It was time to collect all his chicks and line them up. He had noticed a few absences of late, and wondered how far some of his wolves had travelled. Others seemed to be letting themselves get content and soft. He needed to start whipping his wolves into shape. Deathbelle had mentioned a practice raid, and his wolves were in no condition to win any competitions. That needed to change. He stood with his Wife at the communal meeting spot. The early morning sun behind him, hidden beneath the hills so that long shadows were cast across the flat area designed just for this purpose. He had a few things to announce to his wolves. Training schemes to put into place, the position of Reaver to full, iron law to settle upon them. He would have show his wrath to any wolves that did not turn up this day. Placing a paw over Zee’s and offering his Wife a warm smile, the Warlord would toss back his head, and call for the wolves of the Armada to join them. Round due 4/22/20

The last few season had gone by so quickly, the size of their pack had swiftly doubled and their children approached half a year of age. There hadn't been a formal meeting since Ashen and the Armada's relocation and Zee wondered if the lack of activities on their part had grown their wolves fat and lazy. She was still not entirely used to her position as alpha and so the horned queen could not help the anxious way her heart pounded in her chest. What if no one showed up? Had they been too soft and relaxed? Would their extension of the Ashen Empire end up disappointing her Empress? At their last meeting the wolves of the Armada showed so quickly that Zee thought her heart might burst from sheer pride. Sirius' paw upon hers brought her away from her thoughts and she gave him a smile in return. His head tipped back as he called for their pack and Zee took a steadying breath to await their arrival. There was no need to join him in his song, her warlord's command was strong enough for the both of them. She pitied the wolf who may choose not to show. "Speech"

Mortis heard the call of his father, and would be quick to respond. His first ever pack meeting! That was like, the height of excitement in his young life. He dropped the rock he had pulled from the stream to examine, and shook out his slightly damp coat. He knew the way to the meeting point, he knew the way! He kicked up dust as he took of running, wings hanging gently at his site like two ends of a kite. Maybe he believed it gave him speed, because he did love to let them drift like so. He arrived at the meeting to his his parents in tandem at the head of the meeting point. He ran closer, kissing his mothers cheek in one joyous moment before everyone else arrived, and then rushed back. He took a seat in the flattened grass and tried to contain his excitement. He knew he had to be still and silent, but it was going to be a real struggle. He wondered if wolves he had never met before would show! "Speech"

His father's command was not one Azure would ever dare disobey and by the time the warlord's summoning howl faded from the sky, the boy was nearly there. It was his first official meeting and excitement bubbled in his chest. It was very difficult to contain his enthusiastic tail wag and grin as he came up alongside his two parents, though seeing that he was not the first to arrive did help. He'd run as fast as he possibly could, how did Mortis get there first? As his brother approached Zee to kiss her cheek, Azure turned instead towards their father. He weaved his small body between Sirius' forelegs and nuzzled against his fur before sitting himself down upon the grass to wait with Mortis. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

This time she wasn't covered in paint when her father called. The girl had been outside studying the sky. A task easily left behind when she was summoned. She didn't know what she was being summoned for. Mossy of her nights as of late were spent in the star den, as she liked to call it. There hadn't been much time to absorb small talk with her family.

Shaking out her creamy pelt, the dainty girl made her way towards the call and noted that her family had gathered. She greeted each of them with a nod, then took her place at the end of the line, saving a place beside her for Indy. She wondered what this was all about.

Odette Mooncrest The call of her alpha was enough to cause the woman to jump during her early morning tasks. It was not that she feared the male's call, but she was startled by the sound of it. When was the last time they had a meeting? Back when they first moved to these lands perhaps? It was long before Odette had been gifted her birds, and it was even before the births of the young princes and princess. So much had happened since then, it made sense for the king and queen to call for a gathering to catch the whole pack up. As Odette turned from her hens and started off in the direction of the meeting, with haste in her steps, she could only wonder what else might have happened, or might soon be happening? Were there new faces to meet, new lands to see, new challenges to be had? Whatever the cause, it brought excitement into their lives and Odette would be grateful for some much needed guidience from her leaders. When she had arrived, Sirius and Zee stood tall and proud, a vision of strength and unity. She noted their pups Mortis, Azure and Aslatiel had beaten even the handmaiden to the meeting, but it only caused a smile to grace her lips. With so much changing since the last meeting, Odette was no longer eager to hide and cower behind her queen, instead, the female greeted both alphas with a gentle smile and a respectful bow of her head. "Good day, your majesties." Her voice was delicate but respectful as she moved to sit on the sidelines. Perhaps she simply wanted to be viewed as one of the members, or maybe she was just excited to see them all. Perhaps... somewhere deep within, she simply wanted to leave ample space for her new friend Killian to join her. But her attention stayed on the ruling pair as they would wait for the others to arrive. A playful game for the chicken master, as she would count just how many more the Armada had grown, and try to track down each new comer so she may meet them properly. "Speech"

Table by Sea
Art by Fox

The call for a meeting was heard, but she wouldn't be the first one there. Not by a long shot. Her mother needed almost constant care with her shattered leg and horrific wounds. It was difficult for the big fae to walk in the slightest and so Io needed to be on hand. Stubborn as always, Resin refused to stay home. Meetings were important, she said. And so, with the help of Roan, they got her there.

Slowly, the trio entered the clearing where the meeting would take place. Age settled her mother gently upon a thick fur rather than the hard ground, much to her dismay. Shooting Sirius a look of extreme exasperation, the tiny healer seated herself beside her mother and lover.

Dunkan Sarcova "SATISFACTION IS RESERVED FOR THE NONCONFORMIST." The young warrior didn't waste time and rushed to the meeting. He wanted to be prompt with important things as this one, he wanted to prove the dedication he was willing to give to the Armada. If he wanted to become a soldier, one to respect he needed to show the interest on the pack. And in cases like this, it helped. Soon he arrived to where he heard the call come from. Spotting his king and queen, and many others. He sat down in silence, giving a respectful distance from the others. And nothing else he would do. Just wait and see. Would his mentor come too? Probabily and he hopped so as she was the only adult he knew. "Hello" | 'Thoughts' | 'Your speech'

The woman had been in a dark place of late. She wasn't used to being denridden and the feeling of being useless rankled her. She had been stuck inside for ages, it seemed. So when she heard Sirius call, she was chomping at the bit to go. Iolaire warned her against it, saying that Sirius would understand, but she wouldn't hear of it. "I'll get there with or without help, " She growled. In the end, Iolaire and Roan took her.

The going was slow and rough. More than once she considered admitting defeat and going back, but she talked herself out of it, refusing to let her injury beat her. Settled upon the fur, she was glad to rest. Little spots had begun to swim before her eyes. Any longer, and she very well may have passed out from the pain. She was settled though and even though her attention might be spotty, she would do her best to stay alert.

Indigo was spending his time helping his aunty with the harvest, she had to be there for her mom and the boy was eager to assist. When he wasn’t in the garden he was with Aslatiel, he enjoyed the star den with her as much as he spent in the main den with their parents. The call from his dad had the boy gathering the flowers he managed to pick. Indy placed them inside the cottage after Io, Roan, and Resin already left. The chunky pup raced onward, the last of his family to arrive. He’d make a beeline for Aslatiel, giving her his affection instead of Sirius or Zee like the other boys had done. He nudged his sister’s shoulder with his dark purple nose and took his seat beside her, bright eyes taking in everyone gathered so far. He knew most of them, but not all the faces. This was their first meeting and now that he stopped moving felt himself grow a little nervous. "Speech"

Tamsyn’s head popped up to listen when Sirius called them all toward the meeting spot. She had been near her den practicing the things she had learned from the Warlord during their training and spar, hopping into that fighting stance and pretending to lunge forward to make attacks. There was only so much she could practice on her own, but ever since training with Sirius she had thrown herself into her practicing as much as she could. The pack meeting was a perfect reason to take a break though so she went to go join the group that had gathered so far. If nothing else she was excited to see Resin again since she was sure the warrior would be there. Maybe her daughter would be there too so she could finally meet her! She hadn’t seen Resin in a little while, but Tamsyn had been so focused on her training that she hadn’t really worried about it too much. After all, she wanted to surprise Resin with how much she had learned!

She got to the area where the meeting was being held and hung toward the edges for a moment while she nervously looked around at the wolves that had gathered so far. There was quite a few pups which Tamsyn was very happy to see. She had never really considered herself very good mother material, but she still loved being around pups an awful lot. Sirius and Zee were there of course and she gave them both a smile as her tail wagged gently. Then her eyes landed on Resin and her smile faltered. She wanted to run up and ask what happened, but there was another woman sitting right beside her - who she assumed was the daughter she had heard so much about. There was another male with them as well and it was enough to keep the nervous woman from approaching them. She gave Resin a worried, questioning look before finally settling on her haunches somewhere near the edge of the group. Maybe she could catch up with her friend after the meeting, but she didn’t want to cause a fuss around so many wolves she didn’t know.

She might not have been the first, but Mal was relieved to see that she was not late for her first pack meeting. She had come as soon as the call went up. Dropping her gait into a quick trot, she arrived at the meeting point and found a spot to settle down, ears swiveled towards the front, the picture of an attentive student. Her former pack had been a little flexible, when it came to meeting times, but the yearling didn't want her first impression to be that of uncaring. Her eyes passed over the new faces, curious, but soon returned to the foreground to hear what her Alphas had to say.

H E S T E R

She'd heard the call, and stepping from the frigid stream with the deep but satisfying bite of fall dripping from her coat, Hester strode towards the direction the howl had come from. She'd been bathing in an effort to remove the dust that had gathered within her fur. She couldn't recall exactly when her last bath had been, and that had been more than enough reason for the chestnut woman to brave the glacial waters of the nearby stream.

In the distance, there were wolves gathered, and Hester hurried her steps as the she closed the distance between herself and the group that had formed. She kept to the outskirts, edging around the collective body of the gathered wolves as she studied them each. She had a faint idea what it meant to be a warrior, but Sirius had yet to tell her what exactly that meant and what he expected of her with the title. Did it mean that she protected these wolves before her? Did it mean that policed them in his absence? Hester suddenly realized that she had questions that needed answers, but she sat silently instead, sending a nod towards where the ruling family sat.

She walks. "She speaks." She thinks.

He wasn’t sure how many times he’d been told to keep his guilt over Resin’s injuries. Of course the warrior couldn’t help but to blame himself and when she needed help he was there to assist. She was an impressive wolf, but Roan helped her along easily. Their pace was slow but it was steady and the three of them arrived quick enough to pass. Even though he wasn’t a healer Roan could tell Resin was at the edges of her limits and he was glad to see her get comfortable.

Roan reclined back onto his haunches beside his future wife, now that his debt was repaid they could make their vows any day. He was eager to officially call her his wife. For now he’d try to focus harder on Sirius than he did the dainty woman beside him. He’d sneak her a grin, feeling more free than he had in a long time.

The call came forth as Banshee was organizing some dried and freshly picked herbs in her den. It was a summon from the leader of the Armada and the sheer power of it brought a small shiver down her spine. She quickly wrapped up what she was doing before trotting her way towards the meeting area. It was exciting to be able to meet all her new pack mates. Banshee was aware of all the new scents she had been smelling around the lands. Sirius seemed to be busy with his recruiting, which was a positive. They needed more Wolves to pick up some of the weight and fill the warrior ranks. Upon arrival the fanged babe scanned the area. Baby blue eyes consumed the row of royalty before flicking her attention to some of the others that gathered. It seemed she didn't really know many of the Wolves gathered or they had already secured their seating. Thus, Banshee moved to sit towards the back of the bunch. The small amount of solitude did not bother her in slightest. It was just nice to see the entire family gathered so proudly. She nodded to her adoptive father and Zee, awaiting the start of the meeting. ""

Hefty paws hit the earth as Killian made his rounds. He often patrolled when he didn't have much else to do. A mundane but very necessary job. With the pups being born and many new members it was good to keep tabs on those who come and go. As well as any unknown scents that linger too close or perhaps predators. But, just as he wrapped up his route and headed towards Odette's hen house to help her out with some protection a call rang through air. The alpha was summoning his subjects for a meeting. Killian raised a brow but continued on towards Odette's den for a quick peek at the hen house, just to make sure all was well. It didn't take long for the slate and alabaster male to head towards the meeting. But, as he arrived he could see that many had already shown. The royal family was presented upon their imaginary dais and their subjects gathered below. Killian allowed his blue eyes to scan their faces before he spotted the Queen's handmaiden. She had plenty of room around her for company so the confident male decided to join her. The Klein sauntered closer to the tan fae with a small grin, "I checked on Dash just before I made my way here. It seemed peaceful in the hen house." Killian sat down as he spoke in a mildly hushed tone. He was a confident one but did not want to be disrespectful to their King. He silently hoped Odette did not mind his company. "Speech"

Zabrina was running late. She'd been on a very important, self-ordered mission to catch a truly awful squirrel. It had developed the nasty habit of dropping things on her whenever she had the misfortune of accidentally walking underneath it. What it needed, she'd decided, was a spanking. Or a shaking if she couldn't work out the problems that would come with trying to spank a squirming, biting squirrel. Either way it was going to learn not to mess with her.

She carefully (and reluctantly) wormed her way out of the tree trunk she'd been hiding in and clamored to the ground in a spray of leaf litter. The squirrel survived yet another day unspanked. His days were numbered, however! She was going to get him and justice would be served.

From there it was just a hop, skip and slid into the meeting place. Zabrina composed herself just out of sight of those already gathered and sauntered into the meeting as though 1) she wasn't one of the shortest pups present and 2) like she hadn't just been on a silly squirrel spanking mission.

His pack filed in so quickly he could almost believe they rose up from the earth beneath his meeting point. They assembled one by one or in groups, and before he knew it the majority of his pack was before him. He counted the missing faces with silent disapproval, but his joy at having the rest of them before him was too great to let it take hold.

His children were among the first to arrive, as they should be. Cute little munchkins, through he didn’t spare them much more than a proud smile. His attention was for the rest of the pack, as his eyes glanced across familiar faces. He knew every wolf assembled before him, some better then others.

His eyes fell upon Resin, and he didn’t let his frown show. He still wasn’t happy that she had gotten severely injured under his watch. Well, he would have a new job for her, regardless, one she had agreed upon before the meeting. His eyes roamed again, and he cleared his throat. “Thank you all for attending, it does me proud to see your quick response” he praised them, letting all his wolves soak up the achievement of their quick appearance. Those that had not turned up would be listed as unranked in his eyes, and would have to work their way back into his favour.

“I have a few points to get to today. First, I will be ranking Resin as a warrior-trainer, and anyone else who wishes to take this rank, speak now and I will take note. We’ve had an influx recently of new warriors in training, and needs all hands on deck to ensure everyone gains as much experience and knowledge as we can give them” His eyes rooved across some of the new people, like Malalia, and Tamsyn, before making his way across some of the more experienced members, looking for any indication that they were interested in this rank.

“Secondly, I will be announcing that the rank of ‘Reaper’ will be open, it brings a great deal of responsibility, power, and prestage, for those brave enough to reach for it. There will be competitions, and chances to prove yourself to me, I will get a list of those who aspire to this rank now, speak up! And I will announce what's required of you after the meeting, so please come see me.”

He paused, glancing to Zee, a smile at the edge of his lips, though he suppressed it. The Warlord was eager for what was to come. “On a similar note, the Ashen Empire will be bringing their wolves to us to practice a Raid. you will treat it as the real deal, through I will see only dominance spars among you. Look sharp, because I expect us to win. Other packs have begun raiding, and not in play, so we may expect one to turn their gaze to us. We will be ready and in fighting shape.” he barked, but with a touch of pride in his tone. He expected great things from his warriors.

“One last note” and here, his eyes rooved to the pups before him. To little Asla, who would make a fantastic support to whoever leads the pack one day, with her bravery and loyalty. To Indy, who loved his herbs and growing things, and he could see taking the spot of lead healer when he was older. Lastly, to Azure, his fighter, and Mortis, his first born. Mortis had disappointed him when he was younger, but was at last starting to show promise. “Azure and Mortis will begin training for the single spot of heir. They will learn to work in tandem, and fairly amongst them, so I will know who may lead with both strength and wisdom in the future.”

"Speech"

Ooc:
- Bird is here Ooc, worked out privately. I’m always open to working out a way to get your characters into meetings if you're busy. Those that did not show nor work out something ooc have been knocked into “Mia’ and will be listed as slaves on their return.
- Also, if you want in on any of the competitions mention your name and what you would like in the pack chat.
- P.S.S. whoever gets the rank of Reaper will be getting a very snazzy fight table commissioned by me! May the odds be ever in your favor ;)

Round due 4/26/20

Their pack filed in so quickly, just as they had in the last meeting. Zee greeted them each with a nod and a smile, then looking towards her mate to see the pride echoed in his eyes too. She didn't have much to say, Sirius had always been good with saying exactly what needed to be said. A part of her worried when he announced the heirs they'd together chosen, and she made a note to talk with her other two children afterwards to ensure they didn't feel left out. When all was said and done and Sirius opened the floor, she straightened and looked out over the crowd to see if any would rise to the challenges he'd set for them. With the upcoming raid it would be useful for them to find a reaper. "When Ashen comes, Deathbelle and Hannibal will be on the sidelines watching. They will be observing not just the Ashen wolves but ours as well, so do our Empress proud. If anyone needs any extra training before then, I will be around too." Zee knew she was less of a powerhouse then Sirius but hopefully her pack did not see her as weak. She offered her own assistance in case a wolf might want to fight versus a smaller opponent, or one not as expertly trained as Sirius. "Speech"

Most of what was said Azure was able to ignore as just adult things. The raid comment was interesting, though the pup knew he'd never be allowed to attend so he might as well ignore the event. He was becoming quickly bored - patience not being his strong suit in the slightest - when his name was mentioned and his head shot back to attention. Heirs? What kind of competition would it be, and how were they both to be involved but only one was to win? Azure stifled his growl, glancing towards his winged brother. It would earn him no favor to continue to bully and torment the other boy, especially now when they were to be watched so closely. He licked his lips and sat quiet, waiting to be dismissed so he could prod his father for further information. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."