He had to shake off this funk. He had just been getting better when winter rolled around and made him another year older and brought back all the memories of him and Svetlana from a year ago. So he did the one thing he always did when he didn't know how else to get through something. He focused on his pack. He realized that with the changing season there would be pups turning a year old as well. It surprised him when he realized that Athena and Amalia's litter had been born a year ago as well. How did time pass so quickly? He made his way out toward the middle of the mangroves where they usually held their pack meetings and settled on his haunches before he lifted his head to let out a howl to call for all of their new yearlings. It was time to set them up with tutors and start working on their skills. He hoped that there would be an Archduke that would handle this and make sure their Students were getting the attention they needed, but for now that duty rested on his shoulders. He looked around at the mangroves and waited for Jayne, Diana, and Valefor to appear, already curious to see what areas they wanted to study the most. "Talk" "You" Think

The young boy perked up at the sound of the howl, head tilted as he became curious about what it might be for. A training perhaps? He had no proper training growing up, so maybe this was a training session? Eagerly, the boy rose to his paws and quickly made his way to where Leo was waiting, deep violet eyes finding the male easily among the trees. His tail wagged as he approached, happy and all too eager to talk to someone--anyone--really. "Good day, sir! How are you?" Curiosity was of course, bubbling in his mind. He wanted to ask what he was being called for, but he figured he should wait until the others arrived. "Speak"

Adulthood was something she had to face, as she had discovered not long ago. She couldn't wind back to the past. She couldn't remain a pup forever. She was growing, not so much in size anymore, though definitely in age and maturity. Fortunately, Jayne had grown up with her. How funny it would be for her sister to be stuck as a child while she aged normally. But no, they were the same age, even if she was the smallest of the two. By Jayne's side she kept beside as they made their way to the gathering area of the mangrove, where their uncle called for the yearlings of the pack. This had to be the first time they had ventured out without their mothers, and now that she thought about it, they wouldn't be sleeping in the same den as their mothers anymore. The thought brought a small sniffle to her nose as she ploughed her way over to the alpha. An orange-furred boy was already seated when they arrived, and she too would take a seat, beside her sister, of course. "Talk" "You" Think

Jayne trotted along beside her sister happily, her tail wagging back and forth as they walked. She wasn't sure what Leo could be calling them for, but she was with Diana and she was sure it was important so she was happy and excited! When they got there she saw that there was another boy there as well and Leo was of course there waiting on them. She settled on her haunches as well next to Diana, looking to their uncle curiously to wait for him to start speaking. It felt like it was just yesterday that she and Diana were having their first adventures out of the den with their mothers and now here they were, having their own meeting with their uncle and alpha. Did getting older always happen this fast? She hoped not. She quite liked being able to spend her days with Diana and having fun around their pack lands. She knew they had to grow up, but so far growing up only meant moving away from their mother's den and getting more responsibilities and she wasn't sure how she felt about all that yet. Oh well, as long as her sister was along for the ride with her she was sure it would be fine. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo didn't have to wait too long for some of his youngest members to arrive. Valefor arrived first and he gave the young man a cheerful grin. He fed off the energies of others a lot so just seeing that the boy was happy to be here cheered him up considerably. "Hello there, Valefor! I'm doing pretty well now," he replied just as he saw Diana and Jayne approaching from the corner of his eye. He looked toward the pair of girls, giving them a friendly smile as well. He let them get settled before he addressed them all. "Thank you for coming so quickly! I'm very impressed. I've called you three because you three are all old enough to be Students now! I need to know what areas you would like to study so I can choose mentors for you." He glanced to each of them curiously, leaving the floor open for them to respond. He had a few mentors in mind, he just needed to see which ones would be with which Student. "Talk" "You" Think