He was getting in the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn to start his day. There were many members in Ruina, and he was proud of his brother. Ruina had grown quickly with new faces coming in almost every day it felt like. He knew Elias had his paws full with his children, so Ace decided it was time to get serious and down to business. It was time to start fulfilling his duties as The Judge of Ruina. He made his way to the circle of stones that he had built at the bottom of the mountain the other day for Imp training and decided this would be where his lessons would be held. He made a note to himself to let Elias know later in the event he needed a place for training as well. Blood red gaze lifted to find a few stones had been shifted, and a quick taste of the air told him it had been from another animal. Eyes narrowed as he recognized the scent of a badger, one that had wandered by overnight, it seemed. For now, it wasn't an immediate problem. But he made a note to track its scent after training to make sure it had moved on from pack lands. He took a few minutes to shift the stones back into place until his ring was perfect again, and once satisfied, he moved to the center and called for the pack. OOC//Mandatory for all pack members 1yr & older (including lambs!), like the pup training, each round is 1 week to keep it moving. Failure to reply by the due dates may result in consequences (IF you are on absence, then your char(s) are excused. However if you decide to post with other chars during your absence and neglect to post here, then your character(s) may face punishmen.) First round due 8/24! "Speak"

Tyranis lifted his ears at the familiar call of his former packmate. Acere the mysterious warrior that had seen such potential in him. He was hardly surprised the man had joined Ruina, even in Dauntless he had sensed something underlying the man’s motives for following him, now he felt he understood what those motives were. He paced back into his den to wake his son then raced down the mountain side to greet the older male with his companion coiled around his neck. “Acere.” He greeted with a respectful dip of his head as he approached him. “Good to see you again, and in such fortunate circumstances.” He said with a characteristically wise grin. He looked over the ring admiringly and shook out his fur with a low grunt. He was ready to fight, ready to shed blood for Ruina. If what he planned on telling his father would come to pass all of them would need this for the wars to come. Speaking  Thinking You

When the broadcast rang around the mountains, Legion was already out in the deepest parts of the mountain pines searching for a morning snack for him and whoever else was hungry. This is how he had been occupying a lot of his time with so many mouths to feed, he knew his father couldn't take care of it all himself... and truth be told, Legion didn't mind fetching meals for Pari or the Imps. Not even if they failed to understand who supplied them with it.

He couldn't help but yawn as he paused to listen to the sound of his uncle's call, not out of boredom or disinterest but out of pure fatigue. He had yet to truly wake up and get his blood pumping so he likely wasn't alert enough to catch anything out here in the woods anyway. He didn't mind giving up his hunting efforts to answer the call, so that is what he did. He let out his own howl to tell him that he could be expected, likely scaring away any prey in the pack lands for the next few hours.

The haste in his step to answer the broadcast seemed to finally get him to wake up, bright red eyes taking in the world around him with an incredible amount of interest now by the time he arrived. What had they been called for? A bow was respectfully given to his higher, though a blank expression and a long stare was given to Tyranis. He had yet to meet him, though something about the way the man looked told him he was likely a bastard just like him. He looked too much like Elias to not be.

Legion smirked, looking away from Tyranis as he continued moving to the circle of rocks his uncle seemed to be calling them to. His stature made it rather hilarious to watch him move down the steep slopes of the mountain, an unavoidable sway taking over most of his gate in order to accommodate his stockier build but he managed none-the-less. He couldn't help but think to himself that he was thankful for the strength in the Ancora genetics, but he sure did like the lifestyle his father seemed to live here in Ruina. He preferred it here so far.

"What's going on?" Legion asked, his eyes looking up to the craazzyyy height of his fucking uncle. For real, it was almost embarrassing being next to that man, but Legion masked it as well as he could. Now that Ty and Ace were close to each other, he was noticing Ty was only half a foot shorter.. just skinnier. Heh.

Say.. didn't this guy look familiar, actually?

Ooc: not sure I can keep active in this with how my contractions are but I'm hoping to keep tana pretty active.

The call that rang out in the early hours of the day had her lifting her head and pausing from gnawing on a deer femur she had found recently. It had been mostly in tact and the smell of marrow still came from it so she hoped to get down to it sooner rather than later. The marrow might very well be her only meal for the next week if she couldn't figure out a source of food other than that. Of course prey seemed to stay away from the den of the lambs, likely the smell of many wolves together spooked them.

She listened as a howl answered it. It sounded like even the lambs were to come to this meeting. Though she had no clue as to why this male, from the sounds of the baritone howl, was treating the lambs as if they were a part of the pack. They really weren't. Infact they were less pack mates and more of forced allies. She lifted herself and moved silently from the den. She was going to answer the howl anyway, it was best to keep the royal family happy here.

She was slow in making her journey. She didnt have the company of someone guiding her this time, making her pace slow and even more cautious. As she did arrive she could already smell others. She made her way to sit in farther away, towards where she perceived the back of the crowd to be. Her head was kept low and her ears back, submission even before any were bound to notice her. It was safest that way. She paid attention and waited for whatever was to come. Had she known this was fight training she would of probably asked to be excused. No one would want a partner to spar with that was just going to submit the moment anything came at her.

Pari knew what the call meant and it sent both a thrill of dread and comfort through her. The last meeting hadn't been too bad, still she was worried about what might be asked of her. She'd do it regardless but it didn't mean she had to be excited for it. Still the woman drew herself up the mountain side. She could make out the forms of other wolves as she approached. She kept her head low and her gaze even lower, the scents of familiar wolves told her who was there without even having to see them. Tana, another of the lambs and Legion were the most familiar. She did not know his name but the older white male was a familiar scent to her, but there was another scent she didn't recognize very well. He carried the scent of the pack though. Pari settled closer to Tana, she didn't make any physical contact with the woman however as she did not feel as though it was appropriate. Tana may have been a lamb as Pari herself was but she would still hold herself subservient to the blind woman, as far as she was concerned she was below them all. The woman waited, her ears pulled back but turned ever so slightly towards the gathered men, waiting to hear what would be said. "Talk" Think

Korinna had yet to really get to know the wolves of Ruina. So far she was only familiar with Elias, and with his son Tyranis, the strange but quite interesting man with the snake friend. She had full intentions of getting to know as many of her fellow packmates as she could, but she'd been spending some time exploring the territory more thoroughly and knowing exactly how to navigate it with ease. The prospect of training, however, was far more entertaining than any scouting could be, and Kori's spirits were instantly lifted at the sound of an unfamiliar call summoning them together - not that they'd been all that low to begin with. No, she was enjoying life here quite a bit, and she knew with an alarming amount of certainty that things would only get better from here. The worst thing in life was boredom and inactivity, in simply surviving rather than truly living.. and Ruina seemed all about thriving, about being the best you could be, and she was invigorated by that sort of life.

Without hesitating long she answered Acere's call with her presence, loping easily down the cliffside toward the gathering. Only one wolf there was familiar to her, Tyranis - and she was sad to see his snake friend was still around. It wouldn't stop her from moving to sit near him, though, flashing the familiar male a sly smile. Briefly her pale gaze would skirt around the others, noting the submissive posture of two of them, deciding they were most likely Lambs. Interesting. She tipped her head up, drawing her attention back to Acere with a curious gaze, ready for whatever this meeting might offer her.

Drakan was up before dawn as per usual, found keeping watch outside the den where the alpha's pups slept. This was not unlike his typical demeanor; he would guard over the weak within the battalion and even watched closely after Ilithyia after finding her injured in the avalanche a couple winters past. He had not met many from the pack and chose to keep to himself rather than communicate with the strange faces for now... Not that he spoke much in the first place. Upon hearing a demanding call, the male didn't waste a moment in responding. Drakan's large paws carried his mass across the community site as he trotted off down the mountain side and towards where his higher was located.

The gathering wolves within a ring of rocks signaled to Drakan that he was in the right place. A brutishly large white male stood at the center, while the others seemed to gravitate towards him. This must be the higher up that called for them. He approached the group, his orange gaze settling onto the forms of the others... He only recognized a couple from the previous pack meeting, but their names were still a mystery to him. Drakan hastily settled into line with the two other males, his head held high as he watched the white wolf and awaited information as to why this meeting was called.

"Speech." Thoughts.

Dumois stumbled as he walked, still recovering from his latest excursion to the spirit world and the impending hangover that came with it. At his side Bon Temps flagged his side reflexively holding his hand out to right the priest as he walked. As the two arrived Dumois casted his serpentine eyes about them. Who the fuck were these people? He’d never seen a single one of them before, but then he reflected, he had only actually met the leader and one other girl since arriving. He supposed now was his chance to finally meet his packmates and at least learn their names. He yawned and shook out his fur, what were they all here for anyway? He looked lazily over the ring of stones and felt his expression sour slightly. Fighting. Of course. He hoped silently that he could be excused from the training on the pretense of being a healer. He’d never fought a day in his life and he didn’t intend to start now.  Bon Temps took a silent tally of the pack, his beady black eyes lingering over the tan and gunmetal colored wolf. He lifted his lip in a wide grin, displaying his gigantic teeth, his eyes never leaving the young male's "Talk"  Thought others

He was late, he knew. He had joined not too long ago, but he kept a temporary den at the farthest edge of the mountain for now. He was getting used to his surroundings, and so far...these were interesting lands his father had chosen. Bi-colored gaze stared at the ground as he galloped over the terrain, keeping an eye out for rocks or other things he could trip over. Being on new terrain, he hadn't quite learned which trails went where or which routes were fastest to any particular area. His chest heaved and his heart pounded, would he get in a lot of trouble for being late? He didn't quite know the rules yet, and he knew he needed to seek someone out to learn them. He had kept to himself since he arrived so he could acclimate to his new surroundings, but now it was time to join in the pack activities. As the smell of wolves grew stronger, his pace began to slow to a quick trot until he spotted them. Many were unfamiliar, and as he scanned the group, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Ty!?" His eyes widened in disbelief, but the more he stared, the more he realized it really, truly was his brother in the flesh. He sped walked through the group until he made it to his brother's side. There, he sat down and bumped his brother's shoulder with his left shoulder, not quite noticing the snake coiled around his brother. His gaze then found Ace, and he wasn't as surprised to see him like he was his brother. Elias did say the titan male was here, after all. Cloud didn't speak, unsure as to what this meeting was about so he didn't want to interrupt on accident.

He didn't have to wait long before the first one arrived. Crimson gaze rose to see Tyranis approaching, and his teeth flashed in a quick grin. "I agree, nephew." He was glad that he was now able to say that. When he'd first met Tyranis and joined the youth's pack, he had kept it secret so he could leave it up to Elias to decide if he wanted them to know or not. He couldn't wait to get started, to see if Ty had improved since the last time they sparred. Next entered another one of his nephew's, one he hadn't yet met or talked to, but he knew about him enough to put a name to a face. "We're doing fight training today," He answered, wondering if that would pique their interest. Next up were two lambs who would receive a scrutinizing look, followed by a few other members he had yet to meet, and lastly, another nephew who seemed quite excited to be by his brother's side again. He waited a bit longer to see if anyone else would arrive, but after a while when nobody else did, he frowned. He knew there were more members than this. Perhaps he ought to speak to his brother about the missing individuals later... Standing up, he moved from one side of the circle to the other, all while keeping his gaze on those that had gathered. After a few moments, he returned to his spot at the head of the group. "Right, thank you all for coming. Today we are going to do some fight training, which is also going to include a spar for each of you. The purpose of today's lesson is to ensure that everyone knows how to defend themselves in the event of an enemy attack. And I do mean everyone." Gaze fell upon the lambs, wondering how they would react to what he said. Surely they wouldn't protest, right? And if they did? Well, he supposed he'd leave it up to the imagination for now. The eyeless one, however, would be interesting to watch. How the hell did she manage to survive so long the way she was? It sort of intrigued him, and he wanted to see how well she would fare...if at all. "For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Acere Praetor, Ruina's Judge. I assume you all understand Ruina's culture and our way of life, and fighting is very much a part of it. Whether you are here by choice or not, you must participate. As a member of Ruina, you are required to do what is asked of you, and failure to do so well...that's not something you want to find out. So do yourselves a favor, hm?" He let that sink in for a few moments, allowing time for questions or concerns before continuing. "Right, so one thing I'd like to do, is pair you up. There's enough of you to each have a partner, so I'll pair you all up shortly. First things first..." He eyed them all, leaving a long pause between his words, Does anyone object to today's training?" It was more of a rhetorical question, but he asked to see who would have to possibly be weeded out. OOC//Sorry for such a late reply, didn't mean to. Next round due by 9/15. The sooner the better, however. Ace's next reply will address anyone who speaks as well as randomly pairing up partners. Latecomers are still welcome (though Ace won't be too pleased). "Speak"

He returned his uncle’s smile as he was reminded yet again that he was among his family- his true family. Legion appeared and Tyranis gave him a courteous nod although the male didn’t seem to recognize him. He supposed that was fair, he had only recently joined Dauntless when the lightning king departed, and they had only ever met once before. His expression grew progressively colder as time marched on and his son showed neither hide nor hair of joining them. The fool of a boy was going to get himself killed. But then, maybe that would be a blessing. More members filed in and then, like a dream, his disappointment in his son vanished as his littermate appeared. “Ty?!” He called and the former king felt his heart soar. His brother settled beside him and bumped his shoulder, and Tyranis responded by dropping his chin against his younger brother’s head, his tail flashing in a frenzy as it beat against the ground. Raanee, clearly displeased at having been forgotten as the brothers pressed their bodies together lifted her head, tongue flickering and beady eyes focused on the marble colored male with interest. “This is my brother.” Tyranis explained to her swiftly. The snake gave a puff of dissatisfaction and uncoiled from around Tyranis’s neck, pooling on the ground between his paws like a string of tar. The storm colored male continued to nuzzle against Cloud as Acere spoke, a wide grin spreading over his already elated features. “Let’s show them what we can do.” He muttered in his brother’s ear, anticipation running through him like a tide. Speaking  Thinking You

Dumois shifted uncomfortably at the question. He was half tempted to give his objection to participating, but his instincts- or perhaps the demons of Ruina- told him it would be unwise. His serpentine eyes glanced at the blinded female, she looked like the only wolf there that he could safely beat and he sent a silent prayer to the demons that he would be paired with her. At his side Bon Temps lifted his lip in a wicked grin, flashing his gigantic fangs at the black and gray wolves that approached them. Maybe he would successfully intimidate whoever he was paired with into backing down. "Talk"  Thought others

Rain had taken his time arriving at the ring of wolves surrounding his granduncle. He hadn’t masked his dislike for the mountain pack or their strange ways, much to his father’s chagrin. As he approached the wolves he could see his father was in a good mood, although the reason why wasn’t immediately apparent. It wasn’t until he took a spot on the opposite side of the circle that he could fully see why. His uncle was here, the last time he had seen Cloudburst his father had been wasting away and he, himself, and his grandmother had all fought to restore him in the hopes that he would live to see another day. That had felt like a lifetime ago, but in realty it had only been a few months. As Rain came into view his father’s expression went from elated to cold and flinty, his golden eyes locked disapprovingly on his son’s. He couldn’t help but shrink back slightly. He hated it here, hated the way it had changed his father, and hated the doctrine he was told he needed to follow. Sacrifices and demons? Did his father really believe in all that? Could he truly be so ignorant? Rain tore his gaze away from his father’s glare and surveyed the other wolves. He had missed whatever Acere had said, but the mixed emotions from the gathered wolves told him it would be some kind of test of strength. “Great.” He thought sardonically, noting that he was the smallest of all the wolves that had gathered, save for the londe and brown female covered in scars and horribly maimed. speaking Thinking   You

As The Judge answered him, Legion fought off the urge to shiver as a chill ran up his spine in excitement. Fight training? Legion didn't have much experience in fighting, though he did his best to train his own body and muscles in other ways. This would be his first real taste of what it was like to spar someone, though he was confident in his ability to figure out how to fight. He had never been in one, but he was never afraid of fighting. Just.. most never really fucked with him or his brothers.

Just when he was beginning to grow bored with waiting, the Lambs showed up and Legion found himself staring at them for some time as it reminded him of his personal goal of becoming Zepar. He was growing frustrated with how hard these Rite of Passages seemed to be, but it wasn't before long that another woman came in.. seemingly confident and clearly not anxious like the Lambs seemed to be most of the time. This woman was here freely, though Legion was still more than willing to admire her just the same.

Finally, Acere spoke up once everyone was grouped together. Legion gave him his full attention, as impressing his highers was also one of his own personal goals. If he had a higher rank, he would have higher recognition from all of Ruina's women and that was something he really didn't want to fuck up by not paying attention to his uncle's lessons.

When his uncle asked if anyone objected, Legion offered him a rather amused smirk. If Acere happened to look to him directly for an answer, he would shake his head and continue listening. He was ready.

Suddenly, he was curious as to who he would be pitted against and he let his red eyes wander around the courtyard. The two smallest of the wolves that had gathered (other than the smallest Lamb) seemed to have no objections either. His eyes stopped on Korinna for a moment. Although he should be focusing on truly improving his own skills and fighting for real, he couldn't help but daydream about the opportunity to possibly be given permission to press up against her right here in front of everyone.

Man, he was glad no one could hear what he was thinking.

Miach was off in the mountains somewhere, hiding beneath a group of thick pine trees so that he could sleep peacefully and uninterrupted. When his uncle's call came, it woke him immediately. He could tell by the tone that this gathering was mandatory, something absolutely expected of him.. yet that knowledge did not do anything to help the anxiousness already taking hold of him. A meeting... with all the pack members? All of the bastard brothers, all of his estranged family, all of his father's followers? All of those eyes and minds to judge the uselessness that was Miach made him want to just skip out altogether. He fought his will to answer the call hard, telling himself that this was just too much pressure. He was going to escape right here, right now.. and be done with this life and this foolish dream of impressing a man that didn't even see him. Somehow, though.. as his paws went to lead him off of the pack's territory.. Miach seemed to gravitate naturally toward his uncle's call. He moved as he always did, relaxed and in slow movements. When he arrived, he said nothing but he could tell that he was considerably late. His eyes wandered as he looked for Daelos, though he didn't find her. Maybe mom? No. Perhaps.. even their father? No, he wasn't here either. Fuck. Feeling ridiculously outcasted and alone, Miach found a smooth piece volcanic stone big enough for him to be seated on. He was here, technically.. just about ten feet away from everyone else and awkwardly standing on his own. Walk, "Talk" Think

As individuals came in Tana picked out their scents, storing them away for her collective knowledge later. The only scent she really recognized was Pari, who came to sit near her. She lowered her head even more at that. She was not going to dispute where anyone sat, as she was low ranking and viewed herself as even lower than the other lambs.

Tana was ignored though otherwise, or at least she thought so. When it started she was quick to make her head follow the voice of the Male. He smelled close to the Apollyon, a brother likely. It was best not to anger him. Though when he said he wanted to teach them to fight she pulled her ears back and worry ran through her mind. Fighting was against what she had learned growing up, did the Apollyon know what he wished to teach slaves? Slaves that could fight back seemed dangerous to her. Though it wasnt like she knew even basic self defense. She didn't want to draw attention to herself though. She had her reservations and worries about such things.

Who he paired her against would also play a part in how fast she surrendered here. Worry created her forehead. Did he not speak to the Apollyon? Or had the Apollyon told him to torture the lambs this way? She wouldn't object to his words though. She knew better. No she sat there silently and submissive in every way. A submissive slave was an alive slave.

"Talk."

Drakan looked over the Judge's features as he spoke, inspecting him. He was large, much like the Apollyon, but the male's white coloration had him questioning if the two were of relation or not. Burnt gaze fell upon the faces of the other inhabitants of the meeting, noticing a couple that were familiar, while others were still unknown. Ultimately, Drakan knew he would need to have more conversations with the other pack members so he could put name to face in future gatherings. With mention of fight training, his heart fluttered out of excitement. Drakan clenched his jaw, swallowing back the mouth watering thought of clashing teeth with another. Would he object? Hell no. This was something that Drakan lived and thrived for! Subconsciously, he found himself peering at the sightless female- curious how she would fare in such events. Would her opponent be too harsh on her or would she prove herself worthy despite her disabilities? The male shook his head to clear his worried thoughts for the lamb, peering back towards Acere.

"Speech." Thoughts.

(Short due to time restriction)

Pari first waited patiently as more wolves streamed in, it seemed the Apollyon wasn't going to be joining them... at least not right away. The older man spoke and Pari listened carefully, tilting her head to catch his words while also keeping her stance submissive. The announcement of what was happening rolled over her and her ears pulled tight to her skull at the thought but she would not voice any protest. The idea of being pitted against another wolf certainly didn't appeal to her, she was more used to taking abuse and the idea of fighting back went completely against every instinct she had. Still if this was what was expected of her she'd do what she could. The man named himself and Pari filled it away in her mind; it was very important to the scarred woman to remember as many names to match with faces as she could... even if she never actually looked anyone in the face. "Talk" Think

It was becoming readily apparent to her that many of these wolves had histories. Perhaps more of Ruina was family than she originally had thought. She watched as the few wolves around her interacted, obviously familiar with one another, some even acting as though they hadn't seen one another in quite some time. Kori was briefly entranced by the show, before the male that had called the meeting spoke up, capturing her attention once again. He declared that today they'd be doing fight training, a prospect that greatly pleased her, and she found a grin pulling at her lips as he spoke. He introduced himself as well, giving a little insight into Ruina's culture - though it was nothing she hadn't either already heard, or assumed.

She certainly had no objections, and stood tall, ready and eager to hear who she'd be paired up with. In her own quiet surveying of the group she caught the gaze of a male - named Legion, though she didn't know his name yet - that seemed to be admiring her. Instead of shying away from his gaze, she held it strong, briefly letting her tongue snake out from between her lips, mirroring his hungry gaze with an equally interested one of her own. Sure, they were about to focus on fighting, but there was always later for... other activities.. and she really did need to get to know the various members of Ruina. She couldn't think of a better way of unwinding after a vigorous training session. She'd have to seek him out later, she decided, shooting the male a wink before turning back to the Judge in anticipation.