Ashes of an Empire

Avacyn's gaze flicked over to Hanzō as he spoke, making a comment obviously intended for her and Delphi, and the thought brought a deeper frown to her lips. The fact that The Syndicate had chosen lands that pressed up against their own could be taken as a challenge had never crossed her mind even though it did make her nervous. The Tojo-kai leader had a point, no matter now much she didn't want to acknowledge it. She refused to be pushed out of the lands that were so important to her and her family, but it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore how they were being surrounded on all sides. Before she could finish processing that thought, however, Artorias began to address her and she turned her dark eyes back over to the Lord of Cinder.

Her ears flicked back at the challenge he posed her with, insisting that the alpha spoke for the pack and no matter what his wolves chose to follow him and help him accomplish his goals. She frowned, her brows knitting together. She knew for a fact that wolves could end up under the rule of certain wolves for a myriad of reasons and not only by their own free will so it was hard not to bristle at the fact that so many of them were so willing to ignore that possibility, but she was clearly in the minority in that train of thought and even if she didn't entirely agree with the stance she understood what Artorias was trying to get across. Whether these wolves were there by choice or by force they would still follow Sephiran's orders regardless–whether they did it with joy or with fear.

She wanted to say more, but she held her tongue for now, letting them continue on so hopefully more would come of this meeting than this. Hanzō said what she was thinking–what did he ultimately want to come from this? Artorias went on, pointing out how The Syndicate leader had declared three packs their enemy–The Hallows, Armada, and Elysium. She blinked with shock at this, taken aback at this. Now she was their enemy regardless of the fact that they had yet to even make contact with one another? What had she done to deserve that kind of reaction? At the very least Artorias insisted that he was not here to start a war. That had been her immediate concern. She and her family were in no place to start fighting on that kind of scale and she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her children and the many other young wolves that currently called Elysium home if that were to come to pass. It was the main reason why she was so hesitant and conservative in her motives.

Finally, he brought up the fact that with Ashen gone the Empire that had been founded around it had also dissolved. While she couldn't in good conscience agree to a war, she was far more favorable to the idea of the defensive pact he proposed. She had already considered The Hallows and Valta allies regardless of the fact that Ashen no longer gave them a common friend, but this would possibly encompass even more packs. She glanced across the table at Basilisk while Artorias continued to speak, pointing out all of the dangers they had already faced across Ardent. While she didn't know Basilisk personally yet, she supposed they now had something in common in the fact that they were both declared enemies of The Syndicate. Artorias welcomed the former Ashen Empire members to enforce their vows and welcomed anyone that had previously been outside of that agreement to consider this coalition for themselves.

After Kotori voiced his agreement to offer defense from any attacks made by The Syndicate, Avacyn glanced toward the earthen-hued male with a grateful nod. He had long been one of their allies and she appreciated his assistance regardless of how this might go. She took a breath and after a moment she looked to Artorias to reply, "Ultimately, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters to me is the safety of my family. I understand what you are saying about these wolves and their motivations, but when over half of my ranks is made up by pups and yearlings I hope you also understand that I have no choice but to be cautious and ask questions before I can even dream of acting." She sighed and added, "Regardless, I do agree to join this coalition you've proposed and will pledge my wolves to the protection of any packs that agree to this relationship as well. There doesn't seem to be any clear cut answer at this moment, but I can easily agree to defense and protection." She has long considered Artorias a mentor and a friend so she hoped the trust she had in him continued to lead her in the right direction.

"Avacyn Medacium"