Standing at the Edge of the World

Only moments after her howl tapered off did the ruby and onyx form of her cousin appear in front of them, running to join into the group and as rambunctious as ever. Manea grinned and chuckled softly as Naráca leaned into her and scooped Saracyn into her grasp, her affectionate cousin saying everything that needed to be said without saying a word. She dipped her head a bit to press her nose to the top of Ara's head before looking back to watch for any others that would come to join them. After their family broke apart and scattered following her mother's betrayal and subsequently her sister's death she had begun to wonder if they would ever rebuild what they had, but as the rest of their gathered family began to appear in front of her she was beginning to have some hope. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly given her attendance at the challenge, Seraphina came to join in on her little meeting. Ever since Alastor brought the girl around she had proven herself to be loyal—whether to Alastor or her or both she didn't really care. As long as she was willing to follow them then she was more than welcome.

A bit of waiting gave her Poe's familiar, hulking frame coming into view and she smiled as he came to sprawl out on the snowy ground. "Thank you, Poe," she said appreciatively to his statement her healing. She grinned as Avacyn wiggled away so she could go settle between Poe's stocky front limbs. Her cousin had always had a way with children and her pups were certainly no exception to that. Before long the last of her expected group appeared, first with Imperia and then Irilyth. Imperia was a hard one to read, but in the same way Seraphina had proven true to her word in her appearance so had Imperia. She gave her monochromatic cousin a welcoming nod as she sat a shot distance away and shifted her aqua gaze over to her handmaiden who seemed to be trying to keep herself out view. Manea was tempted to call the blonde woman closer, but she decided to leave her be. She'd have to thank the delicate woman later for all she had done to help with her recovery later.

For now, Manea shifted her gaze around the group again, a soft smile pulling at her lips. "Thank you for coming," she began. "I understand that we're family—or close enough to it," she added with a quick glance toward Irilyth and Seraphina, "but no one is forcing you to answer my call and for that loyalty I am grateful." Her smile faded a bit as she went on, saying, "The failed claim of the northern pack was a major set back and disappointment and one I do not take lightly. I don't want to dwell on it for long, but I do thank you all for being there. The Mendacium family is old and storied, but we are the new comers to this land and it showed in which side had the most support. I have no doubt that with time we can show them all why our family has stood the test and trails of time... Why we have been able to reform and rebuild again and again. Why we are the ones that are chosen to carry on the Ancient souls."

A small grin pulled at her lips as she told them, "I have a plan to start building that reputation here in Boreas and Auster. I've already begun making a few relationships with some of the packs and their leaders. Venom and Hattori in Ashen and Chimera in Fenmyre. Alastor even spoke a bit with Sirius, the leader of the Armada during the challenge," she said with an appreciative look toward her husband, giving him a smirk before she looked back to her family. "I believe we've made good progress already with aligning ourselves with some of the strongest groups here, but if we're going to be noticed and taken seriously we need a group and a title of our own. We do not yet have the numbers to create a pack, but we can form is a band. We'll stick together just as we have been since we found each other and we'll travel together through Boreas and Auster, training, preparing, and acquainting ourselves with this land we've chosen to make our new home. I hope in our travels we'll be able to find each of your soul mates and steadily as we build up our numbers and grow our family we will prepare to take what was rightfully ours."

She let that sink in for a moment, looking at their expressions to gauge their reactions. "We'll use the name I had chosen for our pack for our band as well—Elysium. Our haven will not be given to us. We must build and earn it ourselves. So..." A wider grin pulled across her lips, looking at each of her family members and followers as she asked, "What do you say? Will you join me?"

Manea | Temno | Ciemny