Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He’d meant to speak with Gwenevere ages ago, and now, he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of this important talk. She had been a major help in the raid, and that alone had earned her a promotion. That she patrolled often, and had even held a fight training session for the whole pack meant she would be further rewarded. He’d returned from meeting Amos, and now he sat at the meeting stone and sent up a call to the true-blooded Adravendi female. While he waited, it struck him that of all the wolves to be leading an Adravendi based pack, it was she, one who actually carried the blood of Cairo Adravendi, the very founder of the family, who should be leader. He gave a soft click of his tongue, frowning. Cairo had given Erani his surname the evening before his death, to be carried by herself and her children and family. She had borne no surname before that moment. And she often said that that was the moment she gave up on her mate ever returning. She’d been right. Regulus’s blood grandfather had never returned. Not one glimpse of night black fur, not a sight of his scarred face, or a gleam of molten golden eyes. Gone. According to Uncle Castiel, who had been with Nova on a sort of… coming of age trip… the giant black male had been caught in a bison stampede and struck down, apparently dead. Whatever had happened, it was long ago. The here and now were important. Erani’s line carried the name, and her family along with her. The Adravendis had grown with that addition. And meanwhile… where were all the true-blooded Adravendi wolves? He hadn’t seen Leo in a very long time, not since before the raid, and he had never met any of Leo’s children. He hadn’t seen Epiphron since he was a young man. If he thought of it, Gwenevere was possibly the only other pure Adravendi he’d ever met. Which reminded him… Since Baine had seemingly neglected to make the trip needed to visit all the packs as his Harbinger, he would have to go on his own, and perhaps bring her along. The thoughts continued on in his mind, while his eyes roved the plains, watching for the cream and auburn Adravendi to arrive.

Gwen tilted her head in curiosity at the howl ringing through the warm spring air. It was Regulus calling for her, specifically, which was unusual. She was out along the border, not necessarily patrolling right now so much as strolling along the wall to enjoy the warm sun, and the heat that the stone walls retained from standing sentinel all day long. The walls would make evening sentry duty pleasant, she thought, since they would keep the heat of the day longer than the air would. She had no qualms about abandoning her walk right now though, warm as the day already was anyway, and she jogged towards Regulus' summons with a smile. It certainly wasn't difficult to see where he was waiting, with that red color even deeper than her own father's bright coloration. She privately felt relief that she'd inherited her mother's more muted colors to result in her own auburn points rather than her father's brighter red. She couldn't imagine how Regulus could manage to sneak up on anything with that coat, at least without some form of camouflage.

"Hello, Regulus," she greeted the younger male as she came within earshot, that amusement over picturing the large, brightly colored alpha sneaking around through the grass with mud plastered all over him still dancing in her lighter blue eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He smiled as he spotted his kinswoman arriving, tail tapping the stone before he rose and joined her on the ground at her level, resettling once more, and getting down to business in the next breath. “Something I should have gotten done immediately after the raid. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you about this, but, I’m promoting you. For your involvement in defending Celestial against Talis, and your efforts to keep the pack active with fighting training, I’d like to promote you to the role of our first Master Legionary, unless there’s another rank you’d like.” Fathomless sapphires studied her features for her reaction, but also with that interest that said he was quite interested to hear if she had a preference in rank. Heavens knew they needed higher ranking wolves, both to help take some of the workload off of himself, and to help the pack run more smoothly. It was certainly a start on a long road up the ladder.

Regulus rose to join her, and wasted no time on small talk before getting right to why he had called her - a fact that the practical-minded Gwenevere could certainly appreciate, since as an alpha and father he had many duties of his own to see to that he was taking time out of to speak with her. She would admit to a bit of surprise at being offered a higher rank, though, and had to sit and blink a moment to marshal her thoughts. "Well, you certainly do need a ranking warrior to organize that part of the pack," she mused aloud. "I'm afraid we've been a bit scattered since even before the raid, and you have more than enough on your shoulders without needing to chase around every border guard and sentry and make sure they're doing their duties. I would be more than happy to step up as a master legionary to help you, though I am surprised that no one has tried for a ranking position yet." It was in many ways a troubling commentary on the wolves who made Celestial their home if none of Regulus' adult siblings, at least, had tried to step forward and assist. It had, after all, begun as a family pack had it not? She would need to put some thought into ways of encouraging the younger members of the pack towards ambition. She was, after all, creeping up in age herself and eventually she would need a replacement. "I would have some questions about my duties, if you don't mind."

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Archangel nodded, smiling as Gwenevere agreed on the need for higher ranking wolves, but he didn’t interrupt her as she mulled aloud over the statistics. He agreed, certainly. Celestial wasn’t a unified pack like it should be. Wolves passed like ships in the sea, and thus far, he’d found few in the pack with the ambition to take the initiative. Exodus was one of the few, and he was proud of the boy. Adore had sought out her own first spar training, and Domari had been a willing teacher. Paladin, of course. Paladin was one he had little doubt would be one that sought to become the first Grand-Master Cleric. Part of the lack of motivation in his pack Regulus blamed upon himself. He hadn’t set young wolves with mentors as he had intended, and even now, he was behind on his schedule to call a pack meeting. But there was something he wanted to offer Gwenevere first, before her duty really began. “Thank you, Gwen.” He said, words and tone genuinely grateful as he smiled at her. At her suggestion of questions, he nodded emphatically. “Oh, definitely. You can’t do your job well if I don’t give you a clear idea of what they are. Ask anything you like, but, before you start on your duties, I’d like to ask you; would you like to go see your mother and siblings in the East before you buckle down and get swallowed by your job?” He had to wonder, though, if Epiphron was still living. He also hadn’t heard from Leo in a long time. Not since after the Challenge by Liar for Celestial. It gave him a niggling sense of worry. Baine had never left to meet with the packs and spread word of Talis’s propensity for raiding packs and bring back news, so he was in the dark as far as all that was going on with the other packs. Now that he was fully healed, he’d have to make the trips himself.

Gwenevere was taken aback by Regulus' offer. She had not given much thought to tracking down any of her family, in part because of her deep-seated guilt over the way she had parted with them. She had been... a spoiled brat, quite frankly, and her last real encounter with her parents had been overshadowed by what could only be described as her throwing a childish tantrum over them stepping away from the pack she had believed to be her birthright. And then she'd put herself, and them, at risk by associating with one of the Armada king's offspring, despite knowing that they were enemies of her family and would have gladly used her in whatever way they could to get to the Adravendis. Oh, she had been such a foolish child.

But she couldn't keep putting off looking for them. They probably thought she was dead, gone for so long and so young. And maybe she might have succumbed if it hadn't been for Lanse to share the burden of survival. Finding them would reopen old wounds, but it would be for the best. She needed to be able to know if there were more blood relatives out there, or if she were the last of her line. If she had any children, would they be the only ones to carry on the bloodline, or had her siblings born children? Had her parents ever chosen to have another litter themselves? She simply didn't know, and she should.

"I... would like that very much, I think," she said hesitantly. Hesitantly, because she wasn't sure that 'like' would be accurate for the mixed feelings that surged in her, but a necessity. She couldn't let her guilt hold her back any longer, and he was right. Once she stepped into her role as the ranking legionary, she wouldn't be able to leave on a whim. She would need to stay nearby the pack to be ready for emergencies. "If you believe I can be spared, I should do that soon, while the weather is good for travel and I can make better time."

Shaking off the concerns, she settled once more into a friendly, if professional, demeanor. "Is there anything else you want me to do while I am travelling? I plan to stop at the battlefield to get some practice in sparring and would be more than happy to provide an escort to anyone else who wishes to do so, or for any healers who might need protection while gathering herbs in the area." A brief smile crossed her muzzle, and she gave a brief chuckle. "Or simply a strong back to carry their bounty."

"As for my questions, they're really not too in depth," she assured him. "Mostly I wished to know my responsibilities towards the fighters who are not ranked as legionaries, and any noncombatants. I am assuming that it will be my responsibility to see that even the noncombatants are trained in self-defense, but specifically I was wondering about my standing with the ranks of cleric and paladin. Clerics I assume fall under the command of a head healer for their assignments and I need only give them more instruction in battle, but will I be leading the paladins as though they are legionaries who happen to have medical training? Or are their duties to be assigned differently?"