With the meeting out of the way, Acere would beckon those he had promoted to Knights and those who had been previously been a Knight before moving to higher ranks to come stand before him. He looked to each one, pride in his eyes as he looked upon each of them. They had all worked incredibly hard to get to where they were now, and today they would bear new titles that would stay with them until they died. His fox companions along with Dragon's jaguars had gone to the ship to retrieve some items he needed for the ceremony. When they returned, they carried with them several old cloths of white and red, two pieces for each member that was to be knighted. Not only that, but Cloud and Drake had gone out on a quick hunting trip to bring down a moose and an elk, and had brought them back for the post-ceremonial feast. Ignis' companions, had also surprised Ace with their own contributions. Several wine skins they had bartered from a traveling gypsy band some time ago. They had gotten the stuff for their own consumption, but decided to share it all with the celebrating pack. "The Knighting ceremony will begin shortly. Afterwards, we will celebrate your rises to Knighthood, and the wedding to come." His voice was hearty and full of excitement. It had been a while since he had had a good time. For once, he could put aside his usual self and relax with the pack, and he hoped the others would do the same with food and drink. There was much to be celebrated, after all. And they all deserved it, too. OOC//Mandatory for the following characters: Heloise, Tyranis, Fracture, Dragon, Ignis. Other pack members are welcome to attend and witness their comrades knighting ceremony, and partake in the celebration afterwards! Replies due by 8/27! speech action

Heloise was not so heavily pregnant that she could not move around easily still. until she was fit to burst, she would continue to do her duties as a knight of Winterfell. the call came easily and she easily answered it with her presence. no way she was missing this. it was both important to herself and to Acere. she wanted to be there to support him and his pack. their packmates. the people she had come to respect and think of as a family. wandering to the ceremony, she saw her mate's proud eyes fall on the ones in attendance. she gave him a warm smile as his crimson gaze fell on her but made no move to interrupt the ceremony just to press herself to his side. the wedding to come... her eyes shut, relishing those words. it was no secret anymore the two were a mated pair, and with Tyranis' proposal to Paradise also, Heloise wondered if she would be attending not just her own wedding soon. she only hoped for the approval of the rest of Winterfell; her and Acere had known each other for two whole seasons. it felt like a lifetime. he had given her so much and there would be equal giving by the time their children were born. but for now, she was just a knight like any other. opening her eyes, she'd flit her gaze over the others in attendance before focusing back on their king. she gave him an encouraging nod but said nothing. she would wait, same as the others. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Tyranis approached his uncle with Tornadic at his side, the arrogant boy interested in seeing how his father ascended once again into power. The lightning king took his place in front of Acere and beside the large male’s white mate, his tail curling around his paws to shield them from the cold, and waited to be called. He could smell food from where he sat, and had seen the wine skins on his way to the ceremony. He had never tried wine, even in his growing years he had never known enough peace to enjoy alcohol. He wondered silently how he would react and if he would make a fool of himself, then snuffed, that would be impossible with the quantity of wine his brother had procured, it would take every last drop they had for him to reach that state of inebriation. Or so he told himself. "Talk"  "Thought"   "You"

toRnAdic He stood beside his father, already at a height with his sire, and held Stormedge in his jaws as he sat between his father and Heloise. He gave a subtle wink at the white female and made a show of sinking the pointed edge into the snow before he flashed her a grin and returned his attention to his uncle. He had already taken the liberty of decorating Stormedge now that he was larger, with hawk feathers and red pigment in crisp tribal markings around the tip and a leather grip he could sink his fangs into without fear of compromising the long polearm the antler was fixed to when he bit into it. He had already had some luck throwing the weapon but he still needed practice using it on larger prey. Speech

It was all very unexpected, and Fracture was still reeling from the news at the meeting. He had been promoted alongside his ivory friend Heloise, and she was to be married to the King? It all happened so fast, it was earlier in the season that both wolves were feeling distant to the pack and unsure of how exactly they could fit in among all the blood ties... and now? Well at least she had no reason to complain any longer. Fracture came in behind a few others and spotting Heloise trotted hastily up beside her. He touched his nose to her neck gently in greeting, before giving her a warm smile and a whisper. "Congratulations, on both fronts." His dual-colored gaze flitted down to her gradually rounding belly and then back up to her face. "I'm very happy for you, my friend." He didn't want to say too much, for they still had to wait for the ceremony to begin. He turned back to face Acere and waited with the others. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Slow steps followed the way of a young wolf whose days and nights had been haunted by her endless memories and insecurities. She did her best to remember Fracture's advice of always having her head hight and be proud of being within this woods. But nothing would change how much pain she felt within her chest. A pain that with the passing of months and years it collected into a thick mass that until today has been drowning her heart, her soul to the point of making her feel closer and closer to the edge, to the edge of dropping it all. And as she walked, her mind was filled with the memories of her childhood, of those dark ages that marked her growth, that marked her today. She could still see those words, words filled with death wishes, with hate from her own family. She could feel the expressions of disgust, of annoyance upon her. She closed her eyes as tears started to slide down her cheeks, she felt awful, she felt soaked in pain. But as she went further, her eyes of green spotted some movement ahead. As she poked her head out of the bush, she could see Acere and few other wolves gathered. From the bunch, she recognized Fracture and Heloise, the only two she really knew apart from Acere itself. She wasn't sure if her presence would be allowed but making the memory of the conversation with Fracture, she marched out of the bush and with her ears and tail lowered she sat down a bit far from the rest, watching from afar. She wouldn't do anything unless she was told to. And with that distance between her and them, she could once again be in the company of her old friend the negativeness and like before, she allowed her mind to navigate on her memories. OC: She isnt interacting with no one, she is just watching from afar unless adressed "Speech"

code by Cloudy

He could hardly contain his excitement when his uncle had promoted him to a Knight and was now holding a special ceremony just for them. He followed the others, crimson gaze finding both those that the ceremony was for and spectators. He was particularly keen for the after celebration. After all, there would be drink! He had never had anything that was for the adults, but technically he was an adult now. And he'd be two in the coming season. He moved to stand alongside his comrades, the youth standing proud and tall beside them. He had worked hard since the abandonment of Ruina. Working himself to the bone each day to prove he could overcome and be better than his sire had ever been. With those thoughts in mind, he bore a grim determination to continue working hard, especially to repair the Praetor name that his father had dragged to hell with him. "Speech"

Acere was holding a ceremony for those that had been Knighted and those who had been a knight before they got ranked up. He was proud of his achievements. Proud of everything he had done up to this point. He had overcome his disability and proved himself a master in battle. He had overcome all the trials and tribulations thrown his way. He had worked so hard to get to where he was now and it had all paid off. He walked among the others and stood beside them, his companions sitting back as they looked on with pride. He stood alongside them, armored visage looking ahead as he waited for the ceremony to start. He would certainly participate in the ceremony after this. Gods knew he and the others deserved it. Walk, "Talk" Think "Kimahri" Shiva

She followed them to where the ceremony would be held, pride in her stride and gaze at her mates accomplishments. She was still feeling a sort of high after he had requested to marry her, and she couldn't be happier with her life now. She had Tyranis. A home. Three beautiful children. She was proud and happy to share in her mates accomplishments, knowing he had worked incredibly hard and come a long way from where he used to be. He deserved this. The fiery babe stood with the others to witness the ceremony at hand, ear flicking when she heard Incendio shuffling in to stand between her legs as he watched in awe at his father. Maybe one day, she'd be up there. Though she still wasn't sure which path she wanted to take in the pack...if she wanted to be a warrior or something else. Despite everything else falling into place, she was still unsure about her own path. She gently licked the top of her sons head as she watched in silence, not wanting to disturb the proceeding. "Talk" "You" Think

The alpha had said there was going to be a ceremony for some of the members who had been promoted. He wasn't entirely sure what a Knighting ceremony was, but he knew his dad was going to be part of it! He had stayed behind for a few moments, wondering if he was allowed to go and watch, but ultimately decided that he wanted to see his dad get Knighted. He squeezed in between his mothers forelegs and stared with wide sapphire eyes at his father, standing there. He wanted to be just like him someday. Big, strong, smart...in his eyes, his father was the best and strongest and smartest wolf he knew! Curious gaze peered at the other wolves who were getting knighted, and they all looked strong and brave, too. Even the guy who always wore the armor and was followed by the two big cats. He wanted to be like them, standing there, with something to be proud of. "Speech"

The filed in and stood in a line before him. Tyranis. Fracture. Heloise. Dragon. And their supporters and witnesses watching on. His chest swelled with pride as he looked at his best warriors, crimson gaze looking them over for a moment before stepping forward. It was time to start the ceremony. This would be his first time initiating a ceremony and knighting anyone, but once he started, there was no going back. They'd bear the title of Knight whether they chose to stay in Winterfell or go elsewhere, until death came for them or some unfortunate event forced him to revoke the title. He didn't think the latter would ever happen, however. They were brothers and sisters. Comrades in arms. A Northern family despite each having come from different places and backgrounds. Without further ado, he cleared his throat to speak. "Welcome brothers and sisters, to our first knighting ceremony. The four of you standing here today have proven yourselves time and time again that you are worthy of the titles you're about to receive. You've shown courage, bravery, humility, and undying loyalty to your pack and Northern family. Once you've become a Knight, the title remains with you throughout your life, until death takes you away and even after," He gazed at each of the four for a moment before taking a white cloth cloth from Lumi and stepping forward until he stood before Tyranis. "Bow your heads," He motioned to his foxes and even Dragon's companions to grab a cloth and join him. Each companion stood in front of each participant, with Finn in front of Fracture, Shiva in front of Heloise, and Kimahri in front of Dragon. Each held a white cloth, and as Acere placed the cloth over Tyranis' back, they followed suit and did the same to the others. "This white cloth represents purity," He grabbed a red cloth next, companions all doing the same as that, too, was placed on their backs. "The red represents nobility," He uttered before momentarily turning away to find Ignis' cockatoo companion approach with strips of black cloth. Acere took the four piece and laid them each across their shoulders before moving to stand in front of them again. "And the black represents death." He gazed at each of them now draped in the colors he thought appropriate for the ceremony. Colors that would mark them as Knights of Winterfell. He moved again to Tyranis first. He gently placed his head over the left side of Ty's shoulder, "In the name of the warrior," He lifted his head and placed it on the right shoulder, "I charge you to be brave." He moved over to Fracture next and placed his head on his left shoulder, "In the name of the father," and then his right shoulder, "I charge you to be just. He moved to Heloise, crimson gaze steadily looking at her bowed form for a moment before placing his head over her left shoulder, "In the name of the mother," and then on her right shoulder, "I charge you to defend the young and innocent." And lastly, he moved to Dragon. "In the name of the name of the smith," He said as he placed his head first on his left shoulder, and then the right. "I charge you to keep yourself strong." He returned to his place at the front, gaze moving over each of them again. "And in the name of the crone, I charge each of you to exercise wisdom. These are the core traits each of you are charged with. These are the oaths you take from today, onward. Bravery. Chivalry. Defending the young and innocent. Keeping yourselves strong in body and mind. And the wisdom to know what is right and wrong, among many things." His voice boomed loud and clear. These were a few of the many oaths of Knighthood. "Now rise Ser Tyranis. Ser Fracture. Ser Heloise. And Ser Dragon. As Knights of Winterfell and protectors of the realm." "Speech"

Ser Heloise. she was now Ser Heloise. the ceremony came and went, with the highlights in her eyes being named a knight at long last. she stood as proudly as possible, her eyes never leaving Acere's face as the king deemed her deeds acceptable in the eyes of Winterfell. the feeling in her chest tightened; one of pride and accomplishment but also one of love. she loved her pack, her community and the people within it. she rose her bowed head to the king as he called them out, a true and genuine smile gracing her lips. she had been validated. her training was not in vain. but she would continue to hone her skills a sa knight of Winterfell. she was not sure if she should speak at this instant, and opted for silence as she stared at her fellow knights. she had called Dragon 'ser' before he was knighted, had trained with Fracture and met the sons and daughters of Tyranis. she gave them a nod, congratulatory, before her sight went back to her fiance. there were no words to express how much meaning Acere had given her since they met. a home, now a family and love. Heloise would repay him for the rest of their lives together. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara