Fog rolled in over the moor, thick and pale.  It stalled the light of the sun and cast an eerie glow across the terra.  Aerndís was out for an early morning walk, getting used to the lay of the land that made up Arcanum, her new home.  The gladiatrix was settling in well but the recent placid atmosphere of the pack had her itching to spill blood.  So far she knew very little of her fellow pack members.  Were they all decent fighters?  Could she consider any of them to be of kindred spirit to herself?

The woman picked out a clearing and let loose a howl for the scourge of Arcanum to join her.  It was time to train.  She hoped to find some opponents that could at least rival her if not defeat her outright.  In order to become stronger she needed to fight those that were stronger.  Aerndís stretched lightly, senses alert for the approach of others.



"Speech"

Stirring the pot with some fight training!  Post Deadline is Jan 4 at noon ala time.

Cat will punish those who don't show up. Everyone is excepted to post by January 4th

Silver audits tipped forward curiously. A voice rang out to rally the pack. Limbs would lift her up, shaking herself free of her children. Soft protests of sleeping babes were ignored as she left the den behind, slipping into to the sunshine. Spring had taken hold. Snow was melting and prey was already beginning to return. Soon they would all be fat and happy once more. Picking up an ease lope she would cross her territory until she found herself in the moor. And soon enough before the woman who had summoned her pack. A ghost of a smirk would tug at the corner of her dark lips, coral gaze resting on the woman she had recently appointed as one of her Militants. "Eager to impress, are we?" She would murmur softly as she aimed to approach the woman head on before taking a seat to her left. Silver haunches folded beneath her, tail curling around her hips. "Perhaps now you will have your chance to prove your worth." She would comment idly, her gaze focused straight ahead as she awaited the rest of her pack to arrive. Already irritation blossomed in her chest, she had been the farthest away and was still the first to arrive. Something would have to be done about that.... ""

Ekko slunk in behind Cat, the silent woman slow to follow. She didn't want to fight, but she had a feeling that she was going to be in deep shit if she didn't show up. She had been hiding herself away for quite some time now, fear in her pale blue eyes. Her belly had grown, but it was not that much that it was too noticeable. Her scent however... well that had certainly changed. Which is why she had been hiding herself away, because she didn't want to believe it as true. It was her worst fear come to life. Puppies. She was so small though that she highly doubted she would give birth to more than one or two, but the fear of it all made her feel sick. She was trembling as she sat down beside the silver leader, eyes cast down to her paws. He was just a boy... not even two yet! This couldn't be happening. Thank goodness it was Spring now and her heat was gone, but she hadn't been with anyone else besides Colten. And he was a year old... this was all just a nightmare, it had to be.

The voice that summoned her was not one that was familiar. A frown would pull down on her features. Usually only her mother or Meinx called the pack together. But her curiosity wanted to know who was summoning the pack. She would pick up an easy trot, crossing the plains briefly before slipping into the shadows of the moor. Fog swirled around her ankles, snow melting and turning the ground to muck. She didn't dwell, just simply focused on getting to her destination. By the time she arrived, her mother and the little slave woman were already there. She would smile at her mother before turning her verdant gaze to the stranger who sat beside her mother. "I don't believe we've met. I am Basanti, Dauphin to Arcanum." She would introduce herself before pinning the woman with a stare that demanded answers. Obviously she was someone important, otherwise her mother would have had the womans hide for calling a meeting without permission. "Burn Baby Burn"

                                   

What is that strange ticking noise? It'd seem the constant noise drilling within her skull just wouldn't leave, and to make matters worse it was clear Meinx was not in the best shape this past week. Her eyes where blood shot, her fur lacking the usual bounce and her steps less calculated. Though, as soon as the call rang out the woman would shift from her den with more effort then what should be required, dragging herself forcefully towards the call. It was clear she was in no shape for training, though, Meinx had kept her skills sharp as of late, already sparring Aerndis for her eye. Her eyes would scan the gathering, keeping on the sidelines, wishing not to socialise. Aerndis already seemed to be earning her place within Arcanum, presenting herself much more then some of the others did and there was no denying that if she carried on she's raise in ranks quickly.

Image by Luisiana

The woman answered the call, expecting the queen to be holding another pack meeting. As she made her presence known in the forming crowd, she sternly eyed the one who had called Arcanum to the clearing. Certainly not the queen but a newly appointed militant. Cataleya's new favorite follower? It seemed that way. Just another wolf who hoped to rise through the ranks with loyalty. What a pity, sadly it did not work that way. One cannot hope to be promoted to a high rank with flattery and obedience, that was only half the deal. If the maple dame was to get there herself, she would have to encounter a little...competition. However, she would observe if the female's fighting was just as strong as her commitments. She smoothly seated herself in an empty spot within the crowd. A gleam glowed in her eyes. It was about time there was training. She flexed her claws impatiently. Such cravings should not be kept waiting any longer. "Speech"

The boy would come to the call out of curiosity. He didn't know that it would be for fight training, but he would gladly participate with the other wolves. He had grown to his full height and was old enough to choose what he wanted out of his life, so Cat couldn't tell him no. He'd still force it if she disagreed, but he was sure she didn't mind at all.  He came to the group that gathered, eyeing the woman, Aislinn, and coming to her side for a seat. Hopefully she didn't care, but he would look rather happy, giving her a smile and a couple wags of his tail. But his attention came back up to Cataleya and the woman beside her that had called. Only an eye caught Ekko, the woman he met at the Solstice challenge. He would have sat beside her, but he was already next to Aislinn and didn't want to be picking and choosing. He was now in wait what to do next, eager to know why everyone was here. Walk "Talk" Think

The call was obviously made for the whole pack, though Caeto didn't recognize it. He had been down and quiet since he joined Arcanum, only coming to the mandatory events. He was used to spending time alone and although he didn't really want all that time to himself, he wasn't sure if he wanted to spend time with the wolves here. It had been a while since the meeting where they were screaming of war and revenge, and they actually went through with a challenge.  That pack ended up giving up their leadership, which Caeto found pretty pathetic. But he didn't want to see the kind of torture they were planning and just stayed home for the challenge.  He came to the gathering of wolves, sitting down at the outskirts of the crowd. An eye went to the black spotted boy, the one that he assumed was his half-brother after Epiphron admitted Maverick's affair. But Caeto would approach the boy, he was scarred to know what he would do. He wanted to be sure he was in a settled mood before approaching him.  His eyes glared into the ebony skull, but his ears were intent on Cataleya and the woman who called them here. He was ready for whatever was asked of them. Walk "Talk" Think

speech,
ooc: He has a joining thread, just waiting on a Wynn reply! Saf said I could throw him in anyway <3

Since the day he called for his mother at the border, Niketas had yet to make his presence known within his new pack, but he was determined to change that. He had spent his moment grooming and making sure his gold and slate-blue coat was glistening gently in the light so that when he met his new pack mates he would certainly make an impression. Swirling markings stood out brightly on each of his sides and his cur laid neatly over his massive form. He had a vain streak, he wouldn't deny that, and had no problem spending some time to make sure he looked good. Besides, who knew if there were attractive women here or not?

Luckily for him, a howl met his dark-tipped ears and gave him a perfect chance to get out and meet some of his new pack mates while getting to stretch his muscles and train at the same time. Eager to begin proving himself here he trotted in the direction of the call, large paws carrying him easily across the territory till his acidic gaze finally landed on the group that was gathering. Niketas came to a halt on the edge of the group and his eyes traced over each member of this varried group of wolves. Finally he spotted the black and white woman with intricate gray dots and markings, her looks and green gaze ringing bells in his memories. He remembered speaking with her months ago by that huge willow, but he couldn't quite remember her name. A small smile touched his muzzle and his gaze moved on to rest on a silver woman with black markings and violet eyes. From her stance Niketas guessed she was the alpha. Interesting.

He took a step closer so that he was standing among the group before he settled down onto his haunches. "I am Niketas, nice to meet all of you," he said simply in his deep, rumbling tones and then relaxed to wait for their instructions.

Winter hadn’t been kind to the golden girl, though physically she was fine her small cache of herbs hadn’t really grown much despite her efforts to bolster it. The only upside being that so far the pack had not seemed to need her much, allowing for longer journey’s to gather herbs where possible. But of course that would change today…

Spring was on the Horizon but of course wouldn’t arrive before others decided that inaction was boring. Sighing the girl scooped out a few herbs, basic things to fight off infection and trotted off to answer the call with the leaves clamped tightly in her jaw. Emeralds scanned the gathered wolves, a smile obscured by herbs thrown in her brother’s direction before she sat herself down, a bit off of the group. The golden girl dropped the herbs at her paws, daintily re-arranging them into a neat little pile.

 

 

 
The boy was irritable, so nothing really new. The lack of progress in finding the ebony woman was only progressively worsening his mood. He had taken to brooding in the background, growling whenever another wolf passed by and narrowing one eyed gaze and glaring daggers.

The call for the pack reached him and Novocaine rolled to his paws, grumbling to himself and stomping off to answer. Lips curled up as he approached, a soft growl curling from his lips. Right steel blue landed upon the woman he suspected had called them together. His empty socket also faced directly towards her as he shouldered his way through the crowd. The boy remained standing unspeaking, though the growl continued to rumble within him. 
 



 

talk, think
 
 

 

Please note: Novocaine is missing his right eye entirely, an empty socket is all that remains in its stead. Not all of his tables reflect that as of yet!

Atka

Atka had hardly strayed from Skadi's pawprints since they had joined they pack Arcanum. Skadi was a stranger, but she was still less a stranger than the others who lived here. And Skadi had wanted her. So, Atka followed, a silent ghost always on the older woman's heels. She watched, observing, calculating, everything Skadi did. Every move she made. She watched the brown warrior hunt, then another evening when she was sleeping Atka went to fetch her a duck, leaving it at the entrance to the den before curling up in the sheltering hollow nearby to get her own sleep before the warrior was up and moving again.

Now Skadi was answering the call of the woman who had joined at the same time they had. Following along the girl noted the others who were there. Cataleya the alpha, looking much slimmer without the lives within her. The female who had joined with them, yes, and the one who had been a silent sentinal the whole time. But there were more who were there, creeping, stalking, or sauntering in as their distinct personalities dictated, and Atka just watched. Skadi stopped among them and Atka did as well, a short distance behind her, and waited.


(OOC: permission to PP Skadi from Laz, we're a little late since Laz isn't quite back yet)

ooc:  I have permission to assume Skadi, Eca and Colten are here also I'm just going to have Aern refer to everyone by name to make the fighting pairs easier to identify then her saying ok you with the thing fight you with the other thing.  

Next Deadline to start your spars is January 9 at 7:00 pm ala time.  1-2 rounds.  Default time encouraged to prevent these dragging on too long.  Whether or not you want them judged is up to you but we do have eager trainees and judges hoping to refresh.  Reminder, defaults will not be judged so please do your best to finish these.  Thanks!

Now this was more like it!  Aern watched with glee as the wolves rolled in, a better turn out than she was expecting to be perfectly honest.  Good to see the Queen of Arcanum ran her pack with discipline and precision.  The Queen herself was the first to arrive and Aerndís was pleased to see she'd managed to drop her brats and looked to be getting into fit fighting shape.  Excellent.  The gladiatrix grinned.  "Eager to do what I was made to do.  I live for battle."  

Behind Cataleya slunk the little slave woman.  She smelt of the beginnings of pregnancy but neither that nor her shy demeaner would prevent Aerndís from attempting to force the little tramp to fight.  The ways of the warrior were cruel and unfair.  Just because you didn't want to fight didn't mean you could avoid it forever.  Sooner or later you would either fight or die.

Basanti, the Dauphin was the next to arrive and Aern nodded in greeting, reserving her name for when everyone had arrived and my what a range of wolves, young and old, experienced and inexperienced and in a wide variety of builds.  Perfect.  When it seemed that everyone who would arrived had arrived the mottled goddess moved to address them.

"Welcome, all.  I'm sure you're wondering who the hell I am.  I am Aerndís Thyre, new militant of Arcanum, former gladiator for the Desansa.  I want to see what the scourge of Arcanum has in terms of battle skill." Aern paced confidently, like a drill sergeant inspecting her troops, taking in forms, ages and quickly pairing them in her head.  "For those of you unfamiliar with the arts of battle…. thats unfortunate, I'll be tossing you off a cliff, so to speak.  Everyone here is going to be paired off and will be required to fight. If you desire more training in the basics feel free to see me after ward but for now I want to see what you've got.  Oh… and since our numbers are uneven Meinx will not be participating due to illness." She took a moment to nod to the other woman in acknowledgement.  Shame.  She was looking forward to fighting the other woman again.

"The matches are as follows.  Basanti and Caeto.  Colten and Novocaine.  Aislinn and Skadi.  Eca and Atka.  Amarant and Freya.  Ekko and Niketas.   And…. well…. that leaves me and Cataleya."  She grinned, lavender gaze drifting to the Queen.  Ohhhhh she was looking forward to this.  Watching this woman rip into the hapless king of the former Solstice.  It had been a thrilling battle.  "If some of these matches seem unfair to you that is unfortunate.  The battlefield isn't fair.  You'll face opponents, older, younger, larger, smaller, more experienced or less experienced than you are.  You'll have to deal with it.  And just because you fear confrontation or would walk the paths of pacifism doesn't mean there aren't wolves waiting to cut you down.... Now begin, lets mark our territory with our blood."  Grinning she moved to stand across from Cataleya, creating a six foot space for them to work with and quickly set her defenses.  "My Queen, the first move is yours should you desire it."



"Speech"

Ekko's eyes grew wide when the woman paired her off to fight. Her head snapped to attention as she looked across the crowd. Her? Fight? No way, she would rather be tossed off a cliff than have to fight. "P-please miss, I... I cannot fight," she sputtered. Her pale eyes roamed towards Cat, pleading her to not make her fight. She was not a fighter, at all. The alpha should know this, she cried and fell to the earth at the mere idea of fighting. She really couldn't do this... They wouldn't male her, would they? She knew that her life in this pack would be different, that things would be worse. But would these woman truly force her to spar against this Niketas? Fear swirled in her mind, making her feel quite dizzy. Standing up, she shook her head. "Please..."

(Assuming that Aerndis pointed or described the opponents so Amarant knows who to look at) Amarant paid close attention as the woman spoke of sparring and training. His tail wagged a bit as he thought of how fun sparring could be. He had never done so, and though fighting didn't really interest him he was willing to learn just about anything. He looked to the golden girl that had been partnered with him and gave a smile, if she looked to him or not. But after the pairs were called, the woman that he had met at the Solstice challenge pleaded to not fight. She had this certain... desperation in her voice that made him feel more than sorry for her. His face turned more sour as he started to speak up. "I, uh," He paused a moment, his voice shouting a little but his next words were more quiet. "If she has to, I'll fight her."  The militant sounded like she wouldn't even look to the woman in her plead, she had said that it was unfortunate to think the fight was unfair, though Amarant was paired with someone only a year older than him; that seemed pretty fair. It was doubtful that the woman would change her mind... But Amarant only saw the good in others... Hopefully her good was sweet enough. Walk "Talk" Think

Posting spars in separate threads will make things easier, especially if you want it judged.

They would all trickle in, just as they always did. Ekko would slip in beside her, remaining silent, trying to remain unnoticed. But that certainly did not happen. The scent of pregnancy surrounded her. The little whore had gotten herself pregnant. Idly she wondered who could have sired the little bastards. Coltens scent had clung to the womans pelt on more than one occasion, though the boy was far to young to sire anything more than dreams. Her eldest daughter would arrive first and she would return the smile. A nod of her head was the most greeting anyone really got. Meinx. Aislinn. Amarant. Caeto. Niceties. Freya. Novocaine. Aka and Skadi. Ecaterina. Colten. But there were still several missing. Kylar, Maija, Empyrea, Cairus. She would frown. She had not expected Maija to be absence, though perhaps she was still trying to keep the little rat, Cairus, alive. She would say nothing about their absence for the moment. Aerndis would begin speak, pairing everyone off in matches she approved of. A smirk would curl her lips when Aerndis paired them together. This would be fun. She would rise, about to take a step away to begin her spar when Ekkos voice filled her ears. Lips curled into a silent snarl as the tiny woman begged to be left out. Amaranth would speak up in her defenses, immediately pulling a vicious sound from curled lips. "You will do as your told." She would tower over the small woman, tail flipping up dominantly as her hackles bristled. Narrowed gaze rested on Ekko's face. "Now go, you little whore." Words fell quietly enough so that only Ekko could hear, and perhaps Aerndis, if she was close enough. She would let it be known that she knew of the lives that grew in the womans belly. Her gaze would rise to find Amarant. "You will remain with the partner assigned to you." Her words echoed loudly, refusing to be questioned. Her gaze would then find Niketas. He was the son of Maija. She doubted he would inflict any serious harm on her little slave. "Now, begin." She would snap to the rest of them, turning to her partner after stepping away from the crowd. ""

The call that rang out was not of a familiar voice. He had been far from the source, and by the time he arrived, he was nearly late, getting there just in time to hear about who he would be paired with. So they would be sparring. He had not fought before, aside from play fighting with his brother. He would look to his partner, a wolf he had seen at other meetings, but never actually meeting. He was about to turn when Ekko spoke. Her sweet voice filled his ears, beckoning his attention as she plead with Cataleya. It was useless. His brother would stand up, offering to spar with Ekko instead. Relief spiraled through him, his brother would not harm her. But Cataleya would have none of it. Her angry voice had his ears pinning back against his skull. The Queen would turn away from them without another word, clearly the discussion was over. He would try to meet her gaze, hoping to encourage her without getting them both in even more trouble. Speech,

This is my world This is my choice She would answer the call without question, leaving her mother behind. Though she was still late. She arrived just in time to hear her name called as she was paired with another by the name of Atka. She would look to find a boy around her age was to spar with her. A grin would light up her face as she dipped her head in acknowledge. Audits would swivel as the angry voice of her Queen breached the air. Curious, she would seek out the cause, finding a tiny woman cowering. Whatever she had done, it had displeased the Queen. She would tut silently to herself in disapproval. Her mother had taught her that the Queen was a very important wolf and was to be obeyed at all times. She would sit until others began to disperse before seeking out her partner. Excitement rolled through her. She had not gotten to spar with another wolf, she had only had her mothers companion to play with, and he wasnt always so willing to play. But now, now she had chance to actually fight! And you're the drug that gets me through Ecaterina

Freya wasn't surprised when her name was called, only disappointed. Fighting was not her thing, causing others any sort of pain was not something she ever took enjoymentioned out of.  Still she would not disobey and emerald eyes roved over to the black and white boy she was to fight. Younger than she was but that was probably for the best, considering her size.

There was an out burst and suddenly her gaze shifted to the woman who had protested, unable to hide the flash of disgust across her face as she realized she was brig forced to fight despite how heavily pregnant the woman was. 

Her sparring partner offered to fight the woman instead but the silver queen shut him down. Withe a determined look upon her face she strode over to her brother and putting her muzzle to his ear, with quite some effort considering their difference in size, whispered instructions so only he could hear. 

"Be gentle with her. No ramming or aiming for her abdomen alright? If you can try to reasure  her through the fight, speak softly and calmly. Any more stress and she is liable to have complications. Don't let her run away though... I get the feeling our Alpha won't take kindly to that. Oh and send her to me after your done. I want to make sure she's doing as well as she can. I don't imagine this has been easy on her or the pup." 

She stalked away without another word, looking her sparing partner in the eye as she did so. 

As Cataleya demanded the order and respect to the woman, Amarant pinned his ears with an angry face. Though, it was angry like he wanted to kill her or anything, it was one of those "What the heck" faces. He threw his head a little as she called her a whore and told her to go.  "Fine." He spoke loud enough to hear, but he whispered his next words and dropped his head in lower to his chest. "Sheesh. No need to get rude about it." His good nature would probably cause him to bump heads with Cataleya a whole lot more within his time here. But he never would see the "bad" in her. He would always believe there was a soft spot for everyone deep down inside. He looked back to the girl he was paired with, she was whispering into the man's ears that was paired with the tiny woman. He would follow after her as she eyed him on her way out. He didn't feel useless, but it was something along the lines of that. -Exit Amarant- Walk "Talk" Think