He was unsure if he wanted to even show up, but mom said if they didn't then they'd get in trouble. It was the packs duty to be present for their guests, and on top of that, he'd get the chance to meet a lot of others, right? That thought alone got him on his feet and heading towards the polar sound, the mingled scents of tons of others already reaching him. He could see the large gathering, his mother standing on a rock just above the crowd and a few others near her, other Alpha's perhaps? Slowly, he slunk through the crowd, wondering where his brothers were and who he might talk to next. Of course, after some searching, he couldn't find his brothers anywhere. Maybe they hadn't shown up yet? Sighing, he decided to maybe sit around and observe the gathered wolves, until one in particular caught his attention. It was the faintest of sounds, but it was a pleasant sound. A jingling of some sort caught his ear, and the boy looked around for the source. Soon enough, he spotted a smaller female with things on her, unsure of what they were called...intrigued, he decided to get up and walk over. "Speech"

Lost in this new territory, Esarosa found herself late. She wasn't sure if her friends were coming, but she hoped she see them here. If not, she knew there was bound to be some familiar faces, and the festival itself was going to be fun. She couldn't wait for the festivities to begin! So at a swift pace, Esa's black paws carried her in a rush toward the festival grounds. She had to pause as she looked around in amazement at how many wolves had already arrived, and she thought that surely there would be more to arrive. It was a very interesting mix of wolves, many from different packs. She could see the resemblance between family members, which caused a smile to form upon her face. Not noticing anyone particularly familiar to her, she would continue to hold back a bit, letting her curiosity be filled from a distance. Her emerald eyes drifted over to a black and green-coated female that stood out, and next to her stood a familiar rusty-colored male with a white eye patch. As her eyes continued to roam, she caught sight of a silver-coated female with black tips, who almost reminded her of her adoptive mother, although this woman was clearly much larger. As she looked around, she noticed that several wolves seemed to be looking at someone, and so her eyes shifted to see what the big deal was. Her attention was caught by the woman that made noise as she moved - the woman with the bells, and the curious fabric draped around her neck. She hesitated as she wondered if she should approach - after all, Avalon had invited them all to mingle while they waited - but she'd never tried to approach someone in such a large group before. But when she spotted the familiar form of Dragon, Avalon's son, making his way over to the dressed up lady, Esarosa dropped her worries and went bounding over enthusiastically. "Speak" "Listen" Think

A festival would do him good, he supposed. Something to get him into the competitive spirit of hunting and fighting again. When Bass called for all participating wolves, the Lastic male showed up to greet him, following alongside Finch and Sandpiper to the north. Had he ever ventured this far across the continent? Perhaps he had, when Sonticus had still been around. That didn't make the journey less tiresome, however. The chestnut man was thoroughly relieved to see the gathered crowd ahead upon their arrival at the glacier. Most faces were unfamiliar, though some he could vaguely recall from previous festivals. Those days seemed so distant now, so long ago. He took a seat with the rest of Abaven, waiting for the festival to officially start. "SPEAK"

Avalon had extended an invitation to him and Celestial to this festival of hers and Creed readily agreed to go. It'd been a long time since he'd traveled up north and more than anything he missed his homeland. It would be a good change to get away and visit his birthplace and catch up with family. It'd also give him a good reason to go meet with other members of the other packs on Boreas. The trip up had been a long one and in all reality he knew he was running more than a bit late. It was certainly a long journey for any Celestial members but he was determined. Better late than never, right? It seemed to be a mild winter, even in the north, the farther he went up. Still it was getting colder and he was appreciative of the climate change. The cold didn't bother him with his thick fluffy pelt. He knew he'd miss it when he went back home, but he tried not to think about it too much. When he arrived at the gathering place Creed was surprised to find that many had already arrived. Fiori seemed to be the main scent, and then Myriad. No one from Celestial was here except for him, and then of course there was Avalon and her pack members. Unsure of where to begin he just padded right over to Avalon and smiled brightly at her. "Sorry Ah'm a bit late. Tha journey took longer than Ah expec'ed." Walk, "Talk" Think

ooc: I don't think I'll have him participate in anything, but I figured it'd be good for him to come see Avalon and such!

Crucible really hadn't done much traveling at all since he arrived in Celestial. He almost felt like he had done enough traveling for a lifetime at this point, but when he saw his brother leaving for the festival they had been invited to he decided he better go along as well. At least this winter was mild and it made the journey a bit easier. It was still a long trip up north though and he felt himself lagging further and further behind Creed. He finally got there a few moments after Creed though and he settled back on his haunches heavily, a tired sigh passing his lips. He looked to Avalon and gave her a small smile and a dip of his head. As usual he was more than happy to let Creed to all the talking even though he was very happy to see Avalon again. He glanced toward either of the men at her sides. One a slate blue and the other black and white just like Avalon's mother had been. One of her brothers then? So much family here it seemed! He waited to see if Avalon would make some kind of announcement to start the festival in earnest, looking around at all of the wolves in attendance in the mean time.

Gryphon tilted his head to the side with a near-inaudible 'hmm' as his mother's voice rang out to call the pack - and so many other packs - together for the expected festival. He was uncertain of the wisdom of inviting so many strangers into their midst (for surely Avalon could not have known every wolf of every allied pack personally) but part of him felt like his mother might be floundering for something familiar, lost in the enormity of being an alpha of a brand new pack without any experience in the situation, and if establishing this tradition made her feel less adrift... he shrugged, still wary of so many strangers. Well, let his mom have her tradition and be happy about it, he'd just take it on himself to keep guard and protect the family regardless.

He came within site of the growing crowd of wolves in time to see a pale stranger, a male, pressing up against Avalon, and Gryphon froze in disbelief, eyes narrowing on the yellow-eyed wolf's actions and the faintest of growls barely managing to bubble over from beneath his incredulity. Seriously? Was every male in Ardent sniffing after his mother now that she was an alpha? And there was his mother rubbing right back against him.

He'd taken no more than a handful of steps closer after shaking himself from his shock when Vereux, of course, appeared at Avalon's other side to cozy up to her again, with Avalon... again... returning his gestures of affection. Gryphon made a faint sound of disgust and veered off from his initial approach, instead restlessly stalking around the limits of the crowd. He tried to keep most of his attention on watching the gathering packs for trouble, but his mind and gaze kept straying to Avalon bracketed by the two males and a silent snarl would twitch at his muzzle before he could jerk his attention back to the task at hand.

And where were his brothers? Or the supposedly-loyal pack in general, really? He spotted Dragon, but since his brother already had his attention focused elsewhere Gryphon didn't want to interrupt, and continued on his way instead. Where was Lykos? He needed someone else he could trust to be on guard against trouble, but he couldn't see his tall gray and black brother anywhere yet.

He did take a perverse sort of delight in the fact that neither the rude elderly healer woman nor her odd looking yellow mate had shown up - though it didn't really help appearances that two of his littermates hadn't come yet either. His mood soured further at the reminder that, for some reason that made no sense, the behavior of one of two of his littermates would somehow reflect on all four of them, as if they had all behaved in that manner. Odd to think that Lykos out of all of them would be one the ones he'd be worried about getting them in trouble, though. He was usually so punctual. Well, Lykos did have rather a lot to brood over, Gryphon decided magnanimously as he continued his restless patrol.

It felt different making her way up to the north without her family, or even her friend. It brought too many memories back, memories she didn't want to see again; not in her current state. She had always attended festivals with the rest of Threar, surrounded by her family, a warm, happy aura in the air. Now the air was cold, and not just because of the northern climate. She made this journey almost alone, trudging through the snow with her head lowered. Hardly anyone from Celestial was going, and when she arrived, there was hardly anyone she knew. There was her cousin with his children, though he had always led Abaven, she supposed. But her eyes stopped at the sight of an ebony female, with all too familiar emerald eyes. Shit! What was she doing here? Why was she even here? Did she know anything about Miksa's appearance? Amidst her small crisis, she carefully stepped through the crowd, growing more self-conscious of herself. She tried to hide from the other woman's gaze, sitting not too far away from Celestial's archangel and staring in the opposite direction.

"Speech"

With well-traveled paws, the journey hadn't felt too long for Bright Moon. However, her crumpled soul had hesitated over and over again as she fell further and further behind the wolves of her pack. At the back of the group, she wondered if she would even be needed - whether or not her presence would be noticed. Perhaps if she just stayed home, no one would realize she hadn't been at the festival. But she'd already left her home. She should just follow her pack mates. Even the youngest of the pack were attending. Sighing, she resolved to catch up with Fiori and go to represent them. And when she arrived, she must not shrink, she must participate proudly. Anxiety clutched her insides, but she pushed onward.

At last she arrived, long after many wolves had gathered. She froze as her silver eyes gazed around, her eyelids drawn wide apart. She noticed some familiar faces, of course those whom she had traveled with. But also a few others, including Bass and Creed. Perhaps this festival would not be as nerve-wracking as she had somehow predicted. Then, by chance, her gaze drifted over an ebony form, catching sight of emerald eyes before the younger woman turned away and gathered amongst a small group. Bright Moon blinked in astonishment - the resemblance to her adopted daughter was uncanny, but it couldn't be... not in this far away land. And yet, the strange feeling buzzed within her. Stunned, the silver fox-coated woman sat down where she was, unsure if she could move another paw, unsure if she could cope with her thoughts. And so she remained still as stone until she would be prompted by the proceedings of this festival.

A soft grumble would escape the yearling as their mother's howl would ring out for all to hear. He felt like this was such a stupid idea. Originally he probably would have been excited if he hadn't been so angry lately. A part of him debated on not showing up at all, but the tiniest logical part of him knew he should probably attend to avoid further scolding. He wasn't scared of getting in trouble, but after the public humiliation he decided he'd keep it on the down low to at least keep Gryphon from getting in trouble again. He'd spent some time mulling it over and he knew his outburst was far from civil, but Gryphon hadn't said nearly the things he'd said and they all had got piled into the same boat. He tried to choke down his displeasure as he left his den heading towards the gathering. Eyes would scan everyone there and a very disgusted look would enter is gaze as he stared at Vereux and their mother. Ewww. His gaze would shift to the myriad of strange wolves gathered around and Kharnage realized he had no wish to socialize with any of them. Not wanting to be here in general his gaze shifted to where Dragon was. He seemed busy with a strange girl with weird things strung all over her. His eyes then scanned for any of his other siblings. He swiftly noted that Lykos had not yet arrived and an amount of smugness would flare within his chest. Look how well mother's protege would prove his worth. Even he had shown up to the meeting and he'd truly had no desire to and he didn't even have an important rank in the pack. A sigh let him as he thought about his sibling. He didn't hate Lykos, far from it, but it didn't mean he was happy with anything. The thought was shoved from his mind as he spotted Gryphon circling the area. He wasn't surprised to see that he was alert, and looking quite grumpy, as usual. He debated on heading over but instead he just took a seat on the fringes of the gathering not wishing to bother him. His luck would be he'd get his sibling in trouble again. He sighed again as he looked around with disinterest. This sucked. Walk, "Talk" Think

The lord was no mystery to meetings like this. Festivals he had seen from afar. Since those he had attended ended in he and his father killing at least four out of all wolves. Liar was here as a member of Ivalice and this was a peace treaty festival as far as he was concerned. Such as it would be treated with that respect. The one thing he noted was the two Avalon boys avoiding the larger crowd in their brooding personalities. Spoiled youth, part of him wished he could have been like that. Approaching Kharnage the exotic male would keep his head low. "If you don't try one of the activities you won't ever know if they can be a good outlet for your emotions." he whispered in his monotoned voice. As far as he knew, these pups had been abandoned by their father. He wished he could get his jaws on that man. "Try the fighting tournament. It might suck now, but sharpen your teeth and then maybe you won't have to worry." Liar would sit down. He wouldn't mind if the boy snapped at him. However Liar was hard to read to begin with. He looked as if everything had been sucked out of him. "Talk"

It was really quite odd that Lykos had been so late, and honestly, Lykos felt rather bad about it. He was never this late to anything, though no doubt that Kharnage and Dragon would be perversely pleased by the action. He sighed softly as he approached the gathering, eyes seeking out Gryphon. It didn't take long to spot the brown male; he was patrolling the festival, and looking quite... irritated by something. Perhaps Lykos ought to be greeting the visiting dignitaries as the proper heir, but... eh. He veered off towards his brother instead, pausing when he spotted his mother.

Two men, pressed on either sides of her? What the hell. It was hard for even Lykos to resist the snarl that threatened to twist his lips. What was his mother doing? 'Falling' for every man she saw? Ugh. He resisted a disgusted snort, and turned back his attention, approaching. He fell in step with Gryphon, sighing heavily. He said nothing, not feeling the urge to say anything - he simply joined his brother in making certain that all who were strangers did not start trouble.

Oh gods, she was late! Vali raced as quickly as she could, panting as she dodged trees and rocks and roots and just generally tried not to faceplant into things. She didn't realize - she was out of the territory - she didn't hear the call! Aaarrrgh! Finally, she started picking up a ton of lingering scents, instead of just the scents of travellers; this was a gathering-scent, rather unique and disorienting to the female who was not quite used to... festivals.

Still, only a few more trees and she made it. Triumph sparkling in her eyes, she weaved her way over to Bass, eyes twinkling. "Sorry I'm late!" she panted, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she gazed around, eyes wide much like a pup's. "Now what precisely am I supposed to be doing here?" she chuckled, shaking her head. She was no good at these things.

Nope nope nope, she didn't want to be here. Perhaps that was way she dragged her paws, and instead of going into the crowd, she lingered behind. She hadn't been late, really; only almost late. She lurked at the edges of the gathering, watching, seeing what the others were doing. She felt odd; while she didn't have much a problem with crowds, she felt rather awkward in them, and... well, she still felt pretty damned weak from that sickness.

On top of that, there weren't... very many familiar faces. There was Tinaro, from Abaven, and Bass; there was the white wolf, Vali, whom only just arrived. Glancing around further, she spotted Finch, who was surrounded by other wolves. Lillianna grimaced slightly; she couldn't ignore that small pang of jealousy. Yet, who was she to be jealous? She was the one not really associating with anyone. Still, she couldn't help but wish more familiar faces were around, like Lark... or, or even Starling. Now she was sad. And angry. Joy. She resisted growling in annoyance at herself; fine, if she was just going to mope, then she'd simply force herself to participate more.

Huffing quietly, she slipped into the crowds, glancing around, and wondering if anyone would notice her. It was likely someone would; someone with facial scars such as her were rather rare to come by.

Alfred was late! He had to be late, right? Paws pounded against the snow as he raced to catch up with his father. He’d gotten distracted on the way and a little lost... Now he was going to be late! Anxiety welled up within the youth, worried that he’d be yelled at for lagging behind. Not necessarily by his father of course {Leo really only got frustrated with him when he wandered off to find Svetlana... And even that had been more out of worry} but someone!

As all the different wolves came into view Alfie slowed to a stop. He looked around, ears flicking back against his skull. Finally he spotted Leo and slunk over to him slowly, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed too quickly for arriving just now. He tried to play it off, sitting by his father’s side and looking towards the amber eyed lady as if he’d been there the whole time. This was one time Alfie was cursing his larger size.

"Speech"

She was late. So so late. Trailing behind her was her father and...Her son. She'd not told her dad anything about him yet, or even talked about him. And she wondered if her dad had even gotten suspicious about it. She had never seen her dad and the kid talk yet, so it was doubtful that he even knew. But he'd find out sooner or later...right? And then would she have to explain what happened? Had Leo said anything? The thoughts gnawed at her for the first time in a long time, but they were quickly dismissed when she scented all the different wolves upon coming to the territory. She went wide eyed, never had she seen so many since she had been in Valhalla!

Spotting Leo, she grinned at him and hoped he wouldn't be mad for being late. She then threw herself into the gathered wolves, wondering who she could talk to and make friends with!

While he knew he was late and lagging far behind the other members of Abaven, he supposed he had a valid excuse that he didn't want to admit. He was getting old, and there was no denying that. Throughout the winter season he hadn't been feeling too well, but he refused to acknowledge that he wasn't his young self anymore. He still had fight in him, and as long as he had that then he was still as young as he could feel. Upon arriving among a group of stragglers, he saw that other abaven wolves had arrived before him, and while he was a little irate about being one of the last to arrive, at least he could see who else was already here. Many he didn't know, but at the sight of Bass he decided to wander over and sit near him. "It's quite the trip up here." He mused. "Speech"

Yeah, he was pretty late in arriving. But perhaps he could use the excuse that he was watching the oldest member of the pack, to make sure he wouldn't drop dead where he was. That was a viable excuse, right? That and maybe he was hesitant on being the only fox among a huge group of wolves. Eh, oh well. If he stuck close to someone he knew, it wouldn't be too bad, right? Besides, it's not like anything bad would happen either. It was a friendly gathering from what Bass had said, so he trusted his friends word. Upon arriving, he was surprised to see so many wolves and different packs. He scented the air, taking in each different pack scent. As a scout, he might have to remember these scents for future use, right? Crimson gaze would spot Finch then, and with a cheerful step he bounded over to her and plopped his furry butt down. "Lots of different faces here eh?"

She wasn't very keen on going to the festival that her alpha had spoken about, but her uncle was adamant about it. Evidently, the pack was run by the closest friend of one of her distant relatives whom she'd never met. But her uncle had been related to this Alpha's late friend, so she grew a bit curious. She followed close to her uncle's heels, the snow making her shiver. Upon arrival, she stuck close to her uncle as he weaved his way among the gathered, eyes wide at the sight of so many wolves in one place. She felt unnerved, but this was a friendly gathering right? Surely she had nothing to worry about. "SPEAK"

A festival hm? It would be worth a visit. It hadbeen quite a long time since he'd been to one after all, and with nothing going on in the pack, and his anger about his brother still boiling, it would do him good to distract himself. The male walked slowly with the other latecomers, his niece nearly tripping him every so often with how close she walked with him. As the arrived at the gathering, he smirked when he saw the amount of wolves that were present. He didn't know if there were any that he knew, but he would try to mingle provided that Quake wasn't too terrified to try too. "Why don't you find someone to talk to? It will do you some good, you know." Without waiting for her response, he wove his way among the crowd to find someone to converse with. ""