Val was gone. Kassander had watched her pass the borders and keep going. He'd nearly called out to her, asking her to please come back and take the pack back, a sudden spurt of panic welling up. He hadn't called out, and she hadn't changed her mind and come right back. He'd spent the rest of the night sitting there throttling down a panic attack and then later, just thinking. Once the panic had cleared he'd found himself genuinely excited, full of ideas for where the pack could go. Oh he was scared... terrified actually, of really being in charge of something instead of following. But oh it was exciting too. He knew changes would need to be made - he wasn't his mother, he wasn't Katja or Val, and what they were comfortable with and what they wanted wasn't his way and never would be. He was scared of how few Ebony wolves might stay because of it, many would dislike the change in leadership and the change in tone. Scared of what he had to do next. But he had to do it. As the sun rose to mark mid-morning, he took a deep breath and released it, bracing himself. Before he could rethink the whole thing and run off in the direction Val had taken (maybe he could catch up to her or follow her trail and they could live in a cave somewhere, eliminate the need for social interaction and slowly lose the ability to speak in anything more than grunts) he howled, his clear tenor voice only wavering a little as he called the whole of the pack together. OOC: deadline is Thursday evening so we can get it in before the site move. Short notice and it sucks, but is necessary. Any rogues interested in joining are also welcome to show up. "Talk" "You" Think

Fendar had been lingering, and while he was rather grumpy, he was still here. Mostly. Sleep was still an illusion to the man, and it had been about four days since he had seen a wink of sleep. He was about to find a den to go curl up in and pass out, hopefully, a call rang out. Auburn ears perked with interest, that was not the cousin he had expected to call a meeting. Where was Val? Curious, he abandoned his search for a good cave and made his way towards Kassander. Mix matched orbs took in the youth as he approached, brow raised. He dis not see Val or that ill tempered creature of hers anywhere. Interesting... The male held himself back from asking the boy himself, surly he planned to explain it to everyone once they gathered. It would be quite a bother for him to have to explain himself more than once, Fendar himself hated repeating what has already been said. So he simply nodded his head at Kass, taking a seat slightly to his (Kassander's) left. He would wait, and tried to at least fein patience. He was suppose to be a protector and a guardian, politics were not hos thing. But he was very concerned at why Val was not here. Ears folded back slightly as he waited, being awkwardly silent. Hopefully the boy didn't feel too uncomfortable with his older cousin just sitting there and staring at him... "Talk" "You" Think

The man had been laying in the entrance to his den when Kass called out with a slightly faltering voice. The first thingMax would do was lay his ears flat against his skull. The only time some one other than the alpha called a meeting in this pack was when the alpha had left. Which meant one thing to the man...Val had left asometime after he had spoken to her only a day before finding that Callisto was gone. He did not want to go to Kassander's call.

Dragging himself to his feet, Maximous would make his way to the boy he once called student. He did not know for a fact that Val had left Ebony but he had a feeling she had based on who had called. As it seemed, his beloved pack could not keep an alpha for long. He wondered who would be the alpha now, if Val truely was gone, but that thought didnt last long. He was tired of being dissapointed and abandond by the alphas of this pack.

Since Callisto had been gone Max had been in no hury to go anywhere so when he arrived to see that only one other wolf had arrived before himself he was a bit surprised. However not so much that the expression on his face would change. Yet he would still sit infront of Kassander and give a friendly nod as he did not trust his voice just yet. He had spoken to no one since he had decovered the mingled scent of a strange male and Callisto's sent at a cave entrance.


"Talk"'You'Thought

Valeriya had been the wolf that had accepted him into the pack, had given him the title of Lord, the wolf who he had chosen to follow, but that wasn't the voice he heard calling out and bringing the pack together. His ears perked with curiosity and a mild touch of concern, but he felt no need to revolt. No, as he trotted toward this meeting he reminded himself that it wasn't Valeriya that he had kept himself loyal to all these years. It was Ebony. Or maybe the idea of Ebony, the royalty, the Xanilov family. He had pledged himself to their service as a young pup and that wouldn't change now. When he laid eyes on the male who had called them he knew without a doubt that he was of that same blood line. Of course he wondered what had come of Val, but he was just as content to follow this King has he had been that Queen. As long as no harm had come to Val for him to earn this throne, of course. He glanced at the few that had gathered already and he wondered where the others could be. Surely more than himself and two others would come to their King's call. He settled himself on his haunches after giving this unknown male a respectful nod, prepared to sit quietly and wait for him to explain himself. ""

The call would stretch up and immediately the young male would stir from his slumber, lifting her head groggily and allowing jaws to stretch wide into a yawn. Gaia was beside him as always, it wasn't often that the boy left her for anything other then maybe to hunt if he wanted to go for a quick hunt. The red male would roll, slumping his form into her sleeping one and stretching out of they were back to back, head tipping back to drape over her shoulders languidly. "Gaaaaaiiiiiaaaaa!" He would croon, stretching further and pushing his body into hers before reaching up to nip at her ears should she not rise in time to fend him off. A pack meeting? Damn, Solo had done absolutely nothing since Katja had dropped them off here. He had not helped out or done anything besides devote all his time to Gaia and trying to make this imprisonment easier on her. But it would seem their presence was required now and he would thrash around for a moment, rolling into her body and nudging and nipping at her until he could wake her and she had to make him stop. He would growl playfully before hopping to his paws and grinning down at her, tail wagging. "Come on lets go! Maybe we can ask if we can go explore some nearby lands!" He would offer, hoping that the temptation might coax her up faster. He had been a terrible prince, unable to leave pack lands since their imprisonment. Maybe whoever this male was would be okay with them taking a little break and adventuring. He would wait for her to join him before setting off, having learned to walk with her rather then lead her but still there in case she needed him. Red tassel would lick at his heels as they approached. He recognized no one here? No one at all.. Suddenly feeling a bit self conscious he would tuck close to Gaia, allowing her to take the lead and sit where she wanted to sit. Yup. This place was weird... HIS WORDS HERE HER WORDS HERE

She?d faintly hear the sound of the call beneath her heavy sleep, her brain however would not register the importance of it. Lucky for her Solo was there to awaken her. She?d hear him call her name softly, still having a bit of trouble rousing herself completely. She?d groan a bit as he nipped at her ears, not wanting to leave the warm den just yet. She?d enjoyed her time within Ebony, the new familiarity of the place was enjoyable even if her prince had yet to take her on any of the promised adventures. She?d rise slowly, feelings his rapid movements next to her. "I'm awake!" She?d lash out blindly, searching to return the nips he?d offered to awaken her. Though she realized she?d probably only get his paws, she wasn?t looking to cause damage. They exchange a few of these motions before Solo would lead her outside, already forming a plan to take her away. She?d find that her lips would pull back into an amused grin, she couldn?t help but doubt the plan how ever much she wished it to work. However, her features would not betray this feeling as she beamed at her companion. Lifting herself from the earth she?d follow him outside easily matching his pace. Eventually she'd catch the scent of her brother and would find her way to his side as Solo let her take the lead. She'd smile, blind eyes falling on his form as she greeted him with a soft hello, as visual motions were meaningless to her. "Hello, Kass." her voice was incredibly soft as her delicate haunches coiled beneath her, it had been too long since she'd seen her Ebony born sibling. ""

Silence, that was all he had heard. Val had saved him from a sad fate of being lost, and after his sister was gone his heart was in a very dark place. The thing was, he didn't have anyone else to pull him out of that ditch. He walked up to the others, his cyan eyes looking tired, he just found it difficult to even get up in the morning now. Though it seemed like Kass would be uncomfortable with all this silence with all these wolves just staring at him. Kass was his nephew, and though his loyalty was bent on the Xanilov family, he put his own personal problems aside for a moment before walking up a little to the new king.
"You're going to do great Kass, Ebony needs you. I need you." Solas said, his voice a little crackly. He certainly didn't look good, but he attempted to look as if he was fine. Lifting his head he went to join the others, or rather distance himself. He didn't want his negative energy rubbing off on them. Maybe distracting himself was the best choice. Maybe, things would get better, but he highly doubted that.

The pack filed in fairly quickly, most silent. Staring. Judging. Measuring him with their gazes and finding him flawed and unworthy. Most of the pack was made up of Old Ebony wolves these days, a fact that surprised the withdrawn young man. He'd not really realized how many of them had made their way to Ebony lately - or how few members Ebony actually had. His eyes fixated on his paws as the first three arrived to sit silently and stare at him, and he felt the white tips of his ears grow hot in embarrassment. Gaia's unexpected appearance brightened him. He'd known the Olympus kids were there because of his humiliating encounter with Andi but he'd had yet to see Gaia, and it was great to see her beautiful form once again, though the young man who escorted her made him do a bit of a double take. Kassander himself was a redhead but this guy was bright, BRIGHT berry red and Kass couldn't help but goggle at him a moment before recalling himself. "Er, uhm... hi Gaia," he stammered. Boy he was glad to see her. She hadn't had to come since strictly speaking she wasn't even a member of the pack, but she had anyway and it made him feel a little less... horrifically awkward. That was until the last member of the pack appeared and approached him to speak. Oh gods. Needed him? He was needed. They... needed him... He swallowed hard as his heart fluttered along the edges of an impending panic attack. He could handle being needed as a healer, but this... an entire pack... oh gods he was making an awful mistake, they were looking at him for leadership and he was useless and.. and... Taking a deep breath he shoved the panic into a corner of his mind, focusing instead on thinking of it as a medical problem rather than a political one. The pack was a... a patient, and he needed to fix it and heal it and keep it healthy. He could do this. He.. could.. do this. Remember the plan. There were still wolves missing but it had been a while and he couldn't hold it in any longer. "I don't know how many of you know me..." his voice cracked and squeaked mid-sentence but he pushed on. "I'm Kassander Xanilov. I was Raisa Xanilov's firstborn - " a fact that he'd once clung to in order to fuel his resentment of his family, though he'd since come to the conclusion that it was pretty meaningless. "Val went away and left me the pack. She promised me that she'd look for Sindri and Sigmarr - uhm, if you don't know, they're our brother and sister, they went missing a while ago. Anyway, she left Ebony to me as Raisa's only descendent left in the pack. And... I guess that makes me your king." He stopped, flustered, to gather himself. "Uhmmm... I'm not my mom, and I'm not my sister. So, I'd appreciate it if everyone didn't assume that I have their strengths, or their flaws. I've got some ideas for Ebony of my own for where we're going next." His tone was growing stronger, less frightened as he immersed himself in the excitement of the plan. "I want for Ebony to be more than just a pack that keeps to itself. I want us to help people. Maybe it's a bit idealistic, but I want us to be a place people can come to for healing, or for protection. I want us to represent all that's good in the world. There's enough hate and bad things out there already - I want us to be a shield against that. I want us to be... just... good." He trailed off. Glancing anxiously from face to face he let the words sink in. Would they think him an idiot for wanting to do all this? "Everything else would pretty much stay the same. Ranks and everything," he ended lamely. "Uh... questions? Or anything?" OOC: posted early since everyone who was going to be in is in. Next deadline is a little more vague - Friday morning preferably but it won't be a strict deadline because of the site move. Basically is your character staying in Ebony or leaving, reactions, any questions, rank preferences. That sort of thing. "Talk" "You" Think

Solas highly doubted any of them could be seen as good. Or that he could for that matter, but that was his darker part of his mind speaking from personal experience. However, even in his dark place, this small, ever so quiet place was his home. It had been his sisters home, which was the only reason he had come here. But his heart tightened as he listened to Kass, his ears flicked as he picked up his noises his words. A pack of healing huh, than what would happen to him now. He was useless, he couldn't do anything without any sort of direction being pointed out for him. Not like Kass, despite of how he spoke of himself, Solas saw something great in him. Just like he had clung to Val, he suddenly felt the urge to do the same to Kass but he stopped himself. Swallowing before he stood up.
"I want to help, I don't know what rank I'd be good at. All I've done my whole life is fight with my life to protect my sister. And now....all of you are all that I have left. But I would lay down my life and loyalty to whatever you put me at to support you. King Kassander." He wanted to believe he could do some good in the world. He really did, the first step to getting better he guessed was making an effort. He wanted to drown, he wanted to drown in the emotional pain he felt. This was the place he had been in before he found his sister. Solas swallowed again, looking at Kassander.

Wolves shuffled in slowly, and he growled at their lacking number. There was a day and edge were Ebony flourished and was full of healthy, strong warriors. But now... oh gods he was the oldest one here, wasn't he? A deep sigh came from the man, remembering all of Val's teasing, calling him an old man and such. Then a silver woman came in, a bright red young man with her. Fendar had to close his half blinded eye, making sure that he was seeing this right. He just looked at the boy with his one copper eye, baffled at the brightness of him. Damn, it was like he was made of lava and sunlight. Blinking his one good seeing eye, he opened the silver one to once again view his blurry world. As Kass started to speak, he shuffled in his place and focused on the boy, giving him silence as he spoke. Ah, so Val had wandered off. He couldn't help but feel that it was a rather childish thing to do, but she was young. The girl needed to explore and find herself, not everyone was born to lead. He took the news rather well, although Kassander's idea struck him quickly. Ebony had never been this way before, but as the boy had said, he was not his sister nor his mother. His ideas were good, and strong. A good leader came up with good ideas, but it was up to the pack to support them and make them grow. Kass depended on them as much as they did on him.

Metallic eyes gazed over the other wolves who had gathered, and he stood. "It has been awhile since Old Ebony has fallen, I think it is about time for a new Ebony to rise. I fully trust that you can bring us there, Kassander. I will stand behind you no matter what, as a strong shoulder to lean on. I have seen war -- fought it. I know the damage it can bring and the sorrow it settled upon the land. Alacrita is in need of a pack to house those outcasts, to once again raise them up to be who they once were." He turned and looked back at their new King, a faint smile on his usually grim set face. "I will follow you my King, and be your Knight." He murmured, his lower half dipping into a bow. If anyone objected, he was quite ready to bark at them. It was time for a new Ebony, under the wings of Kassander Xanilov.

The man had been silent as the other wolves filed into the meeting, though his ears would lay back and then twist back to their normal position at the number of pack mates that would arrive. Five Ebony wolves is all that remained, that number he realized included himself. A depressing number, he thought, from what it had once been. Of the two Yfir wolves, he only recognized one though he did not know her name. He had been there the day Virgil Olympus had given birth on the same day and place as Raisa Xanilov.

The girls name, he would receive from Kass along with the confirmation of Val's leaving. Max would sit silently through Kassander's speech. The boy, by the sound of his voice, was nervous...only as he spoke on his voice became more sure of himself. He spoke of a plan for Ebony and that led Maximous to believe the boy had taken on his family's pack willingly. In a way Kass' plan made him think of the alpha he'd had while he was a Nomad wolf.

The man he had once had as an alpha had made the pack about healing rather than about war. The difference, as it seemed here would be that Kassander was willing to take in outsiders all the time. The Nomad alpha had only taken in outsiders to help get rid of incest. Ebony would be allowing others to come in for healing and if they chose to stay they could is what it sounded like.

When Kassander would finish his speech with a question two other wolves would pipe up, but no questions were asked. Max had no questions either but he still had words. "I have no questions. Place me where you need me and ill do what ever I can to help you Kassander." He was still upset about Callisto's leaving but there was nothing he could do, but keep his mind busy. If he kept his mind busy maybe he could take his mind off of her.

"Talk"'You'Thought