Raisa could feel them inside of her now. When she moved, their presence was as obvious as the rising sun or the howling wind. It shadowed her every thought, that there were little... tiny... things growing in her gut, feeding off of her strength. It was, to a degree, quite unsettling. She had not planned for this, how a moment of blind passion might so sway the entirety of her future. Motherhood was something she had always been told to expect, and the sooty queen had come to see it as a duty. But that was before her exile. Now she was free, yet that freedom seemed to have bound her more surely than any oath she might give a High Lords first born son, and promise she had made to her mother after a fierce rebuke and cuff around the ear. This was reality, it was her reality, as well as her responsibility. For all that she had not planned for the things, she found herself taking extra care that one might fathom as affection. She did not run quite so fast, was mindful of where she walked, the quality of the things she ate. There was one thing yet that she had not done, however, and that was spread the news. She had spent a piece of time lately exploring the lands around them, for two reasons. The first was to relocate her wayward steward that had gone off to find himself a mate upon their settling, and the next was to expand. Her numbers were growing constantly, and it seemed as if several more would stand among them before long. She tipped back her head and let loose a howl, so that all of her followers might know her intent. They had quite a bit to discuss. "Talk" "You" Think OOC: Note, attendance within this thread is not required. If you would like to join, feel free! Also note that strict posting order is not terribly important, I'd like to keep it moving! If someone has not posted in a day or two feel free to pop back in.

Rather new to the pack, Isi had yet to meet those that she would now call her new pack mates. She'd spent her time attempting to familiarise herself with what she supposed was now her new home and had spent quite a bit of time wandering around, working out where seemed to be the best places to hunt, the best pathways around the land and anything else about the territory that caught her attention. So far it was going ok she supposed, though there was still work to do until the girl was completely comfortable with getting around the Ebony pack lands. It was why she was rather shocked as she made her way to the meeting point after Raisa's howl to discover that she was the first to arrive on the scene. The surprise was fairly clear on her face as she approached the Queen, gaze looking around just to double check that no one else was hiding. "There are other members, right?" She questioned, flicking her gaze back to Raisa now as she came to a stop before her.

She was just returning from her travels, just in time to hear the call ring out. Tall silvery white audits perked as she padded into the territory, following the summons to where her Queen awaited. Something about her was... off? Immense paws would strike the ground with strange near silence, and the masked femme dipped her crown in greeting. "I apologize for my absence, my liege. I had business to attend to elsewhere and ended up being... tied up." She would murmur, her vocals formal and powerful as usual. Mismatched optics of glacier and magma pigments were fixed on the features of her soot furred Queen. "I trust the pack has faired well in my absence? Nothing seems out of order.." The obsidian giantess inquired, despite her acute observational senses, there was the possibility that something not so easy to find had gone amiss. Looking around, she found her slightly terrifying gaze fixating upon the visage of a smaller she wolf who seemed quite confused by the lack of wolves gathered. The question posed by the amber eyed wolfess was an amusing one, and with a quick glance over her broad shoulder at her Queen, the jet furred soldier chose to respond. "Of course. A pack such as this cannot remain small for very long." She would chuckle, though she was not laughing at the strange woman persay, simply alluding to the humor in the statement. Ebony was quite magnificent in it's standards, and they were strong indeed. Magma and ice optics would flick over the bodice of the strange lady, assessing her condition and her formidability. Surely a warrior could be crafted from her, but it would take too much effort, a healer or hunter would be a better choice. Platinum audits would flick absently for a moment before the gladatrix spoke again. "I am Platinum, and you are?" She would inquire politely, never one to trod upon good manners or social dictations and niceties. Salmon tongue would escape the powerful jaws of the dame as she ran it over her canines, which peeked out from below her top lip and often became a little dry. Her wicked talons dented the dry terra underfoot, and one would expect to find claws like that on a feline more than a lupine. A calm expression remained on the sharp features of the silvery white masked she wolf, but the tension in her defined muscles spoke of her natural stance of readiness, her constant awareness of her surroundings in case danger presented itself. "Talk" "You" Think SOLDIERS FOLLOW MY LEAD, REPEAT AFTER ME -PLATINUM- HOLY DEEP FRIED POTATOES THANK YOU FOXXY!!

Still filled with the annoyance of tresspassing, he would brush it aside and attend to the meeting. Soon, theres no denying that Vaughan would need to talk to his queen about all the rouges who thinks its okay to walk upon there lands as though they where weak. And that, is exactly the one thing the Ebony lord could not stand. Ignorance, will not be tolerated in his precense and he'd be sure to snap anyone out of it. Whether they are young or old, everyone will be treated like equals. The call would pull Vaughan towards the meeting, happy to see his dear friend and the members slowly drooping in. And just as he was about to speak, something would stun his eyes. WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL HAPPENED TO HER FIGURE. Strolling towards her his head would tilt the whole way down to the bump on her belly, and extremely slowly, almost exaggerating he would meet her gaze, his face half shocked and half amused. " Raisa You've gained weight!" He'd chuckle before sitting to the side, if this happened a few months ago he'd be jealous on a whole new level, but now his love is now replaced with the sisterly / best friend type, knowing very well he needed to move on. " Congratulations!" "Talk" "You" Think VAUGHAN of EBONY

My soul is spiraling in frozen

Elsa Winterfell

fractals all around

Elsa had pushed her way off towards the pack meeting where she stood tall as one of two Sola knights. Her fur coated with the scents of herbs where she had been burying herself in her work of late. Raisa's words had only pushed her to work as hard as she possibly could to prove that she was the best. She still did not trust some of the wolves in the pack. Some seemed more aggressive at the borders than Raisa was. Elsa took a deep breathe as she arrived at the scene. A small smile graced her muzzle as she saw why the meeting seemed to be called.


Raisa was pregnant.


Elsa dipped her head to her alpha and continued to hold her smile. "Sorry if I'm late Queen Raisa, updating the stores." She explained to her alpha what seemed like her absence from being the first one there.

Ah it was a wonderful day! Warm but not terrible with a nice cool breeze blowing in from the north. Kaliska had a gopher in her mouth as she trotted towards the call of her Queen. Quickly, she snarfed down the last bits and licked at the blood on her teeth, pausing for just a moment to make herself a bit more presentable. Just in case they had any more guests. It thrilled her that Ebony was becoming such a center for activity within Alacritis and her pack was growing far more quickly than she could have dreamed. So many new faces! Kaliska slipped into the gathering. She recognized Platinum, Vaughn and Elsa though the other fae she didn't quite know. She smiled broadly though. "Hello there! I'm Kaliska Kaltharsis, what's your name? And Greetings Milady!" She quickly situated herself down and as she did he gaze wandered over Raisa's figure. Wow? she had put on quite a bit of weight. Though she supposed that was typical of royalty in some ways though it rather surprised her coming from Raisa who had always been a fit wolf. She mentally shrugged to herself, not one to judge another femme's figure. "Speech"

The dark man smiled at his queen as he showed himself. He had arrived shortly after Kaliska. The only other wolf he recognized there was the high lord Vaughan. The two females that he did not know he still offered a small smile to. As he drew closer he gave a bow to his queen. "Always a pleasure my lady."

The look on her face and the way she moved around had given him an idea of why Raisa had called them here long before her stomach did. As a Nomad wolf and a Sola Knight of Ebony he already knew that bit of news, yet as a wolf who respected Raisa he would keep all thoughts on the matter to himself. He would let her tell them when she was ready for them to know.

To Vaughan he would give a respectful half bow, to Kaliska he would give a smile and a nod in greeting. To the two women he did not know the same nod he gave to Kaliska was given to them. "I am Maximous, a pleasure to meat the two of you."

Her call would summon him in a moment, and with haste he would head in her direction. Ears swiveled to pinpoint the location of the quickly fading cry, but as he was an experienced tracker it didn't take much for him to deduce where she was calling from. The garden of rocks was the place, but no sound on earth could give him the reason behind the call. Sight could certainly do so, and as his eyes of honey fell upon her he knew at once he had lost the battle he hadn't known he'd been fighting. Pregnant, he mused within the confines of his cranium. Before he'd even dreamed it, the fantasy had died and been buried. With haste he would bring himself to the circle of those gathered. The Knight dipped his head in greeting to them all, though eyes lingered on she and she alone. "My Queen," he breathed, as if he were still in awe that she was indeed his Queen. Indeed he was in awe, very much so - in fact. Quickly his eyes would travel over her newly defined curves before falling respectably to the place where her front paws kissed the earth. It was time to hear what exactly she had to say. "Talk" "You" Think

Her pack memebers came out of the woodwork, and that brought a smile forth on the fae's face. Isidora was the first member on the scene, quickly questioning if she was the only, but before Raisa could unhinge her jaw to answer Platinum had arrived as well. "All is well Platinum, thank you. I am glad to see you've arrived home safely," she said with a genuine ring in her voice. She made a note to get to know the dark woman better. Another ghost of her past arrived soon at her heels, his sharp eyes immediately gracing her. His blithe comment drew a snort from the woman, rolling her eyes at his smarmy humor. Still though, her congratulated her. Raisa's fur heated, knowing that he knew exactly the situation she had found herself in. Raisa nodded to him, turning her attention back towards Platinum once more as her voice resounded. The queen smiled as the warrior's attention fell upon the newly arrived Kaliska. Had they been alone Raisa might have made time to apologize to the smallest of their company. She had not seen the woman since their encounter with the dark murderess, and guilt tugged at her. Maximous was near at hand as well, and then Aeryc. Both greeted her, and with that Raisa felt perhaps it was time to begin. She took a deep breth, and let her eyes fall upon each and every one of them. "Well, I've no doubt that you're all of sound mind and body. Your eyes work, you know one of the reasons I've called you here." She looked down at her stomach and swept her tail around to graze her own flank. Looking back up, a sombre light filled her eyes. "I'm with child. I'd wager that by early to mid autumn they shall arrive. One among them I shall name my heir. As I'm sure you all have noticed I have no king, and thereby ask all of you to treat my children as you would your own." Her eyes dusted around the gathering, over loyal Vaughan and strong Platinum, quick Kaliska and wise Elsa. Each and every wolf before her could be called friend. "Furthermore," she said quickly, not wanting to linger too long on such a tender topic, "I would announce an event that I mean to host here at the turn of the season. We will hold a Tournament for us and our allies. I mean to get to know them better, and to kindle friendships between us all. There will be areas for those of all knowledge types and disciplines. I know you will all make me very proud." She finished her short speech with a soft smile. She knew they would have many questions, and she stood prepared to answer them all. As it was, she was just happy to see so many of them together. "Talk" "You" Think

Elsa

Elsa had kept her eye out for the wolf Maximous that she had heard about before. "So you are the newest Sola I keep hearing about. Pleasure to meet you Maximous. I am Elsa, founding member and Sola Knight." She said with a forced by natural looking smile to the man. She saw him as an obstacle to getting what she wanted but that would not sway her away from the kind and shy nature she had learned to inherit. She stayed silent after that and waited for the meeting to start and then she listened to Raisa's words. She was pregnant, which the Sola knew at that point, and she knew that she could treat them as her own as Raisa requested. She loved pups when they weren't terrified of her. She would not run into that in Ebony, at least she hoped. News of the tourney was new and something that Elsa had not expected. They would be hosting an event for them and their allies and when she was allowed to ask questions she pipped up for curiosity and preparations sake. "Will there be fighting, Queen Raisa?" The question was due to the fact that wolves got hurt when they fought. She was entrusted to heal wolves. The two went hand in hand.

Pregnant, she's pregnant. But who's the father? Instinctively his eyes drifted around him, looking for a male who was either elated at the prospect of being a father, or shrinking into the shadows in light of his mistake. It didn't seem as if this were a planned thing, and so he suspected he was probably looking for the latter sort of male. The Knight stiffened slightly, but noted no one looking much out of the ordinary. A low growl bubbled in his chest, but he quickly reminded himself of an important fact. She isn't yours to get upset over. It was then that his ears caught a most interesting line about her lack of a King. It seemed the male who'd impregnated her was nothing special or she would have named him King. He must be a rogue, or someone not present in this meeting. The faintest of smiles flickered across his lips. Then came an explanation of a tourney to be held. He relaxed ever so slightly, demeanor shifting to excitement rather than frustration. "Aye, might it be wise for the Knights to stretch our muscles and spar a bit? I wouldn't mind organizing such an event if anyone is interested in preparing for the tourney." He paused, another idea coming to mind. "We could hunt as well, we'll need an extra stock of food if we're to be ready to receive guests." Perhaps he was an overachiever, but it never really crossed his mind to think of himself that way. He only wanted this to go well, and to do what he could for Raisa. In a sense these were the beginning of many, many efforts to prove himself - and to achieve his ultimate goal. "Talk" "You" Think

So this was the other Sola Knight. She was a pretty little thing, though the first thing he noted about this lass was that she did not have the mark of a Nomad wolf. He did not doubt her knowledge of healing but she was not the healer he had been hoping for. He would assume that to her the only thing he was, was competition and he was ok with that though he would like to be friends.

At the conformation of her pregnancy, Maximous would turn away from the other two women and smile. He loved his queen just as he would love her children. She was a beautiful woman and her children would be just as lovely. "My lady, I would never dream of treating them in any other way. If you should need anything in your time of pregnancy feel free to come to me and ill be happy to help in any way I cam."

Max had noticed the other man looking around at the men in the group, he could only guess that he was wondering who the father was. He himself had wondered that, but to him it did not matter...much. His Queen could choose to have children with whom ever she wanted, that was the privilege of being a woman and a queen.

He was happy for her yet he still wondered of this other male and felt protective of Lady Raisa. His feelings for her were definitely of friendship but whether his protectiveness was simply because she was his queen, he saw her as a sister he never had or because he was slowly falling for her he could not be sure. He didn't know what it was like to have siblings or even to be in love with another but he did know one thing, he would protect her with his life just as he would any other wolf within Ebony.

When it came to words of a tournament his ears would perk forward. This would be excellent practice for both himself and Elsa. Again he would put in his two cense. "A tournament would make excellent practice for not only our Ebon Knights but for Elsa and myself as well. However, I think that we should split the contestants so that neither of us becomes overwhelmed aside from that it would make for equal practice between the two of us." He found himself hoping that Raisa would appreciate his input

Kaliska stared. Well dam?. Raisa was actually pregnant?! How in the world had that happened? Kaliska frowned as it was evident that the male that caused her Queen's predicament was not here. She was guessing it must have been consensual or Raisa would have ordered them to hunt the brute down and rip him to pieces. She found a part of her beginning to grow anxious on Raisa's behalf. She'd do her best to make sure those pups were protected from harm. Anyone that dare threatened them would be maimed or killed, she swore it! Kaliska nodded, she would do her best to help rear the younglings. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a tournament and she burst out in a grin, tail wagging. Excellent! It had been so long since she'd had a chance to test her skills. It would also be a great opportunity for her to size up their allies. "That's fantastic, Raisa. I will do my best to honor Ebony as a warrior. I also pledge to do all I'm able to protect and raise the pups." "Speech"

Soon after she had voiced her question another wolf would arrive, stating that the others would be along soon enough and giving a small introduction. "I'm Isi." The girl responded in her usual bubbly tone, the concern of being the only wolf present having passed now. It wouldn't have really mattered anyway, but she had certainly expected there to be far more wolves in a pack, Old Ebony of course had many more. Sure enough, the other wolves of the pack had begun to show up, though still a rather small number in comparison to what she had originally been expecting. Raisa was apparently satisfied with the number before her though and began her meeting. Indeed it was rather obvious that the Queen was pregnant, though it hadn't exactly registered fully within the girl's mind. There would be puppies! Her face lit up a little at the thought, she had a soft spot for children, perhaps because they found her less irritating than the adults of the pack often did and instead thought her rather fun most of the time. The talk of the tournament and challenges for different areas of expertise wasn't quite so thrilling for Isidora however. The girl didn't exactly flourish in any particular area, in fact her skills were rather minimal. She could hunt, though she certainly wasn't the best at it and as for fighting and healing, well it was definitely best not to count on her to save you. Hopefully Raisa wouldn't demand they made her proud, as she really wasn't sure she'd do much good. Raisa was pretty cool though, certainly much better than the Azarovs.