EVERY MEMBER must post here, and any members interested in joining as well. First round posts are due one week (7 days) after the move. I will add it to IC updates then.

Aoto (Alectrona and Rurik) is excused from this meeting, but still very welcome.

PS - sorry its so short, Raii is sick and dealing with a flooding kitchen, but wanted to get it done.

Since the festival, the pack had been quiet. Even before, everyone had been lackadaisical. Natalya understood that her family needed time to settle and she would not begrudge them for it, but now was a time they needed to become active. Their numbers were low and their children were untrained. She and Helios had established rules and they would enforce them now, showing no mercy to those who failed to comply. At a time in the night when she knew everyone was awake, Natalya padded to the fallen tree where they had originally gathered and loosed a call for her comrades. She sat quietly as she waited for them to join her, for them to hear the words they certainly would not be pleased to hear. speech,

The call came forth suddenly, strongly. This time, Hani hurried to it, determined to not be the last one to arrive. Everyone had been somewhat off on their own, but that was not new in this pack, especially not for Hani. Everything and anything could be going on, but if she wasn't directly called to help, Hani would stay out of it. the Olympus family had many things they did on their own and sometimes it was hard to tell which things were which, so the woman made a point to avoid happenings unless called for. Healers were to be used, not heard. This position of healing was a quiet one, as everyone in the pack seemed to be of good health, but Hani didn't mind. Most everyone made her nervous anyway, though she enjoyed helping.

Hani arrived what seemed like first out of the pack. She greeted Natalya politely and immediately sat, ready to listen. Soon others would show up and Hani wanted to be well settled by then. If she was still enough, maybe she would fade into the background and no one would notice her. Unless she was called on, there was no reason to interfere.

speech

For awhile now the boy had not been feeling well, first it had started with a loss in appetite, then began morphing into insomnia, head aches, joint aches, fatigue and nausea. Day by day he could feel his body grow weak, unable to carry out daily activities, to be an active member to his parents pack. And as the days passed by, having no urge to feed, he had grown thin almost to the point where you could begin to see the bones beneath his russet and black pelt. Dull orange eyes slowly parted at the sound of his mother's summoning howl, the headache that kept him from blissful sleep worsening even with the soothing voice. The boy groaned, ears pinning back against his skull as he tried to roll his body from its side and onto his belly, left limbs bracing and the right bending to get underneath and raise his frame. Just getting out of his den was enough struggle for the day, having to stop then and there when his throat suddenly tightened and his abdomen spasm. Forepaws had spread, tail tucking between his hindlegs and head lowered close to the ground with his eyes closing tightly. Within seconds the contents in his stomach were thrown to the ground, a horrible, raspy mix of a cough and gurgle escaping his jaws at the same time. Once it was over the boy had tears in his eyes and left over vomit dripping from both his lips and nose, a foul stench heavy in the air. With a paw he tried to wipe it away, keeping the substance beneath his ankle so he could wash it all off before arriving to the meeting. With his other paw he would dig his claws into the ground and try to pull dirt and leaves over, trying to cover the mess good enough to where they was a thick layer of dirt and leaves over it before finally picking himself up and lumbering over to the nearest water source. After cleaning himself the boy would arrive to where his mother's call was given, his body still smelling like sickness. Head was held low as he lumbered in, making no effort this time to take his place near her, instead choosing where the back of the group would be. Body was carefully and slowly lain over the ground, head resting on his paws, too tired to stay up any longer. speech others

he took a seat opposite nat and to where he will be behind the group of wolves who gather.

The girl would not fall far behind her brother, though it was intentional to stick close to him on the way to their mother's call. He would take seat next to Natalya, and as always Chione made herself sit behind the rest of her family. Though it was her own thought that she deserved to sit beside the rulers as her family and act like a queen, she was not. She didn't want the others looking at her even though they were all looking at her parents. She always just relaxed in the back and listened with her eyes closed. Just as her mother was thinking, Chione was not very fond of the move. Though she did enjoy getting away from the lands that her childhood friend plagued, he had hacked her mind worse. Sure he didn't appear in form, but he couldn't be "physical" either way. It really was a conundrum.  She would actually that the moment while everyone was joining to lay down. Her head pushed back as she waited for either her father or mother to start speaking. Would this be over soon? "Talk" Think "Charon"

((Spoke with Raii and we both agreed that because of the move we'd extend the due date, all members have till tomorrow to reply or face ic punishment, with the exception of those listed in Nat's post.))

Two of his children were sick and there was only so much he could do, he had been spreading himself thin with Alectrona’s sickness and when his son had fallen ill he had stretched himself to his limits trying to both check on them regularly and do his duties as an alpha. It left precious little time for rest and it was no doubt showing. He still groomed himself, refusing to allow his coat to become rumpled but there would be no missing the weariness in his eyes or the slight slouch in his shoulders. His head hung low more often than not and it was not uncommon to see him sitting stock still, easily mistaken for a vigilant guardian if not for the soft snoring. Still the world roved on and the pack would need to come first, and Natalya’s summons was not unexpected and as he rose from his then sitting position with a groan he knew what would be expected of him. With some conscious effort he marched off to answer his wife’s call, head purposefully held high and tail flagged over his rump. There would be no missing the slight slowness of his step but for all outward appearances he would keep himself as the picture of a ruler. His tired gaze roved over the small group before him, a slight dip of his head presented to Hani and a tired smile offered to his children. Hercules in particular drew his attention, no doubt it was still too early for the boy to really be out but he admired the child’s determination. No doubt his other daughter and Rurik would be absent from the meeting, his daughter’s impromptu guardian doing Helios proud as he refused to leave the suffering girl’s side. With a sigh the man settled himself upon his haunches beside his wife, wanting nothing more than to slump forward and close his eyes but forcing himself to remain upright, regal.        speech,

The festival had come and gone. The wedding had been such a success and the visiting packs and rogues had played nicely while in neutral territory, something the behemoth had been glad to see. He could only hope that his pack's show of hospitality would demonstrate that they were a pack worth allying with and not trying to destroy, but one could never know. Though the packs that had visited had all been on their best behavior at the festival, Conan was yet to trust any of them. As far as he knew, his family wasn't allied with any of the other packs in Alacritia and until they were, he didn't trust a single one of them. Anyone of those wolves could be looking to bring harm to his wife and children and extended family and he would he damned if he let that happen. 

It would be thoughts of protecting his family that would rouse the behemoth from his sleep, ruby eyes blinking sleepily as a yawn split his cavernous maw, sooty audits catching the sound of Nat's call in the night. A pack meeting. It must be something important if she was calling everyone at this time of night. Softly he would push his warm nose into Phoebe's neck as she dozed beside him, nudging her gently to wake her as he stood. A brief shake was given to clear his pelt of dirt before he would nudging his daughters awake as well, ushering their sleepy figures out towards the darkness of the night as his wife joined him outside. He would see her become alert once outside and he could only assume she had heard Nat's call as well. With a lick to her cheek he would guide his little family towards the gathering that was to happen, arriving within a few minutes to find Nat and Helios already assembled as well as few others. He would keep his daughters close as they snuggled up between his forelimbs and Phoebe's, leaning against his wife for comfort as he looked to his superiors, awaiting to see what news they had to share. 

(Hope that PP of phoebe and the pups is alright, since I wasn't sure when Phoebe and the girls would be posted)

 

ooc: sorry I'm late x_x rl shiz and all that

Phoebe blinked her eyes open at Conan's insisting, grumpily groaning as she rose to her paws and shook out her coat and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. A meeting? Why a meeting now at this time of night? She sighed and put on a smile even though a touch of worry nagged at her. Something must be wrong if Natalya was suddenly calling them together like this... Well, she wouldn't get ahead of herself. She ushered her daughters out the door alongside Conan and padded through the darkness till they reached where Nat had called the meeting. She placed a kiss on each of her daughter's heads and one one Conan's cheek before padding toward the front and settling on her haunches near Natalya. Even now she was still getting used to the idea that she was third in command of the pack. She had never been in charge of anything but herself her whole life and now she had a husband, children, and her fair share of responsibility for this pack. With a curious glance toward her dark colored sister she waited to see what this meeting was about.


Speech
Thought
Others

ooc: again... late... sorry :x Hera's jaws stretched in a sleepy yawn when her dad nudged her awake and she opened her eyes into the smallest slits to look and see what was happening. "But Daaaad I just went to sleeeeep..." she grumbled discontentedly, but she still rose to her paws and padded forward all the same. She wouldn't disobey her parents or Aunt Nat, as much as she'd rather go back to sleep. She plopped down in between Conan and Aura, blinking up at her mom as she kissed her head. She watched Momma go to the front and for a moment she was tempted to go sit up there with her, but she knew she should stay where she was. No fun. She sighed and leaned into Dad's large foreleg, waiting impatiently for the chance to go back to the den so she could go back to sleeeep. ""

He had traveled a rather far distance, leaving home to follow Virgil back to these lands. He worried about the woman, she was well better when she left but her condition when she arrived was beyond any experience he had. He had lost Virgil scent a while back, but he knew that his sister and her family had settled in this land too. He spent days and weeks searching for the familiar scent, a familiar scent. And even though most would have given up hope and headed home, he was willing to go the distance. It had been too long since he last saw his sister, Natalya. It was the only reason that made him hesitate at the thin strip connecting Pantheon from the rest of Alacritia. He knew better than to enter marked territory, but the scent of the place was so familiar yet so different from his own. The aroma of the offspring and others that lived here, he could get that hint of Helios and his family. It was either that this was where his sister lived, or that he truly followed Virgil all the way out here. He walked through the marshy waters cautiously, ready to fight his way back out of course after he tried to explain why he was trespassing. But he had come to a sight of a fallen tree that a small group of wolves had gathered. And finally, Natalya. It was very possible that she could have recognized his own scent, or maybe Helios found it threatening in the distance. Or they could have happily realized his presence. Or maybe they were just too busy to see his intrusion. He relaxed his figure though, still trying to keep quiet until he came close enough to speak, but far enough that he had to shout a little from the distance. "Helios!" He spoke to purposefully move around the attention of his sister, but kept his eyes on her for a reaction. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He then finished with a grin, closer to the group and finally made eye contact with his brother-in -law.

OOC;; For everyone's reference, the rules Natalya is about to fill everyone in on are here: http://alacritis.org/showthread.php?tid=1546 (will be adding all of this to the regular pack page as well).  Since Aura is a pup, she obviously will not be kicked out of the pack.  IC consequences for Phoebe's & Hera's, and for Aura's absence (though we are pretending she's here for the sake of logic XD) lateness will be determined at the end of the meeting.




Though Natalya had been under the impression her pack mates would be awake, many found their way to the meeting as though they had just been woken up.  Natalya stood stoic, focused on tracking the scents of the wolves entering one by one.  Hani, ever faithful, was quickest to arrive, followed by Natalya's own small family.  Though Alectrona had been feeling well the day of the festival, she had fallen quickly back into illness and was confined to a separate den with Rurik to look after her.  Her brother seemed to have caught the bug, but he was slowly recovering now, enough at least to attend the meeting.  Natalya was glad to see her son's strength and resilience.  He took quite after his father, who was exhausted in his own right.  The Matriarch made a quick mental note to give her mate a much needed day off soon.

Conan was not far behind, but his family staggered in behind him, too slow for Natalya's tastes.  Phoebe, of all of the wolves present, should have known that tardiness would not be excused, but the matter would be put on the back burner for now.  She and her daughters would be dealt with accordingly once everything else was settled.  

The queen was so distracted by her thoughts and her focus that she almost missed the old familiar scent wafting toward her.  She thought at first that it was something like a dream.  It wouldn't be the first time her family had crossed her mind since moving here, sometimes in ways that made her feel as though they were with her.  But then he spoke, his voice clear, and she could not deny it.  Her brother, Timaeus, stood before them.  He addressed her husband as a long lost friend.  Natalya's eyelids widened slightly, a natural reaction to the surprise, but they soon returned to their normal position.  She wanted to run to him, but she needed to fight that urge until she was finished making her points known.  Surely, he would understand that.

"I apologize to any of you who I have woken, but this is the beginning of a serious shift for our pack."  Her voice was strong, commanding, and bore only the slightest hint of anger.  She wanted it to be absolutely clear that she was done with the laziness and the lack of productivity.  "For too long now, we have been quiet and relaxed.  You all deserved time to adjust to our new surroundings, but now you should be plenty comfortable.  From this night forward, Helios and I will be enforcing strict laws."

"We must be diligent in our training.  Conan, as Peltast, we will expect you to begin hosting regular training sessions.  We will also participate in them.  The first should take place within a fortnight.  Phoebe and Hani, as our healers, you are expected to host a training for the pack soon as well.  Please collaborate and decide on a date for this.  Since Rurik is currently occupied with caring for our daughter, Helios and I will work out a time for a hunt."

"In the meantime, everyone should be practicing your fishing and swimming skills.  We will not be venturing into the mainland for prey for quite some time.  You have been spoiled on the leftovers from the festival, but now we will all learn to strengthen ourselves in all ways, including learning to survive on less food than we are accustomed to."

Her head turned toward Chione and Hercules respectively before she spoke again.  "My children will soon be yearlings, so it is time for them to choose where to focus their talents - healing, fighting, or hunting.  Hercules, Chione - please come to me within the week and inform me of your decisions."  Her voice was slightly gentler as she spoke to them, but it returned to its previous state when she addressed the pack as a whole again.  "All of you are expected to train hard and to be prompt to every event and meeting we host, from this moment forward.  Any who do not meet these expectations will be punished, and, if the circumstances dictate, expelled from the pack.  Do you have any questions?"

People were gathering, but the boy would not pay too much attention to them. Head lay over his paws, eyelids closing over those firey orange eyes of his, helping soothe that headache of him, though it was very small. His stomach was beginning to act up again, feeling like a witch's cauldron, bubbling. It wasn't till his mother spoke that he opened his eyes, slowly parting and shifting over to her dark form. Natalya apologized for waking anyone who might have been sleeping, explaining that this would be the start to a serious shift for their pack. Hercules blinked, holding it a few seconds before reopening once more, trying to calm the turning stomach. The alphess continued on, voicing her displeasure at the lazy group of wolves, they would enforce rules and they should be diligent in training sessions. Conan expected people to host regular training sessions and participate in them, the first occurring soon. Phoebe and Hani were also expected to host a training session in healing for the pack and needed to decide a date to do so, while her and Helios worked on hunting sessions while Alectrona was being taken care of by Rurik. Hercules took in a deep breath, noting who was leading what session but that was pretty much it. Natalya wanted everyone to practice fishing and swimming, no venturing to the mainland for prey. She, at least in his own eyes, insulted the wolves briefly before moving off the topic and looking towards him and Chione. The boy tried straightening himself to be at least a little presentable now that she was directing her, and possible the pack's attention, on them. She informed them that her children would be yearlings soon, and it was time for them to choose where to focus their talents; healing, fighting, or hunting. She wanted them to come to her within the week to inform her of their decision. To this he nodded his head before laying it down on the ground when she turned to the whole pack now. It was nothing that concerned him at the moment, so Hercules would heave himself up into a sitting posture, take a deep breath then push himself to stand up. He wouldn't leave immediately tough, waiting for his mother to dismiss them first. "speech.thought.you."

His wife would place a gentle kiss on his cheek and atop their daughters' heads before she would leave their side to join Natalya at the front. As his ruby gaze traced his wife's silhouette, it was hard for him not to feel proud of her. She was of high ranking with their pack, as her seat beside their queen demonstrated. She was more than capable of handling the responsibilities that were put upon her shoulders and he was eager to see her thrive within their pack. Hera's wriggling at his paws broke his attention from Phoebe momentarily, chin dipping down as he gazed at her daughter, noting the sleepy look on her features. He would chuckle to himself as he leaned down to gently lick at her ears, silently reassuring her that they would soon return to bed.

When the last of the wolves trickled in, which wasn't many, Natalya called everyone's attention. As he sat listening to his alphaess speak, an odd sensation washed over him. He would have never pictured himself to be a part of pack again, much less be married with children. Albeit they weren't his biological children, but he still loved them all the same. It was a sense of deja vu as he listened to Natalya instruct him on taking charge of the pack's training. He would give the ebony woman a firm nod of confirmation, his mind already working the details of their first training session. He would want all able-bodied wolves to attend, his wife and children included, but just how many of their pack members were old enough to actually fight if the occasion arose? Conan would make himself a silent reminder to venture outside of the packlands in search of worthy warriors. Although Pantheon was in a relative time of peace, it was better that they build their forces up now while they could before it was too late.

She was met with silence, something she could only conclude to mean that her pack mates were approving of her terms or unwilling to voice their displeasure. All that was left was to wrap up the announcements and introduce their newest member.

"Punishments for violations of our rules will be determined according to the severity of the offense and the number of offenses each of you has. Phoebe, sister, for your tardiness to our meeting, you and your daughters will be doing night patrols for the week."

"Now, on a lighter note," she began, a smile creeping onto her face, "there is a stranger to you in our midst. If he desires, he is most welcome to join our ranks. You are all welcome to leave at any time, but first I would like you all to meet my brother, Timaeus Hesperides." Natalya moved away from her log perch at a purposeful pace to find her brother's form, greeting him with a playful bat of her paw against his maw and a quick kiss on the cheek. The last time she had spent time with him was before she was betrothed, five whole years ago. How much had changed between them?

"Brother, what brings you to our lands? I was under the impression our family would be remaining home."

The man stood back to let his sister work, seeing that she had larger duties than meeting him so he could wait a little longer until they could actually talk. A warm smile laid on his face as he listened to her, proud by every word. Natalya has amounted to greater than he, but they were still family all the same. Soon enough, she would be able to jump down and introduce him, though she gave him her own greeting as well. He returned her kiss just as she did, same smile to his maw. His head flicked around at the others that were still there, a small chuckle erupting from his throat. "I don't need a big welcome or anything." Eyes came back to Natalya as she turned focus on him. He was finally reunited with his sister in what was forever, and though he was plenty happy and excited, he could hold a relaxed and respectful response just like she could. He kept his voice more quiet to show he was only speaking to her, but of course no secrets involved. "It has been some time." A short pause before continuing, "I came to see Virgil to safety, but I see she is not here." Virgil was probably well fine, she was strong and could take great care for herself. But he just wanted to be sure. Though he wouldn't mind settling down after. Walk "Talk" Think

Chione stayed in the back as per usual, she was listening to every word though it didn't seem that way. Her ears flicked as her mother mentioned her name, choosing a talent was not her thing. She truly believed she was  good at nothing, but she also was too lazy to do anything else but lay around. As she heard other's stir, an unfamiliar voice would strike her and she would burst her dark orbs open. She stood to his name, Natalya introducing him as her brother. And though he was an uncle, the little voice of Charon would plague her. "Here to take your place I see..." She shook her head, trying to push him away but without any other hesitation, she would turn away a dismiss herself. Was he really here to replace her? -Exit Chione- "Talk" Think "Charon"

None would voice concerns, the members dispersing in their own time to return to bed or do whatever it was their hearts desired. Natalya had bigger concerns than their activities, though. Her brother's presence had forced all of her attention on him for the time being. Tim had always been the chivalrous, protective type. It made sense that he had come here to ensure the safety of her niece. Nat nodded and but she didn't smile now. Virgil had arrived just fine and acted as though she would be immersing herself in the family once again, but she had quickly disappeared after freeing her children. The Matriarch was used to the absence of her niece, but that made it no less upsetting or frustrating.

"Virgil made it here just fine, but I haven't a clue where she is now." Nat shrugged as she spoke, but allowed a smile to quickly grace her maw again. "Will you be staying with us, Tim? I can't imagine anything I would appreciate more right now."

He watched as the others scattered and left to do what they wanted... Maybe that big welcome party was a good idea now. But really, they didn't matter all that much to him. Natalya was his big prize here after all. She ensured Virgil's safety, but admitted that she had disappeared afterwards. But his sister's next words would make him smile, she wanted him to stay and although he was still on the run to be extra sure that Virgil was alright, how could he deny the offer? "Well, I can't leave until seeing her..." he spoke rather jokingly, though all the more serious, "I suppose I don't have a choice then." He would be glad to spend his time here with Natalya and her family. It had been ages since he had last seen her and Helios, maybe he could make up that time now. Walk "Talk" Think

Natalya couldn't help the widening of her smile. Her brother would be staying! In all of the darkness that clouded her life now, this one bright ray of light was shining through and making her think that, maybe, everything would be okay. She jumped forward to kiss her brother on the cheek as laughter bubbled from within her throat. Her joy was that of a child, something playful that was very rarely seen. "Tim, I'm so glad!" she exclaimed before backing up again to give him space. "I'll make you an Apella, if that rank would suit you? We certainly need more wolves in leadership positions and I know that you are more than capable. What do you say, brother?"