The days had turned to weeks, and passed by so fast he almost couldn’t believe the deadline had been reached. He had watched his young recruits very closely. He was shocked at Hesters disappearance, despise her promising start. Roan had bowed out early, dedicating his time to Io, and the issue she wished to find a solution for. He could understand and respect that, and he needed a Reaper that could dedicate their time to the position. He had held high hopes for Banshee, and had wanted her to do well, but well she had started off strong, she had crashed and burned, and he had seen little of her lately. The wolves that ran the patrols with dedication, and put in the time and effort to do what needed to be done, were Malalia and Tamsyn. He was proud of both of them. They had earned this, and would be good for the pack. His howl rang out, summoning to him those two wolves, and the pack. Let them see who their new high ranking leaders were. He stood upon the dias at the meeting point, letting the sound ring out across the pack lands, before falling still and silent. "Speech"

The call came upon his ears and without hesitation the young warrior headed to the spot in a prompt way. He has been dedicating himself to train and level up his skills. After his loss in the raid he has been trying to improve those things he thought needed more work. If he wanted to be a warrior someday he needed to work hard and don't let a defeat change up his mind. Mistakes were tools to learn and that's what he did.As she approached he saw his alpha there and in silence he sat down with his calm eyes fixed on the leader. He didnt say anything yet , a small nod was all he offered the big wolf. And calmly he waited for the meeting to start. "Speak"

This was the day, wasn't it? As soon as the Warlord called the pack meeting, Mal knew in her bones what it was for... unless she was wrong, in which case she'd be sorely disappointed in whatever Sirius had to say. She'd been organizing the pouches in her armor, but she dropped the project swiftly enough, wiggling out of the entrance of her den to begin a fast trot across the grass, heading swiftly towards the call. Her tail twitched behind her as she slowed her progress, coming up to bump her father in greeting as she usually did before turning to settle down with the rest of the pack. For once, she wasn't wiggling out of her fur, though her gaze possessed a certain determined shine. She's busted her ass for this, but she wasn't the only one who had. Malalia could only hope that it'd been enough. The young woman sat patiently, waiting for the rest of the pack to arrive and for Sirius to announce... whatever he had to say. "Speech"

The call came and Aslatiel followed, but very begrudgingly. She was angry and disgusted. When she arrived at the meeting place, she stayed at the back, sitting as far away from her "family" as possible. At the moment she didn't want anything to do with them.

This wasn't the time to air her displeasure, but she would do so soon enough. Maybe Azure would understand. Maybe he wouldn't. He was one of three boys. Asla was the only girl. Apparently that wasn't enough though. The sooner Sirius made his stupid announcement, the sooner she could go back into non-existance. The moment they were dismissed, she was gone. She needed to kill something.

Dainty paws led the Armada healer to the meeting place. She was anxious to get back to her wifely duties. They'd started tying the front door shut simply so they would be found in a... compromising situation. It was funny. A few simple words, a little ceremony, and it was like they were both hormone ridden youngsters once again.

Arriving at the meeting, Iolaire took her seat at the front, flashing a dazzling white smile at her brother as she did so. She saved room beside her for her mother and Roan. Dropping to lay on her stomach, she waited.

The big warrior had been on her way to the barracks when Sirius called. She was there daily to train others in the art of battle, as promised. Altering her course, she cut through the territory and made her way to where several wolves already sat. Having been prepared for training, she was garbed in her crocodile armor and steel clawed bracers.

Resin seated herself between Iolaire, whom she nuzzled between the ears, and Malalia, whom she greeted with a friendly shoulder bump. Whatever excitement that Sirius was drumming up today, she hoped that it wouldn't dissuade the pack from their training.

Having hardly had a worthwhile night of sleep, he had risen before the sun but kept to himself for most of the morning. After the hunt the night before with Sirius, he was curious of this pack and was eager to meet others and see what it was all about. He never expected to hear a call, however, calling the pack to a meeting. It'd been a few hours at most, but he rose and carried himself from the den nonetheless and headed off in the direction of the call.

A few others had already gathered and had found their place in wait for the meeting to start. Glancing around, he took in a bit of everyone and found his own seat after offering a slight nod to Sirius should he be noticed. Sitting alone, he wasn't far from the group but kept to his own space near the side of the gathering. Wondering what this meeting had been called for, he simply waited, glancing around and listening as the others would continue arriving.

"Speech"

Tamsyn heard the howl from Sirius and felt a little nervous flutter in her stomach. She had been working hard over the last few weeks. At first it had all been in order to prove she could be a good candidate for the Warlord's contest, but the more she trained the more it became a desire to just improve her skills for herself. She had learned so much in such a short amount of time and she did have to give this competition credit for giving her the inspiration to do so. She felt much more confident walking into this meeting than she had the last one. She gave Sirius a wide smile before turning her attention to the other wolves that had gathered and easily spotting Resin. With a wag of her tail she trotted over to her favorite warrior to sit near her, settling on her haunches to face their Warlord to anxiously wait for what he had to say. She had already made the decision that whatever the verdict was she was going to be incredibly happy and proud of whoever won. She had gone into this knowing she was the under dog so just making it to the end had made her happy.

Roan didn’t often leave his dainty little wife alone since they’d officially said their vows to one another. He’d nearly forgotten about his responsibilities because it was hard to keep his paws off of her. Making the decision to devote himself to her was an easy one, though he’d apologized greatly to the Warlord for not being able to perform for his alpha. He was more than understanding though, and Roan would happily put all of his efforts into taking care of Iolaire.

He followed after his wife as the call rang out and settled in comfortably beside her. He gave her a kiss on her forehead before turning his attention to Sirius.

Much like his sister Indigo still felt out of sorts, he’d been very quiet recently as he tried to work through his emotions. His aunty Io was busy with her husband, he supposed Roan would be his uncle now. His mother and father were busy with the pack and the boy had yet to seek them out for help. Indy tried to hide his emotions, he’d already worried Mortis enough with his grumpy attitude. He didn’t have the normal spring in his step but he did have a timid smile as he appeared at the meeting. For a moment Indigo hesitated taking his place beside his sister, but he needed to be beside her. He could tell that she was upset as blue eyes fell on her. His massive violet form sat beside her, offering a look of commiseration as he lowered himself to lay next to Asla.

Azure was with his mother on a hunt when his father gathered the pack for an announcement. They were supposed to be home in time, though found themselves delayed by the snow. Rolled upon his back and strapped down with vines was a heavy pelt, he'd not had the time to run home and drop it off before joining the meeting. His mother touched her paw to the back of his leg gently before moving up alongside the warlord, and Azure found him searching the area for his sister in her absence. It wasn't normal for her to sit in the back so far away from the others, and so Az interjected himself into the space beside her on the side opposite Indigo and moved to wrap an arm around Asla comfortingly. He had no idea what was upsetting her, though he knew something was. The 'what' wasn't important - besides, they could always kill it later - for now all he had to offer was his comfort. To his brother he shot a questioning glance, but stayed quiet until the meeting was to be over. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Zee was many, many things but late was never one of them. The entire way back from their hunt she'd rushed her son, weighing the possibility of being lost in a blizzard over being late for her own pack meeting. It was unacceptable, but thankfully they'd made it before Sirius began. She touched her son's arm lovingly as she dismissed him, moving up alongside her husband and briefly leaning her head into his shoulder in greeting. Horned head tilted upwards to direct her breath into his ear, her apology hushed. "Sorry I'm late, turns out snow and short wolves don't go together." Her message delivered she moved off of him, looking out at their gathered wolves. Promotions were always an exciting time, and she couldn't be prouder of how hard their pack had worked to bring the Armada to where it was. "Zee" & "Sirius"

Mortis wasn’t going to miss this for the world. He knew what his father was going to be announcing, he knew it because the deadline for the Reaper challenge had been met. He thought his friend had a lot of marks in her favour, but he wasn’t certain. He knew it was either Malalia or Tamsyn. He liked both of them a lot, but quietly he was rooting for Mal. He followed the call to the meeting spot, and would note that all his siblings had beaten him here. He gave Mal a grin, sticking his wings straight in the air as he glanced at her, before letting them fall flat again. He made his way up behind Azure and Asla, and settled in beside them. Even if it was further in the back then he would have liked. Mal knew he was supporting her, but here he could support them, too. He rested one wing across Asla, offering her a smile as he settled down to wait. "Mortis"

He noted that Dunkan was the first to arrive, and nodded to the boy, giving himself a mental reminder to check where he was with his training. He would be two in a few seasons, and might be ready to move up in the ranks. Mal came next, offering him a bump on his shoulder, which he returned before she settled down  a small pace in front of him.

Asla rolled in next, and he noted her disgruntled expression, and choice to sit far away. He would chase her down after the meeting and chat with her. His sister, his… sort of grandmother appeared, and each earned a slight nod. His newest recruit attended the meeting, fresh into the pack and showing a good example. Sirius would remember that.

At his wife's arrival, he chuckled softly. “Your right on time” he promised her, kissing her cheek before she settled in beside him. A decent turnout of wolves had arrived, but he knew others were still working on winter preparations and hunts. The news of the promotions here would be passed along to them.

Sirius took a step forward.

“Thank you, Armada wolves, for coming together to see the results of the hard work that was put into the Reaper challenge. Malalia, Tamsyn, step forward please” he waited for the two wolves to do so. They stood before him, facing the pack, and he towered over the both of them. Standing, he placed a paw over Malalia’s shoulder   “The both of you have displayed tenacity and hard work over the last few weeks. I’ve watched you both come a long way with your training. It is with great honour that I bestow the rank of ‘Reaper’ upon you, Malalia Fatalis. You will be responsible for upholding the laws of the pack. When you speak, you do so with my voice. In our absence, you lead. You are the Iron back of this pack”

He waited for Zee to pull out the iron bracers, making ’Iron of the pack’ very literal. He had very carefully crafted them with her before this day. Like the Obelisk behind them,they  had carvings etched into their surface. Not words, like their laws, but symbols. “These bracers are weighted with the reminder of the responsibilities you carry with you, always. The first holds the symbol of a hibiscus, the symbol of our Empress, who wishes you to grow into your position, and whom we represent, always.” As Zee handed it to him, he carefully snapped the bracer into place around a leg.

“The second, a Scythe, the representation of your duties to the pack. The reminder that the pack is with you, always, and you are with the pack. Because together, we are stronger.” this he snapped against another leg. “The third, a bear to represent your Warlord, and a Gordian Knot, to represent strength, and unity. An unbreakable union. As you represent me, daughter and Reaper, I will always represent you.” the third was snapped gently against a leg. For this one, he gently bestowed a kiss across the bracer, representing, both the strength of him, and the love of him.
“Fourth, and finally, the snake coiled about the horns, to represent our Queen, and defending what you love.” This he had Zee clasp to his Reapers skin as he rose, looking out at the crowd once more, one paw resting lightly against his daughter's shoulder. “The four legs that hold these symbols are equal to each other, equally they carry your weight, and the weight of your responsibilities”
A soft breath
“Rise, Reaper of the Ashen Armada”

Turning to Tamsyn, he placed his paw next across her right shoulder. Holding it lightly there, he began again. “It is with great honour that I bestow the rank of ‘General’ upon you, Tamsyn Armada. You are a leader among warriors, and I trust in you guidance of my armies. You are our Iron Hand.” Zee handed him the next set of bracers. Two, this time. “These bracers are weighted with the reminder of the responsibilities you carry with you, always. The first, the Sword, for we are a might to be reckoned with, and you are the first sword of my army” he latched the bracer across one of her forepaws. “The second, a shield. We are a fighting force, not only to strike but also to defend. We are the front lines of the Ashen Empire, and we can never forget our duty to them” he latched on the second bracer, and put his paw across her shoulder again. “Rise, General of the Ashen Armada”

Both the wolves stood before him, and he came up beside them, standing in a row with his newest high ranking wolves, him on one end, Zee on the other “The Armada is one, and all who live here, live under my protection. It is not a job I can do alone. We train, we teach, and we grow, as a team. That is why I give you these two leaders, who have proven themselves worthy of the task of fighting for us all.”

"Speech"

The last of their wolves gathered and Zee remained quietly at her husband's side as he began to speak. He acknowledged the effort each wolf had shown in the competition and began the meeting as they'd prepared. Playing her part beside him she passed the ceremonial bracers to the warlord on request, securing the one that represented herself on Malalia's leg nearer to the end. When Sirius finished addressing them she took her turn to speak, looking up at both the she-wolves with a warm smile. "You've earned this, Malalia. I'm so proud to see how far you've grown and even while so young. It gives me so much hope for our future to know that we have such a capable Reaper behind us. Thank you for all you've done and all you will do." She lifted a paw to move to touch upon the yearling's shoulder, a gesture of appreciation and respect. Turning to Tamsyn she let out a pleased sigh. "I knew I brought you home for a reason." She let herself laugh softly, remembering the day where Tamsyn had accepted her offer to rest a night in Armada lands and insisting the whole way that she'd not remain with them. "I thank whatever power guided me to you that day, and I couldn't be happier to see you finding your place here. I know you'll continue to be great, our warriors couldn't be in better paws." As she did with Malalia, she touched her paw to the she-wolf's shoulder gently before stepping back into her place beside them. Having finished what she wanted to say, Zee backed into her place beside them once more before Sirius began to give his closing words and opened up the meeting to the newly promoted wolves. "Zee" & "Sirius"

Mal wiggled as Resin sat down beside her, returning the bump and a wide grin to the gray woman. She wrapped her tail around her paws as the rest of the pack filed in. Movement caught her eye, and she uttered a soft chuckle as Mortis flashed his wings in greeting unbothered by his decision to sit with his siblings. When Sirius called her and Tamsyn forward, she took a steeling breath. Turning back to Mortis, she mouthed wish me luck, before swiveling forward to stand before the man. She’d rushed over here, and while not dirty, she probably could’ve used a few spare licks here and there to smooth down her fur. Not that she ever cared about that sort of thing. It was certainly  the last thing on her mind when her father called her forward, and named her Reaper. It took everything within her to rein herself in, her tail threatening to wag a hundred miles a minute. Instead, she she simply breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as the utter joy, the pride of her achievement washed over her. Malalia Fatalis, Reaper of the Ashen Armada. She would’ve laughed at the timing if she hadn’t collapsed into a tiny sun. She’d been gifted two titles this season, as it turned out. In our absence, you lead. Heavy words they were, and even her joy became solemn, quieter, as Sirius laid this responsibility onto her. She knew how inexperienced she was. She knew she still had a lot to learn, but she would learn it all. Her ears flicked as the bracers were brought into view, and it seemed that she would be receiving more than a title today. She listened quietly as he explained the meaning behind the symbols, a little laugh escaping at the kiss he planted on the bracer — not derisive, but a wondrous thing. The man who had sired her was long dead, but she never could’ve predicted she’d ever have a father. Her ears planed back as memories, unbidden, moved behind her eyes. If only… Malalia rose when he did so, turning respectfully to hear as Tamsyn was named their General. She smiled, tail thumping in congratulations for the woman. Mal had worked hard for the rank of Reaper, but she knew she wasn’t the only one, and her own promotion wasn’t entirely expected. She was older than herself, after all, despite their dual status as students. Tamsyn had earned this. When Zee turned to her, she grinned warmly at the praise, quietly grateful that both leaders of the Armada had seen something within her. She exhaled when they finished speaking, and with a slow wag of her tail, she nodded respectfully to both of them. “Thank you,” she said, her green eyes landing on her father. “ For… for seeing something in me. For welcoming me into our pack, and making me your daughter.” She looked at her paws, searching for the words. She wasn’t much for long speeches, but she hoped her words would do justice to the gratitude she felt, the understanding of her responsibility. “I know I’ve still got much to learn, growing into this position. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep proving my worthiness to hold it. Every day.” And that was a promise. "Speech"

When Sirius began the meeting she was honestly surprised to hear her name called along side Malalia's. If she was being honest, she had better prepared herself for not earning the rank than she had for actually being called. She stood with a bit of hesitation as if she felt like some mistake had been made. Moving to the front of the group, she sat next to Malalia on the other side of Sirius, looking out into the crowd till her gaze found Resin's and she pulled a little nervous smile onto her muzzle. Tamsyn took a breath and pulled her shoulders back, trying to ignore the feeling of everyone's eyes sitting on her. As her Warlord began to speak, addressing Malalia first, she knew that it was Malalia that had earned the title of Reaper before Sirius confirmed it with his words. She glanced toward the younger woman with a warm smile, her tail wagging softly behind her. She knew that Malalia had been working so hard for this so she was happy to see the position go to her. Tamsyn waited curiously and anxiously while she watched Sirius place bracers on their new Reaper, explaining the significance behind them as he did. She listened closely to all of it, absorbing every moment that she never wanted to forget. When the attention fully turned to her as Sirius placed his paw on her shoulder, Tamsyn looked up to him with a mix of surprise and pride. General. She would be their general. What caught her off guard for a moment was the fact that he referred to her with a last name. Tamsyn Armada. She had distanced herself from her family's name long ago and hearing him speak as if the Armada was her family made emotion well up in her throat. That's what they were now, weren't they? They were her family. She had been an outcast and an orphan when Zee found her and now she had a family again - except this time around her family wanted to see her succeed and put her in a position that made her feel capable. It was hard to keep her emotions in check as Sirius gifted her with her own bracers, their meanings simple and powerful all at the same time. The weight of the position certainly wasn't lost on her and a nervous energy bubbled in her stomach. She knew it was only because she cared so much for this pack that had taken her in - that was what made her care enough about being given this responsibility for it to make her nervous that she wouldn't do well enough at it for them. She stood when Sirius instructed her to, looking to Zee for a moment when she spoke, smiling when she heard the horned woman speak of the night that had changed the course of her life. "Thank you, Zee," she replied with a heartfelt emotion thick in her tone. "And thank you, Sirius," she added, turning her gaze upward to the Warlord again. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Zee, in the pack or possibly even in this realm, and her training wouldn't be nearly as far along as it was if it wasn't for Sirius' tutoring. The two of them had ensured that she could be who she wanted to be and she couldn't be more thankful to them. She looked to Malalia briefly, smiling to the woman that she was sure she would be working closely with now. Then her attention turned to the wolves that had gathered to attend the ceremony, her tail wagging gently behind her. There was still so much for her to learn, but she wasn't afraid of taking on this responsibility with wolves like Sirius, Zee, and Resin to help guide her. "I agree," she commented to Malalia's statement of growing into the position. She wasn't a wolf of many wolves either, but her statement seemed to sum it up nicely. "We'll learn together," she added with a grin, looking to Malalia one more time.

More and more wolves began to arrive before Sirius would begin the meeting. A few pups, an obvious couple, some others, and who he assumed was Sirius' mate, arriving ever so close to being late. Could you be late for you're own meeting? Or would they be left sitting here had she not shown as early as she did? Magnus pondered the question a moment, but took to studying the other members instead, trying to take in what he could about them. Some seemed like worthy adversaries to train with, others seemed less likely to do so - likely healers. If this pack was made up of warriors as Sirius had said, they'd need at least one good one around. He wondered if that's what the small woman did, or perhaps she was as lethal as a viper. Both could have been an option he supposed, as it was possible to poison the enemy while in battle if equipped with the right weapons.

It wasn't long before Sirius began to speak, calling forth a very young woman and one he assumed to be not much younger than he. He listened though and paid his respects to what he had to say, but he couldn't help but wonder why such a soft, young girl had been given such a high rank. Sure, she probably worked hard to achieve it, but perhaps the older woman would have been better tasked with the job. Narrowing his eyes briefly in minor concern, he sighed and let it off. Maybe Sirius just needed to be shown who really deserved to be at the top and if the other woman couldn't do it, maybe he could. He would just have to prove his worth, and that was something he was sure he could do.

He ignored his own plotting for now however and appeared as proud as a new member could at anothers' accomplishments. He let a brief smile grace his lips as he glanced between the new leaders before focusing on Sirius and his mate again, wondering if they had more to say or if the meeting would be over once the congratulations were over.

"Speech"

Sirius made his promotion speech to Malalia and Tamsyn and the two accepted their change in rank. Iolaire whooped aloud, a grin on her face. "Congratulations, ladies!" Though Malalia was young, she was driven. She had been training in battle with her mother and training in healing with herself. There was a lot of work to be done, but she had faith that the young woman would strive to be the best that she could possibly be. Anywhere she lacked, the pack would be behind her to back her up. Tamsyn would continue to thrive as well. The pair could even train together, so the situation was ideal. No doubt her mother would want to continue working with the black wolf. Io had noted the closeness between them. It was... cute. And slightly shocking. Who knew her mother of all people would be attracted to women as well. She guessed the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Leaning against Roan, Io's tail swished behind her. She was a happy, happy lass. "Speech"

Promotions were given to Malalia and Tamsyn as well. She thought that more had entered into the Reaper running, but it seemed as though everyone else had dropped out. She was proud of both women, but she couldn't deny that she was worried. Malalia lacked experience and Tamsyn was new to fighting. As long as they weren't too proud to lean on those with more knowledge... As Iolaire cheered them on, Resin joined in in her own way, clanking her steel clawed bracers together in applause. Once the promotions were finished, the big woman would disperse, heading back to her border patrol. Though she didn't do it as often, she still managed to make her way around at least twice a week. "Speech"