OOC

This round ends on December 16th. The following round will be the start of the sparring and racing. This is the main thread, sparring and racing will be held in separate threads in the Nook.

What had felt like years before, Kali had announced her intention to hold a tournament for the Ashen Empire wolves to the Habari wolves. Finally, as the sun had come out from its hiding place and the effects of the ooze began to fall from their bodies, she made her move. She’d sent her mother’s patoo to the wolves of each concerning pack, announcing when and where to meet as it swooped overhead. She made haste with her preparations, taking stock of their dried meats, booze and other pleasantries and making sure decorations were up to snuff. She’d created a designated race track for the races and singled out small areas among the Redbuds for the spars, and, at long last, everything was ready.

Large boards propped up on logs covered several feet of space, laden with Habari’s special dried meats, a few stews, and some sliced, raw options, as well as wines, meads, juices and other non-alcoholic options for their younger attendees. A large fire pit had been created, stacked with logs at the center though not yet lit, with several large pelts dotting the earth around it for sitting and chatting. She felt pride at her work, her tail wagging happily behind her lithe frame. The girl, determined to stand out even as the ‘hostess’ of the get together, wore a drapery of small chains dripping with clear crystals acquired from the mines and the volcano that stretched from her head down to her rear. Abaddon, her melanistic cobra, sat in his usual perch around her neck, tongue flickering curiously at the meats while Abigor, her monitor lizard, trailed lazily at her heels as she made the finishing touches. When everything was done, the girl settled herself near the center of everything and lifted her head, taking a deep breath before releasing as loud a howl as she could. Her voice sang into the air, calling to her packmates as well as those of the Ashen Empire close enough to hear that they were welcome. They’d been instructed that the festivities would begin at high noon, and it was almost a full hour before that time, but surely there would be a few early birds and she didn’t want them to have to wait.

Kali’s heart fluttered in excitement at what was to come.

Talking

Mac considered himself an early bird in all things. Always determined to be the best, and be the first, his arrival at the sound of his older sister’s call was of no surprise to him. The speckled child hadn’t been doing anything productive before then, anyways, crushing beetles and ants underfoot for some sense of power. Some deep beast lingered deep within him, stirring ever slowly as his visceral urge to crush and destroy vibrated deep within his bones. But alas, he could be a gentleman if he needed to. It wasn’t like he didn’t have any manners. After all, he had to be a good representstive of his pack and his family.

Bounding over as fast as he could, his short puppy legs already brimming with strength and power, the child made his way over to Kali’s set up, luminescent eyes wide with curiosity. There were boards with food on tip, and unlit bonfire in another..all that was left were the rest of the pack and the empire to follow! He tilted his head as he quietly swept his gaze over the set up, tail wagging in an air of excitement.

"Hi!" He chirped towards Kali, his signature curved grin widening on his lips. To him it was an expression of childlike joy for the events to come, but to most..it was a little creepy. He paid no mind, of course, as he added, "I’m Macabre, but you can call me Mac. You’re one of my sisters, right?" He’d only recently met Misery, and he knew nothing of the older male’s hatred towards her. "What’re you wearing?" He asled innocently, not knowing the intention of her crystal and chain outfit. It looked cool, though wasn’t his taste. He figured he’d needed to at least act polite and cordial or something.

Áskell needed someone to bite. His mood had been sour since the loss of his brother and he'd taken to patrolling the border obsessively or else stewing in his own den. Not even his magpie Kári could talk any sense to him. He'd have considered skipping the tournament but the need to fight pushed him to attend. He needed to get his frustrations and anger toward the universe out of his system and he was all to happy to take it out on his opponents. He was basically an adult now and it was time to drop the kid gloves.

Áskell arrived after Kali called the tournament to order. He dipped his head in greeting then moved to sit away from the younger pup. He just didn't have it in him to be friendly right now.

Gossamer was relieved to be over her illness as well as to finally see the sun again. It hadn't reached it's full strength in what she'd expect for spring but a little sunlight was way better than none. Gossy truly didn't know what to make of the bizarre winter. If anything it was a lesson of caution for the future. Winter's here were hell. She'd never experienced a 'normal' winter and would plan accordingly in the future.

At least there was a tournament to celebrate the arrival of light and spring. Ok, she didn't know if that was really the reason for the tournament but it sounded good to her and she was eager to participate. She needed to make up for her first round loss at the yearling tournament. Maybe she'd have better luck this go around. When she arrived there was only a small smattering of wolves. She dipped her head in greeting to Kali and the pup but completely ignored Áskell. She didn't want to talk to him.

Misery stepped into the redbud nook, the charming smile of a host on his face.  His long stride was confident, the curious gaze ready to soak in guests when they arrived though for the moment it was just a stupid sister, moody packmate, one stranger, and charming little Mac.  Misery stepped next to Kali, shoulder to shoulder but looking ahead at the setup and decidedly not on her.  

A nod was given to the wolf he’d seen approach her, “Welcome to the tournament miss.  I’m Izzy Klein.  I hope you enjoy your time here.”   Misery should try and meet each wolf at this, glean whatever he could of their personality.  Everyone coming was an ally of course, today.  The future was a funny thing and there was no such thing as ‘too much’ information.

“Hello Sister,”  the words were kept formally polite but with a hint of friendly kinship in there.“Looks like you did a wonderful job setting things up.”  

His eyes looked to Mac, giving him and Kali a moment for whatever comments they had, but only for a moment before he slid in a queue for Mac to scram, “Mac, keep an eye out for other pups coming.  This is your pack so go introduce yourself to them.  Be sure to show well.”  A pause then adding, “I’ll be watching.”

Mac had his orders and Misery expected him to obey.  He’d need to take a moment with the boy to give him further explanation of his job but first, he looked at Kali, an almost loving good brotherly smile.  “Everything looks great Kali, wonderful job.”  A pause before adding in the same tone, “I can’t wait to see how well I imagine you’ll run things.  An eventful day for you.”   Would his lovely larger sister do a good job or make a poor showing?  They both knew which one he’d enjoy seeing more.  However, in public let no one see the real feelings.

"Misery"

Last but surely not first, Ghoul ambled his way toward the gathering of wolves. The call of his older sister, one he hadn't quite met yet, drew him in. Others had spoken of the tournament she would be hosting in an attempt to get their pack and the others a bit more amicable with each other. Why Ghoul wasn't sure, but since everyone else would be joining, he figured it would be best if he did as well. With calculated steps of his large paws, Ghoul entered the nook as his bright red eyes roved over the ones who'd gathered around. Three of them he didn't recognize, but the brown one standing at the head by Mac and Misery made it obvious that she was most likely their sister. The other two he barely glanced at as they were quiet and older than him. Drawn toward the edge of the group, closer to the table where the variety of meats lay, one ear turned to listen to the barking orders of Misery. He fought back rolling his eyes and instead took a seat to watch the show. Letting his gaze linger over Misery and Mac, he wondered why Mac let Misery boss him around so much.

A tournament felt right for the genin, she loved this kind of events where she could have fun giving everyone a good enough fight. But it wasnt only for others but for herself to test her own abilities. It never hurted to have a way to asses her results and then work from where she failed. Wining wasn't really a big interest for Yaeume. Winning or lossing she would be a winner at the end, winning experience and a soo missed entertainment. She entered their allies' borders finding a few youngling. Her dog walked by her, carrying Ume's main weapon though she perhaps wouldn't need it in a recreative scenario as this one. She used it mostly in real, serious fights. Sitting down, the dire female wolf looked at the rest in silence.

"Speech"

Art by Uwnycorne Code by Shelby

Voodoo arrived not long after Kali called. She had been waiting with anticipation. It wasnt even because of the tournament. Ashen at one point had been her mothers domain. Now passed to the queen who was her older half sister. The idea and opportunity to meet Ashen wolves was exciting. She didnt let it show, the regal wolf would hold herself with as much dignity as she could. Though the yearling did feel a pang of nervousness as she watched more wolves arrive. Various scents filling her nose as Voodoo saw strange faces rather than those of Habari.

There was to her disappointment only one wolf so far from Ashen here. Voodoo didnt introduce herself instead she opted to greeting Kali first. "Im excited for the festivities youve put together Kali." she smiled softly, she wanted to show her cousin some support. Regardless Recluses younger litter was also here. Voodoo couldnt help but be amused. It wasnt long she decided to stand not far. Hoping perhaps she wouldnt have to force herself to interact with others on her own. Let them come to her instead.

Albion was the only representative of his pack so as the boy approached the commotion he was sure to hold his head high. Already his legs were long and thin, so he was tall for his age. Still, he wasn’t quite six months old yet and the room to grow was glaringly obvious. Massive puppy paws carried the boy through the forest to find the group of wolves who would make up this tournament. Albion didn’t recognize any of the faces, but he was fully aware that most of the wolves around him were related in some way. The Klein name sprawled over Auster and Boreas, and he was only a small part. That didn’t deflate his own sense of superiority though.

One aspect Albion was not so thrilled about was the sun beating down on them. He’d grown up in the long dark, he was a nocturnal being, so he hoped the daylight would not affect his performance today. Already he was squinting so it didn’t seem very likely. Albi tried to keep his expression proud and neutral as he quietly approached and observed his surroundings and the other wolves gathered.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

Glancing around, Levi took very little interest in the wolves that had gathered so far. He liked his Aunt Gos well enough, but everyone else was an unknown to him and he was content to keep it that way. To hold strangers back at arms length, just in case they got the wrong idea about him. As if he would ever actually be interested in getting to know people beyond his family's social circle. Regardless of how he felt, he knew there was merit to being here. Fighting-and winning- against other wolves of the Empire would just go to show how strong the Armada was, that they would do well to remember their place in the world.

Settling on his haunches, Levi waited for the tournament to begin. If the organiser knew half of what they were supposed to be doing he wouldn't have to wait too long.

"speech."

Recluse would not be entering the festival, no she was still recovering from her sickness and she wished instead to give her undivided attention to Kali, it was her show to run and the pale woman was curious to see how she would handle herself. It was as much a test of her daughter as a test of might of the competitors. Though Recluse herself might have chosen a time of day more conducive to her own strengths she respected her daughter's decision to hold it a time that might be more accessible to some of the other wolves, though in her time in Ashen she had never known it to be anything but a nocturnal pack. The woman moved cautiously her own cobra coiled around her neck and gently guiding the light blind woman towards the festivities. She gently approached her daughter and gave her a small nod and gentle smile. Lillith extending slightly to flick her tongue at her son before the pair retreated some, moving to sit behind her daughter, ears perked and nose working overtime to identify each wolf as they approached, she listened as Misery played the gracious brother and host and she nodded thoughtfully, they'd be civil, she had no notions of her children all being friends and she knew there were some tensions between some of them but that they'd at least put on a united front when faced with outsiders meant more to her than them getting along in private. Misery was very good at projecting what he wanted others to see and she was glad he'd chosen to at least pretend for the time being. Recluse closed her eyes, resting them against the harsh light and instead let the scents wash over her. The Armada it seemed would respond with more enthusiasm than her cousins, a shame but somehow not surprising to the woman. There was one scent she did not recognize, though many wolves were approaching who's individual scents were unfamiliar to her one pack scent snuck in she did not know, it tugged at a thread of her memory... Her half-siblings? She had heard whisperings that Chimera had split off from Ashen and made his own way but she had no notions that he'd formed a pack. She bit down some amount of irritation that he'd do so and not approach Habari as a fellow arm of the empire. She'd have to rectify that. For now, his wolf would be allowed, but she made a note to keep an eye on the pup. "Poisons" & Venoms

Image by Hagon

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021
"Speech!"

Ichor got to be up past his bed time? Well the tiny boy was ecstatic! At first he was racing at his mother's heels and then he got excited enough that he surpassed her, dashing down the mountain and nearly tripping over himself as he neared the nook. He bounced on his toes and first approached Ghoul, bumping up against his bigger brother and grinning up at him, tongue hanging from his open jaw. Then he flitted off to Mac, giving his older siblings a wag of his tail as a greeting and then even better there was strangers!

There were too many of them for Ichor to really go and meet them all so instead he zeroed in on a boy who appeared to be his age (Levi), if a bit bigger than himself, not that that was hard to do, and Ichor plopped himself down beside him. "Hiya!" He squeaked, "I'm Ichor Klein!"

It seemed his siblings really could make him do almost anything they wanted, as this was the 3rd tournament he’d been convinced to attend. He’d never go by himself, but with their gentle prodding he, Kitsune and Ike had set off for the so called ‘Ashen Empire Tournament.” It wasn’t often Habari called for anything, so it would definitely be in their interest for at least some of the potential heirs to attend to report back to their parents. Though, he had been thrown off by the hideous bird that had delivered the invite.

The trio arrived, Takeshi’s glowing red gaze taking in the scenery around them. There was a surprising amount of pups it seemed and, of course, so far the vast majority of attendees were Habari wolves judging by their scents. He spotted Yaeume, offering the large, pink woman a dip of his head in acknowledgement before heading in the direction of the brown and gold girl and Recluse. He’d fought the girl a few times before in the battlefield, and judging by her position she seemed to possibly be the next heir to Habari. He made a mental note. The pair were likewise given a bow, though no words came from his mouth. His sisters would take care of that for him, he was sure. Plus, he hadn’t quite outed himself as being able to speak just yet. Once the formalities were met, the boy turned and went to a secluded corner to wait for further announcements.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

Panic wouldnt turn away any chances to kick asses and make people cry, she didnt care for anyone anymore, only by her brother and family but right now all she wanted was to make someone fear her, she wanted to make her name stand beyond being just that but make it real. She arrived with a cold expression looking at everyone like peasants she was just pissed with life and all the lies people tended to say, her mother left and if she did all other could easily do too. She sat on her own, annoyed and impatient to taste flesh.


"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

She'd heard of some sort of tournament or festival that Habari was going to host and Medusa wondered what even that was. Of course, despite her position in the pack, she was still keen to attend. Unless the Habari members went around shouting that she was beneath their feet, she had every right to be there as an individual and would try to have fun or show she wasn't the weak-willed, stupid little girl they thought her to be. Or at least, whatever they thought she was. While she was aware she wasn't the smartest kid on the block, she was slowly understanding her position and the things in her life she didn't have an understanding of before. And she only had her ghost-dad to thank whenever he visited her in her dreams.

She arrived at the gathering and simply sat there for once. Watching. Observing. She didn't feel the need to run in and try to make friends with anyone, since her dad told her good things came to those who waited. Usually. So she figured she'd try that. If someone approached her to talk or play or something, then perhaps she'd engage. But for now, she sat as still as she could, the only movement was the ticking of her head that she had no control of.

Kitsune was eager to learn and prove herself at this tournament. She was still delaying her challenge for rank, building up her confidence to take the plunge. She knew she should have by now. She knew it, but she hadn’t. It weighed on her, and made her more eager than ever to participate in this event.

With Take and Ike with her, she would arrive in Habari and look about herself with bright, curious eyes. She knew she was representative the Empire, and kept her gawking to a minimum. Holding herself like a Princess as she waited to hear the rules and see how this would go.

"Speech"

It wasn't a long trip to Habari, so he had hung around close to the Armada until he had heard the call for the start of the tournament he'd decided to partake in. He needed something else to take his mind off of someone else, even if he didn't mind little thoughts sneaking into his head throughout the day. He couldn't ignore the feeling he'd felt the last time they were together, but he didn't completely understand it. However, at the mention of a tournament where he could fight, Grimshaw was more than willing to sign himself up.

He wasn't the only Armada wolf either, he realized as he approached after many had already taken their seats to wait for further announcements about what they'd signed up for. Many wolves had gathered, silver eyes catching familiar faces from the Armada as well as wolves he couldn't recognize. Some smelled familiar, like him, so he did his best to steer clear from anyone that wasn't part of the Armada. His choices were limited however, to one of Azure's kids and a girl he didn't even know. Taking his chances, Grimshaw headed for Levi and sat near him enough to talk if he wanted to. Otherwise, Grim was content sitting in silence until the tournament began.

"Speech."

Although she was still small, who was to say that she couldn't enter a tournament and see if being big really was a good thing. Maybe she could use it to her advantage. It would certainly be nice to put one or two of her brothers in their places since they seemed to lack the understanding of birth order. She hardly cared what they were up to anyway. Did she want them all up in her business? Absolutely not, they were ridiculous, but would she like them on her side? Well, it was better than against her. Even Recluse was making a presence, so Widow felt confident entering herself for the fighting portion. Although she was large, she was not necessarily fast. She had little desire to race anybody, but only to fight. And maybe earn herself her mothers favor or a brothers tongue.

She was certainly not of the first to arrive, but Widow trotted in anyway and hurried her way over to her mother where she and her littlest brother laid. She was silent as she slid in next to her, eyeing the collection of her other brothers with an annoyed expression.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

The disease had passed, finally, leaving the Armada wrung out and exhausted but alive. Now more than ever they needed to show a strong front to enemies and allies alike so that no one would be able to take advantage of any momentary weakness as they recovered. The opportunity to show their continued strength to their nominal allies - the "Empire" that they'd always been involved with but somehow still apart from her whole life, an Empire that would undoubtedly use any weakness to take advantage of the Armada and see them as inferior - came when Habari called for a tournament once the sun had returned and burned away the sickness. Aris had never really had anything to do with Habari... they were just kind of there. But she wasn't going to pass up a chance at a tournament, and she was determined to put in a good showing for Armada. She'd been so close last tournament but had failed in the melee final. Today she'd not be so much as sniffing at alcohol - she was on a mission. Striding up through the crowd she saw the girl who was apparently playing host, and she snorted out loud at her fancy getup as she slipped into place beside Gossamer. "That looks absolutely ridiculous," she sneered to Goss in a low voice, nodding sharply at the girl-hostess. "She looks like she fell headfirst into a net and decided to keep it. Are all the rest of the Empire so... so..." She wrinkled her nose, trying to think of a word that encompassed what she was thinking. "Prissy?"

Ceres wanted to take part of the tournament, remembering the one he took part when he was very young. Abs he wanted to do so again but this time just for fun . A big smile formed as he walked into the gathering. Family and strangers alike, excited to no end he sat down for a moment. He didn't made motions to interact yet, shy and unsure. And like that he just waited. Wondering how this one will go. He won last one , but no one seemed to care so who knows. "talk"

Art by CloudyNight