THANK YOU CANTTINA!

Before today, there had been much to consider. Since returning to Alacritia and hearing from Loccian that Seracia was a welcoming pack, Erebos had been thinking on joining. While part of him desperately wanted to, another part craved love from his family first. He had hoped to rekindle his relationships with his parents and that maybe in doing so, they would welcome him home. When push had come to shove, however, he was feeling let down. His father had taken back the red forest, but had made it into a place Erebos could never thrive. His mother, being the weakling she was, had crawled after Deteste despite the fact that she would never fit his mold either. Not the way he was now, at least.



It was true that Erebos had found love in a half-sister, and he intended on maintaining his relationship with her until the end of days, but she was bound to her father in a way that the young male was not. Circe would understand his decision, too, which made it seem that much more obvious to him. He did not belong with his family, no matter how much he wanted to. He belonged where others would respect him and love him as he was. Where he would feel welcome despite his shortcomings. Where he could feel appreciated.



It wasn't long before he found himself within the Seracian borders, the mid-morning sun beating down on the ebony fur of his back. He had altered his schedule today, rising earlier to complete his hunt and bath before coming here. He was clean, he was fed, and he was happy. Happy to finally be on his way to freedom from his past. Tipping his mouth to the sky he would call for someone, anyone, to come forth an accept him. He hoped that Loccian would hear him and join in the moment when he would finally choose a home.

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She had been checking out the newest additions to the Kingdom, the new lands in which she was allowing her members to explore and get familiar with. They weren't too bad, actually very nice. The Weeping Woods was a good spot for the younger members to hang around, to do their mentoring program, plenty of space to practice fighting, and enough small prey to work on their hunting skills. It was peaceful. Loccian was probably no more than a few yards away from the main kingdom when she heard the howl, and her grey orbs fell upon a familiar sight. The woman would quicken her pace, not quite a walk but also not a jog. "Erebos." The woman would say his name in a friendly tone, a grin upon her face as she came up from behind the man on an angle. Paws would bring her to a stop, tail slowly waving behind her as she looked to the man, giving a small dip of her head to him. "It's nice to see you are doing fine, what brings you to Seracia on this fine day?" Questions would form in her head as she wondered why he was here. Last they spoke he wanted to catch up with hi family, at least that's what she thought she remembered. Did he end up finding them? Were they okay or did something bad happen with them? Was that why he was here? Speech, Thoughts, You Awesome image by Yumpy <3

THANK YOU CANTTINA!

A grin would spread across his features as the gray female came into view. It had been weeks since he had seen his only friend and he was glad to finally stand before her again. He would dip his head in returned greeting and his tail would wag. Loccian, it had been a while. He glanced around to see if anyone else approached, but none did. It seemed that it was only them, which was odd to him.

I finally decided that I would be interested in joining your pack, if it would have me. Are you allowed to accept members? As he focused his icy gaze on her, part of him hoped she would say yes. It would make things much quicker and simpler for him, and wouldn't push him too far outside his comfort zone.

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Ears perked up when the man confirmed her thoughts, he was here hoping Seracia would accept him as a member. He would even ask if she would be able to accept him. That made her think of the last time they had run into each other, she had been a lower rank, so he didn't know of the change in leadership. "That is wonderful news Erebos, Seracia would gladly welcome you as one of our own." Her gaze would quickly go to the Kingdom, and after a few moments of silence she would turn back to the man with a calmer smile. "I am now Queen of this Kingdom, and would love for you to join. Before I do that however, I must inform you of how things work here." She would sit back on her haunches, running through her head about what has and hasn't changed for her to tell him. She didn't want to dump too much information on him to where he would become overwhelmed. Speech, Thoughts, You Awesome image by Yumpy <3

THANK YOU CANTTINA!

A small gasp would escape him as Loccian spoke, taking him by surprise. Surely she had not been in such a position of power when they last met? Queen?! That is fantastic, he would congratulate her with a bow and a grin. Suddenly realizing that he was in the presence of true royalty, he would keep his body lowered slightly in respect. I appreciate your welcoming me. What do I need to know?

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She would give a small nod of her head with a grin when Erebos congratulated her, and even though they weren't very close, it still made her feel proud of the rank title she held. The man would ask what he would need to know, and with that the woman would clear her throat, grey gaze looking to him in a gentle manner. "I do not ask much from my members, and the laws I'm about to tell you is of common sense." She informed him with a small smile, tail lightly thumping against the ground. "The first and most important law everyone is expected to follow, is to obey the Queen or King." The most important in any pack, you should obey your leader. "The Kingdom comes first, ad so you should be aware of what your doing. If you put your packmates in danger, you will be punished, and depending on what you did, be exiled. Rank and respect is important, along with work and loyalty. You will be promoted based on these. You mate take a mate without asking for my permission, but it would be nice to inform me. Along with this, you are to inform me if your mate is pregnant, if you fail to do so you will be punished... Our Kingdom is already large, we must be careful not to deplete our resources." She would add in a serious tone. The woman already expanded her Kingdom for the growing numbers, they needed to keep their numbers steady or else all the hungry mouths would deplete their food and water resources. "Mating outside the pack is frowned upon, especially if your mate is in another pack that we either aren't allied with or don't quite have a standing yet. And lastly any allies are to be treated with respect, and any trespassers are to be dealt with force only if they get aggressive." It was then the woman would pause to take a breath, letting all the information sink into the man's head. "Any questions about these laws?" Speech, Thoughts, You Awesome image by Yumpy <3

THANK YOU CANTTINA!

He listened carefully to Loccian's every word, excitement spreading through him with every passing second. He would have a home, a family, friends... All of the things he had craved and never truly had. He hoped that no one would judge him for his shortcomings, that they would see what was really inside him and not the insanity that plagued him when it was least desired. He wanted to fix himself, but more than anything he wanted love and acceptance. It seemed Seracia was the place to get that, and he hoped he was right.



As the speech came to a close, Erebos grinned and shook his head. I don't have any questions, it all seems very straight-forward and fair. Thank you so much, Loccian, for welcoming me here. He was more grateful than he would ever be able to tell her.

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Loccian would grin as the man reacted to the laws, understanding them perfectly well and thanking her for welcoming him here. ?No problem Erebos, I am glad you have come here seeking acceptance, I was hoping to see you again.? She would speak in gentle tones, giving a small nod of her head as she spoke. With the laws out of the way now she would be able to ask about where his skills lay, was he a good hunter or fighter, or was he into things dealing with politics and keeping a Kingdom running smoothly, offering his knowledge? Clearing her throat the Queen would shift, sitting back comfortably. Grey gaze would fall upon the man once again, a smile still on her face. ?Before I can give you a rank, I would like to hear about what you are capable of... do your skills lie in hunting, fighting, maybe something like advising?? She would ask curiously. Speech, Thoughts, You Awesome image by Yumpy <3

THANK YOU CANTTINA!

Loccian's question would have been easy for most others, but for Erebos it required a pause to think. He was built for many things - running, fighting, hunting - but his mental differences posed a problem. Fighting could be risky and it was something he had never done consciously - of course, during childhood, he had had a few psychotic episodes and "fought" his brother, but he wasn't aware throughout. Advising was something he would be suited for, if it weren't for his rampant obsessive tendencies. Hunting, though... Hunting and fishing were talents perfected over consistent days of practice. Twice a day he set aside two hours to retrieve food with an extra hour to prepare it, often ending up with far more than he needed and giving it to someone who needed it more. He cleared his throat. I am quite experienced in hunting and fishing, he would say, recalling their first meeting when he showed her how to catch a fish. Back then he never imagined he would be here.

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Erebos would inform Loccian that he was quite experienced in hunting and fishing, this she would give a nod to, recalling the time they first met and he was very particulate with how he prepared the prey once caught. ?A hunter then,? she would say with a smile and wag of her tail, ?I will give you the rank of Serf then. With some hark work and loyalty, you will be able to rise to Villein, lead hunter, if you wish.? She would give a small nod of her head. With a rank chosen she would go on to inform him of how things went, what was done to rise in rank and how members were expected to act. ?Seracia is a Kingdom built on loyalty, respect, and hard work. If you show these then you will have a good place in the pack, will rise in our ranks. My members are usually lighter aligned, kind-hearted and look out for each other. We strive for equality, superiors act as guides and examples to how a member should act, to represent the kingdom. If you move up in the ranks then you should hold it with pride, honor it for if you make a mistake you will lose it.? The woman wasn't the type to be cocky about her position, but she wanted her members to hold their rank with pride, having put into the effort to earn it. ?With the rise in numbers I have extended our territory, weeping woods is for training the young, buffalo knolls for hunting large game, and the fern gulley is for our healers.? Speech, Thoughts, You Awesome image by Yumpy <3