Bruises had stiffened up overnight, but Chaos hobbled gamely out from below decks with the intention of calling together what remained of the pack to learn who among those who hadn't been at the challenge would stay and who would go. He'd given them over a day to consider their options before calling, so surely they'd had time to think it over, but he'd give them a chance to ask him questions if they needed it. He stifled a grumbling curse as he stumbled over some metal object before making his way to the bow of the ship and glancing it over. He had to grin as he did - this was where he'd been conceived, apparently while it was another pack's territory that his parents had been trespassing in. A hell of a date night. He could only wish to find someone to be the Cascade to his Valentine. Ordinary relationships just seemed so... well... ordinary. It was probably for the best, though, since he would probably make as pisspoor a mate as he did a father. Well, he was going to remedy that lack, anyway. The kids would have a safe place to live and more wolves to teach them than just him and their grandfather, if they wanted it. Sure it had taken him until they were old enough to live on their own to provide it, but better late than never? A soft hoot attracted his attention to the mast of the ship, where two sleepy owls blinked down at him. Yeah, they were probably more than ready to get back to their own territory as well, but they were willing to wait until he was ready to go.

Tipping his head back, Chaos called out for all of Niente's wolves to join him on the ship's deck for a meeting. It was time for them to decide.

OOC: We'll go with a deadline of November 27. I know it's a holiday week but I want to get the roster sorted out as quickly as possible.

Enrico's head felt dull and fuzzy when he heard a howl calling the pack together. He was, for a moment, confused as to who was calling them. Had one of the members decided to call for a training session? Was there a problem at the border? A hunt? He stretched, trying to shake the cobwebs from his head, but he had to bite back an exclamation of hurt. The surge of pain from forgotten injuries cleared the last of the painkiller haze from his mind. The interloper. The challenge.

His loss.

He frowned around at the unfamiliar room, which was clearly still in the ship, somewhat surprised to find himself still there, with his wounds obviously treated, and not left outside the pack borders as a loner. While the winning alpha had offered for him to stay, he hadn't really expected him to follow through with it. He'd been too delirious with the pain to have taken note of the trip back to the ship, and not entirely aware when his wounds were being treated, so this was all quite news to him.

He heard a stirring on the other side of him, and carefully turned his aching head to see Asriel, similarly bandaged and battleworn, had taken note of his motion and sat up himself. The big cat's whiskers twitched, and he turned his head aside. "I am sorry, Enrico," Asriel said quietly. "You did what you could. I... should have helped you."

"No," Enrico said faintly, pushing himself to his paws with care. His eyes traveled over the herbs bandaging the cat's wounds, and the talon marks obvious beneath them where the two owls had clearly gripped and held the snow leopard physically to the ground, though struggle wounds around his mouth and paws certainly suggested that the two birds hadn't gone unscathed either. "It wasn't your fight, Asriel. You needn't have gotten yourself injured trying to fight for me." He sighed, testing his weight on his injured shoulder. It didn't want to hold his weight, but he could manage on the other three limbs. "Well," he said quietly, "Our new alpha calls. Shall we answer?"

The snow leopard's answer was a faint growl, but he followed behind Enrico as the now-former alpha limped his way out of the room and to the deck. He and Chaos eyed each other warily, neither of them quite sure what to do about the situation they now found themselves in. It was not usual, after all, for a defeated alpha to remain in their lost pack after a challenger took over. But he was also clearly unfit to leave, either. "Relax," he finally said, dryly. "I am hardly in any shape to challenge you back, and I believe it is clear to both of us what the outcome of that would be even if I were."

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN Although Enrico hadn’t necessarily approved of it, Rogdar had always managed to keep a store of alcohol in the den he had made in one of the ship’s lifeboats. It had been a cozier home than he was used to, and found the canvas covering delightfully warm despite being outside of the ship, and of course offered him a neat bench to sleep under when in the throes of a hangover. He had been soothing one such hangover that morning following a night of drinking with his long tailed companion while unbeknownst to him, the dynamic of his home pack shifted. He opened one green bloodshot eye to the resounding yet unfamiliar call and slowly wiggled his way onto his paws, his stomach churning unpleasantly as he did. “What in El’s name is it now?” He found himself thinking bitterly as he slipped from under the canvas cover and swayingly made his way toward his mystery caller. As he approached the male and his bleary eyes focused on what- or rather who- he was seeing he felt himself give a pause of consideration. He looked at his equally stunned companion with narrowed eyes, then looked back at the shadowy male with one ear perked, attempting to wrap his slowed mind around what appeared to be a take-over by a character from his father’s bedtime stories.   talking   thinking GIVE NOTHING BACK

"speech" & 'thoughts'

She had expected Chaos would call the pack together in time. He hadn't looked near as damaged as Enrico had. Chaos was allowing Enrico to stay and Delaney felt she should still give living within a pack a chance, plus if they moved Enrico would surely need the aid of a healer for pain management. She was willing to stay and try this out, honestly she had nothing more to loose if she did. It was just a shame this had to happen just after she had finally grew used to her new home.

She was in another part of the ship when the howl rang out, busy with keeping herself busy. She was looking through the ship for useful things left over from those before, something to simply pass the time now that both male's and their companions had been looked over and treated. She stopped her foraging when Chaos called, summoning the pack forth. Now would be the time to see who stayed and who departed.

She quickly moved though the ship heading to the deck, surprised to see Enrico up and here first. She moved over to him, eyes gently scanning both him and his companion.

"How are you feeling," she quietly asked wondering if she needed to run for a herb for pain before this meeting officially started.

Art by Carvalle

Numbly Ferrous answered the call. She still couldn't quite believe that Enrico had lost. He'd always struck her as so strong and capable, and she couldn't decide if this loss meant she'd been wrong or if his opponent had simply been stronger and more capable. For whatever reason, this made her uneasy. If he hadn't been who she'd thought him to be, what did that say about her and how easily she could be deceived, either deliberately or unintentionally? With Zahir on her heels Ferrous padded up the stairs that led to the deck. She exited the tunnel and was briefly blinded by sunlight. When her vision cleared she cast a glance at those who were gathered around the toothy victor and tried to gauge their moods. Zahir, meanwhile, was staring at Asriel. She noted his many injuries and was displeased by them for reasons that were entirely her own. After flicking her tail irritably she broke off her stare and continued to follow Ferrous. Together, the pair settled near the ship's railing. They'd been discussing their options since the challenge and together had reached the decision that they needed to give the new alpha a chance. He hadn't been an ass after the challenge - had been kind enough to see to it that Enrico was taken care of - and for that reason they wanted to see what he'd do next and what changes he'd make. "Speaking" - "Thinking" - "You"

black flowers blossom fearless on my breath

Valdís stuck to her routines. Despite the uprooting of Niente's leadership she had a job to do and she intended to do it. Her morning's started with patrolling the sparse pines, keeping a particular eye out for bears thanks to autumn closing in. The large beasts would need to hibernate soon and the drive for food made them particularly dangerous. She was on the far side of the pines when she heard Chaos howl and she stopped and stood for a moment as the chill morning air nipped at nose. It was so strange to see this happening. She still didn't know how to feel about it. Had it been anyone else she'd have broken down. To lose another pack so soon after losing Talis and Crew the first time?

But this time was different. This was Chaos and she knew more or less what to expect. She only hoped that he'd grown and matured a bit more since his time leading Crew. She didn't care to ponder what it would be like to lose her home again. Slipping through the autumn snow that had drifted in the pines after a snow storm a week ago it took her a bit of time to arrive. When she did most of the pack was already there, including Enrico. Valdís tried to catch his eye and give him a reassuring nod. Was he going to stay?

The mood was somber and she took a seat, dipping her head in a respectful greeting to Chaos.

"Speech"

Asvor wasn't quite sure what to think of the challenge, nor the results. Valdis seemed to think fondly of the male that had challenged, and he had done so far more honorably than most - certainly more honorably than she would've. Enrico was allowed to stay, and treated as kindly as possible. She had assisted in making sure he'd gotten the herbs he needed to heal properly, under Delaney's guidance, and though she hadn't expected her next healing lesson to go quite like that.. well, it was better than nothing. So far things seemed interesting enough under the new rule of a man who seemed quite interesting himself, so Asvor was willing to give it a good shot. She didn't hesitate long in responding to his call, but she was further out from the ship than she realized. By the time she got there, the rest of the pack had already arrived. In typical fashion she loped over toward Valdis and settled there, briefly bringing her gaze to Enrico. He seemed to be healing well enough, despite his age, and.. well, he was still here, which said something. If their former leader had decided to remain, shouldn't the rest of them too? She nudged her friend in quiet greeting before sitting tall and focusing on Chaos, quite curious as to what he had to say.

Magnolia had been aware of the changes around her, she'd heard the call of course but she'd been in the middle of gathering some herbs and win or lose she had no doubt they'd be needed so she had decided it she would continue to gather. But things hadn't changed as much as she figured they might. She knew Enrico had fallen, some new man she didn't know had won the pack but they hadn't moved, hadn't been told to leave or forced to stay. So when the call went out the woman's interest was piqued, her ears perking as she heard the unfamiliar voice calling for her. Magnolia lifted herself from the metal nook of the ship she called home and made her way through the hull, finding herself among one of the last to arrive as far as she could tell. Speech, Think

Art by Ulfeid3

Cepheus had heard the challenger's call for Niente, but he hadn't shown up. He wasn't entirely familiar with challenging customs, only that there was one winner and one loser on most occasions. All he knew was that Enrico no longer was the alpha considering that the howl belonged to someone he didn't recognize. He had gotten to spend some time with Enrico during patrols, and was a little saddened to know the old man had lost. But they weren't close enough to be considered friends, he supposed. So the sudden challenge and loss of his former alpha didn't bother him too much. He was on the far side of the territory, but swiftly made his way to the ship where the rest of the small pack waited. Climbing up to where the others were, he quietly took a seat among them. He searched for Enrico, promptly spotting him and his companion both looking a hot mess, but he admired the man for trying. His gaze then sought out the new alpha, and he became fascinated by the male's markings and his fangs. He'd never seen such an unusual looking wolf before, so surely this would be interesting, right?

Text speech Thought

To his surprise, the former alpha was the first to appear on deck. They stared at each other for a moment, both equally wary, before the gray-toned male broke the tension with a self-deprecating comment. Chaos gave him a crooked half-smile, but didn't respond. Yeah, he was bigger, stronger, and a fighter, but the older male had been wily. The fight could have gone either way, and he didn't really care to repeat it any time soon.

The rest of the pack filed in with a somber attitude, which he couldn't blame them for. They didn't know him, except that he'd come along and pulled the rug out from under them with a challenge. When he thought that they were all there - judging from the scents he'd caught along the border and throughout the lands, anyway - he straightened and swept his eyes over all of them.

The former alpha and Valdis and Delaney he all knew, and Asvor, Valdis' friend, but there were a few new faces as well. He stopped with a faint frown at one face, trying to place where he'd seen him before. Maybe he looked like someone Chaos had known? Or maybe he just had one of those faces. He stopped again on a snow leopard sitting beside a young woman, not so different from the one beside the former alpha except that she, like Chaos himself, had long fangs protruding from her upper lip. His brows twitched upward in surprise. Neat. He continued his sweep, and then began.

"By now you all probably know what happened. I challenged for your pack, and I won, making me your new alpha. You don't know me, or my goals, or what I'm going to turn the pack into, so I don't blame you for being wary." He paused, letting silence fill the moment as he met each set of eyes, then continued. "My name is Chaos Saxe. I am the son of Valentine Imperialis, a great alpha, which I know doesn't mean shit to you because it has no bearing on whether I'm going to be even a good one." Most of them seemed too young to remember Imperium anyway.

"I'm not going to be changing your pack structure right away, if at all, so whatever rank you've got you'll keep unless you want to change it. One thing you need to know, though. I have no intention of my pack hiding up in the north where no one can find it. No offense," he added to the former alpha, who shrugged gracefully. "I intend for every loner, pack, and band to know our name and respect us. So as soon as everyone is ready to make the trip, I will be moving the pack down south to the lands I grew up in - the Range and Buffalo Knolls. There's good hunting, it's central to many things, and it's right on the edges of the battlefield so everything from hunting to trading to training and spars will be easy to come by."

"Easy doesn't mean I don't expect my wolves to work hard," he added warningly, his voice going grim. "Any wolf that isn't putting effort towards the pack obviously doesn't want to be here, and I don't want to spend my time and my pack's time dragging along dead weight that won't contribute. This isn't a charity, and I'm not going to put my wolves through hardships to take care of someone who can't or won't give anything back to them. Everything has a price."

He softened his stance and his gaze from the fierce expression that had tightened them, though his voice was still threaded through with a grim note. "You can expect that my pack will in general be more involved in combat than it was. Not everyone will be expected to be a fighter, and most of what we do as a pack won't be focused on it, but those who are fighters can expect to be more openly involved in warfare, in raiding, and that sort of thing, and I won't lie to you, I have no problem with taking slaves or holding prisoners of war for ransom."

He paused, then pushed on. "I'm being blunt about all this because I am giving you all the chance to leave the pack now, without any consequences. If you don't approve, or you don't want to put yourself at risk, I understand and you will be welcome to remain here until we leave to go south, or to gather your things and find a different home, whatever you want to do, but rest assured that you aren't going to be just kicked out on your ass in the snow." He gave them a crooked grin. "But once the pack sets up borders in the lands in the south, I'm going to expect that anyone who's still with us at that point intends to stay permanently, and I'm not going to be very pleased with anyone who changes their mind and leaves after that."

Ásvor nudged her and she turned to the other woman with a smile. When everyone had gathered Chaos began to lay out the changes for the pack as well as his plans. His pedigree meant little to her. She had no idea who this Valentine wolf was and she really wasn't the sort to get overly interested in history. She was a bit disappointed to hear that the pack was moving to the south rather than back to the maw. She really considered herself more of a northern wolf but if she could survive in an Auster pack she could certainly learn to thrive in a southern one.

"I'm still in, boss." She grinned, the smile faltering just for a moment as she glanced toward her friend. Would the other want to stay. She lowered her voice for only Ásvor to hear. "It's completely up to you. Don't feel you need to stay on my account."

Chaos was quick to speak up once everyone had arrived, introducing himself and his family name. Unsurprisingly, none of it meant much to Asvor, who had either spent most of her life in the far reaches of the north or otherwise... not heavily involved in wolves besides her own family and Valdis, with only a small and rather unremarkable group of encounters with other wolves. One thing that surprised her was his announcement that they would be moving the pack south. Her initial reaction was one of fiery annoyance, and her emotion was written clearly on her face as her brows furrowed. She cast Valdis a glance, who seemed less displeased by this comment that she'd hoped The rest of the words he spoke rolled over her easily, the words hardly sinking in despite her hearing them. But this is my home, she thought wearily, trying to quell the rush of frustration that threatened to spill over. This is where I belong. But.. was it really? She hadn't seen her family in a long while, and pretending she might reunite with them, that she and her siblings might someday raise Yfir from nothing as her mother once had, seemed foolish now even to her. A quiet sigh left her lips as she focused back on Valdis, wondering. Somewhere to the side Chaos was still speaking, mentioning warfare, in holding prisoners and taking slaves. That was the sort of thing that interested her, much more than Enrico's sort of pack ever had, and yet she couldn't help but feel torn between staying with the group - and thus with Valdis - and remaining in lands familiar to her. Her friend's words partially sealed the deal for her, but she couldn't help but feel a bit confused at how readily she had agreed. Was she foolish for considering leaving a place she'd always wanted to live just for Valdis, when her friend had agreed to join Chaos so quickly without knowing what Asvor would say? Compromising her own desires based on what another might do... well, that was something she'd never done, but right now she realized she was doing just that. The feeling was uncomfortable, but the thought of leaving Valdis was even worse. "I'll go too," she said simply, after a long moment of waiting, her own voice low and her words meant only for Valdis. They seemed heavier than she'd expected, though she hoped Valdis wouldn't notice her suddenly somber tone.

Ferrous watched the new alpha intently as he spoke. Her gaze never left his although her thoughts were scattered and ranged far and wide. They returned to Chaos often, but spent a great deal in the future. Was she made for this? It was hard to say. She'd thought so at one point, but maybe she had been wrong. Could her loyalty bounce from one to another so easily? Ferrous didn't begrudge her packmates the choice they'd made, but she didn't think she could. Perhaps she just wasn't made for it. Maybe she was just naive.

After exchanging a glance with Zahir, Ferrous stood and addressed Niente's new alpha. "I mean no disrespect, but I think I'm better suited to being on my own." She found Enrico next and gave him a small sad smile, but said nothing. Whatever she may have wanted to say to him she refused to say with an audience.

-exit Ferrous and Zahir-

"speech" & 'thoughts'

She had already decided when she had been treating Chaos that she would fallow him. She had no ill feelings for him and the fact that he was offering Enrico a place within the pack made her feel like he really had nothing against him either. She didn't want to think of being a loner again, not after she was starting to feel somewhat normal again. So was also very glad to be moving out of the north, much happier to move somewhere warmer.

She listened to Chaos, already knowing bits and pieces from their talk, but she didn't mind hearing it again. A few others spoke up, only one of them deciding they were parting from the pack and striking out on thier own. She looked up to Chaos and quietly nodded.

"I will be going with you," She confidently stated.

Art by Carvalle