting down on it. Her eyes widen into blue-green spheres as 
  the juices flow across her tastebuds, tingling her jaw with their tart 
  sweetness. "Mmmm...Good."

Skyflame giggles at Dreambery trying to find the ravvit. She turns her nose up 
  and the tummy hurting, but trys to ignore it. She's huntin'. Finally she 
  finds the little furry fellow and gets really still, not to scare it. ** 
  Bewwy, ravvit. Come shhh... ** trying to tell her friend not to be loud.

"Well, I can only hope that in my time outside I will be lucky enough to 
  recognize a maiden and have children of my own." Ayerth says with a nod and 
  a smile to the young elf. "Tell me, what is your name, little one? My name 
  is Ayerth."

Trollkiller seems to be nuzzling Rillwhisper's breasts more enthusiastically 
  now. Hm.

Dreamberry sneaks up on what he figures is the rivvit, he rounds the bush to 
  go on the other side of it. His little feet proving for once that they can 
  be quiet. He smiles, and makes rivvit noses, soft and gentle along with 
  wriggling his nose slightly immitating a rivvit.

A-_hem_! The Willowholt chieftess's green eyes glint with something rather 
  warmer than amusement, now, as she finds herself with a lap full of 
  Trollkiller, and Trollkiller hands and cheeks beginning to pleasurably 
  occupy themselves. Wrapping her arms about her lifemate, she looks down at 
  him, grinning, and sending to him alone.
You locksend ** Speaking of things most of the elves in this clearing are a 
  little young for... ** to Trollkiller.

Trollkiller locksends ** Just because they'd get bored... <giggles> Or in the 
  way. Okay, we can wander off... **

Ayerth chuckles at the fuzzy elf's attention to the blonde-haired one...

Wayfound pauses a moment to peer over at her mother and her fur-father; 
  despite her tiny size, the towheaded cub is entirely unfazed by 
  Trollkiller's enthusiasm. Still, though, something like approval lightens 
  her eyes, as she returns her attention to Ayerth. "My name is Wayfound," she 
  replies formally, "and I am Rillwhisper and Lonehowl's daughter, although my 
  father is dead, and so Woodhawk and Trollkiller are also my fathers."

Skyflame motions to Berry and sends at the same time. ** pounce it. ** She is 
  grinning from ear to ear. As she nods the signal to get it.

Trollkiller mrrrs at something nobody else gets to hear, and then, in one 
  rolling, sweeping motion, is suddenly standing with Rillwhisper in his arms, 
  carrying her off towards the camping grounds and bonfire.
Trollkiller heads towards the tent clearing.
Trollkiller has left.

Rillwhisper nods ever so slightly down to Trollkiller, beginning to get to her 
  feet. "Wayfound!" she calls over to her daughter. "Do not go farther away 
  from our camp than this clearing, all right? And do _not_ have any of those 
  berries."

Dreamberry pounces on the spot she mentions, reaching and grabbing for 
  anything that might look like a rivvit.. he dissapears inside the bush for a 
  moment.

Rillwhisper, with that, is swept off by her lifemate.

[End log.]