Hallelujah (I'm Not Dead)

One by one they filtered in, though the first to arrive was Cináed. He missed his other children terribly, so when his son sat away from them, he motioned for the boy to sit near him if he so desired. He hadn't meant to leave them behind and would have taken all of them with him, but his journey had been so sudden and unplanned that he hadn't even intended on taking Vulcan and Ifrit with him, but the two boys had tracked him down shortly after taking off. At that point, he had no choice but to take them with him. It wasn't personal, though he doubted his other pups knew that. He'd have to let them know after the meeting that it hadn't been intentional, but for now, there were matters at hand he needed to tend to. Looking up, he watched as his brother and Yurei arrived, crimson gaze noting the shift in his brother's demeanor, and Yurei's of course, who to him, seemed unchanged. She still appeared as the same, timid, fearful creature she had always been. And despite the times they had talked and the encouragement she had been given even during the Winterfell days, he had to assume at this point that maybe she just didn't want to change her mindset. The children with them were a bit of a surprise, though he should have expected as much. After all, the two had been spending a considerable amount of time together and he knew they were close. He grinned at his brother, and he was eager to meet the pups after the meeting.

Next to arrive was Kirsi and one of her kids, and honestly, he couldn't remember if they were born before he left or if she was still pregnant. Whatever the case, he was glad to see her and the rest of her brood as they each showed up to the meeting. They all seemed to carry her features more than they did Song's, but he could still see a bit of Song in their markings as well. They were all beautiful pups, but not as much as his own dear Celosia. Gaze turned to his daughter as she strode in, noting the set of horns that had grown in and he couldn't help the grin as she moved to sit near him. He moved to nuzzle her, whispering an apology into her ear. He'd explain to his other children later the best he could, but sometimes, not everything had an explanation.

Greed, Tyto, and Claire were the last to arrive and although Ignis waited a few more minutes for any remaining stragglers, it seemed there wouldn't be anymore. He had noticed a few scents had grown stale and came to the conclusion that those few had opted to desert the pack. To think that his absence meant they were free was a joke. They didn't have his permission to go, so no matter what they thought, they were still members of Incendium regardless. No matter, he'd deal with that issue later. For now, he had many other things to address and so he wasted no time in skipping formalities and diving right into it.

"Well I must say, it feels good to be back home. I'm sure things have changed here, much like I have changed while I was away, and while normally I'd apologize for something like this, is it really necessary at this point? Since I claimed the pack from my family, I didn't get so much as a shred of anything from half of those who stayed. Instead, I got fear, and anger, and contempt from the majority. And for what? Because I chose a less traditional route? Because things were too soft and my violent overtaking was too much? What I find amusing, is that there is so much more violence out there. Creatures who have done much worse than what I have done, and yet...some of you make me out to be a monster. And no doubt those who have chosen to try and desert the pack are out there spreading stories, twisting things to fit their narrative, and telling lies to any ear who will listen." He scoffed at the thought before a small grin started to show itself. "I say let them. Whether others see me as a coward, a villain, or whatever they want to think is none of my concern. They don't know me or the pack much the same as I don't know them. I'm not the first and I won't be the last to take a pack by force, but with that said, I don't care anymore. I've opened my eyes to the truth of the world during my time away, and things aren't as pretty or as soft as some like to think. Casso and I know that better than anyone."

His gaze drifted to his brother for a moment, his thoughts briefly flashing to his childhood and the memory of Elias and all the things his father had done. The demons whispered in his father's ear much the same way they whispered in his. Did his brother still hear them? Did his children? It ran in their blood, after all. Turning his gaze to the rest of the pack then, he decided it was time to get serious about leading and getting things organized. "That aside, it's high time for us to better organize ourselves and train more for any future opposition or what have you. Most of you have been in the common rank for too long, and though I've not been approached for ranks, I've seen who does what and will rank you all myself. Starting with Casso." His gaze settled on his brother for a moment before continuing. Whether or not this came as a surprise, his brother was far more level-headed than he was, and he figured the position was a good fit. "Casso, I'm promoting you to Praefectus. My primary beta. You've been a great asset to me, and no doubt you won't disappoint." He needed his brother and what better way to emphasize that than to place him in a well-deserved rank? "Yurei, I am placing you as Medico. You've excelled in your studies as a medic, and I believe the rank will suit you. You've worked hard and have come far despite what you may think of yourself, you're the best healer I know and I have no doubts you'll continue to excel and pass the knowledge to those interested in the field."

She was an experienced healer despite her lack of faith in her own abilities, but it was his last attempt at urging her to see her worth and that she wasn't as useless and broken as she always thought she was. "Kirsi, Song...I'm promoting the two of you to Dux and Aedifex respectively. You're both skilled warriors, I respect you both, and I don't doubt your abilities as fighters, nor your skill in crafting, Song." That left three other adult members, and then the kids. "Claire, you're promoted to Bellator. I've seen you training with Greed, and with a little more training I'm sure you'll be a great warrior yet. As for Tyto and Greed...Tyto, I'm promoting you to Praedator, and Greed to Dux as well." That was all the adults for now, and as for the kids...he needed to see what they might want to excel in or where their ambitions wanted to take them. "All pups will be promoted to Discipulus. Essentially apprentices, and will all be assigned mentors. I'm aware we don't have enough mentors for everyone, so some of us will have to double up on apprentices, and likely cross-train. So all pups that are present, what are your fields of interest? I will put out there that if there is a rank not currently in place that you're interested in, I have no problem adding specialized ranks to fit you. That goes for adults as well. Once we have that figured out, I will speak more on pack matters." He fell quiet to allow the pups to speak up on what they wanted, and the adults to chime in as well if they so chose.

OOC// Round 2 of replies is due ASAP - preferably no later than 9/1! Round 3 will begin once all the apprentices have replied.

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