He had put it off long enough. He kept trying to think of how he was going to address the pack, but the longer he thought about it the more complicated the words became. He was just making it worse for himself in the end. It was late morning when he walked into the empty meeting hall, pushing the doors wide and propping them open with rocks. He walked up to the table that was slightly raised above the others, stepping up onto the platform, but he didn't sit in the chairs. That didn't feel right. Not yet. Not with Resin still locked away under his feet. Perhaps at some point he thought he could earn that right, but not today.

He looked at the empty room for a moment, looked at the opened door, before finally taking a deep breath, lifting his head, and letting out a loud, ringing howl. It was time for the rest of the pack to know what was going on and for those that knew he wanted to provide clarity and direction. With his summons given he settled onto his haunches in front of the head table and waited for them to come and waited to see who would remain with the reigns placed in his paws.

ooc: Due date 5/8! I'll post again on 5/9 or whenever everyone has posted, whichever comes first. Required unless you're currently on absence (or if you're Resin locked in a dungeon). For anyone following the messed up time line of all of the threads involving Resin, Tam, Sirius, and the like - this is set after Tam returns with Sirius from finding Zee's body.

Walk | "Talk" | think

Artorias was angry—angry at the world, angry at the situation his family had been put into, angry at Tamsyn for her careless disregard for herself and her family—just so angry. He had done all he could to try to find a solution for his dying mother's sickness, and when none had turned up, he reverted back to the only thing he knew how to do: patrol and safeguard his pack. While the rest of his family went off galavanting across the world, he had stayed hard at work with Gwyn and the rest of the Hallows trying to pick up the broken pieces in the wake of his mother's descent from power. It had been difficult and everyone was exhausted and worked to the bone. At least he could say everyone had tried everything they could to save Resin. He had made a mental note to go see her, at least one last time, regardless of her wishes. He couldn't let his previous interaction with her be their last...

The boy had been busying himself cleaning up the wreckage of what had once been his training gym, now in a state of disarray with pieces of broken swords and shattered training dummies strewn all about. Ulric's howl rang out, echoing around the stone corridors and halls, summoning the pack. Artorias' eyes lowered in sadness while his heart sank. He knew what this was going to be about, and although he knew it was coming, he still wasn't prepared for it. With a heavy sigh, the Carpathius lad set all the damaged wood and scattered straw off to the side of the room and made his way down the halls to the great hall. Ulric was standing up on the raised partition of the room where his family had always sat and his stomach churned. He was Aegis, he had the right to do so, but it still felt wrong...

Artorias bowed his head in greeting to Ulric, still trying to figure out how to regard the Adravendi man he had known all his life when he was now his alpha, and took a place quietly off to the side of the room by the fireplace. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to be having this conversation, but it had to be had. Art didn't say a word while he simply sat and watched while the other Hallowed wolves began to filter their way in to the meeting.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

"Speech" | Urasa | Kaira Being the reserved and introverted wolf he was, he often expend his time doing his things, patrolling on solitary, and doing things that didn't connect him with others from his pack. And that means he barely knew what happened unless he heard them from others unintendedly. But that was unlike to happen or at least coming from the keen man. There as he was on patrol, he heard Ulric's call, summoning them together. Leaving what he was doing he rushed to the meeting place, getting to the table. Seeing Ulric and Artorias, saying nothing he took a seat. Silent as he didn't feel like talking just yet unless told otherwise.

ART BY FOX

Jane Adravendi Jane's initial optimism over her mother returning anytime soon, but as now weeks and months passed that trust started to dilute into a more grey scheme. She wasn't feeling well, feeling left behind, unwanted. But her father's loving care for her and her siblings managed to avoid her from thinking that on a sick level. The cloud-coated wolf played around, trying to entertain her mind away from the harsh truth that was just starting to invade her heart. As she played, her father called and she was quick to run, yes run toward the gathering location find him there and some more wolves. "Hi!" She yelled as she hugged her father before taking a seat by Artoria's side. "Speech"

His time spent away from the Hallows was unexpected in the least, though he wouldn't fault others for assuming it of him. The other pups that he was supposed to call his siblings hardly wanted him around and he wasn't sure about the rest of the pack either. Grimshaw would be the first to admit, only to himself of course, that he should have tried harder with the other pups and packmates. Of course, he wasn't even certain that would've gotten him anywhere. He was the black sheep of the family and he wouldn't blame anyone should they not have accepted him had he actually tried.

Although his absence from the hallows had been for a few months, Grimshaw found himself close to the border of the pack to hear Ulric's call from the castle. It struck him as a little odd to hear Ulric calling for a pack meeting, but the man was of a high rank when he left so perhaps calling a meeting every now and then was something he did. Grimshaw had hardly a reason to assume anything had changed, but figured that since he was close and a meeting was being called, he should attend. Perhaps maybe it was time to force himself to be better for the pack. Maybe try to become friends with a few of the pups he called siblings. Maybe find his place within the pack.

Grimshaw sighed and trekked towards the sound of the call, slipping through the castle doors and into the meeting hall. Ulric sat at the front with Artorias, Dunkan, and Jane nearby waiting for the rest to arrive. He thought it was a bit strange that Tamsyn and Resin weren't there, but again, assumed that perhaps this was a meeting for Ulric alone. Perhaps something about training or some minor announcements that they tasked him with instead. Carefully, hoping to not draw attention to himself, the massive young man found a place at the edge of the meeting hall to sit and wait, keeping to himself.


"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

Like her father said, Lilith was getting stronger everyday. That didn’t mean her progress was quantifiable, but it was happening. The small silver marked girl managed to get herself up and ready when her father called. He trusted her enough to get herself to the meeting on her own and she wouldn’t let him down. She was mostly hidden away from the pack and the events ongoing within, but this would be the first real day she was out of the shadows. Lilith existed and she wasn’t going to wither away any longer. Her body was gaining strength just as she was building her confidence. In herself and the fact that her family wouldn’t easily leave her. Not like her mother.

Pale thin paws carried her down the corridor towards the meeting hall, her steps cautious as she wobbled lightly with each step. Progress was being made but the lingering effects of her illness remained obvious. Lil stepped carefully through the threshold, her delicate muzzle lifting as garnet gaze took in the ancient stone room. She picked her way closer to Ulric, much more quiet and subdued than her sibling as she sat close beside her father. Lowering her spotted haunches to the ground while taking in everything around her.

Sota was admittedly out of the loop when it came to the personal lives of most of his packmates, though that was more due to his introversion and respectful nature rather than his lack of interest. He made a point to be diligent and prepared whenever he was needed, but beyond that he wasn't the type to pry. He did want to be informed on matters that involved him though, so when Ulric called he didn't hesitate to be summoned. He had no clue what he might be calling for - it did seem unusual that it wasn't Resin nor Tamsyn calling, but he didn't pay much mind to it. Instead he simply made his way toward the castle and slipping into the meeting room, searching for a more familiar face to sit beside - like Aranea or Duchess, maybe - but neither were here. He'd spent some time with Dunkan recently too, so he gravitated toward him, offering him a friendly smile as he sunk down to his hindquarters and waited for the meeting to begin. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong; the aura he was getting from some wolves seemed somber at best, but he'd wait to reserve judgment until Ulric spoke to them.

Duchess had heard of the rough events with Resin through Indigo, but she didn't know about what was to follow. She wasn't one to prod on about things that may not want to be talked about, from Indigo or anyone else. She didn't know about the pack being handed over, or what was to be expected of Resin herself. But her heart hurt from the thought of what it was doing to Indigo. All she wanted was his happiness, and it seemed while they spent many moments indulged in the happiness of each other, there was always something lingering. When the brute called, she was a little confused, but didn't ignore. She recognized the voice of the man who led the mammoth hunt, but didn't know him otherwise. When she arrived she lingered from the group that had gathered, Indigo had gone away back home to the Armada for a while. She felt very out of place here in his absence. She had only had one on one time with one other pack member, Sota. But she still didn't feel comfortable enough just walking up and joining him. Her self esteem was much lower while Indigo was not here. But she was still willing to to do what was expected of her to keep Indigo happy, even if attending this meeting wasn't on his bucket list of things to do so. She waited for why the wolves of The Hallows were called here. Walk "Talk" Think

Raga cleaned herself with lavender and a mix of other herbs, scrubbing her fur with the herbs and a tiny bit of lye based soap she'd traded for from another crafter. While Raga could not contract Lúta's horrible disease due to being a macaque, she wasn't sure if it could be transmitted on her fur so she went to great lengths to clean herself before going out among the pack. They still didn't know if it was bacterial or viral but now blood was showing up in the sputum. That was not a good sign.

Lúta had been working herself to the bone, researching, crafting, working on the second floor room to make it a suitable and comfortable accommodation. She hadn't been eating or sleeping to the extent that Raga wished. It was only a matter of time before the healer's immune system was left vulnerable and now this. Raga half wondered if the disease was brought in with those strange dire wolves. After all, the illness had started a few days after Lúta had been in a serious fight with one. Well, another one. Spirits she couldn't wait for the weather to warm. Maybe with luck it would drive those horrid beasts back north.

Raga was drying her fur when she heard Ulric call for a meeting. Well, that was good timing. She grabbed her satchel, Lúta's satchel, and bounded over to the meeting. She would have to represent for the wolf and Lúta might appreciate the news. then again, she was so listless Raga some times wondered if the woman could even hear her. Still, it would be good to be informed. She hopped on part of a busted pillar, knees drawn to chest as she waited.

Daphne had a hard time adjusting to the move and all that came with it. It had taken her longer than the others to settle on a room, longer to venture from the castle, to get her bearings,  and longer yet to adjust to to bone biting cold that had settled across the lands. She had wanted to be a healer, and while she knew there was little chance of finding anything of use beneath the snow, it didn't stop her from looking whenever she decided to ghost along one of her siblings trails to keep an eye on the borders, lumbering along now she was beginning to grow into her paws.

She had half a mind to ignore Ulric's call. Her mother was the Aegis, not him. He didn't really have a right to summon anyone but his own kin. There was a sinking feeling in her gut though. She knew things were bad, in the way of children though, she was just refusing to acknowledge just how bad.

The girl didn't rush, taking her sweet time to arrive and refusing to lower her head an inch. Daphne sat alongside her brother, leaning into his shoulder slightly before straightening again. Her face was blank, though her mismatched eyes stared ahead unblinking. She shouldn't have come. If she just kept ignoring the problem, then everything had to get better, right? Talking about it would make it real, and it couldn't be real. It wasn't allowed to be real.

"speech".

have a little faith in me

Ezra had been picking at some of the pieces of armor and weapons in the armory after beginning to work with Artorias for his training and seeing the new armor that Artorias had found for himself. He still wasn't quite sure what he wanted or what would work for him best, but he figured that if he hung around in here long enough and tried enough stuff out he'd find one that would fit him well. Working with Artorias had really sparked his interest in fighting again and it gave him a task and something to work on. Now that his father was going to be leading the pack he felt obligated to at least follow through with his training and not cause any more problems.

His head popped up when he heard his father howling for them to come for a meeting and he quickly put down the metal plate from a piece of armor so that he could turn and trot out of the room, long limbs taking him through the castle and down to the main meeting hall. By the time he worked his way down to the main floor of the castle quite a bit of the pack had already gathered and he looked around the room to find a place to be. He looked at Artorias first, but there was already quite a few wolves gathered near him so he opted out of that - though one of the wolves near him was Jane. Spotting Lilith sitting up by their father, he wove his way through the crowd to sit by her, giving his sister a little smile. He knew most of the news during the meeting wasn't going to be fun to listen to, but hey, he was here so at least he had that going for him.

Ezra Adravendi

Gwynevere was resting on the window bench in her room, just settling in to attempt a nap, when she heard Ulric's howl. A tired sigh immediately left her and she unwillingly opened her mint and lavender gaze, yawning as she lifted her head. Sleep continued to elude her at night and during the day she tried to steal small naps here and there since it seemed to be easier to sleep in small increments than to try and sleep all night. However, during the day there always seemed to be something to keep her from napping as well so she just ended up constantly exhausted. She supposed that the one bright side to this was that her mind was usually too worn out to spend much time thinking about the states their mothers were in and instead just walked around in a bit of a haze, going though the motions and just trying to adapt to what felt like her new normal.

Pulling herself onto her paws, she began to make her way out of her room and down to the meeting hall, Eilwen coming to perch on her shoulder just as she began to walk out into the hall. She made her way there moderately slowly so she wasn't surprised to see that most of the pack was already there when she arrived. She didn't particularly feel like sitting next to anyone so she found a spot off to the side, close enough to some of her siblings to not draw attention to herself for sitting alone, but far enough away that it was likely no one would talk to her. She looked up at Ulric and tried to look attentive and not fall asleep in the process.

Gwynevere | Eilwen

Tamsyn's ears flicked back against her head when she heard the howl for the meeting. It was something she had known was coming, but she knew she wouldn't be ready to face it. She moved away from where she was sitting in front of a balcony taking a deep breath before she began to work her way down to the meeting hall. She had avoided most of the pack at this point besides her children so it was likely that most of them hadn't seen the state she was in just yet. Her wounds had mostly begun to heal over at this point, the tears still moderately tender as new scar tissue began to form. She was getting used to not being able to open her right eye quite as wide as the other and it was no longer as shocking when she happened to see her own reflection.

But she didn't want the shocked stares, the sympathetic glances. She didn't want to sit there and listen as Ulric explained to the pack what happened and what was happening to her mate. As she neared the door to the usual meeting space, she paused, hesitating for a long moment. She would have to go in, she would have to face the rest of the pack, and she would have to let life continue on, but it was hard. Drawing in a breath to steel her nerves she walked into the room, doing her best not to limp from her still healing paws and shoulder. She didn't look towards anyone as she walked in, though she did pause to press her nose to the cheek of each of her children that had arrived before her. She made her way toward the front of the crowd, sitting near the front by Ulric. If nothing else she wanted to show that she supported this change as she stepped down from Seraph even though it felt like eyes were burning into her.













"Tamsyn" | "Blue"

Avantika had semi-separated herself from the heart of the Hallows, given what was happening with Resin. She did her work alone. She lived alone. She didn't even sleep in the castle anymore. She wasn't sure when she'd last stepped foot in there. Kaata would fly back every day and bring her news, and none of it was good. Sometimes she wouldn't even let her tell her what was happening. She hated herself for it. Shameful of all were the times where she'd gazed out at the lands outside of the Hallows and imagined walking away, leaving all of this behind. Times. She hated that there had been more than one time. One time would have been an accident, a little weakness. But multiple was a pattern. She couldn't stop it. She loved her pack. She loved every single wolf there. Which meant that she loved Resin, and she couldn't take that. She couldn't take someone she loved so much, someone who had taken her in when there was no reason to and earned her loyalty a hundred, a thousand times over... She couldn't even think about what was happening. Even away from the castle, Avantika was still a Hallows wolf. Even if she was afraid. She raced to Ulric's call before even registering what she was doing. Kaata flew beside her. They needed each other here. Avantika sat a bit away from the other wolves, even as her heart ached anew at the sight of them all. She wanted to be with her family. She knew she did. She stayed away anyway. "Avantika to Kaata telepathy" "Kaata to Avantika telepathy" "speech"

Indigo mostly recovered from the journey back from the Armada, he was still sore but more than his body hurt his chest felt empty. Duchess helped to cover the hole where he tore his heart out but she had her work cut out for her. He’d experienced so much loss and tragedy that holding his head up high was difficult. He knew that was what Resin would have wanted for him. To show the strength beneath, to push through even when it seemed that all hope was lost. She didn’t get to teach him for very long but Indy wouldn’t let go of her lessons anytime soon. He’d draw from her wisdom for a long time after she was gone.

Reluctantly he followed the pack to the meeting. The last thing he wanted was to have to show his face in public but that was likely how most everyone felt right now. Life was hard, and getting through something like this was a struggle. Indy slipped in from the back and made a bee-line for Duchess. He lowered himself to his haunches and listened intently.

Cosette had noticed the tension in the pack lately, the visitors from the north, and all the busy chaos. Once more, she had pulled back into the shadows, watching things unfold from the sidelines. She had no idea what was happening, but she did know that it was taking a toll on everyone, Indigo included. There was a desire to comfort him, but she wouldn’t pry, and hoped he would share in his own time. For now though, there was a pack meeting called by someone that wasn’t Resin, and she suspected she would be getting at least some answers sooner than she expected.

When she arrived, her gaze landed on Indigo and the other girl she still had yet to meet. The part of her that still didn’t feel worthy or important almost kept her from joining her, telling her to stick to the outskirts and the shadows, but she didn’t want to seem like she was avoiding anyone, and she wanted to support her friend through whatever it was that he was going through. She moved to join the other violet hued wolves, placing herself on Indigo’s unoccupied side, but making sure to offer a nod of greeting to the other girl, adding a small half smile. It seemed inappropriate to be grinning during a time like this, but she didn’t want to come off as rude either.

"Speech" || Thoughts

Outlaw heard Ulric’s call, ears straightening for a moment to hear the intent but then taking the time to finish just a bit more on braiding what would eventually be a decent rope.  He didn’t take more than an extra minute and it wasn’t so much wanting to finish the rope but his mind pondering on what was to come.  Not that he really knew for sure but the dog knew enough of what was going on to realize there were going to be a bunch of sad faces and sadder still kids and their mom.  Outlaw decided to acknowledge he just wasn’t smart enough to plan out what he’d do to help.

The dog left his room and jogged to the meeting area, stepping in to see almost every wolf present.  Looking about those gathered he saw a mix of expressions and a lot of distancing.  The dog really did love the kids.  His eyes tracked one hurt pup to another and even if it wasn’t noticed his heart grieved for them in a way he didn’t really use to.  Outlaw wasn’t used to feeling such pain as the kids were so there was no part of him that could truly know what they were going through and only that it was bad.  This was the sad point of life.  Maybe someday friendly words could help but the dog doubted it would be today.

Outlaw’s problem now was deciding where he was needed most.  The dog stood at the entrance for a time and while never looking directly at them had to choose between Art, Daphne, and relatively close Gwynn or Grimshaw, or Avantika?  As far as he could surmise they were the ones who needed someone most.  Well, that was an answer, wasn’t it?  Outlaw had thought of going to the cluster of siblings but they already had each other.  He made his way towards Tika.  The dog didn’t try to speak to her but only sat down beside her instead.  

Outlaw

Unless noted you can assume Outlaw is wearing his hat.  
It's also likely there is a seagull somewhere nearby

Rudyard made his way to the meeting.  His mind full of thoughts that he was trying to piece together.  Rudy was use to easily having answers and confidence in how things would work out.  The boy wasn’t use to feeling shaken by things, at least not until recently.  Someone had taken his perfect world and flipped it over then thrashed it about for good measure.  Where was his stability?

Rudy heard Ulric’s howl and walked to the meeting area, looking within.  With a resigned sigh the boy moved in and headed over to where his siblings were.  Rudy looked to his sisters and brothers with a flicker of ghost smile, the sort that never meets the eyes, then glanced to where Ulric stood.  Rudy didn’t particularly want to hear anything that would come from this meeting.  

Rudy was starting to learn one thing really well.  You can’t always get what you want.  What a rotten reality that was.

Rudyard Carpathius

Ulric waited at the head of the room for the pack wolves to appear, almost worried that they wouldn’t show. After all, most of them wouldn’t know about the change in leadership so perhaps they wouldn’t feel as obligated to answer. Luckily just a few minutes later they began to filter in with Artorias leading the charge. He returned the young man’s nod before looking to Dunkan as he joined them and then to his sweet Jane. He smiled softly as she ran up to him, returning her hug before she went off to sit near Artorias. When he looked up again he was surprised to see Grimshaw walk into the room since he hadn’t seen the dark coated wolf in quite some time. He thought that perhaps he had went off on his own, but he was glad to see that he had returned all the same. He turned his attention to Lilith then, her appearance out among the pack for the first time warming his heart. He gave her a smile as she came to sit near him, leaning over to briefly press his nose to her cheek. A couple more wolves filed in afterward and he nodded politely to Sota and Duchess in turn. He noticed Lúta’s companion enter and expected the healer to follow suit and grew concerned when he didn’t see her, giving the macaque a curious glance.

They slowly began to pile in more quickly, Daphne joining them, followed by Ezra and Gwynevere. Then came Tamsyn and he gave the former Seraph an encouraging smile as she limped her way to the front of the room and sat near him, giving her a thankful nod. He knew this wasn't easy on her - it wouldn't be easy for a lot of the pack - but she had come and that meant a lot. Avantika lingering in the back before he spotted Indigo walk in, shortly followed by another woman he hadn't personally met het, but he thought her name was Cosette or something similar. He gave the trio of purple-hued wolves a curious glance before he looked toward Outlaw and Rudyard, nodding quietly to himself. It seemed that everyone was here... except for his son Emile. He frowned for a moment and looked around the room, making sure that he hadn't just missed the tan and white young man somewhere in the crowd. But no, he was no where to be found. He waited a few moments longer to see if he would show and finally just let out a slightly frustrated sigh through his nose before he brushed the feeling away and went on with getting the meeting going. No need to keep everyone here waiting.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," he spoke, raising his deep voice so everyone all the way in the back could hear. "I suppose I might as well get the most pressing and most obvious news out of the way first. Resin has asked for me to take over as Aegis until her and Tamsyn's children are old enough and prepared to lead The Hallows themselves. Recently it has come to light that her heath has taken a sharp decline, causing her to be unstable and violent at times. She made the decision to keep herself in a cell in the dungeons following an accident involving Tamsyn, feeling that it is unsafe for her to be around others. No one is to go to the dungeons without permission." He was serious and mater of fact as he spoke, his silver gaze slowly sweeping the crowd. "Resin has been a strong and capable leader for all of us - and the best mentor I could have asked for. This isn't news that I share with any joy, but I promise to do my best for all of you." He paused for a moment, looking at each of them. "I hope that each of you will continue to call The Hallows home with this news, but if there are any of you that were loyal to Resin alone and no longer wish to remain here then simply come to me after I'm done. I won't ask questions, I only wish to know that you will be leaving us."

He sighed softly, pulling a slight smile onto his lips. "In all this darkness, there is some light. The huge group of Younglings we once had between Resin and Tamsyn's children and my own officially join the ranks with the rest of the pack as of today. I'm excited to see what all of you do as yearlings," he said as he looked across the room, glancing at each young man and woman in the group. "There are some that have made some fantastic strides even though they are still so young. I'm proud to say that Gwynevere will be a Sage and our newest Knights will be Rudyard and Avantika. Sota, I have decided to place you as a Sage as well and Dunkan will join our Knights." There was still a whole host of wolves that would remain in the Kin ranks, but this was at least a significant amount of progress and he hoped it might inspire others to strive for more.

"As for our upper ranks," he began, glancing toward Tamsyn. "Tamsyn has requested to step down from Seraph, but has agreed to hold the role of Templar until another wolf builds up their skills to take her place. She has long since been a skilled warrior and teacher so I hope that being in this role can give her a chance to do more of both." He gave her a small nod before looking up, smiling a bit as his eyes found Indigo in the crowd. "I would also like to place Indigo as our second Templar. He proved himself to be very adept in fighting during the practice raid that was held between ourselves and Ashen. Indigo, I hope you'll use this promotion to continue building your skills and test your skills as a leader." He grinned softly at the violet man before going on to his last bit of news.

"Finally... We come to who will be replacing me as Baron. The position of Baron is going to take on a slightly different tone than it once had in the past. It was always considered a leader in training, but now this will specifically be the pack's heir. I am also going to challenge this wolf with monitoring and leading the training of the pack in the area of fighting - working along side our Templars to continue bettering our Knights. He wondered if anyone had pieced together who it was yet just from process of elimination based on who had been called on already, a little smirk crossing his face at the thought. "I have chosen Artorias for this task," he announced, giving the blue-marked boy a glance. "Even at a year of age he has proven himself to be a fierce competitor in battle and has always been a constant presence around the castle, constantly ready and willing to lend a paw." He looked toward Artorias just to see his reaction, curious to see what the boy would think. "The position of Baron may be challenged for by any of Tamsyn and Resin's children should they wish to. Once I hand over the reigns in a couple of years whoever is our current Baron can decide how the power and responsibilities will be shared, but the main title of Aegis will be given to that heir... Congratulations, Artorias. I look forward to working with you more closely."

With that he looked up at the crowd once more, giving them all a soft smile. "Thank you again for coming. If you have anything you would like to add please go ahead or come see me if there is something you would like to tell me individually."

Ulric Adravendi

Artorias regarded every Hallowed wolf that began to fill the great hall after him with a sullen nod of his head, giving a small smile to both Jane and Daphne when both girls came to sit next to him. He leaned his body back into Daph's when she pressed into his shoulder, offering her his support throughout this ordeal. He could be the pillar for his family when they needed it. He cast an acknowledging nod of mutual respect and a smirk to Ezra when his larger mentee entered the room. He was somewhat surprised and a little miffed to see Grimshaw in attendance; he'd thought the moody boy had struck out on his own for good once he'd disappeared from daily life and all but abandoned the family that had taken him in when they were at their lowest.

Tamsyn entered the room then, and Artorias immediately noticed the way she carried herself past everyone like she was ashamed. He nuzzled her back when she nosed his cheek, then turned a hardened gaze over the crowd, watching each face carefully for any signs that anyone was staring at his injured mother and shooting a silent glare and growl to any that did. No one would look at his mother with anything less than respect and reverence. One by one, the rest of the pack began to gather until Ulric called the meeting to order. Artorias fixed him with his gaze, but his eyes were distant during the new Aegis' detailing of the events that had transpired to bring them here today. He didn't need to hear all this again... he had lived it, witnessed every horrifying detail unfold before his eyes. He swallowed back the lump of emotion strangling him, forcing himself to remain strong and austere for his family's appearances. Be strong, be strong for Resin...

Once Ulric had revealed the situation with Resin to the rest of the pack and offered an exit to anyone looking to move on, he addressed the pups that had turned to yearlings this season. He welcomed them into the ranks of the pack, and Artorias managed a small smile and nod of appreciation to their new Aegis. Gwyn was made a Sage, and Rudy and Avantika were made Knights. He was proud of all of his siblings; he knew the work they had put into their training. Then he announced Sota as a Sage and Dunkan as a Knight before moving on. Artorias' heart sank in his chest and his expression fell under a touch of disappointment when he realized he hadn't been called upon to be a Knight. But... why not? Had he not done well enough by Ulric's standards? He'd been training his whole life to be a knight like his parents. What had he done wrong? He was only barely paying attention while Ulric announced Tamsyn and Indigo as Templars, the upper echelon of the warriors, and then turned to the role of Baron.

Ulric announced him as Baron. Artorias' eyes sparked back to life, head lifting from the slump it had begun to droop into to look with a stunned expression to Ulric. The Adravendi man's kind praise and recognition of his efforts made his heart swell with pride, his mouth agape and eyes wide while his brain tried to wrap around what he had just heard. He was the leader-in-training, the head of training the Templars and Knights, the heir apparent to the Hallows. He was being entrusted with the future of the pack. Artorias didn't know what to say, what to think, how to react. All he could do was manage a humble smile and nod to Ulric when the new Aegis spoke of looking forward to working with him. Artorias could still hardly believe it, half expecting to wake up from this dream at any moment. Him, the Baron of the Hallows...

Once Ulric ended the meeting, Artorias remained seated where he was, watching the other Hallowed wolves disperse. He wanted to take a moment to talk to Ulric in private once the crowds had cleared, and to make himself available right now if anyone wanted to share some words with him as well.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________