She was the Reaper. It was a very important rank. Aside from the alpha pair, Aslatiel held the most power in the pack. Even above the heirs. As such, it was her duty to whip the fighters of the pack into shape. And she wasn't going to stop there. She would see to the fighters but she would also see to the hunters. If she could make each of them even a little bit better than they were before, then she would be ahead of the game. She wouldn't be satisfied, however, until they were all masters of their crafts. Of course she chose the plains as the meeting place for their first group training. The dummies were freshly packed. She had training weapons. There were sparring quarters marked out with stone. Everyone was going to get good and dirty today. They would work hard or they would definitely hear it. She wasn't here to hold hands or coddle people. She was here to make them work. Only with their advancement would the pack advance. The Reaper called for the warriors, young and old. Seasoned and green. They would heed her call or there would be repercussions. "Speech"

Walk | "Talk" | think

Kotori hadn’t been far away at all.  The young pup had been watching an owl in a tree wanting to try and catch it.  Fang had refused to climb up and chase it off which had Kotori wasn’t all that surprised on.  The mongoose could be brave but only when it chose to do so.  Splash was making a bid for it but the owl looked far from concerned.

At the howl, Kotori turned his heard, ears pricked high.  “Come on guys, let's go.” Kotori didn’t look back but trusted them to come.  So thus the young brownish pup with horns came running towards Asla, a snow leopard with a mongoose sitting on its back bringing up the rear.  Kotori slowed down as neared looking at the older sister he had never spent time with up till now.  Sisters.  Why couldn’t he have more brothers?  Still, this must be a pretty good sister if she’d made reaper.

“Hi,” offered cheerily, “I’m Kotori,” did his sister know him by name just due to blood relation or had she bothered with knowing them even that much. “Congrats on getting reaper by the way.  Figures a Fatalis would be the best for the role.” The last sentence nodded with pride.

Briar had been lurking in the shadows near her brother with Marigold, biting back giggles as they watched him and his companions attempt to reach a far from amused owl, when Aslatiel's howl called for all the fighters. Well, at least there would be some entertainment today! She waited a moment for Kotori to head toward the call first before she followed suit, not wanted her spying to be super obvious - enough of a delay that it would seem like she just so happened to also be in the area and not that she was watching her fellow horned sibling from behind a tree. The young girl and the antlered fox at her side arrived just in time to hear Kotori make a comment about how a Fatalis was best for the Reaper roll and she smirked quietly at the thought. "Well, sure... as long as they're actually the best fighter, she commented in retort as she settled on her haunches, turning her turquoise gaze toward their older sister who she had only really seen in passing before now. Sure, she was happy that one of their siblings got a good spot in the pack, but she also didn't know anything about her. Perhaps she was a little miffed that her own sibling had avoided her, but she could let that go as long as she was able to teach them something interesting. "I'm Briar," she added in as well and then sat back to wait expectantly for the other fighters to arrive. "Briar" | "Marigold"

With her belly caked with mud, little Ophie paused once she heard the reapers call. She'd slipped away once the fight got too rough for her gentle disposition but she'd heard who had won all the same, her big sister was the reaper! Yay!  Not needing to be told twice, she rolled up onto her side, more brown then grey, and was quick to make her way across the Plain towards the training beach. Out of her whole litter she was probably the worst fighter, too clumsy and kind for her own good, but she wanted to get better! To bring glory to the Fatalis name...even if she didn't quite know how just yet.

Skidding to a stop, Ophie wagged her tail in greeting as she schmoozed up to Asla. They'd never really spent much, if any, good one on one time together but she wanted to make a good first impression. Kotori and Briar were already on the scene and they looked so cool and self assured with themselves that it sent a prickle of anxiety of Ophie's system. What if she messed up, would they all laugh at her? Smothering her concerns she put on her biggest and most friendly smile.

"Yeah! You were really cool and strong and and and-" Oh no she was seizing up, the pressure already getting to her. "I'm Ophie!" She finished with a flourish, hoping no one had noticed.

Mojito was busy sorting through his meager supplies, he'd had to use more than he was comfortable with continuing to tend Asla and Naiche's wounds and he was not totally happy with how few usable herbs he had left... and in the middle of winter too. The boy grimaced, definitely not too happy with that. One flopped ear perked as he heard his friend's call. Was this part of her becoming Reaper? The boy gave a low huffing bark to get his sheep companion's attention and the pair trotted off towards the gathering. Hoa shook his fleece out, as they drew near, his large horns imposing even if the beast himself was mostly fluffy looking, maybe making him the perfect companion for the fluffy boy. Mojito grinned as he spotted Kotori, his own sparing partner, at least as requested by the boy's father. The rest of the pups he had to assume were his littermates. "I'm Mojito." He introduced himself for the pups who might not know him yet, flashing a wink towards Asla, even as he fought down the fluttering in his chest. Speech

Holy Heck, thanks Kat!

Not long after that crazy day Hikaru heard Aslatiel’s call for the warriors of the pack. He wasn’t surprised in the least, and eagerly got to his pale paws and loped towards the meeting. Or training, either way he would heed the Reaper’s call. Perhaps the extra work would help him relax about everything. It seemed like Mortis' tension was affecting him more than he realized. His poor friend seemed more on edge than ever, and he didn’t know how to help him. For now he’d wait until the heir was ready to talk about it, until then he’d offer the same unyielding support he’d given since the beginning.

The young koi rounded a crest to see the gathering and Aslatiel’s fine work on display. The dummy’s were stuffed and ready to use along with her sparring circles. Hikaru raised mismatched brows as he offered her a quick nod and smile before he sat close by his apprentice Ophie.

The wheat-toned wolf had been walking the border at an easy gait.  Naiche still wore his polar bear cloak and it swayed a bit with his strides but still stayed perfectly in place.  On top of the cloak rested the pangolin, tail partially wrapped about his neck, its head on Naiche’s forehead.  It took a bit but he made it to the training area.  Once close his gait was more defined, his eyes roamed those present as he noticed who had arrived so far and those who had not.  Hmm, definitely some wolves missing.  Hopefully, they were just a bit slower than Naiche and would be coming soon. Naiche was quite proud of his promotion to general, a station that meant he’d be leading plenty of training exercises himself.  Time to see how the reaper planned to lead this one.  “Hello Asla,” his words given with respectful formality, “I hope you don’t mind if I join in?” Naiche found himself choosing words carefully.  He didn’t want to offer to help in case anyone took that as in his thinking she would need it, but he also didn’t want to say he was just going to watch as he was ready to pitch in.  Speaking to Asla in this respectful manner felt strange.   Naiche sat down next to Asla and just slightly farther back so that the end of his muzzle was approximately aligned with her shoulders.  Looking back at those joining he kept a formal look, not counting the quick smile he gave to the pups, then right back to formal. "Naiche"

Aris stopped what she was doing to listen as a voice called the pack's fighters together. A messy concoction of herbs and water dripped gloopily from one paw, the other holding the scruff of a squirrel with its mouth held open with a stick. Hmmmm she really wanted to test this mix.... but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. She plucked up the squirrel with her sharp clawed paws, the cat claws pricking into its neck to draw blood. "It sounds like your lucky day, squirrel," she told the terrified critter brightly. "You don't have to eat this for me after all!" Before it could possibly be super excited about its reprieve, she casually flung the creature as far out into the rolling sea waves as she could before trotting happily off to the training grounds. She arrived mostly late, but didn't seem to be particularly phased by it as she bounded in to sit with the rest of the group, ready to do fighting stuff.

Gossamer had spent the better part of her day running around like mad as Ásta tried to help her prep for spring. They had the storage den to clean out and reorganize and several herbs that had to be tossed for being improperly dried or because they were starting to spoil. It was a shame to see that work being tossed aside but Gossamer tried to remind herself that she was learning. She wouldn't make these mistakes again.

She had just finished her tasks for the morning and flopped down for some rest when she heard her sister calling the warriors. Oof. She sighed as she debated the merits of skipping class before realizing she'd never live it down. Even if herbs had her attention right now her goal was to become a Lieutenant and she'd never be able to do that if she missed out on fight training. With a determined gaze she got to her feet and scrambled to the meeting. A large group had already gathered and she sidled over to Aris to take a seat.

They started arriving, heeding her call. First to arrive was a child. One of her father's new rodents. Aslatiel fought to keep the annoyance off of her face and reminded herself that this was her job. She was tasked with training everyone, her siblings included. Trying to put a positive spin on it, she told herself that she was making them better. That should work. She was making them better. Soon a second child arrived, then a third. Ugh... Keep it together, Aslatiel. At least the dirty one seemed a little okay, though damn was she stinky. Mojito arrived and flashed her a wink which was returned with the lady's beaming smile. She was glad that he came and even more glad that he was showing her some of his former happiness. It was hard knowing that he had been avoiding her. There wasn't anything that she could do about it though. She wanted to be honest with him rather than string him along. Her affection for him would never end though. Hikaru was next and the cream colored fae smiled at him. Her father wanted her to work on his skills, but he just needed some fine tuning as far as she was concerned. It would be easy. He was a likeable sort and she didn't mind working alongside him. Naiche showed next, coming to sit behind and to the side. His words brought a soft snort from the young woman and she cast him a side eye. "I would be disappointed if you didn't show, General." Two sets of eyes would be better than one while the rest trained and sparred. The last ones to arrive were more siblings. Goody. At least they had all arrived which was more than she had expected. Asla waited for a short while longer and made a mental note of who didn't answer her call. Oh well. The ones who were here were meant to be here and the others weren't worth her efforts. Rather than pace back and forth as she spoke like she'd seen some leaders do, Aslatiel continued to eye the congregation right where she sat, though her spine was ramrod straight and her tall ears were perfectly perked. "The Armada is at a low point. Drive has fallen away and has been replaced with complacency." She wasn't blaming or berating those before her, but she definitely pointing out the Armada's errors. "We are the Armada, but we aren't doing that title justice. An armada cannot be an armada without warriors. Highly skilled warriors." Now she stood, her piercing galaxy gaze resting upon each face before her in turn. "There will be a contest. The wolf that raises their skill level the fastest will win a grand prize. Fight your brethren. Fight the world. Train every day and train hard." Now came something a little different. She wasn't going to force them to train. Their skill needed to be brought about by their own drive. "I will not hound you about these skills. You are now all aware of my wishes and expectations. That being said, I will provide training for any who wish as hard and as often as you desire." Again her gaze shifted from face to face. "I want you to succeed. Together we will make the Armada great again. We will bring the fire to our name and leave glory in our wake." Adrenaline was filling her as she spoke. She was getting herself worked up and she hoped that her determination was infectious. "Train with me. Train with Naiche. Train with each other, but train." "Questions? Concerns?" She hoped that they were ready. She hoped that they wouldn't disappoint her. The young ones were already on the low end of the spectrum but she could always find more disappointment for them. Maybe they would surprise her though. Aslatiel: The Reaper, stood and stared expectantly at her underlings. If they were ready to train, she was ready to train. Next on the agenda would be recruiting fresh bodies, but one thing at a time. "Speech"

Gossamer settled down to pay attention to the meeting, Ásta curling up at her side as she listened. Aslatiel announced that there would be a contest and they would be encouraged to up their fighting skills. Ok, she could do that. Then it seemed like the meeting ended. Gossamer gazed expectantly at her sister as the older girl called for questions. Gossamer glanced at her litter mates then back to the Reaper. She stood. "Is there going to be a lesson or some spars or something in this meeting? If not then I'll fight you!" She squared off against her sister. She hadn't loped all the way over to the plains just to hear someone talk and dismiss them. She wanted some action!

Walk | "Talk" | think

Kotori sat through Aslatiel’s words his mind moving from wondering about his elder sister to wondering why the pack was floundering.  Who wasn’t training?  Everyone should be!  The boy’s tail began to wag imagining how after this probably everyone would be asking each other for lessons left and right with plenty of fights to go around.

Even as he thought on if he wanted to ask Asla to spar he noticed Gossy beating him to it.  Well, he’d seek Asla out later.  His eyes looked about the gathering and spotted a wolf he hadn’t met yet and wow he sure stuck out in a crowd!  Kotori took a few steps to Hikaru looking at him curiously, “Do you want to spar? Are you any good?.”  No point in fighting with those who weren’t all that talented right?  

There were other options if the koi looking wolf said no but Kotori was aiming for someone he hadn’t fought before and this seemed a good first choice.

Naiche flickered a small smile that came and went fast on Asla adding in that last word ‘genera’ when mentioning him.  He had just earned the title and it was still sinking in that it was really his.  His attention quickly shifted to watching those who had shown up and their reactions to Asla’s words. Naiche took a step forward when Asla was done speaking.  The reaper had made her wishes known, now the general got to have his say in it.  “I’ll be seeing each of you about how to sharpen your skills.  It remains on you to train daily but I can help hone, assess and offer exercises to let you see where you should focus your training and some tips on how to do so.  You’ll get from this what you put into it.” Certainly, Asla’s speech had helped fire Naiche up at least.  Though to be fair, when it came to training and fighting and defending the pack it was very easy to get him fired up.  He thought of pointing out how they could obviously tell if someone wasn’t attempting to train and grow but he wasn’t going to throw out threats or warnings or talk about their displeasure.  This was a time to build them up versus lashing out and putting them down.   A few of them were already getting excited with thoughts towards training.  One of Sirius's pups went so far as to question if there would be spars then challenged Asla to a fight.  Naiche acknowledged the kid was bold but telling the reaper they would be fighting instead of requesting a fight was a bad way to start things off.  Asla had been on equal standing as a warrior for a while and it was important they see her now as a reaper, at least Naiche figured it that way.  Another warrior you could step up to and challenge to a fight, but to one of the highest-ranked wolfs in the pack you requested, even if it was your older sibling. Naiche wasn’t about to kill off the fighting spirit either, he took a step closer to Gossamer.  Naiche was still sore but wasn’t very concerned about that right there.  “You ask to fight the Reaper, not demand a fight.” Lightly pointing it out as a lesson on its own.  Naiche imagined Azure’s reaction to Naiche telling others about acknowledging respect in ranks.  Probably good he wasn’t watching if Naiche didn’t want to hear about it later. “It's good that you have spirit though.  I’m curious how good you are for all that confidence.  Why don’t you show me instead?  Impress me.” He needed to spar with a lot of them anyway, test their abilities, and decide what areas they needed to work at most.  This would be good and it would be fun.  Naiche couldn’t help it, fighting gave him an adrenaline high he loved. “Let's move over to the side for it though,” twitching his head at an angle to move a bit away from the group. "Naiche"

Gossamer tensed, ready for action but then the General spoke and in her ears it sounded like he was telling her that she couldn't fight Asla. Gossamer turned to the older man with a pout on her face. "But she fought a bear! How am I going to be the best if I don't fight the best?" Besides, it wasn't like bad guys were going to ask for a fight, they'd just attack. Surely the Reaper was always prepared.

The General however went on to say that he would fight her and her ears perked up. He wasn't Asla but the General was a rank above Lieutenant so he had to be good. "Ok!" The man gestured to the side and she bounded after him. She squared off against Naiche and then bounded forward. As she neared she arced in to attack at an angle, seeking to slam her right shoulder into the meaty, outer portion of Naiche's left shoulder. She hoped to strike the deltoid with enough force to cause the muscle to temporarily seize up. At the same time she attempted to bite onto Naiche's left cheek. She wanted to nip him with her very front teeth, not her long canines which would do more damage than appropriate.

Gossamer Fatalis vs Naiche for Spar
Round 1/?
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed gauntlets
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked helmet and coif
Companion 1: Fox, Female - Battle (Boosted)
Companion 2: Snow leopard, Male - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Healer
Specialty: Knight

Naiche was still sore from his fight with Asla and he wasn’t sure how rough he should be on the pup.  She was a large pup and quickly growing but a pup all the same.  She found fighting a bear to be a selling point? He snorted as he walked off to the side, “You’re in the armada, plenty of us have fought bears.  You will too in the future.  They aren’t that bad if you have good timing.” Ok, admittedly he’d had plenty of fights where he’d missed being killed by the space of a few furs but either way he had come out from those fights in good shape regardless how close some were. The pup apparently wasn’t one for waiting which was fine.  She was faster than he imagined, both in her rush to fight and her actual speed She slammed into him, and Naiche had to acknowledge she’d clearly been training as she had some good muscle for a growing pup.   He wanted to fight all out!  The first hit had him wanting to react with full force!  Sirius probably wasn’t ready to have his kids all scarred up from fights just yet.  Her slam into him had connected and jarred his already injured shoulder causing him to brace more with his other legs.  His head spun around so that as she tried to bite his cheek she’d instead find his own teeth as he attempted to bite down on her muzzle. Mentally he repeated to himself ‘not to hard, not to hard’ the bite would only be a rough nip to point out what he could have done, assuming he connected.  Naiche swung around his rear end to make sure he was facing her head on instead of from the side.   If she really wanted to be the best he’d have to go rougher on her but, it might be best to wait another season. Naiche Dauner vs Gossamer Fatalis for spar Round 1/2 Age: over 1 year Size: Medium Build: Light Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear fur coat Companion 1: Sunda pangolin, Male - Battle Skills: Master Fighter & Advanced Navigator Specialty: Knight much?"Speech"

Gossamer resisted the urge to point out that she'd seen Asla fight off a bear mostly alone while recovering from injuries but instead she focused on the fight ahead. She wanted to do well, to show she wasn't just bluster and hot air. She'd been training hard and she wanted a public win to show for it.

Gossamer collided with Naiche, her shoulder striking into his and she grinned, excited to land a blow against the more seasoned warrior. As her fangs sought for his cheek he twisted his head, changing her target and attacking at the same time. Gossamer swiftly ducked her head as she changed targets, seeking to duck her head under Naiche's and nip his throat. As she moved his lower fangs clipped the top of her muzzle, scratching through her flesh and drawing blood.

Gossamer Fatalis vs Naiche for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed gauntlets
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked helmet and coif
Companion 1: Fox, Female - Battle (Boosted)
Companion 2: Snow leopard, Male - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Healer
Specialty: Knight

Seeing Gossamer dropping her head Naiche aimed to both defend and attack in the same action.  He dropped his own head to block an attack at his own neck while attempting to give a light bite and tug to her leg.  Was she an adult it would have both bit harder and tugged far harder but  he could give her that extra season before the game got rougher.   This really made it a game of speed between them.  Could Gossy get her snap at his neck in before he could lower his own to get the leg?  Naiche used speed over strength in most his fights, especially since he normally fought those who were stronger and larger than him.  He was confident in his speed but in fights there were always potential surprises.  Naiche imagined either way he was being gentler to this pup than their reaper would have been. Naiche Dauner vs Gossamer for spar Round 2/2 Age:over 1 year Size: Medium Build: Light Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear fur coat Companion 1: Sunda pangolin, Male - Battle Skills: Master Fighter & Advanced Navigator Specialty: Knight Speech:"Live to fight" Think

The wolves seemed eager. Some moreso than others. Gossamer piped up and challenged Asla, but the newly appointed Reaper wrinkled her nose. The girl had no sense of tact. She was brash and mouthy and lacked respect. As such, her lack of manners wouldn't go rewarded. Aslatiel cast a glance at Naiche and he stepped forward, chastising the girl and taking her off to spar with him instead. Aslatiel addressed the group again. "I said that I would provide training for those that wish it. Those that train hard and train well will be rewarded." Aslatiel was pleased to see Kotori approach Hikaru and ask for a spar. For this first meeting, she was content to watch the group and gauge the level of their skill. She could observe and decide where they needed work and where they would excel. Rising from her place, the Reaper moved closer to Gossamer and Naiche, watching their spar. The girl was fast and confident, but she needed work. She lacked finesse that came with time and experience. Naiche was Naiche and he didn't need to be judged, much. Coming up beside the stinky little wolf called Ophelia, Aslatiel looked down at the girl. "Are you sure you want to be a warrior?" Aslatiel remembered the girl's reaction at the battle for Reaper. "You don't have to be a fighter to be a Fatalis, you know." She hadn't started off as a fighter, but in order to gain the approval of Sirius, Asla had felt that she needed to become the best fighter that she could manage. It wasn't for everyone though. Casting her purple gaze between the other two girls, she motioned towards Mojito sitting off to the side. "Would either of you like to spar with my friend Mojito here?" The young woman leaned in and whispered, though loud enough that Mojito would hear clearly. "He has very, very soft ears." "Speech"

And the winner is...

GOSSAMER

NAICHE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Gossamer: Rolls: 57, 47, 65, 30 Adjusted rolls: 82.65, 65.8, 65, 30 Total: 267.80 Naiche: Rolls: 10, 5, 96, 10 Adjusted rolls: 11.5, 5.5, 115.2, 10 Total: 177.75

Gossamer fought fiercely and was rewarded with victory! She'd done it, she'd actually beaten the general in battle. With a grin she moved away from Naiche to give him space, giving him a nod though her excitement was clearly evident in her wagging tail. She didn't care if Aslatiel saw or not. In her mind that fight was proof she was deserving of the rank Lieutenant when she decided to go for it. There was still more to learn but she was well on her way. She couldn't wait to tell her mom what she'd just done. Maybe she could get a spar out of her father later, he'd be the real mark for how far she'd come.

-exit-