Well Mo tended to Tamsyn, Sirius took a few steps back. Staring at the makeshift cart and its gruesome contents for a while. Staring into space, fighting the urge to switch off, to forget everything.

He let out a tired sigh, knowing he had a duty to tell the pack what had happened to its Queen.

The Warlord raised his weary head, lifting it skywards to the late morning sun and howled a summons. Calling for all wolves of the Armada to an urgent meeting. He would allow no absentees today. Not with the news he had to deliver.


"Speech"

Aslatiel had been asleep when the call rang out. She'd been taking the nightly patrols upon herself to save the others of the pack the discomfort of the biting, winter cold. Usually she was back by morning and Naiche went out to continue her work. She would get a few good hours of rest before waking up to see to her other duties. With her father gone, the responsibility of the pack was on her shoulders. The work felt good. It kept her mind off of other things, at least. Today her sleep would be cut short. The young woman blinked one sleepy, purple eye open as her groggy mind registered the howl. Rising, she tried to shake the sleep from her body. Exiting the den, her well muscled limbs moved her body into a lope. If her father was calling, it must have been something important. Arriving at the common place where he stood, Aslatiel could instantly feel the tension pouring off of him. Approaching, she furrowed her brow, the scars that she'd attained while defending their home pulling together. "What happened?" She eyed the makeshift cart but couldn't quite make out its contents from where she stood. "Speech"

Gossamer pranced back into Armada lands, her fur sticky with coyote blood. She had retrained very few injuries and managed to make quick work of the coyote that had been caught wandering into Armada lands. Of course it fled when she chased it but she wasn't willing to just let it go. She was eager to see what she could do after the invasion of the dire wolves and was delighted to see the quick work her fangs could make of an opponent if she managed to bite just right. Ásta trailed along after her.

Gossamer had been planning to head to the sea to wash herself off a bit but then she heard her father's urgent call. Oh no, what now? More dire wolves? Gossamer sprinted toward the source of the call and arrived to see her father and Aslatiel. Her father looked exhausted and there was a cart full of something burned. Her brow furrowed as she wrinkled her nose at the smell. What the heck was that for? "Dad?"

Ari was not far behind Gossamer in bounding back into pack borders, though she wasn't close enough to realize that they were both doing the same thing. Because of her positioning as she reentered pack lands she came up from behind Sirius, rather than approaching from the front where he'd have been the first thing she saw. She paused for a moment, seeing the odd tableaux and being immediately wary. Firstly, why was Tamsyn here? She wasn't an Armada wolf. Why was Mojito tending to her like she was injured? Where had Dad been anyway? The odd scent of char filled the air, and Aris' sensitive nose quivered as she fixated on that scent to figire out what was so odd about it. Oh - it was remains. Like when she had tossed that sparrow into the big fire and it had burnt up screaming. But those were wolf smells, not bird smells.

Tilting her head curiously at the cremains as she sidled by Sirius (passing by Asla she stuck her tongue out at her older sister), she took a seat next to Gossamer who was - fascinatingly - covered in coyote gore. "Do you think there was a fire in the Hollows?" she asked Gossamer with great interest. "Someone got burnt up anyway, and there's a Hollows wolf here... who do you think it was?" She didn't really know any of the Hallows wolves to tell, so it could have been any of them. The wolf-body scent of the cremains was weird and somewhat wrong from the charring but she thought if it was someone she knew well enough she could recognize it like she could the decomposing animals she'd dug up long after she killed them to see how the bodies were coming along, but maybe Gossy knew who it was. She could just wait until their dad told them but she couldn't hold in her curiosity.

She was grateful that Marigold had been out wandering the lands just outside of Armada territory when her father and Tamsyn had come lumbering back toward home. Her companion hadn't known what was going on, but had managed to make it down to The Hallows' lands to fetch her, telling her whatever it was it couldn't be good from the look her father wore. Briar hadn't had time to tell Artorias she was leaving or why, just yelling to him in passing that she had to get back home, that it was urgent. She ran as hard as she had to get to The Hallows to get back home and just as she was nearing the border to her pack she heard her father's commanding call. An uneasy chill ran over her, but she didn't stop running until she spotted her slowly gathering family collecting around their father who stood next to Tamsyn who was on the ground being treated by Mojito a sled of some sort that was piled with... bones? Burnt, terrible bones. Her steps slowed to a lope until she eventually came to a stop beside her sisters, panting hard from the mad sprint she had made to get back here. She wasn't able to speak, just fall back onto her haunches as she scanned her father for injuries and noticed the singes and burns around his feet. A quick glance at Tam saw that she had some as well, though that was just one of her many issues. From being in The Hallows for the past several days with her Father and Artorias she knew that her friend's mothers hadn't been doing well so seeing Tamsyn like this made her heart sink. "Briar" | "Marigold"

Everything had gone black and she swam just on the edge of consciousness until she felt the sharp sting of something at her wounds and she jolted awake with a gasp, her mint eyes looking around as her mind slowly caught back up with where she was and what was happening. The lifted her gaze to the healer that was treating her and sighed, swallowing hard as her heart hammered in her chest. A moment later Sirius' howl made her jump and she turned her worried gaze toward the Warlord. A meeting? Now? So soon? Well, it certainly couldn't be helped now. She glanced at the pile of branches that she could loosely call a cart that sat just behind her piled with fractured, burned bones and chard remnants of flesh.

All the memories came flooding back as she continued to return to her senses and she had to fight back the overwhelming wave of emotion as her stomach churned. Nudging Mo away, she forced herself to her feet and limped a couple feet away before turning back toward Sirius and falling heavily back to her haunches. If the healer wanted to keep treating her now he could, but she wouldn't look at him as he did. Her gaze was laser focused on Sirius, the words he spoke to her on the way here burning through her mind.






















"Tamsyn" | "Blue"

The moment his father’s companions came to fetch himself, Mortis, and the boy Hikaru, Indigo held a feeling of dread deep in his belly. All while they traveled he did his best to ignore the sensations, but his instincts were screaming that something was wrong. Indy was on edge the entire way northward, and it only intensified as his massive paws finally crossed the borders that were once so familiar to him. He tried not to grit his teeth as he paced forward and finally made his way to where his father stood, having heard the call miles back.

Bright blue gaze immediately fell to Aslatiel. This wasn’t how they were supposed to be meeting again. Worry filled his chest as he stepped forward, he made himself give Briar a swift grin in greeting as he neared sister and Father, not missing Tamsyn and the way she looked at Sirius. Something was infinitely wrong, and he knew that he didn’t want the truth to be revealed to him, but much like anything in his life there was nothing he could do to stop what was coming.

Like he never left Indy lowered his massive frame to his haunches, he looked completely different from when he left. His huge mane had very nearly grown in fully, the long thick hair covered his neck, chest, and was slowly moving down his belly. He looked much more confident than he felt, as he naturally aimed to lean against Aslatiel. Relieved more than anything to be in her presence again despite the feeling of doom lingering over his head.

Hika would have followed Mortis to the ends of the earth so when they were summoned home it wasn’t a difficult choice. The boy had been a quiet presence, simply doing what he could for sweet Mortis and trying to see to the strengthening of his resolve and willpower. He followed the two Fatalis boys as they followed the companion back to the Armada. There was an odd if not threatening tension that lingered over the group as they walked. The feeling only intensified as they arrived at the meeting place.

Silvery gaze fell on Sirius, he looked like he hadn’t slept in a month and Hika was sure the man looked years older from even the last time they spoke. Dark tipped ears fell to his skull as Hikaru took his place close beside Mortis. He knew this would be no joyous gathering. The boy swallowed hard and braced himself, head up, back sloped, and tail curled perfectly at his hips. Despite his nervousness he would show nothing less than decorum.

The call of the warlord came across her and she wasted no time in arriving. She hadn't been in the pack, she had been scouting for resources outside. The girl hadn't known much of the making and culture of the Armada. She had never met the queen or really even acknowledged her, to no offense. In general she hadn't gotten to know many of the pack wolves after all. Still, the news Sirius would bring them wouldn't go unheard or without care. The loss of a loved one, even to her who had no one, it still went through her heart carefully. Just because she didn't know the ones that were lost didn't mean she would go forward without a great amount of sympathy. She joined the wolves who had arrived, sticking to herself the best she could. And she waited for what was to come. Walk "Talk" Think

Between giant dire wolves, kids with weird mutations, giant wooly elephants, and an other odd assortment of creatures Valor had had his fill of strange lately He couldn't complain that his life was boring since his return. Lately his mind had been wrapped up in thoughts of his own family. The longer her stayed in Armada the more he realized that he hadn't seen any of his siblings in years. Visiting Creed's gravesite was still out of the question, but the idea of making a trip to see if he could track down some of his other family was tempting. Would they even want to see him as much as he wanted to see them? Were they even still around? He had been planning on discussing it with Sirius soon. Speak of the devil. Ebony ears flicked towards the man's call. It seemed as though they were going to have a pack meeting. He walked towards where they were gathering not thinking anything was amiss. That was until he arrived and instantly spotted a few wolves not from the pack. Visitors maybe? His head swing to Sirius and the make shift cart with ... well it looked like burnt bodies. His snout wrinkled at the smell. Thoroughly confused he glanced around him at the strange assortment of wolves gathered before sitting and fixating his gaze on the Warlord. Walk, "Talk" Think

Naiche had been on patrol when the call came.  He glanced up sharply at Sirius's call, pausing only to sniff at a scent of a coyote before deciding it was faint and gone.  Naiche ran to the meeting place finding that he was far from the first to arrive.  Well, that’s what happened if you're along the border of the pack.  The scent of scorched meat turned out to be wolf carcasses when he glanced in the cart.  The golden-wolfs brow furrowed at what was left of the remains.  They had been wolves.   It was only a second later his mind was torn away from figuring out who to notice that several wolves from the hallows had arrived.  Indigo and Tamsyn among them.  Well, Naiche had known at some point those two would end up spending time together, though this wasn’t the reason Naiche had imagined.  Naiche cast a more worried look to Tamsyn and moved towards her and Mojito.  “Tam?” The one-word question offered quietly.  Adding to the question was suddenly impossible with the choice of options.  Was she ok?  Clearly not.  How bad was she?  Well, it didn’t look good and seemed a thing he could ask after the meeting if need be.  What happened? Probably a thing Sirius would soon answer.  Well, let her take of it what she would.  “Let me know if you need anything.” The only other thing it seemed he could say at the moment. Naiche raised his gaze to rest fully on Sirius.  The answers would come from him and certainly, with dead wolves it would be a serious business.  Who wasn’t here?  Sirius looked the worst for emotional damage.  Either because he was the only one who knew the identities of the corpses or they were someone closer to him.  Blood relative wise most were already here.  Most, but there some missing.  This could be bad was an understatement but summarized the potential well. "Naiche"

Walk | "Talk" | think

Kotori had been chest-deep in the water near the sparring ring when the howl came.  His muzzle was wet from trying to catch a fish but it kept slipping away.  The fish had been grazed twice with some missing scales but it was so slippery that both times he hadn’t gotten a good grip.  When dad called he had taken a step towards the shore planning to run but glanced back at the fish.  Two more failed attempts were made before Kotori accepted he wouldn’t get to carry a fine catch with him.  Dad had sounded upset anyhow.

The horned-wolf loped to the meeting place, water dripping down his coat.  The tail got shaking out a few times to try and get some of the water off of it.  Coming up to the rest the boy noted the solemness and smelled the burnt crisp stink that caused his nose to scrunch up.  Moving forward the boy came up to sit next to his dad, head tilted to look up at him questioningly then back at the remains and again back up at dad.  His eyes roamed the pack and noticed a few wolves he didn’t recognize and Tamsyn from the hallows.  It was for the best he hadn’t caught the fish and brought it with him.

He knew he had been out of the Armada too long, trying to figure himself out, and where to go from here. It had been a nice sort of quiet at first, and then Resin had been locked in the dungeons, and he had not been allowed to see her. He spent his time with Hikaru, Keeping his distance from family and friends aas he tried to decide who he wanted to be.

He hadn’t meant to leave them for so long, but suddenly his fathers companions were picking people up left right and center, and getting them back to the Armada like demons were on their trail.

He walked with Hikaru, giving his friend strange glances - but of course, the Koi wolf was just as clueless as he was.

They arrived to find the wolves assembling, a healer treating Tam, and their father standing off to the side. Storm clouds in his eyes. He shrunk from his fathers angry gaze, and settled in beside Hikaru

Natha spent her time patrolling, keeping an eye out for the dire wolves that had been sighted in the area. Ever since the large attack things had grown quiet but that didn't mean the lynx hadn't spied any lone dires. She'd seen several now. She'd watch from her perch high in the trees as some would sniff the border and leave. Those that were foolish enough to cross would soon find themselves with a lynx on their back and fangs at their throat. It was a tactic she might employ against a young elk or other prey animal far larger than herself.

She was working back around when she heard Sirius' call. Oh no, what now? Silently she slipped through the snow to arrive at the gathering of wolves.

Stjarna was fully immersed in work. Rather than spending time getting to know fellow pack mates, the Aracari wolf focused on patrolling the border and especially hunting. The long winter was making for slim pickings and it took more effort than usual to get the same poundage of meat that it would've in a normal spring. Star had taken to doing anything necessary to keep the larders full. That meant scavenging quality corpses as well. Star was returning from scouting the elk herds when he heard Sirius calling a meeting. It sounded serious. Star moved swiftly and arrived a the growing gathering of Armada wolves.

Mojito tried to keep his mind and his focus on Tamsyn, checking over her again and again, checking the placement of her treatments, the fastening of the marigolds to her burns, that she didn't have any other wounds he hadn't seen before... in truth, he was probably just trying to keep himself busy as the warlord moved off, one flopped ear lifting slightly as he heard the call for the rest of the pack and stepped back, nodding as the woman nudged him off... he wasn't helping anymore anyways. Alsa appeared and shortly after Naiche would as well, moving towards him, clearly familiar with the woman he had just been tending.

Deciding the woman was probably better off around someone she was familiar with he moved off, approaching Asla of his own volition for the first time in a while. He wasn't certain exactly what to expect from the warlord... but he was already weary from the early morning summon and in some way was seeking out the familiar comfort of his friend... and ready to offer it to her in turn... he stopped short when he noticed a large purple male leaning into her, feeling that old jealousy flaring up in him, and he stopped where he was, veering away from her to sit off to the side, folding in on himself a little as he waited for what it was that the warlord would say, feeling suddenly very tired.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2020

White gloved paws pulled her forward over the borders that separated the Armada from Ashen. A border that was just as well patrolled as any other but blended the scents of the two packs into something so much more than just a shared border. Venom wasn’t often called to meetings of the Armada but she didn’t feel anything amiss until she appeared among the gathered wolves.

Sunset gaze moved to Sirius and she approached him, taking in his withered appearance and noticing the lack of Azure’s presence. Venom peered around again just to be sure but the tension in the air only helped to weigh her heart down. The young Empress moved to sit near Sirius, silent as she waited for his words and worried over what he would say.

A meeting had been called and that was alright. Ada pranced happily to the group of wolves, her usual pep in her step. When she was near enough though, she could feel the tension in the air. Ears tucked downward and she dipped her head a bit though she couldn't quite tell you why. The feeling of the somber group just made her want to appear... submissive? No, that surely couldn't be the feeling. Could it?

The wolves of the pack had settled themselves in two's, three's... some were sitting alone. They were all looking at Sirius and the cart beside him. One would have to be nose-deaf to ignore the smell that came with the cart. Brow furrowed, the small, bob-tailed fae seated herself. She sat in the center of the group, but apart from the rest. Blood-orange eyes rested upon the somber form of Sirius. What was this about?

Acciona moved towards the sound of the summons, her paws like lead. There was always a feeling of anxious and nervous energy wrapped around the woman when she had to join crowds, but the energy in this particular crowd seemed extra heavy, the tension thick in the air. She slipped into place at the back of the group, watching quietly. Her gaze flickered to each individual, noticing there were at least a few here that were not of the Armada, but were obviously meant to be present. Whatever it was it had to be important, and from the looks on the faces around her, she doubted it would be anything good.

"Speech."

The Archer-Lyall knew it was wrong to withdraw from her pack as she had, but there had been a bite in the air long before the first snows fell and her stores were insufficient. She had poured every bit of energy she had into gathering and storing, crafting and concocting. It still wasn't enough. She was almost sure the antiseptic scent of pine and cedar had worked its way into her bones, even Otis didn't escape that fate. When the leaders howl came, grey eyes narrowed. Her companion snatched up his satchel, stuffed with healing items. A little salve, a needle and horsehair, the basics that could be used to get someone to somewhere more stable. But something in that tone told her it wouldn't be needed.

It was the scent that hit her first. Causing her steps to falter. Charred meat and burnt hair. Her stomach flipped. There was nothing she could do to fix this. Tamsyn's presence wouldn't have been a surprise if she had been more... present... but who was on the litter? She held back from the gathered wolves, lingering close enough to hear, but also far enough away to retreat if this turned into a shit-show. Whatever was to be said was clearly important, but the Archer-Lyall didn't trust others when emotions might run high. Clearly there had been a loss. But who was it?

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed