ooc. The kiddos area nearly a year old, and I feel like they've been stagnant lately (partially my fault, of course) so it's time for the rites of rebirth! Olya is gonna call the kiddos together, and they're gonna be let loose on their first hunts! Feel free to start a new thread for the kid's hunt, if you'd like. This is gonna be, for the most part, Olya explaining the rules and traditions to the kids, and then sending them off. Try to keep your hunting threads either in the Avian Estuary, or in the immediate area. After all, the prey can't be long dead for the rite. Any questions, feel free to skype me! Or PM, if you gotta. May the odds be ever in your favour!

life is short, enjoy it while you're young It was time. The little ones were not so little anymore. Lifting her dove grey crown high, the shaman let loose a bellowing call for the children. They would soon become acquainted with the wills of the gods, and become young adults. Free to roam as they pleased, with no fear of death. This place was perfect. The primary soul bonds of the dynasty tended to lean towards the avian variety, thus an estuary would serve them well. Pacing towards the edge of the marshland, she let the mud squelch between her toes. Today was an auspicious day, and celebrations would be called for quite soon. Joy fluttered in her chest like a million butterflies. This was it! Songbirds chirped and warbled all around. They weren't as plentiful as in spring. It was time for migration to begin, after all. Hopefully this would not harm the ceremony in any way. That would not bode well for the futures of her charges. Bisected gaze roved the landscape. Nests, empty for at least a few weeks, sat in the branches all around. The water was alive with spawning fish. Seating herself upon the soggy ground, she waited for the children. Broad shoulders pushed back, she curled her tail around her paws. Perhaps it was a selfish act of vanity, to bother with appearances at a time like this. Regardless, she wanted to make this memorable. For herself and the children. A soft smile touched upon her lips, waiting for their eager faces to emerge from the undergrowth. "speech"

Crown lifting at the sound of a booming summons, the child quirked a brow. Olya was calling them to gather. For reasons unknown, they had gravitated back towards the other end of the continent. Da had been absent for a little while, investigating something he wouldn't divulge. The growing wolf lifted herself from the grass. Her legs were regaining their strength, and she felt almost whole again. The pallid youth still felt uneasy to be a wolf without a tail, and she was constantly scrutinizing her little bunny poof. Shaking her head, the shaman in training tried to banish those dark thoughts. It was time for another day, and another adventure.

Plodding along, she made her way in a vaguely southernly direction. It sounded urgent, so she wasn't about to waste time. Based on the limited echoing of the howl, Olya hadn't been very far away. Which was great, since walking forever sounded awful. It would be nice to spend time with her sisters, too. They rarely saw each other anymore, and it was kind of distressing to think about. Would they drift apart, and never see one another again? Like mama and her brother? No, uh uh. Divo wouldn't allow it.

Tall grass brushed along slender champagne limbs, and suddenly there was the shaman. A grin broke over her features, and her pace picked up. A jaunty trot brought the student to the paws of the teacher. "You get shorter every day, teacher!" The youth teased. She looked around, frowning. "They're not here yet?" Hopefully the rest of the trio would emerge from the undergrowth soon. The three musketeers needed to be reunited!

I'M JUST A FULL TANK AWAY FROM FREEDOM, SPITFIRE

walk "Talk" think

A call lifted her head from where it laid in the snow. Sath was off again somewhere she wasn't sure. Prolly trying to cover their tracks again. She didn't think it would work if he wanted to find them. An abomination, that's what he had called her. Sath had immediately been called as had Uncle Gabriel, to tend to the wound that had been made. Though even Gabriel's touch couldn't keep the scar from remaining. Father had sworn them to secrecy to keep her other older siblings from trying to hunt down Abba before her father got his fair fight with him. She lifted herself and let out a quieted bark for Sath, she wanted to make sure her sister knew she was answering that call for them. Mother had disappeared too it seemed, likely to go to the homeland. They were in good paws though. She steeled herself with a breath before she moved forwards. Her pace had her there quick enough, though she was panting by the time she had got there. HEr fur was thicker than her sister's from spending time in the colder north. Her Blue eyes fell on her sister's bobbed tail, a wonder of if he had done that too. Father said he was their grandfather but she hadn't a need to call him such an endearing thing. Her own face was scarred beyond recognition of her former self. It took the form of a jagged mark traveling from the left corner of her mouth, which was torn now. to right next to her right ear's inner corner. A line was parallel to this one, in relativity it touched the outer corner of her left eye. She was marked. She looked from her sister to Olya. There wasn't the light of a pup anymore, merely a soon to be young woman who knew what the truth of her father's lineage was. A fire did dance in them but it was muted with recent distress and sadness. They were haunting just to look at. His voice still rang in her head, "Abomination.... I will correct his mistake, that bitch that stole his heart to make you will die." She knew why Father had to do this, he had to keep her mother and uncle safe. She didn't have to like it though. She wouldn't speak, afraid her sister might hear her problem with such a thing, an impedimate from the way her lips were cut. Walk "Talk" Think THEME

"Говорить"

The girl was even less happy now than she had been when Da had taken then from the north. She was lonely, both her parent's gone for reasons she didn't get to be told, Dom had dissapeared and now it was just her, Divo and Olya. While the older woman was nice enough Darya supposed, she wasn't Mama and while the girl was nearly a year old she still very much felt like a pup. Mama had promised to talk about going back home, back to the only place Darya had known as a home and then... well it hadn't happened obviously. Instead Mama and Da had just gone, she felt abandoned, she felt like her wishes had been ignored and it would have been a lie to say she hadn't thought of just setting off on her own to make her way back north, back home.

Instead she had stayed, though her paws itched to travel more and more each day; she didn't want to leave Divo behind... though her sister had a place with Olya that she knew she could never occupy. It felt like she was the odd one out, alone even when she was with them.

That thought had cinched the deal for her, she would be going back home, today! Large and awkward paws carried her forwards, further and further still from the last place they had stopped as a whole family.

A call rang out for them, for all of them and Darya paused mid step, casting a guilty glance back over her shoulder. For a moment the child deliberated, rocking on her paws. With one final glance towards her destination she huffed and turned tail, dragging herself reluctantly back towards the sound of Olya's howl.

She would be the last to arrive, emerging from the undergrowth with her head drooping and eyes downcast. Of all of them she had clearly grown the biggest, she had always been bulky even when young and she had yet to grow fully into her massive paws. All that was forgotten for a moment when she spotted Dom though, and she rushed forwards to bundle her sister in a crushing embrace. She only had a moment to observe the marks on her sister face before she was burying her face into the back of Dom's neck. "Не оставь нас, пожалуйста." She begged softly into her sister's pelt. Her grasp of the common language had grown of course, they had been learning it but in this moment she needed to feel connected to her mother, to her sister, to feel like at least for a moment things hadn't fallen apart.

Art by Sgulert

life is short, enjoy it while you're young First came her student, Divo. All long legs and pale effervescence. Since her accident, the child had been distant, worrisome. Her usual spunk seemed to have returned, when she tossed out a quip about her teacher's height. The shaman rolled her eyes, a smile creasing their corners. At the comment about the rest of the trio being absent, the burly woman hummed wordlessly. There was still time, she trusted that the children would show themselves soon enough. And show themselves they did. Young Dominika arrived next, looking for all the world like she was trying to disappear into thin air. Thick, ropy scars trailed across her ebony stained features. A soft gasp was drawn from deep within her chest, auds flattening against her skull for a moment. "Дом, дорогой ребенок, который сделал это с тобой?" She demanded, rising to her feet to close the distance between herself and the child. Her eyes appeared to be intact, and functioning. Both pupils were the same size, and focused. "Почему ты не позвонил мне? Я бы был там в одно мгновение - так же, как и для Диво. Дорогой, ты был здоров? Вы выглядите так, словно духи заявили о себе." Worry tumbled from her jaws in a rampant spill of frantic words. Darya emerged with a shudder of the undergrowth, just as downtrodden as Dom had been. For a horrific moment, the shaman worried that she had been completely unaware of a plague upon this family. Too focused on her tutelage and passing on the ways of the gods. She had failed these children. Widened eyes of dancing flames drank in the scarred visage of the smallest sibling, and Darya was in motion. Engulfing the smaller girl in a crushing embrace, burrowing her features into the thick fur of her ruff. A soft demand fell from her lips, muffled by her sister's pale coat. Unmistakable, however. Only somewhat shaken, the woman sucked in a deep breath. Great creators, she felt as though she were drowning. "Дети," She began in wavering tones, deep voice softened by strain. "Я собрал вас всех сегодня, чтобы начать ваши обряды Возрождения, чувствуете ли вы, что готовы принять то, что от вас требуется в этот день?" She was hesitant. It appeared that time apart had been disastrous for these children. Perhaps she should postpone the rite. No, winter was too close. Most prey would become scarce in the area, and the longer they went without going through the rite, the more dangerous it was. "Позвольте мне изложить правила для вас, и если вы все не чувствуете, что готовы, мы можем отложить." She began, seating herself in her previous place. Before them all, she felt tiny. Gods above, who had allowed those two to breed? These children were titans. With a pause for breath, she continued. "Сегодня вы все выйдете. По своему усмотрению вы будете охотиться за своей душой. Каждый из вас отправится, и боги будут решать дизайн вашей следующей жизни. Вы столкнетесь с существом, существование которого резонирует внутри вас, и ваша задача - убить его. Быстро и с почтением к существо, которое боги возложили на эту землю, чтобы стать следующим сосудом для вашей души. Как только вы его приобретете, вы соберетесь здесь. Я свяжу каждую твою душу с сосудом, частью его тела. Тогда ваши родители будут вызваны, чтобы мы могли радоваться вашему завершению вашей ассимиляции в клан!" She now looked to each child, awaiting their decision. "speech"

Footsteps on the grass behind them. The soft splat of paws on boggy soil. A scent drifted in on the breeze. A grin spread across the youth's features, and she spun around to face her sister. She hadn't seen Dominika in so long! Even when she'd been healing, Dom had been absent. She must have been up to something wonderful! However, what faced her was not in any way wonderful. Her smallest sister bore the marks of another's rage, violent arcs of pale tissue stretching across her delicate face. Mismatched eyes turned glassy, wide with horror. One paw reached forward, and pulled her closer mechanically. Stony rage bubbled up in her chest. Whoever did this to Dom was going to die screaming. While the shaman might not have been a great warrior, she was sure that she would end whoever had done this.

Her sister said nothing. Teacher thundered forth, two toned eyes roaming over her face. All Divo could do was stare, her rage turning to something quieter and more mournful. Dom had always been so kind, so gentle. Who could look upon her and feel the need to destroy? As teacher spoke, her pale auds shoved forwards, desperate to know. As soon as this was over, Divo would set out. She would annihilate this monstrosity, be it mortal or a god on this earth.

Her heart leapt when Darya slunk into view, tail limp and head down. The family was all together, again. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to her sisters. Yaya blew past her, straight to Dom to wrap her up in a hug. To press her face into Dom's fur and mumble into her skin. Of course, you absolute fickwit. Stuttering movements brought her close, until she could worm her way into the embrace. "Давайте останемся вместе навсегда, хорошо?" The young shaman whimpered, lidded eyes burning.

If none of her siblings departed from the huddled mass of bodies, she wouldn't. Instead, when Olya began to speak, she simply turned her head towards her and listened. Never again would she let either of the others out of reach, or out of sight. The speech was quite long, but she understood. It was time to get their feathers, or their necklaces. Like mama and teacher had. "Я готов." She announced, solemn as the grave.

I'M PEDAL TO THE METAL, MAKE NO MISTAKE
walk "Talk" think