The time had come for them to finalize their plans for the raids. They were long overdue, and now that he had given a bit more time for the lands to recover from the disaster, hopefully things wouldn't be so strenous for everyone involved. He marched to the clearing in the pines with hear gear on, showing that he meant business and he was serious this time. He had let the pack slip in activity, but no more! He was dead serious now, with the coming raids he would see who was truly committed and who was just using up space. Already he had cut some losses with the members that simply weren't around anymore. He needed the higher ranks filled, but didn't trust anyone to work for it or keep it. Many times he had given opportunities and yet, nobody wanted it. Crimson gaze hardened as he walked determinedly through the trees until he reached the clearing where they'd all gather. He was sure there would be some new faces that might join them, and some old faces gone. Whatever the case, he threw back his head the moment he was in position and called the warriors and able-bodied members. Those who were capable of fighting needed to come. In a few day's time, Winterfell would be standing on the doorstep of their first raid. He only hoped that they could pull together and the pack could get their heads out of their asses sometime soon...because he was getting fed up. If the last meeting or two wasn't warning enough, maybe they needed something to open their eyes when the raiding was done. OOC//Mandatory raid meeting for all WARRIORS! No pups will be participating unless they are advanced or higher fighters. All other adults may attend the meeting as well, even if they're not warriors. Getting a headcount for who is participating in the raids we need to do and tbh I just wanna get them out of the way at this point. "Speech"||Thought||"You"

The Northern King was calling the warriors to gather for what he hoped was the last meeting before the raids. He'd been waiting for the time they would be going, and he sorely hoped it would be soon. He was itching for action and also so the pack could finally get out of its debt to the band. Ugh, what the hell was this alpha thinking? All this headache for a lousy, ungrateful turd? More than likely Avalon would have done the same had she still been an Alpha, and while he could understand her reasoning, it just seemed unnecessary and a bit too much for someone who he only saw sulking around. Then again, Greed was a pretty judgmental guy and he didn't care one way or another what happened to the tusked male, but he felt like if any of his close companions got seriously hurt because of this then he'd be inclined to rip Kai a new one.

Jogging towards the meeting place, he seemed to be the first warrior to arrive. He was the latest member to join the pack, and he figured the senior members would have gotten there first. Winterfell seemed to be struggling as of late, and he wondered what the reasoning behind that was. Maybe Ace had recruited a bad batch...maybe they needed new blood to spur them forward and keep them going. Were he an alpha himself, he would have likely reprimanded every single lazy ass here without a second thought. Lifting his lip in annoyance, he waited quietly for the others to arrive.

He'd been messing around with his breastplate, trying different kinds of padding and cutting some parts so it wasn't so heavy. He had hollowed some parts of it out so it fit better, and so far, he was pretty happy with it. Whalebone seemed to work pretty well so far, but man was it heavy! He had managed to work it enough to where it was lighter but still durable. Nodding with satisfaction, he caught the sound of his uncles call for the warriors and he left his den to go meet with the rest of them. But when he arrived, there was only one other member there asides from his uncle and the guy looked kinda pissy. What was his problem? Nodding to both, he sat down and could feel the energy in the air. "This is it, isn't it? Are we finally going raiding?" He had been antsy since they last talked about it, but had calmed down considerably. The only thing he had been apprehensive about before was raiding Abaven, but they had already struck a deal and now it was time to act. And soon. They needed to get this out of the way already.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha stretched and yawned as she heard the alphas call, summoning the warriors for a meeting. She'd been taking a little cat nap after a personal training session. She wanted to make sure she and her companions were well coordinated in their attacks and she'd also taken the time to sharpen her claws. Natha padded toward the meeting site where a few wolves were gathered already. She settled down and took a seat. Skælingr sat down beside her while Myskia perched up in a nearby tree. They waited for the meeting to begin. As they waited Natha took to getting a feel for the faces and scents around her. These were the wolves she'd be fighting with. Best not to accidentally attack a pack mate.

About damn time Acere got on with things. Kai had been waiting what felt like ages for these godforsaken raids to begin, to fulfill his end of the promise he'd made with Acere. Aid Winterfell with two raids, and then he'd be free, no longer tethered to this place. It felt eerily like his life had been put on hold for these last few seasons, and for what purpose? Literally nothing. He had accomplished nothing and he couldn't shake the feeling that his time here had been pointless - he had not been worth whatever Acere had paid for him, and in the end nobody had gained anything out of this. Perhaps he ought to be grateful but he couldn't help but wonder how things would've gotten differently if someone else had bid more for him, though he didn't blame them for not; there were few wolves in the world he'd pay such a hefty price for, if any at all.

He let out an audible grumble as he made his way through the pines, toward Acere's call. He didn't sound pleased in the slightest though Kai didn't blame him, even if he didn't exactly care to entertain his foul mood for long. His own displeasure was written clearly on his features as he drew toward the group that had gathered, though he hardly paid anyone any attention. Kai had only spoken to a few wolves in the pack and since he'd hopefully be gone sooner rather than later, he wasn't about to exert any energy to getting to know anyone else, not unless they really caught his attention.

Acere’s call came and she understood; it was about that time. Bellamy had accepted the reason for these raids and made her decision that she was going to participate as well. Ears and Whiskers, faithful as ever, had agreed to go with her. For that Bells was grateful… it would feel odd, like she was naked, going into battle of any sort without them. The female rose, giving a soft bark to the badger and devil, before she set off at a brisk pace towards where they were to gather. She wasn’t sure what would come of this… but she was ready for whatever came.

The she-wolf arrived after several others with Whiskers and Ears in tow. She bore her snow leopard cape for armor, the blade not quite finished yet, but at least she had some added defense for the fight to come. Besides… these were meant to be dominance fights, right? She didn’t want to hurt those who were considered allies.

The female remained standing, her green eyes fixed on Acere in silence with a companion on either side.

They were ready.

Tsunami had been getting antsy, more than eager to get out there and prove herself but also unsure how best to do it outside of the promised raids. So when her uncle's call rank out the girl felt her heart jump a bit. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Tsunami trotted off to answer the call. Sure she wasn't quite as accomplished or tacked up as some of the other wolves in the pack but she also knew nothing beat real combat experience... as for the equipment others had... well that she'd just have to deal with later. Tsunami granted her uncle a respectful dip of her head when she arrived, then she cast cranberry gaze around the gathered wolves. It wasn't many yet, and she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed she didn't spot her brother around... but then she shook her head, trying to dispel those thoughts. She was much too worked up at this point to settle so instead took her place in the small gathering and rocked back and forth on her toes, antsy. speech action

The forge that Song was working on in the hull of the ship was slowly taking shape, he and Orca had been working leather for a while now and he was eager to move on to working with metal. He’d never worked with fire and the hard substance, but he was slowly working out the kinks. Having primate like hands would have helped him exponentially, but that wasn’t about to happen.

The Destruction was thinking about his next steps when the sound of Acere’s call found him. Song hadn’t planned on joining in the raid, his talents were much more fixed to crafting. However, this was more of a practice than a serious confrontation so his huge paws carried him to the pines.

He wondered if Kirsi would join them. Now that the pair of them were much more heavily involved he found himself worrying for her. This wasn’t going to be incredibly serious and he tried to push the feelings down. He could just have some fun fighting alongside the woman he loved. Song appeared in the gathering area, not finding Kirsi but taking a place where she could sit beside him, he waited to be led into battle.

Though Kirsi had been far from the most productive member of Winterfell, she hadn't taken her joining lightly. She and Song had deliberated joining Winterfell for quite some time, and once she had her mind set on something in a more permanent manner she wasn't the type to double back on her decision. Winterfell was her home now and though a considerable amount of her attention had been stolen by Song since her joining, she knew it was time for business. The tone in Acere's call made that quite clear, and she had no interest in delaying too long to arrive to the gathering, curious what would unfold.

Nimble paws carried the tiny woman through the dense pine forest, moving at a hurried pace, though it was far from frantic. When the gathered wolves appeared in her field of vision it became apparently that she wasn't among the first to arrive, but she wasn't bothered by this face. Letting her icy gaze sweep over those who had gathered, she strode over toward Song, settling down beside him easily and leaning against him lightly as a form of silent greeting.

The call had finally come from their uncle and Tyto immediately abandoned his hunt and raced to join the warriors at the pines. His heart hammered in his chest with both anxiety and adrenaline. He didn't know what had taken so long to get things started but at last they were finally doing it! When he reached the pines he slowed down as the group came into view, and right away he spotted his sister. Although they hadn't spent a whole lot of time together lately, he was glad to see her there and felt some of his anxiety melt away as he sat beside her, gently bumping her shoulder with his and flashing her a grin. He knew she had been eager for this just as much as him and now it was finally time!

Glancing around at the others, he noticed half of them were armed to the teeth with some form of armor, weapons, or companions. Like Recluse, he was going in naked so to speak. But did he mind? Not at all. The raw power of nothing but himself could do just as good as someone decked out with all that fancy stuff, he was sure. Either way if he won or lost, he'd just have to do better next time.

He waited for the warriors who wanted to participate, and they did not disappoint. He was glad they had come in a timely manner, grateful they even decided to show up at all. Of course, he was sure he needed to give them more credit than that but with the lax activity lately could he really blame himself for thinking that way? As an alpha, he could be helping with the packs activity. But it also wasn't his job to babysit them all and make sure they were doing the things they needed to be doing. He hoped, however, that they'd what he was about to say to heart. "Thank you for coming. As you can see, I didn't call the whole pack together today because I just wanted those who wanted to go and fight. Warriors, it's time to go and uphold our end of the bargain with Hjarrandi. Now i understand and have understood for some time, and frankly, after much thought, that this might be unnecessary. But regardless if it's for one wolf or none, I believe it'll set the tone of the pack and test us as warriors. To show we're not merely sitting here growing fat and lazy. The northern lands are by no means an easy place to live, and as northern wolves we'll show that." He let that sit among them for a moment before continuing. "Those who have come to fight will come out of these raids with more experience, and...you will also return to be promoted to higher ranks. I know some of you have sat in your ranks for some time now, and I wish to give you an incentive to do your best. Win or lose, you'll get a promotion regardless. That being said, I have higher ranks that need to filled and i am aware that those who joined the pack at its birth aspired to land themselves in certain ranks. Show me what you can do in battle, and you'll be well on your way there. Work hard in the pack after and continue to hone your skills, and you may find yourself in the rank you've always wanted."

His gaze moved over the younger members, knowing a few of them aspired for better rankings. He hadn't heard much about their aspirations for quite some time. But perhaps if they knew they were open and available then they'd strive to get where they wanted to be. "I'd also like to acknowledge that we have a guest among us that will be joining us and helping us train." His eyes fell to Natha then, "Natha. She will be with us until the Winter season to train those that wish to hone their skills. Don't let these opportunities slip by you. As I've mentioned before, I wish to see more in the pack and I wish to see you all blossom to your full potential. After these raids, things will be changing and it's best everyone in the pack start thinking about what they really want." Was that a warning? Perhaps. He would not be tolerating anymore laziness among them once they were done with Hjarrandi's raids. After that, they'd be raiding for themselves at some point. Kai could leave, and the pack could focus on themselves. But the pack wouldn't thrive if the members didn't keep it thriving.

"For those unaware, we have struck a deal with Abaven, our allies. Hjarrandi wants their herb stores, so if we succeed in the raid against them, we will be returning what they lost from our own stores. As for the other pack, Hjarrandi wants their weapons cache. We are not allies nor enemies with Ashen. Bear in mind that win or lose against either of them, our deal with Hjarrandi is done and Kai, you'll be free to go." He readjusted the tiger pelt on his back before turning his attention back to the fighters. "Does anyone have any questions before we begin? If not, go and prepare yourselves. We leave at dawn." He would wait a few minutes to see if anyone had anything else to say. If not, he let it be known they were free to go and prepare themselves.