Aurielle Adravendi

[OOC: First round is due April 6th. I decided to change things up a bit and have the announcements in the starter. Be very aware that Aurielle does not begin speaking of the changes until after everyone who has made it by the 6th are there. Paladin and Cairo are present before anyone has arrived. Regulus will not be attending (assume he’s fallen ill). Please, feel free to have your characters ask questions. Make this an interactive meeting. I love those ;P After the first round there will be no posting order. Go ham. PS. I’m very sure I’ve missed a lot of things, but I’m seriously out of the loop on a lot of happenings thanks to this whole lack of real internet stuff, so bear with me @.@] With the full onset of Spring, it was time to call the pack together for a long-overdue meeting. And she would be calling it alone. Gwenevere had passed on to join the Ascended, and while Aurielle was certain that the whole pack knew by now, it still needed to be announced, and honors given to the late Adravendi. She settled upon the boulder at the Meeting space of the Plains, breathing in a heavy, deep breath and trying to force her mind ahead to the great deal of things she had to say and announce. Among them was the fact that Amos was still gone. His scent had long since faded to a faint, brief, stale trace that was gone a second later. Even his usual haunts were stale. Nevertheless, life must move forward. She glanced aside as the pale frame of Paladin arrived—he, of course had been forewarned of the meeting, as had her father, mother and twin. Regulus had said he would try, although it would perhaps be best, he suggested, that the pack not see him in his current state so soon on the heels of Gwen’s passing. Aelloshir and Ayodele sat on either side of the shimmering white leader, and she drew strength from them as Paladin and his two primate companions settled at the base of the stone. A glimpse of varied brown spotted fur turned her head as young Cairo skidded into the meeting place as though he was worried he’d missed it, even though Aurielle hadn’t called the pack yet. No doubt he’d spread the word to his siblings about the meeting. As he settled into place, Aurielle straightened her spine and tipped her muzzle to the sky, howling long and loud to ensure her voice reached the furthest edges of the territories and every ear of the pack. As they began to trickle in, she studied each face, nodding to each wolf as they arrived. After the last wolf had arrived, and it seemed no others would arrive, she still waited for several minutes to be sure, allowing the pack to take their places and settle in foe what she was certain would be a long-winded announcement. She wasted no time in cutting to the chase. “In the recent weeks, we lost one of our most valuable wolves, and a dear friend and family member. Gwenevere Adravendi was a good, strong soul, kind and wise. She defended Celestial bravely, as did several of you, during the raid by Talis, and was a fair, strong ruler who has worked hard, harder than she should have had to, to keep the pack safe and ordered. “It was a great honor to know her and to have her by my side as a young ruler, and she will be deeply missed. She is succeeded by her children—” The young woman paused to indicate each as she spoke of them, “Artur, Cairo, Caelia, Geoffrey, and Viviane Adravendi, who all show promise in their own ways.” Aurielle took a breath and announced, “I hope that you will join me in a vigil in honor of Gwenevere, to remember her as she was—a strong Queen, and a proud Adravendi of the direct line.” She sat for several minutes to allow any risen emotions to settle, at to settle her own before she went on, swallowing covertly before she continued to speak. “I wish that her death was the only unfortunate news I had to give you. Alas, this is not the case. My immediate family – Regulus, Solveiga and my brother Aramis are all quite ill. My mother and brother have… been unable to recovery fully from the emotional pain of their captivity. And both my parents are, themselves, aging. They are not contagious, so please, don’t worry on that front.” There was pain in her eyes as she paused, before she swept her eyes over the gathered wolves and took a breath once more. “Furthermore, Amos Allentide has gone missing. It is unknown if he simply left of his own accord, or if he has met with danger while out on his own. All his trails have gone stale. Please, those of you who have met him and know his scent, keep your eyes and nose and ears peeled when you are abroad, and as ever, let me know when you are leaving the borders, for whatever reason, and ideally, bring someone with you who can run for help if you meet with trouble.” She fell silent for several moments, allowing the pack to absorb the contents of her opening speech, and hoping that her next news, a happier subject, would help lighten the grim start of the meeting. “On a… happier note, I have several alliances to announce. Firstly, the longstanding alliance has been reaffirmed between this pack and Abaven, and I plan to go to speak with Abaven’s leader again soon after this meeting—Caelia, I’d like for you to accompany me for this. It should prove educational for your chosen path.” She paused briefly to flash a slight smile at the young, dignified Adravendi before she went on. “Secondly, our alliance with Celestial’s sister-pack, Lirim, still stands. Currently, Torin Adravendi stands as Lirim’s alpha, with a male called Frostbite Wreckage as his second. They are both welcome at our borders, as are any wolves from their pack and any pack we are allied to, so long as they respect the borders until invited into the territory by myself.” She swept a glance over the pack before she continued on, her mood visibly improving as she spoke of the hopefully prosperous connections that had been forged. “Thirdly, a pack in the north called Fyri has formed an alliance with Celestial. The alpha of Fyri is known as Ignatius Agnivo—and you’ll know him if you see him. He glows and is marked like fire with some ice. And finally, we have formed a trade alliance with a pack called Kesali, led by Branch Wreckage.” Her eyes pinned each wolf to the ground as she said firmly, “Any of you who treats our allies and their people with disrespect, either behind their backs or to their faces will be met with a harsh punishment. I will not abide anyone risking the alliances that have been forged, and those who seek to jeopardize these friendships will not be welcome in this pack. And I hope this warning has been pointless and that you are all mature enough that this should be a moot point.” Her hard gaze swept one more time over their faces before she continued on with her announcements. “Within the pack itself, there are many things to announce and speak of. One, I’m certain you noticed Brandr’s absence long ago. Do not worry, he and his family are safe. They have rejoined Abaven and are doing well. Second, we have several changes in ranks, but I will announce those in a moment after an announcement of changes in the pack as a whole.” She straightened, white coat shimmering in different colors as she gathered her thoughts. Then she began. “I meant to make these changes upon my initial rise to leadership, however… events transpired and I was not able to. I had also decided that my concepts and ideas were not fully ready. However, ready or not, perhaps it is truly time for change.” Her eyes scanned the pack as she paused, studying their faces before she went on. “When my grandmother founded Celestial, she meant for it to be a revival and continuation of Valhalla, the pack led by her mother, and before her Chrysanthe Adravendi, and before her, Collision, and before him, Cairo Adravendi the first. I mean to hark back to that name. Henceforth, Celestial will be known as Valhalla.” She gave the pack a brief, warm smile as she went on, “With the new name comes a new ranking system and new laws and customs. I hope you will bear with me, as there are a great many things to speak of with these changes. You are fully welcome to ask questions and make requests for placements within the new system of the pack.” A moment of silence as she gathered her thoughts once more and allowed the newly-named Valhallans to absorb this news and consider it, before she continued, explaining, “Firstly, I will no longer be known as the Archangel, but as the Spirit of Valhalla. My second would be called the Soul, and my consort would be the Heart. As the three leaders, we would be known as the Trinity—and as in most packs, we would hold the highest authority within the pack. “The second-tier wolves are the Beta Pair—Sentinel and Lodestar. Both would be required to be phenomenal fighters as well as diplomats. As yet, we have no acting Sentinel or Lodestar. For those of you who would consider aspiring for either rank, come to me later and I will discuss with you the duties of each at length, as they have similar duties, but some that pertain only to them. “My heir will be my firstborn child, and his or her rank will be known as Destiny.” She paused and waited for several moments for her words to be heard and absorbed before she continued, eyes roving the pack’s faces as she spoke. [Ooc: Reference the Pack Page for better details of the ranks and their descriptions, since if I have her list them out here, we’ll all die of old age before anyone can finish reading everything without skimming :P I’ll try to get the changes up shortly. It’ll be a lot of transferring so bear with me and wish me luck @.@] She described each rank of each tier briefly, hoping that if wolves had questions, they would voice them, either here at the meeting or in private later. When she reached the Shadow Circle, she did not list their true purpose. That purpose was to be known only to herself, her fellow leaders, betas and heir, and the Circle members themselves. She described them as hunter-fighters, much like the rank of Ranger had been in Celestial and left it at that. As she finished describing the ranks, she turned her eyes to Gwenevere’s children and smiled. “You are all yearlings now, and as you have heard, this means you are due for a rank change. Until you have come to me to make your request for a Circle, or a senior member of a Circle has chosen you to be their apprentice, you will be ranked as Oaths.” Her eyes shifted to the rest of the pack as she said, “This is to be one of the laws of Valhalla—You are responsible for choosing your apprentices. If, however, no one has taken the incentive to choose, I will choose. But I do hope that incentive will be shown.” As she announced each of the laws [ooc: which are still a work in progress; but assume they may be very similar to Celestial’s laws until I’ve finished throwing down the basics x.x] she made eye contact with each wolf present, surveying each and hoping they took the laws to heart. She shifted to the Customs and bit back a grin as she named several of them and described them, sneaking a glance at Justice as she spoke of ‘Playtime’, jowls quirking into a mischievous smile. But after a moment, the thought struck her that Amos would have adored that particular custom, with his fun-loving nature, and the smile fell away as she went on to further explain how the circles worked, and that it was possible to be a member of two Circles at once. At last, she fell silent and drew a breath and sat, letting the pack absorb and think over all these new changes. After several minutes, she turned to her Uncle, saying, “Gwenevere told me of your conversation. I’m glad to see that you’ve chosen something you truly seem to love. If you desire it, I am willing to promote you to the rank of Predator. This makes you a Senior member of the Hunting Circle, and its current leader as there are no others who have made their desire to be a hunter of the pack known. You are expected to watch our young Oaths, here, spend time with them, and see if any of them show an inclination toward hunting. If you have chosen an apprentice, let me know and I will announce it at the next meeting.” Her eyes turned to the pack at large as she announced, “As for the rest of the pack, I am planning to hold a Festival at Mid-Summer. I will be speaking with my fellow alphas of our Allies to set up a neutral place, but the festival will be open to loners as well. "There will be sparring, healer’s events, a hunt, as well as many other games I hope everyone will enjoy. I can only take a few of you, as some will need to remain behind to keep Valhalla’s borders secure, so please, if you wish to go, let me know. Come the birth of Summer, I will announce who will be going.” She sat back, toes of her forepaws flexing slightly as she allowed the pack to register and hopefully feel some kind of excitement at the news. Finally, she said, “I am certain I’ve missed several things, but do any of you have questions about the new changes to the pack or anything of their own to announce?” She fell fully silent, waiting for any answers the pack may give and ready to explain and answer any questions they might ask. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Cairo Lanze Adravendi

Cairo raced toward the meeting rock in the plains, tongue lolling. He’d spread the word to his littermates and now he skidded into the bare clearing among the grasses of the plains, looking around in surprise to find that only Paladin had arrived before him. Just then, Aurielle lifted her head and howled and Cairo moved to take a seat in the clearing, chocolate and dark chocolate splotched tail tapping the ground as he waited. As everyone arrived, he looked around, then remembered his mother wouldn’t be coming. A weight hung in his breast, and Aurielle started right in. He listened with a growing bleakness. Every time he thought he’d gotten over the worst of the pain, a fresh stab struck again. He knew it would ease with time… It must if he wanted to function. But he’d never stop loving his mother. As the shimmering white Archangel—no, Spirit now, went on with her long lift of announcements, he listened intently, ears perking slightly at the thought of maybe vying for one of the Beta positions. He had no desire for the rank of Soul, and definitely not for the rank of Heart. No way. Not with family, adopted or not. He was definitely interested in reaching at the very least the rank of Dauntless. It sounded bold and brave, and the way she described the ideal wolf of such a rank sounded a lot like how good he wanted to get someday. He already had a mentor—Aurielle herself had taken him under her wing and been training him. He wondered if Justice might be willing to co-mentor and glanced around for the bearlike female. The announcement of the festival Aurielle planned brought his head up even further, and his grief eased at the thought of such an event. His siblings had gone to the fighting Tournament. He’d watched, but had chosen to observe only, studying how the older wolves fought, taking in what he saw as food for thought. Maybe this time, he’d enter in the spars. As she called for questions, Cai glanced around again at the rest of the pack, then asked, almost hesitantly, “If there are no wolves in a circle, is it possible for an Oath to enter that circle, with no mentors in it?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The tournament had been over with, he had returned home, and was preparing himself to have a talk with his niece. Gwen had been right and participating in the tournament had just solidified what Gwen had told him. He was thankful that she had been so forward with him, had taken the time to state her thoughts and brought him to the realization that no one else in the pack had. He had been extremely grateful for what little time he had spent with Gwen and now that she was gone his heart was feeling heavy. He knew her kids were feeling it the worse out of them all and part of him wanted to help them feel better, but he didn't know how. When his own parents died he had never really gotten help to get over the loss, time kinda mended his aching heart. He assumed it would for them too, but it wouldn't hurt to try and spend time with them. So much to do and he felt like there was no time to do it. His Neice's howl surprised him slightly, but the pack was due for a meeting. Dropping the fresh kill off by his den he decided he would eat after the meeting. He headed off, planning on trying to quickly get there. The most noticeable change in his form was the new scarring on his muzzle, still trying to heal from the tournament. His other minor wounds were hidden beneath his thick fur and were hidden. When he arrived there was already a few there and in place and Laisren wasted no time taking his seat quietly and waiting for things to begin. He was stuck within his own mind for the most part until Aurielle started the meeting, then his attention switched to her. She started off the meeting by paying tribute to Gwen, officially announcing her death to the pack. She announced a vigil she would be holding for Gwen and he made a mental note that he would go, he needed to pay his respects to her. She then announced that both her parents and brother have fallen very ill, making his ears fall back. His brother had been horribly distant since coming back with his mate and son. Laisren would have loved to be spending quality time with his older sibling, but it seemed that would never be happening at this point. She moved on to announce one of the members, Amos has gone missing and he made a mental note of it. He would listen on, taking in the new changes with stride and hoping that this is what the pack needed. Hopefully this could be a new and fresh start for their pack and things would be a lot better. They had been quiet for too long and he hoped this would help that all. He would be able to ease into the change and he would get used to the change of pack name, ranks, and laws to heart not thinking there was ever any reason for him to leave here. Then, things changed as her attention zeroed right onto him, making his ears perk as his green eyes looked to her face. It seemed he wouldn't need to pull her from her duties for a talk, Gwen had ensured to tell her of the talk. A smile began to form on his face and he would dip his head to her. "I would really like that, Thank you Aurielle," he spoke up letting her know that it was his true wishes. She then announced a festival and wrapped up the meeting by asking if there was any questions on anything she just spoke about. One of Gwen's boys spoke up asking a very good question that he hadn't come to mind. "Talk" "You" Think

Numbly Geoffrey made his way to the meeting place. He had no desire to be surrounded by those who couldn't possibly (in his opinion) understand the depth of his grief. For them life had probably already started to move forward. They'd gone back to their routines, no doubt. Geoffrey was still struggling. He didn't want to see any smiles, hear any laughter or listen to any jokes. He wanted to be alone.

Dutifully he took a seat and listened as the meeting got underway. He stiffened only a little when Aurielle drew attention to him and his siblings, and it took the duration of the vigil to whittle his emotions down into a little knot in his throat.

And then just like that Gwenevere's moment had passed the meeting got underway. The knot remained.

For reasons he couldn't quite place, perhaps the rawness of the emotional wound just scraped, Aurielle's hard gaze and scolding tone when she spoke of disrespecting their allies rankled Geoffrey. They weren't children and they didn't need to be treated like children. He reflected back the intensity of her gaze and it wasn't until that moment had passed and he got light-headed that Geoffrey realized he'd been holding his breath in anger. He let it out quietly and willed himself to be calm. All he needed to do was get through the meeting and everything would be fine.

When everything was said and done Geoffrey remained quiet. He had no questions, he only wished to leave.

Justice had been working on the thigh bone of a deer, gnawing at the last bits of meat and gristle on it, and had just cracked it open for the rich marrow when Aurielle called a meeting. The wounds from her vicious fight against Dragon and his cats in the tournament was healing well enough, though the marks across her face were still angry and red, and she suspected that the thick, ropey gash was going to scar pretty badly no matter what she did, but it had healed enough to let her crack open bones again. Though apparently she wasn't going to get time to finish them. Justice glanced down at the bone regretfully, but it was spring and she wasn't really all that hungry so it didn't really matter if the now-exposed marrow would be wasted by drying out while she was at the meeting. Still, she snuck a quick slurp of the rich stuff before she abandoned her snack and trotted toward the meeting. She seated herself among those already there and turned her attention to Aurielle.

The meeting began with a memorial for Gwenevere, and Justice looked aside and shifted uncomfortably. She'd been there when Gwen had gotten the injury that had later led to her getting ill, and she felt in large part like it was her fault. If she'd been faster, the pups would still have a mother, for a few years yet anyway. She snuck a guilty glance at the pups, then revised her view of them. Not pups, really. Even if they hadn't already been yearlings - which, now that she thought about it, they probably were - Gwen had raised them to be mature young adults, probably more so than Justice ever had been at that age even with her rough schooling alone in the wild.

Aurielle quickly moved on to other things. The rest of her family was ill - whimsically, Justice wondered to herself if they were even there still, since no one except Aurielle ever saw them anymore - and there were alliances announced. Aurielle's unexpected admonition to them to treat their allies well came out of nowhere, and Justice shot her an incredulous glance. Hell, she was too surprised to even do a proper offended glare. Like, what the actual fuck? She couldn't say what she was more offended by, the insinuation that anyone who disrespected one of their allies was a traitor to the pack, or the assumption that they were pups who needed to be told to play nice. She settled for huffing out her breath in a very offended manner.

Luckily for her, before she could come out of her surprise enough to formulate something scathing reply, Aurielle had moved on to something that captured Justice's attention away from being offended. The pack's ranks and rules were getting a face-lift, and Justice pricked up her ears to follow. Well, she was definitely not in the runnings for a beta position. As eager as she was to be in charge of something, diplomacy was far from a strong point for her and she had no problem admitting that she'd not be a good fit for it. She pricked up even more at the announcement of a festival. Festivals usually had great sparring, since there would be a lot of strangers there. Sparring with people you knew could get old, since eventually you learned all their quirks.

"So can we be part of more than one circle?" she asked as Aurielle opened things up for them to ask questions. "Since there aren't any ranks that are specifically for two skills - would we have to pick between them or would we be able to just be in both? And about picking apprentices - what if more than one wolf wants to apprentice a pup? Would you decide?" Probably not an issue considering how few adults were in the pack at the moment but definitely a good thing to know for future conflict. "And what if someone wants to apprentice in more than one circle, would they need to find two mentors?" She tilted her head to the side, considering if she had any more questions to fire out, then added, "For the festival, what if we switch out guards partway through so everyone can get a chance to be there?"

Hestia had slept fitfully, her dreams still haunted by the doom she had left behind in her home land, and had she not been on the border between sleep and wakefulness she very easily might have missed the call from the alpha she had yet to meet. She had heard of the passing of the kindly woman who had received her and couldn’t help but feel some small ache. She had only spoken with Gwenevere  once but the reminder of the charcoal woman’s mother had been strong in her matronly prowess. She arrived at the meeting late and had nearly missed all the current alpha- The Spirit of Valhalla now it seemed- had to say. She forced herself to remain alert and took the time to roam her eyes over her new leader’s appearance. To call her strange was an understatement; even with her own splashes of gold and the memory of vibrant crimson and sky blue wolves from her homeland she had never seen anything like the woman before her. For now she would keep her comments to herself listening to what the more seasoned members had to say. Speaking   Thinking

Viv wasnt hard to find when Cairo went looking. Since their trip to the battlefield Viv had been a bit gun-shy about the idea of leaving pack lands at all, and since her mother had died she hadn't left the moor at all. She missed her, with an ache that went to her bones. In their den and by her grave Viv could at least still feel close to her, though it wasnt the same.

She arrived at the meeting to sit beside Geoffrey and press herself comfortingly against his side. And, of course, the meeting began with a blatant reminder of their loss. Grief closed her throat, and Viv didn't even try to stop the tears that welled up and spilled down the sides of her muzzle, an unselfconscious expression of the emotion that gripped her still every time she thought of her loss. its ok, she told herself, a familiar mantra now that didn't really help. She isnt sick anymore. Shes with Dad now. Though undoubtedly her siblings had their own more practical views of the circumstances of their birth, Viviane persisted in the belief that her mother's beloved mate had in fact fathered them, despite Lanse having passed away long before their birth. She hadn't ever really considered what the pack had lost when their mother passed away, though, and her tears slowed as she was forced to consider the implications. She regarded Aurielle solemnly, not really hearing what she said as she continued on with announcements of more illnesses among wolves Viv had never met.

Those announcements have her time to regain her equilibrium, though, and when Aurielle detailed new ranks she was able to summon interest, even managing to give Aurielle a watery smile when she mentioned her litter's rank and upcoming apprenticeships. Gwen had talked to all of them about what they wanted to do, though that had never been anything that Viv had ever been unsure of. She knew what she wanted to do, and most of her childhood games had involved patching up her toys' imagined injuries and "feeding" them various grassy concoctions when they were "ill".

There was even news about a festival. Though Viv wasnt sure what that really meant, it sounded exciting, and the description made the social butterfly in Viv come to attention. That was a ways in the future though, and there were more pressing matters. "Can we pick now?" she spoke up as Aurielle requested any questions. "What Circle we want to be in, I mean. For training. Because I already know that I want to be a healer. I want to help people."

Artur had been making himself scarce while he dealt with his mother's death in his own way, but sentry duty was an unavoidable and necessary evil, and he had just been finishing up a stint on the wall when Cairo had found him, much to his displeasure. Not long after, the warned-of meeting was called, and for a long moment he simply sat there, considering not going just to show that he had the freedom to make that choice. But in the end he set aside the childish impulse and made his dignified way inward from the wall to find he was one of the last there. He sat alone, sweeping a glance over the gathering... then paused, thoughtfully. In the anger of his own grief he hadn't been thinking. He had left his siblings to grieve alone, because that was what he wanted in his grieving, but none of his siblings were really like him. So contrary to his own desires, he stood back up and moved to sit at Geoffrey's side, a stiff and stoic presence but still a show of solidarity and support for his siblings. If they didn't have each other, who could they possibly depend upon?

He twitched in surprised anger when Aurielle brought everyone's attention to them, his ears hot with anger and embarrassment. He didn't want their pity. Who were they to pity him? To assume they knew how he felt? That his mother had given everything for her pack and this was what she got, a moment of thought and pity before moving on to talk about Aurielles family, who never even bothered to contribute, too afraid to even stick their noses out of their den. She had been wasted on them.

The alpha went on to talk about their allies - and told Caelia that she would be accompanying her, a show of favoritism so blatant it would have put Artur's hackles up had he not been immediately distracted by her explanation of their new rules concerning their allies - allies so precious that being disrespectful to them was apparently to be a banishable offense from then on. Artur nearly stood and walked away right then. Instead he restrained himself rigidly,blue eyes like diamonds as he returned her hard stare, and said nothing at all. Did they need their allies so desperately that their alpha would banish them for being disrespectful to someone who happened to belong to those packs? Were they so weak now?

Artur listened with only half his attention to the new structuring of the pack, only enough to see that only the names of the ranks had really changed. He already knew what he wanted in life - to be a fighter. He just wasnt sure that here would be the best place to learn anymore, now that his mother was gone. Bitterly he took note of the few warriors, few of them impressive fighters, that he had to wait to pick out their apprentices, or for Aurielle to assign him to someone who hadn't been interested before - because it wasnt clear that it would be a system based entirely on favoritism rather than ability or suitability or anything.

Suppressing the ripple of his hackles, Artur waited silently for the meeting to be over.

To say Caelia's mood had been somber would be an understatement. Her newfound duties helped distract her, but only slightly. The loss of her mother that she and her siblings were experiencing was hard to come to terms with, even as the weeks passed and as summer began to peek around the corner. There was no sign that her heavy melancholy had left her as she headed deep into the plains, trailing after Aurielle's call with little hesitation. Despite this, her posture was more slumped than usual, dejection woven through her form -  though her ears were pricked high atop her head, ever alert. She wasn't among the first to arrive, but she didn't seem to care. Instinct brought her to stand alongside her siblings, though she was stubbornly quiet as Aurielle began to speak. It wasn't any surprise she announced the passing of their mother, and she felt her lips twitch slightly, though she willed the tears back from where they threatened to prick at her eyes. Though the long moment of silence was intended on allow them all to mourn the news, Caelia had done enough mourning, and she preferred to do it privately rather than surrounded by packmates. She wasn't one to protest though, but couldn't deny the relief she felt when Aurielle started to speak again, moving on to different subjects. There was illness, and a missing packmate. Alliances to announce, and Aurielle wanted her to accompany her to meet with Abaven's leader. She nodded, letting a brief but genuine smile flit over her features before it softened in lieu of a more attentive expression. More alliances, with packs called Fyri and Kesali. But her expression shifted at Aurielle's next little segment - it seemed less like a word of warning and more like an accusation, and she shrunk back slightly from the look she was giving them. Beside her she swore she felt Artur bristle with anger, but she said nothing. Perhaps it might warrant a talk with him later? She couldn't help but feel as though he'd been distant as of late anyway, though perhaps with losing their mother she ought to have expected that. There were more changes. Celestial would now be called Valhalla. New ranks. New customs. She couldn't shake the feeling that Celestial had died alongside her mother, even if she knew deep down the thought was a foolish one - a silent sigh fell from her lips as she tried to compose herself and continue listening. Her gaze had averted, drifting to her forepaws instead of remaining on Aurielle as she digested the changes as best as she could without letting her discomfort be shown.