Birthright
02-24-2014, 10:16 PM
| Cormalin |
|
Cormalin glanced down as his niece pressed to his side, a smile tugging at his muzzle. She?d grown fast from the eager to learn puppy, becoming a fine Beta. She?d also reached her full height, only two inches under his thirty-eight inch height. He noticed the new scars on her muzzle, his eyes crossing for a moment to view his own scars. They matched. She must have received those in the Siege. He had hoped that she would have had more time to enjoy her younger life before true seriousness had to take over from a child?s play, but she seemed to have adapted well, her mismatched eyes filled with a strong determination. He felt his son beside him, strong and sure, and smiled as Caerul arrived, returning the nuzzle and adding a nibble to his eldest?s shoulder, pulling loose a twig before Caerul sat beside his brother. His eyes lifted, searching the wolves, spotting Lyric among them. That would surely help warm Erani?s chilling anger to something more manageable and less dangerous. He continued to look through the wolves, but found no sign of Cael or Claire. Imena was there, but looked sad. How long had Cael been missing? A brown male spoke up, and for a second, Cormalin thought it was Sarak, but the proportions were wrong, and this one had black ears and gray legs. Cormalin studied him, then recalled Erani telling him about a wolf named Newol. Hm. His eyes trailed from the male to land on a wolf that made him blink. If the male?s brown fur were a couple shades darker, without the white markings on his inner legs and on his paws, and if the eyes were a deeper sapphire, he could easily have believed a slightly smaller Cairo had come into their midst. Some of the proportions were similar, as well. Adravendi lines. His gaze pulled away as Ashtoreth and Leon arrived, both with questions for Erani. He glanced up at his sister, though his attention was quickly grabbed by the approach of a stranger who bore Nomad marks between his brows. The Nomads were Branching out, it seemed. He allowed Erani to give her own answers, and then his sister began speaking, even as some latecomers arrived. Rune, a wolf he had sparred with. Another stranger as well, though he looked to have the same build around the edges as Meili. Gael arrived as well. Cormalin turned his head to listen to his sister, ears pressed forward. So she would be taking up the mantle of Leadership. It was her birthright, something she had been trained for, though she had always been happy to be Lead Healer. One by one, after the speech, wolves gave their offers of service. Then it was his turn. He sought his sister?s eyes, locking with her deep blue pools. ?You will always have me. My will is your life.? Baritone tones touched with Irish brogue and English refinery sounded his approval of the revival of Valhalla. |