He watched his kids bounce around, their energy never seeming to end. It often reminded him of his days as a pup and how he would continuously pester his older brother. He was surprised to see Jewell appearing first to the meeting. He had been busy with the pups, but when he did go out on patrols he had noticed a decent number of holes in the territory. He didn't know what had been creating them though, and never thought it would be Jewell. Her smile was soft and didn't have the spark it used to. It tugged at him, but he didn't know how he could help. After her outburst at the borders he wasn't sure what he could do, if anything, to help. He smiled back at her, his tail wagging in greeting before the voice of one of his daughters pulled his attention away. She was curious about Jewell's colorful pelt. He smiled at her words before bending down to her and ruffleing the fur on her head with his nose. "That is a wolf, a uniquely colored wolf," he replied. Zell arrived next and Frost saw the surprised look on his face. He grinned at the man as he spoke. "Thank you It's wonderful to finally experience," he said. The newer, yet young member of the pack. The male he had found dehydrated and lethargic after traveling through the desert. He nodded to him with a smile and wag of his tail before his attention averted to others who arrived. Kairi, Rin, Ara, and a female that was unfamiliar to him. She seemed to be close to Ara, but it wasn't Athena. His attention turned back to Star and he smiled at her reassuring her that it was alright. The rest of Jewell's kids filed in, all but two. Bringing up the rear was both Torin and Derecho. A twinkle shown in Frost's eyes as he recognized the closeness of their travel. It almost reminded him of him and Star's younger days. He greeted both of them with nods before they took thier seats. Turning his attention pack to the pack he cleared his throat. "Good day everyone and thank you for attending. I would first like to start this meeting off with meeting our five youngest members, me and Star's children. Anoixi, Eira, Eurus, Fawn, and Valanga," He stated before looking to Torin and giving him a nod to lead on. "Frost Talk", & 'Frost Think'

ooc: Please allow Torin to post First in round two, then others can fallow.

Speech

Torin listened as Frostbite spoke, a small smile pulling at his lips as he glanced once more at the pups gathered around Frost or Stardust's paws. Then Frost would turn the meeting over to him and he had to stifle a groan; so he was to take this one on then? Well fair enough, considering he'd stepped up. He cleared his throat, eyes roving over the gathered wolves until he picked out Derecho in the crowed and he felt his courage bolster, his smile widening slightly.

"First I want to welcome many of you, as some may have noticed we have many new faces within the pack. If you've not met me yet, I am Torin Adravendi-Valentine, Kalin of Lirim. If you have any concerns or questions please do feel free to seek me or Frostbite out." His gaze briefly passed towards his father when he spoke his last name, a deliberate choice to return to referring to himself with his father's name; an implied plea to rebuild the burnt bridge. Then as he spoke again he found his eyes moving briefly between Jewell and Seth, though he tried to make sure he didn't linger on either of them too long. "And of course I implore everyone to make an effort to make our newer members feel welcomed."

Then he sighed, feeling the anxious pit in his stomach hardening. "Unfortunately, I must also mete out some demotions." His gaze swinging towards his nephew. "Blaise, for now until you can prove to Frostbite or I that you have been making an effort to improve and participate in the pack you will be demoted to the rank of Girvin." Then his gaze moved towards his niece. "And this is a reminder for those who still occupy the rank of Girvin since the last meeting; remaining in the rank for too long will result in expulsion from Lirim; except for in extenuating circumstances such as illness or age. If anyone has any concerns about these rules, please speak with either Frostbite or I. We can work with you."

He didn't want to dwell to long on these things though and as he sought out Kairi in the crowd he couldn't help but smile. "But we have some good news as well; after proving herself as being invested in Lirim Kairi has been promoted from Girvin to Sagari or, if she has a particular rank in mind may pick her path in the pack." He would then look out over the crowd again; acknowledging many of the newer faces as well as finding his other nephew in the crowd. "On that same note, there are many members currently in the Sagiri rank who are old enough to pick their preferred path within Lirim's ranks; as well as some newer members who may know what it is they wish to do. I open the floor now; if you have any wish for a promotion in rank or preferred path please say so now."

He would wait, silently for anyone else to speak, watching his nephew and the yearling boy beside him; then swinging his gaze towards Seth, then Ara's white-coated friend.

Art by Vhitany

((Replies are only really expected from players with characters in the Sagari ranks or anyone else who may have something they want to add. Deadline for those comments are Nov. 16th. Otherwise a thread can be made to promote characters. As a reminder, posting requirements for avoiding demotion are on the pack page.))

Novel tried to pay attention to all the goings on around her, the sights and smells incredibly similar to those she left in Ahlon. She felt herself smiling at the young pups tumbling around and found herself comfortable in the presence of all the strangers. Still she leaned into Ara's side for comfort and stability. She still felt herself recovering from their long journey, and looked forward to a nap when all the goings on died down. 

The meeting did finally begin, and she hadn't even been the last to arrive, her ears perked as she listened to the alphas. The first introduced the young children, she found herself smiling fondly at them as the second alpha Torin spoke. She listened to the important information as he finished they met eyes as he asked those who needed a rank. 

Novel straightened herself, too old to care about appearances or speaking in front of a group she hardly knew. "Hello, sir. I'm Novel Destruction, I've been a healer all my life and will take what rank you wish to bestow upon me." She was just happy to be here with her mate once more.

The girl was late… but she’d been caught up in talking with a special new friend. A little rabbit, whom she called Cottontail, had become her only friend in the world for the time being. Priscilla hadn’t been interacting with her mother… she was acting a bit odd it seemed. So rather than reach out to anyone she’d just been staying out of the way, trying to keep her head down rather than attracting attention. But now she was late to the meeting… and she wondered if she might be punished for it.

She was quiet as she came in, hiding somewhere in the back. She didn’t look at anyone in particular, though she listened to her uncle Torin as he spoke. She sat, curled her tail around her haunches, and let out a sigh. She didn’t know what she wanted to do within the pack yet. She hadn’t done much training either… resisting the idea of having to learn to fight. She didn’t want to hurt others… but it might be necessary. She was still on the fence about agreeing with it though.

Priscilla twitched an ear and lifted her gaze to Torin as he finished speaking, however. She didn’t speak, however, letting her ears fall back against her skull. There would be a time to talk to him about her concerns… but she wasn’t sure now was that time.

It wasn't long before Novel joined her, and as always she basked in her familiar company. It was easy to notice how at ease Novel seemed here, as enthralled by the lovely willow trees as she herself was - the easy, quiet atmosphere of Lirim was valuable to the aging couple and she found herself smiling as she watched the children funnel in. The two of them had always had a soft spot for children, and to be in the presence of so many once again made her heart feel lighter. Her mood lightened further when Novel spoke up, noting the confidence that she'd once lacked now seeming to appear in her old age. It was funny, how time softened those traits, noting that she herself was rarely as inhibited as she'd once been. Her days were too short to spend worrying about what others thought of her, or her... wife. Mate. Whatever they could be considered now. Labels mattered less to her now then they once had, and she wouldn't dwell on it for long. Her smile widened as Frostbite introduced his children, her tail wagging gently behind her. Torin was the next to speak, a man she'd spoken with briefly already. Her eyes were locked on him patiently as he spoke, introduction himself and offering guidance to members of Lirim and inviting them to speak with her or Frostbite if needed. The warm atmosphere was appreciated, and she relaxed against Novel, leaning against her instinctively. Much of what was spoken of didn't involve her, or Novel - regular things like demotions and promotions, which didn't interest her personally. She would contribute as best as she could, with no interest in climbing ranks. Save that sort of aspiration for the younger folk, she thought. Ara was quiet as she waited for the others to speak up, finding no need to include her voice, happily quiet and observant.

Pegasus felt a deep flush lift the fur on his cheeks, his heart thudding momentarily as he struggled to find an answer “I-“ he managed then was cut short as the meeting opened and the previously unmet leader invited the new members to speak. He hesitated, unsure if he should use this time to speak of his mission and hope to rally others to his cause. For a brief moment his eyes fell on Célestin and any conviction in his mission faded in an instant. He stepped forward, feeling oddly weightless as he addressed the sleet male his eyes filled with an unplaceable light that was lost even on himself. “Greetings Torin, my name is Pegasus Beaufort.” He addressed and lowered his head in a genteel bow. “With your permission I would like to train as one of your fighters.” And with that he fell silent, with no mention of his father or the family that had tormented him to the point of near madness. speaking Thinking  you

He didn't have much time to focus on Pegasus' response when his sister approached him, talking rapidly in french about their mother and siblings and Célestin nodded, furrowing his brow slightly but then Naeva moved away just as suddenly as she's approached. He watched her go, then slid his gaze around to find his brother, sitting with a small male that Célestin hadn't met before. But before he could do much of anything else the meeting started, Frostbite introducing the pups gathered around him and Stardust and Célestin couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face. Then Torin also spoke up and the boy perked as his uncle mentioned his siblings, his gaze once more moving over to his brother, wondering how that'd play out with Blaise. Then the meeting moved onto an open invitation for others to speak. And Célestin recognized there was some level of expectation to respond to his uncle's invitation. First an older white woman spoke up then Pegasus, rising to standing beside him, spoke. Célestin couldn't help but grin as he also shot to his paws, stepping in beside his friend. "I'd also like to train as a fighter." he spoke with confidence and quickly cast a glance at Pegasus; quirking a brow at him. Walk, "Talk", Think

She waited for the meeting to start, and when it did it seemed pretty brief. Frost introduced his new pups, and she smiled warmly at them as they watched the crowd with curious eyes. Then Torin spoke up, demoting one of Jewell's kids and an exasperated finally crossed her mind. She never saw them do anything, and even Jewell didn't do anything productive in the pack. Unless digging a bunch of random holes was beneficial, but she didn't think so considering she had almost hurt herself several times in those stupid things. While she didn't hate Jewell (she didn't have much reason to), she was quite annoyed by her behavior. She hadn't talked to her much either since they first met, but Kairi had better things to do anyway. Like learning how to fight so she wouldn't find herself in the same predicament that Jewell had. Her ears perked when Torin said she had finally been freed from the Girvin rank, and her tail wagged with delight. About time! She was excited to finally not have that weight on her anymore, and when her brother gave the opportunity to choose a rank, she knew exactly what she wanted. "I'd like to join the ranks of Storm, please! Dad's been teachin' me how to fight, which by the way, he's an amazing teacher for such an important skill, and I think that would suit me for now. And maybe when I get better I can join him as a Hurricane or something." She sat tall (though it wasn't much taller than she already was) and confidently looked at her brother. She was pretty sure she could make her father (and pack) proud. Walk, "Talk" Think

Zell waited for the meeting to start, and when it did, it appeared to be brief on Frost's end. He introduced the pups, and Zell's gaze wandered over them as a feeling akin to longing briefly flashed through him. He was getting old, his own kids were grown, and while he had hoped that he and Faite would have more, that hope had died long ago when she decided to leave and not return. Honestly, he didn't know what he expected. They had only chanced upon each other by accident, and their kids were an accident. But despite that, he had chosen to stay, even though he didn't know her well at all. So perhaps it was his fault. Either way, he cared deeply for his kids and nothing would change that. Torin spoke then, and Zell found himself listening, but not really acknowledging his son. When Torin introduced himself with Zell's last name along with Faite's, one ear twitched and he caught the glance that Torin gave. Zell wasn't sure how to feel about it. On one hand, he was confused why Torin even bothered. On the other hand, he was kind of...glad? Some sort of feeling he couldn't quite place. Then again, the use of 'Adravendi' soured it. Faite abandoned them, which was why Kairi decided to just have Valentine as her surname. Sure, Adravendi would be a part of them, but Zell didn't see the point in using it when their mother walked out of their lives. The meeting continued on with some other news. Members being demoted and promoted, a few new members, yada yada yada. He was surprised, however, when Kairi was promoted and given the option to choose her path. And proud when she announced when she wanted to be a fighter like him! He had been training with her, teaching her what nobody else cared to learn, and was pleased that's what she wanted to do. He knew he would worry for her. She was smaller than her brothers, but he would work with her further to improve her skills. "Talk"

Speech

Torin waited patiently as a few voices began to pipe up. First was the older woman beside Ara, she straightened slightly as she spoke and Torin nodded in return of her greeting. She claimed she'd be fine with any rank and Torin nodded again. "Novel we'd be honored to have you take up the rank of Oak, a senior healer." He spoke evenly. It made the most sense to him to have her ranked according to her skill set and more healers were never exactly unwanted, especially considering that until very recently they'd only had one.

Then for a brief moment his attention was diverted, his niece finally turning up. He frowned, as he watched her approach. He'd need to talk things over with Frost about how to handle her...

But he wasn't given much time to consider Priscilla for long as a young male that introduced himself as Pegasus spoke up, he gave another nod and was about to respond when Célestin jumped in as well. He couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips as he took in the pair. His sister also piped up, all three wolves asking to be placed in the storm rank. Torin nodded and spoke, meeting each of their gazes as he said their names. "Pegasus, Célestin and Kairi, all three of you will be placed into the rank of Storm." He smiled lightly again. "You'll be asked to work beside and train with members of the Hurricane rank. Your progress will be noted by them, Frostbite and myself and potential promotions will be dealt with from there." He omitted the fact that their only Hurricane right now was his father... who'd been proving to be stubborn in neglecting parts of his duties. He only hoped that vocalizing his trust in his father's judgment or the new faces might help encourage him again. And failing that maybe Kairi being a Storm would help? Not that Breasal being made a storm had helped much. Still, it wasn't as though he couldn't tell when his father was playing favorites.

He remained silent for a moment scanning the gathered wolves when no one else spoke up he nodded again. "That is everything we wished to cover today but don't forget if you have any concerns myself or Frostbite are always available." And with that he would rise to his paws, stretching. He watched for Derecho, planning on leaving with her.

Art by Vhitany