The Warlord made his way to the heart of the pack. The communal area here showed the flattened terrain of a well-used space. The firepit crackled beside him, and Marshal rested atop the towering Obelisk behind him. He would start this meeting alone. He did not call first for Zee, or Azure, to be at his side. Their absence left him feeling old, a coldness inside of him that the warming fire did little to soothe.

He raised his head and called out to the pack. Summoning all of his wolves, from young to old. There would be some changes within the pack, and things to discuss. The absence of his second oldest son was keenly felt, and his disappearance was a large reason for the meeting he was calling. He knew Azure hadn’t been around since Zee’s death, and he had been giving his son the space to grieve in his own way. Now he wondered if he had misunderstood the situation, but his absence could no longer be explained away as a simple expedition into Boreas. His son was gone.

Deadline: 14th July

"Speech"

It was entirely by chance that he was home, lingering in the caverns while he spruced up his new den. It wasn't very far from the family den, so he didn't feel terribly isolated, but it was a space all his own. Working with a soft hammer and broad tipped chisel, he'd been laboriously carving a deep alcove into the space just to the side of the entrance. Somewhere to set down his weapons and armour at the end of the day, where they would be out of the way and unavailable to trip over. So when the faint echoes of his sire's sonorous howl made their way to his ears, the dun coloured titan paused his work. Let the sound bounce from the back of his den and into his ears one more time, just to make sure it wasn't tinnitus, or the vestiges of sound from his hammering hitting his ears wrong. Nope, that was his dad alright. He dropped the hammer and chisel, shoved them up against the wall for later, and took off at a steady lope down the stone tunnels. He was getting big, filling out in a way that was starting to get him wary looks from unfamiliar wolves. He hardly noticed, when he was in the market he was usually on a mission of some sort. Not looking around to see who was judging him. It did wonders for his troubled mind, not being aware of how many strangers seemed to think he was terrifying. It took a moment to adjust, stepping out into the light of day. Mercurial eyes narrowed, brow furrowing for a moment or two as he blinked away the stinging sensation of sunlight hitting his eyes. In the valley below, he could see the dark figure of his father silhouetted by the towering marble Obelisk. No one else had shown yet. Regardless, the young giant ambled down the path at a steady pace with a bounce in his stride. Once the soft grass found itself beneath his massive paws, the young male shook the last remnants of stone chips from his pale coat before trotting up to his sire. There was a sour look on his face, a scowl that he hadn't seen in months. It gave Stratum pause, and he hesitated for a moment, ears tipping back nervously before he offered a respectful dip of his chin to his sire. "Hey, dad." he uttered the words more quietly than he'd originally meant to, unsettled by the hardness of the man's sapphire stare. Then he found himself looking around, hoping someone else would show up to diffuse the budding tension before he lost his nerve. A half step back, leaving a bit of distance between himself and his sire, before the boy carefully and quietly settled onto his haunches. Curled his plush tail around his hip, slouched his shoulders defensively, and lowered his head. Hard for a mammoth of a young man to make himself look small, but damned if he wasn't going to try right now.

Everything important happened in daylight hours. It was like everyone did it to spite her! She stalked through the woods, bumping her head on tree branches - not because she didn’t know they were there, but because she was fed up with putting so much effort into avoiding them. If her dad wanted to call a meeting in the height of the day, then fine. Just don’t expect her to turn up looking all groomed and perfect. No. Her fur would be a messy tangle of whatever she could stumble into, and it would be all his fault.

She arrived at the Col surprisingly promptly despite her grumpy stalking, and Lioness led her over to a particular spot. She understood why when she felt and scented a wolf in front of her. She couldn’t see her fathers expression, or who else was around. But, in her typical lady-like fashion she let out a very hard done by sigh, and collapsed dramatically over Stratum’s back. Leaning fully on him like a back rest as she looked any way she pleased. It didn’t matter if she was facing her dad. It wasn’t like she coil see him.


"Kite"

Mortis was busy spending the day child-proofing the house with Halo. He had been getting some help from family to cover some of his day-to-day work so he could spend more time at home. Keeping an eye on Halo, and helping set things up. Not that he was worried or anything… but he was. Basilisk and Hazel had been amazing, picking up his patrols where needed.

He leaned back, eyeing the whelping space they had set aside in the den. The place the children would come into the world, and spend the first few months. They had removed any and all hazards, and made it as comfortable as he could. He was just considering what jobs needed doing next when his father howled, calling for the wolves of the pack.

He got to his paws, and nudged Halo gently, kissing her muzzle, and lingering for a moment, leaning against her soft cheek. A part of him didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to deal with whatever pack related things were going to be coming up. But he knew he had to. So he wrapped a wing around Halo, and together, they made their way to the meeting area.


"Halo" & "Mortis"

It seemed like activity had pretty much exploded around them. From the moment she'd told Mortis they were expecting, from the moment he'd proposed, it was like a million things had exploded into action. They'd set about childproofing the den, moving all of the potentially dangerous healing supplies into different places around the Armada. Halo found herself worrying about how things were organized, and did her best to keep up with all of the sorting. There were so many things, it was a wonder they'd all fit in the first place. A large section of shelving had to come down as well, each piece carefully tucked away for the time being. Bas and Hazel had been such a big help, too, able to help where the pair needed.

The Warlord's call filled the air, and Halo found herself... worried. Hell, she was still anxious that he was upset with her. That would be another concern for another day, and Mort's closeness was a comfort. Feeling the softness of his face near hers... she's grateful for it. Glad for it. His wing draped over her, Halo feels like nothing can go wrong. This is her safe place, after all. Sticking close to Mortis's side, they arrive at the meeting, looking carefully upon the Warlord. Curiously, it seemed that he was alone at their helm. Azure's absence hadn't gone unnoticed, but to call a meeting without him seemed odd to her. Halo tucked close to Mort's side, self conscious, waiting.

"Halo" & "Mortis"

She was the goddamn General now. A title that carried weight. A title that meant she really was something. Hazel had set goals for herself, and she'd made it. Well and truly made something of herself. From orphan to General, zero to hero. The best revenge was thriving in spite of it all. Still, with the new title came responsibilities. Came the fact that she was busy with shit, what seemed like all the time. It was nice to actually get to enjoy an afternoon with Bas... but that too, was short lived. The Warlord's call shattered the peace of their afternoon together. "Do you have any idea what it's about?" She asked him quietly as they prepared to go. The pair arrived together, and Hazel hovered close to Basilisk's shoulder. It would probably be unprofessional of her to cling, but there was something in Seer's tone... something off. All of this seemed to be a rather serious affair... that, or the tension was all in her head. It didn't stop her from remaining close to Bas's side, within easy reach. A quick nod to Mort and Halo, and to Stratum and Kite (not that Kite could see her, but that was fine.) Finally dipping her head to the Warlord as they found their seats somewhere near the front. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

Nirah hadnt expected to feel.... nervous. It was a new emotion for the young wolf. Hed made sure his herb store was close by. No he wasnt a healer but, it worked. Nirah had a goal, find his mothers killer and show her what for. A purpose. Nirah didnt want to let it show that she had spent a long time isolated.. hiding.

The large boy gave a shake, one deep breath later joining the communal area. His nerves were forgotten looking at the massive work put in by this pack. He wondered how long it had taken to look like this. He nodded to Sirius before blending into the back. He couldnt help but to think this...This was what a pack actually looked like.

The meeting would be expected, and as it was called Charlie would rouse himself to answer the call. The wolves of the Armada were all his family, wolves he wanted to protect, and after his rank challenge with his father, Charlie saw the importance of bettering himself. Of getting stronger, doing better, so that he could be strong for his loved ones. Letting himself slack in training now could hurt those he cared for. Or worse. He had increased his training sessions with Yorrick, and he hadn’t told anyone, but soon he planned to step outside the Armada again. This time with only his companions. He would do whatever he needed to in order to make sure he would not have a repeat of what happened during his first rank challenge fight. As scary as that had been, true failure would be far more shattering.

Charlie would arrive at the meeting and find others already gathered. He would approach quietly, coming to sit near his siblings. There was room for others to sit when Andromeda and Crux arrived, and he’d offer nods of greeting to the ones present, and a soft woof of greeting to Kite, before shifting his gaze to his father and giving a respectful nod. Sirius had taught Charlie a lesson he never wanted to learn, a hard one, and though it had hurt, the yearling knew his father had done it because he loved his son, not because he wanted to hurt him.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

This would be her first pack meeting to attend. When the Warlord’s call rang out, she had been picking weeds for Halo. Now that the other woman was about to burst, she felt the need to help her. Someone had to keep the weeds at bay or they would surely over run the gardens. Content to stay in the gardens all day long, she couldn’t hide the shiver that ran down her spine she she heard it.

Freezing for a moment, she waited to hear if anything else was going to come after it. When nothing did and she could hear the distant sound of paws rushing toward the central area for the meeting, the young girl would waste no time. Dropping the tool she had been using to help her dig out the roots, she turned and took off toward the place where Sirius’ call had come from. Upon her approach, she noticed quite a few had already shown up. She hesitates at first, unsure of where to stand. Her eyes flicker to Stratum, curious if maybe she should see if he wants company, but thinks better of it.

Instead, she wanders over to Halo and Mortis. The two wolves she felt the most comfortable with. Smiling at both of them, admiring their close embrace, she lays down nearby and curls up so that she isn’t quite in direct view of the Warlord, but close enough for him to see that she is there.

The days were beginning to shorten and a certain chilliness has started to creep into the air that speaks of the promise of autumn. Andy does not mind the chill, in fact, with her denser coat, she is looking forward to it. Still, she takes advantage of the sunshine while she can and is up at her observation post on First Point Light, tending to her small patch of flowers. Dirt cakes her paws as she weeds the flowerbed, carefully tending to the area with loving, care.

Her father’s call reaches her up there and the girl shifts to cast her gaze back down the path. Quickly, Andy stands, dusting her paws off and giving the sweet flowers a quick drink of water before moving to answer. She traverses the path quickly and, by the time she arrives, several wolves have already gathered, including, Stratum, Kite, and Charlie. The littermates always seem to cluster together and, as she moves to join the small group, she offers soft, warm greetings to Mortis, Halo, Hazel, an unknown male (Nirah), and the silent slave that she had not met but has heard about.

Finally, she comes to a stop with her brother’s, taking up a spot beside Kite as she easily falls into their normal routine. Softly, she whispers the names of the wolves, that she knows, to her sister, offering positions and descriptions of everything that is going on. Andy has been silently delighted that Kite had returned to the Armada with her even if Kite os not. Looking to her brother’s, the purple girl offers them both warm smiles and softly whispered, loving greetings. With that, she keeps her eyes open for anymore who appear, ready to supply the information to her blindfolded sibling until the meeting begins.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Keahi has been off scouting the rise and fall of packs and had taken note that the pirates have shifted leadership and the pack that had been their new neighbors has already fallen. Honestly, the red woman did not mind that one since she had gotten a odd feeling when meeting with the strange man and woman. A shiver races along her spine at the memory of the way the red male had stared at her, his hard gaze judging had hidden… something else. Just as her paws cross into the Col, Sirius’s call reaches her ears and the woman offers a small sigh.

Truthfully, she had been hoping to slip into a nice, hot bath before seeking out Ruga to unwind. But it seems that all that will have to wait. Moving to where her den is, Keahi quickly deposits some items she had bought to share with Ruga on her bed of furs before taking a moment to shake out the dust of her traveling. With that done, she moves to the meeting area, picking out a seat near the back where she can watch the gathered wolves. She offers smiles to those she knows, a respectful and warm bow to Sirius, and makes a note to introduce herself to the new faces. As she settles in, she hopes that the blacksmith will arrive soon and the pair and sit together through the meeting. Damn, how she had missed him.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

It was no surprise that Crux would be among the last of his siblings to arrive, even if he hadn't been in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his clinic space, meaning he had to wash the mix of torn leaves off his paws before he headed out. Soon enough it'd be in a state where he'd be comfortable showing it to his father and making his choice of path clear, but not yet, not quite yet. If he was being honest the only reason it ever would be in a state he'd bee willing to show to his father was because Riya had made him promise to set an end point, if he had his way he'd simply never stop tweaking it... But then it'd be of no use to anyone would it? Crux sighed as he pulled his paws from the cool pool in the main cave. Riya gave him a quick nod, turning back to what she was doing, she'd keep working while he went off to answer his father's summons, he'd fill her in on anything she needed to know.

So he made his way towards the meeting spot, somehow still there before Dread... Little victories. He almost instinctively sought out the shape of his older brother but he hadn't failed to notice that Azure had been scarce as of late, it left him with a mixture of feelings. For him it meant that he didn't need to worry as much about his older brother deciding to brutalize him seemingly just for fun, but he understood how this could have been hurting his father, the death of his mother still felt like a fresh wound to him so of course he couldn't imagine what it was like for the warlord to have lost his wife so recently and to have his son seemingly disappear... Or maybe he could... He missed Vanta after all. Crux made his way towards the group that was his litter mates, a small smile tugging at his lips. How did they always seem to stand out, or was it just that way to him? Either way Crux approached. "Hey!" He offered as a general greeting for the whole group, before he moved behind Stratum, gently brushing Kite to let her know he was there and settling on the other side of his bigger brother from Andy. He looked up at Stratum, he'd noticed the anxiety in his brother at their party too, was he okay?

"Speech"

Art by MarkLix

Malachai was fully moved out now, he'd picked a place as far from everyone else as he could but he still heard that blindfolded girl thumping her way around every morning, which was about his only complaint for now. It felt strange, he'd chosen to stay in the end, had considered if he ought to leave maybe return to his family but while Malachai had no reason not to he also didn't really have a reason to go either... Or maybe he just wanted revenge, to prove himself. Maybe it was stubbornness at the end of the day. He wanted to get that one red bastard's tail the way he'd gotten Malachai's and more than anything he wanted to prove that at the end of the day he didn't need anyone else, he could get to his goal all by himself, so yeah he was staying. Which meant he had to go when the warlord called... Prices to be paid etc. Still he waited until he could hear that dumb little girl had left before he made his meandering way down the mountain towards the growing gathering of wolves. He ran his gaze over the group and huffed to himself, taking just a second to acknowledge Sirius before settling himself towards the back of the group, he wasn't exactly social at the best of times and right now he wanted nothing more than to keep pushing towards his goal, this was a distraction... "Speech"

Art by LittleConundrums

While she was not a member of Armada, her band was staying within their lands. To Celeste, it meant that she wanted to be a part of this meeting. When Sirius’ echoing call crossed over to the warren outskirts where she had just returned from a hunt, she had wasted no time. Leaving her growing pups to have a snack, Celeste made haste. Her ears pointed forward, aquamarine eyes bright with curiosity, she approaches with a relaxed smile and posture. Looking around at the wolves, she nods toward Hazel and the others while going to sit near Sirius, but enough away that if anyone else wanted to be nearer, they had space. Placing her petite frame into a sitting position, she looks up to Sirius and awaits what he has to say.

Basilisk raised his head, and grinned at Hazel. “Why are you asking me, your the General” He teased affectionately. He helped her clean up the space so no one tripped over their things, and then they headed over to the Col. Walking close enough together that practice had to be involved, or they’d be tripping over each other's paws. Hazel led them near the front, and Basilisk could understand that. As General, she wanted to be close by if she was needed. She took her new responsibilities seriously. Possibly more seriously then he was taking Heir, but then, his dad wasn’t really doing much leadership training with him these days. Where was his dad, anyway? He squinted at the spot next to his Grandfather. “Hey, any idea where my dad is?” he whispered to Hazel. "Hazel" & "Basilisk"

Pyrite was slowly becoming accustomed to living around wolves again, not that it had made her anymore social about things. She still didn’t know her fellow pack mates, beyond Dread who had proven himself quite the young warrior. Everyone left her to herself, and that was just fine for the small reclusive woman.

Except for today. Pyr knew to answer the call when she was summoned, though instead of the young Prince calling for backup this was a general call to the whole pack. She wasn’t quite sure her presence was warranted, but her small deft paws moved anyway. Blue eyes gilded by gold scanned the meeting place, still devoid of her brother. Pyr made her way to the back of the crowd to await him as she leaned back to sit, wapping her snow tipped tail around her hips. All the while looking up curiously at the alpha, wondering what could be so important.

He was running late. Late, late, late. That was fine, no one should notice. In Dread’s mind, he was going to be able to be able to slip in unnoticed. He’s trying to, at least. He catches the Warlord’s call as he’s trying to scrub the pirate smell out of his coat. Trying to cover his tracks and where he’s been. It’s likely right as his father is about to start to speak that Dread slips in, at the very back. Trying not to disrupt everything around him, still damp from his bath, sitting at the back and settling carefully on his haunches. Not technically late, but way too close to be comfortable.

He was hella late. He couldn't say he had any real excuses. He had gotten wrapped up in tracking some prey that the call for a meeting had gone largely unheard since he was focused on his task. It wasn't until his companions came to find him and tell him that he had an "oh shit" moment and went running back towards the center of the Armada. He hoped he wasn't too late, and if he was well then it sucked to be him. He'd bear the consequences if he missed a whole meeting, though as he arrived to find almost everyone there (with the exception of a few), he slid into the group and sat at the back so as not to disturb or draw too much attention for his lateness. Still, he would apologize if need be. He waited for the meeting to begin. "Grimoire

He was late. So, so late. He had gone into one of the caverns to explore and got lost, and had barely found his way out. He saw someone running past the mouth of the cave like his life depended on it, and Ansem having not heard the initial call decided it was important enough to see what was going on. He ran after the brown-furred stranger, his own lanky paws eating the ground as he tried to keep up and tried to call out to see what the fuss was about, but he supposed the stranger ahead of him hadn't heard him. Oh well!

As he neared the center of the Armada, he realized something important was going on because just about everyone was gathered. Woops! He quietly made his way towards the group and took a seat near the edge, peering around bodies to find his grandfather seated at the front and looking like he had things to say.

The Warlord waited for his wolves to appear. Noticing more than a few glances to the empty space at his side. Where once Zee had sat, and then Azure was expected to be. He felt their absences heavy in his heart, but refrained from the urge to glimpse to his side himself. Knowing he would find nothing there but emptiness. Many of his children were quick to appear, as did many of his other wolves. Keahi, Basilisk, and Hazel were especially noticed. He expected promptness from his tier two wolves, and received it.

He waited a while longer, longer than he usually would, and many of his wolves did not appear. He knew some of his wolves were away from the pack for the moment - as was expected, especially in a pack so large. But others that should have arrived, did not. He marked their absence with a heavy heart. He cleared his throat after a moment, and began. “Thank you all for coming, I have a few things that need to be discussed. First, you will have noticed Azure’s absence. My son has vanished from the pack for some time now, and given no word. Diplomats, please keep an ear out for word from other packs, if there is any to be found. With his absence, I am considering opening the position of Champion. I will consider any wolf who steps forward, whether you are of my blood or not. If you nominate yourself for this position, step forward after the meeting.” He declared. That would give them a chance to think it over.

“I have also received word that the Pirates have new leadership and a new name. They go by Raiders Hallows now. I would like to give them a warm welcome, and any who wish to accompany me on such a raid, raise a paw. We will stay at the end of this meeting to go over the raid. While I’m on the subject of raids, I am considering starting a raid rotation. With Winter coming, and the large number of wolves in this pack, we will need to supplement our supplies. Any that wish to sign up for the raid rotation, speak to Hazel at the end of the meeting.” He said, nodding his head towards his general. Knowing she had already begun lists of where people stood in their training and battle supplies. “Lastly, with a large number of younglings in this pack, I wish to start a mentorship and training program. Those that wish to sign up as mentors, speak to Keahi and she will assign you to a trainee.” This nod was to his Gladiator. “On the topic of younglings, I would like to congratulate Halo and Mortis, who are expecting their first litter of puppies.


Ooc: Those that didn’t attend the mandatory meeting will have to attend a mandatory training or automatically fail this season's activity check. Those that are on official absence will be excused from this: Resin, Tea, Lunar, Nyx. If you're on an absence and not listed here, please let me know!

[b]"Speech"