ooc: Due date is May 16th!

Avacyn walked toward the clearing near the island lake's edge with Saracyn in tow, glancing toward him with a small smile. This would be the first time their meeting place would see any use in quite some time, but she felt like it was necessary to hold a meeting for something as significant as a change in leadership. Of course there were also now ranks to be filled, a feast to be had, things to celebrate... It was high time that they had a meeting regardless of the fact that she had stepped into the role of Matriarch. As she stepped up onto the low platform of slate, she settled onto her haunches with a slightly nervous sigh. Her dark gaze looked out over the empty clearing that she hoped would soon be filled with the members of their pack. It wasn't like her coming into power would be a huge surprise–she had been Heiress for the entirety of her life, after all–but she still hoped that everyone would take the news well. Lifting her head, she let out a loud howl to call for everyone to gather, her voice echoing out over Elysium's territories. With her summons made, she settled in to wait, glancing over to Saracyn with another nervous smile.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

The warm summer day finds Ricin laying in the cool grass near Chade and his den. Long legs stretched out as far they will go as the blue wolf slumbers peacefully. There is nothing quite like an afternoon nap underneath the summer sun and the young man is taking full advantage of the day. In the realm of dreams, the man chases an elk across a beautiful, grassy plain when a call reaches his ears. It swiftly pulls him from the depths of dreamland and he immediately shoots upright, head snapping in the direction of the summons.

Never one to dally, Ricin swiftly stands and shakes out his coat, smoothing down some errant hairs that try to stick up at odd angles. With that done, he lopes toward the meeting area, wondering what will happen today. As he approaches the area, the man slows, crimson eyes finding Avacyn and Saracyn up on the slate platform. With a smile and dip of his head in greeting, the blue wolf picks a spot in the clearing and settles lightly on his haunches. Tail curls loosely around his hips as he patiently waits for his brother to arrive and join him.


"Ricin Dauner"

A rabbit franticly attempts to shake the young pup that is chasing it. It switches directions faster than the boy can turn but Malico isn’t one to give up so easily. He closes in, mouth opening as he seeks to deliver a killing blow when a call distracts him. Jaws snap closed on empty air as he pulls up short, ears turning in the direction of the call while he watches the rabbit get away.

With a disappointed scowl tugginf at his features down, the boy turns to quickly answer his sister’s summons. Mal runs back across the land bridge from where he had been hunting and is swift to arrive at the meeting area. Trotting into the clearing, he looks to where his brother and sister sit on the elevated platform and he offers them a small smile. He picks a spot, plopping down to await the arrival of Mar and his parents. Well, at least he picked a good spot for them.


"Malico Mendacium"

Things were a little up in the air with Scylla and her siblings. She couldn't say that she didn't like it in Elysium, but remaining there wasn't set in stone. They could be gone tomorrow if Albion decided that he couldn't stay here any longer. Albion, Cerberus and Ruse were Scylla's priority. She believed that she'd made this quite clear to the Mendacium family. Regardless of the precarious situation of her position within the pack, Scylla made her way towards the call of the new alpha.

Others were there already and the blue and cream fae seated herself apart from them. Of course there was enough room for her brother's and sister to join her. The lady's mismatched eyes landed on Avacyn with a hint of chill in their depths. She wasn't good enough for Albion anyway. For Saracyn, she didn't even spare a glance.

"Scylla Klein"

Ikigai had no real opinion on the matter as far as the shift in leadership went. She adored Manea and Alastor, but she quite liked Avacyn as well. If anyone knew what it was like to be young and in a position beyond your years, it was Iki. She would support the young alpha in any way that she could and would offer what guidance and wisdom she'd picked up over time. That was the Ikigai way.

Arriving at the meeting place, the black and white lady cast a reassuring smile to the purple woman. Ava looked a bit tense, but that was understandable. Iki chose a spot nearby and leaned into Deimos' strong shoulder, giving her foreleg a little shake to show the betrothal bangle that he'd given her. She gave the man a little wink, then settled in to see what Ava had to say.

"Speech"

A pack meeting was being called, and although Ifrit had been mostly to himself almost the entire time he'd been part of the pack, he wouldn't disregard the summons for a meeting. The horned male made his way there, making the trek from one side of the island towards the center where Avacyn had called them from. It didn't take too long for him to get there, and so far, there were only a few others. The rest of the pack had yet to arrive. He had still been disappointed in himself from the raid they had a while back. The male had been training when needed with the others, but mostly on his own. He wasn't the most social of wolves, but he'd have to make more of an effort to get to know the others and get to the level he needed to be. Taking a seat, he nodded towards the head of the pack as he settled in and waited. "Ifrit"

Terra’s recovery has been a long, rocky road with a few minor setbacks along the way. It was frustrating to her that she had not be able to get around as she liked and, because she refused to listen to her body, it had taken her leg even longer to heal. But she has healed and, during every set back, Lotus was there. They have grown close and the earthen-hued wolf does not like to stray far from his side.

That is why she close to his side as they arrive at the meeting area, almost attached to him as they find a seat and settle in. Seating herself, Terra presses lightly into his side as turns her emerald gaze to look around at all the unfamiliar faces around her. Heart thunders in her breast and she swallows past the fear that forms a lump in her throat. She is part of a pack now and it is difficult for the girl who had grown up by herself, in a cave, to be around so many others. Leaning further into Lotus, the woman draws strength from him while turning her eyes to the purple wolf who had called the meeting while hoping this will be over quickly.


"Terra Qilaq"

Manea was already feeling the change in responsibility as Avacyn officially stepped into her new role as Matriarch, but she wouldn't shift everything onto her daughter all at once. This season would be a bit of a transitionary period where she could help Avacyn get her footing and then once the weather began to cool and Boreas shifted into autumn she and Alastor could take their leave and have a nice retirement vacation. It was almost strange to think about not looking after the pack anymore when that had taken up the majority of her time for so long, but she was looking forward to this new, more relaxed pace as she and Alastor supported their children in a more supplementary role.

Still, it seemed that Avacyn wanted hit the ground running and at least gather the pack to share the news. Ever the proud mother, she was happy to step away from the patrol she was doing to move back across the mountainous island to the pack's usual meeting area at her daughter's call. When she arrived and began to move toward where her youngest son was sitting, she made sure to give Scylla a slight smirk and Ikigai a warm smile as she passed. After giving nods to Ifrit, Terra, and Lotus and a quick nuzzle to Ricin's cheek, she went over to sit beside her very quickly growing pup, pressing a kiss to the top of Malico's head. Looking up to the front she gave Avacyn and Saracyn an encouraging smile while she waited for Alastor and Fia to appear, giving her attention to their new Matriarch and Commander.

"Manea Mendacium"

He never seemed to be in a convenient place when things like meetings came up, but at least this time he was on his way back when he heard his niece call the pack for a meeting. With a soft sigh he quickly stowed the doe he had been hauling across the bridge after a hunting trip on the mainland. With his kill tucked away where some other greedy, nosey predator wouldn't find it, he made his way toward the center of the island where several other pack wolves had begun to gather. He of course noticed that his oldest niece and nephew were helming this meeting which obviously said plenty about what this meeting was for. He smiled a bit and gave the twins a nod before he went to join Ikigai at her side, settling in beside her and dipping his head to press an affectionate kiss between her small horns.

"Deimos Medacium"

More often than not Ruse was out wandering Boreas, sometimes with Cerberus, sometimes not. She was truly a wanderer at heart and she was enjoying learning every inch of Boreas during their stay in Elysium. She wasn't sure how long they would call this home now, but she was just as content wherever they decided to settle whether it was here or somewhere else. As long as she still had the freedom to come and go she wouldn't complain. Today was a rare occasion when she was actually on Elysium's main island, waiting for Cerberus to get back from a patrol so that they could go on one of their adventures. It was a good thing too since a call for a pack meeting got her attention and called them all toward the middle of the island. Getting to her paws and giving herself a quick shake, she trotted out to where others had begun to gather. She didn't see Cerberus yet, but Scylla was already here so she took a seat beside her sister and settled in to wait and see what all they were going to be told today.

"Rusalka Alondra Klein"

Chade had been dreaming of someplace that was dark and cool, a pleasant sense of safety that kept him relaxed. He knew little else or had any real thought to it but it was something pleasant to wake up from.  His mind hesitated to leave the dream but even in sleep, some part of his mind told him to wake up, and slowly the information trickled into his mind that Avacyn had indeed howled for the pack.  Chade yawned, slowly opening his eyes as he noticed Ry take off.

Chade took just an extra minute to stretch, and blink away the last tendrils of sleep before he ran after his brother and towards the meeting spot.  A number of wolves had already gathered but it was never hard to spot his lighter-toned brother.  He was getting a lick from Manea when Chade first spotted him, causing the darker blue wolf's tail to twitch slightly, still grateful for that day Manea had taken them in, and how much she had cared for them ever since.  

Chade approached his brother, sitting down with a shoulder nudge.  His eyes turned from Manea and up to where Ava waited for the pack to gather.  She had done a great job leading the raid even if they had not won in the end.  He had no doubt in her ability to be a future leader of the pack.  Unlike her worthless brother, he trusted Avacyn.


"Chade"

The fact that her kin were more active during the day was a bit of a pain for the Mendacium woman but… ah well, it was Summer and most wolves actually preferred to be active when the sun was up! Nirvana was a bit grumpy as she came to the island, running late due to denning in the Rock Garden and sleeping but missing a meeting was out of the question. Ridge flew above her, doing her best to shield Nirvana's eyes from the sun with her shadow. Once she got to the edge of the meeting she gave a nod to her cousin, the slightest hints of a smile, and eased herself to the dirt with a yawn. After this she was going back to bed!

Fia had been busy getting ready for her travel to Ashen, and probably even more than that. But she had been absent enough to not see the inner makings of her sister rising above them all. She of course knew the day would come, so it would really be no surprise. She would still be happy for her, and she hoped she could be happy too.

She joined the others that had gathered, making her way through the crowd to sit alongside her mother and other family. Silent as always, but this was a meeting after all. She'd make herself comfortable and wait. Looking to her sister as she always had. But never feeling any less.

"Fiametta"

Cerberus had been busy with his duties but had learned how to have a more laid back lifestyle to spend it with his siblings. Elysium had been nothing but good to them, or so he thought. He did look highly to Alastor and Manea at least.

Cerberus joined beside Scylla with just a gentle grin even if she didn't turn to notice. Attention turned towards Avacyn which was a little different but not surprising. He'd wait to see why they were called here but it would never be like it was out of his way. He was content here but being where ever his siblings were was his best purpose.

"Cerberus"
F2U base by Starwuff

The woman had been even more distant than usual, maybe it was her family, maybe it was that in some ways she was still caught up with what had happened during that strange festival, or maybe it was the man she'd met then. Either way if Desponia was being honest she hadn't really been around much, but she knew well enough to respond to a summon, even if she didn't want to. She plodded towards the group, well aware she was probably late, beyond the limits of what could be considered fashionable. But well... Had she ever actually cared?

She cast her gaze around quickly at those gathered then settled herself at the edge of the group, not wanting to really be a part of it all and not really caring if that was clear or not. She wasn't being outright rude but she didn't need to be friendly or polite either.

"Speech"

Image by Fiery-vulpes

The previous season had been a very difficult one for Mariah. Her weakness had only seemed to get worse and worse as time went on, and there didn’t seem to be an answer as to why. While she had managed to grow some, it just meant that her coat was stretched thinner over her concerningly narrow frame. Ridges and valleys between her ribs and vertebrae cast an unsettling shadow- one that she hated to admit made her feel self-conscious. In previous weeks she had seldom left her family’s den. She hated the glances of pity, and wanted nothing to do with their empathetic stares. But this was a special occasion, and while she wasn’t necessarily close to her older sister, she wanted to be there to offer her support. So, with much distaste, she’d brave the onlookers to be present.

In time, Mariah managed to make her way to the lakeside clearing where the meetings were generally held. However, she didn’t even consider approaching the crowd that had already gathered. Instead, she lingered at the edge, coming to a stop near a tree that she could lean against in order to keep herself propped up- her sterling gaze settling on Avacyn as she awaited her sister’s address.


"Mariah Mendacium"

Code By Whiskey. Art By Cull

Alastor lumbered his way across the bridge between the Boreal coast and Alias Island, returning from his patrol out near the lake. He had heard Avacyn's summons, knew what this was about, and made his way back with a big, fatherly proud smile on his face. His little girl, the tiny violet princess he had carted around on his back for the first few months of her life, was now all grown up and taking her place as Matriarch. It was enough to bring a joyful tear to the giant of a wolf's dark eyes. Emerging from the pine woods to the lakeside clearing, Alastor took a moment to survey the crowd, seeing who was and was not present, then made his way to join the group. While he had initially sought Manea to go sit beside his wife, a glimpse of red and black against a nearby tree caught his attention. Obsidian eyes rested on Mariah, looking to his youngest daughter with a warmth and love the demon possessed only for his children. The poor girl was so thin and frail—a symptom of her condition—and what sort of father would be able to ignore that?

Trudging with heavy footfalls over to the tree, Alastor maneuvered his way over to sit down behind Mariah. "How's my little princess feeling today?" he asked, craning his neck down to gently nuzzle her crown with his broad snoot. Shifting to lie his massive body down beside his daughter, Alastor motioned for Mariah to hop up onto his back in case she wanted to settle into his fluffy fur and rest on him while listening to her older sister speak.


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Irilyth was hastily rinsing the remnants of a failed mixture of Ambrosia from her paws in the nearby stream, getting all the sticky residue out of her fur as fast as she could so she could get to the meeting promptly. Oh, she hated being late! Hopefully she wouldn't be the last one in attendance, or she'd be needing to apologize to Avacyn and Manea for her tardiness. Once her fur was sufficiently clean, the little golden-furred healer sprung to her paws and darted through the woods, hurrying to the lakeside meeting point. When she arrived, she noticed that she was indeed one of the last few to arrive. Dammit! Cringing inwardly at herself, Iri slipped surreptitiously through the crowd to hide amongst the other wolves, deliberately trying to avoid Alastor's attention while she made her way over to sit near Manea, raspberry red eyes lifted to give Avacyn her undivided attention. Seeing the new Matriarch as a grown woman, beautiful and in her element, hit Irilyth's heart with a pang of bittersweet pride. She had helped raise and played nanny to the Mendacium pups since they were little colorful loaves, and now seeing her seated as alpha addressing her people suddenly made Irilyth realize how fast time had gone. Man, she was getting older...

"Irilyth"

The time had come for Avacyn to cement her place as the pack’s new Matriarch and take charge of the destiny she had been born into. To say Saracyn was dead chuffed for her would have been a tremendous understatement. The crimson male was gushing with pride for his twin, as was evident by the uncharacteristically large smile on his face as he walked at her side down to the lakeside meeting spot. As her Commander and new mate, Sara seldom went anywhere without her, and he would never not be by her side whenever an official pack function was called. He sat at her right side atop the stone platform as she called their pack to order, returning her smile and even giving her shoulder a gentle nuzzle to reassure her. "You’re going to do amazing. I’ll be right beside you the entire time," he told her, hoping to set her nervous mind at ease.

The rest of Elysium began to assemble around them then, wolves showing up one at a time or in pairs. Saracyn regarded each wolf with his piercing cerulean eyes, nodding his head to family and their siblings, and greeting their parents with a bit more of a smile and a brightening expression. To Chase, he offered little more than a cold leer. Noting the lack of Albion's presence, Sara just scoffed, as the Kleins had abstained from deciding whether they were leaving and turning tail from Elysium or staying and being worth paying attention to. Saracyn did, however, take note of Scylla’s presence, looking to the slate and cream striped fae with a bit of a subconsciously softening look—only for his demeanor to harden once more when she pointedly kept her attention averted from him. Frigid bitch… After their unexpected encounter in the thicket some months ago, he had thought that maybe she wouldn't be quite so bitter towards him, especially since he hadn't pursued any sort of vengeance against her, but clearly that hadn't been the case.

Hiding the split second show of real emotional upset her callousness caused him, Sara set his defenses back up and maintained his fixed gaze out over the crowd. It seemed like almost everyone had shown up—or at least everyone worthwhile already had. Turning his gaze back to Avacyn, he glanced at his twin with an expectant look, waiting like everyone else for her to begin her first official meeting as Elysium's Matriarch.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Lotus watched over Terra’s recovery closely. Under Elysium’s protection, she began to mend and regrow her strength. He stuck close to her side as they made their way to the meeting together. Answering their Alpha’s call. In truth, he hadn’t mingled much with the pack and the faces around him were strangers.

While he had once grown up amongst a large family, he wasn’t really accustomed to so many wolves all at once. All of them were unfamiliar to him. As he felt Terra lean further into him however, he buried it. Standing strong for her as he turned his attention to the purple wolf. For Terra, he could brave his fears.


"Speech"