Light a Fire in Your Souls [Pack Meeting/Raid Meeting!]

Cairo was the first to arrive, and Aurielle nodded to the newly minted Sentinel with a smile. She knew he was still struggling a bit with having been promoted so much sooner than he must have expected. Today, he would be officially introduced as the Sentinel of Valhalla. Next were Domari and Kati, and she smiled at the two men, eyes roving over Domari. He’d been somewhat quiet lately, subdued, and it had been good to see him at the test and now here.

Her father and her son arrived, and she gave them a nod, eyeing her son’s excitement. He, of course, knew what was going on, and her father’s calm attentiveness was a steadying breath for the nerves that twisted under her own pelt. After failing to initiate their planned practice raid on Lirim, this time, it was really going to happen.

Taliesyn, Paladin, who greeted Kati. She smiled faintly, hoping the two healers would be able to work well together. Rhaegara, Drachen, and Aslaug were next, and Aurielle slanted a light grin at Drachen. He was unlikely to be involved in the direct fighting, but she hoped to see him helping in some way at the healer’s camp, or guarding the young and elderly.

Elizabeth, and then Caelia. Her eyes rested on Caelia, studying her. The woman seemed to have lost some of her steam and determination, and Aurielle hoped that when Cairo tested his sister, he’d rekindle that steady drive Caelia had shown early on.

A faint smirk touched her lips as Coran arrived with a bound and took a place by his brother. A flutter of wings caught her eye, and she recognized Aoife’s songbird and raised a brow point at the bird in a questioning way.

Red was next, and she locked eyes with him for a warm heartbeat, a smile touching her lips, head tilting as she silently asked him why he wasn’t up by the boulder where she could admire him more closely.

Viviane’s arrival – and appearance – drew her eye and she studied the woman. As far as she was aware, Cairo still slept in his part of the den Gwenevere had dug in preparation for their births, and yet, though Viv put on a face, the lack of self care was evident.

Aoife barreled into the gathering to roll to a stop by her brothers, and Fidelias joined his mother where the woman sat. Aurielle waited for several minutes, eyes scanning the plains intently. Amory and Lee would be along in a bit, But Arne and Kaija were not with their mother, and – more worryingly – Baine’s pale frame hadn’t joined the group. Aurielle was aware that her aunt had ventured from the borders more often recently, but missing a pack meeting…

Her eyes flicked to her father’s, who was also casting a glance over the gathered faces and beyond, a faint frown puckering his brow.

For several long minutes she waited, until it was clear the stragglers were not going to make it before she began speaking.

And so, she began, casting a long look over the faces before her as she flashed a faintly toothy smile at the pack.

“Thank you for gathering here today. I have much to announce, as it has been far too long since out last gathering, and for that, I wish to apologize.”

Her long-haired tail flicked with its natural elegance as she cast her eyes over Justice and her own children, and the newcomers to the pack. “Firstly, I would like to officially announce the union of myself and Red, and his rise to Heart of Valhalla, and officially announce births of our first litter of children, whom most of you have likely already met at some point, due to how long it’s already been. They Are Ardyn, Coran, Amorielle, Laoise, and Aoife.”

It was as she announced her two middle daughters that she spotted the girls slipping in and taking a seat beside their brothers and sister. (OoC: Powerplaying as they have not been chosen yet, however, we will be choosing the new players very soon)

She cast them a brief smile, and a nod of approval at showing up before she turned to Justice, though still addressed the pack as a whole, “As well, Justice has brought into the world a litter of three. They are Kaija, Arne, and Fidelias.”

Her eyes swept the faces again, in case she missed the first two sneaking in, but really, those particular children would have been hard to miss, as exuberant as they could be.

Her eyes sombered, and she drew in a breath as she spoke on, “And, regrettably, I must announce deaths, and wolves gone missing, or still missing. As all of you will be aware by now, those who have not recently joined this year or the year before, we.. lost my mother. Those of you who have grown up here will remember that she and my twin brother were taken by slavers when Aramis and I were very young. My Father, Regulus, instated me once I was old enough to lead, and retrieved them, wiping out the slavers with our allies the Nomads at his side. My mother and brother were returned to us.”

She drew in a short, steadying breath, and pushed on.

“We got my mother’s body back, and a brief glimmer of the mother I – and those who remember her from before – knew and loved. And then the light went out. Her body was still there, but it was only a shell. The trials and hells the slavers put her and my twin through were too much for her, and she wasted away for seasons… Aramis recovered, but he has since vanished. And now, Solveiga Derus-Adravendi walks in Somnium now. And I truly hope she’s well there.”

The pack, and Red, had been her balm, her distraction. She swallowed, loosening her throat as she faced the fresher, rawer pain of loss, eyes searching again for the pale, albino frame of her aunt as she announced, voice tinged with a raggedness around the edges of it’s carrying strength, “And this year, we lost one who had so much more to give, enjoy, and see of this world. He leaves behind his mother, Baine, my Aunt. His name was Nolan, and he was a pure, genuine soul, eager to learn and work hard, always with a smile or a kind word.

“His loss was, I am told, an accident. He fell from the cliffs of Waterfall Peak in the North, and he is laid to rest there at the foot, for any who wish to leave their respects or say their own goodbyes. His presence was – and is – a light that will be missed deeply in Valhalla, and in the world as a whole.”

Her sharp ears caught a brief hitch in Cairo’s breathing, and she let herself fall silent for several breaths to regain her own balance.

Her eyes drifted over the pack once more, as she spoke again, “Valhalla, though suffering its losses, has seen a growth in numbers, and not just because of our children. Over the past years and more, there have been those who joined Valhalla’s ranks. Among them there were Daelos, Ochre, and their daughters Elba and Aslaug. While the former three have gone on their own paths, Aslaug has remained, and stands among the ranks of our hunters. Among us also now stand Kati, Taliesyn, Rhaegara, and Drachen, who have joined our ranks. I welcome you, all four of you.”

Her eyes dropped to Cairo, and she called, “Cairo, join me here, please.”

As the man leapt to the boulder and sat beside her, looking visibly nervous, proud, and still a little stunned, she announced, “The wolf before you has proven himself worthy – beyond worthy – to take a place of high prestige and honor. He has worked himself to the bones, challenged himself and sought to better himself at every turn, through loss, hardship, and triumph. He stands before you as the next Sentinel of Valhalla. Before him stood Justice Ancora, who served Valhalla well.”

She flashed a ghost of a wink to the woman, knowing she’d chafed at the responsibility, and likely that was how her three pups had been founded.

[OOC: Bear with me, going to speak from an outside perspective rather than make you all read through tremendous amounts of monologue. She will be detailed, tell everyone about everything and leave nothing out that is news that has transpired since my last pack meeting. *Cough* And now, as I’m not quite certain how to Segway this into a meeting, whether any characters uninvolved have to leave and she announces raid target/resource target, or not…. Here we go. X.x Gods help me].

She spent much of the next several minutes announcing planned Circles, the openings of the Scrivener’s, Smiths, and other various crafting Circles, eyes flicking to Red, knowing he, as a crafting minded sort, would enjoy these additions, and Aoife? Her lips twitched as she glanced down at her daughter’s quill mo-hawked head.

And then, to the meat of the meeting, the real excitement.

Her tail flagged as she rang out to the pack, “Some of you will remember our plans to exchange raids with Lirim. However, Lirim is no more. I’m afraid it has fallen and I have been unable to glean any explanation. However, though we missed out on raiding then, we will not be left standing idle this winter.”

Her eyes lit with a spark of challenge once more as she gazed at the warriors of Valhalla, announcing clearly, “In A week and a half’s time, we will be raiding Aerie, our neighbors.”

She let the words drop like a bomb in the pack, pausing long enough for them to absorb the news and the information. Of course, some already knew, whether by her sharing the details, or by simple virtue of living with her where it was impossible to miss discussions.

Then she continued, “This raid, however, is merely for practice, and Aerie’s alpha, Eligos and I arranged it, back during the Spring festival. Our one resource that we will be raiding for is a flag, and there will be no maiming permitted. But one day, perhaps even soon, we will raid in earnest. Our numbers have grown, and should we grow too far, we run the risk of weakening our resources. And so, we must expand. This is the first step in seasoning ourselves to war on the offensive.”

Her gradated sapphire into sky gaze regarded each of her wolves, searching to see if they were on board, before she called out, “Any questions or suggestions?”

A soft hum from Cairo told her he wanted to speak, and so she nodded to the man, giving the Sentinel the floor for his own announcement.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think