It was time to bring the Armada together again. There was much to share, and many steps to take forward. Naiche was very much right in that regard. With Azure on one side, and Zee on the other, the Warlord looked out across the central point of the pack. The familiar landscape was home to him, through and through. There would always be little changes, the marks made by others seen around him.

There were now names chipped into the bottom of the Obelisk, a small reminder of those the Armada had loved and lost. But today was about looking forward, and everything that came with that. He took a deep breath, and arched his neck towards the sky. Calling out in a long, echoing howl for the members of his pack to join them. Fully expecting the voices of Zee and Azure to join with his.

- Due 21.Oct -

"Sirius Fatalis"

It felt like years had past since they'd had a formal, mandatory meeting called but yet, taking her place at Sirius' side was as natural to her as breathing was. There were unusual aspects to this meeting in particular - namely, her son at the Warlord's other side as well as the odd blue glow that had stolen from their world the security of night - though the feelings there were the same. As her husband's head tipped back to call for the pack to gather, Zee's voice joined with it. Shortly after, their son's voice completed their call. Her stomach felt tied in anxious, yet excited knots, and she'd been careful to choose a pelt long and thick enough to wear upon her spine that her sunken ribs would not show. There were faces still she'd yet to meet within the pack, it would do well for her to have a good first impression upon them as Sirius' consort and not as a recently rescued slave. "Speech"

Azure waited patiently at his father's side, staring out into the snow-dusted plains and imagining how it would look to for the first time, look out at the gathered members from the position of an alpha. This likely mean he'd need to put more effort into meeting the Armada wolves who'd he'd missed in his absence, offering them training where needed, and, as Mortis would say, learning their hopes and dreams or whatever to help them reach their goals. It would be an odd adjustment, but funnily enough not in the slightest the most odd new thing that had been thrown at him this season or even this week. Azure could hardly comprehend how swiftly his life was changing, and before he knew it his father and mother's howls rang out in summons. Az took in a breath, waited a moment, then joined his voice to theirs. This would take some getting used to.


"Speech"

The voices of Sirius and others rang out, calling for the members of the Armada to rise and gather for a meeting. Magnus wasn't sure if he should attend, being confused about himself and all, and certainly wasn't sure if he should leave now or straggle in after most had already collected. Unfortunately, he was quite impatient and didn't want to sit around in his den and wait some odd minutes for others to heed the call. With a soft groan, Magnus rose onto his three legs and hobbled out from the den he was told was once his. That was the strangest thing about the Armada and what Sirius had told him. He couldn't remember a thing, hardly believed him even, yet his scent was all over his den.

The strange blue glow of the recent nights hadn't gone unnoticed and he wondered if that's what this was about. Maybe Sirius had some news about the creatures that had been lingering, the longer than usual winter nights. He was curious, to say the least, and as slow as he was, finally made it to where the meeting would be held. Magnus wouldn't sit near the front, even if he was relatively early to the meeting. Instead, Magnus offered a slight nod to Sirius, Azure, and a lady he couldn't recognize before settling near the outskirts. He wasn't sure what use he would have here, but better to be present than absent he supposed.

"Speech!"

TABLE CODE © SKELLE 2021

Grimshaw couldn't say that he knew much about what had happened, other than the man that was ranked as general had died. It was a tragic event apparently, but he couldn't say that he knew the man and although he had been present at the funeral, he hung near the back and let the others who seemed to be more emotionally involved have the closer seats. Grimshaw just didn't want to be rude, and as a warrior for the pack felt that he need to be present. At least out of respect.

When the meeting was called afterwards, Grim did not hesitate to hurry over. Sirius, Azure, and Zee all sat at the front of the group. It was strange to see the brown wolf sitting amongst the rest, but he assumed that would be explained today. Another man had appeared, but he had tucked himself away. Having not seen him at the funeral, he couldn't say much other than he was distant and Grim gave him the space he apparently needed.

Nodding to the three that sat before him, Grimshaw quickly took a seat near the front. Whatever this meeting was about, Grimshaw was sure it was important. Between the loss of their  general and the strange bugs and blue glow, there was certainly a lot to be discussed today.

Hanako knew this meeting was coming, but it didn't mean she was happy about it. Or that she even really wanted to go, to leave the comfy confines of her fur pile. She knew she had to of course, it was mandatory, and her condition would no doubt be a talking point but uuuugh. The thought of even getting to her paws made her feel beyond exhausted, drained both emotionally and physically. She was about halfway along now, visibly showing and far rounder than she ever wanted to be. Hanako wasn't sure if it was normal to be this big, or that she had some mutant dire pups growing within her, but looking at Azure and his siblings made her feel as though that was probably the case. Great, just wonderful.

She shuffled along, a fur blanket draped over her shoulders as she made her way to the meeting. Not in any real condition to rush, she was surprised to see she wasn't too late, that only a handful of Armada wolves had beaten her to it. Her gaze snapped to Magnus, since when had he gotten back, and what had happened to his leg? It was gone. Looking to Azure next she offered him a very sleepy head dip, despite it all she was thrilled to see him where he was, in a position of leadership. Just as he deserved.

Shrugging off her cloak she bunched it up under paw and made a little comfortable makeshift bed. The cold, snowy ground would be too hard on her already aching form, the least she deserved was a smidge of comfort whilst she sat and listened like a good Armada wolf.

Toddling along, Ophie was eager to show off how much she'd improved as of late. Sure, she was still fat and tubby, but she felt as though she had a little more energy! That she could move at a lope for longer periods of time without getting all winded, like she was ready to clamber up onto her deathbed. She was a little disappointed to see she wasn't the first on the scene but was soon distracted by the new faces. Strangers always made her feel a little nervous, like she ought to turn around and nope her way off into the long grass. But Mum and Dad were right there, Azure too, looking all sharp-eyed and serious. It was then she noticed Hanako who looked...awfully round. Like Ophie after one of her eating binges. Except she'd never do that, which meant... Oh. Ophie was quick to plonk her rear down amongst the masses. Whatever was said, she would listen. "speech"

Briar did what she could to keep herself occupied. If she had too much time sitting stagnant then her mind started to wander and spiral and that wasn't beneficial to anyone. She was tired of being disappointed and angry and had simply resigned herself to the fact that things just were the way they were and she had to make the best of it while she was here. Most of the time she kept her paws moving with patrols or training, anything to make her feel like she was being productive and contributing in some way. Most of the time she was out in the training area by the sea since her fighting skills were something she could work on by herself and left her pretty open if anyone wanted to come spar.

That's where she was when she heard the howl's calling for a pack meeting—first her father, then her mother, and then a voice she didn't immediately recognize. She tipped her head curiously at that and hurried to slip out of her armor, stowing it in the barracks before she gave herself a shake and trotted off toward the meeting. When she arrived she realized that the voice she hadn't recognized was Azure's. She saw him up near the front with their parents. He hadn't been around much through her childhood and then was swept away around the same time as their mother so she couldn't say she had ever actually spoken to her older brother. Curious to see why he was calling for the meeting with their parents, she took a seat next to Ophelia, giving her sister a little smile before focusing her attention on the head of the group once more.

"Briar Fatalis"

Sedna grumbled when the meeting was called, but she did so with a half smile on her face. Sure, the news about Naiche had been awful, but there were good things happening among their ranks as well. She had lined her bed with cedar leaves and rolling on it seemed to keep some of the swam of fireflies at bay, but no matter what she did, a few still inevitably found themselves tucked in her fur, even now. She found herself getting used to it, much to her dismay.

She wasn’t the first to arrive, but she wasn’t the last either. Sitting herself by Hanako, she gave the woman a once over, nodding to herself. It was bound to be a struggle for her if the kids were going to be quite large, and given their father’s line it was more likely than not. The mind still boggled as to how Zee could have carried the previous litters without any complaints. Her voice dropped to a whisper for Hanako to hear alone, "If yer need anythin’ fer nausea, let me know, I’ll bring it to yer. Send Bean if yer have ter." She gave her friend a smile and turned her attention to the gathering, frowning momentarily as her eyes fell on Magnus. She thought she had caught his scent, but then convinced herself her mind was playing tricks on her.

"speech".

I've got no doubt that the only way out of this thriller
is if I am a killer too

Gossamer's wounds continued to heal and the scars on her face were now two pink lines instead of the weeping cuts she'd had earlier in the season. Ásta had given her more good news, it seemed the fur might start growing in around the cuts making the scars much less visible. Not that she particularly cared. Yea, she got scarred in a fight but so what? Her older siblings certainly had and she was determined not to show shame even if she felt it.

She'd learned of Naiche's passing and had attended the funeral. Even though she hadn't been close with him she still held an appreciation for the General for agreeing to spar her during the Reaper's training. She'd been hoping to train more with him after her wounds healed but alas it was not to be.

A meeting was called and Gossamer headed toward the source, curious in particular as she heard Azure's voice joined with her parents. She spied her sisters Ophelia and Briar and shot both of them a smile before sitting down on the other side of Ophie to await the start of the meeting.

He hadn't been in the Armada all that long, but he was quickly getting a spot set up for himself. He had a simple den dug out, hurrying through the living space portion of his hew home so he could get to the exciting stuff. He was in the middle of digging out what would one day be a furnace to use in his blacksmithing, though the progress was fairly slow since the ground was so cold. He wasn't sure if he'd even get to finish it before spring, but it gave him something to do in-between working on armor. It had been a long, long time since he had been this busy and he was starting to remember what he had enjoyed about working now that he had an outlet for it that wasn't centered around warmongering assholes.

Howls went out and his ears perked, lifting his head to listen. He didn't know any of the voices besides Sirius, but a call from the Warlord was good enough for him. Wiping the dirt off his feet, he loped off to go join in on the meeting. He realized while he was on his way there that this was the first time he attended a meeting as an actual pack member. He had grown up in and out of packs, but they had only been hired hands or visitors, never members. He chuckled softly at himself and the situation he had gotten himself into and a few moments later reached a group that had begun to form of wolves that he assumed were his new pack mates. He looked to Sirius and gave the man a nod, looking curiously to the younger man and the woman beside him before taking a seat somewhere on the fringes of the group.

"Ruga Amanto"

Aris had been off lurking around the battlefield when Naiche had died and been buried, but Goss had told her about it on her return. It had her feeling pretty cheerful as she bounced into the meeting - not because someone had died, because sure that was awful and all, very sad of course, but because it meant that a high rank had pretty definitively opened up. She'd only been a pup when Naiche had gotten his rank and Asla was filling the Reaper position now though not nearly the standard that Aris thought a Reaper ought be held to. Ari had been doing her best to train alone, which wasn't as easy as people made it out to be and was more frustrating than anything, and she was feeling pretty good about her chances now that the older warriors were getting themselves killed off. She had as good a chance as anyone now.

Sweeping her gaze over those already gathered she shot her mother a toothy grin and a wave before throwing herself down next to Gossamer, who was next to Ophie, who was next to Briar. All the girls in their litter in a ragged little line. "Hey guys," she greeted her sisters from her position sprawled on her belly. "Any plans after the meeting?" Maybe now that she was back she could drag one, two, or all three out for some fun. They never had any fun anymore. She glanced about curiously for Kotori, but he'd always been too caught up in his own self importance over being the only boy in the litter that he tended to be a party pooper anyway, so maybe it could be a girls' day.

Hikaru never knew Naiche very well, but he had been devoted to his craft, his son, and his pack and the koi respected him and his memory for that. He had no right to spill any tears for the heroic wolf, but he wished his family well and offered his assistance in any way he could. Not that there was much you could do for a wound left like that. All he could really do was hold more tightly to Mortis.

Since the trip he had been much more protective, Hika felt confident in his ability but the strange occurrences really cut through his mental defenses. He had found his weakness, but also Mort’s confidence. The winged heir had the young koi under his wing as the pair of them appeared at the edge of the meeting. Hika stayed close to Mort, but smiled especially at Ophelia as they got comfortable.

"Speech"

Kotori had spent a good bit of time away from his family and pack as he had been exploring other lands only to come back for a brief visit then head off again.  Both for the point of getting in some better training and quite frankly due to the strangeness of things going on in the world he had decided it was time to stay closer to home for now.  The last meeting for the entire pack that he recalled was when his father had called them to speak of mom and Azure’s death.    Well, considering they were standing next to dad they apparently weren’t dead this time.  Kotori did indeed do a quick family count as he looked about the pack.  Everyone was alive, slowly he let out a breath the brown-toned wolf hadn’t known he had been holding in.

Kotori skimmed the other wolves in the pack, admittedly not recognizing every face.  Finding his way near to his siblings he sat down, nudging his shoulder up against Briar lightly, “Hey,” the greeting generically tossed to the cluster of sisters.  Maybe he wasn’t the best brother with how little time he spent with his sisters but they seemed to be doing well as far as he could tell.    Kotori could technically ask if any of them wanted to go off on an adventure with him for a few days but, he probably wouldn’t.  


Kotori Fatalis

 

thinking "speech" "others" Attending a funeral for a man he hardly knew, had been strange. However, duty had dictated that he attend, and he had been rather disturbed to realize it was such a young wolf. A young man who was already a father, and who had attained a high rank within the pack. He'd kept to the fringes, but had maintained a degree of solemnity out of respect. In the days that passed, he felt as though he'd been waiting on a summons of some sort from the higher ranks to discuss the future. It tended to happen after funerals, this he knew from experience. So, when the trio of voices rang out over the territories held by the Armada, the phoenix had risen to his paws and loped off towards the Obelisk. As he reached the edges of the growing crowd, cerulean eyes drifted over the assembled wolves. Ah, that Hanako lady who had paid him a visit after his initial arrival was here, and her mate at the head of the meeting alongside Sirius and his wife. He noted the swell of her flanks, and quirked a brow briefly before moving to make his way to an open spot. He settled neatly onto his haunches on the snow dusted terrain, wrapping his tail around one thigh and offering a polite dip of his head to the leadership at the head of the group. He wasn't entirely sure what all might be addressed here, but there was a very good chance it was going to touch on the strange way the moon had secured its claim on the skies overhead. Darkness seemed to linger for all hours, with only a few hours of sunlight peeking over the horizon during the day. It had been troubling, and the effects were already settling like a haze over his mind. He felt slow, lethargic. There was no way it was age, he refused to believe he was an old man quite yet. Instead, he was assuming it to be some underlying curse, or simply the lack of sunlight to keep his brain in a rhythm. A small yawn pried his jaws apart, and he quickly snapped them shut and shook the grogginess from his pelt. Speak of the devil and he will appear, evidently the same applied to strange moon curses. I GOT LIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, WHEN MY SMILE PIERCES THROUGH YOUR BONES

Art by Monster

While the princess made her way to the meeting, the waifish male had begun to rush through the process of making himself presentable. Slave or not, he refused to look like a mess in front of the rest of the pack. A quick rub of his paw pads on the rough stone he'd dragged up from the edges of the shore, near where it met the grasses of the plains. Using the edges of it to clean the dirt from beneath his claws, he instantly felt better about leaving the den after an eerie, moonlit morning of working alongside Ophelia. Carefully placed swipes of his tongue over the fur of his chest, and a quick shake of his dark pelt. It would have to do, he was supposed to be sticking close to the princess. If she showed up alone, and he took his sweet time joining her, there was a chance that Sirius would beat him right there amongst the entire pack. Slender limbs taking to the snow dusted terra in a ground eating lope, he headed for the Obelisk. It helped to follow the princess' trail, and as he drew closer he could hear the murmur of voices.

Slowing to a walk, the obsidian wraith lowered his head submissively and tucked his tail loosely against his belly. Hesitation bade him pause on the fringes of the crowd, scanning the masses of different wolves until he noticed the grey and turquoise pelt of his master. He picked his way carefully through the gathered wolves, carefully placing each paw so as not to brush or trod upon anyone and incur their wrath. He slipped into place at her side, and unconsciously reached one delicate paw up to gently brush some debris from her shoulder. "Apologies for lagging behind, Ophelia-chan." he whispered demurely, shooting her an apologetic look before he carefully arranged his tail around his paws and settled in to see what was happening.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

Dream was perhaps the most naïve of everyone when it came to clan happenings. Any news that was spoken today would almost certainly be new to him, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t just a bit nervous. This would be the first time he’d actually gathered with the entirety of the pack, and he was very much aware that the majority of them were still strangers to him. Still, he’d never been one to shy away from things, and so when he heard Sirius calling out joined by what could only be the voice of their mate, the sandy-blonde wolf had abandoned his training down by the beach and made his way to the grassland that housed the actual pack.

It seemed like the majority of the group had managed to reach the spot before him, and he saw more then a few sets of eyes shift his way as he joined the ranks and took a seat. He didn’t mind being watched, to be honest. If anything it was more the idea of screwing up in front of them that had him bothered, his pride very much aware of how outclassed he was by many of the wolves around him. Oh well, nothing he could do about that right this minute. Instead he turned his focus to the pair at the front of the gathering, waiting for the meeting to officially begin.

Mojito was cutting it close, that was for certain. Hoa trailed behind him and Mojito quietly slipped in towards the meeting, his mind was heavy with the news of Naiche's passing but as bright blues scanned the crowd he couldn't help but frown as he realized neither Asla nor either of her children had made it. Mojito tried to squash down his anxiety about the whole thing, wondering idly what Asla was doing that she hadn't deigned to show her face and even worse seemed to be instilling in her children that they didn't need to either, especially considering her son had just lost his own father and so only had one biological parent left to set an example. Though Mojito had hopes to offer to help with both of them, he was also warry about stepping on toes even now, especially with Naiche's passing so raw still. All these thoughts tumbled around in his mind as the man settled himself in for the meeting. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Aslatiel would not be attending the meeting. Arcturus would not either. Her mother was deliberately distancing herself from the rest of the pack and their family for reasons Satira wasn't entirely sure she was aware of. The loss of Naiche had grievously wounded her mother and brother, but deep down, Satira knew something else was up. She'd felt the discomfort between her little family and the rest of the Fatalises for some time. Her brain was far too young to comprehend the reasons why. All she knew was that she didn't like it. She didn't like feeling like things weren't right. So when the call went out for the Armada to gather for the meeting, Satira sat dutifully beside the den entrance, watching and waiting to see if her family would go. When they made no effort to, Tira decided to go on her own. She was nearly three seasons old now; she could make some calls for herself.

Hurrying across the plains to the obelisk where the rest of the pack had gathered, Satira cringed inwardly to realize practically everyone else had assembled by now. She was late—so very much so that she couldn't even call it fashionable. Darting and weaving her tiny body between the legs of larger wolves, Satira gazed around at the serious expressions on the faces of her grandparents, her uncles and aunts... And then pale blue eyes fell upon her father. A huge, saccharine smile spread from ear to ear and the little girl rushed over to go and nestle herself comfortably between her sire's paws. She didn't say anything, not wanting to cause a scene or interrupt, but reached up to go and boop the bottom of Mojito's chin with her tiny nose in a little puppy kiss. "Hi Daddy!" she whispered up to him, barely able to contain her excited wiggles while she settled in with him to see what everyone was gathered for.

"Satira"

Mortis arrived hand in hand with Hika, so to speak. The close knit pair stepped into the meeting place and found a place to settle together. Mortis, rather comfortable with public displays of affection, felt a little more aware of his actions today as he placed his wing about Hika. Hika was something… more to him now.

Keeping a lid on that for the moment, he turned his attention to his father, his mother, and his brother. Very much aware of Azure’s place at their fathers side, and Seers current feelings towards him. Holding back a sigh, he settled in and waited.


"Speech"

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