Toxicity had waited longer than she'd have liked, but she wanted to involve Venom's kids as well. Top her kids, many of these lessons would be repeats, but perhaps it would be new to others. Much like her father had in the past, Toxicity called all of the pups from both litters to her side today. She provided Obi with trinkets and other things to make the point easy for even the youngest pups. In a small bowl, Obi had ground some charred tree into a fine dust. He had collected round, polished balls of dirt for each pup to have and to try to carve their own symbols in just as Toxicity and her family had when they were little. This was to be the first of many sermons and both were eager to keep the pups interested, Obi even more as he recalled the same lessons from Archon's sermons. How they felt like yesterday, but also a lifetime ago. They set out many soft furs for the pups to rest on before she called the children to her side. Though they would be two litters, they were one family and Tox saw to it that they recognized the godliness in each other. Tipping her head towards Obi, she waited for the first of the children to appear. It was the continuation of the new age of Abraxas and Toxicity would see to it that their children were properly educated. ""

Pups required to attend! Others welcome! Round due next Monday (4/12)!

For once it seemed as though Kuroki was first to arrive on the scene. He lingered in the treeline, rocking back on his dark paws as he wondered whether he ought to hang back and wait for everyone else to show up. The call didn't sound as though he was in trouble, so there was no reason for him to delay but even now he got the prickling temptation to just be tricky for the sake of it. With a sniff he dismissed the call and trotted onto the scene, all playful bounce in his steps as he drew in close, his tail wagging in a friendly blur. He'd seen her around enough to know that Toxicity was his Mother's sister, his aunt, but for some reason not quite family in the same way uncle Plague was. He wondered why as he stopped before her and gave her a lazy little head-dip bow. She'd set up all sorts of goodies, bables and trinkets that drew in his gaze, long enough that a silence settled in before he actually greeted her as he probably ought to. Better late than never, right?

"Yo!" This seemed to be his favourite greeting as of late, casual and something he knew Hattori would not approve of. But he wasn't here to shoot Kuroki dirty looks, he was as free as could be! "Aunt Tox what are you doing?" He asked with a sparkle in his dark eyes as he shimmied on the spot, all eager and excited. "Can I join in?"

If there was anything, Kuroki never wanted to be left out. He had to be involved and in the know!

ooc. gonna do my best to keep up replies here during the onslaught of finals, plz ping me if you don't see a timely reply He wasn't the best son, was he? So much time spent wandering further and further from the shrine every day, marvelling at the world that surrounded them. The cold weather seemed to drag on, snow coating the ground with no interest in releasing its grip on the terra. The young wraith slunk between pallid trees with wide eyes roaming the landscape, drinking in everything there was to see and know. The boy returned home when it was time for prayer, and then vanished again like a ghost in the night. He was learning everything he could about the world, but that had led to his neglect of his duties as a son. However, when his mother summoned him, he answered without hesitation. Turning on oversized paws, he picked a careful route across the lands he was beginning to know as well as he knew the backs of his own paws. By the time he arrived back to the clearing that surrounded the shrine proper, there was his mother. Furs, fleeces, and eye-catching trinkets littered the area around her. A soft sound slipped past his lips, intrigued and delighted by what he saw. The oils, herbs, and incense weren't seen but smelled. Perhaps she had anointed the area already, and replaced the various components within the shrine proper. There was already someone else on the scene. Dark coat and budding horns spoke volumes before the scent could even reach the distance between them. The boy had heard that his aunt the Empress had recently had pups, though he hadn't seen much of them yet. Nor was he in particularly dire need of catching a glimpse. They were blood, after all, so they would cross paths eventually. Now, faced with the other child, he found himself lacking. Other than the vaguely oversized teeth, Pontifex was hardly blessed by Abraxas. His inadequacies screamed out ever louder when he was staring at the young koi god, who was brash enough to drawl casual greetings in the face of authority. With a slow breath drawn in through his nostrils, he bolstered his posture with the flood of cold air in his lungs. Drawing his head high and pulling his shoulders straight, he slipped from the meager cover of the undergrowth to greet his mother and cousin. "Mother," he said as he closed the distance, dour expression softened with a smile. "what are we doing today?" he asked softly, two-toned gaze drifting between her gathered supplies and her dark features. Before he could lose his nerve, he turned to face the mysterious cousin. "My name's Pontifex, what's yours?" he asked quietly, breaking eye contact as he picked his way over to the gathered furs and selecting the spot with the best view of what his mother would be doing. He didn't want to miss anything! Settling onto his belly, the charcoal and lavender boy carefully tucked his hind legs against his sides, tail wrapped to one side, and forepaws crossed. If he was going to lounge, he was going to be sure he still looked like the proper boy that his mother raised him to be. "speech" BEEN FISTFIGHTING GRAVITY SINCE THE DAY I LEARNED HOW TO BREATHE

Shirken was on the cold beach, the chilly wind whipped at her white speckled fur. Her ivory marked tail curled around her mottled hip and dual toned eyes looked out over the ocean. She extended her eagle like talons to make grooves into the sand. Lessons were practically done for the day and her direction was waning. Perhaps she should have found her father or one of her brothers for some practice training but before she made a decision there was a call ringing out from the Shrine.

Curiosity begged her forward and mismatched paws carried her over the sand towards the land bride that connected the palace to the white treed forest of the shrine. Now that she was allowed free reign (for the most part) Ike was learning the territory like the back of her pretty white paw. She carried herself with decorum, wanting nothing other than to be and act just as her mother. Shuriken was doing well, not a single misstep until she appeared in the clearing where her aunt, cousin, and brother were already waiting.

The girl’s eyes looked up to the other forms here and just as she lost concentration on her paws the girl lost control of them. The tiny Princess sent herself flying, chest neck and chin scraping the ground as her rear end curled over her back and her tail landed on her forehead. ”Oof.” She uttered when she stopped in front of her Aunt’s dark paws.

Ikigai had already been at the shrine. The snow kissed child was laying at the edge of the pool, watching the little fish swim about. She'd been counting them for what seemed like hours now but her number always came out different. Because it was different, she would have to start over and tally them again. The motion from her aunt kept distracting her and eventually Iki was able to peel herself away from the fish to investigate. As she moved towards her aunt, the woman called out for all of the Ashen pups to come to her. Since she was already here, Ikigai seated herself nearby, silver eyes seeking out the items that Toxicity had been handling. She was a curious child and was always ready to learn new things. If they were being called together, it could only be to learn, right? Oki arrived, followed by a charcoal and purple pup. Ears swiveled back and the lithe child dipped her head gracefully in greeting. Red rimmed eyes turned up at the corners as she smiled lightly. Ikigai was always quiet until spoken to, so she said nothing just yet. A dull thud followed by an exclamation pulled Iki's head around quickly. Ike had fallen face first on the ground. Quickly, Iki rushed to her sister's side, gently helping her sibling back to her paws. With light swipes of her paws, the pallid child helped rid her sister of clinging snow. "Are you alright?" Her voice was soft and smooth; already very practiced. "Come sit next to me." She smiled again before leading Ike to the place where she'd been sitting, her long obsidian tail hissing as it snaked over the frozen ground. "Okiku Ikigai"

Kuroki was lucky that Venom took a bit too long in making her arrival to correct his greeting of his aunt. The young Empress slipped between the trees and made her way into the clearing. The sight was one she hadn’t beheld in a very long time. Venom very nearly allowed a tear to slip from her eye as she relived the memory of creating sigils with their father. The young woman’s heart clenched as white gloved paws brought her to sit behind her two young daughters.

Venom smiled at Pontifex and gave her sister a slight bow of her head as she reclined on one of the furs further back. Making sigils was one of her fondest memories, when her family was whole and she was in harmony with all of her siblings. Life changed so much. The young mother tried to smile encouragingly at her children, hopefully they enjoyed sigil making as much as she had.

Plague was still riding the high of the challenge. It had been the tipping point for his confidence and the nudge he needed to fully throw himself back into the pack and his family. Now that he felt like he could take a step back from the constant training he had been doing to prepare for the fight, it gave him enough space in his mind to think about other things. To think about the future. He had begun planning for the eventual moment when he would get to bring Void home and had started scouting out a place where they could build their den together. It gave him a new project that he worked on between his pack duties and had quickly become his new favorite hobby. That's what he had been doing when he heard his sister's howl from the shrine, causing him to turn his attention away from his planning to listen. The way he viewed the lessons from their father and the beliefs of their family as a whole were... complicated. He wasn't sure if he was in a place to even observe this sort of lesson, but he thought about his sisters and how desperately he wanted to stay in their lives and knew he had to join them. Being able to see the pups again was certainly a driving factor in the decision as well. He had never really considered what it would be like to be an uncle until he began spending time with Venom's children and now it was one of his favorite parts of himself. Loving, protecting, and training these pups was one of his new joys. He found his way to the shrine and he offered Toxicity a small bow of his head before he went to sit next to Venom, leaning gently into her side. Being here with them again brought back so many memories and even though he wasn't certain how he felt about those memories he could put that aside to be here with them. He tried to catch Shuriken's gaze, giving his niece a little grin. He promised that he would never have favorites among his nieces and nephews, but he still secretly did. Plague | Viridis | Procella

Faith Abraxas

Faith was not usually one to arrive so late, at least not compared to others. She often felt her own enthusiasm for her mother's teaching were matched only in her brother. Her other sisters had been even more distant from them as of late and even Pontifex had taken to wandering further and further. Which often left Faith alone with her thoughts... which usually meant alone with the visions that danced before her eyes or whispered in her ears... Something she had yet to truly come to understand and even tried to ignore as much as possible. It was becoming a problem though and she knew she'd need to reach out to her mother soon enough, seek guidance from her though the thought of it put a deep fear into her, what if she was wrong in some way? Rejected by god? Who would she even be if that was true? It made her afraid. But she wouldn't miss a sermon over something as trivial as a mortal fear. Until such time as she was proven otherwise she was still Abraxas, still divine in her own right. That didn't mean the fear wasn't affecting her, her initial steps hesitant until she finally managed to force her limbs to move and she slipped easily into the confidence and proper stances as she'd been taught by her mother.

She arrived at the gathering with her head held high and her steps deliberate, she was going to pass in front of her aunt but stopped first, to offer Venom a deep dip of her head, tilting her chest forward slightly into a bow and rose with her gaze stuck on her aunt until she returned to her full height, then they flicked curiously to the man at her side, whom she remembered from their anointment, and if her mother were to be believed the man was her uncle, though she knew him even less than her empress. Still, he was of the blood and so she recognized him as equally divine and he would be greeted with a respectful tip of her head, before she moved down the line, a slight smile pulling at her lips as she drew before her brother, passing one of the new princelings on the way who was given his own respectful nod. But for Pontifex her decorum slid slightly, though she was never too improper her brother would be greeted with a smile and she'd gently reach out to place a forepaw on the end of his muzzle if he'd let her, a little playful and friendly boop but otherwise she'd not let her fondness for him show too much before moving on, deciding to settle herself on the other side of one of the princesses, the one with the red marked eyes, each of them offered their own nod of acknowledgment.

Faith settled onto her fur, arranging her paws and draping her tail over them before she leaned slightly over to her cousins.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Faith."

Her voice was soft, not loud enough to draw too much attention but friendly enough to introduce herself to the fellow godlings.

my words | my thoughts | my story

Image and table made by Scarlet

Oh no, She was going to get in trouble! She hadn’t meant to wander so far in truth, but an interesting scent had gotten in her nose and she was marvelling at the way the sun glittered off the snow. She knew just from how faint it sounded that she had never been this far from the shrine before. Her ears tipped back in worry, the corner of her mouth pulling down in a frown.

She almost wanted to mutter a bad word but knew it would do her no good. She had to go fast.

Ears pinned flat against her skull, she leant back on her haunches. Already quite large, her paws were still oversized for her growing frame. She moved awkwardly for now, stumbling more than once as she made haste through the snow. It was one thing to walk in it, but running was entirely another matter. In some spots it almost came up to her chest, even following the rut she had left in her wake just getting here.

Her toes stretched out instinctively in an attempt to not slip and fall on her face, and suddenly the whole journey seemed like it would be much easier. It was difficult to be sure, having to concentrate on spreading her toes, and not tripping over anything and gritting her teeth and hoping there was no ice concealed just below the surface, but she had to make it home before the lesson started!

Familiar scents began to fill her nose. It would hardly do to barrel into the middle of the gathering, so she attempted to stop and gather herself. Of course, ice just happened to slip beneath her paws, bringing her close to landing on her bottom as she skidded in spectacular fashion, but at the least the bamboo shielded some of her shame. Her heart was pounding and her breath coming in steam cloud gasps. Modesty would need to pull herself together if she wanted to be presentable enough to come this close to the shrine. A quick shake settled most of her fur back into place, though the thudding of her ears and the clacking of her quills would give her away. She could worry about cringing later though. Forcing the frigid air through her nose instead of her parted jaws was penance enough in the girls mind, the cold burn through her sinuses almost enough to make her eyes water. One deep breath, two, three...

As quietly as she could, she moved to take her place in front of one of the laid out piles, her head turning to the side just so as she tried to suppress a rueful grin for Obi. At least she wasn’t the last to arrive, but that didn’t entirely take away the burn of shame and she wasn’t sure she trusted herself to words, so instead, she respectfully dipped her head to her mother and her aunt and settled herself to wait.

"speech".

heard you’re new in town

Toxicity watched as the pups rolled in. Some asked what they were doing while others were left to their own devices. Kuroki greeted her with 'yo' which Tox could only fathom was some part of Hattori's native language or something. He asked if he could join in and Tox smiled genuinely at him, "Of course, all pups are welcome- even the adults too, if they wish." Pont asked what they were to do and Tox motion to wait just a moment. The other pups tumbled in, some literally, as well as Venom and Plague. She was proud to have her siblings by her this day. She also made note that two of Venom's litter had yet to arrive and worse, one of her own hadn't shown. "Children," she started, her smile raising just enough to show a little of her teeth. Neither she nor Obi could contain their excitement. "Today we are to be learning about what it means to be an Abraxas. Abraxas, as you know, is the name of the God from which our blood comes from." She made sure to make eye contact with each and every child, "Each and every one of you here is an Abraxas and you will grow in blessed godhood until you eventually ascend off of the mortal plane to take your rightful place by God." It was a thing her pups had heard numerous times now, but she elaborated in case the others hadn't yet. These easy lessons that were taught early on that would allow the pups to grow in confidence and ability. She knew that first and foremost, they had to know their place was special. "You have all acquired your godhood through your respective mother's blood. Your fathers are not Abraxas, but that does not make them less special. In many ways, one born to another bloodline or a mortal bloodline can still rise to do great things and ascend as we do. We just have inherited out godliness from birth," she said. "Even those like Obi, who was adopted into the Abraxas family through your grandfather Archon, who are non-wolves in their mortal bodies may join the ranks through dedication and several blessed rituals. Likewise, even one with god or demon blood may fall from the ranks if they live a meek and ordinary life or outright reject gods. I have no doubt that our families will ascend together with the best of them." Obi now gathered the polished orbs and sharpened sticks, passing a pair to each child as Toxicity explained, "One thing that may help you to individualize is to make a sigil. These symbols are to fit within a circle and to represent you. They can be used to strengthen your prayers and to leave you mark physically on the land. You may practice in the dirt." Toxicity explained the significance of these, drawing both hers and her father's into the dirt before her. "I have my own, and the one I inherited from my father. Likewise, Venom and Plague also crafted their own when they were about your age." She motioned to the other adults if they would like to participate but didn't outwardly call them forward. "When you are happy with your design, please carve it into the orbs Obi has given you. Then bring it to us and Obi will darken it with the charcoal he has collected. The same charcoal will be crushed and sprinkled over the back of your pelt, and the sigil will be bound to you." Toxicity took a breath after explaining. It was a lot to take in, she knew. "Do not fret, just as our pelts grow and change, so can our sigils in due time. We may revisit this topic again when you reach a year of age." ""

She bounded after the rabbit at top speed. Running, jumping, tripping over obstacles in her way as she tore through the woodland area of the island. As it dove into the safety of its burrow, Kit followed suit. Diving head first into the small entrance, and cramming her head in with the velocity of her jump.

Her shoulders, naturally, didn’t fit.

She panted, breathing in dirt and musky air as she watched the tail end of the rabbit vanish further into its burrow. She growled at, like she was big and strong and fearsome. But… It was gone. Time to move on.

She tried to wiggle out, and her slowly forming horn nubs scrapped against the surface of the den. Her head didn’t come free. She frowned heavily, and wiggled some more, shoving, and pulling with her hind legs and back, to no avail.

She paused, panting softly, and glaring into the dark space that trapped her. It was like this that the call sounded out for her. She recognised the voice of her aunt. Even tried to lift her head up to hear it better, and knocked herself half senseless on the very close roof.

The little kit growled again for good measure, and began to wiggle and puff and pull. She kept at it for a time, her horns snarling on roots that tied the ceiling together. She shoved and pulled and then suddenly she was free. With a big ‘pop’ she stumbled out of the hole and fell hard on her rump. Shaking out her head, which sprinkled dirt even further through her coat. Oh, she was a right mess. Soft scratches littered her head and shoulders, superficial, but a couple of them showed little red marks from blood that already clotted. Her coat was… half dirt. She gave herself a vigorous shake, but she was already late. She had to get her butt moving.

She raced across the island, and across the bridge, and towards the shrine. Panting slightly she skidded to a halt, looking left and right nervously. Afraid of getting into trouble for her tardiness or her appearance. She wasn’t close enough to be seen yet, and slunk close to the ground and quietly into the back of the group, hoping to avoid notice. Toxicity was already speaking, and she took care to listen really carefully. She wouldn’t be getting points for her appearance of timing, but maybe she could make up for it by being a really good listener.

"Speech"

Before long, there were so many other pups gathering around his mother. He hadn't even truly considered how many of them there were, even though he knew factually how many cousins he had now. Seeing them gathering around was something else entirely, and he wondered how he was supposed to feel. Content? Elated? So far all he felt was anxiety, at the growing number of unfamiliar yet familiar faces. Their bone structure and patterns bore some of the telltale marks that were mirrored amongst his siblings, yet the cousins were also strangers to him. He felt the urge to sidle closer to his mother, but resisted. Show no weakness, stand tall and proud. He was certain once mother began her sermon that he would feel at ease, and it would be no different than any other day. When his aunt arrived, she shot him a subtle smile and settled herself further away from where mother was waiting for the rest of the children. He was very fond of his aunt, she was always nice to him and treated him like he was smart, and grown up. A massive, pallid male entered the clearing soon after his aunt, and it took him a moment to remember his uncle's features. He hadn't spent any time with his uncle Plague, but part of him wondered if he ought to seek him out at some point to know him better. The way he seemed to be familiar with the boy's cousins led him to believe he was spending more time with them, which only stung a little bit. He understood, though. Mother was quite reclusive, in her shrine, and wasn't all too eager to let her children roam freely. Then came Faith, the picture of virtue as she made her way towards the gathering. There was a moment of relief as she approached, where he found himself feeling comforted by her company. One oversized paw outstretched and she tapped the end of his snout gently, before wandering away from him to settle near one of the new princesses. Oh, okay. He folded his forepaws closer to his chest unconsciously, pads upturned towards the soft fur of his chest. When Modesty all but crashed into the meeting, he half expected her to fill the space nearest him. A desire for comfort in the form of familiarity, that was not met. Perhaps he'd been distancing himself from his sisters too much in recent days, and he wondered if he should make more of an effort to spend time with them instead of roaming about. The young wraith wasn't left waiting for long, and soon enough his mother began her sermon. There was still one of his sisters missing, and he was certain he counted at least one of his cousins absent. Weren't there five of them? He was sure there were supposed to be more. Regardless, he saw the twinkle in his mother's eye as she began to preach, and the softness of her expression held his attention as she spoke. It was the same lesson he'd heard so many times, and he wondered if he would ever stop hearing about his divinity. Not that he was opposed to being reminded, but after a while he began to feel discouraged that perhaps there was nothing else he was worthy to know. It was when Obi began to move, and collect the accumulated objects at his mother's feet, that the boy found himself suppressing a shiver of excitement. "One thing that may help you to individualize is to make a sigil. These symbols are to fit within a circle and to represent you. They can be used to strengthen your prayers and to leave you mark physically on the land. You may practice in the dirt." the lilting vocals of his mother explained carefully, and the two toned gaze of the charcoal youngster followed Obi's path across the gathered children. He eagerly accepted the offering of a polished dirt ball and sharpened stick, fitting them into the space between his curled forepaws and chest as he listened eagerly to his mother's newest lesson. "I have my own, and the one I inherited from my father. Likewise, Venom and Plague also crafted their own when they were about your age." once more the boy's attention was drawn to the adults at the meeting, and he wondered if their sigils matched their character in the same way his mother's did. They didn't bear the same gauntlet of curving symbols marked deep in their skin, with the prominent shape of their sigil displayed at their shoulder. Bright gaze narrowed ever so slightly, scrutinizing their forms. Perhaps theirs were simply more hidden? He wasn't offered too much time to consider the implications, as his mother continued. "When you are happy with your design, please carve it into the orbs Obi has given you. Then bring it to us and Obi will darken it with the charcoal he has collected. The same charcoal will be crushed and sprinkled over the back of your pelt, and the sigil will be bound to you." A soft, quizzical sound bubbled up from his throat, barely audible unless you were listening for it. He was absolutely thrilled to be taking another step closer to God, and tying himself to his faith. Perhaps this would help him build the bond with Abraxas that he craved- the deeper connection that his mother had, which he wished to understand in his own way. Slowly, cautiously, he reached one paw out from the boundaries of the fur and began to score the earth with a single claw. The godling took a moment to adjust his grip with his unoccupied forelimb, and ensure his collection of goods from Obi didn't roll away. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel some sort of pull guiding his movements, and simply let his imagination run wild. "Do not fret, just as our pelts grow and change, so can our sigils in due time. We may revisit this topic again when you reach a year of age." the encouragement from his mother was all he needed, and soon enough he was lost in the task of carving in the dirt, wiping the markings away, and starting again. He tried new patterns of curved lines and sharp points, hard edges with curling ends, patterns of different shapes overlapping- all trying to determine what felt right in his soul. "speech" I'VE BEEN FISTFIGHTING GRAVITY SINCE THE DAY I LEARNED HOW TO BREATHE

With Ike settled beside her, Ikigai waited for her aunt to begin teaching them. The girl was pleasantly surprised to see her mother arrive as well and gave a little swish of her tail as she came to sit behind her daughters. Many others arrived as well, including a wolf that she knew to be her cousin. The dark child sat nearby, giving her name and a nod of greeting. Her own voice equally as soft, the pallid princess returned her name in kind. "Okiku Ikigai." She hoped that they would get to know one another in the future, but for now, Toxicity began to speak. Ikigai listened with rapt attention, her dark ears eagerly soaking up the woman's words. The girl had a very thirsty mind and every drop of knowledge soothed her parched soul. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about being told that she had the blood of a god in her veins. It was something that she would have to delve further into. Perhaps her aunt would allow her to ask questions later? Iki didn't want to be a nuisance, but she did want to learn everything that she could. When the topic of sigils came up, Iki gave her dainty skull a slight tilt. A symbol that was only for her? Now, Iki was a very creative child. She'd taught herself to craft toys, she could already write some and she was learning to create music. When she thought about what symbol could pertain to herself though, she drew a blank. When the orb was delivered to her, the pale child rolled it about in her dexterous paw, staring hard at it. She glanced towards Ike to see if her sister was having better luck, then glanced at Faith as well. Perhaps it wasn't something that she should rush. Instead, she continued to hold the ball in her paw and tried to look within. She attempted to think of something that spoke to her. If it could be changed later, that made it a little easier, but she would be stuck with whatever she chose until then. | "Tanuki" | "Ikigai" | "Willa" |

Plague sat back and watched the pups interact with one another, a couple more joining the group before Toxicity began her lesson for them. As he listened to his sister explain the purpose for them being here today and launched into the sermon about how they descended from Abraxas blood, be couldn't help but feel the eerie resemblance the same lesson that was taught to himself and his siblings when they were the same age as some of the pups in front of him. It took him back to that day and in a strange way it felt like he was reliving those memories again. He was very careful to keep his expression neutral and attentive as his sister spoke of godhood and bloodlines, mortals and godliness, dedication and rituals. He even managed to keep himself from reacting in any particular way when she spoke of falling from those ranks if they were to outrightly reject those gods. He couldn't say that he had rejected them thus far, but had he dedicated anything to them either? He was dedicated to Venom, Toxicity, Calamity, to all of the young pups in front of them... to Void. That's what he was dedicated to. If that somehow also made him favored in the eyes of these gods as well then so be it, but if not... Toxicity mentioning he and Venom crafting sigils like they soon would when they were pups pulled his attention away from his own thoughts and he smiled, giving a small nod to confirm this fact. It also made him realize that he hadn't a clue where the one he had crafted back then had ended up. Could he even replicate it now if he tried? He wasn't so sure. Just how far had he strayed from the teachings their father had given them? A slight frown flitted across his expression as another thought crossed his mind - could he even really remember his father? Archon's passing felt like it had been a whole lifetime ago. He knew they were still very young in the grand scheme of life, but he felt so entirely different from who he had been back then that he felt separated from that moment. As the pups began to focus on the task presented to them, he watched as they began to draw circles and designs in the dirt until his emerald gaze eventually drifted down to the dirt in front of his feet. With a flick of his ears he started subtlety doing the same, trying to not draw too much attention to himself as he drew circles and wiped them away again and again, trying to see if he could even recreate what he had once done so long ago. Plague | Viridis | Procella

Faith Abraxas

Faith offered her cousin, the one that introduced herself as Okiku Ikigai, a gracious smile. It was nice to see at least one of her cousins knew how to hold themselves... unlike the dappled boy it seemed... at least to her. Soon enough though her attention would turn to her mother, easily absorbing the repeated information though she kept her attention rapt, knowing there had to be more than just a recap, not that she minded a reminder.

And indeed she was right, her mother explaining sigil's to them and a little thrill of excitement went through her. Instantly her mind was filled with images and she set about trying her hand at it.

And she was absolutely terrible at it. Finding it near on impossible to bring the images in her head to reality in the dirt in front of her, the space around her paws was littered with half-finished shapes and Faith was frowning down at the space directly in front of her toes, the ground having been wiped clean right in front of her. She was staring so hard at the ground that she almost didn't notice when something started to appear in the dirt. Her frown deepened but she did her best to keep her expression similar to her frustration about her lack of results. After a moment, hesitantly and then with more visible purpose she lifted a forepaw and began to trace one of her claws through the dirt over the vision she already knew only she could see. Slowly she lifted her forepaw to look at it, her lines were clearly shakier than the one she'd been trying to trace.

It was two crescent moons on either side of the circle, A line looping through the middle and a lopsided X shape under that... it felt like it was hers, the symbols bearing some of her own personal meanings... and yet she couldn't help but feel guilty, that she hadn't stumbled upon it, had in fact stolen it... was she disrespecting Abraxas by not even being able to come up with a sigil of her own? In time she would come to believe it had been Abraxas himself who had revealed her sigil to her, a direct message from him and a sign she was his chosen prophet but for now the guilt gnawed away at her... silent and hidden though it was.

Sigil Ref

my words | my thoughts | my story

Image and table made by Scarlet

For a moment Venom worried for Take and Kitsune but the latter made her way fashionably late as Toxicity began to speak. Many of her words would be old news to her young, but unlike Toxicity Venom put much less weight on their religion in day to day life. Sunset eyes did another glance around to find her younger son but it didn’t seem like Takeshi would be joining them. She tried not to worry about him, hoping that he was being occupied by his father.

Venom lifted herself so that she might get a peek at all of the work the children were doing after Toxicity explained their project. She gave each of them a quick grin if they looked up to her as she passed. Venom slowed when she returned to Plague, curious she leaned against his shoulder and looked down at the half drawn sigil he had drawn out.

She vaguely remembered her own sigil, a small item that had been made by a young wolf and one that Venom had all but abandoned. So the woman would join Plague and very carefully began to sketch her own improved sigil.

Kiyohime made herself comfortable next to her sister as their aunt began to speak and begin the lesson. Her dual toned eyes swiveled around, making note of Take’s missing presence but she definitely didn’t miss her sister’s late appearance. She grinned at Kitsune brightly but she tried to keep her attention on Toxicity. She was more than grateful for Ikigai’s help and attention after she’d made her grand entrance.

Ike heard a little of what Tox said, though her own importance on the words was lessened as she was instructed to begin drawing. She had a few lessons learning kanji and Take was the one who really knew how to draw and write. Her own motions were quite shaky and imperfect but she was definitely trying. She looked over to Iki’s work and tried not to feel bad about her sub par efforts while she saw no progress with her sister. Especially when her mom came by to give them an approving nod before moving on.

”What do you think Iki?” She asked both for an opinion on her scribbles but also an explanation of her own blank slate.

Modesty only allowed herself to focus on her mother. There would be time to play with her siblings and cousins once their sermon was done, but she knew better than to worry about anything else at this moment in time. Making a sigil sounded like very serious stuff, and the young girl stared blankly at the materials before her for several minutes before blinking in rapid succession. Now was no time to freeze, she had to breathe deeply and open herself to her ancestors wisdom, she guessed? She still wasn’t very good at that and quite easily distracted.
Eyeing the sharpened stick with some confusion, she first began scratching in the dirt with her claw. The lines were simple enough. If it was a mark to be left on the world, what was to say it wouldn’t need to be left in haste? When she was comfortable with what she had drawn, she moved to pick up her stick. It wasn’t complete, but that was ok. She still had a lot of learning and growing to go.

"speech".

heard you’re new in town

Takeshi had been out with Sirius training, so he hadn’t even been fully in the territory when his aunt’s call rang out. He’d skidded to a halt in the middle of their spar, jaws open in a pant as he gathered himself and gave his dark pelt a shake. His glowing red gaze turned to the Warlord, expression tilting and shoulders shrugging as if to say ”Family’s calling, what can you do?” before offering a dip of his head and turning to take off into a run. His legs pounded into the earth as he took off, mouth open as he took in great gulps of air but still knowing in his head that he’d be late. He wished he’d had some kind of warning beforehand so that he’d have known to stick closer to the Ashen borders, but what was done was done and he could only hope he wouldn’t be scolded too harshly for it.

It was a few dozen minutes before he arrived, pausing outside the shrine to try and collect himself so he wouldn’t be a heaving mess and to make himself look somewhat tidy. After all, this was a holy place. Once he was gathered enough he ventured in, gaze shifting around to take note of the wolves present, which was pretty much his entire family and extended family. He could feel his cheeks heat up but thankfully his obsidian fur hid it well. He offered a low bow of apology to his aunt, a leg extended and the other bent in formality before he moved to his mother’s side. He’d missed what they were doing and what for, and his glowing gaze turned to her with a questioning brow with the hopes that she could give him a quick explanation as Obi placed his own dirt ball and tools at his feet.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

Toxicity gave each of the late pups a lingering glance. It was not so much scolding as simply observatory in nature. She soon motioned and Obi went to present them with their very own orbs. She watched as many pondered, some more calmly than others, and they started to think. "Feel free to discuss these with your siblings and your cousins. It is well and good to bond over not only religion, but tradition. If we can trust in one another, uplift each other, then even other gods will be unable to stop us." Tox was able to draw hers without thought, it was so familiar to her, but she tried to think back to how she had created hers and why. "When I created mine, I wanted to represent both parts of my family and my desire to ascend to that level," she explained, "You can see all the marks for the two litters my father had, and the two circles at the top representing my parents, one of which ascended, the other, which did not. The man, sharp line represents the ups and downs of being a mortal god, the valleys and the hills. There are other details, but those are more personal." Moving onto her fathers, she drew it out procedurally, leaving out any part Deathbelle had contributed, and darkening her representative circle on the family tree. "My father's sigil, which I took as my crest- or familial sigil- represents his family, including Obi here." She looked over the pups again, giving them a good while to work and letting Venom or Plague step in if they wished. "When you are done, feel free to come show them off and explain them if you wish." ""

 


Feel free to make your own sigils with this image or DM me and I'll help you out! Posts (not sigils) due May 3rd!