Burn it down [meeting]

*Epiphron* · 02-04-2015, 09:15 PM

Slowly, they begin to trickle in. It is no surprise to her that Amalia is the first to arrive, diligent and ready to prove herself, though she had little need to reassure her mother that she is loyal to her. Athena is close by her side, followed by boys that she could only assume were their children; they were quite large for their age, already dwarfing their tiny adoptive mother, though they all had a cool and composed air about them. Next was a girl doubtlessly of Destruction lineage, followed by a girl vaguely familiar to her from her old Kingdom, followed by two lanky but energetic children with similar appearances, with black fur and white markings.

A smile was offered to Amalia and her wife and children, pleased at their prompt arrival. One of the boys questioned why they were sitting there, asking Athena; another turned to her, swearing his loyalty and thanking her for taking them in, his voice hoarse but understandable nonetheless. A polite boy, if nothing else -- and though she couldn’t help but see hear her brother’s last dying breath whenever she looked at Athena, this boy evoked no similar emotions.

It was a surprise when Leo came bounding forward, apparently summoned by her call. Instantly her otherwise serious demeanor cracked, another smile dancing across her features as he rushed forward to greet her, instantly joking about making himself at home here. A soft laugh would be offered to her son as she returned his embrace with ease. "As if I would ever deny a child of mine a home," came her soft words.

A few others approached -- one with a garbled tongue, asking for her leave, and another who simply stated that she was departing before turning and fleeing without waiting for an answer. Finally, she spotted Birna, the big silvery woman she’d spoken to not so many weeks before, with Bjorn at her side.

Her attention would shift to the girl that had already made her leave, a light laugh bubbling from her throat. Epiphron was no tyrant; she saw little use for wolves who wanted no place here. Prisoners had little use beyond flaunting, and the energy she might spend fighting for them was worth far more than they were to her. ”You may go,” she turned to speak to the woman whose words had been barely understandable. She knew little about the promises Jupiter had made and she was content to sever whatever ties that her former Sol had once had with the wolves that no longer wanted to live among the mangrove trees.

There was so much to be said, but as she let her gaze drift aimlessly across the group of wolves that had gathered, the ones that had come willingly and seemed willing to stay. Slowly she would rise to all fours as she cleared her throat to begin speaking. "First off, I’d like to announce Jupiter’s death." There would be no cries of mourning, of that she was certain. Even the woman Birna she had spoken to had known little of the orange-furred woman. Epiphron was quite possibly the one here that had been most deeply affected. She couldn’t help but wonder where her son had been, the one that she’d spoken of -- and she couldn’t help but feel distraught at the thought of leaving a pack to little more than one slightly saddened woman and a group of prisoners. "She was killed by a stranger, but I don’t suspect any of you will be in danger here." The woman was a fighter, and she’d worn her scars plainly; was it any surprise she had gotten herself killed?

A short pause followed as she let her eyes drift again, finding the faces of her children and settling on each of them momentarily. There was a faint tinge of nostalgia as she stood here, talking to this group of wolves, though Maverick had often been the one to talk first. Now -- she stood alone and felt far more unsure than she looked. "The legacy of Ludicael will be taken to the grave with her. She left this pack to me. We shall be known as the Kingdom of Fiori," the name was offered slowly and deliberately. There would be nothing to tie this place to Jupiter, to the Destructions that had held this place before, for it would be something entirely new.

”For all those that have been held as prisoner, I give you your freedom.” The female’s intense blue stare lingered on Novel, Ara, and their children for a brief second, for they were the only prisoners that had bothered to remain. ”Though I ask you to think before you flee. I am a fair leader, and I will offer you a good home. These lands are safe and plentiful, and I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety here.” Perhaps they might leave regardless, but she had no qualms with the Destructions, as Jupiter so obviously had. But if this pack would be home to her children, she would do nothing but defend it tooth and nail for her family.

”Many of you are my family, and I know with all my heart that you can be trusted. Amalia, I’d like to see you as our lead Medic,” she offered warmly with a smile, searching for her reaction. There would be no rank offered to Athena. Despite Amalia’s reassurance that she was to be trusted, she was an Armada regardless and her trust would need to be earned. Despite this, she didn’t even know what she excelled in… nor what most of the wolves here were interested in or proficient at. Eyes would narrow as she considered. "Birna, you strike me as the fighting type," she mused as she came to her next train of thought. "If you’d accept, I’d like to place you as the lead Sentry. Alongside Björn, if either of you have any interest." What little she knew of the duo, they struck her as the fighting time; strong and serious and even a bit intimidating, though she’d seen even less of Björn than his sister.

”As for the rest of you, I’d like to know where your interests lie.” The majority of the wolves before her were children. Did they even know what they wanted to pursue, if anything? ”I do not wish to be a dictator here,” Epiphron explained calmly. Perhaps once the thought of holding so much power had been thrilling to her, but time had left her jaded, and if she wanted to truly ensure excellency in this pack then she would have to change things. ”I wish to rule not alone, but as a group.” Perhaps if only she’d listened when she had been a Queen, perhaps things would’ve turned out differently.. perhaps she wouldn’t have grown jaded and tired of the Kingdom she had once ruled over so proudly. Even then, she had never been the sole leader; her decisions had always been influenced by Maverick, by her children, by her family. ”As we grow, I’d like to appoint a small council to make final decisions, though I’d like to keep pack meetings much less formal than many of you are used to. I welcome discussion and input from everyone. I will say right off that I have little taste for needless violence, though am not beyond keeping prisoners if and only if they have deserve such a fate.” Briefly she thought of Neo, of his betrayal to the Tortuga pack, when he'd given information to an enemy simply to spite her father, the very one that had raised him. Still she felt a bit of indignation rise in her chest at the memory, letting her tail briefly flick behind her. "Treat one another as though you'd like to be treated, contribute, and speak up when you have problems. I have come to know these mangroves as my home, and I wish to offer the same thing to those that are willing to work for it. That is all I ask." Slowly her posture would relax, slackening as she pulled back to recline to her haunches. There was much left to be said, and to be decided with input from the others... but she wanted to hear what all they had to say, if anything.

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