die and rise again and again [ASHEN MEETING]
Much had happened since the last time the pack had gathered together. They lost many members, but more importantly they had gained an ally. She had seen Chimera’s strength and she knew he would make his own pack worth carrying the Empire’s name. The others who left were hardly even worth her mental space now. Her family was torn asunder, there were not very many relics of the past that she had enjoyed. All hope of recreating her childhood was now destroyed. So Ashen would be forced to move onto the next phase of their evolution, her own children would step into the paw prints of the great wolves that came before them.
That went for the youth that remained as well. Hela’s children especially. Toxicity had long poisoned her own offspring and it was no mystery they had followed after their well named mother. When Hattori told her Calamity had left the tragedy had truly sunk in and made those loyal to her so much more precious. Venom clung to Plague more than ever now, their bond would be the one that stood the test of time. Her one full brother, beside her as she stood beside him. Chimera, for keeping his word and doing far more than Toxicity or Calamity had ever done for her. Despite all of his flaws his loyalty was unquestionable.
So as a pack they would stride forward. Take this first step into a better future, welcome the changes that were inevitable, and become stronger for it. Venom strode forward into the moonlight as it reflected off the brilliant white trees. The glowing water of the shrine illuminated her monochromatic frame. Venom lifted her head and summoned the core of her pack, the members that had shown and proved their loyalty to her as Empress. She called for her family and wolves she now saw as friends. Close allies.
Venom relaxed and awaited the true wolves of Ashen to surround her and her Shogun.
Mandatory meeting! I'd like to see everyone in by the 26th but if we can gather up faster i'll move things along! Gonna work on some promotions!
With a rumbling greeting in the back of his throat, Hattori settled by Venom's side. Ready to support her in all thing, as always.
"Speech"
Plague had always been close with Venom, but after how their sister had acted and how their other remaining sister had abandoned them he had stuck even closer to her side. It almost made him regret putting his home outside of Ashen's lands, but he knew it was necessary to allow him and Void to balance between their two families. It just meant he was away from their den more often than not while he tried to ease the wound that their siblings had created.
It was late, the moonlight lighting up the path in front of him as he began to make his way through the pale forest of Ashen to begin walking back toward the hot springs, but a howl from his dear sister stopped him in his tracks and he dutifully turned around to answer her call. It didn't matter what time of day she summoned them, he would always be there. When he arrived Hattori was understandably already at her side and he gave the pair a pair a small smile before settling back onto his haunches to wait for the rest of the pack to arrive.
Hela was gone, his mother had left her children in Ashen to chase after their aggressive cousin. He'd been aware that she'd been chafing under feeling like she wasn't appreciated by her younger empress but as far as Chai felt that was her own fault, and frankly her leaving and running rubbed him the wrong way. Deep down, deeper than Malachai had the emotional intelligence to ever really understand he was feeling abandoned, but all that deep pain, well it manifested as anger. The young man stomped his way through the packlands, grumbling and growling. As far as he was concerned, his mother clearly hadn't deserved the rank she'd been so angry to lose if she was willing to abandon her only remaining children just for an easy ride. And that feeling turned into spite. If his mother hadn't been willing to work for her place then he'd work twice as hard to earn his.
So Malachai would not wait too long to responde to the call for the pack, his resolve redoubled. The young man would quickly scan for his sister, and without seeing her he would settle himself, grumbling to himself but turning his attention towards his cousin.
Art by Shirohoru |
Panic wasnt far behind her brother's steps. Since her mother's departure she had grown closer to Malachai, being sometimes his shadow but not in a obsessive way. And as Venom called for them to join her, Panic was on the way without wasting time. They were Hela's legacy in Ashen and she wanted to make everyone proud of who she and Chai were. Arriving she nudged Chai's shoulder affectionally before taking a seat beside her brother. Fear her snake resting around her neck. She was anxious to see what Venom had for them stored today, but in her face she'd not show that. Instead a calm expression remained in her grey features, hiding inside the excitement she was suffering. |
Iki was still on an emotional high from her concert. The young fae walked on clouds as she moved towards the meeting that her mother had called. Iki wasn't sure what the meeting was about, but it didn't really matter. She would always answer the call of her family. Coming into the clearing, the pale princess seated herself delicately beside her uncle Plague, long tail curling around both hips and paws as she sat. Mercuric eyes focused on her parents and she offered them both a small smile and a reverent dip of her crown. The girl wondered what the meeting would be about and gave her parents her full, rapt attention.
Ike was picking herself off the yellowing moss blanket where she was working on her footing when her mother’s call rang out over Ashen lands. Things were a little quieter without so many wolves around, but Ike had been training hard. For her own sanity because she couldn’t let herself think about those terrible things she felt towards her perfect sister.
She timidly entered the clearing around the shrine, her dual toned eyes shifting from one family member to the next before she moved to sit beside Iki. Maybe having a little time together would help her warring spirit. The tall girl smiled, making her way to her seat without tripping once. She tried to attribute it to how much better she was with her sister beside her.
Stjarna padded through the frost laden ground, thankful that their winter coat had grown in so well. Star wasn't sure how cold it would get in the heart of winter here in southern Boreas but they wanted to be prepared for the worst and so their focus had been turned to hunting and preserving food as well as tanning hides. Star examined a stretched hide, leaning up against a pillar at the shrine and deciding it was finished they prepared to take it down. That was when the call of the alphess rang out summoning the wolves of Ashen together. Stjarna quickly put away the various glues and sinews they'd been organizing and headed toward the meeting. A number of wolves were already there and Star slipped to the back to take a seat.
Many unfortunate events had transpired in the past few weeks that had left Ashen with many less wolves than before. Kiyo had a forgiving heart, but after Venom had told her what had happened over tea she couldn’t help but feel a bit of malice toward the former priestess, Toxicity. The pale woman understood having faith and the importance of it to many wolves, but in her mind not everyone needed to constantly be at a shrine boasting reverence to be faithful to their deity. One could do little things throughout the day to prove to their God that they were still a believer, because at the end of the day faith was between the God and their follower. The fact that Toxicity had stared down their Empress and spit such insults at her when she’d done nothing but be a good mother was unforgivable, and the ghostly goddess thought perhaps they were better off without.
Kiyo had been giving her grandson, Take, a routine checkup when Venom’s call had rang into the air. She paused in her poking and prodding, a soft smile being given to the boy before she rose to her paws. Together, the pair moved at a swift pace to the meeting place, a stark contrast to each other. Kiyo was like the moon, and Take was like the night that surrounded it. He towered over her already, despite not even being a year of age yet, but this was something she was used to after growing up in a land of giants.
They arrived quickly and Kiyo offered her son and daughter-in-law a respectful bow before going to take a seat next to her granddaughters, placing a kiss to each of their crowns.
Takeshi had been migraine free for almost 3 months and he felt himself growing stronger each day. The gap between he and his siblings was growing smaller and smaller every day due to his diligence and his mental health was getting better as well. He was finally beginning to feel worthy of his name and lineage, something that he couldn’t have said for sure would ever happen several weeks prior. Each day was a gift, he felt, and he chose not to squander it.
The boy was in the middle of getting one of his routine check-ups when his mother’s call rang into the air, bouncing off of the stone hallways before settling in their ears. His grandmother paused, offering her comforting, soft smile before rising to her paws. He did so as well, immediately towering over her and he waited for her to lead the way before trailing after her just behind her right hip, acting as her shadow as he did with nearly everyone else. The traversed the snow laden Ashen territory, arriving swiftly at the scene of the meeting. He dipped his head in a bow to his mother and father alongside his grandmother, his breath puffing out clouds of red tinged fog in the cold, before he settled alongside her and his sisters, a small grin on his lips as the pale woman gave kisses to each of their heads before his attention was pulled forward once more.