It was high time for a pack meeting. He had allowed enough time for the wolves of Winterfell to adjust and get used to the life they had now. He had noticed some were quieter than others, unsure if they were just not very social or didn't care to get to know who they lived with. Some he noticed, contributed more than others. Some he hardly saw. He didn't want Winterfell to be a stagnant pack...so he would head to the meeting place in the pines with the intent of calling everyone together to see what was going on. If he needed to work with some of them individually, he would for a time. The North was not the place to sit around and do nothing. He would not allow them to fail if he could help it, but he also couldn't hold their hands the entire way. He had many things to voice today, and he hoped the others were willing to work towards a better future.

With his companion foxes in tow, Acere hopped on top of the boulder that held up a fallen log on each side of it that would serve as the other two or three seats for whomever would be his right hand wolves in the future. Tilting back his head, he sent a summons for the pack, a commanding tone saying it would be in their best interest to be there. Those who didn't show, he would assume they decided they didn't want to be here anymore.

Mandatory pack meeting for all members! Those who fail to show up will be assumed to have abandoned the pack. First round due 8/18!

"Speech"

she heard the call and would promptly answer it. walking toward the locale, Heloise would dip her head to the king as she neared. "greetings, my king" a casual greeting though one of respect, for he probably did not want to idly chat with her when he was concentrating. her eyes strayed over to the treeline; hopefully more would show but it would seem she was one of the first. taking a seat a few respectful paces away from Acere to be in the crowd, the alabaster woman would await more of the Winterfellians to show up. she hoped they would not be long, but was also curious how many were left. Kresnik, her gyrfalcon, soared to her shoulder and fixed his eyes on the king. Heloise would turn her head to press her nose against his feathers before turning back to the man. she wondered why he called a meeting. was it a matter of urgency? she hoped not. "speech"

coded by cloudynight

Yurei was once again in the task of exploring the woods, getting to know her new home was something she wanted to have done. Of course, she was afraid of who she could meet, but remembering Fracture's words, she didn't her best to keep fear away. But it wasn't that easy for her, fear became a big part of who she was, and after years of being with it, getting rid of it wouldn't be that simple. And as she made her way, her head was a bit higher than normal, also following the male's advice. She had to be proud, Proud of living here. And while she walked, many thoughts haunted her mind. What would she do here? She knew her stance wasn't for free, she didn't want to sit and watch how the rest worked while she didn't. But her lack of essential skills made the choice harder, she didn't know where she could be of use. But soon, a summon took her away from her inner confusion. She trotted forward until she found her king and her den mate. But as shy as she is she didn't have the courage to speak, so with silence and a bit far from them, she sat down. Her ears were flattened against her skull, and her eyes of green expressed nerves, concern upon who will join them, so far she only knew three packmates, the rest were still strangers. No words from her maw came, she wasn't going to speak unless told to. "Speech"

code by Cloudy

Fracture heard the call, his king's booming voice loud and inescapable. The dark male got to his paws with no hesitation and began a steady run towards the gathering place. As they came into view he saw he was not the first - already present were two of the only wolves he'd had conversations with in Winterfell, Heloise and Yurei. He slowed his approach to a leisurely trot, coming up between the women. "Greetings, Heloise." He greeted first, giving her a nod. To Yurei he gave a meaningful look, gaze falling upon her pinned back ears and nervous posture. They did not know the meaning of the gathering, and so he wanted Yurei to look presentable for her own benefit. "Hello again, Yurei." The dark male waited to catch her gaze, and then lifted his own head higher then normal - as if to tell her to stand strong, as he had when they'd last spoken. Finally he turned to his king, bowing deeply. "Your Grace." There was no need to ask why the meeting was called, Acere would surely tell them once enough had gathered. For now, he moved off to the side and stood quietly awaiting command. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

He still felt hollow, so much had happened in a short amount of time and truth be told he didn’t know how to process most of it. He kept a brave face for his family but deep inside his heart ached with new strains. "Uncle." He greeted, then sat, Volcanic pressed close to his belly as he hid from the strange wolves while Tornadic stood at his side, nearly the same size as his father but shaped awkwardly, with too long legs, big paws and a slim torso. His son sat beside him, not doubting for a second that Paradise would be along soon with the two newest pups and that the rest of his children would shortly be in attendance "Talk"  Thought "You"

VOLCANIC Volcanic coiled tightly against his father, his ears pinned back as he looked at the dark silhouettes gathered around them. He wanted his mother and his brother in addition to his father, feeling insecure without them. His father drew him forward and lowered himself to the ground, licking at the downy red fur at his back to soothe him while the red pup pressed close to his chest with a soft whimper. Everyone was going to laugh at him, or call him a baby, he could feel it, and for an instant a bright flame of hate flared in his heart. He knew his mean older sister would be at the meeting and the rest of his jerk older siblings or maybe the mean white girl that had attacked him on the ice that day. He hated all of them just as much as he was sure they hated him, and for a moment he put all of his focus into glaring at his big brother standing beside his father. Speech

toRnAdic Tornadic stood by his father’s side with narrowed eyes that were not unlike the pointed gaze his father wore at one point. In his jaws he held the spear he and Heloise had crafted and sank the point into the ground next to where he stood. He bowed his head at the alpha then looked around at the gathered wolves. He noticed immediately that most of the females already in attendance were white, and he gave a quick wink to a shrinking girl with green eyes as he met her gaze. He wasn’t a young boy anymore, he was nearing his first year of life and soon he would be old enough to find a mate, although the idea of finding one woman and sticking with her didn’t quite sit well with him. Speech

At least this time Theta wasn’t dragging herself to the meeting. She still didn’t care that much about pack politics, but maybe she would learn something useful for the time after she left. Spotting where some members of her family were sitting she went to sit on the other side of her father. Looking over him to politely nod at her brother Torn. Admittedly she was a bit jealous of her younger sibling as she saw the affection he was receiving. She knew she was getting too big to do that specifically, but she still envied the connection. There was no way she and Noir would have any of that.

"Talk" Walk Souzan knew he needed to do better, needed to not let himself slip into complacancy. Knowing that didn't necessarily mean he was any good about always following through. But he knew he needed to try. So he'd made up his mind, approaching the meeting knowing he had to be doing better from that moment on. The ice giant lumbered towards the, still rather small, gathering. Gaze roving over those gathered, her recognized a few faces but could really only put a name to Heloise and Acere. So he'd have to correct that soon as well. The man settled himself a bit aways from anyone else though clearly not on the edges of the gathering, he simply hadn't built a strong enough relationship with anyone to feel comfortable acting friendly with anyone.

Image by Ulfeid3

Motherhood hadn't been easy, to say the least. Her children were getting bigger by the day, and sometimes more of a handful. So far, however, they behaved pretty well. Or at least, alot better then she had when she was a child. Tyranis had gone ahead with Volcanic while she gathered up the twins. "Come on dears, we don't want to be late." Nudging them to get them moving, the trio would walk towards the meeting spot. It didn't take terribly long for her and the twins to arrive, and when they did she headed straight for Tyranis and gently nudged his shoulder. She was aware of his mood lately, though she wasn't sure what had been bothering him. She was hesitant to ask, mostly since she wasn't used to asking others what bothered them after she had been alone so long. She had gotten used to just keeping things to herself, but she wanted to make the effort. She just...didn't know how. Gathering up the kids, she sat and waited for the meeting to start. "Talk" "You" Think

She had left Lorenzo back at the den for him to sleep, now that she had two companions she could let one sleep safely in the den and move around with the other. Most of the time both of them were with her, but Lorenzo had been dealing with a small upper respiratory infection and she ordered him to rest. Her and Boris were not far from the den when her uncle's call rang out over the pack territory. He was calling a meeting, she was assuming, and attendance was mandatory. Instead of heading straight to the meeting her and Boris sought out Ignis to go to the meeting with him and his companions. There was still a lot of faces and scents she didn't know and she still grew a bit anxious when meeting others. Her and her brother were not exactly normal looking, plus she had always feared the tales of her father's ways haunting her the rest of her life. Once she found her large red brother she gently shoulder bumped him with a smile before walking by his side to the meeting. They walked quietly, his presence soothing her worries. Ignis never had to even try, but he always eased her mind and made her feel more confident in things. When they arrived her molten gaze would scan the already gathered crowd. Heloise was the first she noticed, the women she had spoken with about companions and learning how to care for them. Another white wolf whom she had never seen before, a dark colored wolf she had seen around but never properly met, then her eyes drifted to her half brother Ty. Three of his children by him, the newest litter she hadn't fully seen yet, but she was able to catch a glimpse of his red son that he was grooming. It drew her attention before she glanced to Ignis not sure if seeing another red pelt made her feel better or not. She would then take a seat beside her brother and Boris would move to the opposite side Ignis was on. Grunting the boar would flop down beside her, her saddlebag slipping off his back to give him a break of carrying her herbs while the meeting was going on. Looking around again her eyes caught a more colorful wolf of the group, blueish and red hues. He wasn't exactly normal either, but she still wasn't sure she felt any better. Looking back to her uncle she would gently lean into her titan of a brother. speech action

Idalia crept quietly to the meeting at Incendio's side. She wasn't sure why she had to attend. Most everything that the adults had to say was dreadfully boring. Although the North was getting colder by the day, the frigid temperatures no longer seemed to bother her. A thick, plush coat had grown in over her puppy fur (although some of it was still molting out in tufts). There was even a thin coat of fur on her front legs. It had been cold to chew the fur off, even if she was nervous.

All of the strange faces crowded around Acere. Frowning, she ducked closer to her mother as they made their way to Tyranis' side. She supposed these were here packmates, but they didn't mean much to her. Although she was positive that this meeting was going to be stupid, boring and useless, she cocked half an ear to listen to Acere and took a seat between her mother's front paws.

Altair would admit that she hadn't known any of the pack faces. She was still rather new, but due to the meeting that her adopted father happened to call for everyone to attend, she didn't wish to be late. She wanted to set a good example that she would be a good member to have to the pack, and listen to his words the best she could; especially since she would be setting an example for herself since he would also be her mentor. She approached him slightly and gave a small smile, "Sir," was the only word the little pup spoke before slinking off to the back of the gathering wolves. She was still rather shy and new to these lands, but, the young child would be sure to meet as many of the pack members as she could, wanting to know them and their stories and even possibly learn and teach some of them as she sat down and waited for what Acere had to say.

The call for the pack sang over the lands, and Avalon raised her head from slumber and listened for a moment. The old she-wolf slowly rose to her paws, the aches of old age making her bones creak and her movements a bit slower. Of course, the cold didn't quite help in her old age but she would have it no other way. Yes it was cold, but being her home for so long she knew the forest did get warm and beautiful during the spring and summer seasons. She had done little in the pack, but it was expected considering her age now. She considered herself more or less retired, but if the pack needed her services she would not hesitate to serve. She was no spring chicken anymore but that wouldn't stop her from protecting her home or fighting for her family.

The Ancora elder made her way to the meeting and found the scents of her two remaining sons on the way. She didn't want to waste time looking for them, knowing they'd already be there or catch up if they weren't. She arrived to the gathering and promptly settled herself on a patch of dirt, amber gaze searching the crowd as she noticed the amount of pups they had. She longed for more pups of her own, just one last litter before she passed. It was perhaps but a dream, for those she knew and loved were gone from the world.

Wolves develop from pups at an incredible rate. Pups are born, in late April, after just a two-month pregnancy. They are born deaf, blind, and weigh no more than a can of soda pop. At this time, pups can do basically just one thing – suckle their mother’s milk. He was out hunting seals when he heard his uncles call. He breathed in deeply before releasing it. His uncle had gone to the battlefield some time ago to challenge his father to the death, and when he scented that his uncle had returned to the borders, relief had washed over him that day. Things could go back to normal. He wouldn't have to think about his dad haunting the family anymore, and he sometimes wondered if the voice in his head would go away now that he was gone. He hadn't heard it for a while, but then again...Tyranis was around. Shaking his head to free him of his troubled thoughts, he headed towards the pines and once he was among them, he headed straight for his brother and sat nearby. He glanced down at the pups that mingled around their parents feet, a smile widening as he watched them. He needed to remember to spend more time with them. Something he aimed to fix quite soon. "Speak"

art by mochiimomo

Drake

It was...hard getting used to pack life. Growing up, he was accustomed to the life of a loner. A nomad. Going from place to place and having then freedom to do as he pleased. Of course, he was sure he could do and go where he pleased here, too. But...it just didn't quite feel the same. He was glad for being able to stay with his dad and sister, but he just couldn't quite shake the feeling that this wasn't where he belonged. Hell, he wasn't even sure where he belonged, but maybe he just needed to get to know some of the face that lived here that weren't his own family. With a sigh, the black and white youth made his way to the meeting with his companion at his side. The pair were inseparable, always there and helping each other out in nearly every task. Drake often occupied his time with hunting, and very recently he had been watching a herd of caribou pass through one of the nearby lands as they slowly migrated south. Maybe if he could find other interested parties, they could hunt one or two and bring them home. The meat would be plentiful, and he had no doubt the antlers and skins would be useful. He wasn't a crafter though, so he wasn't entirely sure. He arrived and sat towards the back of the group, blue eyes searching for his sister and dad though it seemed neither had arrived yet. His dad he could understand, the man was blind after all. His sister too, maybe she was nervous about being around a large group? She wasn't always the social type, or so he thought. So he'd sit patiently and wait for them to arrive. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"Talk" Walk He was glad his uncle had come back from the challenge with his sire. Honestly, he didn't want to take over leadership of the pack. Or at least, not so soon. He wondered though, was his uncle going to tell the rest of the pack what had happened? Would they understand? Forgive him for putting himself at risk like that? Did they care? Would they care? He had so many questions that he felt like if he had taken over leadership and had to answer them all, he was afraid the pressure would have been too much for him and he'd choke. He didn't want to disappoint his uncle like that, but he didn't have to worry anymore he supposed. When he heard the howl for a meeting, Ignis was soon rescued from his thoughts by his sister and together the pair of them made their way over. His companions were with him, his wolverine shuffling along beside him while his cockatoo flew over his head chattering incessantly about some weird story involving him and whatever the hell a "sheila" was. Or who it was...he never really got around to learning his birds lingo. As the small group reached the meeting, Ig noticed those who were present and his crimson gaze founds the pups and his half brother and mate. A smile played on his lips as he looked at the pups, then he noticed there was a red one! Eyes grew wide with surprise, the boy catching his sisters look before turning his attention back to the child. He...he wasn't the only one with blood red fur anymore? He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Definitely not jealous. Did the boy feel like an odd one out in the pack like he did though? He was curious, and made a mental note to further check the boy out after the meeting. For now, he settled in with his sister and their companions and waited to see what his uncle had to say.

Tsunami perked as she heard her Uncle's call. The girl had been eagerly trying to prove herself lately, using her resentment for her father replacing them all with a new litter to drive her to become invaluable, irreplaceable, but not for her father. No if she was going to be forced to stay here for a while she'd carve out her niche, hoever she could. So while she wasn't exactly the first to arrive the girl still made sure she was there with good time. Settling herself on the unoccupied side of Tornadic, giving her brother a crooked smile and her sister a small nod. Then the girl would settle in to wait for her uncle to begin to speak. speech action

The truth was that Wyvern didn't exactly know what to do with herself. She was mostly just bored, she was glad that her family was with her here and didn't necissarily regret joining she just- didn't know what to do. Still she was here and Farai was doing her best to try and get her out there and active. So she'd arrived to the meeting after her brother though she noted her father had yet to arrive. The girl settling beside Drake and gently nudging him with her shoulder. Farai settling onto her stomach behing Wyvern, tucking her tail over her nose. "Wyvern Speaks" "Farai Speaks"

They were going to their first real pack meeting. Walking shoulder to shoulder with his twin sister, Incendio walked with his head and tail high as they followed mom to the gathering where they then settled near their dad. Sapphire gaze looked around at all the faces, though he only really recognized the face of the alabaster woman who he and his sister had spoken to once before. He sniffed as he lazily looked around at the others, gaze falling briefly on Theta as his eyes narrowed at her. She had been a jerk at the firefly festival and out of nowhere tried to make amends, but he felt like it was some sort of trick. He couldn't trust her, she'd given no reason for him to trust her. He'd dismiss the thoughts for now though, instead deciding to turn his attention to the alpha and wait to see what the meeting would be about. He didn't know if it'd be fun or interesting, but he hoped for the former.