Too lazy to try and find the right table. So here's the lowdown!

Nyx has requested that this fight be defaulted in favor of Sindri. Kapra must give up by either fleeing, passing out, giving up etc. Sindri is free to complete her maim.

He had been through a lot in his relatively short life. However, it seemed like life had decided that he was never going to be allowed to settle into one place for too long. Just as he was beginning to grow comfortable here it was being flipped upside down again. He was grateful that Aisling had come to sit beside him before Kassander began to speak. At least he had a friend with him, the first friend he had made in quite some time if he was going to be completely honest.

He listened to what Kassander had to say with dread. Sigmarr was dead? He remembered the boy well, thinking back to the spar they had shared a while back. His heart sank at the news, but his sadness over this new information was pushed aside by shock when he heard that Kassander would be stepping down and some woman he had never heard of would be taking his place. He had come to Ebony after Kassander took the rule of Ebony so he had never been under Katja's rule.

He already wasn't too keen on living under the rule of anyone than the Xanilovs, but something didn't quite sit right with him about her. Besides that, she called in some of her own followers who came into the pack that had been his and his pack mates like they owned it. His pale tan gaze narrowed and the fur bristled on his neck. He held his tongue and watched as some of Kassander's siblings spoke up instead. He was torn. Part of him wanted to stay to look after any of the Xanilovs that chose to stay, but another part of him, the stronger part it seemed, refused to stay. A fight broke out and he gave a shake of his head. "I'm not staying," he said loud enough that the new alpha could hear if she so wished.

He lowered his voice a bit and turned his gaze to Aisling, searching her expression for her reaction to it all. "Ais, if you don't want to stay you can come with me... We can find a new home." He really hoped she'd agree. He'd hate to lose his only friend and his home in one day. He rose and headed away from the meeting, giving farewell glances to his packmates. Perhaps one day the Xanilovs would rise again. If they did he would be there. Till then, he would focus on keeping Ais safe and figuring out what they would do next.

- exit -

"Speech" 'thoughts'

She pressed closer towards Nikolai as the new leader made the announcement about the change in packs. She had never met this female, and it made her wary of her. She seemed so... strict. First she'd lost her family, then was displaced form her birth pack, and now her new pack? She sighed before her ears perked up at Nikolai's words. "I would never leave your side for a wolf I have never met or seen before." She answered him softly.

Raising her voice, she moved forward a few steps and announced that she would not be staying either. "I wish to go with Nikolai. This pack is bound to be different from what I expected when I joined. I shall take my leave now." She said before turning around and following after Nikolai, quickly catching up to her friend.

-exit-

Walk | Talk | Think

"Not a very chipper bunch, are they?" the cat whispered for Callisto alone to hear, and though she was typically averse to anything the little creature spoke she had to admit there was some truth to it this time. Something was wrong, and everyone seemed to know it. Family gathered around their young king, practically smothering him with their concern and ignorance, and when she expected him to crumble he surprised her by leading them into their meeting properly.

Only nothing he said was good news. He had been taken away and his brother had perished to save him. While others looked on with varying degrees of distress and heartache, Callisto only frowned deeply. Having no such close connections with anyone herself, she had no means of understanding just what that type of loss felt like, nor did she ever really expect to. Sure, it was a disappointment, but in her eyes only because it seemed to throw everything out of sorts and compromise their stability.

Which was where the surprise lay. Kassander was stepping down, opening up the pack to its previous leader Katja, and as the woman was passed the metaphorical crown the healer finally noticed her among them. Admittedly it was something of a happy surprise for Callisto. Of all Ebony's leaders, Katja had been the one she had tolerated the most. But it quickly became obvious to her that this new pack - no longer Ebony but Yfir - held no resemblance to the one from which it stemmed.

She could feel the feline's golden eyes look up at her searchingly, but Callisto did not acknowledge it. Instead she listened, quietly and patiently, learning what she could and trying to judge whether she could continue to tolerate living here under new regulations. It was not Katja who gave her that answer but those who followed. Where the masked lady had picked up the cackling character Callisto would never know, but the fact everything broke into a fight right then, as his unsympathetic words ignited fires in the hearts of the departed's relatives, did not bode well with her.

A sourness rose up within her so strongly she could almost taste it. After everything she had been through her only wish had been for stability. And yet after returning to her home she had felt nothing of the sort until recently, only to have it all threatened again with a change in their leadership and those who would call the place home. Were things destined to continue changing like this? To keep throwing her for a loop every time she started to feel comfortable again?

Likely it was an effect of her hormonal state that amplified her unrest, but on that impulse she rose. She searched the faces of those that remained - a few had already taken their leave - but on none of them did she feel any sense of obligation. What really would she be leaving behind? Irritated more by her lonely revelation, she cast one sharp glance at the little black cat before setting off toward her den with the intention of combing through her plant stores for what she could not afford to leave behind.

-Exit Callisto-

He didn't even know why he was here, let alone why these wolves seemed so upset. For all he knew, they were pouting because Katja had taken their home from them, which seemed the likely answer.. hence his comment. An bewildered look crossed his face as a woman snapped at him, his ears pulling back. "Do you take me for a mind-reader?" he'd snarl back at her. If he had any idea that someone had died, and that someone was someone Katja had thought of like a son, there was no question that he would've sobered up his demeanor... and yet they didn't give her half a chance to explain, expecting him to know what was happening here without being told, like some fucking mind reader. Without much warning, another girl began to spit and snarl at him. "Dumb fucking cunt," he'd growl at her in annoyance. Her attack would come suddenly and swiftly, without giving him chance to respond, and her jaws would part as she rushed forward to bite down on his face. The pain was fierce - and for once, Kapra didn't retaliate. He felt his flesh tear, her teeth white-hot as the dug into his flesh and he swore he felt the sharp pain in his eye. Instead of fighting back, he began to cackle, feeling his vision fade as he attempted to pull away from her after a long moment. His head was spinning, his adrenaline pumping and yet.. fighting was not in his agenda today. "Your grief will be the end of you," he'd snarl from between gritted teeth. "I know nothing about this brother of yours that died... and yet you act as though I come here mocking you..  as though I can somehow know these things and that my laughter is in direct response to your loss." He snorted indignantly. His teeth would reveal themselves as his lips pulled back, his gaze briefly seeking Katja's. If only they knew that, for once, he wouldn't have made light of their grief, as the deceased was someone Katja cared for.. and Kapra truly was loyal to her.. but no, it seemed this girl was more of a beast than even himself. "Perhaps you ought to try crying first. It might make you feel better than lashing out at strangers who are ignorant to your pain." Perhaps he might be less surprised at such a reaction from a lone wolf, but from a wolf that stood here? Listening to Katja speak? It was incredible. Unable to smile now, he'd grit his teeth through the pain. He didn't know whether Katja would stop her meeting to help him or not -- but he could fend for himself regardless. Eying her for a moment through his one good eye, feeling the unmistakable warmth of blood trickling down from the right side of his face, he would turn to go, knowing he had no place here, and knowing he needed to find someone to help tend to his wounds. And he knew just the wolf to call..

When I fight broke out Max had almost gotten up to retrieve his hurbs and then thought better of it. He didnt care at the moment. He had just been trying to figure out what he would have to do to become less like himself. The fight, well more or less the man who came in poking the preverbial sleeping bear, had helped to lead him to believe this was the place to do so. For the time being that and Callisto, at least until he could find a way to stop loving her, were his only reasons to stay.

Blue eyes would turn on the woman he had fallen for, if only to see what her decision was. For a while it seemed as though she couldn't decide what to do either but then the fight happened and a dicision was made clear on her features. Had she nit turned and left the man never would have known what that decision was until it was to late.

Her decision made his go a lot easier. His den was already on the outside of the boarder as he had asked to move it there. Aparently it had been good for more than one thing. He could t stay here in the place where he fell inlove, not if she wasnt going to be here with him. She had headed toward the rock guarden and he would not follow but rather head for his own den outside of firefly lake.

No words would be spoken as he figured no one would care anyway. The only people here he considered family, didnt consider him family as far as he knew and with the fight he figured no one would pay attention to him anyway. Ebony no longer mattered to him as it was no more. He had given a few years of his life to it and now it was gone. Calli's leaving had also made him beleave he couldn't escape heart ake with this pack either.

Exit Maximous

Katja's scent was unexpected, though with the events that she had pieced together would breed some logic though she wouldn't fully understand until Kassander spoke once more. Sigmarr was gone, and Kassander would take the weight of that consequence. Gaia would feel a shoke run through her, the news was so much more permanent when it had come from her brother's lips. So much more final than her linked thoughts. Their brother was gone, and Ebony was going with it. She had no problem with Katja, Gaia would not hold any grudges. However the woman had come to live in Ebony, not Yfir. The world seemed to be crashing all around her once more and she couldn't take it. She knew that she had to leave. For a moment she wondered what her siblings might do, but this was the moment she was going to think selfishly. Gaia would turn with out a word and go back the way she'd come. With out so much as a chirp from Freewing. Tears would stream from her eyes as she raced away from the meeting, and all the drama that would unfold. The bright red cardinal would leap from her shoulder and lead her from her once home. "Speech"

Language, bit of gore

Her attack was met with no resistance. The gelatinous surface of the brute's eye was pierced easily by her canine. Fluid flooded her mouth, the rush of liquid taking with it the brute's sight. Sindri's success didn't end there. Her lower teeth struck their mark, digging into the corner of the brute's mouth. They tore upwards, cleaving flesh and spilling blood as they reshaped the contours of Kaprasius' face into a permanent, lopsided leer. She released him and after a moment he stepped back. He spoke, vomiting words that Sindri was deaf to. First and foremost she knew him as an idiot, and the words of a fool were better taken in one ear and discarded out the other. He could justify his stupidity any way he liked. It changed nothing. "No," she hissed, "But you knew damn well we were sad. Maybe next time you see a "fun group" you'll think twice, pull your head out of your ass and keep your mouth shut instead of making jokes. An intelligent creature would have taken one look around and thought to himself 'gee, you know what? Now's probably not the time for humor.'" Her voice dipped and quavered at the last word, but she reined the grief in. She would not cry in this brute's presence. No, he'd see her rage and her vengeance, and nothing else. Let her be a monster in his foolish eye. Tail lashing, Sindri straightened out of her defensive stance, but her eyes remained bright with a feral fire and she held herself rigidly, ready and waiting for further provocation. A storm raged inside, but she was on a high, sailing just out of reach of the clutches of her grief. She would taken them all on if necessary, every last one, friend or foe, if it meant she could be above it all. Later it would hit her, but for now she was invincible. ""

The male would speak and Birna would simply roll her eyes. "No, only a fool," she stated coldly. Was he so blind to body language that he could not see that the group of wolves he'd just walked into were in no mood for humor? Could he really not fathom that his comment comparing the pack of wolves that had obliterated Arcanum to mere children would not be considered inflammatory? And it made her laugh that so blind a man thought himself a warrior. How could he fight when he failed so utterly to read the body language of others? Or perhaps it was the greatest of foes he'd fallen prey to. Arrogance. That he thought he could stride into Ebony and run his mouth without any repercussions. Birna's defenses set as she prepared to drag this man kicking and screaming from the gathering when the small, spirited, girl that had fought along Sigmarr sprang into action with words soaking in venom and fangs that were even more deadly. The battle was quick and decisive the girl showing her viciousness in ripping the man's eye to shreds. Birna smiled softly, impressed with the girls moxie and skill though she felt sorrow tug at her heart. How cruel the fates were that the girl should lose her brother so soon after being free from the demon that haunted her. Birna's thoughts drifted back to Bjorn…. she honestly could not imagine life without him. It had always been the pair of them together, through hell, through heaven, through everything. Even when she wandered she felt comforted just knowing he'd be there waiting for her when she returned. The family fractured, though not for the first time in its history and probably not even the last. It seemed the Xanilov's were destined to fall apart. Birna eyed the woman, this Katja for a moment as she wrestled with her own future, eyes falling on Kassander…. he'd always been so gentle and even the girl, Sindri, her scars showed so blindingly on her form. How the world made monsters of them all. At least it seemed they could look after themselves and this Katja didn't seem to endorse her followers actions, hopefully she would not look ill upon the clearly grieving, hurting family. "Lady Katja, I am Birna Xanilov of Fiori. I heard news of Sigmarr's passing and merely wished to check in on his family. My brother Björn and I battled alongside them against Arcanum… I…" her voice caught suddenly and unexpectedly but she quickly regained control. "I wish his family the best and you as well with the pack." Formal, basic words. Birna desperately wished she could say something that would hold weight but her words felt silent, exhaled and stolen by the wind. -exit?- ""

Well, they were officially on their own now.  The Armada pups had left Imperium and were now left to their own devices but the resounding question was, what now?  Surviving on their own was difficult but doable.  They were all almost yearlings now and had been trained in healing, hunting and fighting.  However, there was still the question of whether they'd try to just make it as a loner group or try joining another pack.  Well, either way, Integra had an ulterior motive for crossing Ebony's border.  She was going to see Kassander!  She couldn't wait to show him everything that she'd learned, she was going to catch up to him in no time she was sure of it! Hmm… but where was he?  "Kassander?" Ears perked but no answer til she heard the sounds of a fight.  Oh no!  Racing through the trees she arrived on the outskirts of a gathering of wolves in time to see a wounded wolf take off.  She had half a mind to go follow him and see if he needed help but then she spotted the man she'd been wanting to see, Kassander.  Oh no…. oh no, oh no.  Something bad had happened.  She could smell it in the air, the rotting, stale stench of tragedy.  "Kass?" She whispered softly before moving cautiously next to Kassander. "Are you hurting somewhere?  Can I help?"

She couldn't say that she'd expected Kapra to show up with the greatest of decorum - he was by nature irreverent and at times thoughtless, a child of Loki if ever she'd seen one, and though she accepted him for what he was she should not have expected the same of all here. In hindsight perhaps she should have waited for a better time to attempt to integrate her vikings into the grieving pack, but she as much as Kapra was not always heedful of Alacratians' soft ways. Truthfully, she was please (if rather surprised) that this youngest daughter of Raisa showed such spark and verve as to so viciously attack someone for - albeit unknowingly - offering such insult to her newly deceased brother. Had Kapra not been taken so off guard by it himself he may have been able to appreciate it himself but at times he was as moody and mercurial as the god she was convinced had fathered him during the blót he was conceived in and it seemed this was one of those times. Katja refrained from interfering between the two of them, as they tangled and broke apart quickly, spitting foul words back and forth before Kapra stalked away bleeding. She made no move to stop him in his current mood; Kapra was no fool and was just as capable of finding himself medical care as she was, and he would return to Yfir or not as he chose to. She was not his mother nor his god to command his undying loyalty, and if he chose to remain in his wandering ways she would not gainsay him. "That is enough," she said simply, her voice low but her tone a cool reprimand. "What is done is done. Sigmarr passed from this world to the next as any true warrior would wish to, and he is beyond insult or reproach. Grief is for the living - the dead have no need of it. So there are moments we must set it aside for a time in which to make decisions and to move forward with clear heads." A sigh fell from her muzzle, her voice softened, her thoughts slipping to the lakeside where two barrows lay side by side, two of the few people in this world she'd ever felt any attachment to. "It is not always an easy thing. It is the burden of the living to bear." She slipped from a growing melancholy back into a cool business like demeanor with what might appear ease, borne of long years of loss and experience. She surveyed the pitiful few who remained there yet - a tattered remnant with which to start a pack, but they would be the stronger for it. "If you choose to remain in Yfir you will be welcome. If you do not, if you choose to leave these lands I wish you good fortune in your travels. Go, mourn your brother. Or stay if you like and seek a place among the warriors or healers. I will hold you here no longer." Though she reminded herself she was not Kapra's keeper, her gaze strayed to the path he'd taken away from the gathering - once she had concluded her business here she would need to track him down to make sure he was all right. He was, after all, all that remained of the Finnvi family past her and Laufey. Losing him would be a serious blow to an already faltering family. ""

When something happened to draw his attention from his grief, it happened all at once. The appearance of a male he didn't recognize, the words he spoke falling on ears slow to catch the nuances and uncaring of the insult to himself, then suddenly sharp, furious snarls from Sindri and - he was surprised to see, when had she gotten here? - Birna from Fiori. His mouth opened, shock holding his tongue as Sindri attacked the male and drove him away.

No sound could pass his teeth, and what could he say anyway? He was not the alpha anymore. He didn't have the responsibility for this pack. It wasn't even Ebony anymore though he found himself grateful for that small kindness. It was hard enough facing everything else his cowardice had wrought without that. It broke his heart enough to see so many walking away without a single thought of what they once had been, could be. Was it so easy to walk away from? Svetlana had stalked away without a word as soon as he'd spoken - their own sibling, so why should he have expected any differently from any of the other wolves he'd once supposedly ruled over?

"Kass?" Initially he flinched away from the voice before he recognized it. Integra Armada? What was she doing here? "Are you hurting somewhere? Can I help?" "I..." his voice broke, and perhaps it was a crack in the dam holding back his misery, for his breath hitched and wetness sprang into his eyes. He sought to let his forehead drop lightly against the tall young healer's shoulder, his own shoulders shaking as he fought back the grief and guilt. Later he would regret dragging her into this maelstrom of emotion, his student, this young girl who'd faced so much grief of her own, but now he simply hid his pain against her until he regain control. "I am not wounded," he finally spoke. "My younger brother has..." He wanted to believe this white lie Katja told him, of a life-after, of a Valhalla where Sigmarr had gone to be with their ancestors, but it felt to him like just that, a lie... "My younger brother is dead." Saying it to Integra felt strange, made him feel leaden, as though every repetition made it feel less real. Like repeating a word over and over again until it lost meaning.

He lifted his head, turned his attention to the dwindling number of wolves. "I am staying," he told Katja, told everyone, in a voice gone hoarse from unshed tears. "It doesn't really matter what it's called now, this was my pack and my home and I'm not going to abandon it. I just... I just can't lead it." Couldn't protect it, couldn't lead it, so he wouldn't. Wouldn't keep trying and just lead it into disaster again, and again, and again.

For a moment time seemed to stand still, much else blurring around her as she attempted to seek out her brothers and sisters. Kapra's arrival would disturb that slightly, though she had no desire to pay the man any attention, barely aware of any of his words until Sindri suddenly burst into action. At the signs of a fight Andromeda was yanked back into real time, suddenly on edge and ready to help her sister though there was no need it seemed, as quickly as it had begun it was over, Kapra not even attempting to prevent damage to himself or invoke any upon the Xanilov girl. The tension in the air was all too apparent now though and even in her grief she couldn't slip back into that oblivion. A few of her siblings lingered but now for the most part Andromeda realised that they had gone from this meeting. Kassander however announced he would stay, it seemed that the family truly was being torn apart again. Katja's words about grief would not alter Andi's state or mind on it all, still consumed by her own sadness. Slipping away, she sought out now Sigmarr's grave deep down knowing that this would likely be a final goodbye to him and Ebony before she attempted to find her other siblings.

Kassander's call was something that was difficult to ignore. It was not meant for her, nor her pack, yet it held a mournful note that was both surprising and concerning. Though she knew very well it was not her place, she couldn't help but be curious as to what tragedy had happened, and if there was anything she could do to help. She'd helped Kassander once before, and had no qualms with helping him again if he needed it. The journey to Ebony's territory was a bit of a trek, and she arrived quite a bit after most others. Only a bit winded from the travel, she panted softly as she approached the large group, her tail curling down near her hocks. This was not her place; she had no authority here and would not pretend she did. Briefly her blue gaze would sweep around the group that had gathered. The tension was high in the air, and one unfamiliar woman seemed to stand at the head of the group, emanating an air of importance that was difficult to ignore. Unsure what exactly she ought to do - if she could be of any help or consolation at all - and she didn't want to smother Kassander either. Finally finding him in the crowd, it was impossible to ignore the sadness that had settled onto his youthful face and the tears that stained his cheeks. Quietly she would draw up closer to him, briefly pressing her nose to his shoulder in a silent greeting. He was surrounded by wolves that were likely family and friends, far closer to him than she was, and the last thing she wanted to do was to bother him. Simply wanting him to know she was there, she would pull away from the group and sit, for once not wanting her presence to be widely known, though she did want Kassander to know she was there as an ally and a friend.

Katja began to speak, her voice causing Sindri's head to snap around. For a second her eyes refused to focus, refused to cover the distance between the two, but when they did the slight fae's gaze sharpened and studied the viking's face. After several moments her eyes flicked to Kassander and then back to Katja. She swallowed and slowly relaxed. "I won't be staying," she said decisively. No, she couldn't stay. Sindri didn't know where she'd go, but she knew for sure that she couldn't be here any longer. Her eyes rose to Kassander again. "Guess I'll see you around, Kass." Everyone else had already gone. It was time for her to make her exit too. "Guess I'll see you around, Kass." With her good-bye said, Sindri turned and went back the way she'd come. -exit Sindri- ""