(OoC: This thread is open to all allies or potential allies, rogue, creature and pack. So wolves like those living outside the borders, creatures, like Obsidian, Rikku, Laila, and so on, or rogues, like Conall, Libra, and such; basically, anyone who has been welcomed by Valhalla, or Erani likes. ;) Be a good way for Valhalla to meet their outside friends and get to know each other, and a way to make buddies to help during sieges, and for allies to get some info.)

Erani Adravendi

Erani padded lightly into Valhallan lands, shaking out her snowy fur as the feeling of home settled in. Her trip with Jinxx to the rift in Alacritia that the earthquake had opened had been eventful to say the least. They had run across the Queen of Glaciem, Sendoa Armada, injured by a splash of molten stone from a lava river underground. Erani was pleased with the outcome of that encounter, the first time in a while she could say she was pleased about something to do with Glaciem. A peace Treaty, two years to gain strength in Valhalla, and train an heir to take her place. She had decided that Surreal would take her place. Surreal loved Valhalla with all her heart, and would do her best to keep Erani?s values strong after Erani was no longer of the living realm. The return of Soren and Kismet Adravendi had been secured as well as a peace treaty, and the Glaciem Queen safely returned home. Erani knew exactly whom she would send to collect them. Yes, Erani had a great deal to tell her pack, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. There were ideas spinning through her head, of ranks and such, and there was the Trial and Execution of Twigs rapist to plan. Twig was well enough to play her part, however much the female didn?t wish to see the male again. Erani turned her head, peering over her shoulder for Jinxx as she headed toward the gathering stone. ?Quite the trip, mm?? Her tones were warm, before she leapt to settle on the large flat boulder, deep blue pools sweeping the currently deserted plains; deserted save for herself and Jinxx. How would her pack take the new she had to tell them? She would have to see. There were returned members; Meili and Gael, and Vahva, though her absence had been brief. New members; Baldur, Thor, Emer, and her newborn children, and perhaps more. So much to tell her great family? Her head tilted back, voice rising over the morning lit territory as the sun broke over the horizon, shedding its warm rays across the land. She called to all of those who made up Valhalla, and to those who were welcome to visit as they pleased, and to the allied creatures; Laila, Obsidian, and Obsidian?s adopted daughter, Rikku. She would brief them all with her news, and perhaps they would have news of their own to announce? Her song ended, and her muzzle lowered, head raised high to greet the morning light. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It was a bit chilly in the early autumn morning, but that wasn't what had woken him from his slumber. The call of the queen, Erani had pulled the lean man from his dozes, and he pushed himself to his paws, from underneath the oak tree he had fallen asleep under and heeded to her call. The grass near him was browning, in the fall, something that he noted and he wondered if even the western lands would be cursed with snow. He picked up into a trot, feeling his muscles groan protest. He didn't limber up as quickly as he once had- age had that effect on people. As he moved towards the queen's call he contemplated his position in Valhalla, he really needed to get more involved. He thought about finding someone to spar with, to brush up on his fighting techniques and perhaps he's find a way to brush up on his hunting abilities.

He drew to the source of the sound- noting the presence of two wolves. One he didn't know and of course Erani, who he obviously knew. He let out a warm greeting, "'Morning Queen Erani." Before he sat down, waiting to see why she had called so early and what was going on.

first reply... wut?

It would be it seemed, this day that his second meeting within the pack would be called. The voice of their leader would call out strong and true and he held no doubt at the meaning behind her song. He stretch quickly and move from his den and into the light of the outside world. He would pad first past the den of his closest friend within the pack. This stop was on the way to the meeting, so he was sure Erani would not begrudge a second longer, besides it would be a while for all the wolves to assemble. He would yip a small bark outside her den and wait for her to exit. There was another reason that he had decided to make his way to the meeting with Twig, more then just his friendship and walking in together... he wanted her strength, for he had no doubt that Lyric would be there also, and any emotion in her eyes would be felt in his heart. He was afraid to face that alone. With Twig by his side they would walk hand in hand to the meeting place and see that they where amongst the earliest to arrive. He would take a seat by the one other wolf that had assembled before their queen. He would bow his head in respect to Erani as he settled himself, and aside from a soft flick of his tail at Twig he would be still and wait for the meeting to begin. So far, there was no sign of Lyric... he couldn't help but also wonder if Erani yet knew, and if today would be the day she found out. Certainly, it would cost Alpine a head when she did figure it out. "Speech"

Azalea had been back briefly. So very briefly that she hadn't a chance to really see anyone yet. However, at the long and purposeful call of Erani, instinct called to her. She felt it in her bones, the primal need to go to her alpha. Erani was her leader now, the head of Valhalla, of her family. The near three-year-old loped with ears alert, an eagerness building inside of her. She had never been overly close with Erani but now she felt the need to right herself. Erani was, after all, as much a part of the family as she was. Brought in through matters of the heart and not the blood. Every bit Adravendi as those who bled it. The sun was peeking over the horizon and rising as quickly as she could run. When Azalea's fiery eyes finally laid upon Erani she smiled. The red-headed female slowed, tail and head high as she approached Erani. Azalea was many things and proud was certainly on the list. Fire met water as their gazes touched and Azalea dipped her head to Erani, respectful. "Erani. I have come home, if there is still a place for me. I would also like to thank you, for being strong enough to hold our family together. You may not believe me when I say, but... I am very glad to see you." With that Azalea stepped back, moving to sit a ways off from the wolves already there, as she knew not who they were. Head swung about to look back the way she had come, checking for the handsome fella she had ditched in the process of coming here. Speech,

There was something so thrilling about the sound of paws pounding against the ground, her heart pounding, air moving in and out of her burning lungs. While she had been gone with Gael she had taken to waking up before the sun for a run and she didn't want that habit to die now that she had returned to Valhalla. It had been her way of getting back into shape after being sick and now it would be her way of staying in shape. The cool morning air around her was silent, save for the sound of her pounding paws and the occasional sound of a bug or bird. Well, it was until Erani's voice rang out over the territory, cutting through the silence and calling them all forward. She skidded to a halt, panting hard as she turned her head to look in the direction that the voice came from. A small smile touched her muzzle. Her first meeting since coming back home. She quickly changed her course and took off once more. As Meili got closer to the meeting site she slowed to a trot so that she wouldn't be quite so out of breath by the time she got there. She paused on the outskirts, taking in the wolves that had already arrived. The didn't recognize most of them, but that wasn't too much of a surprise. She had been gone quite a while after all. She did recognize Erani, of course, and Azalea. Her teal gaze lingered on the russet-faced fea as she padded forward. She hadn't seen any of Gael's family in so long, she wondered what their reaction would be to their return, much less how they would react to their getting married. Meili turned her gaze briefly toward Erani to give the queen a smile and a respectful dip of her head before going to find a place to sit among those that had already gathered. Deciding to be a bit brave, Meili went over to sit beside Azalea, though she did leave a respectful distance between them. Glancing over to her future sister in law, she gave her a similar smile and nod before turning her gaze back to Erani to wait and see what this meeting was about. Speech Thought Others

Cael's sapphire and gold gaze blinked open at the sound of his aunt's howl, the call pulling him out of his sleep. He stretched his forelegs out in front of him, a soft groan sounding in his chest. She early morning sunlight filtered in through the mouth of their den, making him squint till his eyes could adjust. With a soft sigh he pulled himself to his paws, shaking out his white fur to get and stray pieces of bedding that might be caught in it. Looking over to Imena, he padded over and gently nosed at her shoulder to make sure she was awake, whispering, "I'm going to go on ahead, dear." He turned and padded toward the entrance of their den once he was sure she was awake, leaving her to get up Amia, sure that the pair of them would be along in just a moment. He trotted toward the pack's meeting place, curious as to what Erani would have to tell them. It didn't take him long to arrive, but several wolves had already gotten there. He glanced around, seeing a couple of wolves that he vaguely remembered, but he wasn't sure he had ever spoken to any of them personally. He sat among them while leaving plenty of room around him should any of his family or Imena want to sit beside him. Looking up to his aunt, he smiled and waited patiently for her to speak. Speech Thought Companion Others

When Erani called, Odette was in the midst of enjoying a deserved nap. She had been training with Chrysanthe earlier that morning, intending to spruce up on her fighting and defending techniques. So far, she wasn't a fan of the defense moves. She preferred to fight and cause pain, the latter being something she kept to herself. After the morning session was over, Odette had raced towards a clean water source and consumed her body in the cool waters. Despite the summer gone and autumn there in full blast, Odette needed to cool down before doing anything else.
She had left the water and shook all over before finding a sunny spot to dry off. Drying off led to sleepy eyes, which led to them "resting for just a minute", until she finally fell asleep. She rarely did that in the middle of the day, but for some reason, she felt that she needed peace and quiet for a little bit. Erani's howl broke through her tranquility, however, so slowly the young girl rose to all four paws and set out to seek her Alpha.
Erani's vibrant sapphire eyes were the first things that met Odette's bi-colored gaze. She gave a quick nod with her majestic maw before looking around at the other wolves. A flick of her tail was given before she padded towards a familiar sight: Twig and Alpine. "Hi, you two," she gently greeted, intending on sitting with them if they didn't mind. Red and blue eyes twinkled before she took a few steps forward to sit in an unclaimed spot of grass. Her eager eyes looked around as she considered who all would appear to the meeting. Part of her waited on Chrysanthe. She missed her mother, even though she saw her that morning.






"Speech"

The girl, of course, had been napping when the call had disturbed her. Jinxx had left to go with Erani much earlier, even the previous day, but she couldn't be sure. He was integrating so well into the pack, while she... Barely even knew what it was she wished to do. She tried not to think of it too much, knowing that her calling would eventually make itself known to her. As she stirred from the call of her alpha a gentle yip from Alpine would follow. Yawning she would slip from the den, a smile on her features as she took in the features of her best friend. "Good morning, Alpine." her voice was sleepy and her statement probably quite incorrect. She slept whenever she felt tired anymore, though it was quite often she felt she had been doing better. The naps were beginning to come less frequent and she could stay from the den for longer periods of time.?

She would fall in line beside Alpine as they travelled to Erani's call. She still knew not of her friend's courting of the gentle she wolf lyric, and would not understand if any odd looks were glanced their way. She also did not know of it being her attacker's trial, had she it was likely she would have tune the opposite direction. She had come so far already she didn't want to ruin her progress by seeing his face again. Besides, Crucifix had to be here for such an event. Her orchid gaze would fall upon the wolves already there, Erani, Jinxx, and another she knew not of. Momentarily she would leave Alpine's side to embrace her brother, knowing he had been on a long trip, before bowing respectfully to Erani and settling between her brother and her best friend.?

A trio of wolves she knew not would find themselves before the queen, nervous Twig would shrink behind Alpine before a more familiar face arrived. Odette, the sweet girl she had met within and without Valhalla would appear before she and Alpine. Twig would offer a sheepish smile, but being at her very first Valhallan meeting she wouldn't find the words to greet her back.?

Emer found herself in a bit of a dilemma. As the howl sounded to call the members of Valhalla forth for a meeting the autumnal girl knew that she had to attend. Fear gripped her however and she found herself frozen to the spot, unwilling to move. At her side the three children slept, she'd feared that the noise may have woken them, though even Signy fortunately hadn't stirred from the sound. She certainly couldn't take them to the meeting with her even if it was an option though she hated the idea of leaving them here for too long. Additionally the idea of joining the entire pack in the meeting, well the thought still didn't exactly comfort the terrified girl. She found some comfort in the fact that in a meeting she probably wouldn't be noticed anyway, she was far from important and could simply sit out of the way and slip back to her children as quickly as she could once Erani had finished. Eventually she found it in herself to move and began to make her way to the meeting, praying she wasn't late and that it wouldn't last too long. Once there she recognised more faces than she would have thought, Erani of course, Jinxx, Alpine and Twig were all present as well. Though it was Valerius that she would move to, quietly sitting down at the man's side and hoping that he wouldn't mind. She hadn't seen him for quite some time, the pregnancy and now the pups taking over her life though it didn't mean to say she didn't view the man as a friend of sorts.

Cormalin

The sun was just beginning to rise as Cormalin stepped over the Valhallan borders, returning from his little trip to the willows. He?d met a wolf new to Alacritia?s lands. A Celestion, from a land far beyond the sea, a land torn apart by the eruption of a Volcano, rather like Old Alatritis had been. The girl had been torn away from her family in a storm during the long swim from an Island beyond those known to Alacritia, and he could understand the feeling of being separated from one?s family. He?d left an invitation to seek shelter on Valhalla?s borders, then departed after gathering some willow bark for Erani. Speaking of his sister? Her call echoed across the land, and his ears perked. Quickly, he headed to her den, set the willow bark on her sorting place, then headed toward the meeting. He was late by a few minutes, and nodded to each new face he saw, before going to his son, Cael, nose pressing into the male?s shoulder. ?Cael. It makes my heart well to see you home again.? He laid a lick upon his youngest son?s brow, then padded toward Erani, hopping his front paws up on the boulder to nuzzle his sister. ?I?ve left you a present in the den.? Full tail waved behind him with the simple pleasure of contact with his sister, before he dropped back to the ground and selected a spot nearby, mismatched gold and blue gaze sweeping the wolves around him.

Surreal Adravendi

Surreal was excited. Falk would be back soon, she just knew it. Her tail wagged incessantly behind her, and she fidgeted constantly during her patrol with Alsander. Alsander, too, seemed distracted, but he was still more focused on the duty than Surreal could bring herself to be. However, her mother?s song, calling the pack to a meeting was enough to grab her focus and settle the butterflies in her belly. Her mother and Jinxx had set out two days ago to examine the damage the earthquake had done. Her butterflies died at the memory of the shaking, roaring earth, and for once, her tail stopped wagging. Alpine and Erion had reported caves, and her mother had felt the need to examine the new underground passages, to make sure none made an easy entrance to Valhalla. Had she found any? Surreal and Alsander hurriedly finished the patrol, both wolves heading off at a lope toward the gathering. Several wolves had arrived by the time they got there. Well hello? Azalea was back! Surreal gave the dark headed female a grin, though she noted the new thinness. Surreal leapt up onto the boulder, taking a seat beside her mother on the Primary Beta side, tail beginning to sweep the stone behind her. Leaning in toward her mother, she whispered, ?I have someone I want you to meet, Mother.? She hoped Erani would approve of Falk, despite his being an Armada. However, she had adopted Taurig Armada, so Surreal doubted her mother would be too against it? She would just have to wait and see. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Alsander

Surreal just could not seem to focus today, Alsander noted as they made their way along the borders of Valhalla, nearing the completion of their morning patrol. Her tail wagged non-stop, and she fidgeted like a puppy around sleep time. Granted, he had his own distractions? Io. The woman?s face clung to his memory like water to fur. Beautiful, with that smile of hers. Her gentle voice? Erani?s voice sang through the land, jerking him from his reverie. His ears perked as Surreal turned, and he noted that her tail had halted its wagging. He, like everyone in his family, knew that Erani had headed out of the territory to see the damages, Jinxx in tow. What had she found? He and Surreal completed their patrol, and hurried toward Erani?s song, arriving several minutes late. Surreal departed to sit in her place with Erani as the lead Beta, and Alsander padded over to Cael, butting his smaller brother in the shoulder with a friendly woof, tail wagging slowly. ?Brother. About time you showed your grey-starred face.? There was no anger in his Irish brogue laden voice, only brotherly affection. He cast his brother a grin, then padded to take up his place as Digamma Secondary, to the right of Erani, on the ground in front of the Boulder. Caerul would be on his right when his older brother arrived. His mismatched green and gold eyes swept the gathered faces, lighting on Azalea with a bit of surprise. He?d wondered if the female would ever come back, and save Sarak from a lifetime of near silence. Well, it looked like Sarak would be much happier now. There were a couple new faces that he hadn?t yet learned the names of. He knew Twig from Erani?s talking about her? There was Meili. His eyes landed on Alpine, a brow rising as he noted the unease in the male?s eyes. The guilt. Mismatched gaze narrowed speculatively. He had been aware that Alpine was courting his cousin, Lyric. Erani had informed them all the night it had begun. However, he was also aware that lately, Alpine hadn?t been spending much time with his intended. Instead, his scent was heavy around Twig and Jinxx?s den, and hardly there around Lyrics. He locked gazes with Alpine, his hardening emerald and gold gaze telling a very clear story. The Digamma Secondary would be wanting to talk to Alpine personally, and get to the bottom of this.

Sarak

Sarak moved with much more vitality as he carried the two dead hares in his jaws, both by the ears. His mate, and thus his lust for life, had returned. Now all he needed was for her children, their children, to return home to them, and his life was perfect. Lean frame headed toward Emer?s den, his plan being to leave one of the hares there for the nursing mother, but Erani?s call had caused an instant turn to his path. Azalea had already taken off, and he followed her scent over the smell of the dead hares toward Erani?s voice. However? A rustle in the thicket to his left froze his movement, and he dropped the hares, dropping into a hunter?s crouch. A plump rabbit hopped lazily from the thicket, full from foraging and packing its body with winter insulation. Sarak was on it in a flash. The chase hardly lasted more than five bounds, and the shriek of the rabbit was ended by the swift snap of his jaws around its neck. It twitched a few times, then hung still in his jaws. He shook himself, then gathered the other two hares, and continued on his way to the meeting. As he arrived, he noted that he was a few minutes late, or right on time, and everyone else had been early. He noted Emer, and approached her first, dropping the fresh rabbit at her paws with a nod, then went to Erani, setting a hare at her paws, before he sought out Azalea, and leaned into his mate, setting his last hare at her paws. ?The best for last.? He murmured into her ear, nose pressing there in the way he knew she liked, For the moment, he had eyes only for Azalea. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Obsidian

Obsidian chewed thoughtfully, well aware of the effects the herbs were making on her body. Her maternal instincts were raging, and her udder felt heavy, almost sloshy. Erani had checked her out, and confirmed that she was indeed now lactating. Now she could fully provide what Rikku needed to grow into a strong, healthy mare. Now. Next on her agenda was to seek out Ryuk. Shouldn?t be too hard. The next part of her plans was to introduce the stallion to Rikku. And convince him to be a father figure. Eventually, come spring, Obsidian intended to use her heat cycle for once. Until now, her cycles had been ignored, since there were no stallions to ease the heat with, or to conceive a foal. One eye lifted from the grass at her nose, finding Rikku. Her tail swished, beating away a stubborn fly that had insisted on staying around for autumn. It was then that Erani?s call rolled over the territory. A summons to all. Valhallans, and allies of Valhalla. Her name was on the list, so, her head lifted, and she uttered a nicker to Rikku as she started off at an easy trot. Rikku?s legs were sturdy enough to keep up with the mare?s long stride, so she wasn?t worried about her falling behind. The filly would more likely be glued to her hip than lag behind. Obsidian did worry that there could be new wolves who didn?t know the rule about not attacking the horse, but if they tried, Erani, and indeed, Erani?s family, would set the wolf straight. Possibly painfully so. So as Obsidian arrived, her head raised high, neck arching gracefully, her feet picking up a bit higher, before she slowed to a walk, eyes perusing the faces there. Oh! Azalea was home. Sarak was in the act of dropping a dead rabbit at her paws, the wolf obviously much happier. Meili was home as well? Her eyes found Odette, and she meandered over to the young wolf, head lowering to give Odette a gentle nudge with her nose. Odette would help keep Rikku still long enough for the meeting to commence, Obsidian hoped.

Vahva was eager for this meeting, her new found courage was more than enough to carry her. As she arrived already the horse, with a foal and others were here. And her eyes widened a bit at Obsidian but she smiled. Young were always welcome, always thankful as well. As she slowly approached the huge creature with a soft smile. Her blue mane shining within the sunlight. "Congratulations Obsidian, I hope you are doing well." she said before spotting Azalea. Her heart nearly skipped a bit, azalea was back! "Azalea!" the words left her maw in almost a gasp. As she mildly trotted over slowly just in case her company wasn't wanted. Sitting only a few feet away from the woman she smiled, it was great to see her despite the things they had experienced in the past. After all, wolves changed, and no one could say they didn't unless they were fools. Speech,

The russet brute padded forward with a mixture of excitement and anxiety in his belly, heading resolutely toward the Valhallen border. He had made his decision, told his family his plans, and now all he had left to do was to go find Surreal again and hopefully get her mother's blessing. Just as he reached the borders and was about to call out to his love when a howl broke through the air, clearly a summoning howl for the whole pack. He blinked, considering his options. Either he would have to wait till the meeting was over and call for Surreal and her mother then, or try to attend the meeting himself. He wasn't sure how the rest of the pack would react and he sincerely didn't want to intrude, but he was so anxious to see Surreal again that he couldn't help himself. Steeling his nerves, he trotted toward the call, hoping that he was making the right choice. He slowed to a stop a fair distance from the gathering, his eyes widening at the size of the group that had already gathered. He knew this pack was large, but he hadn't expected this, and he was sure there were plenty that hadn't yet appeared. But, there she was. Falk spotted her silver form on top of a rock at the head of the group and a smile touched his muzzle. She was why he was here and no one was going to keep him from her. Taking a deep breath, he pushed forward, padding toward the meeting. His blue gaze glanced around the wolves around him as he approached the rock that Surreal and who he assumed was her mother and Taurig's adoptive mother, Erani. He was sure the whole pack would be wondering why a stranger was walking into the meeting. He had no connections to any pack, he wasn't a relative of any of them... by all rights he had no reason to be there. Actually, he hoped none of them besides Surreal and maybe Erani knew about his lineage since he was sure that would get him kicked out for sure. He looked up at the pair, his gaze first meeting Surreal's, a wide smile smile crossing his muzzle before he turned his blue gaze to meet Erani's. He dipped his head in a small, respectful bow. "Erani... It's so good to finally meet you," he rumbled in his usual bass tone. "I don't mean to intrude, but I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to have a word with you..." He glanced to Surreal once more, his tail wagging just from the sight of her, before glancing back to her mother with an embarrassed nod. "But that can wait. I hope you don't mind me sitting in on your meeting." And with that, he would walk around to the back of the group to sit down, trying his best to ignore any looks from the pack while at the same time enjoying being able to see Surreal again, even if it was from a distance. Speech Thought Others

It felt good to be back in Valhallan territory, even if the Adravendi man was just lying about and being a general lazy bum. He and his fiance hadn't gotten their assignments in the pack yet, so Gael was taking the liberty of doing nothing for once and just enjoying all the time he could have with his little woman. They had spent weeks along back on the island, though some of that time had been spent sick, it still counted as time together, and yet he could not get enough of her. He would never get enough of her, no matter how much time they spent together. A lazy yawn would split his jaws apart as he wandered out of their den, stretching to wake himself when the call of Erani breached the air, catching his attention. There was a meeting. Meili had gone out earlier for a run, so he figured she would probably be there before him, which was quite alright. She would save him a seat. Without much delay the young man would head towards the sound of the call, arriving in little time, cerulean gaze catching sight of several familiar figures. Odette was the first he would recognize among the crowd, her energetic adopted cousin. But the two figures that really caught his attention were much closer to his heart; Azalea and Meili. They were seated together, not exactly side by side, but they were near enough to show Gael that maybe there was something brewing between his future wife and sister. He would grin to himself as he approached, lightly swatting at the back of his sister's russet head as he moved to sit between her and Meili, pressing his nose into Meili's cheek in a soft kiss of greeting. I take it your run was good this morning? He would whisper huskily against her ear before pulling back, a mischievous grin twisting his features as he turned his attention to Erani, dipping his head politely to her in greeting, awaiting to see what the meeting was about. Talk like this

Walk | Talk | Think It was with a groan that Ashtoreth had first reacted to the sound of her Alpha's howl, screwing her eyes shut more tightly as she tried to think of some excuse to stay home. She was still early in her pregnancy and already it was taking a lot out of her. Her appetite was more than healthy, but at the same time she hardly felt like she could get enough sleep. And it was not like her. She was an active wolf, one who preferred scouting, stalking, hunting to just about everything else, and all of a sudden she was finding difficulty in keeping herself going. The sudden change, on top of all the other worries that already harassed her mind, was going to give her an ulcer. Begrudgingly, the grey hunter unfurled herself and pushed to her paws, pausing along the way to stretch, and when she finally stood she stopped for a moment to fully prepare herself. Was she showing already? Would they be able to tell? Oh gods, she was not prepared for all the proclamations of congratulations that everyone was liable to offer her as nice as such gestures would have been. She was still worried, still scared, and regarding this one serious, life changing circumstance she simply could not fake being happy. Swallowing though her mouth already felt dry - she seriously hoped it was because she had only just woken up - Ash trailed away from her den and toward the rock from which their meetings were conducted, finding a good majority of the wolves to be already there. Her steps were slow and she drew in a deep, steadying breath, gold and purple eyes skimming across the faces to judge who was present. For a moment, as she caught sight of a familiar face, she nearly forgot her intent to greet their leader first and foremost before she took her seat. The wolf who had become her best friend, the other little hunter Meili, was present after an inexplicably long absence. Forgetting her condition, Ashtoreth's tail wagged, a grin coming upon her face. Oh, they definitely needed to talk! Strengthened by her friend's return, the Psi wolf crept around the group, avoiding being delayed, so that she could stop before her leader and offer a friendly yet nervous smile. "Good morning, Erani," she greeted, trying for what she hoped sounded like a normal, casual tone. "I just...I wanted to let you know...um." She fumbled slightly, anxiety kicking in as she, for a second time, revealed the little secret that was currently growing away inside of her middle. "Leon and I are expecting." Her smile was nearly gone with the effort it had taken to say, but at least it was out. And it was still better than her first time saying it to Leon.

Time had indeed betrayed the darkly mottled boy, as the sounds of the call had long faded before his stride had brought him to the outskirts of Valhalla territory. A sense of unease had filled him, for perhaps a trace of the call had touched into the recesses of his subconscious mind. He knew he had traveled too long and too far, but the energy of anger and frustration had long since overcome him, and away he had gone. Racing against the earth as through to outpace all that plagued him. Only now to return to the outskirts of this land, and too late for him to hear the outcry of its Lady?s call. With a sense of unease he had moved back into the familiar stretched of Valhalla, had made his way to his sisters den only to find its expanse empty, void of anything resembling a wolf. The weary sense of unease would grow within his chest. If he had missed the trial, if he had missed standing beside his sister through her pain? no, he had not betrayed her, he could not have. He moved quickly, making his way to Alpine?s den only find that this one, also was empty. He huffed outside its entryway, curling his nose back at the familiar stench of the boy, before moving on once more. Finally, with the feeling of an utterly abandoned pack lands and frustration guiding his paws he would catch the scent and sounds of many creatures. With a great feeling of relief he would find the meeting place, catch sight of the many wolves that gathered there, and more importantly, catch sight of his sister. He did not know if he was welcome, but with all his family within the pack had a feeling that perhaps Lady Valhalla would not mind. He moved carefully through the crowd until he was beside Twig and her? friend. He would see also Odette who sat with them, and he would nod his head as he moved past his sister, bumping his shoulder to hers and finally sitting beside Odette ? the space beside Twig was far to filled with expanse of bleached male. "My sounds""My Soul"

Walk | Talk | Think

Laila had been sticking to the outskirts of her new home, hiding and evading many of the wolves who dwelled inside the borders of Valhalla. It was unnecessary - Erani had welcomed her fair and square - but she was still worried that the rest of her neighbors would not be quite as hospitable. She was a mountain lion after all, the natural adversary to the wolves, and she was sure they were well aware of the rivalry between their kinds. So when she heard the call given by the blue-eyed leader it was understandable why she felt a little trepidation.

She had peeked out of the rocky cavern she had claimed within the Gorge, amber eyes staring out and about and then toward the location she was sure the pack would be gathering. How many of them were there now? Enough to make her uneasy about even thinking of showing her face there. But then again...curiosity killed the cat.

Once enough time had passed, when she thought the majority of the Valhallan wolves would have been there at the meeting, she crept out of her hiding spot and out of the Gorge, following the same trail that the pack had followed to get to the Plains. She dared not go too far - with all of them congregated together all it would take was one startled individual to turn everything around on her - and that was not how she wanted her introduction to the pack to go. Instead, when she finally spotted the large group in the middle of the valley, situated around the rock that the white alpha wolf sat upon, Laila stayed hidden, keeping low in the grass and at a safe distance so that she could watch and learn what she could without causing an unwanted scene.