Finally, it was done. The move had gone relatively smoothly and what hiccups they'd had were overcome with ease. Now that everyone had plenty of time to settle in it was time to get back into the swing of things. Ashiel's vision still plagued Malleus and he was determined to safeguard his people from the destruction his cousin had seen. It was with a fruitful future in mind that Malleus raised his voice and called for his packmates to gather. He stood in the castle's great hall and his rich baritone voice was amplified by the vaulted ceiling. No doubt he could be heard for miles so he expected everyone who was well to attend. At their last meeting several of the pups had been eager to claim a rank and while they were still too inexperienced to hold official positions, Malleus thought they were ready to shadow those who currently did. Today he would be pairing pups with mentors. In addition, he hoped to organize various training sessions for pups and adults alike. OOC: first round ends Nov. 12th! Everyone not on absence needs to attend. If you aren't on official absence but don't think your char can make the meeting, catch me on discord so we can work out a good excuse. Many frowns will be directed towards no shows with no excuses. "Malleus" "Pascal"

Running from the flash, headed straight into the blast

Ashiel had meant to call Malleus right away when Pyralis showed up in the pre-dawn hours of the morning. He'd shown her back to his den, introduced her to her grand daughter and they'd started talking and talking and before he knew it they'd fallen asleep. He wouldn't have been surprised at all if Malleus had heard them and was aware but he still felt guilty regardless. The guilt however was dramatically tempered by the elation of knowing that his mother was alive and that she intended to join Risen. He couldn't wait to surprise Asharya!

Ashiel was just starting to wake Mæva when a call rang out. Malleus was holding a meeting? Excellent timing. He grinned at his mother and roused his daughter, grumpily from her sleep. When he arrived at the meeting he cleared his throat to get the older man's attention. "Malleus, I'm sure you can see that my mother Pyralis is alive and well, she came home this morning. I'm sorry I didn't bring her straight to you. I think I was struck dumb with happiness for awhile there and neglected my duties."

"Talk"

You Made Me A Believer

Pyralis had a good dream. She couldn't remember what it was about when she awoke to the late morning late, only that for once she didn't feel like she'd awakened from some awful sickness. Pyralis was content to laze about all day. She was getting old after all, and felt entitled to rest whenever she needed it but already she could hear her son up and moving about. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so stringent in her rearing of these kids. She wanted to teach them discipline but it seemed the downside was that she'd raised at least one morning person. She wondered if Asharya was a morning person as well.

Knowing her daughter was alive and well had eased much of the pain in her heart but still she felt tremendous nervousness at the prospect of seeing her. The shock would be greater than that of seeing Ashiel. Asha took after her mother in her wanderings and she'd disappeared soon after Ashiel claimed Eclipse. It was going to be strange to see her again. Would she look as grown up as her brother?

Malleus' call echoed through the castle. Ahhh… well, she definitely had better get up. She left Ashiel to round up his child but part of her couldn't help but laugh and then immediately try to correct him. She'd raised a couple of kids after all. Surely this meant she knew best!

When they were finally collected they headed out to the meeting. Pyralis grinned as she saw Malleus. "I am glad to see Risen is still going strong. I had a brief moment of panic when I made my way back to the cathedral to find it abandoned. Is the pack full or would you be able to find some use for me here?"

Mæva was soooooo tired. She growled as her father repeatedly nuzzled her belly, trying to rouse her from her sleep. She'd met her grandma last nice and in the excitement she hadn't gotten back to bed as soon as she should of. The girl blinked sleepily… fell back asleep, was roused again. Finally her grandmother just picked her up and hauled her out into the sunlight which she wasn't at all happy about until a fluttering leaf caught her attention. The moment she was set down she was after the leaf.

Springing forward she caught it, took a huge bite out of it, then proceeded to cough and sputter. "Ewwwww, leaves don't taste very good…. hey… dad, grammy, wait up!" She scrambled to catch up with her family. She had no idea where they were going but when they stopped it was to see uncle Malleus. He wasn't really her uncle but she didn't really understand what cousins were and so she called him uncle. It seemed like a good word.

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus was curled up against his mother, content to sleep the morning away. He'd had a full day yesterday and gotten into trouble with a snake, fell in a mud hole and managed to get stuck in a crack in one of the castle's upper rooms. However, it just wasn't meant to be as he heard his father's call. Mrrrr…. Aureus sighed before stretching and getting to his feet. He was growing well, now six months old but it was clear he still had a long way to go. He was slender, lanky and a touch uncoordinated.

Scampering out of the den site he headed toward the meeting site. When he arrived he made a face at Mæva, eyed a strange old woman for a moment before going to sit next to his dad. "Hey dad! What's up?"

Now that he was older Shilah was stating to venture out on his own more. He'd taken to traveling as a way to ease his troubled mind and also to find interesting plants to bring back so one of the healers in the pack might teach him. Sometimes, well, most times he brought back nothing useful but every so often he did manage to pick a healing herb. Today he felt particularly good about his find. Hopefully he didn't grab anything to poisonous. Shilah waltzed into the meeting with a bouquet of pretty orange and red flowers (marigolds) in his mouth.

He was surprised to see Pyralis there and it made his heart ache for a moment with longing and with hope. If Pyralis was alive then maybe his mom…

Shilah gently set the plants down and dipped his head in greeting to Malleus.

Pyrrhic strode into the meeting with his head held high. Benkos had been teaching him how to be an alpha (well, an alpha mandrill) and what he'd learned so far was that a lot of the time it was just presentation. If he wanted others to take him seriously he had to take himself seriously and it was for that reason that he marched to the gathering. Upon reaching the small collection of wolves Pyrrhic paused on the outskirts and made a point to look the group over, just like Benkos had taught him. He then mentally picked a place to sit and, with his ears erect and neck arched, sauntered towards the front. At the urging of Benkos, Pyrrhic gave his father a solemn and respectful nod before moving off to the side and sitting down beside Aureus. "Pyrrhic" "Benkos"

He had come to learn that when he found himself at the pack border the pack itself had only just arrived and settled in. He had found a place for himself in what had once been a stable, the smell of horse and prey animals still clung to the straw he slept on and had found itself mingled in with his own subtle scent. When he entered the hall he was surprised to find the boy he had found in the woods settled at Malleus’s paws, what was even more surprising was the identical sibling beside him. He had never heard of such a thing happening and as he settled in a corner of the sprawling hall he found himself looking for any differences between the two. "Talk" Thought You

Serene Validis The golden woman laid peacefully in their den, sound asleep thanks to the exhausting past couple of days. Since the move, Serene had been busy trying to get everything settled in, which included but was not limited to; all of her children, the pack members, the garden, den, etc. She was a busy bee, but even the queen bee needs a little shut eye here and there. Thankfully, the pups had all made the trip, which put a little ease back on the worrying mother, but still she fret over new dangers arising at every turn. The vision Ashiel had still haunted the woman's dreams, often resulting in late night adventures away from the den, trying to force her body to work until complete exhaustion. That way her mind would be too tired to force such horrid dreams upon her sleeping form. Thankfully she had gotten a few hours rest before Malleus call echoed through the halls like a commanding drum, almost as if he was in the den with them. She would slowly stir, allowing her son to scamper off to the meeting before her. Gods, it was incredible how much her pups had grown. Nearly six months of age, her tiny, helpless, squirming pups were no more. Now, her boys set off on adventures she knew hardly any about except for the few they elect to share with her, and her daughters, they were growing into such beautiful women Serene could nearly bring herself to tears just thinking about. Where had the time gone? How long would it be before they left her side completely? Shaking her crown of such heavy thoughts, the mother stood to her full height, stretching out aching muscles before trotting her way down to the great hall. When her golden form slipped based the archway, amber eyes would gleam at the sight before her. Her beloved, standing proudly at the head of the room, looking completely comfortable in his position as alpha. She smiled softly to herself, remembering a conversation long ago, where her silver king thought himself merely a substitute. Just look how far you've come, Malleus. Slender legs would carry her slowly towards the gathering group, wanting to savior this moment for all of time. Next to her beloved mate, sat two of her sons; both looking strong and handsome as ever, their bond inseparable and their pride evident. She could not be more proud of Aureus and Pyrrhic, her little princes. Another wide smile would pull at the corner of her lips upon seeing a familiar white and cheery coat among the gathered wolves. Maeva, Ashiel's daughter, who Serene took in to help feed and raise until she was strong and weaned. In the golden woman's eyes, Maeva was another daughter of hers; the Gods simply didn't think five youngsters were enough and Maeva needed to live. Beside the young girl was her father, Ashiel, already going to work speaking with Malleus about something. There was a woman she did not recognize, but Ashiel and Malleus seemed to be very excited about her arrival, so Serene assumed she would hear about her sooner or later. Shilah was already here, which was a bit of a surprise to Serene, but if she was being honest, any pups already at the meeting surprised her. Usually the youngsters were far too occupied to hurry along to a gathering. Another male was present as well, but once again Serene was drawing a blank. She did not know this young man, but if he was still alive and within these halls, she assumed Malleus knew of his existence and welcomed him. She would have to make note to introduce herself later. At last the golden queen approached Malleus with a gentle sway of her tail, honey eyes showing warmth and love as she scanned his features. "Hello, my love." Her voice would be soft, for his ears only as she placed a brief, affectionate kiss upon his cheek before turning to sit by his side. Her eyes would then turn to Ashiel and Maeva, smiling brightly, "Greetings Ashiel, little Maeva." Though she tried to resist, Serene would inevitably give in and quickly sneak in a little kiss on top of the girls autumn crown, her motherly instincts too prominent even for Maeva. Finally, Serene would turn her gaze upon her children, offering a loving smiling to the both of them. She did not speak her pride, but it showed through her eyes as she dipped her head in approval. Now, if only the others would come... "Speech" <

The move to the castle had been a success, and Proserpina was getting used to the new lands they were now supposed to call home. In a way, it was a relief to be away from the old haunts of their old home. Having to see her old den where she was born was a constant reminder of her abandonment, but now...she didn't have to look at it anymore. It still didn't quite ease the ache in her heart whenever she thought about it, but she tried to forget it. And she hoped she would eventually. When Malleus called for the pack to gather for a meeting, she abandoned her exploration of the new lands to head to the call. She had yet to venture inside the structure that loomed over her since she wasn't too sure about it, so she remained outside and slept in the bushes behind the castle. She hadn't yet made a den or claimed an official residence of her own, but she would in due time. She tentatively moved up the steps to the castle in search of the new meeting place, and it didn't take long for her to find Malleus and a few others gathered. She hadn't quite spent a lot of time with her cousin and his family, but she would remedy that soon. Just as soon as she was comfortable enough in this place and to try and feel like she wasn't bothering or interfering in her cousins family life. She probably wasn't, but the anxiety that crept up on her when she thought about it didn't stop her from thinking that. When she finally decided to sit, she nodded to Malleus and watched the others gathered around. She needed to get to know them all, learn from them, and do whatever she could around here. Her knowledge as a pup had been stunted thanks to her mother, but she was sure now she could flourish. "Speech"||Thought||"You"

There was just so much to explore in this new territory. She could barely keep still, or contain her excitement. She scampered about the castle, attempting to find where her mother and father had first met. She found hidey-holes in crumbling sections of the stone. One in particular had a curtain of vines before it, and you had to wiggle your way inside. Once in, no one could see you!

She was exploring that one for the first time when her father called the meeting. She was eager to join, and see what her father had to say. It would probably be about the new lands they were settling into, right? Only, when she tried to exit the hidey hole, she discovered the vines held prickly thorns, and she couldn’t seem to wiggle just right to avoid them. Was she stuck? No! She couldn’t be late! She wiggled and pushed and shoved her way out of that hole, and emerged on the other side with bedraggled fur, missing patches in places, thorns in her coat. Her entire body looked like someone had rubbed her coat the wrong way, and it stuck up on ends.

She had no time to fix it, she took off scampering, and arrived to see half her siblings and her mother had already made it. She slowed down, walking more regally, head in the air despite her terrible appearance as she sat calmly beside her mother like showing up with patches missing her coat was ususual.

Amaris Abraxas

---

The journey to their new homeland was more work than fun to Amaris, seeing as all the adults were so stressed about keeping everyone together they hardly had anytime to truly enjoy themselves. That being said, when the pack had finally arrived at the stone castle, every snap comment and bitter vibe was completely washed away and out spurt hope and peace. Mother had told her that this castle was the very place father and her had met, and the fact that father had claimed this new piece of land.. well she just couldn't help but wonder if he had done it for mother. If not for her, it was probably because this place was practically built for them; strong stone protecting them from elements that wished to do them harm, and a vast garden to supply healers with all the herbs they could possibly dream of. It was a heaven on earth, built for the gods that now called it home; the Abraxas.

The fawn princess had been out surveying her new kingdom when her father's voice rang out from the castle like a roaring thunder, reaching her even in the depths of the garden maze. It was troublesome however, considering she had been trying to find her way about the hedges for quite some time, and now she really needed to get out. Being late to something this important was not Amaris style at all. Frantically running around corners and barreling down corridors, she had finally come upon a large boulder placed perfectly besides the hedge wall, and if she tried hard enough, perhaps the girl could leap over and find her escape. Not fully grown, but still determined as ever, Amaris backed up to get a running start before she unleashed all her energy into bounding up and over the rock and hedge. However, as she would soon find out, there was a slight problem with her plan. Just as her small form breached the hedge wall, she soon realized that just because there was a boulder on one side, did not mean there would be one to catch her on the other.

Princess or not, the fall was brutal and she let out a sharp yelp when she collided with the other side. It took her a few moments to catch her barrings, taking deep breaths to calm herself down before examining her body for injuries. She was alerted to a small gash above her left brow when she rubbed her paw over it, finding fresh blood now staining her nearly white foot. But she was quick to lick that up, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible. After that, she went to rush back to the castle, but found a soreness in her front paw every time she put pressure on it. She sighed heavily, knowing her mother would not be pleased at all with this condition, and her father would be disappointed if she did not reach the meeting in a timely fashion. So what could the little princess do? She dusted off herself and began a sort of skip back up the hill and towards the castle.

When she finally neared the throne room, Amaris stilled herself to try and catch her breath before entering. She didn't want to make a fuss and if she didn't handle it right, she knew someone would notice her injuries. So she lightly liked the top of her paw and padded it against the gash above her eye, when no new blood was left on her foot, she knew the bleeding would have stopped. That was good at least. As for the whole 'walking in' part, Amaris knew she would have to suck it up and put weight on her ankle, but the hard work would be in her face; she would have to be stoic, and not let even an ounce of pain be evident in her eyes or her mother or father might notice. Finally composed, the fawn girl walked around the corner with her head tilted slightly up, and in full stride towards the gathered wolves. Thankfully, she could see Fel already there, and immediately ventured over to her sister and sighed once she sat down. When she turned to tell Fel what had happened, she was a bit alarmed at the state her dearest sister was in; hair sticking up in all the wrong places, with bits of leaves and... were those thorns? Perhaps Felicity had been battling her way out of the gardens as well? "What chewed you up and spit you out?" She would whisper in a hushed tone, so she would not draw more attention than they surely already had.

"Speech"

Eligos' ears burned hot in embarrassment as his grand-uncle marched him down the corridors towards the meeting. He hadn't known that the little cubby outside the castle was his uncle's new den, honest. He'd thought everyone had chosen den IN the castle, so when he saw all the furs and such there he'd thought they had been discarded. Like old ones, you know? Maybe they'd gotten ruined on the trip and someone had thrown them out? So when he'd found them laying there under some big rocks tumbled down from the wall, he hadn't thought they belonged to someone. So if they were scattered and muddy and chewed on, was it really his fault?

Yes. Yes, if he was honest with himself, and his father would insist he be honest, it was his fault. He shouldn't have assumed. And now his uncle was going to tell his dad and his dad would be disappointed and angry and that was awful.

So Eli slunk quietly into the meeting place. He'd have preferred to just take a seat hiding at the back of the group but... it was better just to get it over with. So with his head and tail drooping and his ears low, he snuck up to sit with his brothers. Uncle Apollo came up to talk with his dad, and he just knew he was going to tell him but... wait... was his uncle going to go sit down now? He hadn't even said anything about the furs! Eligos' ears slowly rose with the dawning hope. Was... was Uncle Apollo not going to say anything about it at all?

When he'd chosen to den outside of the castle, it had been for security reasons. If everyone was tucked up safely in castle walls, they would all be partially shielded from danger, but they would be unable to see or hear that danger coming. So the elder Abraxas had silently volunteered himself as a forward scout and chosen a den out fairly near the border beneath some large boulders that appeared to have been part of an old ruined wall. He knew it wouldn't be quite as comfortable as being inside walls, and possibly dangerous.

But he hadn't thought that danger would be from one of his own grand-nephews. Or to his sleeping furs.

When he'd first come across the rawhide lynx pelt laying battered and chewed on in a puddle, he'd thought it had been a damned wolverine, stealing from his den as they did on occasion. Then the fox fur, and three rabbit furs, and then there was the culprit, still gnawing on a deer hide. He'd delivered a blistering lecture that consisted of a bare two sentences, and marched the boy up to the castle to attend the meeting the pup hadn't even heard called.

Eligos slunk over to sit next to his siblings and watched miserably as Apollo stepped up to talk quietly to Malleus, but the elder didn't spare him a glance. "The borders are clear," he rumbled. "But the rains are getting to be a problem. I have seen signs of more predator activity in our lands than is usual. I believe they are seeking shelter from floodwaters elsewhere. It could prove dangerous to the pack, particularly the pups." Dipping his head respectfully after delivering his news to the Emperor, he moved to sit among the pack. And no, he didn't say anything about the furs. The boy had agonized about it enough on the way there to be punishment enough for such a small infraction, and it certainly wasn't anything that needed his father's attention. He would make the boy replace the furs, and that would be that.

Seiran was very busy as of late. It took a lot of subtlety and careful sneaking, but she'd been keeping an eye on anyone and everyone she knew to have an interest in healing and was trying to learn more about this 'garden' stuff that her cousin had told her about a while back. Yeah, there was the big overgrown one, but Seiran was pretty sure that there was still room to start growing things closer to the castle. Maybe she'd just make sure to bring over things that didn't grown in the other land. Hm, that sounded like a pretty good plan. So far she hadn't learned a ton about the process of planting her own plants. She knew she'd need to dig up some trenches to rebury the roots in, but the last time she'd experimented with replanting something near her den it had wilted and died, which left her fuming. Why couldn't she do this garden shit? Ugh.

Seiran was just musing over her latest attempt. She'd decided not to do any important herbs until she got the hang of this stuff, so she'd uprooted a dandelion and replanted it outside her den like the last plant. It's leaves were a bit wilty looking already and she was about to yank it out of the ground and stomp on it in frustration when the call came and she was forced to abandon her project in favor of trying not to be unforgivably late.

Sauntering into the thick of the group, she sat her ass down near Apollo since, well, she knew him. Glancing around at those gathered, she took a moment to appreciate how large her family was. How many of them knew each other well? Seiran sure diddn't know many of them beyond names.

Asharya scrambled. Returning home was one thing, but being a responsible member of this family? Oh ho. Something else entirely. As a pup she hadn't really taken pack meetings seriously. The things discussed had been adult problems, nothing a youngling needed to worry herself over. So when Mal's call rang out, faint in the distance, it took her a long moment to process before she figured she should probably get a move on. In her defense, for all that Malleus had set an entire gaggle of hellions on her, she had never really looked him in the eye and made sure they were cool as far as her return to the Empire went. Well. Hopefully this meeting would clear that up. She she skittered into the castle's great hall at the last moment, coat bedraggled and sporting more than a few pieces of leaf litter and debris. Bright blue eyes took in the gathered crowd, and she was excited to find an assortment of faces there, both familiar and new. Obviously there was a good amount of wolves already, seeing as she was probably cutting it a bit close, but now that she was there and fairly confident Malleus had not begun speaking yet her stress melted away and allowed her to observe instead. An ashen and ember coat caught her eye and delight welled up in her throat. Pyralis! Asha skipped towards her mother, hooked grin present in the face of what she was fairly certain would be a chewing out, she settled down between her and Ashiel with a huff. "Long time no see," she smiled out, as if she had been gone for a moon instead of seasons. Still her eyes twinkled, betraying the relief and excitement she felt at seeing Pyralis again. She grinned at Ashi too, but she had already seen him. "We have some catching up to do, I think." In truth she was more or less expecting Pyralis to toppled her sideways and bite off an ear, but that would be fine. She was happy to be with her family again, (and she had two ears anyways.) "Talk" "You" Think

ART BY HAGON <3

By the time Typhon made his way to the group, it seemed as though most of Risen Empire had already gathered in response to Malleus's call. The pack's move had gone smoothly enough, and Typhon found himself glad for the relative shelter provided by this new structure they'd laid claim over. It would, after all, be a lovely place to raise children. He shook those thoughts from his mind, deciding he was likely getting ahead of himself, but speaking to Malleus had sparked some new sort of passion with him.

He was pleased to see all who had arrived, noting that the group of children in the pack seemed even larger now that they were all in one place. For a long while he observed the bumbling children, before searching the group properly. Zinnia had yet to arrive, which was was unusual for her. He noted the return of Pyralis, and he cast her a fond look before moving to settling to his haunches and waiting for the meeting to begin.

© argent 2017

She was late, she knew it and he was trying her best to get there as fast as she could. She had a rather prime opportunity to take a large sized Takin yearling who had gotten separated from it's mother, had been lost, and was injured. Without the protection of the herd it was prime to take. Although it hadn't meant it was an easy task, because well it was bigger then her and it had sharp hooves. It was injured making her chances better, but the task in itself had gotten her.... a little beat up. She had been persistent and determined, wearing down the yearling until it was too exhausted to fight the ending bite to it's jugular. The next task had been to drag it home, which would surely poop her out. She grunted as she yanked and pulled. Dragging her kill as fast as she could towards home. Only once she heard the summoning call had her trying desperately to go faster and faster. Dragging an animal bigger then yourself was not easy, but she had been determined. She had only been at Fossil Ridge, but it felt like the time it took her to get there. Finally her eyes could see the gathering and she kept pushing herself to drag the kill. Once close enough to the gathering she gave up, panting heavily as her eyes scanned the crowd. She was seeking out Typhon's form and when she found it she smiled before pulling herself over there and heavily flopping herself down beside him, still panting as she cooled down her worked up form. She had made it even if she was one of the last one's to arrive. If anyone looked at the kill back behind her they would understand what took her smaller form so long to get here. "Zinnia Talk", & 'Zinnia Think"

//Ignore until end of meeting// Aaliyah had made it home, but only by the skin of her teeth. Spider webs covered her face and body, and at a glance, one would know something awful had happened. She walked with obvious pain, where she was normally a woman to hide discomfort, her back arched and her gait stunted. She licked her lips repeatedly and growled as cramps ravaged her frame. Little red-legged devils, luckily she hadn't received multiple bites the way she could have. The one spider that did get her had gotten her good, however, and now she panted with the cold heat she could feel spreading through her frame. Barely hearing the distant, echoing din of conversation that signaled a meeting, Aaliyah moved slowly and painfully toward her gathered family. Flopping onto the hard floor once she reached them, Aaliyah managed to get two words out before passing out before her entire family. "Spider bite..." She stated miserably, then everything faded to black, leaving her to hope she made it through this.

He was late, that much he knew. The young male was getting used to new pack lands and had gotten a bit turned around on his way back from investigating the nearby lands. Though he didn't have any particular assigned tasks, he wanted to scout the surrounding areas to see if there were any packs or groups of wolves lurking nearby just waiting to ambush his own. Luckily he had only found a few rogues and small groups of three or so that he had successfully chased away. He headed directly towards the new meeting place when he heard Malleus call the pack together, his fur tussled with fresh cuts and bruises littering him, though nothing serious. When he finally arrived, he quickly took a seat and gazed in Malleus' direction. He wondered what this meeting would be about. He himself wanted to take some initiative and get some training in, and figured perhaps the best way would be to ask some of the others if they wanted to spar with him, or maybe the more experiened would be willing to train him. He put that thought on the backburner for the duration of the meeting, and made note to seek someone out afterwards. "Speak"