Although he was sure that Malleus was not neglecting his children's education, it was the responsibility of all the adults within the family to see to the finer details. Sometimes, it seemed, it was more likely to sink in if someone other than their parents told pups the stories. To that end, he settled himself in a comfortable spot midway between the den where Razi's pups were staying and Malleus' den, then raised his head to call for any of the pups who were near. There were... quite a few of them, to be sure, so it was likely to be a rowdy group if he didn't put a stop to the shenanigans immediately. Well, he had some ideas as to that, though he doubted that he would come to the end of his days some years hence being known as "my favorite uncle as a pup". Gold eyes bright and calculating in his pale face, he waited, watching.

ooc: this isn't mandatory, there will be many other story times with Uncle Apollo, but you know you wanna.

Amaris Abraxas

---

The fawn princess had stumbled upon a most delicious treasure after their last supper, and had since been devoted to devouring every inch of it. A long, scrumptious marrow filled bone from a young doe. It was perfect, and tasted like heaven every tiny she nibbled on it. Of course, she couldn't entrust any of her siblings with this kind of  treasure, as surely they would want to take it for themselves. So Amaris hid away in her special secret hiding spot to grind her way through the bone. Tiny puppy teeth ached to be rubbed vigorously, and so she had dedicated half of her day at gently scraping her way along the bone. That's when she head another adult call for all the pups nearby. She was torn. Part of her knew if she only stayed hidden and stayed quiet, she wouldn't be found, but another part of her wanted to know what was going on.

Finally, she compromised with herself and decided to emerge from her hiding spot and take the bone with her. Tiny jaws held tight to the center of the bone, though a fair amount hanged out on either side of her maw, and occasionally ran into things as she moved about the forest. Finally however, she ran into the one who had called for them. She could remember seeing the pale male from the large gathering mother had made them attend, but she didn't really remember his name nor did she have any idea why he called for them. Curious as ever, Mar finally set the bone down at her paws before tilting her head to the side and narrowing her optics at the man. "Who are you again?"

"Speech"

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus performed a somersault while chasing a grasshopper through the leaf clutter as he tore across the forest floor trying to catch it. When he finally caught it he devoured it with a satisfied crunch before his nose wrinkled and he gagged. Bleh! They tasted like snot! She scrambled over to a nearby puddle and quickly took several big gulps of water to wash away the taste. He was about to pick up his hunting again when he heard a call for the pups. Ugh! What now?

Sighing he strode over to the caller, a pale man he'd seen at the meeting but he couldn't remember the name. His sister Amaris was already there and she had something tasty in her mouth. Grinning he charged toward her, seeking to grab onto the right end of the bone so he could try and yank it out of her mouth.

Eli's ears pricked up at an unfamiliar call for them. The deep male voice wasn't his father's, but rather a deeper and distinctly different tone entirely. Curiosity piqued, he left his explorations to follow it. He slowed as he came into view of the virtual stranger waiting there, but Amaris and Aureus were both already there, so he took the last several yards at a slow walk, eying the male with narrow red eyes. He looked familiar somehow but... it came to him then. The meeting, the one his father had called. This male was there. He'd volunteered to take care of some other pups who's mom had gone missing. Eli's cousins. Which didn't really explain who HE was in relation to Eligos and his siblings, but since the call had invited those cousins maybe one of them would know. He was taking care of them and all.

He didn't volunteer any questions or comments, instead hovering quietly near Amaris as his brother sought to pounce on her. The bone and the pouncing drew his attention, but he kept one eye curiosly on the stranger even while he watched to see who would come out on top in the inevitable tussle over the bone. Maybe he'd sneak in and grab it if they were too distracted with each other to notice...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A vaguely familiar yet at the same time not so familiar call sounded for the pups of the pack. Ina was nearby, quietly watching her cousins family do their thing. She had been invited to stay with them and hang around them now, but she was somewhat hesitant. She didn't really get to indulge in her childhood like these pups all because she spent that time wondering why her mom had up and left her. But she decided shortly after the meeting that it didn't matter. She resented her mother, and should she see her, then she'd punish her. At least, she told herself that's what the Fallen God wanted from her. To hurt those that hurt her and show them how strong she could be. Tentatively, the yearling girl approached Apollo with a small wag of her tail, dipping her head in a greeting towards the older male. "Is it okay if I join?" She didn't know what Apollo was planning, but at the very least she could sit and watch if it turned out to be exclusively for the pups. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Speech"

Unbeknownst to the elder Abraxas, Apollo had set up shop no more than a stone's throw away from Pyrrhic. The boy was hiding under a pile of broken vines. In his mind it was a fantastic disguise that enabled him to blend in with his surroundings, but in reality anyone passing by would probably wonder why there was a pile of vines laying so far out in the open and why there was a little brown tail sticking out of one side of it. Pyrrhic peeked out of the pile and craned his neck to see who was calling. He recognized the voice from the meeting but that was about it. Not one to pass up something new, he then stumbled out of the vines and trotted over. It was that big white guy Apollo. He recognized him as the guy who said he'd make sleds for them to ride on to their new homes. Pyrrhic, personally, thought he'd be big enough to pull a sled by the time the full moon rose, but the idea was still really cool and he was thinking of all the things he could put on a sled since he'd be too big for it. So far he had a long list of toys to take along. Surely the grown ups wouldn't mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Felicity sauntered into the meeting shortly after hearing the howl. There weren’t many times that the pups were called to meetings or gatherings outside of their parents, and she was curious to see what was up. Her eyes alighted first on Amaris, her favourite sister. Of course, she was going to have competition now that Maeve had stumbled into their lives. Still, even the tiny little bundle of fluff didn’t stand up to the experiences the two sisters had shared together. The wars they had fought and one, side by side or one on one. Even losing felt like winning when she was with Mar. Her sister was standing over something now, and as Fel neared, she caught a whiff of bone. She was already plotting her entrance, she would brush up against her sister, slobber on her ear to distract her, and - wait a minute! Aureus swopped in, and Fel went in for a tackle, trying to cut Aureus off before he could make off with the bone. No one stole from her sister! Never mind that Fel had been planning to do exactly that. "Speech"

She hadn't expected the summoning call for children that rang out from her uncle - currently the guardian for Shilah and herself - between the den sites. The tone didn't make her think that it was anything especially exciting like training, but it was still something different and Seiran was open to a little something new to break up her daily routine. Glancing around for her brother and not spotting him immediately, Seiran trotted off without him and arrived to a scene of uncle Apollo surrounded by many chaotic pups.

Ignoring her many cousins, Seiran settled herself calmly before Apollo and fixed him with her icy gaze, curious what this might be about.

The pups appeared in droves, and as expected chaos immediately broke out among a few of the siblings over a particular... bone of contention. Apollo rose just enough to bring one massive paw down on one end of the bone, seeking to trap it on the ground and possibly one of the pups with it, if they refused to let go. "That is enough," he said, his voice a deep bassy rumble of warning. His gaze pierced each of them - even those who were not involved - with a cool stare that belied the warm color of his eyes. "When I call, it is not play time. You are here to learn that you may grow to better understand the role you must play as an Abraxas, if you are to survive to adulthood."

He returned to his previous position, then reclined his head to Proserpina. "You are welcome to join us, as are any adults who wish to refresh their faith and determination in our purpose. I am aware that your mother left you quite sadly lacking in our history, and I applaud your determination to remedy that."

Turning his attention to all the children once again he spoke quietly. "Some of your parents will have already spoken of our history to you, but it will do you good to hear more than one perspective so you will indulge me and pay attention." His deep voice brooked no argument, but he waited a beat while he looked around.

"Long ago when the world was young, the Fallen God was one among many. He was a strong God, and an ambitious one, and with other lesser gods with Him He sought to conquer the heavens. But the other gods proved weak and failed Him, and He was overcome by His enemies. He, and those gods who had followed Him, were cast down from the heavens to the mortal world. The Fallen God looked among the mortals and found our species, wolves, and chose to cast His seed among them, bringing into being the Abraxas. He spoke unto our forefathers a promise, that if we prove ourselves first among the mortals we will earn our place at His side as gods ourselves, to conquer the heavens beside Him. Unstoppable, and mighty."

His bright gold gaze had gone distant, and what was, for the normally icy male, a surprisingly fervent light burned in their depths. But now he focused once more on the pups with his usual stern mien. "To show our worthiness of His regard, we must always act in ways that align with our Honored Forefather's tenants. To do otherwise is likely to result in your death." He tilted his head to the side. "Do any of you know why we cull our family members? Surely if we loved them we would not cull them, yes? That is what the wolves of Boreas and of Auster would tell you, should you speak with an outsider. So why then, do we cull?"

Watching as his siblings tussled over the bone, Eligos wasn't expecting the big male to move suddenly, slamming a paw down. Eli jumped in wide-eyed startlement, barely keeping himself from an unmanly squeak of alarm. Apollo's admonition on their behavior sounded vaguely threatening, though it wasn't the 'if you survive' part that alarmed him so much as the idea that this adult would take offense to his behavior and tell Malleus that he'd been bad. Eligos swallowed and sat up straight, determined to get a good report regardless of what the male was teaching. The story he went on to tell them was a familiar one for Eligos, but told differently enough that it almost seemed like a new story. He ended with a question, and Eli glanced around at his siblings and cousins to see who would try to answer first, but no one else did. Well, that left it up to him, then. He hesitated, then squared his shoulders. "Because," he piped up tentatively, "if we don't, the Fallen God wouldn't like us very much? Because we'd be weak." Given the story, it was the answer that made the most sense to Eli.

A Wild Santa Paws Appears!

What's that? Is it Lil Ardy dressed up as Santa? No, silly, it's Santa Paws!

Already in the Christmas spirit, Lil Ardy - err, Santa Paws, can be seen dragging a large bag of gifts behind her. As she approaches Eligos, she rummages through her things and tosses a bundle of gemstones at him.

100 Gemstones have been added to your credits!