Kea was very excited about all the going-ons with the altars and gods and stuff. There were festive and strange things. With bubbles of autumn and fallen leaves to play in. It was a big difference to the sombre attitude of the pups that had come from the Armada to play with them. They had started off excited and eager to explore, but something had changed. No one was talking about it, but the adults around the place winced at certain questions. It made Kea more determined than ever to recapture the excitement that had been in the air before.

This had been Dusk’s idea. Sort of it. His dark coated sister had dared him that he would never be able to raise a ghost, bringing to his attention that some wolves were trying. Some further investigating told him that the ‘vail’ was supposed to be very thin at the moment. That ghosts could get across more easily. It was all he needed to start an idea.

What did ghosts like? That was a very important question. He supposed it depended what kind of ghost he wanted. Did he want someone sad and mopey who missed the real world? Of course not. There was all the matter of exactly what ghosts were. Further investigation from the curious pup told him that they were wolves that had once lived in the world, and had moved on to somewhere else. Or as one adult had said or did they? his head full of spooky ideas, he decided exactly what time of ghost he wanted to find. Someone fierce and scary. Someone that would follow him back to Dusk and say boo! that idea left him giggling.

So how did one summon such a ghost? He started by pulling herbs at random from the garden. Anything with dark petals seemed like a good idea. Of course, so much of the pretty growing things in the glass house were full of colour, so he couldn’t escape it entirely. Oh well, maybe his ghost would like colour?

Armed with growing things, he found a nice flat stone and started to assemble his offering. Making a rough sort of circle with shredded petals and stems and stuff. He stared at it for a time, and then shook his head. No, he needed more. He needed something fierce, after all. So he gathered some thorns, prickling himself a few times as he gathered and laid them out in his circle. Again, he stopped and examined his handiwork. Would this be enough to bring across a ghost? He wasn’t so sure. He next went for twigs, and assembled them into shapes of swords across his stones. He wanted a fighter. Someone deadly and fierce, and scary. His assemblage was starting to look cluttered at this point, but still the pup wasn’t satisfied.

The berries had been a brilliant idea, if he said so himself. He popped and smeared them over the ‘swords’ and thorns until his assemblage had a bloody imagery to it. He grinned, feeling far more satisfied now. So. he had his ‘altar’ now what? He had heard that the altars out in the world had familiars with them. But that was for ‘gods’ right? He wanted ghosts. Totally different things. Maybe. He wasn’t totally sure on the finer points of things. After some consideration, he went to the kitchen and grabbed down a rabbit that had been set up to drain. He arranged the rabbit on the altar. A dead rabbit, for a dead ghost. Surely that was everything he needed now, right?

The last thing he needed was dark. He had assembled this entire thing in a quiet and sheltered corner outside of the castle but still in the castle walls. He waited until the sun started to dip, and in the fading light impatience overcame him and he returned to his altar. The sticky berry juices were starting to smell very sweet, and his petals were wilting. But that just added to the atmosphere, right? Not really sure how to do this, he sat down in front of his altar. Tipping his head back, and closing his eyes. He pictured a dark, fierce wolf with glowing eyes. One that stood like… 60” tall and had smoke or steam coming off its fur. Perfect. Grinning, he continued to picture a wolf that would probably give him nightmares if it actually appeared. He pictured the wolf appearing above his altar. Appearing like the shadows gave it form, and opened its mouth. He pictured it so clearly that a tickle of wind brushing through his fur made him jump in fright and turn around. Facing his alter, heart hammering in his chest. Man, it really had gotten dark, hadn’t it? “Hello…?” he called out cautiously


"Ciaran Carpathius"

Tiburtius blinked open his eyes with confusion, wiggling his toes a bit in the grass as he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. There were brick walls and manicured gardens and pathways—all entirely new sights to him and very much different from the forest he last remembered being in. It was dark, clearly deep into the night with just a glow from the moon to light up his surroundings. Not even the scents were familiar to him—and very notably missing the familiar scents of his family that he last remembered being around. The last thing he remembered from the living world was speaking to his children and grandchildren before he went to sleep and when he had opened his eyes again he had been in a foggy version of the northern pines he had been raised in, blissfully unaware of the passage of time and free from the creaks of old age and the scars from many, many years facing various fights. He had found his mother there and eventually a couple of his siblings, reuniting where their family had began. This was very much not that and he didn't understand why he was here—until he heard a small voice calling out into the darkness.

He turned around, finding himself looking at the back of a young pup, a dark coated lad with blue-hued stripes. Looking past the clearly on edge boy he saw the ritual alter of sorts with all sorts of torn up plants, herbs, sticks, and what looked like blood at first glance, but upon closer inspection turned out to be smeared berries—and to top it off a slaughtered rabbit. He raised a brow, a smirk crossing his lips. He could tell this was clearly some young pup's attempts at chasing ghost stories and he just so happened to actually make contact with the other side. It had been what he imagined was a long, long time since he had gotten to play with and tease his grandsons so now that the opportunity presented itself to do so again he couldn't keep the grin that tugged at his features from crossing his lips. He quietly creeped up behind the boy, leaning down over him till his muzzle was almost right beside the boy's ear. "Boo!" he said quietly before lifting his head out of the way, fully expecting the boy to jump and not wanting to get hit in the chin in the process.

"Tiburtius Armada"

As his voice trailed off, and he glanced about himself, he frowned. Had it failed? He’d put so much effort into the altar. His paws were still sticky from the berries. He sighed, and was about ready to call it a night - He didn’t want to be out so late his parents came looking for him - when something made his pause. Just as he was about to turn around, a voice whispered suddenly in his ear. He shrieked and leaped a foot in the air. Whirling, and expecting to see the giant demon he had envisioned.

The wolf wasn’t exactly like his mental image. He wasn’t 60” tall and inky as the night, but one eye blazed red in an unfamiliar face. “H-hello” he said, and then cleared his throat. “I, Ciaran Syn Carpathius have summoned you, and you must do as I bid!” He declared.


"Speech"

Just as he had suspected, the young boy that seemed to be responsible for him being here did indeed shriek and jump as he was spooked, making Tiburtius grin and chuckle. He didn't intend to really scare the boy, but he just couldn't resist giving him a little spook and pranking him a bit. Nothing had brought out the playful, trickster side of himself from his youth more than when he had his own kids and eventually his grandchildren as well. He and his grandsons especially had played little pranks on each other back and forth for most of their childhoods and this pup reminded him so much of those days. It made him wistful in a way, but he had lived a long, full life. There was no regret in how his life had ended. He was sure everyone wished at one point or another for more time with their loved ones or to do more things, but he was content and really only wished he knew what had come of all of his family.

He wouldn't get those answers here though so he figured he might as well have some fun and maybe teach this pup not to go messing with things like spirits. If the separation between the spirit world and the living world was really so thin that anyone could simply pass through like this then he was actually quite lucky that someone as harmless as himself had been the one to be randomly pulled across. Tiburtius chuckled as the boy caught himself and seemed to collect himself after his initial scare, introducing himself in a way and demanding that he do as he wished since he had summoned him here. Tiburtius got a mischievous gleam in his ruby and emerald gaze. He didn't recognize the family name that young Ciaran spouted off—likely a family that came to be after his time in Boreas was over—but he had a feeling that it was supposed to have some kind of power or significance since he made a point of saying his whole name. He lowered his head, leaning down a bit so he could get to be eye level with the boy.

"Bold of you to think that your standing here has any sway in the spirit world, mortal," he rumbled, speaking low and menacingly—or at least as menacingly as he could manage. He was most certainly putting on a bit of a show for the boy, but it was all in good fun. He grinned wide with a flash of teeth in the moonlight, adding a low growl for emphasis. "Maybe you should run before I decide to get revenge for being disturbed..." he added, growling again before jumping forward, landing with his large front paws hitting the ground just in front of Ciaran, looming over the boy with a snarl without actually touching him.

"Tiburtius Armada"

Kea’s eyes got wide as the ghost spoke. This wasn’t going… anyway like he had imagined. Actually, he hadn’t really thought any further than the summoning. He had been so caught up in the fun and mystery of summoning a ghost he hadn’t taken a moment to think what would happen after.

As the ghost spoke, Kea’s little fantasy fell apart, and he started to realise what he had done. The scary purple beast spoke of revenge, and him having no sway over the ghost. Kea at last realised the mistake he had made. “I will be a knight of the Hallows, and you can go no further, ghost!” He said, puffing himself up despite how his paws had trembled. He very much did want to flee and hide behind the strong legs of his parents, but he had brought this ghost here. He would not let it hurt anyone in his family.


"Speech"

He had to admit, Ciaran certainly had a very strong will for such a young boy and it was getting really hard to keep up this intimidating persona when all he really wanted to do was give the pup a proud pat on the back. He didn't know anything about this kid or his family, but anyone that was so willing even at such a young age to stand up for his family even in the face of a scary ghost certainly had to be cut from some good cloth. He smirked and leaned back a bit, looking at him appraisingly as if trying to decide if this was enough to keep him at bay. Eventually Tiburtius pretended to relent with a huff, taking a step back from Ciaran. "Alright... Fine, you win this time, future knight. But be warned, if you bring me back I might not be so merciful!" Hiding his grin, he stepped around the pup to stand over the summoning circle he had created and as soon as he stepped across the edge of the circle he closed his eyes and let go of the tentative tether that was holding him here. To be honest, he had no idea if that would work, but luckily for him he immediately felt an odd lightness for a moment and when he opened his eyes he was back in the familiar misty landscape of the spirit realm. Well, at least his last trick had the effect he wanted!

"Tiburtius Armada"