One by one they started to arrive, crimson gaze watched each member as they came to join him and he offered nods to each as they took their places. When his children came to join him at the front, (save for Lumi) he smiled at them and nuzzled each one of them, casting an understanding glance towards his floppy-eared daughter. He shifted slightly, making it known she was welcome to join him if she decided to change her mind. This was their first meeting, and while he wished it was on better terms, they could also use it as a learning experience for the future should any of them decide to want to take up the mantle and lead their own packs. Raising his head to look at the pack, he was glad to see Bellamy had shown up. And of course, disappointed to see Altair not present. He hadn't seen her in a while, either. And assumed she decided the pack was too much or maybe something else happened. While he cared about his adopted daughter, he couldn't stop the meeting now to go search. The pack needed him, and his children needed him. Altair was old enough by now to fend for herself. Maybe he'd search the surrounding area to look for any signs of her, to at least make sure she was safe and not dying in a ditch somewhere. But for now, he'd turn his attention to the matters at hand. Crimson gaze turned on Kai for a moment, turning over thoughts in his head about what to do with him. He'd been here for a while, and yet the vagabond seemed intent on doing whatever he wanted when he wanted. Which of course, was fine. But all Ace had asked was to help them with something at least, and at this point didn't wholly care about the debt anymore. The last talk he had with Kai had basically been fruitless, and here they were about to plan a couple of raids on behalf of Hjarrandi for him. Because he didn't like the idea of him being a slave, and also wanting to help someone that his nephew cared so much about. Or at least...he thought. It seemed almost as soon as he got Kai out of that situation, Tyranis' demeanor towards the man changed. Or...something like that. He wasn't sure. Whatever the case, they were both in a predicament. He wasn't pleased about Tyranis' sudden change of mind but well...what could he do? Wipe the debt by giving Kai back? No. He wouldn't hand the man back to slavery. He wanted to just let him go and never see his broody face again, but alas. He also didn't want all those resources to have gone to waste and for the pack to criticize him for it. But either way he decided to go, he'd likely be criticized anyway. So fuck it, right? At least he could keep his word and remain loyal to those he served. He wouldn't be seen as a pushover. Clearing his throat, the alabaster king decided he wasn't going to wait any longer to start the meeting. They needed to get down to business now, and whether or not they agreed, at least he could weed out those who were really and truly loyal, and those who were just here wasting the packs resources and time. "Thank you to those who decided to come. I appreciate the punctuality. As for those who decided not to come, they are no longer members of the pack as of today. If you see them, inform them. If they wish to rejoin, send them to me. This may sound harsh but everyone who joined were informed of the packs laws." His voice was stern, unwavering as he spoke. "There's much to talk about today, but first..." He gazed briefly at each child before returning his attention to the pack. "I'd like to formally introduce each of my children. I know it's a bit late, and I'm sure some of you have met them already. But for those who don't know, I'd like to introduce Snow, Lumi, Winter, and Orca." His mouth formed a grim line when he thought about Whittaker...and he figured he ought to officially break the news about Heloise and his son. "I'm sure all of you have noticed by now that Heloise has been absent for some time. She had decided to return to her homeland to help them with some important matters, and our son, Whittaker, has gone with her." Not the truth. But also not a lie. He didn't know the reasons why she left, but for the sake of his children, that was what he chose to go with. "Now that you know their names, I encourage you to teach them what you know and if anyone is interested in mentoring them, you're welcome to approach me concerning that." And in other news..."Now that the volcanic activity has passed, pups may go beyond the borders but only to the surrounding territories and no further. Adult members are free to go where they wish without informing when they are going to leave and to where, but be mindful that there may still be some areas that are unstable as well as other wildlife out there. Prey is steadily returning to their habitats, but still wary. In other words, just be careful." Now that that was out, he wanted to address the packs activity. Or lack thereof. "I know in our last meeting I addressed activity within the pack as well as mentors and apprentices. Since then, I've not seen much of a change. A small number of wolves have stepped up and have been doing their part, but there are still many of you who aren't doing your duties. Nor have I seen or heard of any training...I must say I am deeply, deeply disappointed in this." He didn't name names, but they knew who they were. They'd know who was doing their part in their duties, training aside. "As of now, I will not assign anyone mentors or apprentices. Instead, I'll allow members to choose their own pairings. Bear in mind, however, that if there is still no training happening and if I am forced to address this again, then I'm afraid there will be consequences. For our experienced members, I expect more of you. I expected you to teach the younger generations...and to the younger members, I apologize if you haven't been getting the training you deserve. Know that you are welcome to come to me at anytime and I will train you and teach you what I know if nobody else will." Was he calling out some of the older members? Probably. There were many experienced wolves here after all, and nobody was taking up any responsibility and ultimately failing the pack as a whole. He allowed the information to sink in. Let the wave of shame wash over those who knew they weren't doing their part. Sometimes, he knew he would have to be the bad guy in situations like this. A pack couldn't thrive with just a pawful of members working while the rest did nothing. Now that some of that stuff was said, he got down to the other root of the meeting. "All of you may have heard by now that we are to raid in Hjarrandi's name. Valkyrie has given me her targets..." He let his words fall away for a moment before continuing. "Our targets are Ashen, and Abaven." He wasn't really surprised when she selected Abaven as a target. His alliance with Shaye at the time had been clear, at least it had been until shit hit the fan with her. But now it was Theory who had taken up the mantle, and with all that had gone on with Abaven, he felt bad. But he reminded himself it wasn't for malicious intent. "Before anyone gets the wrong idea, let it be known that I consider Abaven as friends. We will not be raiding them with malicious intent, so instead, consider it as a sort of...training exercise. We will not be taking anyone captive, nor will we seek to maim them. It's been agreed beforehand that we will fight for nothing more than dominance. Same goes for Ashen, however, I do not know much about Ashen so should anyone from there decide to take an ear or anything from you, feel free to return the favor." He let the information sink in for a few moments, gauging how the members would react. They knew it was coming, after all. And even if they weren't raiding for Hjarrandi, raiding in general was part of the packs culture. "We are a bit late in the agreement to raid for the band. But given the circumstances that nature decided to throw into the world, summer seems to be the opportune moment. The packs and lands will have had ample time to recover, so we will start at the height of the summer season. Anyone who objects may do so, but bear in mind it will happen regardless. Prepare yourselves from now until then." He fell quiet for a moment as his gaze rested on Kai. He had thought about this for some time, and had made his decision regarding the male. "Kai, you will participate in the raids. Afterwards, you may leave when you wish. It is not my intention to keep you here longer than necessary, nor has it been my intention to keep you here. Join us for just these two, and you are free to go." His voice was sincere, but also with a hint of he kind of had no choice. If Kai decided to refuse, then Acere would likely just hand him back and wipe the slate clean. "Any questions or concerns? Or perhaps anything else that they might wish to say? Now is the best time to speak while we are all gathered." He let the pack have the floor and would address anything that might come up. OOC// Sooooo sorry for the late reply T^T posting order doesn't matter for the next round, but let's see if we can get next rounds done asap! Replies due by January 31st!! Ace will respond to anyone with questions/concerns/etc. After that date we'll start raiding! \o/ "Speech"

Others filed in with all but one of the King’s children coming to sit up near him. Orca found Lumi, but said nothing, only offered a small smile. Patiently she waited for her father to speak and tell them why they were called to a meeting. When he did begin speaking, her attention turned to him raptly. Those not there would not be part of Winterfell anymore, it made her sad, but then again, she didn’t know all of the members and those that she did know had all shown up. Acere chose to formally introduce his children to the pack, long overdue, but late was better than never. When her name was called, she dipped her head slightly as she glanced across the wolves gathered before turning back to her father, recognizing the grim line as the one he’d used when he’d spoken to her about her mom and brother. Jaws clenched as he told them that she had left to tend to important matters in her homeland with Whittaker. She chose not to say anything though, perhaps he was just trying to give something concrete to the pack, but she knew from their talk that he didn’t know where they were. It was all speculation.

At the mention of being mentored, her torso perked up, eyes scanning the crowd to find Song with a grin. In her mind, she had already found a mentor…whether he agreed or not…well… he didn’t really have a choice now (as far as she was concerned). Again Acere would draw her attention, allowing the restriction to packlands to be lifted, but not too far. His insistence on not going any farther made her huff softly, feeling that that part was meant specifically for her. Had anyone else caused as much trouble as she had in that regard? Did he even know of the other times she hadn’t been caught sneaking out? Well…not caught by him…She did take his word of caution in regards to other prey and predators returning to the area to heart, she’d already stumbled upon snow leopards and a family of fox, but she’d had an adult present both times.

Again mentors and activity was addressed and once more the girls mix matched gaze found Song. He would teach her more, she was sure of it. Acere’s offer to teach was also noted, perhaps she would ask for him to teach her to fight better.

After a pause to let the information settle in, Acere began speaking about the raids she had heard whispers of. Ears perked as she listened intently. When he named the targets the youth growled, ears falling back in a show of disagreement. The youth was about to speak, but Acere seemed to know exactly what she was upset about and spoke about Abaven’s part in the raid. Orca’s jaws snapped shut as she listened with an angry expression. Orca listened, letting him finish his speech, she knew well enough not to interrupt him but she was furious. How could they be expected to fight and harm their friends, even mildly? What did that say about their relationship?

After addressing Kai, her father would open the conversation to questions and concerns and she stood abruptly. “Do our friends know we are coming to fight them?” She asked, angry, but more so concerned for the simple fact that even a mild injury could cause more harm than intended and she could not help but think of Beat and his ‘curse’. How would this affect Beat? “Why does…Valkyrie want us to fight our friends?” She’d ask, knowing her father enough to know that he would not just leave out that they were friends.

The female staring at him didn't go unnoticed. While sometimes he appreciated the attention, as much as he feigned annoyance over it, something about the way she was looking at him was less than pleasant - and he didn't appreciate the scrutinizing. Kai was already in a foul mood and she wasn't helping things. He wrinkled his nose, finally swinging his head toward Bellamy and glaring in response. "You got a fucking problem with me?" He sneered under his breath, only loud enough for her to hear - and anyone else who happened to be lingering near the fringes of the gathering.

But Acere spoke up before long, once everyone had trickled in, and he begrudgingly pulled his attention away from the female that he was suddenly envisioning pummeling, toward Winterfell's alpha. Most of what he said was irrelevant to him - introducing some kids and announcing rules and berating the pack for not pulling their weight. He fought the urge to gag. Some stuff about raiding almost caught his interest, almost, but he was only fully attentive when Acere spoke to him directly. He'd help participate and then he'd be free to go, which... truthfully didn't sound like the worst idea. Watching how packs operated, despite his own innate abhorrence of them, was morbidly fascinating.

After this little stay in Winterfell, though, he had a feeling he'd be steering clear of packs for an extended period of time. "Deal," he answered finally, gruffly, far from impressed with his situation but at least now he was acknowledging it. Maybe getting his paws dirty would do him some good; it'd been awhile since he'd properly scuffled with someone, and based on Acere's words it sounded like they'd be raiding a pack they were friendly with? At the very least it sounded like a royal shit show, and that was something Kai could get down with observing.

Drífa watched quietly as the rest of Winterfell filtered in, spareing a moment to nod at Kirsi and Belle. They were the few wolves she'd met. Shorty after the meeting began and she turned her full attention to Acere. He started with introducing the children and Drífa smiled at the youthful faces, feeling a slight pang in her stomach. She and Agnarr had always wanted children but then the war used it's last breath to drag her love from her. She wouldn't entertain the thought of remarrying. There was only one Agnarr. She listened as he spoke of a lack of training and she couldn't say she was surprised. Though she was new to Winterfell the volcano had likely interrupted much of daily life. It was hard to think about training when survival suddenly escalated in importance. She prayed the next winter would not be so harsh. In the meantime though she was happy to offer her skills to any that wished to train in healing and crafting. The next order of business was news to her. Being a new member she had not heard of Hjarrandi or that the pack would be raiding in the name of this mysterious group. They were to raid Ashen and Abaven. Again, she did not know these packs. She'd been living alone in the north since Fyri's fall. She supposed she would need to get more familiar with pack politics. Drífa took note as Acere stated that Abaven was their friend. Her head titled to the side. Raiding an ally did not sound like the best idea but she was unaware of the circumstances that led Winterfell to this point. One of the pups voiced her concerns and Drífa took the moment to chime in. She cleared her throat. "I wish to voice my thoughts as well. For those who don't know me I am Drífa. I specialize in healing and crafting so any pups that wish to apprentice in such things please let me know. I am more than happy to share my knowledge. "As to this raid. I am not a fighter but I wish to bring a stock of supplies and set up near where we plan to raid so that warriors can receive swift medical attention. Now, I confess I do not know anything about Abaven, Ashen, or our political status with the packs of Boreas. But, if I may make a suggestion Acere, could we not send someone to notify Abaven ahead of time and let them know of our situation? That would make it an official training exercise and Hjarrandi would be none the wiser." What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Let them think it a true raid. Winterfell and Abaven would know better. "Am I correct in thinking this is for show? Or does Hjarrandi expect spoils from this endeavor?" That would complicate things but if Winterfell needed to be indebted to anyone she would rather they be indebted to an ally than whatever their relationship with this band was. Perhaps Abaven could 'loan' them supplies that Winterfell could promise to replace at a later time. "I talk" | 'I think'

"Speech"

Tsunami listened intently as her uncle spoke, taking a moment to look at each of her young cousins as he named them off and trying to commit their names and faces to memory. Acere went on to talk about the lack of proper training within the pack and Tsunami couldn't help but feel a bit of bitterness rising up in her. It was her uncle's own wife who hadn't even tried to reach out to her, she'd been forced to take her training into her own paws. And yeah sure her mentor had gotten pregnant but Tsunami would have appreciated any sign she was even interested in taking it seriously.

She perked slightly at the mention of a raid. She waited patiently for her uncle to finish speaking and then allowed the others to speak. Some of them seemed concerned about the raid on Abaven, and while she didn't exactly harbor ill will towards the pack that had housed her as a pup she also couldn't really summon the concern the others seemed to have. If they were under orders not to do more than they absolutely had to, to fight to get the resources but not to harm then unnecessarily, even in retaliation she couldn't help but feel that was being more than generous.

Finally when there was a brief moment of silence Tsunami rose to her paws. "Regardless of what is decided I'd like to request being allowed to join the raiding party." She spoke evenly, trying to meet her uncle's gaze so he could see how serious she was.

Art by LoupDeMort

The rest of the pack arrived, and Ignis glanced around to see who all was left. He noticed some members who were at the last meeting weren't here this time and so he assumed they decided they didn't want to be here anymore. Oh well, goes to show who was loyal to packs and who weren't. He waited patiently for his uncle to start speaking, and as his uncle spoke, he noticed a ripple of uneasiness among them. Especially at the mention of fighting Abaven. As others voiced their concerns about fighting them, especially Orca & Drifa, he cleared his throat and chimed in before his uncle had a chance to. "I uh, may have tipped off Corvus last time he came to visit. I figured you wouldn't mind if I did," At least, he hoped his uncle wouldn't mind anyway. But he doubted his uncle would plan a surprise attack on their allies, so he didn't feel too bad about tipping off Corvus. He just hoped his friend had informed his pack so they weren't caught off guard. "I'd also like to participate in the raid, I think seeing it as a training session is a good idea, less pressure for us." That's how he saw it, anyway. "And just in case Corvus forgot to mention anything about it, maybe one of us can go to Abaven and let them know? I mean, I think Drifa is right. What Valkyrie doesn't know won't hurt, and even if she did find out later what's she gonna do? We're fulfilling our end of the agreement anyway!" And if Valkyrie did have a problem with it later, then she could take it up with the pack as a whole!

The rest of the pack came, and while Greed hadn't met any of them asides from those he knew directly, that didn't matter. The sole focus seemed to be on the activity in the pack and training the younger ones, as well as raiding. Well, he already knew he would be raiding. That was a given. But would he consider taking an apprentice? He eyed Avalon's pregnant form for a brief moment, and his decision was pretty much made for him. "I'd like to take an apprentice. I'm an experienced fighter, I won every fight in the first raid back when Dragon led his pack, and I've not lost a single fight so far." Sure he could be more humble about it and more than likely he wouldn't win every fight ahead, but he was a creature of pride and not much of a humble one at that. He would teach anyone who wanted to learn, no matter the cost. And he hoped he'd have the chance to train Avalon's children when they were born, too.

What could have been a chance to learn about the pack, how things worked here in Boreas, was spoiled immediately by the male taking offense. His glare and sour attitude immediately brought back those familiar feelings and memories of when the soldiers spoke to her. Bells shifted, lips peeling back as her eyes narrowed into slits as a low rumble began to burble in her chest. “Don’t you fucking dare assume shit about me! I don’t even know you, how in the hell would I have a problem with you? Or do you have a problem with wolves trying to figure things out about those who live in these lands?!” Her words were a hiss, lower in volume but no doubt some others further into the gathering had heard her speak, if not some may have noticed her shifted demeanor as anger and hostility found their way to the forefront of her emotions.

She rose, tail lashing back and forth like an angry feline as Acere went on to speak. Maybe he didn’t notice what was going on at the outskirts just yet, too focused on getting information to the pack, but Bells was less than pleased. Whiskers had moved in front of her companion, giving a warning growl at the young wolfess. “Don’t you dare... You are already in enough trouble…” The badger attempted to remind her. Not that it would do much good. When Bellamy felt threatened enough to react with anger a fight wasn’t likely far behind. Her fear of being weak, of being taken advantage of, often drove the woman to make foolish decisions. All the badger could do was try to help her best she could, to ensure the idiot didn’t get hurt too badly.

“Lay off, will you? She’s not from Boreas and everyone here is different. Let’s NOT have this escalate.” The badger turned her attention to Kai hoping to somehow, someway, diffuse this situation.

Ears however had moved to stand beside Bells and was bristled as well. The Devil was ready to lunge if the wolf beside him did to aid her. He wouldn’t think twice.

Bellamy hadn’t moved yet but her body was ready. Every muscle screamed at her to lunge, to draw blood. Her jaws were slightly parted, narrowed eyes glinting with hatred that had been rooted deeply in her for creatures that spoke with his sort of tongue. Her ears laid back flat and her claws bit the soil as her body instinctively took on a defensive fighting prep position. Her fur was on edge, raised all along her body as a deeper, louder, more guttural growl passed her lips.

Consequences be damned if he wanted a fight he would have one.

She would not let anyone, male or female, speak to her as she once had been. She was no longer a slave and while she was not exactly well mannered, particularly with speech, she had not intended to provoke him. She would be damned if he assumed otherwise.

Most of what Acere said didn't apply to the new member that he was. He hadn’t been there at the first meeting and at this point he was only barely gotten himself set up. He had given Orca a lesson though, he’d already started teaching the girl and when Acere mentioned mentors he didn’t miss Orca’s pointed glances. If the mood wasn’t so somber Song would have chuckled at her behavior.

He spoke about the coming raid and Song didn’t hold any strong emotion towards the target or the reason, and he would eagerly go along with Acere if he was asked to. He wasn’t an excellent fighter, but he knew enough to defend himself. Maybe some training might do him good. Acere’s speech came to an end, and Orca definitely seemed to have some strong feelings on their intended targets. Song waited for the father to address his daughter’s concerns before speaking up as well.

”If you’d allow it, Acere. I’d like to be Orca’s mentor.” He offered, knowing that he had only just gotten there and hadn’t near shown his skill yet. He did feel a connection with the young she wolf, and saw the potential within her.

As she expected, Acere addressed some issues that she knew hadn't gone ignored. She remained quiet through it all, though she wasn't surprised about the mention of raiding. She remembered when Tyranis had come back and told her about the day at the market, and her molten gaze slowly found Kai. Was he to blame for her mate leaving? She didn't know how to feel about the man but in the end...Tyranis had abandoned them both. As others began to speak up, she didn't think it wise for her to remain quiet for long. Two wolves requested an apprentice, and while she was still inexperienced in fighting, she was a good navigator. Still, she wanted to help where she could. "I'd also like to help in the raid if need be. And I'd also like to take an apprentice. Her gaze shifted to Idalia. "Idalia." Yes, she was her daughter. She knew she wasn't spending as much time with her as she should've been, and she wanted to be there for her more, too. "I'll even take a second apprentice if any of the younger ones are willing."