ooc: Mandatory for everyone not on absence! First round due by June 14th.

Leo shuffled through the light layer of snow that was clinging to the ground. The snow had been pretty constant as of late, but the snowfall hadn't been too terribly heavy luckily. That was the good thing about living somewhere with a warmer climate. The snow was lightly falling around him and sticking here and there to his fur, but that wasn't going to stop him from his mission today. He had given himself some time to be with his children, to be with Carletta, and to relax, but it had been far too long since the last time he had called the pack together. He came to their usual meeting spot and settled himself on his haunches. He looked out over the clearing for a moment and just took in the silence and the peace of it. The pack wasn't as vibrant or as full as it used to be. He didn't feel like he was as strong of a leader as he used to be. But for the time being he was still determined to lead them the best he could. At least until Heather was ready to take the reigns. He lifted his head and let out a howl to call everyone to him. He rolled his shoulders against the ache there as he lowered his head again with a sigh. "Talk" "You" Think

Laying in the middle of a clearing next to one of the frigid water falls, Archelaus had his masked snout lifted up toward the sky while he admired the way the snow fell. Snow had accumulated around his form, especially around his hips due to his weight pushing it out from underneath him but the Northern brute didn't seem to mind the coldness that it brought, in fact his thick pelt rather seemed to enjoy it. His forelimbs were outstretched in front of him, turned a bit awkwardly so he could see the underside of his front paws. His nails were cracked and his pawpads rugged from far too much travel, but it was wanderlust that always seemed to drive him even when his muscles were tired. He was ready to return home, however. His little adventure had been long enough. Archelaus never strayed far from the pack, just far from each individual wolf and it was nothing against them, really. There was just so much loss and depression lately, Archelaus' snarky attitude could get him in trouble around a group like that and hurting his family was the last thing he wanted to do in his day. He kept up with his training, making sure to push himself to do his runs every day. In the beginning, when Leo first appointed him Squire, he had trouble making sure to do this every day. He missed days constantly, but with enough persistence it seems his muscles never let him forget that he needs to run anymore. He was strong. His muscles, while not overly bulky like someone who might train more for strength than stamina, were lean and well defined beneath his coat. His natural wide skeleton probably made those muscles seem a bit bigger than they actually were, but Archelaus had never been in better physical condition.. minus the minor wear and tear he'd collected on his most recent adventure. It seemed no sooner than when he started to admire the snow, the howl from his uncle rang across the land. Archelaus shook his head free of the snow that had collected in his smokey fur and stood up, answering the call rather quickly. When he arrived, he flashed a slight smile to his uncle. Archelaus wasn't the 'run up and hug' kind of family greeter, but there was an obvious wag in his tail and glint in his eyes while he approached his uncle. "What's on the agenda today, Leo?"

The brute still felt a heaviness in his heart as he heard his father’s howl. Talks with Leo, Heather, and even Roza haven’t completely fished him out of his misery. He knew Razor wouldn’t want him to mope… but how could he find his happiness again? Alfred didn’t know. It almost felt like… everything was just falling apart. Thank goodness for Koron and her efforts though. The little polar fox was doing everything in her power to make sure Alfie tried to stay on the right path.

But at least in some ways Alfred was healing. He was able to focus a bit more on the now, even if it hurt to recognize Razor was no longer by his side. He approached the place of the meeting, his blue orbs downcast as Koron trotted by his side. The fox brightened upon seeing Alfred’s father, giving a small yip in greeting before glancing back to her companion.

Alfie lifted his gaze to Leo and gave a weak smile. Then the boy sat, Koron pressing gently against him. “You’re pretty early to the meeting Alfie. That’s progress, y’know?” The fox said softly. Alfred was only half listening though, his gaze pulling in the direction of Fiori’s borders. He’d been doing so much thinking lately… and Fiori didn’t feel right without Razor. Should he… just leave?

"Speech"

She'd been... thinking. Heather didn't know quiet what about, maybe life in general maybe just trying to direct her thoughts. She'd gone around the border a thousand times and since that man crossed over the border she'd been furious. It meant something bastardly was going down as far as she was concerned. Nobody thought they'd do anything so they waltz straight on in, impaired or not. Heather's tail lashed about just thinking about it - unamused and disliking of the feeling that bubbled in her chest. Ignoring it she covered her face with her paws - she should be working, training something at least. Maybe she would head over to the battlefield to stretch her legs. Her father's call interupted her thinking though, the princess raising herself as she stretched. Maybe she was in trouble, for not being around. Regardless she let the thought pass and she hurried over. Seeing Arch and Alfred, he was still looking a bit down. Heather smiled, he paws pressing forward she pushed into his side. A gesture of esteemed affection in her case as she always seemed to have a fighting battle with her brother and herself in her head. She didn't have to say a word she brushed over his ear with the bottom of her jaw. She wouldn't be able to handle losing another sibling if she could help it. She at least knew Alfred a bit better. After such greetings, she pushed herself up to sit beside her father. A place she felt she should be. Pressing her shoulder to his she gave him a quick nuzzle. Well wasn't she affectionate this morning. Heather didn't know - her mind was reeling with life questions and the like. "Talk"

Athena was glad that her and Amalia's den was close by to the meeting spot. It meant she didn't have to hurry too much and still seemed to arrive at a decent time. Ever since Jayne left and Diana disappeared she had been feeling more than a bit down. She didn't want to bother her sons with it. They were all adults, they had to live their own lives. She was just waiting for Tiburtius to leave to be with Finch. It did warm her heart a tad to see Archie there at the meeting when she arrived. She knew he had been gone here and there since he arrived back in the pack, but she was just grateful that he was here. Athena padded over to Leo, giving him a small smile. Might as well talk to him now before the meeting got started. "Leo, Heather," she said in greeting, giving them each a small nod before focusing her gaze on the alpha. She spoke quietly so that just Leo and perhaps Heather would hear. "I don't mean to spring this on you, Leo, but I think it would be best if I step down from the lead fighter position. I think it would be better to have someone a bit more... eager in that position." She hoped he would understand. She walked over to where Archelus was sitting and settled down beside him. She smiled softly and leaned over to press her nose into the fur on his cheek before turning her attention toward Leo and Heather. No sign of Amalia yet... She sighed softly and leaned into Archie's shoulder. There was a lot of things about her life that she wouldn't change, but there were a few things she wished were a little different. The problem was that the things she wanted to change weren't in her control and that was frustrating. "Talk" "You" Think

Tiburtius trotted over to join in on the meeting and made his way over to sit next to his mother, make him and Archelus bookends on either side of her. It seemed like days were passing faster than he had realized and seasons were speeding past him at the speed of light. He was five years old now. How was that even possible. It seemed like he had accomplished nothing with his life. He had been in love twice, but one ended badly and the other hasn't gone much of anywhere. He didn't know what he was waiting on. Maybe for Finch to ask him to move to her pack? Perhaps that was silly of him to want. Maybe he should ask if she wanted him to. He tried to shove his thoughts aside as he glanced down at his mother and over to his brother with a small smile. Hopefully Amalia would arrive soon. That would make his mother feel better. Or at least he hoped it would. He looked up toward the front where Leo and one of his daughters - Heather? - was sitting to focus on the meeting. "Talk" "You" Think

It was hard for Ara to keep her spirits lifted in the midst of winter. At least in the warmer seasons she had more to look forward to; herbs had begun to flower and the land was all-around more pleasant. This cooler weather was much less pleasant for her, giving her less to do and more time to think - something she despised lately. The sound of Leo's call, thankfully, was a welcome distraction from her somber mood. Though meetings had never been her favorite, mostly because she was unused to being around so many wolves, they did alleviate some of the loneliness she had grown accustomed to as of late. Her gait was steady as she made her way to the gathering, after stretching the stiffness from her limbs. There group that had already congregated wasn't huge, and included many who she expected. Instinctively she found herself heading toward Athena - she'd spoken to her recently, and knew her better than most others here, not that she knew her terribly well - though settled a fair distance from her still as her gaze settled on Leo. She was curious as to what he had to say today. The pack had been quiet for awhile now, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was it?

Carletta was running late for the meeting, but in all honesty there was a good reason for that. She couldn’t find Bluemoon, the troubled youth whom she’d been trying to connect with. She hoped that Leo wouldn’t be mad at him… but she really couldn’t delay any longer in getting to the meeting unless she wanted to get in trouble herself. The silvery, black, and white femme set off a lope, hoping to catch the meeting before it began… though at the back of her mind she was still worried for the young wolf she hadn’t been able to find. She was panting a little by the time she got to the meeting site, seeing that more folks were missing than just Blue. Her ears flicked back, a soft whine in her throat as she slowed to a halt. Lionel was another key figure she noticed was missing… such a high ranking wolf shouldn’t be absence without good reason, right? She shuffled on her paws a bit before sitting somewhere near Ara, giving Leo a small nod though worry reflected in her blue eyes. She parted her mouth, as if to speak, then closed it again. No… she could bring up concerns once the meeting was underway… "Talk" "You" Think

Epiphron had grown accustomed to the quiet packlands. It wasn't unpleasant, not really, though she saw little of her children besides Leo and even less of her grandchildren. Ah, well - they were growing older and had things of their own to take care of. She wouldn't fault them for it. Life simply seemed to be passing by too quickly, and she hoped for more time with her family, as she figured they did too. Still, hearing Leo's call put her in a surprisingly pleasant mood. It was a reason to catch up, and to see who had remained in Fiori. Her ears perked with interest, and slowly she made her way to respond to the call, winding lazily through the forest of mangrove trees as she neared the gathering. Once she arrived, she settled down on her haunches near the front of the group and closer to Leo. She offered her son a small smile, hoping he was still doing well and things with Carletta were working out for him.

Hunting was growing difficult, prey was heading for warmer areas with more food supply. He had made sure to make buried food stocks like he had done last year so he wasn't as worried about the pack having enough food. In fact he felt that there would be enough as long as the winter wasn't too incredibly harsh this year. He had done as much prepping as he could and now it was time for him to relax a little and plan for his pack hunt in the spring. Currently there was no pups to teach so he could relax a little over the winter. It had been quiet around here lately which did bother him in a way, but he just focused on his daily tasks to distract himself so he wouldn't worry. His ears pricked at his uncle's call dropping his current task and turning his body towards the call. Picking up his pace he made his way towards the meeting. It didn't take him to long to get there but when he did he immediately felt like he was late, because there was already a decent gathering. He moved within the crowd and took a seat his ears dropping slightly as he realized this would be his first meeting sitting alone. With Razor's passing he no longer had any immediate family to sit with and the young male had no mate or pups to sit with. He was still silently grieving for his brother the only siblings he felt like he had ever had a decent relationship with. Picking his gaze up he looked to Leo and waited to hear what he had to say. "Talk" & 'Think"

The boy heard the call and a long sigh passed his lips. He knew better, he needed to respond to the call of the alpha no matter what. Pulling himself from his den he trekked across the snow covered ground. He didn't want to attend, though since his run in with Carletta he had been feeling, at least a little bit better. He still didn't know how to explain his feelings and why he pushed everyone away, but he figured he could eventually pull himself from it. The male quietly moved in his bi colored eyes briefly looking at everyone before returning to the ground. Quietly he moved to a spot on the outer parts of the group and took a seat. He remained quiet and patiently waited for the meeting to start. "Talk" & 'Think"

Thanks for almost everyone being on time! If you need to hop in late that's okay. I'd like everyone to post for the second round as well, due by June 26th so you have plenty of time. Sorry this is so long xD Actual meeting starts at paragraph 7

Leo was pleasantly surprised to see Archelus was the first to arrive. It was enough to break him from his thoughts and pull a smile onto his lips. "Some updates, some announcements, maybe even some rank moves," he replied when the gray man asked about a plan of action. Most meetings had a pretty similar agenda and this one was no different. Same lay out, different information. Of course they had to pay special attention to the information about the unwelcome visitor, but mostly he just liked meetings as an easy way to get everyone into one place. He liked seeing everyone he might not usually see on a regular basis to make sure they were doing alright. Soon enough Alfred joined them with Koron at his side and he gave his son a proud smile in return. He knew Alfie hadn't been doing well since Razor passed, but he was proud of his son for making an effort all the same. His eyes shifted to Heather as she came up alongside Alfred for a moment and he was happy to see the slight gesture of affection she gave her brother before she came up to join him at the front. He turned his head as she leaned into his side to give her ear a quick lick and smiled as he looked back out onto the growing crowd. His brows lifted with surprise when he saw Athena walking up to him and he gave her a small nod of greeting, replying, "Hello, Athena." He listened to her request, again surprised by it, but understanding. Was he not wanting to retire soon himself? He was certain it was for much the same reasons as him or at least in similar nature. "Of course, thank you for letting me know," he replied before she went to sit down, glancing at Heather to see her reaction. He supposed she should really be the one choosing the next Knight since she would be leading them soon enough, but it would probably come down to who was willing and able. His gaze shifted to the crowd again and he started to wonder who could fill the role. Tiburtius or Archelus perhaps? Or maybe Alfred would be interested in it? His gaze found Ara's for a moment when she settled in for the meeting and he offered her a small nod and a smile. His eyes shifted to Carletta and his expression immediately brightened when he saw her, though his smile dimmed a bit when he saw the worry in her expression. What could it be? He wanted to go over and ask, but he saw her hesitate and keep her words to herself so he let it wait. He gave her an encouraging smile, hoping that whatever was bothering her wasn't so serious. His head turned when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye and his eyes landed on his mother. That brought his warm smile back to his face and his tail wagged gently for a moment. There for a while his mother hadn't been attending meetings so he was very happy to see her here towards the front with him. His attention turned toward Jackson then and he realized as he saw his nephew sitting alone that he hadn't checked on him since he learned of Razor's passing. His ears flicked back for a moment and his expression was apologetic as his eyes found Jackson's. Finally he noticed Bluemoon join them on the outskirts and after waiting for another minute more and letting his eyes search the trees around them he decided that he might as well get started. Of course he noticed Lionel and Amalia's absences and he frowned and he checked for them one more time. He couldn't wait on them forever, but he didn't like that they weren't here. He cleared his throat and put a small smile on his face as he focused on all of the wolves that were here in front of him. "Hello again, everyone. I know it has been a while since our last meeting. I feel like my attention has been elsewhere as of late and I am going to refocus my attention on all of you and this pack. I think I'm trying to prematurely retire and I promise to remember that I am still your leader for the time being. On that note though Heather and I have been working on her training so I hope that she will be in my place before too long." He glanced at her with a slight smile before looking back out at the crowd again. "I hate to start out a meeting on a sad note, but I want to get this information out first. I'm sure several of you already know this, but Razor, my nephew, has passed away. He has always had issues with his health, but this is still a hard loss on several of us." He paused for a moment with a glance down to his paws, letting the silence hang on the air in remembrance of him. He looked up again with a soft sigh. "Now then... one of the major reasons I wanted to call this meeting is because we had an unwelcome visitor. It was a male from another pack. This isn't something I take lightly. Not only is it unforgivable and disrespectful to have a trespasser from another pack, but he shouldn't have been able to get that far into the territory to begin with. I can't patrol the borders enough on my own to catch everyone. Heather and Lionel have been helping, but from now on I need all of the fighters to patrol for me as well. I do a patrol in the morning, in the afternoon, and the evening so I need you guys to fill in the gaps." His eyes went to Archelus, Tiburtius, Athena, and Alfred as he spoke. Anyone was welcome to patrol if they wanted, but he didn't want anyone that couldn't protect themselves on their own out there. "If you would be more comfortable patrolling in pairs please do so. If you see someone patrolling please join them. We have to protect each other and show that we are united and strong." He pulled another smile onto his lips, glancing toward Athena. "On a similar note... Athena has decided that it is time for her to step down from her role as Knight. She has been our Knight for almost as long as I have been an alpha here and I thank you, Athena, for all of your time and energy. I hope that you'll still share your knowledge with us for as long as possible." He turned his focus again towards the fighters of the pack, adding, "That does mean that we will have to fill her position. If this is something one of you might be interested in, please say so. Then Heather and I can discuss who would be the best fit later." He paused and let anyone would wanted to volunteer do so. While he was waiting on those responses he looked around again, noticing Lionel and Amalia's absence for a second time. He wanted to be lenient with them since they both had been having a hard time as of late, but he wondered if it might not be best to consider letting Amalia step down as well. That wasn't something he wanted to do without talking to her first so he let the thought be put to the side for the time being. He refocused on the crowd and smiled softly. "One last thing. Bluemoon," he leaned over a bit so he could see around one of the other wolves so that he was looking at the young man. "Now that you are a student I expect you to be training with the other wolves and figuring out what it is you would like to pursue for your rank. I'm going to challenge you seek out Tiburtius for a spar, Jackson for hunting, and Ara for a lesson on healing. Once you've done one of each you can let me know which one you would like to focus on." He smiled a bit more and added, "Let me or Carletta know if you need help with anything at all." With that he let his gaze sweep the crowd one last time and said, "That's all. If anyone needs or wants to speak with me please come do so. If not you're free to go." "Talk" "You" Think

The longer Archelaus spent time with his uncle, the better he was beginning to get at reading him. Archie wasn't particularly good at reading anybody, but he could definitely tell there was something on his uncle's mind. As everyone began to huddle together, Archelaus continued to remain quiet. For his mother and brother, his usually slack smile crept along his lips during his silence. He returned his mother's nuzzle by bumping the side of her snout with his own, but it wasn't long before his attention was back on Leo. Everyone had come in so quickly, he didn't really notice that a few people were missing. One in particular, though, was Amalia. The longer the seconds accumulated that Leo began speaking, the bigger the feeling of something offset about the event began to grow. His red eyes gave a quick glance around the crowd once again, until finally Leo managed to inform them of Razor's death. Archelaus frowned, almost immediately and genuinely- he hadn't spent any time with the child (he kept a safe distance from most children) but still.. it was incredibly sad to hear and it made perfect sense why his uncle might seem a bit off. Archelaus sighed, it seemed every meeting he attended offered some horrible news about their loved ones. His thoughts really reflected on Leo's request that they apply themselves more to their duty of protection. Honestly, it was embarassing.. someone had crossed their borders without them knowing and it really spoke volumes as to where their focus had been lately. Archelaus was the biggest culprit for this, and he even admitted to himself that had he took things more serious.. perhaps less people would have to worry about tresspassers and the like. Mother nature was already ripping them of their family in her various ways of claiming life, they didn't need disrespectful wolves walking in and risking further loss. As Leo informed them of their mother's request, Archelaus couldn't help but let his attention drift to the woman at his side. It was incredible to think about how many years she'd been serving Fiori as a Knight. To not have her in such a role would be.. quite different. Though, it made him worry even more about Amalia's whereabouts. What had happened? Perhaps his mother really needed time to be elsewhere right now, though.. but her stepping down as Knight meant the rest of them would have to work even harder on patrolling the borders. The thought did cross his mind about stepping up to take the role, and two incredibly amazing things resulted from this. Archie had been known all his life as lazy, snarky and generally uncooperative; but he recognized right then and there a really unique change in his behavior. The mere thought of even trying to obtain that much duty by even THINKING about stepping up to the responsibilities of the Knight rank made him wonder... perhaps he was searching for a calling? What was even more interesting was his desire to work even harder to make it easier on his mother now that she was entering retirement. He was actually thinking of ways to apply effort to make things easier on someone else! YUCK! What was this?! Last he knew, he didn't care about anyone and though he loved his family.. he was perfectly fine getting by with the bare minimum. Although.. perhaps this change had been happening subtly all along? Had he not been pushing himself to keep up with the physical requirements of being a Squire? He may not have been the greatest at social interaction with his family, but he certainly did not want to allow himself incapable of protecting them if the moment he needed to were to arrive. He remembered his mother asking him what he'd plan on doing with his life before he'd left the first time, he didn't know then and he still doesn't know.. but things were beginning to become a little clearer. Perhaps he was closer to finding out what it was that he wanted out of all this. Or maybe, starting to realize that he didn't really want anything at all.. he just wanted to keep what he had safe. Those rubies casually glanced to the rest of those that had shown up to the meeting today and he couldn't help but hold a soft and simple smile. No words left the tall, gray man.. but he did show effort to lean into his mother once the meeting was declared over. No matter what the future held, Archelaus was beginning to feel his love for his family in such a way he maybe previously had taken for granted. His hopes for them all to be safe and happy were always there, but suddenly.. a new sense of determination had surfaced from that hope- a promise-- no, a purpose.. had been declared. Albeit internally, but still a very meaningful declaration for Archelaus himself.

There were a lot of faces that were missing, that of which was her brother Lionel and it made her head swirl for a moment. Though, she stopped - it was fine she'd seen him with the invader he must have just been busy. Her attention sat back towards Athena, that was right a lot of the wolves she'd grown up with were getting older. From what she had seen with the intruder as well - times were changing and it was a bit scary. Fiori's peace had been long lasting but it felt like members were bored. Somehow in the back of her mind Heather wanted to be queen right here and now. She knew it was a bit premature but she wanted her father to live a comfortable life. As the meeting went on she had her eyes transfixed on Archie for some reason. He seemed to have a fire to him, or was it because Heather was targetting him as soon as Athena had said she was retiring? After all in her eyes if Athena was trustworthy what was not to say that her son was trustworthy. Her ears flicked and she looked at the rest of the wolves. Bluemoon was too young, and Jackson already was their main hunter in which he did a good job as it was. Her throat hummed a bit as they were then released, the end of her tail twitching. "I'm going to go do something, call me if you need me." Heather said as she pressed her head into her father's side. She then jumped forward and started to follow Archi. "Archelaus could I have a chat with you?" Heather went straight up to him and asked. Of course Athena was right there so she gave a soft nod, after all the woman had given Heather her first lesson in fighting which she was grateful for. "If you have the time, if not it's fine." Heather felt herself situate into a smile, things would be okay. "Talk"

Alfred remained silent, even when his sister came up to him. Still, he gave her a gentle look, a small, thankful smile at her gesture. He knew the relationship he had with Heather wasn’t the most… stable. But he didn’t want to lose another sibling either. Roza’s leaving the pack had affected him quite a bit too. At first it wasn’t so bad, cause he had Razor, but… Alfie let out a low whine. At least he had the rest of his family… and Koron too. If he left Fiori all he’d have was his little fox friend… and what would he do if anything happened to her?

Alfred was silent as he listened to his father, his heart panging at the mention of Razor. His blue gaze fell to the earth, silently listening as his father continued on. The mention of another pack wolf entering their lands… that was something the young man didn’t pay much attention to. He should have… he should have cared more… but right now he was fighting with himself just to remain at the meeting. Koron on the other hand bristled at the news, giving a determined nod that she and Alfie would be going on more patrols to help Leo.

As the meeting went on Alfie found himself shifting uneasily on his paws. The moment his father finished the rest of the news his anxiety had welled up into overdrive and the young man spun from the rest of the pack, hurrying off. Koron lingered a moment longer, giving and apologetic look to Leo before trotting off after Alfred to see how she could help her friend.

"Speech"

There was no denying the relief that Carletta felt when she finally saw Bluemoon make an appearance. She smiled, tail wagging a bit as she quietly edged closer to him the whole while Leo was talking. She was listening too of course, focused on what the orange and white male had to say. Patrols… strangers… the news didn’t sit entirely well with the Spanish dame. She wouldn’t mind trying to go on some patrols with Leo… maybe interacting a bit more with Bluemoon too. She came to a stop by the youth, giving him a gentle smile as Leo addressed him specifically. After that Carletta spoke softly to the young man, encouraging him. “You can do. Carletta believes in you.” Her English, while it was not yet perfect, was coming along. She beamed happily at the young man, having faith in his capabilities. She glanced towards Leo after that, her blue eyes shining happily as she gave a little nod. It was her way of silently promising him to do her best for the pack. "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: So the strange scent is Shiloh, Kurt already agreed to let me powerplay him crossing into the borders.

He wasn't one to be late to meetings - it wasn't something he typically took lightly. With his rank in the pack now he knew he had to set a good example, but there were circumstances that ended up making him late. In this case a strange scent had caught his attention during one of his patrols. It was a loners scent this time and in some ways it was a relief that it wasn't the pack scent of the male who'd intruded earlier, but in the same regard that made it the second wolf to trespass within the season. What was it about Fiori that made wolves think they could do whatever they wanted? An ivory ear flicked as Leo's call for a meeting interrupted his tracking. His ears flashed down against his skull in one indecisive moment as he tried to figure out what to do before he decided being late was more than worth it. He lowered his nose to the ground as he headed at a trot as he followed the scent all the way towards the falls before it doubled back towards the border. No blood, nothing had happened, but they'd definitely been here. A soft growl left him as he double checked that they'd actually left for good before racing to the meeting. He was panting by the time he arrived and he headed straight towards Leo and came to a halt before his father. He took only a brief second to catch his breath, and apologetic look on his face, and he somehow managed to lower his voice enough that only Leo could hear. There was no use alarming everyone at the moment. "I'm sorry I'm late." He started off with. "But there was another intruder, this time a loner. I followed their scent to the falls before it doubled back towards the border. I made sure they left, but it was very recent." Worry tinged his tone. Was this stranger something they should be concerned about? Walk, "Talk" Think

Heather's approach had been a bit unexpected, though not unwelcome. It had not been since the morning of their run that he had really spoke to her, though his primary focus seemed to reside with the woman at his side. Those ruby eyes drifted away from Heather only momentarily so that he could observe his mother, reminding himself that her strength had gotten her this far and she would be fine for the moment while he courteously responded to the Princess of Fiori. After all, it would be rude to ignore royalty in the middle of a pack meeting, right? He could not really assess what was acceptable and what was not, given the circumstances but a mix of his curiosity and newfound sense of responsibility led him to believe that going on a walk with Heather to see what she wanted to talk about was the best option. An apologetic look was given to his mother and brother as he dismissed himself from their side, deciding to answer the Princess with a nod of confirmation that he would indeed speak with her. He faced her completely- leaving him to, unfortunately, miss the arrival of Lionel and witness the further concerned it might have sparked within him. The tall, ashen man began to step up to the side of of Heather, assuming she meant for them to walk out of the ear shot of others. He was happy to oblige and even flashed her the slightest turn of a pleasant smirk, "Don't think it's possible for me to say no to a chat, considering how few chances we ever seem to have for catching one another. What's on your mind, Princess?" Part of him wondered if there was something else troubling the young woman, but the air about her seemed entirely different from their other meeting. She was much more confident, much more.. like the noblewoman he might have expected her to be. If the two had not been addressed quickly, Archelaus was entirely capable of missing the clues that could have told him Lionel might have discovered something tremendously important, especially to Archie's inner aspirations.

They would come out of earshot as soon as Lionel arrived. Although Heather was relieved also concerned as she did not hear the news that her late arriving brother had to bring. Of course her mind at the moment was focused on Archie. She didn't know the extent on his skills, but her gut feeling was driving her at the moment. The male was polite and quick to the point finding herself a little surprised. She'd forgotten - she was indeed these wolves future leader. Friends or not they looked to her the same as she was looking to them though. "Would you be interested in taking one of the higher ranks? Possibly Knight since your mother stepped down." Her eyes looked at the meeting for a minute. Wolves talking and speaking - it was strange looking at it from a distance like being on the outside. "Call it a gut feeling but I guess I saw a fire in your eyes when I was watching you at the meeting." She did suppose it might have been out of bounds. Though, she should still discuss it with Lionel and her father as she could not be handing out ranks willy nilly. "I'd still have to talk with Father no doubt but if you're interested.... we could use the help." that was the truth. "Talk"

Athena couldn't help the disappointment she felt as she continued to watch for Amalia and her mate never came. Part of her knew she wouldn't, but it was still hard to see. If nothing else Amalia usually showed up for pack meetings. To see that she hadn't even come for Leo's howl was hard to swallow. Her shoulders sagged slightly and she glanced down toward her forepaws. It wasn't until she felt Tiburtius sit beside her that she finally looked up again to give her son a small smile. She happened to catch a glimpse of Ara as well as the other woman sat a short distance away and she was glad to see that her new acquaintance was here. More wolves filed in and then soon enough Leo's voice reached her ears. She tried her best to focus on what he was saying, but it was hard. Her mind was everywhere except for here. Athena focused back in when Leo mentioned her name and she gave her leader a grateful nod and a small smile as he announced her retirement. She couldn't help but glance at both of her sons when he spoke of finding her replacement. She knew that Archelus hasn't always been the most hardworking wolf around and she knew that Tiburtius had one paw in and one paw out of Fiori with Finch on his mind, but... She thought it would just be fitting for one of her sons to take over the role she had been in for so long. When Heather came over to speak with Archelus her gaze met his for a moment and she smiled as she looked to Heather for another brief moment. She wasn't sure what the Princess wanted with him, but she certainly wouldn't hold him from the meeting. She stood with Tiburtius and shifted away so they could speak. In the meantime she saw Lionel rush over to Leo, looking very concerned. Her smile faded and she moved closer with her ears perked so she could listen to what was going on. A frown creased her face and she looked to Tiburtius. "Go with them and double check the border." "Talk" "You" Think