Trying to hurry before Pyra dies, so all hands on deck! Meeting due by 10/9! DM me if there's an issue with this deadline!

Everything was happening at the speed of light and Sparrow could hardly look in all the directions she felt like she was supposed to. She sometimes wondered why she ever wanted to be alpha at all, but she knew she was in too deep now and cared about those here, despite her wanting to pretend she didn't and deny any accountability. For trying to make a pack based around freedoms or something, she really wasn't feeling all that free anymore.

But by now the scouts should be back, and Pyralis was stepping down, and Eden was gone and there was blood, and just everything. She called the pack (and didn't even leash the pups this time) and waited impatiently, sending out another howl just to urge everyone in.

"Scouts, updates? Who's the target?"

Sparrow's call today was much more emergent-sounding then the others of past and Artisan hurried to answer, arriving out of breath and panting hard but seemingly before any others. "Where's the fire!?" He croaked, glancing around the empty cavern and noticing that there seemed to be nothing immediately threatening them. He spread his limbs, sliding down until his stomach hit the cold floor and peering up at his awaiting alpha. "The fuck, Sparrow?" This was just a normal meeting? well, at least he was here - and first!

To her question Artisan shrugged (as best as he could from the ground). "The fish-looking wolves in the south have just... bamboo. Bamboo and bamboo and more bamboo and the shit is like supernaturally strong so you can't even cut it down and take any. Not worth our time, I don't think."

"Speech"

Honestly, he had a lot of other shit going on that when Sparrow howled urgently, the man didn't even bat an eyelash. Not one, not two, but three of his goddamn children were missing. Poof, gone, nowhere to be seen. Not only that, packs were dissolving and building right in front of their eyes. Hell, on the way back from Auster during their scouting mission, he had noticed that secluded pack Fenmyre's scent was already disappearing. Not that the other pack's standing really mattered to him, but if they were all going to disappear, it would be a while before they could raid again.

It was the second more urgent howl that brought Gilgamesh to his paws. The fact that Modesty had finally taken notice of Deluge's disappearance made his own worries eat at his insides. Did he really have time to be raiding when he needed to ensure his offspring were at least alive? Letting out a huff as he made his way toward the Cavern, thankful that his snapped ankle was finally healed enough to walk comfortably, he wasn't surprised to see Artisan there first. Nodding in the man's direction, Gil took his own seat with enough room to let Modesty sit near him and any of his pups that decided to show up. They weren't old enough to raid yet, were they? Ugh.

Pushing back his own personal matters, he listened to what Artisan had to say with another nod. He had enjoyed the man's company during their scout mission and wondered if maybe they could be good friends at some point. "We have enough access to fish that the bamboo really isn't interesting," he added with a casual shrug. "Maybe Armada is available for a raid? I'd like another go at that asshole," Gil's lip turned up into a smile as he eyed Sparrow carefully. Would it be too soon to go after them? Or would it be the perfect chance for him to snag Hanako and drag her back to win the bounty?

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY

Rivin hadn’t really spent time at the caverns but when what sounded like an important call went up from inside them the little girl could not help but grow curious what it was about. She had only really met some of the other kids in the pack, not even the alpha yet, so why the urgent call was so important was currently lost on her. Well, better to learn now than never, right? It wouldn’t look very good as she aged to ignore King pirate’s call to arms. Besides, she was interested in learning to raid and whatnot. Couldn’t exactly participate if she wasn’t at those meetings! So, little legs working to carry her to the caverns, Rivin made her way there. Three wolves were waiting for her, and Rivin knew none of them. Her ears perked forward as she stepped further inside. They were all really big, just like her daddy, but the brown-furred lady was the biggest of them all. The red-marked pup padded up to the pretty black, blue, and gold male, his colors being the most appealing to her as a kid and the fact he was more on her level (being flopped on the ground and all) a good enough reason to poke him and have him hopefully pay attention. “What’s going on? Why did the pretty brown lady call for everyone?” Even as she asked this her green eyes flicked to Sparrow before settling on Artisan once more. "Talk," 'Think.'

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis returned from getting her affairs in order and promptly curled up in her den to rest. She had made the journey to visit her son one last time, having heard from Alkali that he was in the area. Much as he begged her to return to the Abraxas homeland she refused. She'd broken off ties with her past and had no plans to circle all the way back to the beginning for her inevitable end.

She didn't know how long she was asleep before Sparrow called them together for a meeting. Her ears twitched. There was a certain urgency in the alphas voice so Pyralis rose to her feet, stretching for a moment before grabbing her sheep hide and making her way over to the meeting place. She flopped the skin down and made herself comfortable as one by one the pirates trickled in. Sparrow asked for updates and Pyralis sat up a bit straighter, clearing her throat. "We found two packs in the north. A small, new pack that honestly isn't worth our time. The Armada is loaded as always. Word is they even have a marketplace. In the West we only found one pack. It's surrounded by a wall and has some lush hunting territory and livestock. I doubt they put in that effort to build a wall without resources to protect. Either the Armada or the Wall pack would make a good target." She rolled her shoulders, her spine cracking just a bit as she stretched. "Either is fine with me."

Calico Jack is planted firmly in dreamland when his mother’s call resounds through the pack land. Slowly, as if peeling back layer by layer, the pup raises up from the depths of sleep and slowly awakens. Bleary eyes blink open, looking around for the source of whatever had awoken him. Since the group had returned from their scouting mission, the small pup has been sleeping much more then usual. To be fair, it was a long walk and, even with Ignis, giving him a ride when he got tired, it was still exhausting.

A yawn splits his maw and Cal mumbles to himself about silly noises when another call rings out. His mom is calling a meeting and it sounds urgent. With a grumble, Jack rolls onto his belly and stands, giving his coat a good hard shake before stretching out the kinks of sleep. Slowly, the tired pup trots to the meeting area, spying his scouting leader and gives her a great, big grin. She is really cool and it worries the pup that she is so old. Will he have to say goodbye to Pyralis before he even really gets to know her?

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Calico spies the fire-streaked form of his friend, Rivin and moves to sit next to her. Plopping his butt down, the pup easily slides down to his belly and lets out another yawn before saying, “Hey Rivin. How are you?” Icy blue gaze turns up to Artisan as Jack dips his head in greeting and adds, “Hey.” The fatigue he feels seeps into his words and, with that, he turns his attention to where his mother stands and settles his head on paws to watch the meeting.


"Calico Jack"

Modesty was antsy, she had been all over the territory looking for any trace of her children and it seemed Flurry was the only one with enough sense to stay put. She would have to come up with some sort of rewards for the girl. When Sparrow called, she made her way to the meeting and took the space that Gil had saved for her by him. “I’m heading north in the morning to look for Deluge, if we’re thinking Armada, I’ll meet up with you all there. Livestock is easy but where would we put it? Not like we have a lot for grazing here, or any way to contain it.”

“Speech.”

They said that I got to keep it sweet

The brown boy heard his mumma call and she sounded different than usual. The boy toddled into the sea of giants and made a bee-line for the other kids, tripping over his own feet in the process. “Grow’d ups do these things to talk to each other sometimes.” Sakana gave a little shrug to Rivin. He wasn’t sure what all the fuss was either. He was only here because he was pretty sure he had to be. It wasn’t like pups could take part in raids after all. Not until they were a lot bigger than they were right now.

Though still a tad too young to raid, Rexx approached the meeting anyways with curious eyes and a small smile hidden behind his ever growing tusks. Man, those things were still growing - and twice as sore it seemed. Lifting up a paw to rub at his jaw with a soft grunt in discomfort, nevermind that his spiked back was constantly spasming on account of the crystals, the burly boy took his seat amongst the adults and kids alike. His siblings weren’t here yet. He did see his parents, and Calico Jack, and another kid he assumed was Sparrow’s. Everyone was discussing grown-up stuff - something eh would’ve normally ignored, but he listened with an attentive interest, leaning in as if to catch all the words he could hear. Something about bamboo being too strong to cut, and another place his father mentioned he’d like to go. What was an Armada, though? He frowned. Maybe it was something to do with that moldy spiked wolf that kicked his sister. Yeah that was reason enough to want to beat them up. He sat rather quietly upon his haunches, drinking in the words and hoping his brother would sit beside him. "speech"

They'd arrived home relatively safely and while Scald didn't really mind if his parents were worried about them, he was glad they hadn't gone looking either. With Sparrow's howl echoing along the beach, the lanky boy made his way lazily toward the caverns. They still had time before they were allowed to attend raids but since his other siblings were going, he figured why shouldn't he show face as well. Eyeing the growing crowd with mild interest, his gaze lingered on the brown-coated pup of Sparrow's before he meandered his way to his tusked brother. Plopping himself down beside Rexx, he sprawled out until he was lying on his belly and leaning against Rexx's thigh. S C A L D

By the time he was able to make it in to answer the call for assembly, there were already a lot of wolves and pups already gathered. He had never seen so many individuals collected in one place, and it brought him a sense of unease. Glancing from one figure to another, it took him a moment to find someone he recognized. His amber gaze eventually fell on the all too familiar outline of his sister, as well the flashy splotches of Calico Jack. Aresenn cautiously wove his way through the crowd to join those he was most comfortable with. As he neared them, he got the feeling they had already exchanged some words. So without inserting himself in the middle of it, he offered them a stiff nod and then went to settle at Rivin's opposite side, calmly awaiting further address.

Baby Ajax was a little late but eager all the same as he arrived on scene and made a beeline for his Mother. She wasn't the most doting and that was okay, he still loved her very much and had to say hello before melting into the crowd to listen like a good boy. Tippy-tapping the ground with happy steps beside her, he offered the Pirate King the biggest smile and fiercest tail wag he could muster before bounding off to go hang out with Sakana. His brother was very brown, unlike the dappled colours of Jack. But they all suited one another, he thought, a colourful sibling soup. "Adults do like to talk." Ajax agreed easily enough, as he flopped down onto his rump, careful not to catch his tail beneath. "And raiding is important." Hopefully they'd let him join in on the fun someday soon, he could hardly wait!

They had only recently returned from their scouting trip. Sparrow called the pack together for a meeting, and it was seemingly an urgent one because before he even took a handful of steps she had howled again. The crimson dire picked up the pace, calling for Diablo as he passed by him and hurrying to find most of the crew gathered. And of course, almost every pup they had was on deck. When did the pack get so many pups!? Oh well, more pirates to antagonize the world later. He weaved his way towards his pups, sitting behind them and nosing the two with affection, "We'll go do something fun soon," He owed them that after being so distracted after everything that had been happening. "Valhalla in the West might not be a bad choice. If they have a wall to protect whatever they've got, surely it's more than just livestock." Plus, he wasn't exactly keen on seeing Azure so soon...but then again...maybe the bastard had Eden and his kid, and his fur began to prickle at the thought.

Ah fuck. Getting old sucked. His bones had been popping here and there and he just felt a general crankiness that had begun to crop up in recent weeks. Drinking, drinking, and more drinking. Be merry they said! Sure, if he had something to be merry about. Maybe if he had a little more to his life, things wouldn't be so bad. But alas. He rose to his feet when Sparrow called the pack together for a meeting, just about everyone was there when he arrived, including a bunch of pups. Oh shit! He forgot he had pups of his own! His eyes widened when it hit him and he fought the urge to ditch the meeting and go to the kids he had forgotten about! How long had it been since he received word about them being born? Why hadn't the girl come to see him after? He had a ton of questions, but he plopped his ass on the ground and waited for the meeting to begin.

Sparrow shot Art a quick look trying to signify that no this WAS an important meeting, she just needed more information first. She hummed as each member spoke then rocked herself to a sit. "Well first off... we have several pack members missing. Eden and one of the pups scents and fur were found with blood. If anyone is going to be stealing our members, it's probably the puppy punters."

She gave some consideration to wall pack, but other than killing their livestock what was there to do? It would be a good winter raid, probably. "I say we visit their market for some food stuff we can't get here on the coast, but keep your senses out for anything that might hint at our missing members. Until then, beach is closed for visitors and pups under one year are to remain in the pack or you'll be made to walk the plank or wear a leash for the rest of your life, understood?"

Sparrow let out another sigh, her brain working through the list of to-do's so fast it left no room for her normal bravado and humor. "Also, this raid will be Pyralis's last at the Ultimate Sin, she's stepping down after this. So if anyone wants to gun for her spot, do good in the raid, maybe we'll have a tourney later- lets have fun with it."

Was there anything else? She could hardly remember. "We leave to raid the Armada in the morning. We'll secure the pups in the ship with anyone who wants to watch them until we get back."

Beach is now CLOSED to the public and pups are on LOCKDOWN! Just post here to confirm your character going to raid or nah before you post in the raid. Xoxo Iko