ooc: This is mandatory for all members! Deadline will be October 25th so that gives everyone a fair amount of time to get everyone into the meeting. If you're character hasn't arrived by the second round they will be demoted. If you're on absence and have a good reason not to make the meeting please pm me and tell me whether your char is sick or we can agree that Faite has given them permission to miss it.

Autumn was sweeping over the land with a force. Mother nature clearly had grown tired of the drought they'd been in and lately rain storms threatened to break the skies. A cold draft was already beginning to sweep over the western pack and Faite was more than relieved. Even they needed the rain and she hoped that the Winter wouldn't be too harsh on them. The prey seemed a bit scarcer than it usually was in the usually thriving plains. Today was clear and Faite moved purposefully to the meeting place. It was high time they had another meeting. There was much to discuss and she wanted to prepare. Regulus would be absent from this one. He had duties to attend to so she was determined to prove her own skill at leadership. A nervousness settled into her gut that she tried to ignore. It'd be her first time speaking publicly in front of everyone and she didn't want to disappoint. She reached the boulder that Regulus and the higher ups normally sat on and she leaped up on it gracefully before taking a seat on it in Regulus' spot. She realized it was probably going to be pretty lonely without her brother to sit with her. He had yet to appoint any Shield's for the pack or any other high ranking members which was saddening. Shoving the thought aside, she raised her head high and let her voice ring out over the lands in a commanding howl. She would not tolerate absences. Walk, "Talk" Think

Fortune's eyes are glimmering as she makes her approach. There had been a call, and it was a call she would answer. How much fun would it be to see everyone all together. The day was nice, at least for fall. Her gait is an even jog, rolling the same way the leaves fell. There's something electric about the way she moves, about the approach she makes to the meeting place. What a lovely day it was, after all. "Faite, hey." Fortune's head tosses, sitting at the base of the rock with a twinkle in her eye. How fantastic was it? How great were days like this? She couldn't think of anything she'd like less than to see her family, see everyone together. It was a good feeling, and it was a good day. She's shining. Filled up with it all. Family and togetherness, that was what mattered. Fortune looked forward to seeing everyone together. fortune shock & awe

He was back in a funk again, it had been depressing around the pack lately. Mom and dad were still stuck in the den sick and the pack itself seemed silent. He had taken up training himself while everyone seemed to be quite. He hadn't even seen much of his litter mates either. He had been trying to continue training himself, but without any sparring partners the boy was left to train as best he could himself. Faite had been absent, traveling and doing her duties as the second in command so the young man couldn't bug her to train with him. He had take up patrolling the borders too and getting more familiar with the pack's stretch of territory. It was a surprise to here Faite calling together the pack. He didn't even know she had returned from her traveling. Though it made the male happy, his tail wagging as he listened to her call. He didn't hesitate, turning himself and taking off in the direction of the call. It hadn't taken him long to arrive at the meeting place and his eyes saw one of the newer members of the pack, rumored to be a distant relative of his and Faite sitting upon the rock. Tail wagging he took a seat front row, sitting beside the other female. He couldn't quite remember what her name was, but he was sure he would learn it today. "Hello ladies good to see you both" he said with a toothy smile. His voice was beginning to get deeper and his lanky form was beginning to build with muscle. "Talk" || Think

The man had not yet taken his Legionary test spar, and honestly Castiel was beginning to wonder if he’d ever take up that rank. A soft sigh left his maw as he heeded Faite’s call, feeling a tug on his heart. He felt badly, but seeing Kalliope again had set his mind and heart to work once more. He knew he wanted to spend more time with her... But his loyalty to his family tore at him. The pale man had a difficult choice ahead of him to make, and he certainly wouldn’t push for the femme to do anything she was not comfortable with.

When he arrived at the meeting he saw that he was not the first there, not that he minded. He sat quietly, gave a tilt of his head to Faite in greeting, and offered the she-wolf a small smile. One of his nephews, Lais, was there too... It was hard to believe that the young one was already a year old. Rassie had fallen ill now, spending time with Surreal and Falk. Cas was immensely worried about his sister’s condition too. That was another reason that made it impossible to walk away. One couldn’t just turn away from their family... Their kin. He let out a soft sigh, golden eyes falling to the ground.

Baine's pale ears perked up when she heard her older sister's howl and for once Baine would be quick to her paws to trot toward the meeting. After her chat with Faite she was feeling a bit better about things, but she had to prove to herself first that she was really going to be more active and do more things. She was determined to be more present, if for no other reason than to keep her word to herself and to Faite. She was happy to see that only a couple of wolves had arrived before her. She wasn't late for once! She smiled as she padded over to sit near where Faite was, giving her a big grin while her tail wagged gently behind her. She gave herself a light shake before she sat back on her haunches. Her necklace swung back and forth a couple of times before settling back against her chest once more. She saw her uncle, one of her younger siblings, and a blueish wolf she hadn't met yet here so far. She settled in to wait for the rest of the pack to show up, her tail curling around her neatly. "Talk" "You" Think

Crucible dutifully pulled himself to his paws at the sound of the howl that rang out across the pack lands. After he found out from his brother that he had been demoted while he had been fighting off his sickness he had made it a point to keep an eye and ear out for any chance for him to show up to pack activities. He wasn't sure how successful he was being so far, but he wouldn't miss another meeting at least. That seemed like the minimum requirement and that much he could do. He wasn't the quickest in his movements now a days, but he made it to the meeting place soon enough. The years of travel and sickness had worn on him. He arrived at the meeting with a small smile on his lips and he sat down at the edge of the group. He didn't really recognize anyone in particular- not that he was surprised at that. He gave Faite a small nod before slowly letting his gaze wander around the area around him so he could watch for his brother.

"SPEAK"

Fable Ancora What was that? A howl? For who? The whole pack?? Holy crap he had to go! Fable jumped to his paws and scrambled towards the call of a woman he hadn't met yet, but that was okay. She was in the pack so that was okay! Right? Should be... The pup hesitated, tripping over his too large paws. Face planting into the dirt, he got a mouth full of dry grass. Spitting it out, his nose wrinkled up as he pulled himself back to his paws. Shaking his head back and forth, he ran his tongue over his teeth to get all the icky stuff out. Wait, what was he doing again? OH MEETING! Taking off again, Fable didn't slow down. Unfortunately, he didn't even slow down when the gathering of wolves got closer and closer. He crash landed into a pale, pink coloured woman who had just settled down. Once more he flew into the ground, his lower half lifting off the ground as his chest hit the ground with a solid thud. Letting out a loud 'oof', the growing boy flipped around to see what he had tripped over. When he saw that it was in fact a who, he gasped as his yellow and blue eyes flew open wide. "Oh mah goodiness I twipped wight over 'ou!" he said quickly, his white and gray tail flicking between his hind legs. "I sowwie! My paws a' little too big, so I falls down a lot. An' you just came outta nowhere!" He nearly bounced where he stood, not focusing on the girl for too long. Soon he spun away from her, looking at all the wolves that already stood there. Wow, so many bodies! He wanted to meet them all, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone. Tipping his head up he let out a little puppy howl, before bouncing around the pink girl in a few circles. "Hai evwryone, I Fable!" There, now they all knew who he was. "SPEAK"

Kalliope's peach ears flicked at the sound of a howl. She recognized the voice since it was the same one that had accepted her into the pack to begin with. She had been trying to make herself at home here and had been trying her best to not just bother Castiel all the time. She didn't want him to try and look after her all the time. She did have to admit that at least knowing one wolf was making this pack experience a bit better than her last. Since fall had begun she had been only slightly unintentionally avoiding him though. Her heat had come to bother her again and she already wasn't entirely sure of her feelings as it was with him. She didn't want her heat to confuse her feelings. She couldn't just not go to the first meeting since she had been welcomed in though. She sighed and got to her paws so she could walk toward the howl. Soon enough she caught the scents of many wolves all gathered together there and she carefully picked out Castiel's scent so she could walk over and sit next to him. She tried to ignore her own scent and act casual while she waited for the meeting to start. "Talk" "You" Think

Ritsy had caught a mongoose. Sure it was skinny in size but the wandering starving creature was a prize he was well enough proud of. The mangly little thing had run up into the meeting. Passing by other wolves as he suddenly dropped the prey in front of Faite. "I did this." he said simply and started to hop back into the crow. Highly doubting anyone would want to sit beside him anyway. The hunched over male took a seat and wagged his little bunny tail back and forth. Wiggling lightly. What was this? A gathering of wolves - for a wolf who had never been in a pack before this was rather exciting. When was the chance he would get to kill bigger things than that weasel of sorts. "Talk"

A familiar how caught his attention, though it wasn't one he normally was used to hear. His ears pricked forward curiously at the sound and his spotted eyebrows pulled forward in confusion. Why was Faite calling them together instead of Regulus? He wasn't keen on the idea of being late, but rounding up the pups was certainly his first priority. Since being allowed to leave then den they'd been all over the place. Fable especially seemed rather keen on exploring everything and it'd left him tired most days. Regardless of how exhausting they tended to be, he'd fallen into the nice routine of single parenthood the best he could. Rounding up the pups proved to be a little harder than he originally thought. He couldn't find Fable anywhere so he resulted in heading back to the den to get the rest of them to follow. Valor was there so he nudged the pup and motioned for him to follow. The green marked pup followed eagerly and they headed towards the meeting. (the rest of creed's kids can choose to follow him or be off somewhere else so I left that vague.) They arrived at the meeting later than he typically arrived, but it seemed he was still on time. He glanced around and saw a few familiar faces, and two new ones he hadn't encountered yet. The scraggly male caught his attention easily, but it was the female that captivated him. Vague recognition crossed over his features, but he couldn't think of a name. He padded easily over to Crucible, after spotting him, and grinned at the male before settling in next to him. He'd already spotted Fable and he was relieved the pup had made it. He could see him over by Baine and he grinned softly. Fable sure wasn't wasting any time making friends. Walk, "Talk" Think

He'd just been getting ready to go find someone to play with when a howl rang out across the territory. His head tilted to the side curiously as he tried to figure out who it was, but he realized he didn't recognize it. He was getting ready to shrug it off when Creed hurried into the den to look for him and his siblings. Fable had already left to do who knows what so he stared up at his father expectantly. It wasn't long before he was ushered to follow Creed and he couldn't help but wonder if it was about the howl he'd heard. He trotted after his tad, occasionally stumbling along the way, as he tried to keep up. Before long they arrived to a gathering and it clicked in his head. It was a meeting! He glanced around at all the new faces and his eyes widened. There were so many wolves he didn't know! He felt a bit overwhelmed as he followed him over to a male that looked strangely a lot like their dad... but different in a way. He stared up at him with unabashed curiosity. "Who 'r you?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Faite sat on the boulder with her eyes scanning the area as she waited for the rest of the pack to arrive. She grinned at the larger female as she took a seat. "Hey Fortune." She greeted her warmly before returning to her vigilant scanning. Laisren was the second to arrive and she greeted him with the same warm smile she'd offered Fortune. "Hello Lais." Her tail thumped gently against the rock as she glanced down at her apprentice. She was a little upset to see Rasiel wasn't with him, but she shrugged it off. It was still rather early. Cas filtered in next and she watched as Baine trailed along as well. She was happy to see her sister show up to this meeting. A barely contained excitement coursed through her. She grinned at her younger sibling and realized she was excited for the one on one time they were going to be spending together soon. A trip was what Baine needed and Faite was always happy to go off on an adventure - even if this was a diplomatic one. She watched and dipped her head towards Crucible as he arrived. Ever since his demotion she'd felt bad, but it was nice to see him out and about. Her grin came back and only widened as one of Creed's kids rushed right in and tripped over Baine. She watched the pup curiously for a moment and suppressed a chuckle. The energy all of them seemed to possess was astounding, but she was glad to see the young gray boy socializing easily. She glanced briefly at Kalliope as the girl came in and sat quietly by Castiel. Ritsy soon took up her attention as he rushed up and dropped a mongoose down. She offered him a soft smile as she stared down at it. While it was small it was an impressive catch. The small weasel-like creatures were unbelievably fast. "Nice catch." She commented, feeling oddly pleased the strange male was taking such a liking to hunting. Creed and Valor were the last to trickle in and she frowned as she scanned the small gathering. There were still a few missing (despite the ones she already knew wouldn't be arriving) and among those she was rather upset the rest of Creed's pups hadn't arrived yet. She had been hoping to introduce them and find them mentors. With a soft sigh she composed herself - she couldn't wait around forever. Those who didn't arrive would just have to face the consequences. "Thank you all for arriving so quickly. I wanted to start off by congratulating Creed and Kavdaya on their litter. They have five healthy kids - two of which are here right now." They probably already had noticed their presence, it was hard not to, so she didn't dwell on that thought for long before plunging forward. "We also have a few new-ish members, Fortune and Kalliope, and Ritsy." She looked at each of them in turn so everyone could get used to their faces. The influx of new members was an exciting prospect, even if some of them weren't so new. "The most important thing I wanted to address is that as of now I will be taking over as Archangel in Regulus' absence. He, Kavdaya, and both of my parents have left to go find the nomads to see if they can help stabilize Surreal and Falk's conditions and hopefully find a cure. With that being said Rasiel is also sick so please, everyone, be careful as the season gets colder." She paused for a few moments, surveying the crowd and trying to figure out what to address next. "There are a few wolves missing as well. Kieryn is one of them. Her scent was last found heading away from the borders and I haven't seen her since then. Acapella and Dagger are also missing so if anyone has an idea of their whereabouts please let me know." She was doing her best to mask her worry. She knew Dagger and Acapella could handle themselves just fine, but Kieryn being on her own worried her far more. Where was the tiny black and silver yearling? "On a different note I'd like everyone here who is still sitting at Unit to please choose a rank for themselves today. From now on any wolf who doesn't come to me within two weeks of them being here will be kicked out. We're all a unit and we all need to work together to make sure the pack thrives. With that being said I'd also like to fill up the higher ranks. They've been empty for far too long so if you'd like to work towards a promotion feel free. I've decided Fortune will be taking over as lead hunter for the time being. Ritsy, you will be placed as a hunter." Fortune had done well enough so far to prove that she was ambitious. Her rank upgrade was a test to see how she handled the position. She trusted Ritsy just enough around the pack now to give him a test as well to see how he performed. "Laisren, you may go ahead and tell me the rank you want to pursue. If it's Legionary I will continue training you, but if you wish to pursue something else I'll assign you a new mentor." She said to the boy. It was about time he was promoted to an apprentice status. "Fortune, I expect you to hold a hunting lesson for the pups soon and Ritsy may accompany you if he wishes. Castiel and Crucible, you two are in charge of mentoring the pups for fighting. Also we seem to be lacking a healer with Kavdaya gone, so if someone would like to step up to hold any healer sessions now is your time to shine." She was pleased to be giving out things for them to do. Things had been rather quiet without Regulus around and she was hoping this would be a step in the right direction. "Lastly I wanted to announce that Baine and myself are going to be making a trip to the north to scout out a new pack. We won't be gone too long, but in my stead Castiel, Crucible, and Creed, as the oldest in the pack, I'll be leaving you three in charge to keep everyone orderly and to make sure everyone is still doing their duties. I'll report back to at least one of you when we return." Walk, "Talk" Think

Luck wasn't sick per-say but she wasn't well; she was spiralling into a deep depression, she couldn't bring herself to care any more, she was barely eating, only really staying awake enough to nibble on left overs or an unfortunate mouse who wandered into her vicinity. She had sequestered herself away, the only thing she felt anymore was shame, she couldn't bring herself to be seen by the others and yet she didn't care to care for herself. The call for the meeting had woken her from a fitful slumber and a small part of her mind began to scream that she needed to get up, she would lose her home if she didn't get up and start trying to fix things. The rest of her wanted only to go back to sleep, usually the small part of her mind was drowned out but this time it refused to be silenced and as Luck found it harder and harder to focus she finally submitted to it and sluggishly dragged herself to the meeting. She was late, very late and as she approached she kept her gaze down, tail tucked between her legs. She was ragged and emaciated, she felt a flood of shame wash over her and she lingered only on the edges of the gathering of wolves, wishing she could just vanish completely. "Speech"

Solveiga, honestly, didn't know what to do with herself anymore. Her once bright and curious spirit had been sapped away by the grief she experienced at the loss of her mother. She didn't know yet if this depressive mood was going to be temporary or permanent, but nothing had managed to pull her out of it so far. She wanted — no, needed — someone to help her, to lift her out of the shadows and the fog and make her the carefree girl she used to be. But her brother was still nowhere to be found, and even Regulus seemed to have vanished. Maybe he didn't want to see her anymore. That was fine. She could live with that. Or survive, at the very least. But what pained her was knowing that she was becoming a terrible pack member. Her lack of motivation made it difficult to find the will to crack down and study her herbs, and she certainly didn't have the energy to pick up any other duties like hunting or patrolling. She was a mouth to feed. She was a burden. And even though she needed help, and the love of a family to fix her current psychological state, she was too selfless to continue on any longer. She refused to become like a parasite to this pack that she loved so much. Solveiga needed to leave. She needed to take away this burden she had placed on the shoulders of Celestial, and just take a break for a while. Already she knew she would need to come back eventually. Celestial was the only real home she had ever known. But she needed to take a break, find herself or at the very least get rid of this depression hanging over her. Then she would come back. If they would take her back. She was the very last to arrive at the meeting. The meeting, in fact, was already over and Faite had finished speaking. Solveiga lowered her head and tucked her tail as she approached, only raising her pale blue eyes enough to see where Faite was seated. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said, her voice as humble as ever but even softer than usual. Still, she made an effort to speak up enough for Faite to hear. It would only upset her more if she had to strain to hear Solveiga, like some shy whimpering pup. "If you have time, I'd like to speak with you. We can do it here, or somewhere else, I don't mind either way."

The wolf tried to listen closely. His eyes locked on faite, for some reason he liked listening to her. His head didn't know why, but she was pretty and he was excited for his first gathering with all these..... things. As soon as it flew from her mouth that was going to be a hunter, a gasp fell from his jaw. Unhinging as he just dropped it agape with his tongue there. Scoffing a bit he was in shock and then got up and shut his mouth starting to spin in circles. Ritsy laughed and giggled as his little bunny tail wiggled back and forth so viciously. His circles stopped in front of faint as he tried to balance himself from being dizzy. Screeching trying to do it quietly as his excitement over this announcement. "Ritsy will hunt ALL of the animals." he said crouched down a little as he smiled. "Talk"

He was so tireeddd that when the howl had been rung, he did not hear it. He was deep in dream land and only barely caught the image of his father coming to the entrance of the den to retrieve them. He fought his eyelids to open up just enough for him to see Valor waddle on after their dad, and though he wanted to follow.. the heaviness of those lids swallowed up those baby blues and he drifted off to sleep once again. Several moments passed by before the boy's purple flecked orbs finally did spring open, realizing immediately that Valor and his father were long gone. What had he missed? No, no, no.. curses! Why had he been so weak for sleep? He grumbled, scolding himself inwardly as he got to his feet and set out after the scent of his family in a full sprint. It wasn't long before that scent became intermixed with several different pack members, and he heard the voice of a woman speaking with power. He shivered slightly and kept his head down as he crept through all the wolves, searching for his father while attempting to listen to what the meeting was about. He noticed Fable first and then his father and Valor, and once he set his eyes on Creed the boy rushed over to his side with his ears apologetically down. "Sowrry.."

Faite hadn't missed the late arrivals. Her dual-toned gaze zeroed in on them like a hawk and her mouth curved into a deep frown as she stared mostly at Luck and Solveiga. She wasn't too concerned with Creed's kid being late so long as he didn't make a habit of it when he grew older. She was, however, very displeased with the two adult members of the pack who saw fit to be a disappointment on more than one occasion. Not only had they been late but she'd barely seen either of them around and they hadn't bothered to speak to her about why they'd been barely lifting a paw to help out. She wasn't happy at all. She nodded towards Solveiga when she apologized and mentioned needing to speak with her. Her eyes scanned the crowd and her gaze immediately found Ritsy. She managed to give him a soft smile at his words. She was happy that he was taking his new rank promotion seriously. "I'm sure you will Ritsy." She spoke softly to him. It seemed like no one else had anything to say she her voice rose again. "If there's nothing else anyone needs to say then the rest of you are dismissed." She then turned her gaze to Luck and Solveiga. "I need to speak with both of you." She hopped down off of the boulder and padded away from prying ears and eyes. As angry as she was with them she wasn't going to make a public show of it either. She found a nice spot and then decided to sit so she didn't feel so restless. Now she could understand Regulus' and her mother's problem with everyone before. It wasn't even that she was angry - she was just sad that this always seemed to be a problem with someone. "I'll admit I'm not happy with either of you. It wouldn't be so bad if I'd heard an excuse of some sort, but instead I've been left with silence. It's bad enough my parents are sick and both Regulus and Kavdaya are gone. Having two more members not contributing to pack duties hasn't exactly been helpful. Solveiga, since you wanted to speak to me first I'll let you take the floor." She expected explanations from both of them, but her gaze snapped to Solveiga to hear what she had to say first. Walk, "Talk" Think

When Faite spoke, Solveiga felt the full force of her words and chagrin seemed to sweep over her and settle deep within her stomach. She felt an incredible amount of guilt for what she had done, and she felt it inside her like an awful, twisting knot. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again, and she knew there would be tears if she had any left to shed. But she only felt more empty because of it. Solveiga had always been the type that was eager to please, eager to prove herself, and she had blatantly failed. Maybe they wouldn't want her back once she had left. She lowered her eyes as Faite spoke to her and to Luck, but then it was her turn to speak and explain herself. She drew in a deep breath and tried to lift her eyes to Faite, but it only made that knot in her stomach twist even more, so she looked back down. "There is no excuse for what I've done. I know I've been a burden to the pack lately, and I just want you to know that you have my deepest apologies for that. My life... isn't what it used to be, I don't really know what to do anymore..." She swallowed hard and shifted her weight awkwardly. "I'll spare you the details. I just don't know who I am anymore, but what I do know is that I would never want to continue to burden this pack. Celestial has been a wonderful home for me, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to take my leave now." Solveiga took another deep breath and lifted her pale blue eyes to Faite, clenching her jaw a bit in resolution. "I refuse to be a nuisance any longer. I'm no help around here, and I won't be until I... fix whatever is wrong with me. I'm sorry."

Faite did her best to force down the feeling of guilt that forced its way up her throat and sat there like an annoying unwanted bubble. She was an alpha and she had a right to be disappointed, right? It was her job to make sure everyone was contributing and yet, why did she feel so bad about it? She didn't like chastising and berating others for their own wrong doings. That still felt so much like Regulus job and it was almost painful that she now had to do it instead. She frowned softly at Solveiga's apology. She could sense something was up, but there was no telling if it was because she was just remorseful for not pulling her weight or if it was something else entirely. Solv's explanation didn't make Faite feel any better either and she let a silent sigh escape her as she mulled over her words. She hadn't meant to make her feel like she had to leave. She'd only wanted her to realize that she needed to ... well do something. Or at least talk to her if she wasn't able to. If something was wrong she wanted to know about it. "Solveiga, you don't have to leave if you don't want to. That was not my intention for this discussion. I merely wanted to let you know that the pack needs active members to be able to function properly. If something is wrong you know you're free to approach me at any time. I'm not only your leader, but I'm here to also support your needs and help you wherever i can. We're family." Walk, "Talk" Think

Faite was more than understanding, and Solveiga fought hard to swallow back the lump that rose in her throat. But, despite her efforts, tears began to shine in her eyes. She was surprised she had tears left to shed. "I've never felt so much grief before, Faite, I don't really know how to handle it all yet," she admitted in a whisper. She had no biological family to speak of. But she had this pack. This pack was her family. Faite, and Báine, and Luck, and little Laisrén... all of them. And Regulus, too, wherever he was. She had to believe that they would be there for her. But she needed to be there for them, too, and she just wasn't in that place right now. "You have no idea what that means to me, hearing that you consider me family." Solveiga said softly, lifting her blue eyes to Faite once more. "I don't want to leave this place permanently. I've never had a better home, it's just..." After taking a deep breath, she spoke again. She just hoped that what she was suggesting wouldn't upset Faite in any way. "Do you think it would be possible for me to take a break? Leave Celestial for a while, take some time to grieve and get back to feeling like myself again? And then, when I'm feeling better, I'll return," she promised. "Would I have your blessing?"