ooc:  This is just a quick meeting to assign tasks to the ranked members of the packs. There's no need for pups to show up really.  I will talk with Fox about getting apprentices paired up, etc.

EDIT: Deadline is Jan. 29

Everyone was settling in well to their new homeland and Pyralis felt it was probably time she start fulfilling her duties as Lead General. That meant assignments. With the Primary positions unfilled she knew it would be up to her to get things started. She had mulled over the members of the pack for awhile as well as the needs of the budding empire. It was foreign in some ways, making her mind work like this but she found as she chewed and mulled over her thoughts that it became easier with practice. When she was satisfied she moved into the cathedral and tipped back her head to summon the working members of the pack. The time of relaxation and settling in was over. It was time for the Empire to start functioning like a well oiled machine. They had a lot to do and only so many hours in a day. "Talk" "You" Think

As soon as Archon heard the call, he headed towards it. He wanted to be prompt. No, more than prompt. He wanted to be early. Since reuniting with his family, Archon had been filled with a pup-like exuberance for pleasing their god. He wanted to prove himself worthy of all that in the pack. Though his heart felt this way, he made sure to keep his exterior calm. As he entered the meeting area, Archon was pleased to see that he was, in fact, first. A small smile crept onto his maw. He licked his lips and forced his face to relax. Nodding at Pyralis, Archon seated himself and waited quietly for the meeting to begin. "Talk" "You" Think

Jutting his right shoulder forward, Malleus sought to ram it into Archon's left shoulder as he moved to sit beside his brother. He wasn't trying to hit him hard, rather, he just wanted to startle him a little. The gesture was brotherly, if a little rude, but that was the family way, wasn't it? Brash and brotherly; that summed up the majority of their lot up nicely, didn't it? He was curious to find out why exactly Pyralis had called this meeting. He had his guesses, but the woman was just unpredictable enough to cast doubt on his assumption. The titan was settling into his role as Heir nicely. He routinely patrolled the border, but as far as using his authoritative power, thus far there'd been no need. It was just as well; every minute not spent patrolling or doing his other duties was a minute he could devote to his studies. The Empire was still without a fully trained healer and until such time that they had one, Malleus would do his best to accumulate both herb stocks and new knowledge in the hopes that he could compliment Seth's skills. His ears flicked backwards briefly as he thought. He couldn't wait for the day they had a fully trained healer. While he enjoyed the challenge of diagnosing and treating patients, he didn't like that he needed to rush through learning in order to be useful in that regard. It would be better for someone else, someone experienced, to be prepared while he and Seth, who he suspected had a bit more training than him, learned slowly and carefully.

Being late was likely not an option, so Razi made sure to move quickly to respond to her older siblings' call. Having finally finished fine tuning the organization of items in her den, she was feeling quite good at the moment which showed in her uncharacteristically jaunty pace. Overall life wasn't all that bad. Slow, sure, but still the often serious woman found herself feeling rather content.

Walking up to find only Pyralis, Malleus, and Archon pleased the black and gold woman. Early is on time, right? Taking a seat in her own space since she still wasn't too keen on sitting in the thick of a large group, Razi would wrap her tail around her paws and settle in to wait for the others to arrive after acknowledging Pyralis with a slight dip of her head.

Ah, good. It seemed that the years had indeed granted Pyralis responsibility. Apollo nodded approvingly as his littermate called for the working adult members of the pack. She seemed to be settling into her role as secondary alpha well, then. He was glad he had not spoken up to seek to challenge her attempt at the position despite his misgivings about her suitability, though he would not have hesitated to challenge one of the younger, less experience family members if they had tried to claim a rank with that much power behind it regardless of their particular personality. He may have been wary on a personal level of whether her personality would allow her to be a good leader, but he didn't doubt her high level of experience in the least, and Amon had approved of her as his second so that was enough. And perhaps it was the same perverse nature that made him concerned about Pyralis that made her so determined to do well despite her past shenanigans.

But being approving and all wasn't doing his job, which right now was to answer the Lead General's summons, so the phantom loped swiftly toward the call to join his littermate, and the small group gathering before her. Amon's elder two sons, and the flame-marked female he knew to be one of his own younger half-sisters. He seated himself among them, back straight and head high, tail curving along his paws and all set with that same military precision that always marked him. "Pyralis," he greeted gravely, nodding to her with sharp exactitude.

What was this? Her littermate was calling the adults of the pack together, and Kas was more than happy to oblige. She hadn't done much but laze around and relax since their arrival here, wondering what her next move would be. So far, she hadn't come across anyone interesting worth her time, but maybe it was also due to the fact that she wasn't actively looking either. Ah well, she would just have to get up and go do it, now wouldn't she?

It didn't take her long to arrive, the woman spotting a fair sized group of her family already present. My, when was the last time she had seen some of them? Eh, she couldn't quite remember. But they were all together and she supposed that's what mattered, right? "Nice to see you Pyra, been a while." Maybe she'd try to get together with her littermates and...everyone else later. After this, she would figure out her next move. Sitting down, she neatly curled her tail around her paws and waited for the rest to show up.

It hadn't taken her long to settle into the territory of the empire, finding herself mostly on her own though she never lacked for the ability to reach out. She had found her children, speaking with them and assuring Aaliyah that she would be living closer and would be able to visit more, and was now resting within a thicket tucked off from the main structures that made up the cathedral. This had always been a favorite place of hers, and she found it rather ironic that Amon would pick this as his seat of power, not to mention amusing. Perhaps the other gods were playing with Lilith and her, a thought that was quickly scoffed at and denied with a quick they know better from Lilith within her mind.

Her ears pricked as she heard a familiar voice calling for the working adults, and she figured it would be a good time as any to start proving her worth within her shadow god's ranks. She dawdled for a moment, wondering just what she would be doing today, Pyralis had seemed close so she would take her time. Knowing how packs worked and being a part of one were different, Naamah was unused to being ushered about, but she knew better than to ignore the summons if she wanted to show her mettle. She moved through the vines and brambles to where the wolves of the empire stood, a smirk shining on her face. Saying nothing, she moved toward Pyralis and dipped her head to everyone with a small smile painted on her dark lips.

The call that summoned the adult members of the pack together drew a long sigh from Seth. On the one hand, he was glad that they would, it seemed, be held accountable for their activity rather than being allowed to simply laze about. But on the other hand, it was Pyralis calling them together so only the Fallen God knew what she had planned - if indeed even that illustrious being would have been able to predict his descendant's whims.

Leaving off his own task - which currently consisted of tidying his den area - he made his way to where she had called from. He was surprised not to find himself the last to arrive. It was not often that he was able to get his much smaller and crippled form to move fast enough to get somewhere faster than his dire-wolf sized relatives. A great deal of the family had chosen not to show up if that was the case. Even the female who'd whelped Amon's younger litter had shown up before most of the Abraxas.

Hiding the thoughtful musing behind an innocent expression, he seated himself with his two cousins and waited to hear what it was Pyralis had planned this time.

Being late wasn't exactly the greatest first impression she wanted to make on her family after being gone for so long, but in her defense she hadn't exactly been expecting another meeting. Pyralis was calling it which was all the more surprising, but she'd chosen to procrastinate on answering her aunt's summons for a little while longer. She'd been tracking a particularly difficult animal that she didn't have a name for, but Auster was surprising in that way. There were a plethora of animals that Boreas had lacked and she'd made it a mission to hunt down every single type of animal she didn't know the name of to see how they tasted. Eventually she abandoned her pursuit of the animal in favor of not being completely late to the meeting. She had nothing to show for her efforts, but there was always later. Besides, maybe the meeting would give her something more entertaining to do other than border patrols and hunting. She, like many of her kin, was eager to see the chaos they could create. They'd already dominated one pack and now that she'd had a mere taste of that excitement she was eager for more. Even though she'd lagged a bit, she still arrived on time before her aunt had started speaking. She dipped her head respectfully towards Pyralis before scanning to see who else had arrived. Surprisingly enough, not as many had arrived quite yet and the most noticeable were her two other sisters. Now where on earth could they be? She noticed Archon and Malleus had already arrived and the massive woman moved to sit silently near them as she waited for the meeting to begin. Walk, "Talk" Think

She was tired, all the time now, which was something she hadn't quite anticipated with having children. Being cooped up in the pack territory all the time while running around after her children was also frustrating. She approved of Amon's decision to raise the Empire (it'd also been her desire to see the conquest of the Abraxas begin), but she also missed her lackadaisical lifestyle of being able to go anywhere she pleased and do what she wanted. It didn't help that she was itching to do something else other than watch her children. It wasn't as though she hated them, she was quite pleased with them actually, but it was also interfering with her desires to get out and actually do something worthwhile with her kin before she got too old. The call from Pyralis was still something she had to get used to. She'd never pictured her sister in a place of power, especially not Amon's second in command, but she approved all the same. It was actually quite amusing to think of her sibling in charge of all of them - it certainly wasn't quite the lifestyle she expected. She would have arrived at the meeting earlier, but Belial was being particularly difficult. The boy was insistent on learning how to track, something she'd promised she'd show him how to do today, but that was out the window with the meeting being called. It took some convincing, but after a few soothing promises to the boy she convinced him to go find his sisters while she was gone. She left the den quickly and headed towards where the others were gathered. She was a little on the late side, most had already arrived, but Pyralis wasn't speaking so that was a good sign at least. She spotted Razi and padded over to the black and gold woman before taking a seat near her. Walk, "Talk" Think

Archon, Malleus, Ronovae. The only one missing, now that she was here, was Lilith. It caused a frown to form on her face, briefly, as she approached the group. Where was her sister? This wasn't the first time her sister had gone off on her own, and of course, Astaroth had done the same not too long ago. But it was as if she was there, and then... suddenly wasn't, with no explanation. Had Lilith even been to the pack yet? Astaroth wasn't sure. Either way - there was no time to worry about that now.

With her characteristic shit-eating grin, she made her way to the front where all three of her siblings sat. With a move almost identical to the one Malleus had done to Archon, Astaroth aimed to do the same with the closest sibling to her - her sister Ronovae. "Sister, brothers," she greeted with quite the cheerful look, before turning her attention to her aunt and winking.

YOUNG AND A MENACE

A summons from Pyralis. The beast had been languid for too long, mulling over their attachments and their plans. Reclusive, and shirking their divine duties. Downright pathetic, really. Large paws thumped against the terra as they moved towards the cathedral, expression blank. Whatever it was, it was almost certainly important. Pyr wasn't going to summon them all for nothing, after all.

Almost everyone had already gathered by the time they arrived. Well, it seemed that being early to a meeting was simply not in their playbook. Oh well. Chin tipped down in greeting to their half sister, respectful as they could manage without rupturing something. Haunches would fall heavily to the ground, seated in the thick of the group. The press of bodies and scents of family were comforting, and they hoped it would lighten their mood. If anything could, it would be a gathering.

"speech"


I THINK THAT GOD IS GONNA HAVE TO KILL ME TWICE

ooc: Meeting pretty much adjourned but if you want to ask questions or talk to Pyr feel free to post again.

Oh she liked this!  Ivory fangs glistened between her parted lips as she watched her family trickle in, one by one.  She could see now the perks of being in a position similar to Amon's. Why leadership could be appealing. Having others at your beck and call. She knew though that her interest would wane, as it always did, but for now she was quite content to play the part of Lead General. Archon was the first to arrive and she returned his nod of greeting. It had been awhile since she'd seen the young man but he seemed well. He was followed by Malleus, the young heir. She beamed at him, pleased to see him so punctual. Amon would be pleased. Razi followed next and Pyralis was pleased to see her younger half-sister. Ashiel had told her much of Razi's wisdom before he'd left to do his exploration of Boreas.  Apollow was next, excellent!  Pyralis had a special task for her brother. She returned his nod. "Good to see you Apollo." Kasdeya followed behind and she returned her sister's greeting. "Hello, Kas." It had indeed been awhile. Naamah would arrive and Pyralis would grin at her, returning her nod. It had been awhile since she'd seen the other woman. She was pleased to see that Seth had arrived. She was going to put the little runt to good work. Ronovae would arrive and then her elder sister Ana. Astar and Kaine would bring up the rear and she waited a bit longer but this was most of who she'd expected to show. Ashiel was away on his exploration, as was Asharya and she was holding this meeting to specifically to help Amon with managing pack assignments. He was tending to their future as a whole and wrapping up loose ends. Andras had disappeared as had Lilith and Skia and she was sure Amon would take care of that. "Thank you all for coming!  I hope everyone has settled into our new home because now it is time to work. We've won a victory for the fallen god but we dare not rest on our laurels. We must keep our momentum, we must practice discipline." She let out a chuckle. "I know none of you associate that word with me but know that I intend to do my part to help our mission and our family.  As such I have assignments and tasks for all of you. Apollo, I want to start with you. I'd like you to gather the warriors and get them started on training exercises. In addition to this I'd like the warriors to pair off and be sure to spar at least once with each other. The pairings can change up from season to season. Apollo, feel free to throw me into the mix if you need to even things out. To the warriors and all our family know that I am always available for sparring and fight training. You need only ask." There, that should keep the soldiers occupied. Now to the matter of gleaning information. "We need to learn more of the mortal packs that reside within the realm. Through careful exploration I've determined their names but I know little of them apart from Talis which I have already explored on my own. There are three other known mortal packs. Abaven, Lirim, Celestial. I want information on all three and I will be sending you to them to scout and gather information. Be safe, be cautious. Gather what you can from the border on activity and numbers. I want to know about the terrain, prey, water. Anything that may help us gauge the strength of the other packs. Should you have the gift of diplomacy…" Her eyes flickered in particular to Razi, Malleus and Seth. "Then feel free to use it to glean what you can. Speak to the mortals if you wish but know that your task is to gather information, perhaps even to assuage their fears. Do not start a conflict. We need to settle into our roles here first. Plant our roots firm and deep before we start branching out and taking what is rightfully ours." "Razi, Astaroth, you are to go to Lirim. Kaine, you will go to Celestial and I will have Ana accompany you. Ana, use your tracking skills to discover what you can. I will leave it up to you if you wish to call a pack hunt as well." Few of their number had chosen hunting so there was little point in asking Ana to call all the hunters together but it might be good to have the pack hunt together. "Otherwise I expect everyone to form hunting parties as needed. You're all adults, you can feed yourselves but if Ana requests your attendance to any hunt I expect you to be at her beck and call." Now there was just the matter of Abaven. "Seth, I am sending you to Abaven. I know you are not a scout but your small size and quick wit make you suited to this endeavor and I want everyone to go in pairs for this preliminary scouting mission. As such, Malleus will accompany you. Malleus, I think this will be a good learning exercise for you as heir." Her focus turned to Kasdeya. "Kasdeya, I'm going to put you in charge of making sure the herb stores are well stocked. As we don't have much of a gathering of healers I do not know how useful a training session will be but when Seth returns from his mission perhaps you two can get together and run through treating battle wounds of various severities. Fill in any gaps each other might have, that sort of thing. Keep an ear out for the warrior training. No doubt your services will be needed afterwards." Hopefully by then Amon would have found Lilith and they could have a proper group session. There were the children of course that could begin training at any time but she wanted to get the adults going first. "Any questions?" "Talk" "You" Think

Razi watched as Ana came to sit by her, and even went so far as to lightly tap her shoulder against her older sister’s in a show of uncharacteristic affection. Growing up there’d been a bit of distance between Razi and her family, and now she was sensing some of that with Ana. Maybe she ought to check in with Anamalech and see how she was doing later.

The meeting soon got underway after most of the adults of the pack had assembled, Pyralis jumping right into her role leading things and giving assignments. Razi found she was pleasantly surprised by how Pyralis seemed to shine in her new position. She still doubted it would keep her sister’s interest, but at least her stay in the position as second was going well. If Pyralis could surprise everyone with her ability to adapt - which shouldn’t have been surprising given her unpredictability, really – then what other members of this family may hold such surprises? The glance she received from Pyre didn’t go unnoticed, and it made her quite happy to know that what efforts she’d begun to make hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Razi nodded as she was given her assignment. Part of her was… cautiously uncertain, about being put with Astaroth. Having not spent a great deal of time with her, Razi didn’t know the girl too terribly well. She was from Amon’s first litter, and close in age to Razi herself. In the end she decided she could handle it. Doing anything other than their best and getting good results on this mission was not an option. As Pyralis ran through the list of packs, something clicked in Razi’s head and she straightened a bit. Of course, the woman didn’t speak up until Pyralis was finished and opened the meeting up a bit before it would likely be dismissed now that they’d gotten their assignments.

Calling out in an easily heard, but not terribly loud or raised tone, she  sought the attention of two of her nephews, ”Seth, Malleus. Before you leave, I’ve been to Abaven before and if you’d like I can offer some information to you.” She’d brought it up before a while back, though she didn’t recall if they were there for that and she certainly hadn’t said all she wanted to back then. Turning to Pyralis, Razi added, ”I also wanted to share some ideas I had with you Pyralis, if you don’t mind.” She’d been doing a lot of thinking lately, coming up with ideas that might prove useful.

Well, that was rather fun bossing her family around. She hoped Amon would be pleased with her initiative to get the family moving in terms of gathering intelligence. Of course this task also served as a test. She would see where certain family members excelled and where certain ones failed. She turned to Razi with a lazy, easy grin on her face as she padded toward the younger woman. "Certainly Razi, I'd love to hear of whatever wonderful ideas are rolling around in your head. You know Ashiel speaks quite highly of you." "Talk" "You" Think