Light Up The Sky [Pack Meeting]

He smiled slightly as the pack responded and arrived, and took a mental count, giving each wolf a nod and smile as they arrived. He noted that Acapella was the first to arrive, and he’d been aware that her scent was present along the game trails. Good. She was keeping her word.

Laisren and Baine were next, and each received a wider smile as he turned his eyes away to watch the arrivals of an unfamiliar female and a pup. Castiel’s mate and daughter. He knew from his uncle, that Kalliope was blind, and yet you almost wouldn’t have believed it. She moved with a bit more confidence than his father had. Perhaps she had been born blind, then? The child was an interesting one.
She, clearly, had a full range of vision, and despite the hushed words to sit and wait for the rest of their little family, the girl wished to greet everyone gathered, and did so.

It didn’t matter that Etain only had three legs; those fathomless sapphires grew soft as he lowered himself to his belly and stretched his neck down to touch noses with the girl as she scampered close, grinning at her greeting. “Hello, Etain; I’m Regulus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He chuckled softly as she went on her way, straightening and grinning at Marina as she arrived.

He could understand her nerves; the last time some of his pack has seen her, she had been on the supporting side of Liar’s bid for Celestial. However, he knew that as long as he showed them that he welcomed the rainbow clad female, they would, in turn, relax about her, even if they might bristle instinctively at first sight.

Solveiga was next, and if he was honest with himself, he’d been waiting for her to come with a mix of anxiety and hope. When she arrived, he caught her eye, returning the smile with a warm grin, tail-tip tapping against the stone.

There was a slight lull, and then Fable arrived, soon after followed by Justice. He gave them both a warm smile of greeting. They’d been two of the most active of Kavdaya and Creed’s children, and had even accompanied him to kill off a coyote. Their arrival was not without its sadness. He saw Justice’s glances toward the distant hillock that hid the main den.

Kavdaya was in no fit state to come to the meeting, he knew. By now, he was beginning to wonder if her grief and guilt were so strong her mind had snapped. She barely ate, and when he tried to get her to eat just a little more, she couldn’t keep it down. Perhaps her stomach had shrunk. He was at a loss. He recalled something about light helping, but… A minute shake of his head and a sigh escaped him.

Rasiel was next, and it struck him, abruptly, that they were all a year older this season… which meant that Rasiel, Laisren, and Kieryn, wherever she was out there, were all two. And that meant his sisters - all of them - would all be in heat. Oh gods.

Castiel and another of the children arrived, and both looked anxious. It took a brief second before Regulus recalled that Castiel has said they’d had three children. Where was the other boy? A flutter of worry swept through him, and he watched attentively for any sign of another pup.

There was only Mask, one of the two new wolves that had joined at the borders. He nodded to the male, then glance past him. Gwen hadn’t shown up. Nor, he thought, had Creed or Valor. A frown creased his brow, and he waited. Waited some more. When several minutes had gone by, and it was clear no one else would be arriving, he gave a mental Hm... and straightened, gazing at the wolves that had gathered.

Finally, he spoke. “Thank you, everyone, for coming. I know the pack has been very… quiet the last few seasons. Much of that is my own fault.” he continued, eyes solemn as he dipped his head to the pack, “I haven’t been present enough to encourage you all to make an effort, and for that, I am sorry. I have much to tell you all about, so sit tight; this may take a while.” He chuckled ruefully, if sadly, and straightened to address them further.

“Firstly, it is with a truly heavy heart that I must inform you of the deaths of my mother, Surreal, my father, Falk, and Crucible Ancora, Creed’s brother, and these two’s uncle. Again, I regret, and take full blame, that none received an official burial ceremony. So, later, I hope you will all join me in a vigil.”

Fathomless sapphires trailed to each face as he went on, “Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of the bad news. Or former Master Healer, Kavdaya, is… ill. That’s the best term I can come up with. Some of you, healers in particular, may know the burden you bear that is the health and lives of the pack. My best guess is that being unable to help Surreal shattered her in some way. Understand that it is none of your faults. Surreal had a condition known as Lung Cancer, and it was too far along to cure in time.”

It still hurt to speak of, but it was best to apprise them of all that was going on, and all that had happened, and why. “I want us all to make attempts to help Kavdaya heal emotionally. Spend time with her, even if she doesn’t answer visibly or audibly. Let her know that we are here for her as a pack, and as a family. Show her that it wasn’t her fault Surreal died. Perhaps, if told enough, she’ll realize it to be true.”

He swept her eyes across them all before he continued, tone still somewhat grim, but lightening. “As most of you may be aware, Celestial was challenged for not long after we returned home. I suppose it’s obvious, but I was successful in defending our pack. A wolf known as Liar Walker was the threat. Those of you who were there, remember his appearance and recount it to all in the pack.”

And finally, his eyes turned to Marina. “Incidentally, those who were at the challenge may remember Marina, here. At the time, she was his mate. However, Liar abandoned her, and took their sons with him, so far can be assumed. She is not to be blamed, or ill-treated for his actions. I recruited her into the pack myself, and I believe her intentions to be true.”

His tone stated clearly that he would come down hard upon those found to be treating the rainbow clad female unjustly. He went on to announce with a smile, “I have plenty of good news to share, as well. Firstly, along with Marina, we have two other new members, along with several returned members, and a litter to officially announce and celebrate.”

He smiled at each that was present as he announced them, “Mask, Marina, welcome to Celestial. We have another new wolf, Gwenevere, but it appears she was unable to attend the meeting, so I hope you will get a chance to meet her, too. Returned members are Solveiga, who has reclaimed her rank as one of the Healers. Rasiel, one of my youngest sisters. Justice, one of Creed and Kavdaya’s children, and Acapella. Welcome home, all of you, and I hope to see you thrive.”

His eyes turned next to his uncle and Kalliope, a smile playing along his jaws. “The happy parents to congratulate are my Uncle Castiel, and his lovely mate Kalliope. They birthed a litter of three a little while ago, and I’m deeply sorry it took this long to announce them. New life should always be swiftly welcomed. They have brought to the pack Etain, Ronen, and Viho…” And here his smile fell.

A third pup still hadn’t arrived, and he added, keeping his tone calm. He would address what was forming in his mind at the end of the meeting, so that any action needed could be taken quickly. “Who appears to have not made it to the meeting… perhaps off exploring.” He finished, making a hopeful suggestion before he gave a tiny nod to Castiel, letting his uncle know that he wasn’t dismissing any worries, but saving them for the end.

His eyes shifted to Acapella, and he announced in a grave voice, “Acapella, you have returned home, however, you left without notifying anyone of high rank, myself, or Faite. This could have put you in serious danger, and while I understand your reasoning, the fact still stands. Thus, I am officially demoting you to the rank of Punished. Everyone else, help her work hard to regain her rank of Unit, and later hunter. Keep me apprised of any signs of hard work you see from her. She is still a member of our pack, and will be treated as such, even while in punishment.”

He straightened, smiling to Rasiel and Laisren. “Along with births, we have birthdays to announce. Laisren and Rasiel have reached the age of two, and thus myself and all my other siblings have also become a year older and, I hope, wiser.” Here he flashed a quick grin at his siblings at large. “This also means, that with our current ranking system, Rassie and Lais are no longer Apprentices. Since they didn’t complete their training, and I am deeply sorry for how much was missed in it all. You will both be promoted to Unit until you’re fully trained. Work hard, don’t slack. Exciting things are on the wind.”

He smiled at them all, then announced, “That brings me to the next subject, which is our ranking system. I’ll be making changes, and additions to the ranks. There will be new ranks which, when we get them going, will enable wolves who want to be able to, say, heal and fight, and don’t want to have to choose between one and leaving the other behind, to do just that.” His eyes flicked across each of the faces gathered, trying to gauge their thoughts and reactions.

“It’s not fully thought out, and we’ll likely ease into this. I’d like to have apprenticeships for each of them, that will be based on level of skill rather than your age. As we’ve seen with my siblings, sometimes life events can throw everything out of order, and young wolves can miss training because their mentors leave, die, or fall ill. Understand that the apprenticeships will have levels of learning. Apprentice Legionary, will eventually promote to Novice Legionary, for instance, and onw3ard, although there may be different names for them. I do hope you all get my meaning.”

He rose to his paws and paced along the boulder, still half facing them as he went on, much like a speaker strolling across the stage and addressing the audience. “In our first stage of easing into the system, I wanted to focus on Hunting and fighting, and healing and fighting. Thus, the ranks are as follows: A Ranger is a dual skill line for those who wish to become the best at tracking, and show uncanny skill for being able to walk in shadows, meld with different crowds, and, in effect, act like someone they are not, convincingly enough to be accepted into another pack, and into the confidences of the leaders.

“Similarly, they’d be wolves who’d want to be good at fighting. They may be wolves who aren’t particularly good at hunting, but are good at gleaning information, and sneaking around. I’d like to involve this rank, because when it comes down to it, we need to keep an eye on the other packs, good and bad.”

He paused in his steps, back in his original spot, though his remained standing. “If any of you would like to train, or work your way up to any of these new ranks, please, let me know. The sooner we can get masters in them, the better.”

He went on with his description, occasionally pacing on the boulder, movements relaxed and thoughtful. “The ranks of Paladin and Cleric will encompass the wolves who wish to work in both healing and fighting. Those who are Paladins may be the ones who lean primarily toward fighting, but still wish to be strong healers. On the other side are the Clerics, who will be those who prefer to work in Healing primarily, but wish to be strong fighters, as well. We will keep our original Healer’s ranks, as well, for those who wish to work in only healing.”

He smiled at them, tail waving cheerily as he added, “There will be master ranks for each of these, and eventually, with your help, there will be the leveled apprenticeships for each of them. We never stop learning, even when we’re fully trained.”

He turned to fully face them, back once again in his usual spot. ” If any of you have suggestions for ranks that can encompass more than one specialization, feel free to suggest them next meeting, so that we’re all on equal footing. A pack that builds itself together will be strong together.” His haunches lowered to the stone under his paws, and his tail flicked to settle about his hips as he smiled warmly at the pack, continuing his address.

“In other news, I’ve been considering beginning to line our current borders with stones. We’ve had a couple of trespassers lately, and one was purely by accident. I’d like to be able to give loners and other pack wolves a better warning, something that they can see before they physically reach our borders. So, when any of you patrol the borders to lay scent, I’d like us all to carry a few medium sized stones along and start lining the territory as we go. They can be normal, or brightly colored; anything that catches attention will be wonderful.”

He grinned, wondering if they’d think him mad, but hoping they would go along with it. Then his expression turned serious. “It’s time we stopped being silent, and began being active. A quiet pack has as much likelihood of coming under attack as one who causes trouble, simply because, by being silent and inactive, we can be considered to be weak. Part of that is my own fault. But times need to change. I want all of you to show initiative. Patrol, spar, call hunts, work hard, work together. Help me, and help each other, to build a strong, stable life for our future.” His head tipped in a gesture to the two pups.

He honestly hoped he was getting to them. He hoped he was building a fire with his words, and a want to bring Celestial to life. Time would tell, and he hoped it wouldn’t tell him that he needed to throw lazy wolves from his pack. “I would like to remind you all of the Pack’s Laws, especially since we have two young pups here…” He went on to restate each law, taking his time to ensure each wolf gathered had heard them and understood them. He had no doubt that Castiel and Kalliope would have told their pups the laws of Celestial, but it never hurt to teach them again. [OOC: I advise every user to reread Celestial’s pack laws. Read the Rank Guide. Familiarize yourself with them :P]

Finally, he rose to his paws once more. “I regret to end my announcements with dark news, but It’s best to do this now, so we can act more quickly. We may have a pup missing. Castiel, I’d like you to lead a small party to search for Viho. I doubt I really have to ask. The rest of you, keep an eye out for a pair of young wolves with tear markings similar to Justice and Fable’s. Their names are Exodus and Knight.

"Also keep an eye out for Creed and Valor. It’s not like Creed to miss a meeting, and I doubt he would have taught his son that missing meetings is okay. Justice, Fable, I’d imagine you would like to take that particular task? Take someone with you if you decide to search; I’d be more than happy to accompany you.”

He thought that was everything he’d brought them together to say; if not… well, he could tell them next meeting. And it wouldn’t take half a year to call the next one, this time.