Torin knew it was time, he'd been meaning to hold a meeting before the calamity had struck them and he had an important question to ask them all. He found a small rock outcroping that had a decent amount of clear space around it, then he jumped easily onto it's surface. He was only just barely above the ground but that suited him just fine, he really did not like feeling like he was that much more important than his pack. The man cleared his throat and let out a call for his pack to gather around him. Torin settled onto his haunches to wait for them to arrive, he already knew he had much to talk about and he hoped he might see some the faces who'd been more distant since the evacuation. Maybe even some of his missing packmates? He could hope but didn't exactly have a lot of optimism. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

Eir was on her routinary morning patrol, something she placed before anything else, even before eating. She was strict with her duties, wanting to always be on check whenever she wanted. Since they moved here, she had taken this responsibility very seriously, sick to complete all of her auto imposed tasks.  And as always, she woke up before sunrise, wanting to do her patrols this early. Others may call her crazy, but she feels this as her way to pay for being allowed to live here, so she saw this as a way to make having an additional mouth to feed be worthy. So there she marched, narrowing her eyes, ready for anything. But after some hours a call from her alpha echoed across their island, to which she trotted without question. Whatever it was, it would need all of her attention. So as she got there, she saw Torin waiting on a rock. And in silence she sat down, staring at him, internally eager to hear what things would be discussed today.  "Speak"

He was doing some exploring when he heard his father’s call. Or as much exploring as was possible when you’d already been over every inch of the island. He had found a newly downed tree which had brought some interesting observations but the young Valentine boy was more eager than ever to return to the mainland.

Lachlan hoped that going home might help his sister feel better, his parents seemed to be getting a hold of her sickness but she still didn't leave the den often. The boy worried endlessly over his sister even if he didn’t show it externally.

Quietly ivory paws led him to where his dad and pack mate reclined. He lowered himself to the ground near his dad’s paws and waited for everyone else to arrive.

Lili had been play wrestling with a stump, rolling and growling and launching herself at the unflinching wood. It was one of the few ways she'd devised to combat her boredom. The girl perked as she heard her father's call, and Lili rolled to her paws, not even bothering to shake the dirt from her pelt as she trotted off to answer the call, her tongue lolling happily from her open jaw. Lachlan was already there and the girl gave him a friendly shove with her shoulder as she settled beside her brother, swinging her bright cerulean gaze around. She hoped Sio would be allowed to join them now, she'd been kept in the den for a while. But she'd heard her parents talking about her and about letting her out soon, though they were now a bit more protective of her. Lili had been told she couldn't play too hard with her sister anymore. She fidgeted as she waited at her father's paws, excited to hear whatever it was he was going to say. Some days she'd also be up there! "Can you see me?"

Stock by Castlegraphics of deviant art

Whew! It was good to be back home, so to speak. Or at least, it was good to be back among her pack mates. Since she returned with the elders, she had slept alot and worked when she wasn't, and took naps in between. She had stayed awake and vigilant during the time she and the elders were braving the aftermath of the eruption that she hadn't realized just how exhausted she was until she finally felt safe among her own again. She wanted to get back to her routine, but a part of her felt...sad. After she discovered that Holland had left, she felt depressed and like maybe she wasn't good enough. Had she been too much for him?

Eventually she decided to just try and forget about him, but the necklace that she wore against her chest wouldn't quite let her do that. And yet...she didn't want to take it off.

She was napping when she heard her brother call the pack together and so she quickly got up and headed to gather. When she got there though it was just a couple of her brothers kids and another pack member she had yet to meet. Ears folded against her head as she sat, wondering if the others were okay. Her father she knew would be along shortly and was probably helping Kestrel. She knew they had become good friends, and was glad her dad had finally made a friend with someone. While waiting, she nodded to her brother and lowered herself to the ground as she suddenly felt exhausted again.

It had taken Rags some time to make her way back to Lirim territory. The volcano season had been so difficult... the ensuing earthquakes and landslides had her sometimes thinking that death might be preferable to existing in this strange new world that was hell bent on turning against her. In her time of utmost need, she'd met a new friend: Mor. Mor had helped her out of a particularly sticky bind when a heavy branch had fallen on her tail. At first she hadn't felt it due to the nerve damage, but when she'd tried to move, Rags found herself stuck in place. The mottled female had given herself up to fate when a large bear had trundled along and said in a sweet voice, "Aw, honey. Let me help you out."

Mor had a motherly demeanor that Rags found comforting. It was the perfect balm to soothe her during these hard times. They had become fast friends. With Mor's help they had journeyed together to return to Lirim territory. Rags arrived at the meeting leaning on her newfound friend's side. Mor, a bemused look on her face, inspected the wolves that had gathered so far. She was a chummy bear - but still a bear. "Hi everyone," Rags said, offering Torin a smile. "Sorry it took so long. This is Mor, she helped me out of a tough spot." The mama bear gave everyone a warm smile. "Look at all of you! So glad to be here with my girl." Rags rolled her eyes and settled down next to her friend-slash-caretaker. Mor chided her lightly before settling down next to her.

The alpha's call had sounded, and Kestrel had taken far longer than she normally did to get up and step out of the den. She stretched her limbs, hearing them crack and pop from age while she waited for Zell to come by. He was a constant companion in her life, the pair bonding almost instantly because they were the eldest of the pack. They mostly sat around like an old couple in hypothetical rocking chairs on the porch exchanging stories and experiences, with Zell talking about his kids and the family he had before coming to Boreas and she did the same. Only, she didn't have any kids of her own to speak of. She had taken care of kids here and there during her travels but no biological children to speak of.

When he did arrive, she offered him a nod and a smile as she leaned against his much larger form and the pair slowly set off to find the others. It took them a bit of time, but when the group came into view they both settled among them, lying down to rest their weary bones and she offered a nod to Zell's son and alpha before resting her weary head on her forelegs. Life had been nice and quiet...she didn't have to worry about anything. She had companionship, she had a pack and she had food in her belly and a place to call home. Despite the recent devastation from the volcano, she was recovering better than she thought she would. The only thing that remained permanent from the event was a dry cough she couldn't quite get rid of, but it seemed to only happen when she overexerted herself...

It was her first "public appearance" since they had determined what her condition was and how best to control it. Sio knew now that she shouldn't get too over-excited or she'd risk an episode but it has difficult to keep herself level as she stepped out of the den. She hoped that she'd get to play with her siblings again soon. The girl made her way nervously towards her father's call, looking over her shoulders both ways to make sure nothing could take her by surprise. It was a strange new world she lived in, entirely different from her younger days. Things were out to get here. Siobhan took a deep breath and arrived in the clearing alongside her other pack members, her tail twitching with suppressed excitement. She made a beeline for Lachlan and settled wordlessly by his side, hoping that her father had explained everything so she didn't have to. Sio peeked at her brother with a sheepish expression, her ears folded apologetically against her head. Could he forgive her?

Aryn heard the call and gleefully sprinted over from where her father' s voice echoed. As she arrived she saw others were already present, including her twin who was sheepishly looking upon Lachlan. The pup's legs pumped eagerly and by the time she made it to Sio she was locked into a full on sprint. At the last second she leaped, aiming to tackle her twin and smother her with kisses and hugs. For some reason she'd been gone so much lately, and Aryn didn't quite understand why they'd had such little time to play together. Whatever the reason, her twin was here now and she'd might as well forgotten that there was a pack meeting to attend. "Sio!" She squeaked out happily. "You're here! outside!"

After reuniting with her uncle in Lirim’s lands Priscilla had made the decision to come back with him. She wasn’t sure when she would see Cottontail again, or Osiris, but she knew she would feel better, safer, with her family… her friends. Besides! Her uncle had kids now… and meeting them was all the more reason to come to where Lirim was residing now. How many faces would she recognize, how many were new members of the pack? It was exciting, a flicker of hope since the eruption.

When she arrived Priscilla slipped in quietly, near the edge of the meeting with her bi-colored eyes falling on her uncle first… but that quickly fell to the pups near him. Her heart fluttered and, unable to help herself, the she-wolf went around the others so that she was close enough to sit near them. She watched them curiously and felt yearning in her gut. Not too surprising, really, given her age and the fact it was currently the season of her heat. Maybe one day she’d have pups at her paws too… little ones to raise and love. For now though, she could try to get to know her cousins and spoil them if they’d let her.

He had heard his sons call, but his first destination wasn't to the meeting but to Kestrel's den to help her get there. He arrived just in time as she emerged from the den, the male offering his shoulder to support the smaller woman before they set off to find the others. It took longer than he normally would have, but that was okay. He was helping a friend, a fellow old person. Frostbite had been the only other one close to his age before...well...before he croaked. Zell hadn't really taken up any duties in the pack which was something he felt bad for but also never really cared to for a while. Everyone seemed to like doing their own things, though as of late...the only companionship he had was with Kestrel and occasionally, Kairi. He wasn't quite sure what the reason was...still stuck in his old ways maybe? Hesitant to start fresh? Whatever the case, he knew he needed to do better. He had grandchildren he wanted to get to know, after all, and he was mighty proud of Torin and his kids despite him hardly showing that.
As the pair arrived at the gathering, he quickly settled down with her but he kept his head up as opposed to resting it like Kestrel had. Old he may be, he still felt he had at least some spunk left and he refused to let his old age show in the presence of the others.

Eventually his pack would congregate and the man couldn't help but be struck by how small they were, how lacking in trained adults they were. His children would be old enough to start their proper training soon and he could only hope they'd be looking to fill some of the ranks Lirim needed. He quirked his brow as Ragnheiðr appeared with a bear with her. He glanced warily at his children but he trusted the woman wasn't bringing a danger into the pack. Aryn squealed happily when she spotted her twin and Torin felt his stomach twist as he watched his daughter launch herself at her twin. "Hey now." He said softly, lowering his head to gently pluck Aryn off of Siobhan and placing her next to her twin gently. "She just got better, we don't want to hurt her do we?" He asked gently, not wanting to scare his daughter yet but also not wanting to risk Sio having an episode. He waited a bit longer before Torin recognized this was it. He cleared his throat and cast his gaze around the gathering. "Thank you all for gathering. As I'm sure many of you are aware things have been changing quite a bit lately. It'd be hard to miss." He chuckled dryly. "A meeting has been long overdue, so to start let's handle things that should have been dealt with before the evacuation. As I'm sure you're all aware of now, Derecho and I have had our first litter. We'd like to introduce you all to Lachlan, Aryn, Siobhan and the current heir to Lirim: Lili." He gently nosed each of his kids in turn, on their name. He ached slightly to not be able to introduce Pàdraig. "I'd also like to ask that the pack lookout for these little bundles of energy. We've just recently learned Siobhan has narcolepsy. It usually won't affect her unless she becomes too excited, so please do be aware of that as well." He gently nuzzled his daughter's head as he spoke, he didn't want to embarrass her but also didn't want to panic any of his members who might otherwise suddenly find themselves with a deeply sleeping pup on their paws. He'd explain it to his children once the meeting was over. "I'd also like to offer some rank promotions." Torin smiled softly as he scanned the gathering for those wolves he was about to name. "Ragnheiðr," he said nodding towards the dappled woman. "I'd like to offer you the new rank of Doctrina. It is a role for teachers of Lirim's youth, pups, and yearlings alike. It would be up to you to think of things that our pack's youth would benefit from learning and making sure those lessons are being provided. With support from the rest of the pack of course. All other ranks would be expected to work with you on lesson plans or on making sure basic training is happening." He then moved his gaze onto his niece, noticing her excited gaze was on his children. "Priscilla I'd like to offer you the new rank of Nuntius, it's our novice rank for our Scouts, navigators and messengers. As we do not currently have any senior members in a similar rank I'll take on making sure your given jobs as well as getting training." He blinked at her, knowing she was probably desperate to go back out looking for Osiris. "Unless you'd prefer another novice rank." Finally he turned his attention towards his father. "Finally I'd like to offer Zell the rank of Adiutrix, it's one of the highest honors and ranks we can offer. I have long relied on your input, even when we didn't always agree on things. The most I can offer you as thanks is this promotion." It would be more work, and he knew his father was becoming older but he wanted to be able to rely on someone to help take the load a bit, and in truth, he did trust his father. He would give enough time for each to accept or refuse their ranks before moving on. "Next I'd like to ask everyone to keep an eye out for the following missing wolves. Anoixi, Fawn and Valanga Wreckage. These yearlings have not been seen since the volcano erupted. Holland, one of our healers went missing shortly after evacuation. And a small brown and black man named Seth, has been missing for a while now. I won't force anyone who doesn't want to be in Lirim anymore to return but news on where they are would help to put minds at ease." He glanced at Kairi briefly, he knew she was struggling with Holland's sudden disappearance. "That brings me to the final thing I want to bring up. While it appears we may be dealing with the fallout from the volcano for a while now the truth is this island won't be able to sustain us for too much longer. However, on my various ventures back into the mainland I've seen little improvement in our own pack lands either. So I want to ask you all what you'd prefer, stay here for a season longer or return to our packlands? In either case, I'm going to need the pack to rally together to help with filling our stores, of herbs and of food, regardless of your rank, as well as making an effort to make sure our younger members are getting the training they need to help to provide for the pack." He allowed himself to fall silent, opening the floor to anyone who had any opinions. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

((Second round will be due Jan 2nd, No posting order. I'd like to see replies from those who got promotions so I know to add you to the new rank if your character accepts it. Otherwise responding is optional, but I'd like to consider this thread a kind of poll for if the pack will return to the mainland or not so the more responses the better.))

Rags was chuffed to hear her name announced. She lifted her head to acknowledge Torin with a warm smile. "I'll gladly accept the position," she replied. If her tail could wag of it's own accord, it would. Mor snorted and leaned into Rags affectionately, almost knocking the admittedly frail female over. Just before Rags lurched too far, Mor caught her with a heavy paw and smiled sheepishly at her friend. She'd have to learn to be more careful. The bear loved children and was looking forward to the new duties they could take on together. As a pair, they'd make an interesting instructor duo.

She considered Torin's proposition carefully. The island did pose its own unique set of challenges and she was a bit sick of looking longingly at the shore. On the mainland she could get around more easily, but she required assistance to cross the channel every time. "A return to normal might be nice... are there nearby territories that have fared better? Perhaps we could relocate to a neighboring area," she suggested. Mor hadn't seen any of Lirim's original territories and couldn't weigh in, so the bear simply observed the youngsters playing about. The spectacled bear was already devising some interesting lesson plans.

Sio was looking up at her father when Aryn launched herself towards her. Without time to dodge or think, she was splayed out on the ground next to Torin and Lachlan, covered in Aryn-kisses. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. Her pulse was racing but she felt safe. There wasn't even the scary teetering on the edge of an episode feeling of nauseousness. Siobhan groaned and wriggled undernearth Aryn's affections. Each nuzzle and kiss elicited little giggles but she was trying very hard to remain cool. When she finally managed to get back on her paws, she butted her head against Aryn's shoulder. "I'm outside!" she agreed, her tail twitching back and forth apprehensively. It was still a little scary.

Aryn was scooped off her sibling and her father cautiously worried against hurting her. SHe didn't understand, and the pup's ears flattened as she looked from her dad and back to Sio. How could a hug hurt someone? Her lips pulled down in a frown towards her sister, wondering what else could be wrong with her that a little love-tackle wasn't allowed? She moved up to nuzzle Sio much more gently, aiming to press tight against her sibling to offer her support while the meeting was underway. Narcolepsy? What was that? Hopefully dad would explain later why she needed to be so careful with her beloved twin. She sat quietly and listened to the adult talk, not paying too much attentions to the ranks and rules and territory speak.

The meeting was underway soon enough and the topics started out light enough at first. Her cousins were introduced… though even as Torin spoke ‘cilla couldn’t help but notice something else about his expression she couldn’t place. She continued to listen, frowning, as her uncle went on to express that one of his children, Siobhan had a condition called narcolepsy. While ‘cilla didn’t know the condition itself there was an increased level of worry in his voice that meant the condition was severe enough to cause problems and higher levels of concern. She shifted on her paws, ears flicked back as she yearned to speak to him about the matter further… but she’d wait. Not here, not in the middle of a meeting. There would be time for that and more, she told herself.

Then came rank promotions. Much to her surprise, despite her absence, her uncle spoke her name as the second wolf to be offered one. Once he spoke of what the rank was, however, it all made sense. His way of supporting her love of wandering, and needing to find Osiris and Cottontail, while giving her a purpose within Lirim that she had been craving. She had been hesitant to leave before, requesting her absence be treated as temporary so that she might be able to learn and grow alongside Osiris. But this… this was a way she could do both. Have a purpose for her pack, her family, while continuing to grow…

She remained silent for the moment, glancing towards the female, Ragnheiðr, who spoke first to accept her promotion. Her suggestion, too, was reasonable… though ‘cilla had concerns.

“The western lands of Boreas are dry and arid even during normal times. The fact that our packlands are still struggling is a big concern… I was there with my uncle and saw their condition myself. It doesn’t look good. I have my doubts any other inhabitable lands in the immediate area would be faring much better and, if they were, other packs that were close by could have temporarily moved there as well…” Wow, that sounded really optimistic, didn’t it?

She glanced back at Torin.

“However… if the resources are being strained here than the bottom line is we can’t stay. Until the end of spring maybe at best… but uncle Torin you have pups. They may be nearing a year old but they will still need plenty of food… clean water… we have elders too. Staying here risks the youngest and oldest wolves.” She spoke as calmly as she could while processing her thoughts.

“Bottom line is we shouldn’t stay here one way or another. I can take that promotion you offered.” ‘cilla’s eyes shone with determination. “I’ll cross as many of the lands in the west as I can and search for some land we can at least temporarily move to on the mainland… the closer to Lirim the better.” She glanced towards Rags and offered a small, friendly smile. “Some normalacity would be nice again… I think we can all agree on that.” She took a breath and glanced back at Torin.

“In the worst case scenario though… we may need to consider another island or even going beyond the west. As much as I’d rather not consider leaving our home for so long… I’d rather us be safe and alive. Homes can be rebuilt… but each of us only have one life.”