Standing at the Edge of the World
Defender
Bloodletter
The loss against the leader of what seemed to be a mess of drunken ruffians had been a hard blow. After returning back to Alias Island with her family in tow she had taken a few days to nurse her pride and allow Irilyth to tend to her wounds, but she wasn't one to stay sitting down long. With the world seemingly falling down around them the thought of any of her family out in the world on their own just simply didn't sit well with her. Even if they hadn't managed to secure a steady land for themselves just yet to begin building the pack she dreamed of they could still band together in the mean time to ensure that they all stuck close and looked after one another.
She walked down to a clearing near the lake with Alastor and their children, taking a seat on the snow dusted ground and looking out toward the ocean at the violet and navy sky, with streaks of stars ribboning across the horizon wondered to herself if the world would ever reorient itself again. Manea turned her aqua gaze down to the little pieces of the galaxy at her feet, a little smile pulling across her features. As long as they were here then she would always have a motivation to keep moving forward and continue to create a world that they deserved.
Manea curled a large paw around her children that seemed to be growing like weeds, pulling them closer to her to place a kiss on Saracyn's cheek and another kiss between Avacyn's budding horns. "Shall we call the rest of the family together then?" she asked, lifting her gaze to Alastor with a little grin. This wasn't the first time the Mendacium clan had a major set back and it surely wouldn't be the last. With great gifts also came great trials. She leaned over to kiss her husband for a brief moment before tipping her head back and letting out a howl for the family and friends she had gathered over the last few seasons, hoping that their faith in her would continue on strong enough for the next iteration of her endeavors.
When the dust had settled and Manea had been defeated, Alastor's smile had dropped from his face. He didn't say a word to another soul, simply checking on his mate's wounds before escorting her silently away from the battlegrounds, but not without one last venomous glare to the renegade curs in question. They had shown up out of nowhere, swaggering in without a care in the world and made a mockery of his wife's dreams and ambitions. It was only too disappointing that Manea had only stabbed the leader bitch's shoulder instead of her throat and put her down like a dog. That would have been enjoyable to watch! Irilyth tended to Manea and deemed none of her injuries too severe. A small blessing. The Mendacium family hid out in their caves on Alias Island while Manea rested and healed. Alastor tended to her and the pups, hunting and bringing supplies when needed. Otherwise, he diligently remained by Manea's side or guarding the door, refusing to allow anyone nearby to take advantage of his injured wife.
Alastor didn't know what the plan was now. The family seemed to be in limbo, and with the world shifting and changing for the worse around them, they would need a plan to rally and survive the endless night. Not that it bothered him much. Alastor was a creature of shadows and darkness—the night was his realm. On this day, Alastor accompanied his family down to the lake, pausing to stand beside his violet queen when she came to rest in a clearing with their children. He glanced down at Avacyn and Saracyn, his expression softening with a fatherly smile. While still small with a lot of growing to do, they were proving already that his and Manea's genes had no doubt produced two more very large wolves into the world. He gazed at their marks, which now glowed with such intensity all the time thanks to the never-ending twilight and night.
The dire brute watched with love and pride while Manea scooped up both of their children and planted a kiss on the squirming Saracyn's cheek and the snuggly Avacyn's horns. She asked if they should summon the rest of the family, and Alastor nodded. "We should." They needed a plan. Alastor leaned in to meet Manea's lips in a slow kiss, letting his lips linger on hers for as long as he could before she pulled away and howled for the rest of the Mendaciums. It was time for a family meeting.
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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She didn’t think it needed to be spoken.
She remained there, leaning against Menea as she waited to see who else would answer the summons. She didn’t mention anything about the fight, but then she already had plans to cheer Menea up. She gave the other woman a few days to heal, but she would be dragging her out for a girls night soon.
The woman could fight, she had to give that to the purple wolf. It had come as some surprise when the pirate wolf won, and the feeling in her newfound family had been dower. If Sera could have helped in any way, she would. She owed these wolves everything, they were giving her a life for the first time. At Maneas' summon, Sera turned up. Hanging back from the closely piled wolves. She offered a smile to Al, and took a seat in front of him and his Wife.
Had he gotten sidetracked after Manea's loss? Perhaps. There were plenty of interesting things to do in the north, and chief among them was hunting the strange little animals that had taken to glowing or growing brightly coloured fur. So when the sonorous symphony of his cousins' voices rang out, they were certainly further away than he anticipated. Dragging himself away from the cheap entertainment of harassing the local wildlife, the beast made off towards the source of the summons at a steady lope. Long legs ate away the ground beneath him, the rhythmic thudding of heavy paws announcing his presence to anything with ears as he rushed for the eastern coast of Boreas. He was grateful for the low tide, revealing the land bridge that still smelled faintly of Mendacium wolves. He wasn't in the mood for a dip in these chilly waters. The blue moonlight shone against the lighter portions of his coat, dove grey turning to stunning sapphire with each ripple of the muscles beneath. As he approached the group that had already gathered, an unfamiliar face from the challenge lingered near Alastor. Keen whiskey eyes found themselves fixed upon her features, taking note of the small patch of shining scales upon her crown. Not unlike little Avacyn, though the petite fae's scales seemed to serve an aesthetic purpose with their placement. Snorting dismissively through his nostrils, he plodded up to his sister and cousin, the two of them pressed tightly together in an affectionate gesture that he acknowledged with a pointed look between the pair. "I hope your recovery has been peaceful, Manea." he rumbled, dropping onto his belly in a lazy sprawl a few feet away. He wanted to be able to see everyone, watch the arrival of any others. He wondered if that stoic cousin from the challenge would join them, Imperia. She had been fun, despite the pointed apathy she readily displayed. Turning his hips so he could splay his thick hind limbs outward, he tucked one paw loosely against his chest while he settled in for whatever was yet to come. SPEECH || actions || OTHERS |
NONE OF THIS REFLECTS HOW VIRGIL FEELS ABOUT YOU OR YOUR CHARACTER, PROMISE!
She wandered not too far from where the two love birds denned, and as the purple female called she answered. Cold, emotionless eyes lurking into the place where a few faces , some known and others not so much. Manea and her mate, Poe and some more. Sitting a bit far from the rest she looked at Manea hopping she would spit her reasons for their gathering.
"speak."| "You"
Field MedicIrilyth had been doing all she could to tend to Manea following the fight while also maintaining the Mendaciums' den and caring for the little prince and princess. Fortunately, Manea was a good patient, allowing her to do her work to get her patched up and her injuries healed. Irilyth didn't mention the fight once, preferring instead to focus on her work and the path ahead with her Mistress and Master. Though Manea had been defeated, Irilyth felt no compulsion to abandon the family that cared for her. All her life, she'd followed and served the strongest wolf, using them to shield and safeguard her in exchange for whatever they desired of her. But this time... she felt a loyalty to Manea. The large woman was an inspiration and made her feel protected. With the pirates... Irilyth shuddered to consider what a life with them might be like. Besides, she had taken quite a fondness to Avacyn and Saracyn, and she couldn't leave the little dears behind.
At Manea's call for the family, Irilyth didn't know whether she should attend or not. The call had been for Mendaciums, after all, and she was not one. She was a nobody. Her presence would no doubt be out of place amongst all the glorious looking brutes and faes. But the more the blonde fae dwelled on it, the more she felt like she needed to go support her Mistress in this time. Dropping the furs she had been dusting off, Irilyth headed out of the den and down to the lake, spotting the cluster of multicolored wolves easily enough. She slipped up behind the crowd mostly silently, trying to keep her presence to a minimum, and seated herself at the edge of the group, raspberry red eyes looking to the Matriarch while she waited to hear what news she brought.
Only moments after her howl tapered off did the ruby and onyx form of her cousin appear in front of them, running to join into the group and as rambunctious as ever. Manea grinned and chuckled softly as Naráca leaned into her and scooped Saracyn into her grasp, her affectionate cousin saying everything that needed to be said without saying a word. She dipped her head a bit to press her nose to the top of Ara's head before looking back to watch for any others that would come to join them. After their family broke apart and scattered following her mother's betrayal and subsequently her sister's death she had begun to wonder if they would ever rebuild what they had, but as the rest of their gathered family began to appear in front of her she was beginning to have some hope. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly given her attendance at the challenge, Seraphina came to join in on her little meeting. Ever since Alastor brought the girl around she had proven herself to be loyal—whether to Alastor or her or both she didn't really care. As long as she was willing to follow them then she was more than welcome.
A bit of waiting gave her Poe's familiar, hulking frame coming into view and she smiled as he came to sprawl out on the snowy ground. "Thank you, Poe," she said appreciatively to his statement her healing. She grinned as Avacyn wiggled away so she could go settle between Poe's stocky front limbs. Her cousin had always had a way with children and her pups were certainly no exception to that. Before long the last of her expected group appeared, first with Imperia and then Irilyth. Imperia was a hard one to read, but in the same way Seraphina had proven true to her word in her appearance so had Imperia. She gave her monochromatic cousin a welcoming nod as she sat a shot distance away and shifted her aqua gaze over to her handmaiden who seemed to be trying to keep herself out view. Manea was tempted to call the blonde woman closer, but she decided to leave her be. She'd have to thank the delicate woman later for all she had done to help with her recovery later.
For now, Manea shifted her gaze around the group again, a soft smile pulling at her lips. "Thank you for coming," she began. "I understand that we're family—or close enough to it," she added with a quick glance toward Irilyth and Seraphina, "but no one is forcing you to answer my call and for that loyalty I am grateful." Her smile faded a bit as she went on, saying, "The failed claim of the northern pack was a major set back and disappointment and one I do not take lightly. I don't want to dwell on it for long, but I do thank you all for being there. The Mendacium family is old and storied, but we are the new comers to this land and it showed in which side had the most support. I have no doubt that with time we can show them all why our family has stood the test and trails of time... Why we have been able to reform and rebuild again and again. Why we are the ones that are chosen to carry on the Ancient souls."
A small grin pulled at her lips as she told them, "I have a plan to start building that reputation here in Boreas and Auster. I've already begun making a few relationships with some of the packs and their leaders. Venom and Hattori in Ashen and Chimera in Fenmyre. Alastor even spoke a bit with Sirius, the leader of the Armada during the challenge," she said with an appreciative look toward her husband, giving him a smirk before she looked back to her family. "I believe we've made good progress already with aligning ourselves with some of the strongest groups here, but if we're going to be noticed and taken seriously we need a group and a title of our own. We do not yet have the numbers to create a pack, but we can form is a band. We'll stick together just as we have been since we found each other and we'll travel together through Boreas and Auster, training, preparing, and acquainting ourselves with this land we've chosen to make our new home. I hope in our travels we'll be able to find each of your soul mates and steadily as we build up our numbers and grow our family we will prepare to take what was rightfully ours."
She let that sink in for a moment, looking at their expressions to gauge their reactions. "We'll use the name I had chosen for our pack for our band as well—Elysium. Our haven will not be given to us. We must build and earn it ourselves. So..." A wider grin pulled across her lips, looking at each of her family members and followers as she asked, "What do you say? Will you join me?"
Exit
"speak."| "You"
And, while there was a hint of her playfulness in the tone, there was more seriousness than usual in there too. She meant every word, she was here for them, they were her family. She lightly yanked Saracyn back and ticked the pup as the other wolves pledged their allegiance.
Alastor watched as, one by one, the rest of the Mendacium clan assembled. He wore the touch of a smile when he watched Naraca scoop up Saracyn and begin smothering him in playful affection, to which the small red and black pup began to fight and wrestle against. The young woman had taken to his children like a duck would take to water and it warmed his heart to watch. He regarded Poe and Imperia as they joined, and smiled to Sera when she emerged. He was glad to see his friend had come to join them. By blood or not, Seraphina was part of his family now, and he was so glad she had chosen to come join him. Lastly came Irilyth, his wife's handmaid, who was hovering near the edges. She didn't look his way, so he simply acknowledged her existence and turned back to Manea.
Manea began, addressing their setback and laying out the groundwork for their next moves. The family would come together to form a band—a progenitor for the pack they would one day found together—heralded under the same banner of Elysium. It was a name he knew she had put a lot of thought into, a name he had helped her with, and one she was damn proud of. They'd travel, train, form relations, perhaps find some of the others their mates. When the time was right, they would return to found their empire here. This was not the end of the story, just the turning of a page. Manea then asked if her family would join her. Alastor didn't need to respond; his wife knew he would charge through the gates of hell and back for her. He was by her side, for now and for always.
Imperia pledged her support, then left the gathering. Alastor watched her leave with disheartened obsidian eyes. He would need to have a talk with Imperia—a heart to heart of sorts. He knew some of her history with the Mendacium family as told to him by Manea, but he could only imagine how she felt to be surrounded by these magnificent wolves with a myriad of colors and mutations only to be left out. It was a feeling he could empathize with, being without any himself. Perhaps they could commiserate and find common ground where they lacked what others possessed. Ara boisterously vocalized her support as well, then set to tickling Saracyn, who burst into a giggling fit and flailed his paws at her larger ones to try and fight her off. Alastor snickered, then turned dark eyes to the others, waiting to see who would stay and who would leave the family.
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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As Manea asked for support, she let her eyes flick to Alastor, and nodded her head at him. The only wolf in the world she could call friend, of course she wasn’t going to abandon them. “I’m in, you let me know how I can support you, Manea, and i’ll do my best” she promised softly.
Almost as soon as he'd settled himself down on the cool, damp grass, the downy fuzz of a young child thudded into his chest like a poorly aimed punch. Rumbling fondly, the titan folded his forelimbs a little closer to his body and trapped the bundle of energy against his breast. Amethyst fluff mingled with dense ruby hairs, and he set himself to the task of harassing the child with his parted jaws. Closing them lightly around any limbs that got too close, and knocking the girl about with clumsy swipes of his muzzle. He missed spending time with the little ones, and even in uncertain times such as these he found solace in wasting away the hours wrestling with a pint sized opponent like little Ava. The susurrating of cool blades beneath the paws of an approaching body drew whiskey hued eyes upwards and away from his littlest cousin. Ah, there was Imperia. Her gaze was just as hollow as he remembered, expression stoic to the point of disinterest. She had shown, at least. He flashed a quick grin her way, a lopsided curl of the lip to reveal pale fangs accompanied by a gentle dip of his head. Quick on his cousins heels was a delicate blonde morsel, and her scent was familiar from its tendrils having mingled with those of his cousins. Bold as ever, his gaze travelled her form in search of something noteworthy that might prompt further investigation. She was decidedly plain, but perhaps it was something within the confines of her skull that had drawn Manea or her husband to accept the little doll into their home. Satisfied with his assessment for now, he returned to the impatient child in his arms and pinned her beneath a massive forepaw. While Manea launched into her even-keeled speech, detailing her plans for the family to rise to power once again despite their most recent setback, he entertained Ava with a quiet, gentle mauling. He noted just how busy his cousin had been recently, building ties with a few of the local packs and establishing bonds that could help them maintain their hold over a kingdom in the future. She truly was suited to her role as Matriarch, despite the shortcomings of her mother in the past. The failures of the estranged woman who'd sent their family teetering dangerously over the precipice of all out chaos had not stuck around to taint Manea. Elysium, huh? he folded his paw over Ava's torso and pinned her there for a moment so he could pay attention to the proceedings for a moment without risking the loss of a few whiskers from inattention. Impy, curt and succinct, agreed and vanished into the trees soon after. Naraca, of course, readily accepted the offer of security among kin- no big shock there. The petite blue and grey girl, however, was a wild card to him. She had been present at the challenge, and had followed them all the way here, but she seemed to cling closer to Alastor than anyone else. Even in her acceptance of Manea's offer, she turned to the man instinctively at first. Interesting.. And then all was silent, and there was a tiny set of fangs chewing on his toes. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Manea." he rumbled fondly, and released his grip on her offspring. Curling that forelimb back down and around the child, he waited for Ava to pounce again. SPEECH || actions || OTHERS |
NONE OF THIS REFLECTS HOW VIRGIL FEELS ABOUT YOU OR YOUR CHARACTER, PROMISE!