Malia listened to the Queen's words with excitement and enthusiasm. She enjoyed listening to other talk because it made her happy. Her light tawny brown fur was smoothed and freshly groomed as she listened because she hadn't wanted to look like a mess when with royalty. She was slowly but surely learning how to fit in to the pack despite the fact that she had never been from a pack before. Her golden amber eyes held a caring look to them as she continued to listen. Unlike others in the pack [most likely unlike at least], Malia did not care about rank; she cared about serving. It was a lesson she had learned at the borders.


When Loccian had mentioned Enola she gave a small smile. She remembered her adventure with Enola back when she had been out hunting. She'd found the blinded pup out wandering without an adult so she had taken up a charge to care for her until she wished to return to the den. This had included walking with her and helping her with whatever she needed. Loccian started to talk about apprentices and Malia knew she was probably too new to the pack to have an apprentice.

He would sit placidly amongst his children, watching as they observed the entirety of the pack. Seracia had grown by leaps and bounds, and if members continued having children there was no telling how large it would become. A smile pursed his lips as his bride spoke of her plans for the future, and idly he wondered where he fell among the fray - but that was a question for a later time. The once-King remained silent through it all, and did not offer his name as a mentor. There was something to children that invigorated him, but he had enough of his own to watch over and coach in the ways of life. "Speech"

SOMETIMES IN MY TEARS I DROWN but i never let it get me down The boy knew his place, and he would not utter a word or syllable without being personally addressed. Sitting beside his sire, he would note that his dad had an idea for a new territory - oh grand, another land to get lost in. The tiniest of sighs would escape from his lungs before he shut his lips tightly, drawing his tongue back to keep him from making any more sounds. He knew he was not old enough for ranks to matter much, nor was he old enough to mentor anyone else, so through it all the lad would be as silent as a mouse - for if he spoke he would surely embarrass himself in front of the entire Kingdom, which had grown much in the past few months. Eyes would scan to his unclea and aunts, noting their closeness in age with his full siblings. That was rather interesting.. {Table coded by Lu}

Demoted. The word certainly stung especially as she went on to explain the reason had nothing to do with their skills or involvement within the pack. Though the drop wasn't really much for the man, nor was it only he to receive it, it still brought forth a painfully striking resemblance to his sudden demotion in his birth pack. The new ranks were fine enough, things had not been changed too greatly which only made matters worse, others were likely feeling the same though such a thought barely registered in Iorwerth's mind. Silently he sat through the remainder of the meeting, the mentorship barely catching his attention. Iorwerth had never really been around children much, certainly hadn't guided them in learning anything. He had his own set of skills of course, though could he honestly teach another? He hadn't previously known about the mentorship program here, never had the opportunity to give it further thought. It would of course be assisting the pack in some form, a good deed if it was actually worth anything anymore. He would think about it, he after all had been in such a clueless position as the pups once. At that it seemed that the floor would be opened for questions and suggestions. The first to speak was Squall, his fellow esquire, or formally now he supposed. The words certainly didn't help to ease Iorwerth's bitterness though, requesting the rank even higher than his previous one mere moments after the entire pack had faced a demotion. Of course Iorwerth had been out of touch with the pack life with his illness but what made Squall more suitable for the rank than himself, than others? "Queen Loccian" Iorwerth spoke up once Maverick had finished with his words. Though still highly unimpressed with the news, his voice and stance certainly didn't demonstrate this fact. "Would it not be more beneficial for the structure of the Kingdom to simply determine which area should be specialised in for the higher ranked members rather than demoting them all? You must have felt them suitable to hold their former titles, so surely it is possible to reallocate them to a new rank at the same level." A rather wise move he felt in speaking for the entire pack rather than the protection of his own position in the kingdom. "Neverless, if I am able, I wish to assist with the mentoring system." Perhaps only offering now out of competitiveness; he wished to prove his own worth after all. Of course though not knowing the children of the pack, he had no preferences as to who he would possibly be his apprentice.

Destruction's gaze, on occasion, would travel to the members filing in for the meeting. Faces and names she did not know... but pack mates. Family. They were not by blood, but the woman was seeing them more and more for what they were. Gaze would travel to Celeste, the young pup she had spent a short time exploring. Already the dark woman was fond of the young girl. She wanted to call out a greeting to her, but now was not the time. Instead her crimson ringed gaze wolf shift to Loccian as the gray-blue queen would start the Seracian meeting. The meeting would begin with Loccian introducing the young of the pack. At the mention of Tahlia's children, her godchildren, the black and crimson fae would look over at them all, flashing a warm smile of approval. They were growing so fast, learning to explore and roam. Her gaze would then shift to Tahlia. She made a promise to herself to meet with the woman sometime after the meeting. It had been a little while since the two femmes had sat down and talked with each other just for the sake of having a conversation. There was also something that Destruction wished to ask Tahlia about. A search for advice. Next came the announcement of Maverick and Epiphron's pups. At least the younger ones that were mentioned. Des didn't know the boys, having not met them, so she did not know which one was which. But she knew Celeste well enough. Then Loccian would introduce her only litter, another set with children she couldn't identify, though she was able to pick out the only girl of course. The female made a note to herself to get to know the heirs of her kingdom better. They were all very young... but an introduction at some point couldn't hurt. Next Loccian would move onto a few members in particular. A new members as well as some returned pack mates. She recognized Bronze, and, with a frown, she would see his son Mercury as well. Originally Mercury had been assigned to her as an apprentice when Maverick was king... but when the woman went to look for the boy he was nowhere to be found. Oh well... there was little she could do about that. It was in the past, and whether the boy had simply chosen not to accept her as a mentor or some other fate had occurred it mattered not now. The dark female would also notice how, when the Queen spoke of her brother, there was not a massive amount of warmth as she felt there probably should have been. The woman would raise a brow with confusion, but stay silent for now. Now the true meeting would begin. The reason for their gathering revealed. All of them were being demoted. Now this didn't affect Destruction like it did some of her fellow packmates. Some had worked to prove their worth to the pack already... but she could understand and respect Loccian's decision on this. The structure would remain fairly similar with the inner workings of the pack, however names would be changed for the ranks. The queen would apologize for all the new information, but there was yet a bit more to be announced. The mentoring system. It sounded like a rather good plan in her opinion. The first to speak would be a tricolor brute. She didn't know him hardly, though she had seen him at the previous meeting. He requested the chance at a higher rank, which she thought wasn't such a bad thing. Those who were bold and confident in their skills should be welcome to try for such positions. Her gaze would then shift to Maverick, offering a suggestion for territory expansion, as well as his services as a mentor. Others would remain silent, and Destruction prepared herself to speak, until another male would speak. Her gaze would turn to him, raising to her paws. His words would stir something in the female. A flicker of agitation that would show in her crimson ringed eyes, though her voice would be level and calm, and her muscled form would show no hostility towards the pack member. The female would speak, voice cutting in before Loccian would have a chance to answer this brute. "Fellow Seracian, I can say with the utmost certain that though these changes seem strange they will be beneficial to Seracia and it's structure. Perhaps you fear change, perhaps many of us do, but these are times of change. We should not look at being demoted, even if from a higher rank, as something to be frowned upon. To feel as if we did not earn the ranks we once wore. If we are truly deserving of high ranks than those placed in them will once more shine with brilliance and show that they deserve to hold them." Personally wolves being relocated wasn't such a bad idea. Skills could change. Others might better suit the position. Playing favorites in a pack, simply because they proved worth some time ago, shouldn't be allowed. They all had to pull their weight. With this piece spoken to the male the dark woman would turn her gaze to Loccian, dipping her head respectfully to the Queen. In just the short amount of time she had really gotten to know the other she wolf it was clear that the muscled woman had a lot of faith and trust in her. "As far as requesting a rank goes I have no prefrence. All I know, and I am aware of is my will and duty to serve Seracia with my entire being, wherever I am needed. Any rank I am tested for will receive nothing less than full and best effort." The dark woman would lift her head with confidence. She knew Loccian would test her where she thought she would fit best. "As far as mentoring goes I am more than willing to take on any of the children of Seracia, and welcome any and all to join in on lessons, whether they are classified as my apprentice or not. As for my official apprentices I have requests of my own, should the children choose to accept me. The first I would like to request is any of Tahlia's children... and the second is a young wolfess who has already revealed to me she has quite the intelligent mind. I would like to request that Celeste become my apprentice." "Speech" Think

The Queen would speak, and Ara would listen attentively. Eyes were unblinking and wide as Loccian began to speak, and her tail would begin to wag subtly behind her. She really was a lovely woman, and a great mentor, too; Ara could hardly wait until she had another lesson with her!

Her eyes danced to the youngest-born children as Loccian introduced them, including her own. Perhaps she would be allowed to spend some time with them? She wondered briefly is this would be acceptable, but she was not sure if she would like it -- she didn't really know how to deal with very young children, which seemed silly since she had been that young before, and not too long ago either. The Queen even spoke of her father's return, and her eyes would sparkle with pride as she leaned to nuzzle into the fur of his neck. He was so brave, and the herbs she had found for him seemed to be helpful in helping him sleep and easing the pain of his limbs when he had difficulty walking. He was so brave; she couldn't imagine anyone more courageous ever existing.

Loccian continued to speak, explaining that the pack was being restructured. A surge of rare confidence would arise, and she found herself sitting a bit taller as she waited for the Queen to finish talking. "I.. I would like to be a Healer, if you let me," she explained softly. "Since our lessons I have been learning on my own. I even met a man from Ludicael who let me join in his lessons." She was proud of her accomplishments, but her voice was somewhat contained and even a bit shaky. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to ask for such a thing, but while she was not yet a yearling, she would be soon... and she knew a lot for her age. "I know I have a lot to learn," she explained, her voice a bit louder now. "But I know more than most in Seracia." She was not being arrogant, no, not at all -- she knew a few exceeded her abilities by a long shot, but she new there were no more than a pawful of healers besides herself.

Walk | Talk | Think Wolves of all ages trickled into the shed and took up positions surrounding Loccian's perch but the she-wolf's dark gold eyes glanced over familiar and unfamiliar faces as if blind to each of them indifferently. They were given only a cursory glance, but failing to see the faces that she sought and desperately hoped to see they did not stop their roving, impatience only just hidden behind a controlled mask. She was beginning to worry that they would show too late but one by one they arrived. Anais was first, followed after by both Nako and Jakart. Tahlia smiled and sighed quietly to herself, so glad and relieved to have them all together as she greeted each mutely with a wag of her tail. At least she knew her family - or what remained of it - stood a chance at making something for themselves within the pack. With her anxieties settled, she was able to sit back and finally get a good look at the pack, and it was easy to see their numbers were quite impressive. So many young, she wondered with surprise. Such a baby boom within the last seasons! And it was of these newest additions that Loccian addressed first, starting with Tahlia's own. With pride, the mother wolf drew herself up where she sat and accepted the glances made toward her pups politely, though a paranoid part of her wondered whether anyone noticed the absence of a father figure in their midst. Did they talk about it? Did anyone question it? Or was she the only one who gave it such considerable thought? Other new additions were named and then a surprise that none of them seemed prepared for. Demoted? A flash of indignation rose inside the wolf and manifested itself with a quick sweep of her tail though otherwise Tahlia remained unmoved. The change in leadership was bringing with it changes in ranks as well, and Loccian made it clear she wished to start from the bottom up this time around. It was disheartening news - Tahlia had earned her rank, even if it was not so impressive or a false representation of her activity recently, but she was proud of it nonetheless. And now it would need to be earned all over again. A swift glance told her that she was not the only adult unsettled by this news, but with Loccian mid-speech now was certainly not a time for it to be addressed. Apprenticeships were brought up next, of which Tahlia was quite interested. The pups were nearing on six months now, plenty old enough to begin training. It was possibly about time that they began taking up a craft from one of the pack members. As Loccian brought up territories the russet and black she-wolf went thoughtful and allowed those who would speak just after Loccian to do so, debating internally. She had found a nice place, the fragrant Fern Gulley with all its colorful vegetation. It was a lovely place, undoubtedly, but it had also become her newest hiding place. Could she give it up and find another? With the ranks possibly scratched perhaps it was not such a bad idea. She waited, letting those before her have their say until she detected a clear enough break and calmly interrupted. "Excuse me, Queen Loccian," - how odd it was to address her so when she was still used to her being just a healer - "but I may have found another suitable territory to expand our borders with. The Fern Gulley sits close by, and it is quite overrun with green vegetation. I do not doubt that some of it might be useful in the arts of healing." Of course, the Gulley was just as likely to harbor its fair share of small game but with Loccian's specialty still being healing she thought that might appeal first and foremost. "And, if you would approve," Tahlia added, "I would like to offer myself as a mentor, as well as my children to be trained." A swift glance was made toward Destruction, completely approving of her request to train her god-children first and grateful that she had offered at all.

To Daedalus, all of this was rather boring. Daedalus gave a yawn as momma talked to the adults, and they responded accordingly. The young pup looked around for something to play with and saw a rather funny looking stick. In a moment, his play instincts kicked in and he couldn't help himself. Quietly, Daedalus looked around and inched his way over until he finally was able to grab it and laid down with it. The stick was larger than he was, enough for two pups to chew on or play tug of war with off to the side, and Daedalus kept it between his two front paws. Perhaps he could keep his fangs sharp with it as he listened to the meeting proceedings.

Daedalus's name was mentioned and he looked up and tried to figure out why mother called his name, but he assumed that she mentioned his name to introduce him to the pack. Picking up his stick, he walked over and sat down with it by its feet. Daedalus had the eyes of his father, Gerdhart, but the colors were very different. Daedalus was this copper like brown with sand colored markings. The boy was meant to become an avenger, but he wouldn't know that until later.

When Loccian went back into the meeting, Daedalus went back to his stick chewing. For now, that seemed to keep Daedalus busy while he watched how everything worked.

She crouched there eyes downcast, trying to feel small, invisible. But the touch and voice of Squall had her eyes lifting up. She stared at him with wide pale green orbs, searching. Was he telling the truth? Could she truly trust him? Her mind raced with question but her gut told her she could. With a sigh she scouted closer and sat up, leaning on his shoulder for comfort and confidence. Something about him made her want to try, make him proud. She felt safe, a feeling sort of like she had towards her brother. She could not help but keep casting glances at the older male. Her eyes held a respect for him, a hoping that he could help her fill the missing gap in her life, to be a mentor, a brother of sorts. Loccian voice rang out with introduction to pups and changes to the pack with ranks. She never really knew how the ranks were set before so her brows would furrow down as she tried to concentrate and understand everything. At one point her head would tilt to the right. But she was just getting the idea of it when Squall spoke up. She turned to look at him, body stiffening as he requested he mentor him. Ears twitched as she looked up at Loccian and then Squall with a happy smile, tail slowly wagging. She couldn't have asked for someone better. Sure she didn't really know anyone else, but Squall made her feel safe. And she believed they had some undiscovered similarities. But just as quickly as her happy moment came it went with discontent from others. She listened to everyone carefully. Taking a deep breath she stood up and took a hard swallow."If I may..perhaps a contest of sorts..for those who wish to prove their worth for a higher rank would ease everyone's mind. Just a friendly contest for members to best each others in certain sets of skills? Like hunting, sparring? Tracking? Those sorts." She said softly. She looked down at her paws again, shyly. "Speech"

Ears were pricked as her mother spoke. When it was time for her and her siblings to be introduced, her tail wagged, becoming white with snow. Loccian only mentioned four names, though, and Silveris slowly lowered her head. She thought of her brother, Biull, who had once become her friend. When Loccian looked at them, Silveris lowered her head and whimpered. She needed to find her brother, even though he was probably not in this land. And, with the darkening sky, it wouldn't be very smart. But if her brother was here, then he was in danger. He would be in trouble! She raised her head and looked at her father. He wasn't paying much attention. But, she wouldn't go away. Not with it being so dangerous here. If she got hurt, it would be her fault. But what if Biull had found his way to this land? If she found him hurt, she would blame herself. So, the girl made a silent promise to herself. As soon as the meeting was over, she would look for any pups. Talk like this

Myth would sit quietly even if she did fidget some. The girl had never really been good at sitting still; she listened well though, drawing in all the new information from the grey woman. She sat up some at the mention of a new member but relaxed when another was mentioned? she supposed she had not been introduced to the grey woman and that she might not have been aware of the girl's recent joining. At the talk of ranks she cocked her head to the side and frowned. She was still pretty lost when it came to where she fit in and what she could do to help. So she would remain silent, but not inattentive. "Speech"

So much had gone by, so much information and so many words. And Dragon would watch on with his always gentle red gaze. Demotion? He could handle it. All the more to prove himself to the higher ups that he deserved the rank he had once held just moments before. In fact, they all could. It would give everyone an equal chance to prove themselves in the areas their skill sets would conquer. He was well capable of fighting, protecting, defending. Perhaps he could start training some of the children around here, prepare them for any future onslaughts. The changes coming, he didn't really mind. It would be something he was willing to put in the hard work ethic for. "I would like to take the opportunity to continue in mentoring Cassius, if you'll allow. I can train many things, fighting, defense, hunting, and whatever else you wish to whomever else." Dragon would switch his gaze to the usually shy boy, hoping that he would get a 2nd chance as he knew he had been lacking previously with other duties. But this time, he would remain active and ensure never to neglect his duties. Speech Thought Others

The green-eyed pup didn't really understand all of the complicated pack going ons that miss Loccian talked about, but there was one thing she picked up on: new mentors! She had seen her 'mentor' maybe one time and he hadn't really even taught her anything that one time. She couldn't even remember his name. She was super excited to learn things and was even more excited about the fact that she might get to learn fighting too. She listened as some wolves spoke up to claim certain pups as their trainees and she anxiously waited to see if anyone would speak up for her. She was a little disappointed to hear Squall pick a few other pups and not her, since she had kind of taken to the tri-toned brute, but that was okay. Maybe someone else would want to mentor her? Maybe? She looked up to Loccian hopefully, wondering who the alpha would choose to train her. Speech Thought Others