Guests from all over had begun to gather on the island over the last day or two after her ravens had gone out to spread the word about the festival that Elysium intended to hold. Some faces she was familiar with and some she wasn't, but she was excited to be able to officially present Elysium to the world. Now that the sun was high in the sky on a lovely, if a bit chilly, winter day she made her way with her family to the area that Avacyn , with some help from Saracyn, had been working on constructing. There was a large tent covered area near the lake with dozens and dozens of plush pelts and pillows to lay on with a large display of meats, fruits, and berries in the center. She also noticed there was quite a collection of honey comb in several bowls and she wondered to herself how her clever daughter managed to get all of that without ending up covered in stings. There was also quite the selection of wine bottles which she had handled the procurement of ahead of time from Artorias and Briar.

She grinned up at Alastor at her side as she found her place among the festival's tent, reaching up to carefully remove Fia from his back and place her between them by their paws. It would only be their daughter's second outing from the den and what a way to have her greet the world than with a festival. Avacyn and Saracyn were close behind and once the two of them were settled as well she lifted her head to call for all of their pack members and guests. This was Avacyn's show and she would allow her heiress to have this moment as her own, but she would at least lend her voice to getting everyone they had invited onto the island and gathered around for the feast to kick off this occasion.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Imperia wasnt a fan of festivities, seeing them as boring things. He never saw reasons to celebrate, she felt disgusted with such happy, strawberry things. Thick red blood bathed her face and neck after a hunt she went through, a hunt to catch food for the festival, this was her wicked way to support or contribute to what she saw as stupid. She owed nothing to her family, but she still worked her ass to follow up her duties and obligations as one of them. He didnt have the time nor the energy to clean herself up when the guests began to arrive, but well. She lifted her shoulders in indifference to how others might see her. Leaving the deer's corpse in there she approached her cousin, cold eyes under the crimson face. "There." He pointed at her price before setting somewhere to just watch.

"hello"

He arrived in silence, wanting to have some fun after a long while of being away from public eyes. He only focused in his duties and training, finding life slow, still. Way different of how it used to be, back when he was younger, with more purpose. Now as he aged, he saw life going, but he didnt like that at all. He wanted something to move him back to action, to shake his heart again, if it could be shook at all. Eyes fell on the purple woman, who he guessed was the hostess of the events. He bowed his head. "Dunkan Sarcova of Feynmre." He said as he went to explore the festival items. His eyes were cold, but inquisitive, finding a grey/white woman in the distance. But shortly. Then he took a seat near a table, just to be settled before more things went going.

"Dunkan Sarcova"

As the day of the festival finally came to them, Manea with her new daughter and other proud children Relm did take care to make herself look rather astonishing for the Elyisan reputation. She didn't expect anyone to be really looking at her, but she did put in the little amount of effort to be clean and presentable for the occasion. She did wear her cloak for more than one reason but not any of her armor. There was no need for any of that.

With Manea's call out the the pack and it's guests, Relm stayed on the outskirts of the tent making sure that no one went wandering in places they shouldn't be. She wasn't much of the social type after all so she didn't want to be in the middle of everyone else. She only smirked lightly at the buffets of food, reminded of what her and Alastor had done with her own special contribution to the festival. Her eyes then moved up to Manea, and soon Avacyn once either one of them took the floor. She'd probably take a break a little later.

"Relm"

A festival. If there was something that could remedy Nirvana's admittedly sour mood, this would likely be it. That, and she'd have to come out and support Avacyn as well. The closest thing to a sister that Nirvana would ever have, and yet she'd been admittedly absent from the girl's life. There's a familial protectiveness, fondness, that can't be denied but she doesn't know the girl. Though Nirvana may not admit it aloud, she wants to. Still, that would be something for another day. Hosting an event like this had to be exhausting, and she didn't envy the girl.

There were different brands of leadership, and Nirvana would much prefer to work her magic in the background. She exists in the places where the shadows grow long, ever vigilant, ever watchful. Today is no different. Though she answers Manea's call, the barely-a-woman sticks to the fringes of the crowd. Her gaze is keen, razor sharp as she takes in each of the strangers as they gather. Strangers. Friends. Family. Wait, friends? Maybe not quite friends, but strangers and family at least, as they gather. It's been a long while since Nirvana has been in the midst of a crowd like the one that was beginning to gather. Stifling. All of it is stifling, an ill-fitting shirt.

Maybe... well, maybe the wine would help. Nirvana drifted in the direction of the booze, feeling yet another wave of cool-girl confidence as it took hold. Right. It was a party, after all.

"Speech"

The day has been fast approaching for the festival and Ricin had been hard at work helping in any way he can. While the sun is high in the sky, the bite of winter can be felt in the air and the blue boy waits in his den. Chade had gone to help with any last-minute perpetrations with the festival but Ry had to opted to stay behind to put the finishing touches on the gifts he made for Avacyn and Saracyn. While the fiery boy has proved his distastes for the blue brothers, Ricin has decided to try and offer an olive branch them. Paws work quickly to wrap the small gifts, hastily tying sloppy bows on each as Manea’s call rings out across the land. Checking each present carefully, the blue boy slides his offerings into a small leather pouch that he has slung over his shoulder, the gift he made for Fia already hiding in the pouch’s depths.

Standing, Ricin quickly makes his way from the den to the festival area and notices that wolves are already beginning to gather. Weaving his way toward the Alphas, the blue boy stops before them, the boy offers them both a smile and respectful bow as she says, “Manea, Alastor. What an exciting day! I have a small gift for Fiametta, if that is alright?” Once given permission, the blue boy will pull out a ball made of bundled, soft sheep skin. His brother had given him excess scrapes of fur from the mountain sheep he had killed and Ricin had made sure to clean each piece. Now, they have all been wadded together and covered with a thick piece of leather that had been carefully stitched closed. He presents the ball to Fia and says, “I made this for you! Chade and I always loved to chase these when we were little. I hope you like it."

Giving the ball to the small fluff of fur that is a puppy, Ricin then turns to Avacyn and Saracyn, offering them both a small bow and smile. Reaching into the pouch, Ricin pulls out their gifts as he says, “I have birthday gifts for you both. I thought that they looked like you guys so I… thought Avacyn could wear something to remind her of Saracyn and vice versa. I hope that is okay, uh, sorry its later but, um here.” The boy suddenly feels very nervous as he passes the bundles to each respective recipient. Without waiting for them to open the gifts, Ricin will excuse himself to go mingle with the other guests.

When Avacyn opens her gift she will find, a piece of round fire opal surrounded by orange sapphires and hanging from a golden chain. For Saracyn, Ricin had found a jointed bracelet of purple jade wrapped in gold.


"Ricin Dauner"

They all knew that the festival was coming and they all did their part. Even Merrick. The purple brute had procured quite a bit of meat for the festivities. Many different types of game littered the tables beneath the standing tent. Venison, bison, rabbit, quail. Lots of stuff. He'd done his part. Pulled his weight. Family was worth it.

With Keelin in tow, the giant purple man found a suitable spot to rest, sprawled out on one of the big bison furs laid out for the revelers. The man gave a nod to his little sister and flashed a grin towards his nieces and nephew before looking to Keelin with a pointed glance. A good mate would fetch him some food and drink and he hoped that she knew that. He paid no attention to anyone else, especially the sulking caped blob in the corner.

"Merrick Mendacium"

Having come for the tournament, of course Scylla was going to attend the feast that came along with it. The tiny girl walked with the confidence of a giant as she entered the common area where the tent was set up. The little fae's long tail was in fishtail plaits and she had her glowing rabbits foot on a leather strap around her neck. Albion and Cerberus would be along shortly, but for now, she moved alone.

Heading up to the hosts, the slate and snow girl cast a side-eye glare at Saracyn before bestowing a sweet smile upon the giant strawberries parents. "Scylla Tiberia Klein of Fenmyre. Thank you for having my brothers and I." She wasn't always a heathen. Scylla could act quite proper when she needed to. Proper, yes... but there was no way to hide the weird. The girl's bush dog came forward hauling a tiny cart with two hide wrapped items on it. "Saracyn's is wrapped in the pig skin. Ava's is wrapped in the leopard skin." Hidden within the packages were some of Scylla's creations. Sara's was taxidermy of a snake attacking a bird in flight and Ava's was a bird attacking a snake. The main different was that Sara's snake had the head of a weasel, since he was one. She'd worked hard on them and if they didn't like them, she didn't want to hear it.

With a nod, the girl moved away, eyeing the feast that had been laid out for the guests. As she perused the food, she kept one eye on Ava and Sara just in case they opened the gifts now.

"Scylla Klein"

Saracyn glanced around at the festival that had come to fruition thanks mainly to Avacyn's ingenuity and his sweat. His sister had done a tremendous job planning and organizing everything, and seeing it take form and come to life made the adolescent more than a little proud of her hard work. The red-furred brute sat beside his violet sister, with their parents to the other side of Avacyn with their new little addition to their family nestled between their legs. Sara scowled, but otherwise paid no attention to his tiny new baby sister. He still didn't understand why his parents felt the need to make even more Mendaciums when they clearly had all they needed between himself and Avacyn, but it didn't matter. He didn't get a vote, and now the little wolf nugget was here to stay.

Saracyn watched in silent standoffishness while wolves from both Elysium and other packs began to arrive, paying their respects to his parents and introducing themselves before mingling amongst themselves. Then came one of the blue wretches his parents had taken in and his neutral expression contorted into a grimace of annoyance. He despised those blue urchins more than anything else and resented his parents for taking pity on them in the first place. As Ricin presented his baby sister with a gift, Sara made a dramatic motion of rolling his eyes. Fucking kiss ass... The blue wolf then came to him and Avacyn, and Sara made a point of not looking at the other wolf, despite the respects shown. Though it was the other blue boy that Saracyn hated the most, he wasn't above spreading some of that hate to the other blue sibling either. The wolf stammered out something about gifts and apologizing for it being late, but Saracyn was genuinely not paying attention.

The wolf placed a small bundle at his paws, and only then did Sara glance down at it, turning his gaze up to fix Ricin with a cold yet confused glance. Why the hell was the urchin giving him a gift? Couldn't he tell he didn't like him? Was he that stupid? Ricin excused himself and wandered off, leaving Saracyn to stare down at the gift. He cast a glance to Avacyn, and then simultaneously unwrapped his gift along with hers, dumping the contents of the pouch onto his paw. The bracelet within sparkled as soon as it caught the light, the purple precious stones wrapped in gold stunning the Mendacium prince. He blinked, staring down hard at the bracelet, then turning to spy Avacyn's necklace that mirrored his bracelet. It was a genuinely thoughtful gift and Sara didn't know what to do. He glanced up and found Ricin amongst the crowd, wanting to hate the wolf even more for doing something nice for him that he actually liked. But that anger he tried to summon fizzled out whenever he looked at the bracelet. Pulling it over his paw, Saracyn heaved a defeated sigh when he realized it fit perfectly. "Dammit..." he muttered under his breath. Now he had to go make nice with the urchin...

Saracyn exchanged a grin of wicked teeth to his Uncle Merrick when the man arrived, watching as he settled in with his chew toy of a mate. Like his father, he had a respect for Merrick. He was an embodiment of manliness and something Saracyn wanted to be like one day. A formidable force to be reckoned with, who took what he wanted and did as he pleased. Not long after, Sara's improving mood soured even more when his cobalt eyes saw the next guests arrive. "Oh fuck, you've gotta be kidding..." The striped rat squirrel thing from Fenmyre had somehow found its way to the party. While he and his sister had grown exponentially since their last encounter, the discount honey badger looked like she hadn't changed at all. She approached his parents, giving him a sideways glare which he responded to with a flash of teeth behind a silent snarl.

After greetings were made, the "wolf" presented him and his sister with wrapped gifts, then headed to enjoy the feast. Saracyn considered the gift for a moment, then using a single clawed digit, he unwrapped the bindings of the skin to reveal the taxidermy abomination hidden within. Words died on Saracyn's tongue as he stared in shock and dismay at the strange taxidermy Scylla had crafted for him. The worst part of it was that it was pristine, every stitch made neatly, and if he hadn't already known she'd Frankensteined these creatures together, he might have been convinced that the weasel-snake was a real thing. It was top notch quality of the most macabre variety. Turning his head to Avacyn, he murmured, "Well, that's weird. Kinda neat, but uber creepy." Bewildered cobalt eyes scoured the crowd to find Scylla watching them from afar, shooting her a look that read "What the actual fuck" before covering the taxidermy monstrosity back in its skin and calling for Irilyth to come take it back to their den.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
____________________

A big smile adorned the young woman's eyes fell into the event. She felt happy to have been invited, to have been considered to join such a thing. She would bring furs from hunts she performed as her gift to the inviting pack. Placed she eyed the other quests. So many new faces, and this had always been the best situation to be, new friends and possible adventures with them. Slowly she made her way towards a dark wolf(Nirvana) The same smile as she aimed to seat down nearby enough to talk but not too close to be disrespectful. "Hello! Enjoying the festivities?" She asked friendly.

She had come for that and a fishing competition, her very first one! Excited she had come with the best of energies to have fun regardless of anything.

"The talking"

Fern prances next to the motley gray boy as the pair approach Elysium land. News of a festival had reached their ears in The Hallows and the gray girl had begged Rudyard to take her. Okay, to be fair, she know that he had already planned to take her but Fern loves to try and fluster the boy ever chance she gets. She pretended to pout and spent days pleading with him, even after he told her yes. Sometimes, it is just more fun to pretend she didn’t hear him.

Shooting a glance and warm smile to Rudyard, the girl can barely contain her excitement at being out on an adventure with Rudy. The enthusiasm is evident in everything she does, from the way she moves to in the constant smile that has yet to leave her lips. Even the chill of the winter air cannot dampen Fern’s spirit as the pair cross the land bridge to the island. Wolves of all kinds are gathering, some mingling and talking to others while others stand off to the side. The gray girl leads her way toward the alphas and their family, wanting to give them her respect before joining the other revelers.

Pale paws stop a respectable distance from the hosting family and Fern gives them all a polite bow. Straightening up, the gray girl offers them a smile as she says, “Hello. Thank you for the invitation to this wonderful festival. My name is Fern and I look forward to the tournaments to come!” Once she done introducing herself, she takes a small step back to allow Rudyard to give his own introduction before the gray pair excuse themselves. Eyes roam the gathered wolves as Fern and Rudy move to mingle and offer greetings to others.


"Fern Lark"

Gossamer opted to brave the chilly northern waters rather than ride the small raft her companions were comandereing. If needed she would pull herself onto it but for now she saw this as a challenge of strength and endurance. Now that Armada was in the north she would need to adapt to the climate and be able to fight in all conditions demanded of her and that included the bitter cold.

Once upon shore she shook out her coat, drying it with loosely woven cloth from her satchel that had been kept safe on the raft. They tied it off then headed toward the source of smoke and rich smells which had to be the festival main gathering spot. Gossamer was nervous but she hid her nerves well. She knew little of Elysium and had no idea what to expect. On top of that she'd agreed to join in the tournament and she longed so badly to do well. She prayed she would not embarass her pack, herself, or her father.

She arrived at the feast to see a number of wolves already gathered, none that she was really familiar with. Ah well, she had to start some where and she was primarily here for the tournament. A quick scan and her eyes rested on a large, bright purple woman overseeing the going-ons. Ok, from what she'd heard that was the alphess. Gossamer approached and dipped her head in greeting. "Lady Manea, I am Gossamer Fatalis, a warrior of the Armada. I'm here for the tournament and I brought along a few goods to contribute to the feast." She nodded to Ásta and the abnormally large fox pulled out a number of bottles to lay at the alphess' feet. "The clear bottles are ale and the amber bottle is a ginseng wine."

Indigo could confidently say that he was settling into Elysium comfortably. Having a home with Aslatiel helped that fact, he finally had his heart’s desire, he had his true love to help him find his way back to the man he had once been. Slowly he was being put back together after having his whole world shattered. Having a stable place to live during the winter and Aslatiel at his side Indigo felt like he was really rebuilding the foundation of his life. He had a twinkle of hope for the future again.

Maybe that was why he found his way out to the social event or maybe it was Aslatiel at his side, leading him along. Beyond the faces of the Elysium wolves he had seen Indigo didn’t recognize any of their guests.. Yet. Now that he was here a pit formed in his belly as he made his way towards the gathering. He took in a deep breath, stole some confidence in a quick kiss to Aslatiel, and walked out into crowd. Leading Asla to sit nearby the monarch, to be taken into account as part of Elysium’s force. He didn’t have to force the smile that played on his lips.

He realized then he had come in just behind an Armada wolf, his… sister? Indigo left the Armada so long ago and he hadn’t ever looked back. His red marked eat fell to his skull in shame, she was a young woman and the last he’d seen any of them but Briar… It was shameful. His sapphire blue gaze instinctively shifted to Asla, not deserving the comfort he sought from her.

"Speech"

Fia had spent most of her short life attached to either one of her parents. She couldn't really complain, not right now at least. Getting free rides on her dad and not finding any need for responsibilities was an easy life. She felt very catered to as much as she may not have known anything different. Maybe one day, like the next festival, would she be giving that extra help to her sister in preparations. She wouldn't know for now, all she knew was clinging to her dad when they traveled and lounging in the den waiting for her next meal.

Once removed from that comfortable safety on top of Alastor's back, Fia squinted at the many number of wolves that had gathered for the festival. She was not scared of them. She certainly wasn't going to bolt out there and be the center of attention, but for a small child she wasn't cowering behind one of her parent's legs. She was just taking in the scenes silently sat right in between them. Big eyes of wonder, but also a bit harder glares as wolves came up to greet them, she said nothing.

A blue boy she obviously had not known offered her a gift which she padded lightly with her paw before wagging her tail with just a hint of excitement. All the commotion around her was overwhelming, but she could appreciate his gift in just anyway she knew how. She looked up to her mother for a few seconds before padding the sheep skin ball a couple times more between her paw and the ground. She'd certainly have more fun with it back at home, not here among all these others though. She'd stay silent as long as she could, fiddling with the ball Ricin had given her anytime she felt anxious or just didn't want to look anyone in the eyes.

"Fiametta"

The four of them had settled in well in Elysium and it seemed that both her children and Indigo were thriving. That was all that Asla wanted in life. The day of the festivities came and her children were given permission to do as they pleased. She and Indigo decided to make an appearance at the gathering for pack solidarity and to just relax for a time. There would be no drinking as the small but powerful fae still needed to be sharp in case anyone caused a ruckus, but they could eat and spend time together.

The giant, purple man graced her with a little kiss and they were off, paying their respects to Manea, seeing the new little bundle of fire, then finding a suitable place to call their own for the evening. As they stood, Asla noted that Gossamer stood before them. Their little sister had grown. With a nudge to Indigo's shoulder, Asla motioned in front of them with a point of her muzzle. "Hello, Gossamer." A simple greeting as it would have been rude to say nothing. She wondered if any of their other family members were here.

Once they were settled down on one of the thick furs, Asla turned to the dire brute. "Do you want anything? Food? Wine?" She'd get him whatever he wanted.

"Aslatiel"

Ricin was giving the Mendacium kids gifts and Chade wondered if he should have done so.  Unlike his gentle brother, Chade just couldn’t bring himself to give that red demonic bastard a gift.  It might be a bit too much of a statement if he gave the other siblings presents and not him so Chade had gone with not doing anything on that front.  Instead, he had just been sure to work hard at helping to stock enough food for the feast.  

Finding his brother Chade headed over to his paler blue counterpart, “Hey Ry,” he greeted warmly, “This is crazy right?  So many wolves here.” A hesitant pause adding softly, “you’re amazing.  I can’t believe you gave that bastard a gift.”  It wasn’t’ a complaint.  It was smart to try and get along with them but Chade took the form of avoiding for tolerance.  

“Hey,” an idea occurred to Chade as he looked to where food and liquid waited for those interested, “I heard they got alcohol here.  It’s a drink and you feel really good from drinking it.  It’s supposed to be real good, want to try some?” Chade pointed at the tent, “It’s in those bottles.”

"Chade & Ricin"

Rudyard had let Fern play her games with him.  To the extent, there were times that her requests met a sleepy wolf rolling over and grumbling at her to be quiet.  She wouldn’t of course, nor did he really expect her to be.  If she was so determined to pester then he’d respond in kind.

That was then, games were over on denying his interest in coming.  He strode alongside Fern, a small smile on his face as he could just feel all the excitement radiating from her.  Rudyard approached the Mendacium family alongside of Fern, bowing his head lowered for a moment before raising it, “Rudyard Carpathius, thank you for the invitation.”  His words were given formal politeness. Grinning and jokes were fun and all but today he was a representation of his family and he’d be on good behavior.

The greeting done Rudy lets Fern choose their path, glancing about to see who he might know.  Most everyone here so far were wolves he had no name for.  “So, anyone here you’ve met before to go visit?” If not they could always go check out the food and mingle there perhaps.

"Rudyard & Fern"

Keelin followed dutifully at Merrick's side as they went to attend the festival that had been in the works for a bit now. It still felt a bit odd to be walking beside him like this, no longer walking behind him as a slave. She had been told that she had even been moved to a proper rank within the pack rather than being written off as his servant. She knew that was only right for someone that was supposed to be his mate, but it was still a strange thing for her to wrap her head around. When they arrived and Merrick made his greetings of sorts to his family she gave Manea and her family a respectful nod as well, offering them a small smile. She had slowly started to get more comfortable with the wolves of the pack, though there was still some work to be done as far as getting to know everyone went.

She looked to Merrick and noticed the pointed look she was given and she quietly slipped away to head over to the plethora of meats without questioning what it was that he wanted from her. She knew well enough by now what he wanted and needed. He wasn't exactly a man of complicated tastes so it wasn't hard to figure out. She gathered up a couple of pieces of meat that looked appealing as well as one of the bottles of wine and brought it back over to where he was laying, laying out the meal for him before she laid down as well and tucked herself into his side so that she could lean into him while she observed the other wolves that had begun to gather and mingle about under the wide tent.

"Keelin"

Cerberus had traveled with both Albion and Scylla to the Elysium festival. It was a very different experience than the trip he had made with his father and he couldn't help but feel more like a man because of it. He and Siren's litter were all very capable of themselves now at their ages and it seemed Chimera trusted them enough in their abilities to look after each other. Cerberus certainly would take his big brother and heir roll seriously.

He wasn't used to so many unknown faces but he was settling on the idea. He wasn't much of a social guy himself but he wasn't anxious around strangers. There were a few he knew anyway though they seemed to be just the Elysium family.

He finally made it up to the podium bowing his head respectfully before stating, "It's nice to see you again, my father sends his apologies for not attending due to some unfortunate events that happened down south." He was sure the family would know by raven if that was something that Chimera wanted to disclose to them. Otherwise, that was all he would say on the matter. Looking down to the little red girl between them, Cerberus crouched down to make a silly little face before he regained himself with a smile, "Congratulations." And then he would go off to enjoy the rest of the festival.

"Cerberus"

With her gift delivered Gossamer milled about, sampling a few items from the feast as she tried to committed faces and scents to memory. She still had yet to ask for names. A familiar voice caught her attention and she turned to see Aslatiel. She grinned. It had been a long time and she hadn't expected to see her older sister here, let alone with the scent of their host pack. "Hey Asla, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Is this your pack now?" Her eyes glanced just briefly to the side at the large purple man that was accompanying her sister. Her smile faltered. It was her brother, Indigo. She was never really sure what to think of the man. He was the only sibling she'd never really talked to and it was hard not to feel abandoned by him. She swiftly turned her focus back to Asla and kept it there. If she was honest she resented Indigo. To know she had had an older sibling who was a healer, who could have helped her when she scrambling for a teacher, who opted to just flounce off with his hippies without giving her so much as the time of day. Since he'd shown little interest in her she was just fine with returning the favor.

ooc: As a random side note if you're ever interested in Gossamer and Indigo trying to connect let me know! She's just going to start off being surly.