They'd done well in their first raid.  Quite well.  Víðarr was pleased with that, and pleased with the dedication he'd been seeing from his fighters.  They were a good crew, and they'd only get better.  They'd only get better with time, they'd only get better with practice.  With his head high and a glimmer in his eye, he considered the pack as they stood.  Spring had sprung most places, though the mountain may not have quite gotten the notion.  The viking king swept down the mountain, something brilliant and excitable in his step.  A spring, what a glorious spring in his step.  Maybe there's something wild about him, given the circumstances.  Who could blame him?  He'd gotten his fledgling pack through the most difficult season, in the harshest terrain.  The gods had blessed him.  The gods had blessed them.  Víðarr would continue to do right by them, in every way he could.  

Part of that meant conducting another raid, taking the opportunity to bring the spring yearlings out too.  To the northwest, the lands that the viking king had initially set his sights on when settling Boreas.  He knew them well, and he knew that they would be teeming with prey very, very soon.  To hunt those lands, while learning the patterns of nature in his own?  That sounded ideal.  Lighting a fire in the large pit within the Steppe, Víðarr tipped his head back and let go a deep, excited call.  It would be go time very, very soon.  They would be headed to the Armada with intent to conduct a hunt on their lands.  

Dusk was beginning to settle.  They would strike tonight.  Waiting for all the raiders brave, bold enough, he built up the fire.  Coaxed it to life.  He took a long draw from one of the last bottles of liquor from his original band's stores, and then splashed a bit on the flames.  A prayer on his lips to the gods, an offering.  Víðarr's gaze glimmered in the firelight.  By the gods, it was everything the viking king could ask it to be.  

"Víðarr"

Here at last was the best chance Strai had to prove himself. As the call rolled through the Steppe, the boy prepared himself. He grabbed what he thought he might need, and then fell into a swift trott towards the Demons chosen meeting place. He nodded his head towards the older, taller wolf. Keeping his expression diplomatic. Vidarr made him weary, though the strength of his leader could not be denied. In Vidarr, lay the key to everything. His freedom. His life.

“May I?” He asked, a little stiffly. Asking permission did not come easily to the headstrong boy. But he was Thrall, and therefore did not necessarily have the right to be here.


"Speech"

The call hit her, and Bylgja looked up from her work, shoving aside the shield she had been working on. Ah, she wished she could have finished it before the raid, but that was more than cause enough to go to the raid itself. With a low, excited snarl, the brutish woman lurched from her resting place to find where her King had called from; here, in the dusk, she looked ferocious; muscular, scarred, her ears forward and her stride languid, calm, despite the tension and eagerness in her chest. As she approached, Bylgja gave a call of her own -- and then, with no regard for how others would see it-- she greeted her son with a dip of the head and an affectionate headbutt to his shoulder. Then, she looked to the King. "A beautiful night for blood!" Bylgja barked, her teeth flashing. Her axe hung at her side, glinting meanly with firelight. "Beautiful night for us all!" She threw her head back and howled, unable to contain her excitement, unable to stop the eager tremble that tore down her body. Soon, the raid would be on, and soon, Bylgja would-- win or lose -- be fighting for the pack. For her King, her son. Her chest was full of pride, and she did not bother to hide it. What a glorious time, truly. "Bylgja" & "Strai"

She had been allowed to participate in the last raid and so Tomie decided she would just assume the same would be true this time. Same stoic expression as she usually had plastered on her face the young woman approached the fire, gaze roving over the wolves that were already there. She skipped over the scarred woman for her own sanity but was admittedly approving of the young boy's appearance. Tomie didn't know him much at all, but he had only helped to spur on her poor thoughts of the black man, who was also obviously there. Tomie lingered at the edge of the firelight, making sure she made eye contact with the black man, so that he knew she was there and was putting herself forward but he couldn't make her engage beyond that. It was petty sure, but she thought he was petty too so she was only returning what she'd been given.   "Speech"

Art by Cloudy!

Delphi felt a mixture of emotions when Vidarr called them forth. After the series of quite unfortunately events, she wasn't sure she was ready for a raid. Her first birthday had arrived and that had made her happy. So happy, but her mother was missing. And she had gotten into trouble countless times over - even when she wasn't looking for it. So when Vidarr called, she froze for a moment. Would she go? Could she go? Hesitation lingers in her as she hems and haws over the decision. It isn't until the echoing harmony of Bylgja reaches her that she begins to feel the excitement.

Taking her sweet time, Delphi wouldn't hurry. She tried her best to hide her feelings with a brimming and smirking smile as she approached the already-gathered group. First, she walks by Vidarr, reaching down to give one of his monstrous toes a good tug before wandering over to where Bylgja and Strai are. Delphi stops to headbutt Bylgja against her leg before moving to sit directly beside Strai with her shoulder leaning against his leg. Lastly, she lifts a paw to wave in Tomie's direction before she leans her cheek against Strai's leg and closes her eyes for a moment.

"Should be fun," she murmurs quietly as her eyes open to watch the crackling fire.

Úlfr wandered down from his den in the mountains to the hunting fields of the steppe, noting signs of pronghorn movement as he went. The coming of spring would make for many a good hunting opportunity and for young and tend meat to be harvested if the hunters were agile enough to seize it. He paused, adjusting his armor slightly before continuing. Word had spread that it was time for another raid and Úlfr did not want to miss it. He was eager to fight again! Above him his ravens soared and danced in the night sky, the fire reflecting eerily off their feathers and shiny dark eyes as the trio approached the gathering.

Úlfr entered the gathering of wolves and nodded to the alpha before taking a seat near the fire. There were few perches in the Steppe so his ravens settled down at his feet.

She was in the midst of training with the dwarf Viking Gimli when Vidarr's call rang out. She paused to listen, a grin quickly taking over before she winced and recoiled when Gimli headbutted her in the stomach. "Distraction is a surefire way to lose yer head!" He exclaimed as Brida gasped to catch her breath. "Vidarr is calling for another raid!" She shot back as she straightened herself out. "Ah heard 'im, bu' you still need te focus!" She huffed as she waved her paw. He had a point, but she wouldn't admit that she, in fact, should not have gotten distracted. "Let's go see who we're raiding!" With a wild grin, she turned and threw her head back in a howl of her own. Unadulterated joy and determination in her voice as she grabbed her new equipment on the way and hastily threw it on. She called for her ravens, and with Gimli right behind her, they all made their way to join the meeting. She arrived to find a handful of others there already. Her heart beat with emotion and anticipation, eyes ablaze with a wild light. She had lost against her last opponent, but surely she'd show them that she was a warrior worth her salt this time around. She had been training with Gimli, but she wasn't so entirely confident in herself after her last few outings. "Brida"

Dust kicked up behind him as his paws slid back in the dirt. Just as he began to charge forward again, Vidarr's call rang out, distracting Brida. He grinned, too. But only because he had a wide open shot when Brida stopped to listen. He managed to headbutt her right in the stomach, causing her to double over as he bounced away. "Distraction is a surefire way to lose yer head!" He advised as he readjusted his gear. He rolled his eyes when Brida stated the obvious, "Ah heard 'im, bu' you still need te focus!" The call had been hard to miss, but he was just as eager as she was to see who their next target would be. "Come, Knut!" He raced after Brida, his Norwegian forest cat close behind as the trio made their way to where Vidarr had called the raiders to gather. Brida had been doing well in training, but when it came to the real deal, she still had much to improve. It was one thing sparring against someone you were familiar with. Another when it was against someone who had something to lose, or something to protect. He arrived with a hearty laugh as he joined the others, taking a seat with Brida and Knut. "Aye! Who gets a taste o' Gimli!" "Gimli"||"Knut"

Better late than never right? The old man knew he wasn’t the timely sort, he wasn’t dragging his paws or anything it was simply how he was. Or rather how the situations seemed to unfurl around him, he was always balls deep in some other neighbouring territory when he was called for. Typical, right? And it wasn’t like the Maw was easy to navigate, he’d wish any wanna be invaders good luck with that. Be careful not to trip and plummet to their death, or get caught in a landslide. Who knew rocks could be so dangerous.

He trotted across the grass, weaselling his way through the gathering to plonk himself right next to his girl, Delphi. His other kids weren’t here and that was okay, he’d never force them. Maki was- a sweet baby girl who’s fake friends, characters as he understood it were very important to her. That and she probably couldn’t fight her way out of a hut made of leaves.

"Oh by the way, my boar may have slept in someone’s den. Sorry bout that." He said in place of greeting to the group.