Once the sun finally broke the horizon again she finally decided that it was time for them to begin making their move through Boreas. Her chance meeting with Venom had encouraged her that despite her defeat at the paws of that scoundrel of a woman that their relationship with the Empire was still a favorable one so they would move forward with their plans. She gathered up her family and band members and began the move further south, leaving the island she loved behind. She made a promise to herself that they would return soon enough and perhaps in their travels they would stay there again when it came time for her to have her next litter, but for now there was work to be done.

When they reached the hot springs she had scouted out a week or two prior she she stopped, telling them his would be their home base for the time being. She helped to unpack the carts they had crafted and loaded up with supplies, spending a bit of time cleaning out some dens that had been abandoned by some other wolves that had lived here before so that they could use them for now. Once the initial set up was done and she had built a fire by the set of dens with the help of Irilyth she settled back on her haunches and called them together. Now that they were here they could start setting some more firm plans in motion.

"Manea Mendacium"

Arriving at the hot springs they'd passed a number of times in their scouting trips and travels, Alastor couldn't help but feel a little bit of bittersweet melancholy. This was all still wrong. They should have been the ones setting up a pack back on the island. They should have been the ones with a permanent home. Not the ragtag band of alcoholic diseased sea rats. But as much as the hatred for the bitch Sparrow and her motley crew of failed abortions festered in his blackened heart, nothing could change the events of the past. This was the hand they had been dealt, and they would have to play their cards to their advantage.

Alastor assisted Manea in unloading their supply carts and clearing out the old abandoned dens around the springs. It looked like nobody had been here in a long, long time—not consistently, at least. All the scents in the area were stale and there were no fresh tracks to be spoken of. Once all of the wagons were unloaded, the call of his mate summoning the band took his attention away. Making his way to the bonfire she and Irilyth had built, Alastor took his place beside Manea, leaning gently into her side while he leaned in to place a few affectionate nibbles to the woman's scruff. Then he waited for the others to turn up.

"Alastor Mendacium"

For the most part, Irilyth's life had remained unchanged after the events of the pack challenge. She continued to do her work for Mistress Manea, tending to the children and babysitting them when required, cleaning and maintaining their home, and keeping things tidy and orderly so the Mendacium matriarch could handle her more important affairs. The horrific events that hit the world shortly after had stalled most of their plans, and Irilyth had been fortunate to not fall ill, leaving her to tend to Master Alastor and Avacyn when they became afflicted with the sickness. She'd done her best to comfort and reassure Manea through their weeks of isolation while also keeping young Saracyn occupied. In the end, everyone had recovered, and life had gone back to normal.

After their move, Irilyth assisted Manea in unpacking their wagons of supplies, and then started gathering kindling to make a fire for the band. Spring had fully returned to Boreas, so the weather was temperate, especially further south from Alias, but a fire would still be nice to raise the spirits of the band. She got the fire started and then took her place near Manea, leaving enough space so the rest of the matriarch's family could join her without getting too close, lest she risk overstepping her boundaries as handmaiden and servant. Still, she looked with bright raspberry eyes to Manea, eager to hear what her Mistress had to say.

"Irilyth"

Traveling was so boring! Moving was so boring! Saracyn hated it all. He couldn't play, he couldn't explore, he couldn't roam or do anything! "Stay in the cart," Mom had said. "Don't go running off," Dad had scolded. Ugh, but there was nothing to do! They'd all gotten up at basically the crack of dawn just to be loaded up with the rest of their belongings and then wheeled off the island that had been their home. Why did they have to leave anyway? It wasn't like anyone ever came to the island. So why couldn't they just keep it? They were there first, after all. None of it made sense to Saracyn, who spent almost all of the trip pouting and whining. If he was going to be miserable, then he was going to make sure everyone else was miserable too.

Finally after traveling for nearly almost the whole day, Manea announced that they'd arrived and Saracyn didn't waste any time bolting out of the cart to stretch his legs. At half a year, he was already growing like a weed, and proving he could very well match his parents in terms of height over time. Vivid cerulean eyes scanned over the flat land in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees. Large pools of steaming water dotted the area, and the entire place had a lingering stench sort of like rotten eggs. Saracyn grimaced and stuck out his tongue; they were going to live here?! Gross! Milling about and following both his parents while they unloaded the carts and settled the band in, Sara eventually came to sit by his parents when his mother summoned the band. "I wanna go back to the island, Mom. This place stinks!" he grumbled, sulking with a surly frown on his small muzzle.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

His skull still hung with the weight of the sapphire and amethyst crystals, now void of their gentle glow. Many had sloughed off with the gentle ministrations of his sister, and yet more simply fell away on their own. Most of the keratin covering his dark horns was scuffed and scraped away, scarred by the crystals even though they did not remain. However, his sight had yet to be returned. The damned stones still clung fast to the skin in and around his sockets, a truly grisly sight for the rest of his family. The ooze had crusted up and flaked away, revealing his ruby marked pelage underneath. It had been a serious blow to his pride when he'd requested assistance from his matriarch while they moved to their new location, and perhaps she had decided to soften the blow by assigning little Ava to make sure her uncle did not stray from the group. The little one had guided him along their journey with quiet warnings about stones in his path, or dips and valleys to mind. By the time they reached their destination, he was exhausted. The beast would never have admitted it, but there was an undeniable tremor in his limbs when he finally settled down. The air was rife with steam and the stench of sulphur, nearly cutting out the familiar scents of his family. Dangling one paw in the warm waters of a nearby pool, the titan waited with his jewel encrusted head resting on his outstretched forelimb. If either of the children wanted some entertainment, they would have found themselves disappointed when he couldn't muster up the energy to wrestle quite yet. He let out a long breath, and decided he would doze for a few minutes while everyone else settled. Poe told himself he would set to work unloading with everyone else once he'd gotten some energy back.. speech

It had been weird at first, being around so many wolves.  Honestly, it was still weird but Kichi wasn’t so uptight anymore.  He wasn’t exactly mr.sociable but he was less concerned about what unknown things these new wolves might want to chat about.  The silver and white wolf quietly followed the band as it moved, his little water deer staying nearby.

He hadn’t worked to really make any friends thus far but then again he hadn’t made any enemies either.  Kichi had hidden more than one smirk about the obnoxious complaining pup.  It was one of Al’s kids and bound to grow up thinking it was the toughest thing ever.  What could Kichi complain about?  There was a time he’d thought he ruled the world as well.

The world had taught Kichi things weren’t as easy as it seemed.  Hopefully, this child never had to learn things the hard way.  Let him stay proud and grow strong.  Hell, let it take over the damn world for all Kichi cared.  A notion struck Kichi and he made his way towards the griping kid, hopefully not to make enemies.  If he was going to try and make friends with anyone Al’s kids were a good spot to start right?  “It does stink,” Kichi agreed easily, “but you know, the water itself feels pretty good and lots of options for hunting out here.”  

"Speech"

Ara did like the island, but she loved her family more. She was here for them, not a patch of earth. She gave the den she had dug a fond pack, slung her supplies over her back, and made her way towards the springs with the rest of her family. As they settled in, Sara made a grumbling comment. She opened her maw to comment, and the white wolf - Kichi - beat her to it.

She grinned at the white wolf, before pushing forward and slinging a paw across the large, colourful wolf. “Hey sprout, it only stinks ‘cause you brought the stench with you” she teased him, ruffling the fur between his ears. “I bet I can find the best ambush spot before you can!” She wiggled her brows, then paused and looked at Manea. Her cousin wanted to speak with them, and she couldn’t take off with the kiddo just yet.


"Naráca Mendacium"

Imperia wasnt too far as she patrolled the surroundings, eyes cold, expressing nothing. She didnt expressed what she didn't have at all, no feelings, no feelings to reflect. She didnt need them, she didnt need anyone. Paced walk brought her to the gathering after hearing her cousin's calls, without a hint of interest she found her way, findig a few were there before her. But as usual from her, she made no motion to sit close to any of them, taking instead a distant seat, still at hearing range but away. And as quite as a tomb she would simply watch and wait. She couldn't wait for being able to kick the pirate's asses, to spill their guts and bathe in their blood for insulting and standing on their way.

""

Sera was sorry to see the little island go, but home and safety was with the group, and she followed without complaint. Taking her cues from Alastor as they travelled the distance from their home on the Island, to the Hot Springs. Once the cart stopped, and the scent of warmth and sulphur lay in the air, the scaled woman knew they had arrived.

She got to work, helping unload their supplies, careful to stay out from underfoot. Her stress and fear of being touched hadn’t diminished. Which…. Could be awkward at times, living in a group. She eyed the area, wondering where she might set up her den, before making her way to Manea to hear what their leader had to say.


"Speech"

Avacyn took her task of leading her uncle as their band traveled to their new home very seriously. She stuck by his side closely and made sure he knew about every possible obstacle in the way so he couldn't get tripped up until they finally got to the hot springs. While everyone else was starting to unload the cart, Uncle Poe flopped down next to one of the pools of steaming, smelly water and she settled in next to him with a sigh. It was tiring work being a guide! She settled into her uncle's side while he settled in to nap, deciding that as his guide she had to stay with him at all times—even for nap time. Soon though her mother was calling for them for a little meeting and she lifted her head, looking up toward the group that had quickly gathered around the fire that had been built in the middle of their camp. She glanced at Uncle Poe, seeing that he hadn't moved, and decided she could hear the meeting just fine from here. She sat up a bit to show she was paying attention, but stuck by her uncle's side. She could always fill her uncle in on what was said later anyway so there wasn't really a reason to wake him up right now.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Manea watched the others filter in from the various spots they had begun to claim and settle into around the hot springs with Alastor finding his place at her side first. She smiled and gave his cheek a kiss before glancing down at their son as he complained about the smell of the hot springs and how he wanted to go back to the island. She chuckled softly and was about to tell him how they would one day hopefully soon when Kichi intervened to try and give Saracyn a more positive spin on the place—only for her cousin to come scoop up the boy and tease him about the smell in fact coming from him. She laughed lightly and grinned, giving a little shake of her head at her family, both by blood and found. She caught a glimpse of Imperia sitting off to the side and soon Seraphina also appeared to join in on the group. For a second she didn't see Poe or Avacyn and she wondered where her cousin and daughter had run off too, but then she spotted his massive black and red form by one of the nearby pools with Avacyn dutifully at his side. She smiled a little when she saw them, enjoying how much her daughter had dedicated herself to a task that admittedly had just been a way to kill two birds with one stone by keeping the girl busy and giving Poe someone to help guide him around.

With everyone accounted for she began, saying, "Well done on the move, everyone. It seems we've all made it here in one piece and nothing got lost along the way. We will stay here until the season changes. Once summer arrives we'll continue moving south. There is a grove at the northern part of Auster that I think will be a good next stopping point. My plan is for us to connect with the two packs that reside on that continent—a pack called Fenmyre in particular. With any luck over they next coming months we will run some training with Fenmyre as well as Ashen. I would like all of you to take the opportunity in the coming weeks to work on your training in the meantime and sharpen up your fighting skills. Take advantage of the hot springs while we're here as well. The water is wonderful for soaking in, but don't drink it," she told them, ending with a pointed look at Saracyn.

"Manea Mendacium"

Imperia waited, on her far away seat, ears perked up as her cold expression traveled through the rest of members but feeling nothing. She cared not for whatever Manea and her mate wanted for them, but as she explained their future plans she simply stared saying nothing, just inertly thinking. She never shared her thoughts unless she was asked directly. She nodded but what would she do? She hated wolves, she didnt care if someone would train with her, she needed no company to be deadly, to be lethal and bring pain and suffering to those who became her enemy. As Manea finished she simply stood up, and like that left saying nothing. --Exit--

"The talking"

Code by Shelby