A Leader's Questions...

Starwing looked as Birch went away, then shook his head and said:

"Well, I will be the one who asks now, seeing as Birch didn't ask anything before, hum.. having to go."

He surveyed the reunited wolves, some were lying down, some sitting, and most of them on all fours.

His eyes fell on a wolf who stood in the shadow of a huge willow tree, he narrowed his eyes and asked:

" You, the one who is hiding under that willow! Show yourself and answer: Do you and your wolves howl at the moon every night or only when the moon is full?".

This said, he tried to see more of the wolf under the tree as Starwing sat down near a creek.

Talon glowered at the wolf who addressed her with disrespect. Her mate, Heart, rubbed her shoulder against her in reassurance. The two exchanged a glance and seemingly communicated without speaking any words. Talon's aggressive stance relaxed a bit before she answer, "We don't howl at moon in any instance. We say our thanks to the animal itself and the paws of our packmates assisted in the kills. There was no divine intervention that allowed us to eat when we need to. Its the strength of our members, the strength of ourselves, the strength of our resolve that allows us to sustain ourselves. And of course, the weakness of the life of a creature necessary to keep our strength."

Heart licked Talon's cheek, as if to encourage her to say more, but Talon merely grimaced at Heart and low growl began in her throat.

"What is your favorite prey item? Why? Does it have any significance in your pack?"

“Elk!” Rose piped up. “No reason except we like eating rich when we can!”

Rose turned to the wolf directly to her left. “Is inbreeding allowed in your pack?”

Multiple wolves are standing in the shadows now as the hours grow longer. One stands as cooly in shadow as any of the others despite standing out thanks to the white fur peppering her back and shoulders like fresh snow. This doesn't seem to bother as she speaks and holds herself well and evenly enough. "I don't really have rules restricting breeding. As long as the pup is born healthy their mother and father doesn't concern me much. If the pup isn't born healthy..." The wolf, Yami, paws at the ground, the first sign of uneasiness demonstrated by the she-wolf. "Well, I suppose that's the consequence of love. We live in nature after all. And nature is not always kind." 

She nods relieved to be finished speaking and eagerly turns to the nearest leader. "What is your biggest regret as a leader so far?" 

Birch perks his ears up as he was looked over at Yami while he lets himself take a deep breath Before responding to their question.

" My biggest regret as a leader is having to select which wolves/pups have to stay or leave the pack....  as we all know there are times when the territory cant afford keeping too many pack members at a time. Some of my wolves still don't forgive me for removing certain members of our pack but I do it for a good reason to prevent inbreeding & let them explore the world themselves. " 

Birch faces the other leaders around him thinking of a question.

" How do you see/feel about your fellow pack members ? "

Dire Sköll sat down in the clearing with the other wolves, his small Kasana pressed up against him nervously. He'd told her she could stay with the pack today but the anxious she-wolf insisted on coming. He reassured her with a lick to the head before looking up at the Alpha that had asked him a question.

"I feel proud." He said softly, laying his tail on top of his mate's. "We have built our pack from the ground up, and they respect us healthily. We have normal conversations and aren't always fighting, something I know my mate is grateful for," the Alpha nudged his mate, causing her to squeak lightly, followed by a tiny laugh.

Clearing his throat, Dire Sköll looked to the next Alpha beside him. His yellow eyes bore into them for a long time before he finally came up with a question.

"If you could change anything about our community, how all of our packs interact with one another, what would it be?"

Barnaby had arrived with his apprentice and heir, Sleekpaw. He wanted the boy to get a better sense of the culture of wolves outside of allied packs and their own. Today was a neutral day, where the Kings, Queens, Alphas, Emperors, and Empresses joined together to ask harmless questions and get to know each other. When his turn came around, Barnaby thought for a moment before speaking.

"I wouldn't change it for anything. Most of the wolves I've met have been so friendly and generous. Our trade economy is good, friendships strong, and most of the 'bad' wolves have already been driven out. It's heaven.

"Sleekpaw, why don't you ask the next wolf a question?" Sleekpaw looked thoughtfully around for ideas. But luck is with him; it only takes a moment to come up with a question.

Turning to the next wolf, the young boy smiles and says, "What kind of culture does your pack embrace? Do you follow a certain religion? Or have holidays?"

Origin tilts her head, watching as her mate walks over to sit beside her. Her mate rumbles softly before answering. 

"Our pack doesn't truly follow any sort of culture. But we do have important days. The Day of Longest Light, the Day of Longest Dark, and the Days of Balance. We celebrate these days with a feast, a hunt with the entire pack, and we thank Nature for her nlessing of our pack."

Origin rubs her hesd against her mate, before asking her question. "How does your pack deal with excessive pups and wanderers?"

Nyx hums quietly, looking at Origin for a brief moment as she considers her answer. "It depends on the pack, of course," she replies with a solemn nod, quickly enough following her statement with an explanation. "If there is enough space for the pups to grow and learn, there is no need to get rid of them. The pack would not survive without fresh blood, anyway. Alas, if there are already more than enough of us in the dens and we cannot watch over our young, it is better to keep the strongest; the others are mercifully killed away from the pack. It is a much better fate than being eaten by coyotes," she explains quietly, olive eyes drifting away from the other wolf. It is never amusing to speak about pups or having to end young, innocent lives; alas, there is no other way to deal with lack of space or too many hungry mouths to feed. "We usually do not mind wanderers; earlier, when the pack was just starting out, wanderers were often invited to join our ranks; however, now, we tend to keep them away and gain members by breeding," she finishes with a quiet huff.

Slowly, her attention moves onto another wolf as Nyx ponders what to ask. So many questions have already been murmured into the dark as the gathering goes on, some wolves leaving after a while and new ones joining soon after them. "Does your name have any meaning or a story of why it was given to you?" Nyx inquires.

Stormstar grinned at Nyx's question, then looked at her beta and mate, Lightningtail and replied:

"Yes, my name was given to me by our ancestor's spirits when I became leader, before that I was Known as Stormheart,

for since I was a pup I loved storms with all my heart. And when I became leader, the ancestors named me Stormstar, since that is the name that leaders in my pack bear with pride and wisdom." She looked at Lightningtail fondly, licked his ear, then looked around at a small, young-looking wolf and asked:

"Do honor your ancestors and their spirits? Where do they go when their body is dead"

After saying that, she winked at the wolf and she and her mate settled down in the grass.