Standing atop the knoll, Valentine surveyed his territory. He took in the rolling hills, the tall grasses marred by the effects of countless hooves. Imperium. His rising empire. There was no legacy behind him, no past leaders to emulate or surpass. He may have been inspired to build his own pack while standing among the ruins of another, but that in no way affected what he was forging. He didn't bring their history with him; it had died when the last of its members had moved on. No, what was Valentine's now was a new creation. With the pack's youthfulness in mind it was time to venture beyond his borders. While living in Arcanum, Valentine had been blind to the politics swirling around him. He knew of the rising and falling packs but the finer details, the interpack relations, escaped him. If he was to move among them like an equal then he needed to know where he stood with them. Lucky for the glaucous titan, a raven had brought to him word of a gathering. The timing couldn't have been more perfect and he had much to think about before the time of the festival arrived. That and a handful of other things required the attention of Imperium's members. His chin lifted modestly, ebony lips parting to send a deep bass summons across the frost covered scape. OOC: Members have until the 12th to respond. This meeting is mandatory and failure to show will result in demotion. "Talk" "You" Think

It was nearly amazing to him that he would be the first to arrive. But that meant nothing really. He was simply a whelp at the moment, though determined to change it, that didn't help his lack of experience. The male stood away from Valentine and dipped his head nothing appearing on his face as the delicate paws of his settled upon the ground. He was only just getting used to his new home, becoming more and more corrupted. Probably tainting his family line as a whole. The one thing that was probably sickening, was that he was enjoying it. He curled his tail around his waist, waiting for the meeting to start. He admired Valentine, it gave him something to be attached to. An empire to serve and to better himself, to accept who he was without a care. It made his skin crawl just thinking about it. The men the women he could obtain if he were allowed. Something of an ambition sparked in him. But he would never dream of over throwing Valentine, his practical lord and savior. Someone worth worshiping. "Speech"

She was about to obnoxiously break into her new charges den and harass her, play bowing before Mercy's den with butt high in the air and massive tail arched over her back. Hips would swing languidly as she shuffled forward a bit more as a grin would spread over her lips. That was when something distracted her, a howl that lazily slithered through the air causing her skull to tip and big ears to perk. A pack meeting? She had only ever been to one before, one in the bloody red queen's kingdom and now there was another. How exciting! Tail would begin to wave as she hopped forward, barking excitedly for Mercy. "Up! Up! The bear king calls!" Dione would squeal, wiggling excitedly as she hopped towards the den, barked then turned. She would wait for the giant of a child to emerge before she would wheel with a squeal and bolt off towards the king, towards her king. How strange a thing? Lawls. Smile would split across her features as she sprinted towards the meeting with a strange excitement. Though as she bounded over a knoll and spotted Valen atop another she would slow to a leggy trot, long legs straightening and flicking at an odd pace as neck arched and she made her way toward the pair that sat there. Such a small pack, such a change from the last pack meeting she had attended. But she kinda liked this more. A grin would be tossed over her shoulder at Mercy before plunking her butt down a short ways away from Levi (who's name she still didn't know and still didn't care to know) and turning her attention to Valentine to see what he had to say.

Sleep had been a sweet escape for the girl, exhaustion wearing deep in her bones from the last few days. So much had happened in so little time. She had left her family for good, found Dione and then joined a pack. While her meeting with the large alpha had not been expected, she hadn't quite known what to expect. The young girl was still green to all of this. She was thankful for Dione though, who took her in and truly cared for her. Not that she could say the same for her own parents. She didn't even care anymore... Okay maybe a little. She still dreamed of them, of reuniting and having the simple life that she had imagined for awhile now. But those sweet dreams did not last for long, in fact she was woken from one at the moment by the loud barking of the green coloured wolf. Groaning, she rolled over and placed her paws upon her white ears, trying to drowned out her barks. But the loudness of them echoed in the nearly empty cavern, bouncing around her. Letting out a huff she rolled back over and glared sleepy purple eyes in the woman's direction she really didn't want to go, but Dione had said that the bear king called a meeting. The young omw couldn't help buy grin, she still had a theory that Valentine was a bear-wolf. There was simply no other way that he could be so large otherwise. So she pulled her large form to her paws, following dutifully after Dione as she bounded away. It didn't take them long to arrive at the scene, already another wolf there. She eyed the stranger warily, sticking close to the smaller woman. She didn't know many wolves here, and while she was a very confident girl already, so much had happened in the last bit that she felt more wary of strangers. Her head was a muddled with many things. Huffing in the boys direction she stuck the very tip of her tongue out at him before her gaze rested in Valentine. Her head tilted slightly as she sucked her tongue back in, wondering what this whole ordeal was about. Speech

She'd lurked around the edges of Valentine's little pack to watch while she'd pondered her options. Valentine or Drashiel? Her big boy or little Greeneyes? In the end it was a mixture of things that decided her - the fact that winter was fast approaching and the north where Greeneyes made his home was already cold as balls was a big part of it. Her comfort was important too! And another large part was that Valentine happened to send out a call for a pack meeting as she was considering just how cold it could possibly get in the north in the winter, and just like that her mind was made up in one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions that everyone seemed to think were irresponsible but really they just made life more interesting. Her ebony coat gleamed violet in the light as she sashayed unabashedly into Valentine's pack meeting, a faintly amused smile curving her muzzle. She didn't exactly have eyes just for Valentine, her mismatched gaze sweeping over the few others gathered there too but inwardly she was dismissive of them. Pfft, a bunch of little kids. Her grin widened when she spotted the bright green wolf she'd seen at the other meetings she'd crashed. Man, that was so weird. She looked like she'd been rolling in snot or something. It was just wrong and hilarious. "Hey there big guy," she chortled, fluttering her lashes at him in a deliberately over-the-top manner. Sarcastically seductive, one might call it. "Need a hand keeping all the babies in line?" She smiled at the assembled wolves in a benevolent manner, fully aware that while she might be the oldest there it had to have been only by a season or two for some of them but intensely amused by it nonetheless. "Maybe I could stick around, join your pack so you could have some adult conversation once in a while." She waggled her eyebrows at him comically.

He would trail slightly slower then Dione, not feeling quite as enthusiastic about the whole thing. Though, he would still keep up a light jog, just so he was on time in case the king had anything important to say. Novaro thought it was a bit early to have another meeting so soon, but he wouldn't complain. It'll probably do them all good to meet up regularly. His gaze would flick over the wolves present, eyes falling upon an ebony stranger. He would raise a brow, though would say nothing at her sly comments. They may be young and had only just turned 2, but it didn't make them any less able. He would shrug the thought of his shoulders, walking along to Dione, waiting to see if there was any news.

Image by Luisiana

"Go and Wander." Said my heart.

...and so I would wander.

The call of the male was one unmistakeable, and hearing it, well, the female couldn't help but find a smile cross her lips. So he had done it -- made the claims to a pack. The female would change her path, lavender clutched within her jaws, and the smell strong upon her. The season was not yet done, and her chance to conceive was still in the air. She would not risk such a thing again, using even more of the herb to cover her own scent. Sure that made the scent of lavender stick out like a sore thumb, but oh well. She had been gaining confidence in herself as time continued to pass.

So, it seemed, had her daughter. It was a chance meeting when Ellis saw Theisinova. The girl was growing, her smile bright and her skills being sharpened by a rogue she had befriended. Though Ellis was said to see her daughter go she was glad she was making her way in life, and both promised to keep going, to limit their regrets. She was sad that Tyrion was not with his sister, but... she had hopes somewhere out there her little boy was alive and well too. Her children were strong.

She would walk into their midst unafraid. She would set her herbs down, gaze lifting and falling first upon a girl she had not seen in some time. Shock crossed her face. 'Mercy...' Why was the girl not with Othello? She could only remember bits and pieces of her time with the other family... but... seeing the daughter of her friend alone told her all was not well. She would frown, but then lift her gaze to Valentine, trying to manage a smile. She needed to speak with Mercy later.

"Congratulations. It seems that you went through with it after all, and you have succeeded without flaw." The healer would give a small nod to the dark brute. "If I may... I'd like to join you, Valentine. I'm sure you remember my forte."




"Speech"

"Settle down." Said my heart.

...and so here it was I would settle down.

OOC: Ranks for both Levi and Novaro will be assigned in their spar thread, which I hope to get to next. A second round here is encouraged but not necessary. If your character wishes to ask questions or make suggestions, please post them in the next round.

The whole of Imperium filed in silently. No greetings were exchanged, no pleasantries. No signs of camaraderie. The brute frowned. Well, that wouldn't do. If he was going to lead his troops to Arcanum for war games then they needed to get their act together. If the games were today their opposition would surely laugh at them. Now, who was that, traipsing along as if she owned the joint? "Cascade," he admonished lightly, "Don't you know trespassing is illicit?" The joke was for her and her only; a play on something he'd said the first time they'd met. "And what kind of rank would a responsible adult such as yourself be interested in? Babysitter?" She could name any rank she liked, although that didn't necessarily mean she'd get it. Another silent member shuffled in and, as he'd done to the previous arrivals, Valentine nodded a greeting in Novaro's direction. The blue brute was followed by yet another familiar rogue, this one drawing a smile from the slate titan. "Of course I do, Ellis. And you are more than welcome here. You may have your pick of ranks, either as a Medica, a healer, or a Nutrix, a healer whose specialty lies in the physical and mental care of Imperium's youth." Alright, time to address Imperium as a group. He decided to jump straight in, "We have been invited to a festival hosted by Pantheon, one of our neighboring packs. If you wish to go, speak up now. Any who wish to attend are welcome to, but you must respect the rules laid out by our hosts. Those who fail this simple request will be punished accordingly." He paused, letting his gaze rove over the faces of his audience, then continued, "I have also arranged a tourney with our ally Arcanum, which will take place sometime in the near future. All fighters are expected to participate, be prepared to have your skills tested." And for the love all things beautiful, don't embarrass me. "Any questions?" "Talk" "You" Think

She was intent on their bear-wolf leader, that she hardly noticed her. Until she spoke. She knew that voice, she had sung her lullabies and told her stories. Shock made her freeze in place, hardly hearing any words that left Valentine's mouth. Mercy's purple eyes locked on the woman's smaller form, a lump growing in her throat. Ellis had acted like a second mother to her, and she had played with Ellis' kids as a child. Not that she was any less of a child now, but man she had grown since the woman last saw her. Finally she took a few steps towards her, as if she were scared that she was imagining the whole thing. "E-Ellis?" She whispered, her voice hardly above a whisper. "What are you doing here?" A sudden fear that she was going to be forced back into her mothers life became real, and her ears pinned back flat against her head. She didn't want to go back! She was happy here, she was happy with Dione! Looking over her shoulder at the small green woman she started to panic slightly, taking one step back. "This is my home now..." She said, making a point by planting her paws firmly on the ground. She wasn't leaving.

"Go and Wander." Said my heart.

...and so I would wander.

Ellis would dip her head, addressing the slate colored man before her. There was no doubt in her mind on what she wanted to do. The female would speak up, her voice soft. "If it will please you, Valentine, I'd like to request the role of Nutrix. I'm... somewhat experienced in that line of work." Though not the greatest success, since her accident left her separated from them. Gaze would shift then, falling upon the white girl who approached her. Mercy... The girl's voice was a whisper, afraid that Ellis was going to try and take her home... take her away. The femme would look at her with a gentle, sad gaze.

"You're right... this is your home. I'm not here to take you away, Mercy. I... didn't even know you were here. Listen... I know that I don't deserve it but... I'd like to speak with you alone after this meeting. I promise I won't make you go anywhere you don't want to go... or do anything you don't want. I want this to be my home too." Her words were low, meant for the younger femme's ears alone. Would Mercy listen to her? Would she approve of Ellis' request? The femme hoped so, she truly did.




"Speech"

"Settle down." Said my heart.

...and so here it was I would settle down.