Summer Summary

VV Summer 2020-2024

Spring had been peaceful; the grazelands were lush with new grass, herds were plentiful and the soil and water were rich in the valley. The only hint the three packs received for what was to come was sweltering temperatures and distant storms that never quite reached the valley, unusual for Ansha’s season.

Unfortunately, these warnings were ignored by the three packs preoccupied with the shattering change of leadership in the Au’dar, the appearance of mysterious loners bearing red insignias, and the Sanzin’s Suit focused on raising a powerful army. When summer rolled around, the heat grew more extreme than the valley had ever known before. As time without rain drew on, the creeks and lakes withdrew from their familiar banks. Vibrant green faded and was replaced with the dying colors of yellows and browns, as vegetation died and the parched ground cracked apart. Herds of prey left in droves to find more water, and the few that didn’t leave entirely escaped the sun's wrath in the forests and the high reaches of the mountains.

Most mysteriously, the river that feeds the valley also dwindled into a tiny stream so small that even young pups could leap across it.
Some packs managed by hiding away in the cool caves of the mountains, or taking the gamble of drinking the ocean’s water. But this drought was not one to simply survive through until next fall - the strain it put on the valley and all the wolves residing here was a serious threat. Hunters were working themselves to the bones to provide for their packs, risking more injury and fatigue. Protectors of the borders were even more wary, and all were barely getting by with enough water. Worst of all, no improvement came as the days passed, and no one knew what was wrong.
Some believed it was the punishment of Zarmir for the Au’dar’s new Centurion insulting him. Others thought that these strangely marked newcomers were to blame, somehow manipulating the water.



In a way, those few wouldn’t be entirely wrong - while the valley’s newest group had no way of controlling the water, they did have an idea of what had happened. The group's leader, Timber, approached the King and Queen of the Vertok, and it was to them that she introduced her guild as the Mercurior, a roaming troop of self-reliant specialists offering a variety of trades for hire.
She explains that beavers had constructed an imposing dam in the mountain pass they had entered the valley through, and how it could very well be the root of the valley’s loss of water. Hearing her, the King and Queen called for an emergency meeting between the leaders of the three packs.



Time was of the essence; in a week, the leaders met inside the twisting roots of Ashana’s Oak at the center of the valley. The first to arrive were Conri and Reika of the Vertok, then Artemis of the Sanzin, and Akala, the revolutionary Centurion, whom her wolf companion followed into the sacred grounds. This audacity had been ill-received by the Queen, and the dispute was nothing short of great entertainment for the chaotic Suit. If not for the wizened maturity of Conri, the meeting surely would have been a failure to their goal. A practiced arbiter, he progressed the meeting with the introduction of the Mercurior to the two other packs. Lord Timber’s reception was not a warm one from the Sanzin and Au’dar, but patiently, she explained the situation and, provided the agreement of the three packs, the solution: a search party made up of a few members from each pack and led by wolves of the Mercurior who had seen the dam.

Together, they could break the thing down and, with hopes high, restore the main source of water to the entire valley. The land would freshen once more just before autumn arrived, the other animals would return, the tension would lessen and, in trade for their assistance and future assignments, the packs would allow permanent residence to the Mercurior Guild.
Her proposal was met with obvious skepticism. To say the air between the Suit and the Centurion was tense would be an understatement, but despite the cold glares, they overall agreed upon mutual doubt of the Vertok and their attesting to this stranger. The ground that the Lord stood on may not have been the most stable, but it was nonetheless intriguing enough for the three packs to agree - in two days, their chosen candidates would meet back at the Central Oak, and led by Timber and one of her guildmates, they would set off to conquer the dam and restore life to the valley.
The meeting was adjourned.

☽ ☼ ☾

The call to gather resonated around the foot of the mountains.
On the second day after the emergency meeting, Lord Timber waited for wolves of each pack to meet her in a clearing along the withered river. Groups of two and three from each pack soon answered her howl. First, the Vertok arrived, their territory being the closest, and were soon followed by the Au’dar and Sanzin breaking through the underbrush in tandem, along with the appearance of some loners made curious by the call and the amalgamation of scents.

A glance would confirm that the wolves chosen by the pack’s respective leaders were more than capable of the task. Strength, speed, intelligence, diligence, and an array of skills would aid them in their journey along the river and mountain passes as well as the mission to take down the beaver dam Timber’s guild had scouted before.
A focused pace was set for the trek onward, lasting until the sun was just beginning to fall from its noon crescendo and filled with nothing short of silent suspense, save for the few chatty wolves accompanying them.
The mountains closing in around them was the first clue of their destination being near. The river winded through the narrowing foothills, and as they rounded the corner of its banks, the expedition laid eyes on the culprit of the valley’s drought. An impressive dam of felled trees and sticks packed between the deep ravine, successful in blocking the river’s flow in its entirety, large enough to tower above the heads of even the tallest wolves. With some scrambling up the riverbanks, they were quick to confirm that a massive lake formed beyond the dam, and was no doubt the water that the valley so desperately needed.
The party formed a plan with haste and set out to destroy the offending dam.

It was hard and dirty work, taking apart the muddied sticks and branches a few at a time. The stronger of the group pulled and hauled, some even ramming themselves against logs to dislodge the construction, while others picked apart the supporting limbs. Some worked dutifully and focused, while some made a competitive game out of how much damage they could deliver, and the others scouted and directed towards the weakest points. With each successful assault, more water began spewing from the newly made holes, and with each shift of the dam from the pressure of the lake behind it, the wolves were reminded of how dangerous the task would soon become.
Many filed onto the elevated riverside while a few determined individuals continued to work from the dried bed, having many keen eyes watch for signs of the dam bursting. Tension rose with each new puzzle piece pulled and every shift of the massive construct.
Soon shouts echoed between the mountains, quickly drowned out by the loud rumble of water and the cracking of wood. Between wolves scattering to higher grounds and away from the tumbling dam, it was a frantic scramble to safety. It was impossible to keep track of all that happened. The lake burst from its confines all at once, finally free to take back what was once its route of freedom. The tsunami that resulted was all-consuming as it rushed down the reclaimed river, pushing a wave of toppled logs and branches and eating away at the dirt banks with the ferocity of it all.
As quickly as it came, so did the silence after.



The twisting river that ran through the valley, once dying and dried, was engulfed by the muddied waves rushing their way through the valley. It spread over the banks and flattened the grasses around it while remnants of the beaver dam were caught on the forest surrounding. Many wolves both affiliated with the packs and living on their own watched from a safe distance as the chaotic waters reclaimed the valley, and when the flash flooding receded, they eagerly made their way to bask in the revitalized river.



And with the success of the party sent to find and destroy the dam and the river renewed, so began the age of rejuvenation. It would take time for the valley to regain its bearing on life, and much of the summer had lost the battle against the drought, but the hope of life returning by the arrival of fall was celebrated amongst the packs. Views towards one another may still be tenuous at best, but they had been able to work alongside each other for the sake of their homes' well-being and together, took a step towards redemption for its natural life.



Whether some liked it or not, the newly arrived Mercurior Guild was welcomed into the valley under contract with each pack for its members to be hired on assignments, and in return, they were permitted to wander the pack lands without quarrel so long as they do not officially claim a territory of their own. And so the strange red marks that appeared throughout the valley finally made a home for themselves.



On the cusp between summer and fall, the once-parched plants found life in the valley once more, and with that came the return of the herds. Elk, deer, bison, and pronghorn were once more becoming a common sight, and with more food came less work for the hunters of the packs, less ravenous tension, and life could once more proceed in normalcy. Of course, as their lovely home becomes lush and lively once again, it becomes an intriguing prospect for anything that had thrived on the prey outside of the valley… how long their peace will last could only be a matter of time.