mandatory meeting, first round due by sep 1!

Speech ─ Think

After her meeting with Medusa, she wondered why she had wasted either of their time. Her legs ached from the journey but she could not rest. There was work to do, and while it was too late to venture to any of the surrounding packs and propose an alliance, she could bring her sinners together to gather and discuss ideas. Maybe others knew of the surrounding packs better, knew what they would want, or rather, if she needed to be as worried about them as she was with Erebos returning to Insomnia.

Standing in the center of the territory outside of her den, Widow sighed before dipping her head back and calling for her wolves to join her. It was late, but there was no use in waiting. Time was of the essence, she believed. She'd even set out some snacks and drinks, nothing fancy but definitely better than nothing at all. Her ravens even set out to the canyon to make sure her call was heard, but her cat laid curled at her paws, purring and soothing her. She even lifted a paw to stroke its fur, causing the feline to roll over and expose her belly as she stretched and yawned.

Blended with beauty and blessed by the divine

─ by Skelle !

Reaper was in the woods of Hellborn when the call for the pack members was sounded. He looked to Moloch through the trees, who was flying above the forest. He knew the bird would follow him as he navigated through the tick fog and forest to the heart of the call. When he finally reached the area where Widow had congregated, he dipped his head in respect towards her. "Hello." He called out to her before sitting down in a nearby spot. Moments later, Moloch descended from the sky and perched down on the Bloodjaw's shoulders. "I will wait here til the others arrive." He told his Queen with a respectful gaze. "Unless you need something of me." He told her, waiting for her answer before falling quiet. Should she need anything, he would do it. For now he waited for other members to appear and gather for the meeting.

Mae didn't have the slightest clue on what hour it was that the call and the ravens cawed out notifing everyone of Widow wanting everyone to gather around. Things have become quiet in a sense. She rolled, her eyes slowly rising awake, a deep yawn not feeling that of Reaper leaving her side and his spot was cool, so was possibly out hunting? Things have changed and honestly it troubled Mae, she didn't know where she stood within the pack now. A quick shake riding the thoughts that came to mind, ears flicked back and then forward facing. Giving the one bird a look to go allow the others that Widow had wanted their presences.

Her eyes turned towards the skies hearing Molochs wings take flight and following the scent of Reaper. Mae had arrived shortly after he had, a soft nudge of her skull against his shoulder then looking towards Widow with a respect. "My Queen." Although Widow looked tired Mae wouldn't dare bring that up. But instead her voice slips forth. "Something is bothering you." Mae was alert and always on the watch, sitting down as a paw lifted to run over Moloch's wings tenderly. Although the woman was tired she would wait for the others unless set out with a task.

"Mae and Reaper"

Crux was finally starting to feel like he was getting a handle on his new home, getting more familiar with the local flora though he was still worried about what winter would soon bring. Or maybe he was just walking on air, y'know, because of the whole engaged thing. But nothing stopped, not for him. He perked as Widow's call reached him, he'd gone out to try and do some more last minute herb gathering so he wasn't with Triss at the moment and he suddenly wasn't sure if she'd told her mother... That was a scary thought.

With that anxiety planted he started off deeper into the woods. He'd only taken a few steps when Riya jumped down right next to him, startling him badly. The leopard gave him an amused look, she'd been giving him much more room as of late than she had in Armada. Letting him settle into living with Triss instead of her. Still she gave a quick bump of her shoulder on his and the pair set off again. Crux slowed as the small group came into view, no sign of his fiancee as of yet, and he still felt sort of... Awkward around Mae, giving her and the man she sat with a stiff but respectful dip of his head before turning his attention to Widow and settling himself on his haunches silently, keeping an eye out for Triss.

"Speech"

His mother had called for a meeting, and while he didn't know what it was about, it sounded urgent. He hurried to finish putting away his herbal stocks before cleaning off his paws and shaking off the dust before leaving his den to join her. He quietly contemplated on the way, running through a list of things he still needed, though they were getting harder to obtain this season what with all the rain and flooding. Many of the herbs he wanted to keep in stock had been drowned out, and it was possible he'd need to travel to Boreas or trade with someone for them. All things he would have to do later, for now, he had a meeting to attend. He arrived to find that he was the first sibling there so far. Hmm..interesting. He quietly eyed the few that were gathered before moving to the front to find a place to sit, a slight tail wag and a nod offered to his mother as he waited for the meeting to begin. "Howl"

He hadn't quite been the most social wolf in the pack. After having been so used to the quietness of his birth pack followed by his own seclusion after its dissolve, he wasn't accustomed to living among a bunch of strangers. He had only known a pack of family before, so it was safe to say he was struggling a bit here. He was just returning home from a successful hunt when he heard Widow call for the pack to gather, and although it was getting somewhat late, he was curious to know what it was about. The tone sounded urgent, so he hurried to dump his catch in their stores before heading straight to the meeting. He was surprised to find he was among the first to show, but he wasn't going to complain about that. Taking a place near the edge of the small gathering, he settled in to wait and hear what Widow had called them for.

Triss trotted quickly towards the meeting, the scent of food directing her. She’d been rather distracted all day and had forgotten to eat, and was keen for the spread her mother had put out for this meeting. She arrived after a few others, and went straight for a bite to eat. Stuffing something small in her mouth, before he caught the scent of Crux. Her eyes lit up - even after living with him as long as she had, just the scent of him brightened her day.

She sought him out, finding him in the crowd, looking a little oddly at someone. She followed his gaze, but couldn’t figure out what had caught his attention. Instead, she reached over and kissed his chin (easier to reach then his cheek) and settled down in front of him, between his legs.


"Triss" & "Crux"

Stolas was still mentally settling in with the major changes in his life that had come in the wake of Erebos’ departure from Hellborn. He spent most of his time with Widow, doing what he could to support her, not just as his Queen, but as his wife, his friend, and the mother of their child. The revelation she’d shared about Cryptis had turned the brute’s world upside down and he was still struggling to find the right way to bring up the subject to Triss. But until that time came, he made himself present for whatever was needed.

Tonight, that need was a pack meeting. Stolas heard his wife’s call from his observatory and all but leapt to his paws, a smile making its way across his face. She was home from her trip north! His grimore and telescope abandoned, the Goetia prince raced down the ramp to the ground below and hurried to join the meeting. It was a short walk from his observatory to the heart of the woods where he found the others waiting, but he’d made it before anything had begun. Greeting his pack mates with a formal smile and dip of his head, Stolas made his way over to Widow’s side, gracing his Queen with a tender kiss to the cheek to welcome her home before settling down on his belly at her right hand side, eager to hear what she had to say to her collection of hellions.

"Stolas"

Hermes is exempt from this meeting due to irl circumstances. Gruesome and Terror are both sick for the time being
second round due september 8

Speech ─ Think

It took some time, but one by one her sinners slowly trickled in. She was impressed with Reaper and Mae's haste and how late her husband was in comparison to the others. Terror and Gruesome were nursing a cold back in the den, but they were fine where they were. The last thing she needed was her whole pack down with an illness of any kind. Nodding in greeting to everyone as they appeared, she offered Stolas a smile and leaned into his kiss. However she didn't want to waste time however, and now that everyone was here, it was best to get right to the point.

"There have been and will be a few changes around here. First off, I would like everyone to congratulate Crux on his promotion to Apothecarist and Reaper on his promotion to Slayer. They've both been working hard. I expect this work ethic from everyone,"

"Second, Erebos has broken our marriage and ran back to Insomnia. He is a weak and power hungry man and I do not trust him. That being said, the alliance with Insomnia is not broken, but be careful around them. Speaking of alliances, we should start reaching out to the other packs around us. If you know anyone from these packs, I'd love any information you have to share." She said and took a deep breath, a pause in hopes that someone had anything to share.

Blended with beauty and blessed by the divine

─ by Skelle !

Crux smiled down at Triss as she approached, leaning down to let her more easily reach his chin and settling herself between his paws. He nosed at the top of her head lightly before her mother started to speak. He felt himself tucking his head slightly as his work was publically recognized, chosing instead to keep his attention on Triss before the conversation moved away from him.

Admittedly he didn't know who the man she spoke of was, and he had still quite little point of reference to Insomnia. Still... There was at least something he could try and offer. "I have some connection to The Hallows, it's largely a family pack, lead by my brother-in-law and sister." He grimaced slightly as he continued to speak. "I also technically have connections to Armada but I can't speak to how it may have changed since I left and, I'm not exactly on good terms with their leader at this time." He still owed his nephew an apology... And frankly he wanted very badly to reconnect with his litter mates, he wanted to invite his family to his wedding... If he could.

"Speech"

Widow began their meeting promptly as soon as he arrived, recognizing the efforts of Crux and Reaper in honing their skills and crafts. Stolas dipped his head in acknowledgement to both wolves, rapping his paws against the ground in applause. He hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting either wolf personally yet, but he knew Triss was quite close to Crux. That was enough for him to look favorably on the young brute. Then came the announcement of Érebos’ departure from Hellborn and his annulment of their marriage. Stolas’ fur bristled slightly at the mention of the wretch, but he kept his expression carefully guarded behind a mask of calm neutrality. He hated Érebos for the pain he had inflicted on Widow, but he could not regret how it had given him Widow’s heart all to himself. He now held himself to the sacred mission of ensuring her heart was never wounded again.

Then came the second order of business—alliances and the future of Hellborn. Stolas was no stranger to these politics; a former prince of the fallen Ashen Empire, he had been taught and exposed to the inner workings of packs. Crux suggested the nearby Hallows as well as his family’s pack of the Armada. "The Hallows is always keen to make friends with everyone, it seems. I doubt they’d decline talks with us," he agreed with Crux’s assessment. "We’ll find no love amongst Obscura. After Ashen fell, many of the Kleins were scattered there." There was no secrecy that both Widow and Stolas held contempt for their families after the lives they’d lived.

"Stolas"