Venom’s white gloved paws carried her into the pale ivory forest that surrounded the ancient shrine. On her way past her sunset gaze settled upon the glowing water, its light about to overtake that of the evening sun. Soon enough the stars would begin to show themselves in the darkening sky above. The day was coming to a close, but the Empress’s night was just getting started. So much had happened in the last year, so much to sway her mind and her path. New life was on the way, and the old traditions were beginning to crumble.

Ashen was about to take a hard turn, but she believed it for the better. For their futures and that of the coming generation. They would reclaim their roots, and reignite their greatness. The Empire slumbered for too long. Her ranks needed filling, and thankfully, she had plenty of apprentices to fill those ranks. Plenty that were ready to take on more responsibility within the pack. There were outside threats that would also need to be addressed.

She continued on past the shrine, to make her way to the meeting place. There was much to discuss, and many plans that needed to be prepared for. It was best not to toil. Venom lifted her head to the sky, calling forth all of Ashen’s wolves.

"Venom"

please post first round appearance by 12/15

Ike lifted her head to the sound of her mother’s summoning voice. She had mostly the same schedule as her mother, and similar of Klein lineage. Her pale sur and soft pink skin were vulnerable to the bright light of day. Kiyohime worked well with her own shortcomings, and she’d never had to deal with a real bad burn. Best to tread in the night. So as evening came she was preparing for a patrol with Remus. Or just waking up for those plans.

With a yawn she stretched and lifted herself to her paws, quick to get from the island palace to the gathering place where the pack met for meetings. Venom was perched on the podium and she took her place beside her. For the first time, Ike didn’t trip when she arrived at a meeting.

"Kiyohime Shuriken Ōritsu Abraxas"

Incubus had just finished brewing himself another pot of tea when the call made it's way to the den. The aroma of the various herbs seemed to swirl around his home as he lapped at the hot liquid. It had only just reached a drinkable temperature. With Seere's help he was slowly getting the hang of the process was sort of enjoying it. Would he admit to that? Probably not. But, it was a nice way to consume the herbs. Especially with some honey added. Inc was careful not to drink too much so he wasn't too groggy for the meeting that was just called so he only finished half of the tea before heading out. The brute sauntered into the meeting area and soon figured out he was the first to arrive, other then the Heiress. Incubus allowed those mismatch eyes to land upon the Empress and he offered a bow of his head. Lips curled into a tiny grin as he raised back up. Inc then looked to the Heiress and offered a similar dip of his head. They both deserved ample respect. "Good Evening." The male regarded the duo before taking a seat in the clearing to wait for the meeting to begin. Speech

Night is beginning to settle over the Ashen lands when Venom’s call rings out. The small healer’s head lifts and she turns in the direction of the summons. Since Seere was made Apthoker of Ashen, the girl has thrown herself headlong into responsibility in the hopes of making her family proud. That is why is close by when the howling summons sings out, her small paws cutting tracks along the familiar patrol path.

With a smile is on her lips, she turns her body toward the place where her aunt waits and hastily moves to answer the call. Within minutes Seere’s paws touch the area that is designated for meetings and her mismatched gaze finds her aunt and cousin already waiting on the podium. Flashing them both a huge, bright smile, the small healer walks toward the front row of the gathering and, as she passes Incubus offers the big man a warm, friendly grin.

Finding a space to settle in, she sits there with her back straight, happiness etched on her features, the girl turns her attention to those who arrive, offering them smiles as they pass before the meeting begins. Seere really likes meetings.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"

Banshee had just finished up a patrol when the howl was heard through the territory. Venom was seemingly calling all of Ashen together. Curiosity swam it's way through the Klein babe was she reached her den. It had only been about a week or two since her and Verity's arrival so she wasn't caught up on what was going on within the pack itself so this might be a good chance for her to learn more. As well as meeting more Wolves within the pack itself. So far she was only really familiar with Venom and Seere. Banshee is a rather social being and did want to introduce herself to some others. After freshening up a little bit and waking her daughter up from a nap the duo made their way to the meeting sight. Verity was bouncing with excitement per usual and Banshee couldn't blame her. The little one had led such a sheltered life until now and this was her first big pack meeting. A small smile stained her lips as they arrived. It seemed they were some of the first to arrive. Only an inky male sat in the clearing and Seere was making her way to the front. Venom and her daughter stood at the helm and Banshee offered a dip of her head to show respect. After a moment Ban guided Verity towards a nice spot in the middle and they sat. The older Klein offered a fang filled smile to the Apothaker as they made eye contact. ""

Pale green eyes fluttered into view as Banshee coaxed the youngling from her slumber. A long yawn came forth as the small babe stretched out. She was not too pleased to be woken up but then her Mother spoke the words 'pack meeting' Verity's eyes went wide. This was her first real pack meeting. She was going to be able to see all the other Wolves of Ashen for the first time. Ver wasn't too interested in socializing with everyone but she was curious to see who they were. When Mother brought her on a few patrols she smelled all the others that had walked the borders before her. So many different scents caused her curiosity to soar. Soon the duo were upon the meeting site. They were just beyond the shrine as a nice clearing in the white trees. They were some of the first to arrive. Ver stopped in her tracks when her Mother did. She watched Banshee regard the leadership and Verity offered a small dip of her head as well. Her eyes fell upon the Empress and then the seemingly younger girl to her side. Verity assumed that had to be the Heir or a Princess. A little smile stained the pups lips as they moved to a spot in the middle to sit down. She silently glanced to the dark male as they passed him, admiring his little horns. Ver had never seen so many Wolves with mutations before. But, her attention was quickly shifted to Seere and a little wag of her tail showed her excitement to see her teacher. She didn't know if it was appropriate to speak so the tiny pup merely gave the girl a big smile.

She hadn’t ever really become any kind of socialite, but after living for so long within Ashen’s borders she gained a new confidence. Rava made her way from the family den, her family den. Sometimes she still had to stop and tell herself her life was real. Plague had saved her, and she had a family. They had children that she adored deeply, and loved like nothing in her life before. She owed her life to Ashen and everything the pack had done for her. She made her way from the palace, finding her way to the gathering. Rava made a bee-line to Seere, avoiding curious glances as she settled in at her daughter’s side. She was confident on her own, but even after so much time group settings were not easy.

Void caught up with Rava and helped her into the meeting, she relaxed when he appeared at her other side. Part of him wondered if it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to escort his mother and siblings, but he had confidence they would find their way. Void usually took the day patrol, and his day was just going to start winding down as the Empress gathered them together. He followed Rava to Seere. The girl he was so proud to call his daughter.

He gave a little nod to each of the wolves gathered so far, and gave Rava and Seere each a kiss upon the cheek. He seated himself protectively behind them, awaiting the rest of their not so little family anymore.

"Void Abraxas-Destruction"

The older wolf has been settling into pack life with her children, the concept still foreign to her. Eulogy has kept mostly to herself and it all seems like a dream. She is afraid that, one day, she will wake up and everything will be gone. But day after day, she has awoken to find everything and everyone still here and she is slowly beginning to trust that life is good.

A call rings through the evening air and the old wolf lifts her head from her paws from where she had been napping. Her arthritic hips had begged her to rest, and the woman had answered. With some effort she stands, giving her coat a shake and smoothing out any rough spots before slowly and carefully making her way to the meeting area.

She finds there are already several wolves gathered and spots her son and some of his family. Moving to join them, the older woman vows silently to herself to do better and to get to know her packmate… since they are strangers to her. A gentle smile is offered to those already gathered as she gingerly takes a seat, turning her attention to the Empress while waiting for the rest of her children to appear.


"Eulogy Destruction"

Kitsune was always prompt to arrive for a meeting. As her mothers call reached across the pack, the Chunin put down her leather chest piece and oiling equipment. She would finish her maintenance late, it would be fine to sit there a little while. She gave her work one last glance to ensure it wouldn’t tumble into the dirt, and left the beach. Trotting towards the shrine where the rest of the pack began to assemble.

She glanced about as she arrived, taking in those that had already assembled. She gave Seere a grime, before turning her full attention to her mother. Giving her mother a small nod of greeting.


"Speech"

It had been some time since the Empress had summoned them all together. The last he could remember was shortly after he'd rejoined the ranks fo his natal pack, a few seasons ago. The amethyst marked male slipped from the familiar outbuilding of the Shrine where he'd been holed up since his experiment with the thinning veil. Having recovered the muscle mass and mental fortitude that he'd lost to the drugs over those many days, he was safe to venture out without supervision by his companions. As he meandered to the source of the summons, Pollux clung loosely to the side of his neck, tiny digits wrapped in the silken strands of his ruff. Hallux kept to the air, and was quick to alight upon a branch high above the clearing where the pack had already begun to gather. Two-toned eyes sought out the familiar pallid form of his favourite cousin, before he remembered that she was gone. Married off to one of their allies. He would need to go visit her soon.

The wraith dipped his head in a subtle greeting to the Empress, before he took a seat near the fringes of the meeting. Without Ikigai, he wasn't sure he was totally welcome here anymore. His other cousins weren't as familiar, and he was the only one left to follow the old religion. He was an outlier among their ranks, and it left him wondering how he ought to go about.. making friends. A small sigh shuddered through his narrow chest as he settled onto his haunches, wrapping his tail about his hips and paws. Pollux released his grip on the long strands of fur around his neck, and settled instead upon the folded joint of his master's knee, leaning against his flank. The tiny primate idly toyed with the jeweled chain that draped over the wolf's form, watching the rest of the pack trickle in.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "Pollux"

Venom had talked to him about the changes she wanted to guide Ashen through and Maverick had loyally agreed to support whatever decisions she believed best for her family and her Empire. With their betrothal, Maverick would become Venom's Emperor Consort, but he knew the true rule lay firmly within her alabaster paws. He was not a born and bred leader like she was, but he would stand by her side through this evolution Ashen was to go through. They had new puppies being made, a new generation to the Empire, and yearlings that would set forth on their courses to become functioning members of the pack. Ashen would see much about it grow, but much like the aftermath of a forest fire, things would begin anew and rise from the ashes of the past.

As his beloved fiancée led the way to the pallid shrine and called for her wolves, Maverick took his place by her side, seating himself back on his haunches and resting one giant paw over hers with a gentle smile. A wordless show of support and love for her. His oceanic eyes shifted down to her slim stomach for a brief moment that would soon swell with their children, then settled in to wait for everyone to gather to hear what their Empress had to say.

"Maverick"

Young Stolas had been spending a lot of time outside of Ashen's borders as of late. As his new friendship with the Mendacium girl from Elysium grew, the red and black prince had become much more worldly, exploring the world outside the Empire to help expand his studies. He still focused on the stars, of course, and his grimoire had become an almost constant accessory with him at all times. The call from his aunt for the pack to gather at the shrine brought him out of his room in the palace, curiosity abounding as he made his way north to the sacred site. He arrived shortly after a small group had gathered, but definitely not the last. That was a relief; he'd been late to far too many meetings in the past. Taking his seat beside his siblings, Stolas settled in, looking to Venom curiously as he waited to hear what this meeting would be about.

"Stolas"

The evening was beginning to descend on Ashen's lands as Plague neared the end of his usual last patrol of the day—though he wouldn't get the chance to finish it as his sister's call for the pack interrupted him and pulled him toward the shrine. Of course he had no issue passing up the last of his patrol in order to attend their meeting, especially since he had a bit of a hint at what might be discussed. There was certainly some excitement coming up in Ashen's future that he was very much looking forward to and he was eager for the rest of the pack and their family to know as well so he could stop keeping secrets. As he approached he gave Venom a bit of a grin and nodded to his future brother-in-law before he went to join his family, giving each of his children that had arrived so far an affectionate nuzzle. After pressing a light kiss to Void's lips and giving him a smile he took his place beside Rava, knowing how much larger group settings like this tended to put her on edge. He gently slipped a paw around his dear Rava's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze, glancing down at her with a smile and then looking up to Venom to give his sister his undivided attention.

Plague | Viridis | Procella

Remus had just finished putting on his armor to get ready for his usual evening patrol with Ike when he heard Venom's howl calling the pack together. His ears perked and he listened for a moment, glancing down at his bracers that he had just finished fastening around his legs. Well, he certainly didn't want to make himself late removing them so he left them on as he turned to leave his den and start making his way to join in on the meeting. This was the first time he had really seen a big group of the pack together like this so there were actually faces in the crowd he didn't know or recognize just yet. He walked up from the back of the group, finding a place somewhere fairly close to the front slightly near where Ike's uncle and his family were sitting and he looked up toward the front, spotting Ike sitting beside her mother. He wished he could be sitting with her, but he of course understood the Princess needing to be at the front with the Empress for something like a pack meeting. Still, he caught her eye and gave her a grin, already looking forward to the meeting being over so he could spend some time with her.

"Remus Armada"

Change was upon more than just herself, it seemed. Pleione had been wracked with anxiety for days as she pondered who to challenge as per Venom’s request, knowing with every second that ticked by that she was already being evaluated. It may have made more sense to fight someone with a lower skill level, but she’d already dismissed that as cowardice. What was left was a series of less and less likely victories as she imagined facing down every familiar face she could picture, all the way up to Venom herself. Ha! What would the empress think of that? Would she think her vain and stupid to even attempt, or brave for the very same reasons? It was all hypothetical, anyway. Pleione knew her own limits enough to be certain she’d freeze up from sheer intimidation, and then she’d have to throw herself back into the ocean out of shame. She was embarrassed to find herself one of the last to answer Venom’s call. Settling in among the gathered wolves, Pleione was relieved to find it easier to assign names to faces this time around. She may not have had many in-depth personal conversations with her peers, but she could recognize them at a glance. That was enough, right? Too caught up in her own head, she barely had space to be concerned with what the meeting was actually about.

Saia had started to branch out into the farthest edges of the territories and start learning the patrol routes around the borders and things. She was much older and capable now to do these things on her own. Her and her family were strong, she knew that. And soon she supposed she would be taking on the real deal as were her other siblings.

She came to Venom's call, silent as always. Finding her mother along with the rest of her family that had joined Venom and the others. She smiled just gently to her mom before she became more settled and put back on that all too familiar straight face. She did like to be surrounded by her family and peers in these meetings, it was a reminder of some sort of where and how she lived. A good life if she had to say so herself. She waited for Venom to start and give reason for today's call.

"Saia Abraxas-Destruction"

Sitri wasn't in a huge hurry to arrive to the meeting, but he made sure not to take so long that he'd be late either. He had started to venture out a bit more now that they were old enough to be allowed some more freedom. He was very much eager to see lands beyond their borders now that they were past their first birthdays and could go further without supervision. Of course he hadn't gone too far just yet, just far enough to see some lands he wasn't familiar with or to at least satisfy some curiosity for what he had seen just over the borders growing up, but he was slowly learning his way around the lands that surrounded the ones their family claimed as theirs. He walked up to the meeting with his companions in tow, Slate and Ruby breaking off to go linger in the near by trees as he came over to join the rest of his family. He found a spot next to his siblings and parents, finishing out the last of their little clan now that he was there. Okay, maybe he had ended up being one of the last ones to get here, but at least he got here before his aunt kicked things off. He looked up toward the front and waited with interest to see what this was all about.

"Sitri Abraxas-Destruction"

Kumiho heard the call from the Ashen Empress from where he had been fishing off one of the islands of the archipelago. The southernmost island of Ibis had proven to be quite the bountiful fishing spot, and since it had remained unoccupied since Chimera and Siren had moved out some time ago, the youthful fisherman wolf had taken to making it his own little secret grotto for his hobbies and crafts. It took him some time to navigate his way across the paths of bridges that spanned between the islands to reach mainland Boreas, and then a quick jog north to the Alabastrine Shrine.

When he arrived, he noticed that many others had already gotten settled in—not really a surprise considering he'd come clear across the Empire's lands—and spotted Kitsune with a smile. Making his way gently through the crowd to his princess, the arctic-coated male found a seat beside his princess, giving her a gentle nudge with his shoulder and a roguish smile before fixing his attention to Venom for whatever she had summoned them all here for.

"Speech"

For Spirit Destruction, adjusting to life within Ashen was a painstakingly slow process. He'd barely even left Gloom's side since they joined, and if he wasn't with her he was typically with their mother. But hearing Venom's call reminded him that he was not alone with his family anymore, and that he ought to try to integrate into the pack. Slowly, but surely. Quietly he made his way to the shrine, the lands still mostly unfamiliar to him. Navigating them was a slow process, made slower by the setting sun.

He was nearly late to arrive, immediately finding his mother and slinking in beside her almost silently. Spirit managed a weak smile as he leaned into his mother, though his attention soon fell to the Empress and remained there, waiting for her to speak.