Morning dawned sunny and dry then blossomed into an even hotter and drier afternoon. Harbringr yelped when he brushed to close against Ari and was bitten by static electricity. Oh he was ready to move! However, in the mean time he was getting an itch to start living up to his duties. Everything had been chaotic since the volcano erupted. The focus had been on survival and no time ever seemed quite right but with summer's eve only days away Harbringr was ready to get the troops together and at least see who survived the volcanic eruption and which of the younger wolves had an interest in the arts of battle.

Hari spent the afternoon seeking a good place to hold the meeting, finally settling on a smooth, well-shaded floor beneath large and more held together rock formations. He didn't need something falling off and clocking one of the pack members in the head. That would put a real damper on things. The sun shifted down past the rock walls, its light disappearing as evening swept over the territory. Hari napped briefly to give the ground more time to cool and when evening had fully spread her wings Harbringr awoke, donned his armor and stretched. He was nervous but determined. The newly anointed Daimyo tipped his head skyward and called for the warriors of the pack and those that were interested in the arts of battle, young and old alike. He called them to himself. It was time to begin.

Deadline: January 10
Who: Ashen warriors, any adults interested in battle arts, pups interested in training in battle. Hari would like to get an idea of who all needs tutors if anyone does.

The Klein of name and blood was on her patrol, something she often did whenever she wanted. It kept her mind flowing, stoping from stagnation,and a brilliant mind like hers needed food to keep strong, to stay as cleverly as it always was. Hela has been working her rise, after receiving the rank of Samurai she wanted to do things great and beyond if possible. When afternoon arrived, a call echoed one coming from the new Daimyo , her brother. Calmly she moved toward the place, with confidence in her inky legs. When she arrived eyes of pink landed upon Hary. She sat down. A smirk formed in her lips. "Speak"

Venom heard her uncles call and hurried to answer it, the white gloved youngling racing to the meeting place. She was growing taller each day it seemed, her legs went on forever and her gait was becoming impressive. She wouldn’t reach the height Sirius boasted or her father, but she was already taller than her mom. She knew that she wanted to be a fighter, so was sure Hari was calling for her.

She appeared beyond the red rocks, her pink forked tongue flicking out of her mouth as pink lilac gaze fell upon her uncle and aunt. Dual hued tail wagged softly at her hips as she greeted both with a nod of her head. This wasn’t a meeting with Sirius, this was a public gathering. She needed to look like the princess she was. Venom sat up tall as she lowered her haunches beneath her in front of her uncle. However much she could help her lips pulling back to a grin in anticipation.

It was clear from a young age Plague was destined to be a fighter type. Never ending legs and the growth of youthful muscle. It was about time the children got their paws dirty. Going from verbal lessons, to light spars, and now true warrior training. The green eyed serpent did not have a singular goal but wished to be well rounded. An experienced hunter, warrior, defender, intellectual, and navigator. A true sense of the world. Most of his siblings already had their sights on crowns and scepters while he was just trying to find the shape of his own paw prints. His uncle's call was that of a thrilling demand. The high ranking Klein beckoned forth aspiring warriors for some training. The saplings heart thrummed as true anticipation filled his veins. Instantly those large paw carried a monochromatic bodice through the familiar setting. After a short journey the excited yet decidedly expressionless boy entered the clearing. Nods were sent to those in attendance as well as Harbringr himself. Plague sat next to his sister with a few tail lengths of distance between them.

Recluse was only just starting to wake up when she heard her uncle's call. The babe yawned, tongue swiping over ruby lips. Slowly she opened her rose eyes, feeling the distinct and now familiar feeling of Lilith draped across her forepaws. The girl gently jostled her companion and the cobra slithered onto her usual spot, draped elegantly around Recluse's neck, her shiny head hovering out away from the wolf to observe the world as Recluse carried her. Recluse rose to her paws, stretched and then moved from her den. It was a bit of an early morning for the nocturnal yearling but she was able to shake off her lingering tiredness and picked up her pace to join the small group gathered around her uncle. Two of her younger cousins and an aunt she hadn't had any time to get to meet yet. The girl settled onto her haunches, dipping her head respectfully towards her uncle. Lilith extended slightly from her perch, tongue flicking as she smelt the air, familiarizing herself with the smells of all these wolves she hadn't met yet. speech think action

Excitement raced though her veins as Hari called out for the warriors of the pack. Deathbelle might have been late but she still wanted to observe… and participate. The lithe Empress trotted towards the gathering, already quite a few of the young were gathered. Belle smiled at the gathered wolves thus far on her way to sit next to her Daimyo brother. She offered him a quick nuzzle before settling in, eager to observe the lesson to come.

All of the wolves gathered were impressive in their own right. With honing they would rise to become a formidable force to be reckoned with. The Empire was growing continually they only needed to foster the flame.

They rolled in like phantoms through the gathering dark. One by one the wolves of Ashen appeared and took their seats, waiting for the meeting to officially begin. He offered a nod of the head to each wolf who arrived, young and old in respectful greeting. Though when Deathbelle arrived he leaned toward her to return the nuzzle, just briefly as she took her seat. He glanced around at the gathered group, pleased with the numbers. There were a few faces missing and he made note to speak with them in his spare time.

"Thank you, everyone, for gathering. This will be a brief meeting. I only have a few items of business before we break into pairs to spar." He felt Ari shift next to him, the macaque settling in for the opening words of the meeting.

"First, if there are areas of interest when it comes to fight training let me know. What do you want to learn? What do you want to work on? Melees? Fighting in adverse terrain? Let me know what you want to get out of these training sessions and I will do my best to make sure your needs are met." Costanza shifted in the tree above him but other than that the barn owl's silent face peered out at the gathering of wolves. The moon reflecting eerily in her dark eyes.

"Second, is anyone in need of a mentor? If you wish to have a more experienced fighter mentor you let me know and I will discuss these with Deathbelle so we can make sure everyone has the resources they need. We are a force of raw potential. All we need to do now is harness it, hone it and sharpen it to create one of the fiercest fighting forces Boreas has ever seen."

He gazed out at them, giving those gathered a turn to speak.

Deadline: January 22
Notes: If you missed the first round feel free to throw your char in. I just need everyone in by the 22 so I can pair folks up for spars.

Gadreel heard the call, but the Abraxas boy took his time in answering it. He didn't really know who the caller was and couldn't quite put a name or face to the voice, though it did pique his interest. He was kind of tired of just not doing anything, though he wondered if it was just that, or training alone in general. He wanted to learn, and he had hoped to learn from his father but...well, the world took him away before that could happen. So it was often just his mother training him. He thought about it for long moment, head tilting towards the sky as he pondered. With a shrug of his shoulders though, he decided he might as well. Going to observe at least wouldn't be so bad, right?

Reluctantly picking himself up, he headed towards the meeting. The boy blending with the rocks and shadows that currently plagued the territory. The only light to guide the way was from the moon. Upon arriving, he spotted Venom almost immediately and he practically stared daggers at her back. He considered her a freak of nature, unsure and unholy. How that had come from his father was beyond him, though he was sure her deformities came from Deathbelle. He sat at the back of the group, listening quietly to the man that spoke but he said nothing. Wasn't it the adults job to make sure they were getting adequate training? Or maybe the only ones important enough to recieve it were the alphess' brats. His mouth turned into a grim line and just watched and waited.

The boy had heard the call, but he'd been fast asleep and the only sound that had aroused him was the soft clanging of rocks sliding down the hillside and right onto his front porch. Jerking awake, he groggily listened as the sound of the howl had already started to fade. Yawning, the dwarf child slowly rose and stretched each leg out before exiting his den. He wasn't sure exactly what the meeting was for or who was calling for it tonight but he wanted to check it out. Might as well now that he was awake, right? Shaking out already ruffled fur, he clambered through the canyon until he found a small group of others, though he didn't really recognize anyone except for the albino jerk who's ass he had kicked after she had tried to destroy his den. He wore a smug look as he approached the group, placing himself more or less in her sight so she could stare at his shaggy back and remind her who she had lost against.

He had made it in time to hear Harbringr's words, the boys large ears tilting slightly as he thought about it. "Ah'd like te learn abou' fightin' bigger opponen's!" granted, he already sort of knew how if he used his speed and smaller size, but he wanted to learn more.

Hannibal had been doing some patrolling when he heard the call. Normally the beast would have made haste to the meeting but there was only a small ways until his post was complete. Assuming many of the adolescents of their pack would pile into such a gathering he felt as though his very temporary absence would not be taken hard. Harbringr was undeniably understanding and had a large heart for those he cared for. Hannibal could always rely on his brother and knew he wouldn't be offended. But, the albino ghoul also desired to be there for the bulk of the meeting in order to assist as much as he could. Despite some of Hannibal's losses he was an experienced fighter. He had his fair share of victories in his tallies and overall knew his way around a fighting pit. That being said, he would be pleased to pass down some of his own knowledge to the yearlings. After the final portion of border had been resented and patrolled Hannibal made his way to the meeting. It did not take long for the illustrious male to lay his eyes upon the attendees. At the helm was Harbringr with Deathbelle near. Fierce eyes feasted upon the sight of the beautiful babe before his attention rolled over the others. Hannibal took note of a few of his siblings children as well as one of his own, Recluse. He knew if he sat near the gal she'd likely snap at him, so the beast chose to take a seat near the Empress. A true warrior.. Fearing the likes of his own daughter. Nevertheless, Hannibal offered his own mightly siblings respectful nods before allowing his gaze to sweep over those before them. speech action

Toxicity had been in the middle of coming up with a new prayer ritual to help to ground herself to her mortal body and this world. Her mind often drifted off to other places, but she was seeing more and more that in her father's absence, her presence was ever needed. Because of that, she was trying to find ways to bring herself to the present, trying to figure out how to bring herself back to the pack where she needed to be. And though her thoughts were focused on becoming more one with the pack, when the call resounded through the air, Toxicity found herself unable to pull away from her prayers before she felt more solidly connected to her body. Eventually she finished and made her way to the group. There were a lot of wolves gathered and Toxicity found her way back to Gadreel. He had always been her sermon buddy and she anticipated him being her meeting buddy as well. She settled, giving him a nod and the smallest of genuine smiles- maybe one of the first genuine smiles since her father's passing.

Sharp emerald optics took in each of the Wolves around him. Focus was written across the youth's facial features as he observed in complete silence. Intensity always seemed to radiated from Plague in ways that may have matched his Father once upon a time. Calculating and cautious yet firm in his ways. These elements would be expanded upon with age as long as his path remained the same. But, these thoughts were shifted as his uncle began to speak further. Habringr lifted baritone vocals into the air which would easily ignite excitement through the crowd. The first to speak was one of the smaller pups Gimli. A boy he hadn't spent much time with and didn't care to. Plague was reclusive and hardly mustered up the social strength to spend time with his own litter mates. That being said he would not waste much time to speak up. "Adverse terrain and defense." Raspy adolescent tones were emitted as if he were ripping off a band aid. "I would appreciate a mentor." With that Plague concluded his speech and clamped his rigid jaws shut. He didn't feel self conscious but he also did not enjoy the limelight too much.

Pestilence approached after the first call, slipping in quietly with the crowd of wolves to listen to the tail end of Hari's introduction. Her mother was there, her siblings, her uncles, her aunt. As more wolves came she felt less and less confident in her abilities. She stayed silent through most of it, glancing around at the rest of the pack to read the expressions on their faces. Her gaze fell upon Gadreel and her lip curled. She remembered how he'd kicked both her and Venom's butts, and turned away from him dismissively to try to convince herself that the half-sibling didn't matter at all. When Uncle Hari asked what areas everyone wanted to focus on, she listened intently to the other pup's responses. They were normal, average, thoughtful returns. Defense, size differences, terrain. Pestilence didn't want to ask questions about the typical stuff, and as she remembered her and Venom's loss something crossed her mind that interested her. "I want to learn how to fight dirty. Nobody ever teaches that, but when it matters I want to be able to force a win." Her gaze moved side-long briefly to eye the other pups, and then back to her uncle respectfully. Her family members may look down on her for the comment, but Pestilence's future was something she would do anything in her power to achieve. If she wanted to be a warlord she couldn't be afraid to win whatever it took, to protect her pack. "And I want a mentor." She'd already told him who she wanted to be her teacher and hoped he remembered her asking the question. The selfish and driven girl wanted a strong tutor and all to herself, too. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The young princess reclined and watched as the pack filed in quickly. She loved her training and had since she was an even younger girl. She no longer looked like a young puppy and was quickly growing into her paws. Venom was confident and proud and was turning into an elegant young lady. Uncle Hari’s words were inspirational, they had so much raw potential and now was the time to really focus and refine their force.

Dark ears swiveled as her siblings made comment on their course of study and need of a mentor. She was already working with Sirius but the young Klein Abraxas wanted to train with all of the impressive adults in her life. Pesto’s comment in particular caught her attention and reminded her of what Seer had told her at one lesson. He knew that she had the wits and capability to do whatever it took to win.

Venom grinned at her sibling in camaraderie, she hoped the two of them might be paired up for sparring. She tried to contemplate her weaknesses and think where she needed the most improvement. ”Just teach me how to not lose, uncle Hari.” She chuckled with a wag of her tail.

words "Speech" Hela watched and listened, silence upon her lips. Like a falcon she watched everyone with intensity and expectations. The pups were growing power thirsty, ambitious as she did when she was on those ages. Ohh, how could she forget how much her desires were,how much she wished to archive, andntyere she was. Climbing on the ranks, gaining higher spots and her sick and poisonous ambitions were far from gone. Maybe she could teach how to trick, how to manipulate anencephaly how to make others lose without knowing. At times psychological injuries were funnier than ripping off ears or eyes. Oh yeas she knew how to make other fall under her feet by merely digging into their Heart. But well, at times physical actions were fun and necessary aswell. Herself was skilled with how to maim and kill, she did so before and at a youn age. And as her brother spoke she listened with the smirk growing up more,more evil, more sick. "I already know how to fight, but I'll like to improve my tactics, but I could also mentor someone. I am experienced in dominating someone not only physical but emotionally aswell, I know how to find weakness and use them in my favor. I can manipulate, kill and make other wish they were dead. If someone wish to learn to play dirty I could teach how. " Sick smile widened as those pink eyes shined in psychotic light.

ART BY IRISH

Harbringr listened with rapt attention as the wolves of Ashen spoke their minds. Gimli answered first, stating that he wished to learn about fighting bigger opponents. Hari nodded. That would certainly be helpful for the smaller wolf and they could focus on targets that were advantageous for a wolf of his size. Hari knew a little about that, being one of the shorter Kleins but it was a whole different ratio for Gimli. "Excellent, thank you, Gimli. I will think this over and discuss it with our other shorter members. I think a focus on key targets for a shorter wolf would be advantageous."

Plague was the next to speak, stating that he had an interest in learning to fight on adverse terrain and to gain more knowledge of defense. Harbringr nodded. Both were good items to learn. Harbringr was working on exploring more of the region and he planned now to scout with battle in mind. What would the warriors of Ashen need to know in order to take full advantage of the region in which they lived. Plague also was interested in a mentor. He took note. It would be good to get the pups apprenticed, though of course he would check that his assignments were good with the Empress. "Thank you, Plague. I will use this summer to explore the various terrains around our new home and plan on calling us together in autumn for training on terrain."

Harbringr chuckled as Pesto voiced her wishes and he nodded eagerly. "Yes, I agree. Honor has its place, but you can't guarantee it in an opponent and I think it's far more important for you to end a battle as quickly and efficiently as possible." The fewer injuries sustained the better and he knew there were vulgar beasts out there that would rape, maim and kill a young princess. He'd much rather the Ashen pups know how to castrate someone than standard rules of engagement. She also wished for a mentor and that didn't surprise him. Back when he was just a Samurai he'd agreed to help instruct her. Might as well make it official as he certainly wasn't going to back track now.

Venom spoke next, her request simple and he grinned at his niece. "Warriors of every skill level must lose some time but I agree, we'd like to minimize that risk as much as possible." And it wouldn't hurt to learn how to lose gracefully in the case of a spar and how to get the hell out in a more serious fight. Survival was paramount and sometimes it was necessary to run. Again, honor had its place but Harbringr valued survival above all else. He was a survivor of the great drought, how could it be an other way?

The pups were the most vocal but Hela also weighed in. She was interested in tactics and strategy and offered to mentor one of the pups. He nodded. "Thank you Hela. I will take you up on that."

"Pestilence, as we have already discussed training, I wish to take you on as my apprentice officially. Plague, you will be assigned to Hela. Train well and know that just because you have been assigned a mentor does not mean you are limited to training only with them. Your mentor will notify me or Deathbelle when they feel it is time for you to be ranked a Soldier. Also, I want the warriors of Ashen to know that I plan to make myself available for lessons. You have but to ask."

He gazed out at the crowd. "If there are those of you that wish to take up the warriors path but have not yet requested a mentor feel free to let me know, otherwise I will assume that you have another main focus of study. In that case please speak to the Empress about finding a mentor in your chose field if you don't have one already." His focus was on fighting and he did not know if he had the ability to assign mentors to the other fields so he left it at that.

"Now, I will assign you each a sparring partner. I want to get a better idea of everyone's skill level. Hela, you will battle Plague. This will be a good time to assess your new apprentice.

Gimli you will fight Pestilence. Let's see what you already know about fighting a taller opponent. Pestilence I look forward to seeing you battle and I will take notes on what we can work on."

He looked around again, trying to decide how best to pair everyone up. He would not be participating in the spars as he wished to observe the others in battle. "Toxicity, you will fight Gadreel." The might be different sizes and builds but he felt it would be an interesting match for the duo. He was eager to see how they did. "Venom, I'd like you to try against Recluse." She could learn from fighting a more advanced warrior and it would be a good experience for Recluse to fight someone with such a mix of mutations.

He grinned as he turned to Deathbelle and Hannibal. Ah yes, he wanted to see this match up. "That leaves Deathbelle versus Hannibal. I'm excited to see this match up."

He turned again to address the crowd. "I'd like each match to go one after the other. I know this makes for a longer meeting but I need to know where were are at. I encourage you all to watch and observe the matches. Watch, learn and we shall excel and grow together. Hela, Plague, please start us off." Harbringr moved out of the way and near a clearing where the matches would take place.

Ok! Everyone can start a new thread for their matches any time. They can all be posted at once, but ICly we'll say they were one after the other so Harbringr can actually assess them without half a dozen matches going on at once.

If anyone has anything else they wish to discuss or ask of Harbringr, feel free to reply to this thread otherwise go, fight, win!

MATCHES

Hela vs Plague
Gimli vs Pestilence
Toxicity vs Gadreel
Venom vs Recluse
Deathbelle vs Hannibal

Recluse pointedly ignored her smaller half-brother as he tried, and failed, to block her view. He was much too short for his petty attempt at annoying her to so much as ruffle her. That ardent ability to block out those she thought of as beneath her extended to her father as he appeared. Instead she kept her attention solely on her uncle, feeling Lilith sliding up the back of her neck to rest her head on the albino's skull, tired of holding herself out from the wolf. Then she slowly tuned out as her family responded to his question, smirking slightly as her idiot younger brother said he wanted to learn to fight bigger opponents. Recluse didn't really get her attention pulled back until she heard her own name, turning her head to look for any wolves specifically looking at her, having missed the name of her opponent. "Did you hear who I'm up against?" She whispered. Lilith slithered closer to the girl's left ear. "Someone named Venom." The snake hissed softly into the girl's ear. Recluse nodded, gaze sweeping across her young cousins, unsure which one that was but recognizing the name as one of them. She shrugged it'd be evident soon enough. As the group began to disband to allow space for the first fight Recluse rose to her paws and approached her uncle. "Uncle Harbringr," she bagan, giving him a respectful nod, "I neglected to mention earlier but I am also interested in a mentor." Despite her self-assuredness she wouldn't deny she didn't know as much about fighting as she might have initially thought. Her smaller brother managing to get lucky proved that much to her. speech think action