OOC: For any Archon babies and Deathbelle if she wants! This thread will lead to a somnium thread with Archon! Since it's not mandatory, I'll wait till Oct. 10 to post the next part whether or not anyone else attends.

Bitterly, Toxicity carved her sigil into the ground. Opposite from it was her father's sigil. She left room for all of her siblings in hopes that they would come. She had tried to explain to as many as she could that this ritual to connect with their father needed their efforts. It was the only way she could see herself moving on with her life. She needed to see him. She needed to know.

Obi had searched far and wide to find herbs to help her fall asleep. He burned other herbs that he said would help to pierce the ash-filled skies and help their sleeping selves to reach Archon. She listened. She didn't have a choice and Obi was the closest thing to a religious figure that Toxicity could still talk to. His word was nearly just as good as Archon's. Before she took the herbs, she waited to see if any of her family will show.

Tox mentioned what she intended to do, where she intended to do it, and when. It was up to Venom to attend. The pup had to think about her decision, the hole that Archon left was raw and painful. She didn’t know how she might feel if she went through with her sister’s ceremony and nothing happened. Venom would have been devastated, she would feel like she was losing her dad all over again.

He was always on her mind, and some days were better than others. The last two had been difficult, she barely left the den and that was thanks to Sirius’s prodding. Today felt different though, she’d woken to Snowberry grooming her winter coat. The air was a little easier to breathe and she her dreams were forgotten. Venom took her good mood as a sign, she needed to be with her sister.

When the time was right the white gloved princess made her way to Toxicity’s side. The girl was silent as she appeared in her sister’s presence. Her features were serious as she settled to Tox’s left side.

Calamity was skeptical, to say the least. She wasn't sure she'd consider herself a believer, but she wanted to be there for her sisters. It felt important to be present in mind and body. Although it was difficult to leave her doubts (and anger, grief, confusion...) at the door, she did her best to check her negative emotions. Cal arrived just after Venom and paced a few circles around the pair of them before settling on Tox's other side.

"Are we all carving our sigils...?" She asked. Hers felt small and insignificant compared to her sisters' marks. It was as if she hadn't fully understood the question that Archon had posed at that first meeting. To visualize her place in the world, in their religion, within their family and pack... it was all so much bigger than she was. It would take time for hers to fully form, but their father had reminded them that this was okay. Just as they would grow and change, so would their symbols.

The pale prince sighed heavily as he moved toward where Tox had wanted them to meet.  He wasn't sure whether the ritual would be good or bad for them, but at this point, the boy was willing to try anything. He needed closure, or something close to it. It had to be important if Tox had put so much effort into getting them all together. Perhaps, it would be good for him, besides he wanted to see his sisters and judge whether he was behaving normally or not.

He didn't say anything when he got to the small gathering, simply slid in behind Calamity and sat down. Deep emerald eyes looked around and landed on their father's sigil. At least he knew where to sleep. He wanted to tell Tox that her sigil carving had been his only respite, that the only place he didn't have nightmares was upon their father's mark. It wasn't going to happen though, too many ears in the room. To him, his emotions were embarrassing, too powerful for him to deal with alone.

Instead of speaking, he just waited to see what they would be doing. If it helped or hurt, it was too late to back out now. He would support Toxicity in this, as he would any of his siblings.

Obi had gone far to find enough herbs as the post-volcanic winter's chill descended upon the lands. He had worked to find some of the traders he knew through the lands in order to accumulate the correct ingredients. These he also brought with him as he returned to the wolf pack. There was only enough for one good go at this, so Obi prayed that it worked.

He had taken herbs that facilitated sleep and ground them fine, mixing them with a powdered sugar he had traded many tools for. Adding water to this mixture in small increments, Obi was able to make a thick paste which he then dried. Each tablet seemed to be enough to put a smaller wolf to sleep, two for a bigger wolf. He had tested them himself as well as on Toxicity- with her consent- a few days prior.

As the wolves gathered, he instructed them to find a place to draw their sigils in the larger circle somewhere between Toxicity's and Archon's sigils. For each of them, he waved a pill through the herbal smoke and offered it to them to take. Toxicity took hers without word, but Obi explained for the benefit of the rest of them.

"These will help with the process of falling into a slumber strong enough to connect to the godly plane." The pills were sweet to the taste and dissolved readily on the tongue. If any refused, they would simple be dismissed from the ceremony. Obi moved on to grasp the smoke with his palms and wash it over each wolf in order to clear and lift their spirits before the ceremony took place.

After the preparations were complete, Obi instructed each to lay my their sigil, facing the center of the circle. They needed their paws and paws only touching the marks upon the ground. Obi took the spot by Archon's sigil. He had each wolf close their eyes as he chanted a mantra and prayer in the language of the Gods. It was one the small beings would not know, but his tone was low and even rumbling into the background of each of their minds as the herbs took their time to work. After several moments of chanting, Obi took a sharp rock from the volcano and sliced over the mark of brotherhood he and Archon had made so long ago. It was this blood that bound them together, and this blood that would bring Archon to them.

Obi's mantra continued as his blood hit the surface of the sigil. His mind was distant, but his heart was present. This would work.

OOC: You should reply to this just to make sure to opt in or out! Any latecomers can be given the same instructions. I'll link to the Somnium thread as soon as I get that posted!

Venom looked up from the premade sigils as Calamity and Plague arrived. Still serious she gave a quick twitch of her lip to both of them. She couldn’t quite manage a smile, but it was good to see them both here. She worried about Pesto though. Her attention were quickly harbored when Obi appeared before them and began his instructions. Venom carved her sigil next to Archon’s, the odd little snake shape took form quickly and she settled back down beside her sister and near her sigil as the ceremony began.

She watched the primate with bright purple pink eyes as he offered the anointed tablet and washed her in the ceremonial smoke. With careful steps she placed her white gloved paws upon the sigil and lay back as the medicine started to take hold. She didn’t want to be awake anymore. With Obi’s gentle chant she slipped into a deep slumber before his blood hit the ground.

Although she was skill skeptical, she wanted to open her heart to the religion that Toxicity felt so close to. It was only right. She would support any of her littermates to the death and beyond - that, at least, she was sure of. She bowed her horned head and accepted the pill from Obi gingerly. The healing arts were somewhat familiar to her now and she had no reason to question her father's dearest companion.

The sweet taste surprised her as she settled over her sigil, which was sparser than her siblings' marks. It was much more self-centered and depicted only how she viewed her own place in the grand scheme of things; a pang of guilt passed through her body as she noted the unique markings that represented other beings in her siblings' sigils. They were thoughtfully created with the rest of their family in mind. Perhaps she would have redraft hers. Just as the thought occurred to her, Calamity slipped into a deep slumber.