Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He padded along the wall, moving along the outside as he studied the exterior. It certainly looked impenetrable from here. In another season, he though perhaps the pack and himself would be able to raise its height by at least another foot, provided materials didn’t run scarce. The river bordering the southern edge of the territory was starting to look bare of stones. The top of the wall was wide enough to fit two average sized wolves abreast now, and ramps had begun to be constructed at intervals. It shouldn’t be too difficult for warriors to leap down from the wall and crash into an attacking wolf, and he nodded to himself at the thought… something to incorporate into training, perhaps. He was contemplating going north to explore again, but first, there was something he wanted to do, and he grinned at the thought. His daughter had been delighted to inform him of her meeting wit ha young wolf named Amos Allentide, and he had decided to see what this wolf was about. As he reached the western wall’s passage, he stopped, settling his haunches to the ground as his head lifted, muzzle to the sky, and he howled long and loud for the boy, by name.

Okay, so like, he didn't actually make it to the north to see the other wall. It was definately his only personal goal he had going for him at the moment, yet he'd managed to get distracted finally meeting new faces and just ended up back in the west hanging around, doing nothing. Right now he was lounging in the grass some distance from where he met Aurielle. He thought about visiting her again a few times but was kind of busy napping in the light of the spring morning. He'd missed these nice, warm days so much. Not like he was tired though, he'd returned to this area a while ago and not done much other than hunt some small game. Sighing contentedly, curled up in the most awkward position possible with gangly limbs all over the place and a paw over one eye, he could almost fall back asleep... But then, he heard someone calling... For him? Amos sat up, untangling his legs and looking a bit disoriented and bewildered for a bit. Who'd be calling for him? He wasn't exactly someone who was used to being summoned by anybody, especially now that he was on his own. His curiosity was piqued though, so the dark male stretched, yawned, blinked the sleep from his eyes, and took off to answer the call with long bouncing strides. Coming up to the wall with his typical jaunty trot, Amos cocked his head to the side a moment before settling himself near the wall and calling up to the... red wolf. "Ya' called?" he asked with a wide, easy grin and a few taps of his tail on the ground. "If I had ta' guess, I'd say you're... Aurielle's father. Tell me I'm right!" He boy beamed, cheeky smile continuing to pull at his lips. She did say her dad was red right? He doubted there was more than one red wolf in there, after all. His mismatched spring green and spark orange eyes danced with excitement, all the way to their golden centers that often went unnoticed. Remembering his manners, Amos said quickly, "I imagine your daughter mentioned me if you're callin' fer me. It's nice to meet you, sir." then, quirking a brow, he just had to ask, "I am curious though, is there a particular reason you've called me here?" Walk. "Speak!" "Think."

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He couldn’t help the easy smile that rose as the young male arrived in a jaunty, easy-going manner. He could see why his daughter had been happy to interact with the boy. “Correct! I am Regulus Anatolii Adravendi, Archangel of Celestial.” He studied the boy curiously, fathomless sapphire eyes roving first over Amos’ face, before taking in his build and appearance. At the boy’s next words, he grinned, eyes returning to his face as he answered cheerfully, “I wanted to meet you. You made an impression on my daughter—a good one. Part of her future duties as the Future is to assess possible new members of the pack. And she also mentioned that you would be interested in lessons in fighting.” One eye flicked shut in a grinning wink. Thus far, he certainly agreed with his young daughter’s thoughts on Amos. Already he could tell the boy was good natured and friendly, and perhaps ambitious enough to want to pull his weight should he decide pack life was right for him. The Crimson Archangel wouldn’t push him into joining, of course, but, “Would you like to come in and see the territory? It’s always fun to show off one’s home.” He chuckled, tipping his head inward toward the pack in an offer. With as many wolves that had become inactive in Celestial, he hoped there was a chance that new blood would come in and revitalize the pack while finding their own home and purpose here.

Ooc: crappie tag, sorry x.x


The boy grinned a toothy grin as his suspicions were confirmed. It may have been a bit of an easy guess, but Amos was still happy to take the win and be proud of his powers of deduction nevertheless. His tail tapped the ground several times as he gazed at the crimson man. The boy wasn't really sure what he expected an alpha to be like when he finally met one, but this guy at least seemed nice enough. Amos assumed not everyone would be like Aurielle's family though.

As Regulus took him in Amos briefly followed suit. Dang this guy was tall! Why so many tall wolves? They all made him feel short even though he knew he was taller than average. Flicking an ear at the man's words, Amos couldn't help a little smile from forming on his lips reflexively as he mentioned 'Rielle. That girl was interesting for sure, and fun to chat with. He was glad she thought good things about him. "I'm glad I managed I managed to leave a lasting impression that wasn't a bad one then. She did make joining a pack sound alright." Nodding enthusiastically, Amos added, "Very much so!"

Yeah, this man seemed to be pretty cool. After all, if he really would give Amos fight lessons then that would be kind of amazing. He'd only managed to get one in recent memory, from Ashiel, but still the boy wanted to learn more. He had every intention of taking up any and all offers to teach him even slightly fight related things. If he did that, then maybe someday he could get really good like Feli  or his mother.

Amos was caught a tad off guard by the offer that was extended, taking a half step back to look up at Regulus uncertainly. "Really? I mean... yeah! That would be pretty cool!"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Archangel grinned at Amos’s response, even as he deduced that the boy’s build was definitely suited as a fighter, well balanced between muscle and agility with the wide chest and long legs. Amos stood the same height as Regulus’s mother had, and he had to hide a faint smile as he remembered his mother’s strength in the skill. “Well, Amos, I’d be happy to teach you, and even provide a few spars for practice.” He nodded back at his right hind leg with a rueful grin and added, “Even experienced wolves need practice when things change for them.” Far beyond holding a grudge against the skilled young wolf who had bested him in the Raid, he’d be interested to learn from the girl if he ever met her, despite her affiliation. No matter how old you got, it never hurt to pick up new tricks to keep the fight fresh and interesting. He smiled at Amos’ surprised reaction and rose, turning as he did and leading the way along the rolling plains. He followed the interior curve of the wall first, stating “This began as a border of large rocks, small enough to carry in one’s jaws or in a deer skin, ringing Celestial’s borders from these plains to the moor to our east. It was to help loners see the border, and to teach our young about pack borders and what they meant.” His fathomless sapphire gaze lifted and roves along the wall. As he and Paladin had figured out more technique to laying the stone, and that a mud mixed with the right components hardened and kept the stone set into place, the wall had grown sturdier, and with the widening of it to make way for walking along the top, the interior edge had been laid wit the new technique. “From the start it was a pack activity—whenever someone found a rock, they could bring it and set it out here. And then the Raid from Talis forced me to rethink my ideas a bit. Initially, I was intending for this to just be that ring of stone. But intruders could get in too easily, and young children… Well. The wall wasn’t tall enough yet, and two of our young children went missing.” And then their mother had gone mad. He hadn’t seen her since she’d asked for him to let her leave, confided that she couldn’t see any of her children without seeing their fathers, and the hurt they’d done her. It had culminated in snapping and lashing out at her own babies, and he could understand how much that tore her apart inside. She’d struck him as a wolf who loved her children… and to suddenly feel the way she had in the end… He had to swallow the sick feeling in his gut as he tried to imagine himself in that position. And he couldn’t. Thus far, Adore was the only wolf who had truly sought to apply herself and actively seek out training. Nova, Chasm, and Azazel were around, but he wasn’t seeing that same drive. They had all attended Gwenevere’s fight training, though, and that was something. But he hadn’t missed Azazel’s behavior, or the look he’d given the wolves who had fought in the raid. He turned to grin at Amos, saying, “Eventually, this wall will be wide enough for three or four wolves to walk along it abreast, should the need arise.” As he reached a path that curved inward into the land, he chose it, gazing about for any of his packmembers, but seeing no wolf shapes for the time being. To Amos, he asked, “Is there anything about the pack you’d like to learn? Our laws? Or some of our ranks and what they’re for?” He’d certainly get to fight lessons in this tour. Just try and stop him.

Eyes lit up at the idea of both lessons and spars, shimmering with excitement at all the thrilling possibilities. Why, he would get tons and tons of practice in no time and maybe someday he'd be a super amazing fighter! That would be cool. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd do then or what the road might look like to get there, but that was okay. He had time. "I'd really enjoy that!" he affirmed with vigor.

As Regulus explained the history of the wall that surrounded his lands Amos eyed the thing with renewed interest. He could see how a wall would be a really smart idea though. It kept strangers out, you could see really far when you were standing on it, heck, every pack should have one if they were smart. "A raid? That sounds... intense. I haven't really learned much about packs and their interactions with each other. I do apologize for my wandering mind, but how does one maintain relations with other packs? I'm sure it's important to have allies, especially if you might find yourself being raided." he held himself tall, ears and eyes fixed on Regulus with rapt attention. He could tell this man was someone who could teach him quite a bit about more than just fighting given the chance and Amos wasn't one to waste opportunities.

His eyes felt like they might fall from his head at the idea of the final version of the wall which Regulus spoke of. That sounded like quite the project, though if they'd already done this much he could easily believe they'd have it finished in no time. Maybe even before his new friend was able to come on adventures.

For a minute Amos got lost in staring out across the plains. He could see why a pack would wanna live here. It was just lovely, so vast and beautiful he could probably stare out at it forever and not grow tired of it. Turning to give Regulus a toothy smirk, he replied, "Is both an option?" After all, given the choice he'd like to know anything and everything about this place. This family of Aurielle's and their pack had him intrigued.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The eagerness to learn that he saw in Amos made him grin anew, tail waving behind him as he pad-bounced along beside the boy. It was easy to see where Aurielle had gotten her kind nature, at least half of the reason. Solveiga, too, bore a gentle sweetness and willingness to help others. He nodded gravely at the speculation about the raid, huffing out a sigh. “In this case, we had no reason to expect a raid. Dragon Ancora, Talis’ alpha, is my cousins’ cousin, and Creed Ancora was his cousin, and took two of his sons, Valor and Fable, to Talis for a visit when they were still pups. I personally count that as cordial, even friendly terms. Then last year Creed was murdered by a bitch up north, defending Valor from her attack. Valor’s sister, Justice, took word of the death and attack to Dragon, personally. And shortly after, in Spring… Here they were, raiding us.” He shrugged, frowning. “He said they were desperate, that night, but if you’re in charge of a pack that is running low on healing herbs, the last thing you should do is lead them on a raid where injuries will happen, and there is no guarantee that you’ll manage to obtain the supplies you need.” He flicked his gaze across the plains, before turning to smile, somewhat sadly, at Amos. “They lost the raid, and went away empty pawed, but not before one of my wolves was fully blinded, two others were half blinded, another was maimed in the leg and now has a permanent limp, and I myself have this crippled hind leg. Not only that, but Dragon took his own cousin, Valor, prisoner. Not without consequences. Justice blinded him right afterward… That girl has such an ironic name. I love it. Anyway—if you are desperately low on supplies, the last thing you should do is take on another mouth – a reluctant one, at that – with wounds to heal that need herbs. My guess is that this was more of an act of hubris than real desperation.” He finished his story and pondered the questions Amos asked, before smiling easily and answering, “As an alpha, you visit the leaders of the other packs, to get a feel for where you and they stand. It’s a chance to suggest an alliance, or at the very least an agreement that if they don’t mess with you, then you won’t mess with them—a Neutrality Agreement, essentially. Alliances can be sent for to ask for aid in times of need, such as an enemy pack sieging yours, or perhaps you’d like assistance in sieging an enemy pack. Favors are useful, and inter-pack training or swapping of members, trading of supplies like meat and herbs, or water. We in Celestial at the very least, can store water in cleaned stomachs and bladders of the prey we harvest.” He paused, allowing Amos to absorb the information for several moments before continuing, “When I go to visit other packs, I may take someone with me, Aurielle, for instance, will come with me to the closer packs, like Lirim to the north of us, as Lirim was founded by my Littermate, Faite Adravendi, and are essentially a sister-pack. Aurielle will need to learn how to handle herself with diplomacy. Would you say she’s already pretty good with that?” He grinned at the boy, a soft chuckle escaping. Finally, he gave a thoughtful ‘Hmm’ at Amos’ suggestion of both, and smiled, “I’ll begin with a watered-down description of the ranks, shall I? You can definitely ask for more details if you like. Mine is known as the Archangel, or alpha. My secondary alpha would be my Right Wing. Aurielle’s mother, my mate Solveiga, is also my Consort, and is one of the three leaders. Archangel, Right Wing, and Consort. Keep in mind, Aurielle may completely change the ranks and the laws when she takes leadership. “The second Tier down are the Shields, my betas. We’ve none at the time, but the first male to become a Shield will be our Shieldknight, while the female Shield will be a Shieldmaiden. Aurielle is my Heir, or the Future. She will take over from me at the age of Two. “ He chuckled as he and Amos broke into the meeting clearing, and he leapt to the boulder and flopped lazily, going on with his descriptions. “The Third-Tier ranks are the Grandmaster ranks of the various career paths in the pack. These are wolves who have surpassed simple mastery, and have earned their way to the rank through hard work, dedication, and constant training. It’s also the highest level of the messenger career. Ambassador. They do the same things as I or my second would, if I am unable to carry out such things myself. Carrying messages and news to me from other packs, keeping me informed of the other packs’ movements and who falls or is founded. “Since the Grandmasters and then the Masters below them in the next Tier are in the same lines of Careers, I’ll tell you what the initial ranks for those lines are, eh? In Tier Five are the Legionaries – straight Warrior with no dual career-work – Healers, who handle healing and not hunting or fighting with it. They’d be the wolves who handle birthings most commonly. Hunters—self explanatory names, certainly. “ But I also wanted ranks that wolves could choose if they wanted to be able to do two tasks at once and still be doing their jobs without having to choose between two loves. So, we have a few ranks that I’ve worked on already, but I’m also deciding on others that will be a dual skilled rank between fighting and hunting, healing and hunting, etc.” Regulus paused here and grinned down at Amos, letting him soak it all in until he figured the boy had gotten it all. “Rangers are our wolves who are both hunter and fighter. Paladins are those who specialize in fighting, but also wish to be skilled healers, and are likely to be best at healing battle wounds. Clerics are the flip-side. They specialize in healing, but are also fighters. They would be the wolves who stay back at battle camps to do the healing and also guard the injured and get them behind the lines of battle. Druids are both Healers of body and of mind and emotions, as well as hunters. “There will be more to choose from, I think. It’s a process that will likely never end. I’d like everyone to have a choice in what they can do, and not have to leave one calling for another. Emissaries are also part of the fifth Tier. They are the secondary level of the messenger line.” He chuckled softly, stretching to a seated position and gazing about them before turning back to Amos. “The Sixth Tier is our Common Tier, essentially. Ancestors are our elders. Mothers are the pregnant and nursing females. The Unit rank is essentially the Commoner role, and not one wolves are encouraged to languish in for long. Apprentices are Yearlings in training. And our most cherished are the Promises. Children. “Tier Seven is where the lowest of the low are ranked. Wolves who broke laws of the pack or haven’t been holding up their own end of the deal in being part of a pack. These are the Punished wolves, and they are expected to work harder than the rest to show that they can do better and will. If they do not, then they will be banished from the pack and encouraged never to return. “And, of course… Prisoners. Whether they trespassed and refused to leave and were disruptive and ended up force claimed, or were captured during sieges or raids, this is their rank. They won’t be mistreated as long as they behave, and good behavior will be rewarded with release, unless they decide they like it here and wish to stay.” He chuckled as he came down to the ground beside the boy, asking, “Is your head spinning yet or are you ready to ask questions?” His jaws parted in an easy, toothy grin as he waited, finally silent, for Amos’s response.

Amos stood incredulous as Regulus told him about the raid. The way he explained it made it seem to Amos that the attackers really should have thought of better options. Surely a clever leader might've found less risky alternatives. Fighting was cool and all, but knowing when not to leap into risky decisions was important. Shaking his dark head Amos breathed "That's pretty terrible. I can't imagine someone making a decision like that... Attacking family," Well, maybe he wouldn't find it so distasteful if it were uncle Cerb in his sights, but he wouldn't want to cause harm to his parents, siblings, or even Felicien. "An I'm sure dealin' with the aftermath is a hell of a task for anyone."

Digesting Regulus's answer, Amos decided that alliances sounded preferable to the other options. Even if you weren't surrounded by enemies, friends were more useful in tough times than neutral parties. "Hm..." he mumbled, absorbed in his own thoughts for a long while until 'Rielle was mentioned and the boy had to laugh and shake his head a bit, "Almost too good." The thought of the shimmering girl who was too adult for her own good had him amused. Sure she wasn't childish, which was fine, but she also seemed too serious to even be child-like.

As the red man launched into the explanation of ranks Amos found he was actually kind of fascinated. He wondered if Aurielle actually would change the ranks and things when it was her turn to rule. Part of him didn't think so, maybe because of how deeply proud she was of her family, but then again he couldn't know until that time came. Knowing she would take over at two was kind of amazing. He was a season past his first birthday and he wasn't really sure if he could handle being responsible for more than himself yet. Of course the Future of Celestial had good teachers and seemed very intelligent, so he figured she would do great.

He took in all that the Archangel would say, explaining the many ranks in the tiered hierarchy. As Regulus moved to perch atop the boulder Amos would move to explore the meeting area, sniffing around curiously with an ear tipped in towards the crimson leader so he didn't miss a word. Settling down in the middle of the space when he was finished checking it out, he listened to the rest as a very engaged audience of one.

Amos liked the idea of having ranks for wolves who wanted to do more than one thing. He imagined it took someone driven to want to do multiple tasks, but then they also would have lots to keep them occupied instead of experiencing lapses of activity part of the time when their duties were lower priority. Interesting! He kind of thought it would be cool to have such a rank, but also didn't know what he'd want to do other than something fighting related. He offered the older man an undaunted smile and chuckled, "It'll take more than that I fear, but ye ought to be careful what you wish for," his words a playful warning since the dark boy was more than capable of talking anyone's ear off and positively drowning  them in questions when given a chance.

"I like the idea of ranks where one can pursue two passions. Do you find that wolves prefer that over traditional ranks with singular duties, or do they tend to gravitate towards the options that require less of them?" he queried, allowing for an answer before continuing, "I'm also curious how quickly members tend to rise through ranks and whether there's much competition for higher ranks. I assume it takes a higher level of commitment to push for higher ranks. If there aren't a lot of higher ranked wolves I'm sure that means it takes more than doing the bare minimum and sticking around to climb higher. Is that kind of determination to climb as high as possible something you would prioritize in new members?"

Truthfully the more he hung out around Celestial the more he thought maybe joining a pack wouldn't be so bad. Were all packs like this? Maybe he needed to investigate some and find out, just for fun. A thought hit him suddenly and he quickly asked before he forgot, "Oh, so for joint trainings with other packs, I was curious - I know that fighters, hunters, and healers can training together pretty easily, but you mentioned the messenger line of ranks and I was wondering what kind of training they might do?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The crimson male nodded grimly at Amos’ astute observations on the raid. “And, I’m sure you can imagine, it was devastating to my young cousins. To have their own family trying to steal from not only the pack, but them, and to have their brother taken prisoner. And then their mother died a few seasons later. They’ve been hit hard left and right, but they’ll persevere.” Amos’ agreement on Aurielle’s decorum returned a grin to Regulus’ features with a chuckle. “She has no children her own age, save for her twin to help her play as a pup and not an Heiress. They’re both quite mature, really.” There was a definite note of affectionate pride in his voice as he spoke of his children. As he described the ranks, he was pleased to watch as Amos listened and took it all in readily, answering the boy’s warning that you should be careful what you ask for when he’d finished with a laugh. He listened with that same intense interest Aurielle had shown as Amos launched his first volley of queries, nodding slowly as he formed an answer. Finally, he smiled, a little sadly it must be said, and answered, “Thus far, My Consort and Aurielle are the highest-ranking wolves in the pack. Then we have one Master Legionary. We’ll have a Master Hunter soon, though. There are a few wolves in the pack who show that initiative and driven nature to rise, but beyond that… I’m afraid I may have to take harder measures to encourage the rest to push for higher ranks.” To Amos’ guess that the higher ranks required hard work and dedication, he nodded easily. “It does indeed take a greater level of commitment. If you really wish to gain a high rank, you must show me that you’re worthy of the rank, and can handle the work load. Higher ranking wolves in the Legionary line will be working with the pack, calling battle training, patrolling, and helping me, and Aurielle later on, with the duties. It’s possible to challenge for ranks such as the Shield, but you must have shown your worth for a long time before-paw, sparring, patrolling, and winning your fights. It’s the Beta, rank, after all.” He grinned at the boy, appreciating the curiosity towards inter-pack training for ranks such as the messenger line and nodding. “Good question. Messengers must have good minds for keeping memories in place. They must also have high stamina and be competent in navigating terrain for the swiftest paths to another pack, and be able to give the message as it was given. So, memory games, races through difficult areas, stamina games would be a definite possibility. Though that depends on whether the other pack has ranks like mine.”

A slight furrowing of his brows signaled his surprise at the answer to his question. It soon melted into a sly smile as Amos replied. "If I were so inclined as to join I might make ranking up a personal goal from the get go." He didn't have a lot of... specific direction, in life. Having something to work for other than sparring everybody he came across sounded kind of cool. He wasn't totally set on the idea of joining juuust yet, but it was certainly an idea he was toying with. It was more in the 'eventually I'll get to it' category of things to do.

"Has it been a while since anybody ranked up very high then? Might be overdue for some major activity, then." he mused. Maybe if someone ambitious, whoever that might be, were to show up it might inspire a little healthy competition? That sure sounded enjoyable to Amos.

Dropping into a bow, he yawned, "Mkaay, that makes sense. Do messengers see a lot of activity or is it hit and miss depending on circumstances? I imagine they have to keep in shape mentally and physically regardless of lulls in activity, though... And do the fighters see a lot of action? I mean I figure you might get the occasional trespasser, and there was the raid. Are raids very common?" He was getting into a rhythm with the questions, but decided to restrain himself a moment to allow Regulus to actually answer before continuing.