With the capture of Verandi Farley and several high-ranking Trossach members, the British wizarding world has finally caught a break. The rate of rogue werewolf attacks have started dropping at a steady rate and, hopefully, things will stay that way. The Ministry is starting to loosen some restrictions, like not arresting werewolves standing on the street for loitering, however there’s still an obvious power imbalance between wizardfolk and werewolves.
The Cotswolds pack are continuing to advocate for the rights of werewolves and petitioning to change the legislation that has been set in motion by the current Minister for Magic, whilst the remaining Trossachs members are trying to stay out of the spotlight and keep a low profile… for now.
Whilst the British wizarding world seems to have calmed down, the same cannot be said for over in Northern Europe where a rebellion of magical creatures has risen. The state of things has gotten so bad that the European Ministry has enacted protocols to protect those under eighteen whilst their adult witches and wizards fight to keep control of their countries.
Students from Durmstrang have been sent to Hogwarts to keep them safe and those not old enough to attend school have been sent to live with relatives or designated British Ministry officials outside of Europe for the time being.
Will the low rates of werewolf attacks in Britain continue? How long will Durmstrang students stay at Hogwarts? Will the creatures usurp the wizardfolk in Northern Europe? Only time will tell.
SEPTEMBER 2019 It's been a very long, eventful summer in the wizarding world. A baby was stolen, several high ranking Trossach members were imprisoned, and werewolf attacks have drastically dropped as a result. What will happen now school has returned?
MAY 2019 An attempt to capture the beta of the Trossachs has been launched. Were the Aurors successful in their mission? Go read more here!
It was a cold evening but Raven couldn't sleep. She barely could even think of sleep and instead made her way to the training grounds of the camping grounds they lived on. Truth be told this wasn't the worst way of living but they were still exciles.. they were still hunted by humanity and honestly every single time Teddy tried to make it better, every time Sam tried to make it better, it didn't seem to get better.
Raven grabbed a staff and spun it around in her hand, her wrist rolling as she did so. Sometimes people wondered where she would be if she wasn't saved by Teddy, if he didn't pick up the pieces of her crumbled self and took her to this safe haven of kindness and warm hearted souls. Would she still be killing people? would she still hunt them down and take their lives?
Raven heard footsteps like they came from a mile away and with her own PTSD and alertness the woman spun the staff around before aiming its tip against the chest of the person who decided sneaking up on her was a good idea. Then again when she realized who it was she backed up.
"Sam.. sorry.." she muttered and put the staff down. This woman helped her through tough times and Raven shouldn't just attack her like that. "I didn't mean to.."
when friends are thin on the ground, and they try to divide us/we must find a way
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Post by SAMANTHA BANKS on Oct 2, 2019 19:28:14 GMT
Today Samantha was visiting the pack's camp once more, checking to make sure that nobody was struggling more than could be expected. She would need to replace any tents that had been weakened by the winter weather; nobody needed to freeze--or set their tent on fire with a stray charm--when there could be a simple fix. Going to London to shop was out of the question right now, but she would figure out a way to source any new tents that were needed. Of course, she wished that all the pack's funding could go toward activism, but life didn't work that way, not for those who the Ministry had already marked as werewolves. So very few of them could earn anything on their own--all the money had to come from her.
She was starting to head back to the center of the camp to settle down for the evening when she was stopped in her tracks by a staff pointed straight at her chest, its end resting right over her heart. In a flash, her wand was out of her pocket, one foot stepping back into a defensive position, wand pointed straight at the culprit's head. She was only able to relax when the woman with the staff stepped away herself, apologizing.
"Now, I'm the one who decided to take the path through the training grounds," Samantha said, lowering her wand, though she didn't put it away quite yet. Despite being Muggleborn, she had always been better with a wand than any non-magical weapons. And though she trusted her pack, she had trained them all to be vigilant. "Are you out here alone? I didn't think anyone had organized a training session this evening. You know it's always better to work with someone else."
@raven
kasia's pack mother // 5'4" // single // born in england // lives in the cotswolds
Being out here, late on her own, was something Raven did often. She knew Dexter wasn't much of a heavy sleeper but she didn't feel like talking and cuddling tonight. The guy was a total sweetheart but Raven just needed to rage for a bit, hit something and clear her mind. Samantha's wand as aimed at Raven as a defense system and it made Raven hold back a scoff. These days the only thing wizards depend on was fighting with their wands but sometimes they forget there are some among them who can't even defend themselves with it or wield it any longer.
Confidence and wands get broken every day and the spineless snakes who try to fight those people use the one thing against them. Raven needed these people to fight with weapons, use tools that the other wizards couldn't use because in the end those wizards were unable to fight back too and though everyone here said they weren't going to fight at all, Raven was prepared for a fight.
"What are you doing here so late?" she asked and frowned as Sam still had her wand out. What did she think Raven was going to do? "Yes I am, Dexter and the baby are sleeping and I didn't need to wake them so I came out here to tire myself out." she admitted and leaned against the staff. "I know it's better with a sparring partner but I don't have one." she chuckled. "Are you alright?"
when friends are thin on the ground, and they try to divide us/we must find a way
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Post by SAMANTHA BANKS on Oct 18, 2019 2:42:11 GMT
Samantha didn't always--or often--spend her nights at the camp. Sometimes she set up her own tent, when she needed to visit for more than one day; of course she could Apparate but often there were things to be discussed while she was there. But she had never been able to convince herself not to take it down as soon as she headed back home. The cottage had been her home for twenty-five years, or would be this summer, she thought, as she recalled exactly the year she'd been bitten. It was comfortable, it was secluded, it was a life she didn't want to give up.
But tonight she had a task, and tonight she was in camp. "I was just about to settle down for the night," she explained. "Even old ladies like me can be out after dark, you know." She was nearly fifty--an age that at one time, she'd never thought she would reach, but now it was less than a year away. Samantha lowered her wand, tucking it back into her belt where it had been before. There was no threat at all from the younger woman, she reminded herself, and it was good that her reflexes were as quick as ever.
Still, they could always improve, and being in camp gave her a chance. "Now, I don't have quite the training you do," she added, "but I did say it's better to work with someone else. Fancy a spar, or a duel? I'll let you pick."
@raven
kasia's pack mother // 5'4" // single // born in england // lives in the cotswolds
There were few moments when Raven questioned Samantha's intentions. She seemed in general like a nice person who wouldn't want to harm a soul. Maybe that's why the pack was in that mindset, they didn't want to hurt people or fight but Raven was very much convinced that not fighting and not showing people that they meant no harm was going to kill them.
"Alright." There was a light chuckle coming from Raven's lips about Samantha's age joke. She didn't care much for age and sometimes she didn't even realized she had aged herself. Time would slip by so fast even birthdays ended up unnoticed. It was then that Sam tucked her wand away and Raven felt a bit more at ease. She wasn't really into fighting her alpha after all.
"A duel? I'd floor you." she said with an arched brow and handed Samantha a staff. "Sparring might be the safest bet. Have you trained at all lately? I haven't seen you around the training grounds." she said and cocked her head. Even Sam needed to learn how to defend herself.
when friends are thin on the ground, and they try to divide us/we must find a way
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Post by SAMANTHA BANKS on Oct 25, 2019 3:38:41 GMT
If Samantha had given herself the choice, she would've chosen the duel. That was the kind of thing she did train for, something she could practice on her own, back at the cottage. Perhaps that was why Raven had chosen the other option. As much as Sam told everyone else to work together, knowing it was the best way for them to train, that was something she never did herself. She was so used to doing things alone that she had not even considered that she should be alongside them--but she could change that, for one evening.
Accepting the staff, Samantha stepped back a bit, looking for a good spot to stand where they could spar without hitting anyone. Who had arranged the layout of the camp, she wondered--Teddy or someone else? The training ground was rather nice, even if it'd had to be put in the middle of a bunch of tents. A good central location. She planted her feet at a spot, turning around to face her pack member.
"I'm a bit out of practice, but I'll put up a fight for you," she said, gripping the staff in her right hand and observing the situation. Raven was taller than her, and so would have a longer reach and a larger staff, but the secret would be to move more quickly. Whether she could actually do it, Samantha wasn't sure, but that would be the strategy. "It'll be as good for me to spar as it is for you. Ready when you are."
@raven
kasia's pack mother // 5'4" // single // born in england // lives in the cotswolds
The brunette was terrorized by her nightmares and these fights were the only things to keep her occupied from it. Her eyes were on the boss who took the staff and Raven nodded as she got into position. She was like an animal when it came to hand to hand combat and if she were to fight other wolves, their wands was the least of her concerns. Raven was a little wary of Samantha and her strengths or weaknesses. Samantha wasn't tall so she had speed going for her, hopefully.
"I'm ready, come at me." she told the other female and licked her lips. Raven was not afraid of Samantha, her light eyes were on the woman, following her movements. "Now try not to be too predictable, anyone will see it coming." she reminded her. Raven trained everyone with this but she was just stronger. Still, plagued by nightmares and her PTSD it doesn't just make her scared it also made her dangerous when she acted out of fear or defense.
when friends are thin on the ground, and they try to divide us/we must find a way
53 posts
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Post by SAMANTHA BANKS on Dec 22, 2019 18:49:33 GMT
Fighting was not something Samantha wanted to do. She had spent half of her life in an effort to prove she was no violent monster; she dreaded the moment she might have to use any sort of force against someone. But this was no perfect world, and it was why she had the pack train in self-defense, even if she hated the need for it. The Trossachs were out there, planning attacks on anyone who might get in their way, Cotswold and Ministry alike, and she wasn't about to let her people get hurt if they could avoid it.
She stepped forward, staff in hand, twisting it to point at Raven and striking low, brushing the end against the taller woman's legs. In a real fight, she supposed, she would want her off her feet, but here she wasn't about to actually hit her hard enough for that. Pulling back and spinning the staff around in her hands, she prepared to block the strike that she was certain was coming next, but instead of a blow from the staff, she only received words from Raven's mouth.
Lowering the staff and pressing the end into the ground, Samantha regarded the young pack member with serious brown eyes. "Of course you can ask. What do you need?" Her voice remained low, just in case the question was sensitive. It was so easy to overhear things from inside a tent, and tents were all around.
@raven
kasia's pack mother // 5'4" // single // born in england // lives in the cotswolds
