Here, kitty kitty, come and tighten the leash;
How about a little discipline for the violent beast?

Silent thanks were sent heavenward that her leg had set properly, she could bear weight on it now, but she was still not entirely healed from her ordeal in the crystal cavern. It was her turn to grow broody, her impatience at wanting to bring her family and pack home driving her mad as she was forced to wait, longer and longer. She wondered what was left of her empire, or if she should only call her family home. For the first time in a while, Lurid found herself without knowledge of the land she called home. Kichi was older and better suited for travel now, perhaps it was time to begin the house hunt. Soft lyrical tones gave a sirens call for her betrothed into the night, knowing his habit of patrolling. His insight would be helpful in at least giving her a direction to go in. The time was growing closer to bring Mirovis up from the ashen ruins they had become, but she needed to know what Alastor thought on it as well.

Word count: 176 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: first official 'council me' thread xD

ART

As had been his routine, Alastor took one final lap around the forest closest to his family's den to make sure no threats were trying to creep up on them in the dead of night. His family... Those words had a good ring in his head. All of the changes he had gone through in the past few months were a whirlwind to try and navigate, but he supposed he could call Lurid and Kichi his family. He and Lurid had taken a tremendous step and completely bound themselves together in the new Mirovis fashion, sealing their souls together for all eternity. With that came a tremendous responsibility and concern to keep her safe. The empress had been claimed; now he had to keep her guarded from other jealous wold-be suitors and those who would envy his status. Well, if they wanted it, Alastor would give them a run for their money first...

Lurid's soft call to him seemed to echo around the entire forest, but a lifetime with her had taught Alastor how to navigate her like a map. He knew exactly from which direction her true voice beckoned to him from, and turning mid-stride, he hurried back to his queen's side. Only minutes after she had called, Alastor emerged from the nighttime woods like a physical manifestation of the shadows, gazing upon his beautiful lover with a hunger and longing glistening in eyes as black as the depths of Tartarus. He was glad to see how she had been healing over the past few weeks, and while most of his concern over her wounds had abated, he would remain watchful of her condition until she had fully recovered. Alastor didn't speak a word as he strode up to her, smiling at her in a way only she would see: genuine, excited, loving. "You rang, my queen?" he greeted her as he drew nearer, leaning in to place a kiss on her muzzle once he came to present himself to her attention.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
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You should see me in a crown;
Watch me make 'em bow, one by one!

Lurid smiled to herself as the sandalwood and larkspur hit her nose like a line of cocaine, physically feeling her pupils expand and contract as she took in the sweet and spicy scent of her beloved. Her hackles rose as if in aggression, but the slight shake of her head and shoulders would reveal her cold chill for what it was - an acute awareness of Alastor's presence. One porcelain ear slipped back on her head to catch the whisper of paws against the earth, that ghostly smile on her face as he parted from the darkness and came to her. The bright light of the moon made her holographic gaze seem luminous as they shifted to rest on the dark demon as he gazed at her. Alastor was every inch a predator, and he looked like he wanted to devour her right there on the spot. "Indeed, I did, my king. I have something on my mind, a problem I can't quite gain a solution to." The genuine smile he gave made her heart sing with joy, that she could bring him something that had been denied to him for so long was astounding. Reaching forward, Lurid planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Joy was hard to find in their lives, but this was business, they could enjoy one another afterward. Lurid simply wasn't going to deny herself the opportunity to show him even a tiny smidge of affection. Her face would be enough to say something she had been back and forth over for a long time was what they would be talking about, but the details of her thoughts were excluded, for now. Lurid knew the time to raise Mirovis would be coming soon, she only had to have a direction to go in. Should she raise Mirovis from the ground, or prove her might to other packs and topple another? She would have the backing for both, and the ability once she was able to retrain her leg after being down for an entire season. They had time to think it through, but she wanted his initial thoughts, there would be room for mind-changing and debating the pros and cons later.

Word count: 365 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: Wrote this at like 3am...Sorry if it doesn't make sense XD lmao!

ART

The smile on Alastor's face grew when Lurid planted the holiest of kisses upon his cheek, gracing him like a maiden would grace a knight before battle. His queen spoke in her musical tones, words giving voice to a problem weighing on her mind. Alastor's wide, toothy grin shrunk into a relaxed smile while the massive wolf slunk back to rest upon his haunches before his goddess. From the way she spoke, Alastor knew this would not be a conversation of brevity, and as such he would make sure he was comfortable for the discussion. "What vexes you so late at night, darling?" he asked. With the burdens she bore, it could have been a number of things troubling Lurid at this hour. Rather than hazarding a slew of guesses, he was content to just let her fill him in. He recognized that look on her face though; it was the same look she wore the day he had arrived in Boreas and told her about the state of her family. IF he were a betting wolf, he had his money on Mirovis being the cause of her concerns.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

You should see me in a crown;
Watch me make 'em bow, one by one!

She suspected he knew what was on her mind before she said anything. They could always read each other, even when they hid it from others. There were things that needed to be sorted and settled before she made her mind up on what to do with procuring a pack. Time to test his mind, how much were they alike. Her thoughts ran along the lines of gathering those she could call followers, the foundation that would help her defend her territory until her family and pack arrived from across the northern bay. The temptress looked over at her dark knight, a slightly sympathetic smirk on her face. "I don't know the packs around here. I find myself horribly lacking for knowledge. What do you think they would fear more? A newly arisen pack begs for challenge, but there are advantages as well to raising Mirovis from the ground again." She took a breath, her eyes showing just how many of her nights had been spent mulling over her decisions, all in vain thus far. "We need wolves to help defend the kingdom we build, but how do we know if anyone is a spy unless we know the scents of other packs?"

Lurid's eyes moved with her thoughts, looking off into the forest with the moonlight beaming off her irises. She seemed possessed, obsessing over the odds stacked against her. Could she even pull this off? She had no doubt, but where should she start? Knowledge was always the best starting point, but until she was healed, she would have to rely on secondhand information. Alastor was busy enough so she wouldn't put that on him as well, his was a delicate balance. Perhaps Kefka could be useful in this. She would have to speak with him as well, maybe after she finally got some sleep.

Word count: 307 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART

He had guessed right; the future of Mirovis had always been at the forefront of her mind since the volcano's eruption that decimated their home and their pack. She asked him how to proceed with her plans. How would the neighbors feel about a new pack encroaching on them? What of the gangs to the south? There were a number of them down there, and in his travels to find Lurid, he had learned a little about them. Three separate packs, essentially functioning as one massive monopoly over these lands. It was a dangerous game to play, but this far to the north, they really only had one to contend with. "Without spies of our own, I'm afraid there is no way of being sure," he stated to answer her concerns. It wasn't the most encouraging of answers, but it was the most honest. They were strangers in these lands of longstanding families and empires. They knew nothing of the history stained into these lands or who they could count on as ally or foe. "The packs in this land are changing, some more unstable than others. They could be ripe for taking, but you run the risk of these old families rising up to rebel and push back. The greater question isn't what they fear more, but what option offers you the most secure foundation." It was a hard question to answer with so many variables stacked against them, but life had always been a gamble for the red brindled man. Every day since he had been born was a flip of a coin whether he'd live or die. Gambling with survival was nothing new to the hell-bound demon.

"Ask yourself this, Lu Lu: what's the worst that can happen in both outcomes? Could you overcome a worst case scenario?" He posed the question and let her dwell on it for a moment before continuing. "If you form your empire fresh from the ashes, we could face attack from other packs. Can we defend ourselves against a full-on assault? Could we form alliances before that happens to secure our survival?" He glanced off through the dark night woods in the direction he knew the Winterfell pack lay. "Now assume we take over another pack. You've already begun by making enemies. Any allies that pack has will not hold you in good graces. You now have a pack that is more built-up, but you have the threat of internal conflict and external assault, possibly greater if multiple allies turn their sights on us. You'd demonstrate your power, but you'd be taking a massive gamble with the lives and safety of your family."

Either way, Alastor knew he would stand with his queen until his dying breath, whether that came at the jaws of an enemy or to the bitter weathering of time. His empty black eyes turned back to Lurid, going to place a large paw over one of hers. "No matter what you decide, you know you have my full unwavering support. We will make it work out. Mirovis will see the dawn of a brighter day under your brilliant leadership, my queen."

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

You should see me in a crown;
Watch me make 'em bow, one by one!

Alastor had always been superb at seeing the picture Lurid wanted to paint and helping her complete it. His point of view had often given her new insight into old problems and brought solutions when she could find none. The man had made himself valuable to the empress, far beyond a simple mate. As Dread Father, Alastor would have to be many things, thus far proving himself far more capable than anyone had given him credit for. Holographic eyes watched with a smile as his calculative mind began to work through the pros and cons, much like she had. He also came to an indefinite answer to her problem, but a few things stood out to her in his reasoning that she had missed in her own. Her mind had been geared toward frightening others away from challenging her claim once Mirovis lived and breathed, but what if she were able to welcome the challenges? Securing her foundation would be easier done with a pack raised from the ground up, though it came with drawbacks that she wasn't sure she would be able to cover in the small window of time they would have before her family came home. Doubt seemed to plague her lately, perhaps stemming from her leg. Lurid huffed out a breath that was half laugh and half scoff as he pointed out what she had missed in her questioning. "The obvious answer is the foundation that is least shakey. Raising Mirovis from the ground would be more ideal than making enemies. If we did take out the head of a powerful family, with a powerful ruler, perhaps challenges could be quelled for a while. Alleycat, I am not sure that I would allow former members to stay if I did challenge for power. It would be too much of a risk for internal conflict, and with a family like ours we have enough of that already. But, I see the bigger benefit in going from the root up." Now, she only had to decide where they would settle, she adored the northern climate but knew that it was not for everyone. Hunting would be difficult up here, and winter would see them buried with snow.

Her dark knight had helped her make her decision on raising her empire from the ashes, but she was not done with his calculating mind just yet. "Where would you wish to live, my love? The north is enchanting, but perhaps too difficult for pups without substantial shelters. Sure, we could make dens, but...That won't help with snow burying prey and freezing water resources like back home." It had been a common problem in their childhood. The pack would be weathering through winter with low resources, some of the younger and older members would die off, but by spring things would be better again. In the shadowed halls of Mirovis under Ouranos, Lurid had seen a dog-eat-dog pack of wolves who only looked out for themselves. It had taken her countless months to get them to work together, which...was now undone thanks to the disaster and her own inability to find a home for them. Desertion was something she despised, the wolves who ran were less than, and not worthy of life beyond the chase. The bitch-goddess rolled her shoulders up and looked over to her partner in crime, eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. "I saw a place that looked like it would be sufficient, and it is located in the north, but...There is a pack residing there, I've smelled them...If I am not challenging, I suppose I will leave it be, so we must pick somewhere else." From a distance, the ship had seemed like a good place to settle, but it seemed someone else had beaten her to the punch. The north had echoed with the challenge of Winterfell, a pack she had smelled plenty of in the north, though she wouldn't know the name if you asked her. Where would Alastor like to see the halls of Mirovis rise?

Word count: 672 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: ---

ART

Lurid was not stupid nor foolhardy; Alastor was aware of this. She would never have gotten to where she was now by not being calculating, considering every step and every move of every piece on the board. She had a brilliant and wickedly sharp mind that he was madly in love with, and he knew he was the whetstone for that mind. Every so often she would need to be sharpened, honed for her purposes to be kept on track. Alastor loved being the one she confided in, the one who could sway her lovely mind and turn her gaze to the horizon they sought together. He waited patiently while she considered and weighed her options, listening to each statement she made. A wicked smirk crossed his lips when Lurid mentioned she wouldn't allow any former members of a claimed pack to stay—or to live. Now that was more his speed! Thankfully though, she seemed to enjoy the idea of starting Mirovis fresh from the ground up. He agreed; it would be much easier to control the growth and strengths of their pack this way. She had made a wise decision, one Alastor was proud to back with his own flesh and blood if need be.

She continued on to ask where he wanted to live and where to set up the foundations of their pack. Alastor honestly hadn't considered it much. The power he had been trusted with by his lover was still a new weapon he was unused to wielding. He would have to get used to that quickly if he was to act in full capacity as Lurid's Dread Father. A thoughtful purr rumbled in the brute's chest as he considered his midnight queen's suggestions. He also disparaged the idea of digging dens in the middle of an oncoming winter in the north, especially if it were to be a harsh winter. Setting up somewhere stable and sheltered from the get-go would be ideal, although finding such places around here without having to traverse the entire continent could prove difficult. Lurid's mention of a place to the north sparked his interest; he knew of the pack she was speaking of. In good fortune for them, that pack seemed to be the most unstable right now, going through some sort of power shift from what he could determine. Perhaps if they bided their time, he could grant Lurid's wishes, either through patience or bloodshed if need be.

"Anywhere I get to be with you is my home, my empress," Alastor replied, craning his neck closer to place a slow lick across her forehead and between her ears. It was sappy, but he had never truly gotten to voice his connection to his moonlight goddess. She was his world, and so long as he was with her, they would raise hell and all the devils that came with it. The location mattered little. "I know of this pack you mention, Lu Lu. From my understanding, there is some sort of internal power conflict. I do not know how long they will last in their fragmented state, not with winter fast approaching. If you desire their lands, I may be able to secure you your castle in the ice with a little bit of time." His black eyes turned towards the south, toward warmer lands and the rest of the continent. "However, if patience and time are in short supply, I passed by some caves and abandoned mines a little to the south of here, just beyond the borders of the forests. It takes us more towards the center of Boreas, closer to other wolves, and out of the far north." A knowing smile crossed his face as his obsidian eyes sparkled with life. "Caves have always been the Mirovis walk of life... but I could definitely go for something more... seaworthy to raise our demons in." A low, husky chuckle reverberated in the brute's throat. Whatever his Lurid desired, he would make it her reality. All she had to do was give him the word and her will would be done.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
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