Lillianna would be greeted simply by Bass, a simple reciprocation of her own greeting, as his daughter arrived. The girl would bounce up to Bass with little hesitation, about to babble... until she glanced at Lillianna and switched her language. Green eyes narrowed as she stared at the chocolate-and-white female; she did not believe that they were speaking of her (why would they?), but this was a clear example as to why there was a division between Destructions and non-Destructions. A soft growl, barely audible, would fall from her throat, and she'd turn her disgruntled and annoyed gaze away from them as Sparrow then backed away.

Others would arrive - all those she had names for... except... a couple. Her had tilted slightly as her eyes fell on a pure white wolf with simplistic black markings - she was reminded of Mercy - a male whose scent she recognized but had never met, and a black-and-white male as well who also seemed brand-new to the pack. Huh, okay then. Maybe it was three she didn't know.

Her attention would be diverted by someone plopping down next to her, and she'd turn her head to see Shrike, Sparrow's sister. Annoyance flared up in her, but she could not judge the boy based on his sister. After all, all five children of Bass were quite unique and different... and that was quite the understatement.

She smiled slightly at his statement. "No, not quite. I have a feeling it will be like this for most of spring, too," she muttered back to him. Her gaze would then find Lark, and she blinked at the man; he seemed quite... unhappy. Much like the majority of Abaven. She could see Bass saying something, but could not make out what was said - not that it was much her business anyways. Others were showing up - where was Starling? She craned her head back, gaze searching for him, when she spotted him... slinking in and hovering at the edges of the meeting. She was about to stand and go back there, when Bass started speaking and pulled her attention from her friend.

New ranks? Rule updates? Interesting... she felt a grin coming to her. So, she was a high ranking officer. She liked the sound of that. She'd be responsible for patrols, for knowing enemies and allies, and being a consultant. She would straighten up proudly, eyes glittering with a happiness at Bass. Woo! She was more than okay with this, and she was going to approach Bass about learning this information, and what she had to do to become the head officer. That, now, more than anything, was her goal.

Her cheerfulness increased as he went on to explain what they were going to do - a mock siege? Well, war? Oooh! And Karabela and Lark as the captains, ooh, yes, good captains. She felt her tail tapping on the ground in excitement. Her alpha would go on to introduce new members, and she'd dip her head cheerfully to all the new members. Woo, new members! Much fun, then.

It didn't end there. Abruptly, Bass' demeanor changed, and Lillianna would look inquisitively at Bass. Then he spoke, and she felt like her heart would explode. In a heartbeat, she was on her paws, head swinging around to look at Lark. She knew how he was with Finch, and he knew how she was; damnit, no. How was she missing? The woman felt all joy drain from her as she stared at Bass. He looked at her in return, but the look in his eyes did the opposite of reassuring her - Finch was missing, there was no way she could be reassured. Panic glittered in her eyes as he switched her gaze back to Lark for a second, worry pushing at her. "I volunteer for this s-search party," she said firmly, if with a bit of a stutter from the worry. They had to find Finch. And while she was at it, her gaze drifted back to Lark. Please let him not prevent her from searching for Finch.

"Speech"

Tordo sat up proper as his dad started to speak, informing them that there would be structure changes to the pack and that him and Piper were allowed to pick the ranks they wanted to pick. He’d actually been thinking about what he could do for the pack for quite a bit, though his interactions with Lark and Bass and Tinaro all reinforced his decision as he let a grin cross his face, speaking up to claim his rank. “I’d like to be a fighter, father.” He found himself using the ‘proper’ title for his dad simply because it was a pack meeting… they were all about being proper, right? Still, he held his head high because he was positive that he wanted to be like Tinaro and his father and Lark. He remembered watching Tinaro show him a few moves and it had been so cool that he couldn’t not want to do that. A certain level of concern his his features when his father announced that his sister, Finch, was missing from the pack, a frown following it as he tilted his head to the side slightly. Perhaps he should volunteer for the search party...? Nothing was more important than family and part of his was missing.

Quickly after he'd asked his question another wolf came and took Tinaro's unoccupied other side. Arkay's ears would flatten a little at the disappointment, but he'd bounce back quick enough. Feli and his brother were soon to arrive and he wanted to sit beside them anyway. He was worried about Farore too, she hadn't been doing so good and he was scared she would have to go back where their mother and father were. He tried to keep the thought from his mind, but it didn't seem like Thally or Feli were up for it. He'd give them both a smile, hoping he might brighten their smiles just a little bit. Though he wouldn't have to wait too much longer as Bass was quick to speak. Ark would lean heavily into his brother's side, wanting to be supportive of his litter mate. Eventually he'd be asked to speak up about a rank, and that seemed easy enough. "I wanna fight, Bass!" He'd say with a smile, his tail wagging eagerly. No matter what seemed to be going on around him the boy almost always had a smile on his face. "Speech"

It hadn't taken terribly long, but long enough to where he would hear a howl a few miles back from the eastern lands. The moment he walked away from Borealis, he wouldn't turn back. He had offered his help to train should they need it, but his priorities now were to his niece. She needed him now that his idiot brother had run away for the upteenth time, and he refused to turn his back on that promise he made to both her and Bass. And even then, it wasn't a matter of refusal. The thought wouldn't even cross his mind, he didn't need to think twice about this decision. And so, with an eager step the dark male would kick it another gear further, hurrying as fast as he could. Long legs ate up the ground as he tried to go as fast as he could, to show that he meant the truth when he said he would be back he meant it. It would take him the better part of an hour or close to it, by the time he arrived. And this time, the brute would not linger at the borders. Instead, he would head straight into the territory and search for his little niece. At first, he wasn't sure where to begin looking...however, the fresh tracks in the mud and the scents on the wind told him that everyone was gathered nearby, and altering his course as he slowed his pace to lumber across the mud, he would find them. There were many wolves here, but he would ignore the mass of bodies as he sought out one wolf in particular, and he found her sitting not too far from Bass looking nervous. Breathing heavily from his sprinting, he would walk up behind her and stop. "I told you I'd come back." He chuckled. Now...where was Bass in all this mess? ""

She had watched and listened with uncertainty. Her alpha had so much to say, but she soaked it all in unlike the ground that refused to soak all the water up so it would be less muddy! In all the time she'd been here, she had quietly watched her packmates do their chores and tasks, watched from the shadows as they went about their daily tasks of herb collecting, hunting, and other things. Crimson gaze shyly looked around when Bass said that if they wanted to pick a rank and mentors and apprentices, to speak up now. For a brief moment, she cowered away from the thought. A low whine peeking up. Where was her uncle? Was he even going to come? As if the heavens had answered her thoughts, she jumped when someone touched her back, followed by a familiar voice. Quickly turning around, she looked up to match the familiar red gaze. "Uncle Kakashi! You came!" Her tail wagged as she smiled, leaping forward to hug him. Even though she hardly knew him, she had mulled it over the last day or so. If he was willing to leave his own pack for her, then surely he was worth trusting right? She had all the enthusiasm of a normal child now as she snuggled up against his chest. Now they could train together! Turning around to find Bass, she would voice out what she wanted to do. "I-I would like to be a healer...c-can I be S-starling's apprentice?" Her voice was hopeful, her heart set on what she wanted to do. She had watched Starling, talked with him even. He had shown her a little bit about herbs, and after that, she was very sure of what she wanted to do. He could teach her healing, and her uncle could teach her other things, right? "SPEAK"

As more wolves trickled into the gathering, a familiar mocha pup approached him. It was the boy who he had taught to hunt. My, had he grown. "Sure kid," he answered with a friendly smile, emerald eyes sparkling a little. He continued to search for his friend, scanning the crowd with his gaze. Craning his neck, he tried to find her noticeable blue pelt within the tide of arriving wolves, though a quiet greeting snapped him back into reality. Lowering his gaze, he found the ebony form of the girl he had comforted when her parents hadn't returned from the siege. "Hiya Quake," he beamed cheerfully, wagging his tail. Catching a familiar tan pelt, he called out to another boy. "Hi Tordo!" And at that point he realised he had more friends who were children than adults, especially with two of them sitting around him. Funny, very funny. The rest of Abaven pulled through, and he continued to sit in an uneasy silence. A couple unfamiliar faces, though the rest he could recall seeing without properly meeting. Progress. He exchanged a nod towards the Destruction male, Lark, and by the time the crowd had settled and Bass had commenced the meeting, Calypsei was still nowhere to be seen. Don't worry, he told himself, shaking the thoughts out of his mind. She's probably sick. You were a while ago, remember? Returning his attention to the leader, he listened to the spoken words. Firstly, there was a naming change for the ranks, and he had become a Guardia. Still the same position, to his dismay. An ill feeling churned inside of him as the leader spoke of apprentices and mentors. He couldn't have any apprentices, and was likely to be paired off to a mentor younger than him. No, this couldn't do. He had to do something about this. Even if it meant sparring the leader...again, or training twice as hard, he just wanted a promotion. On a lighter note, there was to be a mock-war with the rest of the pack. His eyes lit with excitement as he shuffled his haunches. This was what he was waiting for - another opportunity to fight. Everyone would participate and no-one would be left out. Yes, perhaps this could be his chance to prove his worth. Ears perked at the announcement of the team captains, Karabela and Lark. Interesting. His gaze sought his taller friend's eyes with a look that said, 'Pick me! Pick me!' Then the news took a drastic change, with Bass announcing that his daughter had gone missing. If only he had met the girl, or was able to put a name to the face...maybe then he could help search for her. Still, it couldn't hurt to offer his assistance. "I can help," he voiced aloud, feeling uncertain and glancing around, meeting the eyes of the russet female who had also expressed interest in forming a search party. "SPEAK"

Oh she was so late but she was also on the tail end of kicking a nasty cold after having taken a bit of a splash earlier in the week. She found herself running to get to the meeting on time, feeling embarrassed by the fact that she was going to be late and there was nothing she could do about it. The ocean colored woman arrived to the scene, scanning the crowd before finding a seat next to Tinaro, an apologetic look on her face for being lake though she said nothing, a half-tired look in her eyes as she took a deep breath. She caught the tail end of Bass’ words, that his daughter was missing, and a frown hit her face. “I can help too – any way I can.” She offered soon after Tinaro offered his own support.

Bass responded to Sparrow's comment about fighting excitedly. He seemed so happy and proud of her. She had to be making the right decision if her father was proud of her, right? Sparrow's heart beat fast. She really had to be doing the right thing for her family and her pack and for her future family.  

Sparrow waited as the rest of the pack came in. She kept thinking of the words Harmony had said about trust. She still wasn't sure she could understand it. Sparrow liked the little fox and his willingness to be in a pack. There were several wolves that Sparrow had hardly spoken to. She thought about the word trust again. She wondered if she had enough of it to go around. She wondered if she really should try to trust everyone...

Shrike came in and Sparrow offered a large smile and soft woof at his appearance. He moved to plop by Lillianna and Sparrow giggled to herself, "Good luck," she thought to both of them before turning to see Lark come in. Sparrow went to offer another smile, her bushy, mud flecked tail getting halfway into wagging before he let out a sigh. His whole demeanor was so angry. Sparrow's ears fell back and her smile faltered. The girl glanced nervously at her father. What was wrong? Was there going to be another war? Why was even Lark so upset? Sparrow felt like she was at a loss. She looked around and eventually Starling came up looking like he had just gotten rained on. Well, to be fair... Sparrow looked around. She felt her heart clench. She really hated that everyone was being so distant and angry. Eventually, as Starling settled on the sidelines, even Sparrow let out a long sigh, closing her eyes. Finch still wasn't there and her siblings seemed even more distant than ever. she always felt like she was the odd one out with her siblings, but today she felt like they almost weren't siblings at all.

Bass started the meeting, noting he would end with not good news. Sparrow felt like her heart was going to burst. Was everything supposed to be bad today? She had been in a pretty great mood until the meeting, now she was fighting to keep her ears from drooping. Her father went on to explain new ranks, shifting her rank to field medic, and explaining all the ranks above her. Sparrow felt a little lost still, having no idea how to excel or make a name for herself in the pack. She wanted to do better, she wanted to be key to the pack- a leader and someone who the pack depend on to keep them safe and well. Sparrow wasn't upset at her rank or the ones before her, she just felt lost, and her mood dampened further. She asked herself again if she was making the right choice. She had to believe she was.

Bass spoke of making a mock war... Sparrow's first real fight. The girl's brows would knit together nervously. Was she ready? She had to be. She already told her dad she was. Bass chose two leaders- her grumpy brother and the warrior girl. Sparrow tried to eye her way into Karabela's view. She wasn't totally sure why, but she didn't want to be under her brother's command for this. It would be her first real fight and all, but...

Bass went on to explain the bad news. Finch was missing. Finch was missing? An uneven mixture of emotions flooded the girl. Her sister was missing? Her sister was missing. She felt frozen, like all her skin was prickling, but she also felt like she couldn't feel anything. All her thoughts of after the meeting left her. Thoughts of Finch filled her. Her face, her scent, every variation of every color on her pelt. How could Finch be missing? Sparrow's demeanor sank, her tail- for once- stilled as her ears sank back. Why didn't her father say something earlier? Was this why Lark was in a bad mood? Had he told Lark but not her? Did he tell Starling too? Did they both know of Finch missing before her? Sparrow's distrust bubbled to the surface, her eyes looking between her father and her brothers. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, her face becoming very different from the round and bright mix of features it usually hosted. Her heart hammered in her chest with loud, heavy thuds that rang in her ears.

Sparrow found herself on her feet- when did she stand up? Was she breathing? She felt like she couldn't feel herself breathing. She needed to breath. Sparrow dragged in an unwilling breath. It didn't feel like enough. Sparrow looked at her father. How could he say "only a few days" like it was nothing? Did he not understand what could happen to a wolf in "only a few days" if they were injured or sick and left untreated? She couldn't hear the voices volunteering for the search party. How long would it take to form a search party? Were they supposed to do the mock war before then? How could they have a false war when Finch was missing? Sparrow's eyes stared straight ahead at nothing, her heart and mind willing her body tear away from the meeting and to look for Finch while her body refused to unlock from its standing position.

Thalos was grateful for Arkay’s presence. He would feel his brother leaning against him, and the young man would listen as their pale alpha began to explain things. There were some changes to Abaven that he didn’t fully understand. What was the point to changing the ranks exactly? It was a subject that was, at the time, a little more advanced for his young mind. But what he did pay a little more mind to was the mentioning of mentors and apprentices. He wasn’t sure who he’d want as a mentor besides his cousin, but he knew at once what he wanted to do for the pack. “I’d like to fight too, Bass.” He would glance to his brother, wondering if they would be trained together or separately. Then there was talk of a false war... Something that had Thalos wondering quietly to himself. A training exercise of sorts... Would he and his brother be allowed to participate as well? There was also talk of some new members... And some news that had Thalos’ stomach churn. He might not have known Finch personally, but to know that someone was missing, someone who was part of their family made him sick. Thally would lower his gaze, hoping that Finch would be found soon. "Speech"

Bass would greet them both, then move on to greet the rest of the members of the pack. There were changes to be discussed about the pack. It seemed that their leader had been doing quite a bit of reorganizing to ensure that Abaven ran smoothly. There was also to be a practice war, and Félicien would puff his chest out in excitement. This... This was good news! He could practice honing his skills so that, if there was a next time, he wouldn’t need to sit out. He would defend Abaven in the way he couldn’t defend Threar. Bi-colored eyes blazing with determination, that spark would falter only when Bass mentioned that his daughter was missing. Finch was... Missing? His ears would flick back and he’d glance to Sophitia. “We’ll take a look around too Bass and see if we spot anything. We’ll report it to you and the search party if we do.” He offered gently. He knew that there was a lot of land to cover in Alacritia... And something about this didn’t sit right with him. Would Finch really just wonder off? "Listen to me talk," 'but read my thoughts.'

Table by:: Eldarwen

All of it was fine. More or less typical meeting stuff for the most part. Lillie greeted him moments prior, and Shrike felt a bit of warmth at the fact. Sure it wasn’t exactly the most positive exchange of words, but it was something. There were some changes to the ranks, mainly names that were more Italian based. Mentally Shrike would curse. Though his Italian was getting a bit better over time he still sometimes struggled with it, particularly if it was spoken fast. There was also to be a new training regiment of sorts. A false war. That sounded fun. But then everything seemed to stop. Shrike would perk his ears, eyes widening a his father’s words fell upon his ears. Finch was... She was missing? The news hit him heavy, just as it had his sister. Shrike felt like the rest of the world around his closed out, his mind reeling. Something about this whole situation was wrong. Finch wouldn’t just wander away. Not without telling someone at least. Something had happened. Something had happened to his sister! He felt like he was going to be sick. Horrid, horrid thoughts began running through his head and the only thing he could wonder now was... Would Finch be alright? Would he see her again? He couldn’t bring himself to look at Bass, his father, and betray his dark thoughts. His worst sorts of fears only just now becoming realized. "Speech"

Table by:: Eldarwen