Larksong Grotto babylon the great

This is a pack meeting thread. But please let Reek post first. With the way I wrote it, it kinda requires we go a round or two before calling on the rest of LSG. We will let you know when it is open for everyone else. Once everyone is gathered things should move pretty quickly. And here, have some disconcerting atmospheric music!

She had known this was coming. The heat of the day was a seemingly endless fog which rolled across the land, and she knew, even as the evening beconed, that it was by the will of the lord. That these heathens were here, gathering, presumably ready to listen to her, made Hosannah's ego swell with great importance. But this was a holy day; this would be the day that their lives were strung together by a singular thread of fate, and faith. Hosannah had busied herself with gathering all that she required — all that Reek would need for the purification of his soul — and with a sense of hope which was both arrogant and hostile, Hosannah would make everything work. She had to. It was for the benefit of her beloved god and the love she held for her own family, for as the faith spread so too did their influence, by proxy.

And by her own influence, Hosannah knew she would go down in history as the bringer of the light.

She had settled herself at the mouth of the grotto, but did not permeate the darkness within. Her herbs and offerings were carefully piled around her, and the girl was careful not to step upon any bits and pieces as she finally slunk in to the cavern — this grotto, which would become her church. With a few sniffs she tried to discern whether the pale mother and her tiny child were present, but it was clear enough to her that they had moved on. Good. To Hosannah, this meant that Reek had obeyed. That he had listened and succumb to her will.

Reek? she called in to the murk, wondering if he had decided to rest from the humid day's warmth within this dark and cool place. Whether he was present or not, Hosannah began to bring each item in to the grotto and lay them out along one wall. The light funneled in through the grotto's mouth and stabbed at the ink-dark thickness around her. She checked over each ingredient as she placed them down, checking for damage. The three vulture feathers were intact for the most part, with one having a bent stalk, so she discarded the broken feather. She had not found a snake, not a live one anyway, and was disappointed upon finding the shed skin of something small - probably a garter snake - and though it was not impressive, it would do the job. Lastly, she piled the carcasses of two frogs next to the skin; they had puffed up since their deaths, but were fresh enough, she thought.

All she needed now was Reek — and perhaps some loyal witnesses, but Hosannah doubted she had any loyalists among this group of heathens — but she remained optimistic. These wolves were devoted to Reek, and thus she expected some to attend to this ritual along with her. It was a lesson for them all. And so she waited, watching as the sun was beginning to set, and saw the cascading streaks of color emerge to dominate the sky. Great swaths of gold and orange and violent red overtaking the pure blue overhead.

He hid himself away in the grotto, not just to hide himself from the sweltering sun of the summer solstice, but to stave away any temptation to seek out the pale woman or her child. It pained him to know that he must sequester himself from one whom he cared for deeply, but Reek knew it was for the best. His faith was strong and would not be shaken by the temptations of the Heartless One. And so, he spent his time alone, praying for both forgiveness and guidance in dealing with his earthly desires.

He knew a time was coming in which he would be made pure; he waited with baited breath. His head perked up as he heard the voice of Kesheph calling for him. Rising to his feet, Reek made his way to the Grotto's mouth. There, he saw herbs strewn about; frogs, a snakeskin, and feathers from a bird that Reek couldn't quite place. He didn't know there use, but could only assume they played a part in the ritual.

Drawing his gaze away from the supplies, Reek looked to the Seer and asked, "Is it time?"

She had found him. While arranging some of the bits and pieces, she heard him speak, and then turned to look upon his dark features. He is sad; or perhaps only repentant. This is good, but the task at hand would be more difficult once the others found them. It is, yes, she murmured as she reached for the snake skin, and gingerly lifted it from the dust.

When she turned and placed the pile of skin down between her paws, she looked at him, then away. We should call for them, she said this as she looked out at the grotto's gaping mouth, and with a small sigh that she stifled as best she could, Hosannah turned to regard him again. Once they are here we can begin. But if they do not follow you - if they are not devoted to you, and to our lord... Her words tapered off to an ominous silence. She need not put her thoughts in to words, as she believed Reek understood. If they did not follow their Alpha, they would not be welcomed within the palace of light.

@Jhala @Terich-mir @Charley Pryor @Zaavier @Skeet @Vuk @Novalia @Lilac @Aspen @Seff

Through her action, Reek was involuntarily drawn to the snakeskin. His gaze followed as she layed it before her forepaws -- all the while, Reek speculated the use such a thing would have in a purifying ritual. Though he possessed little knowledge of such rituals, Reek placed his full trust in the Seer, and by extension, he placed his trust in Raas, God of all. The Daystar was a benevolent presence and he would provide protection.

As she spoke, he nodded. The pack would come and bear witness to this monumentous event in the Grotto's history. It was with a heavy heart that Reek agreed with the Seer; her implication understood as her voice tapered away. Their devotion was necessary inorder to proceed. "...Then they do not walk with us," he spoke, finishing the thought Kesheph had started.

He turned his face to the mouth of the Grotto and let loose a howl of urgent importance.

Zaavier's ears pricked as Reeks howl echoed through the forest. He raised his head with interest, and immediately began limping towards his alpha's cave. His shoulder injury slowed him down, but he got there soon enough. To his surprise, he was the first to arrive and he smiled to Reek and the new alpha. He hadn't meet her yet, and he's heard very interesting comments about her running through the packs, but he still held her in high respect. She was the alpha after all. He dipped his head to Hosannah and padded over to sit near Reek. He touched his shoulder in greeting. 

"What's goin' on today?" He asked with interest, eyes glancing to Hosannah. "I'm Zaavier, by the way." He shot her a smile, glancing around the cave as his tail thumped upon the ground. He was absolutely clueless about what was to come.

Jhala comes, and although she is not thrilled to see Kekshit, she sees Reek and remains calm and collected. She feels it is her place among the pair, regardless of her lack of knowledge about the meeting, and sits beside the pair-- although remains somewhat distant to allow them their space and to respect their ranks. She lets out a deep breath and watches as the rest of the pack begins to gather. Zaavier is already there, but her eyes scan for Skeet and for Vuk. Somehow, the girl fears she knows what is to come, and has already made preparations for the change.

Lilac's ears perked up at Reek's howl and instantly the agouti began to make her way towards the location where the pack was to meet up.  After about five minutes of trotting to the meeting spot, Lilac arrived.  Her eyes darted around the space curious about what was about to happen.  Little did she know that this anouncement might change her perspective on a lot of things.  Maybe for better, or maybe for worse.

Her eyes quickly caught sight of the brown male that she had gotten grumpy with during the locust attack and a little bit of guilt settled within her.  Silently Lilac made her way over to him, looking rather apologetic for being so... bad, mean, grumpy, etc.  The last time that they had met.  Upon reaching his side, she whispered quietly to him.  "Do you know what's going on?"  A little nervousness knitted it's way into her voice.

Seff was being bad.
He had been playing, further and further away from the den, when the howl sounded. Recognizing the howl of the friendly large wolf, Seff's tiny paws had propelled him quickly in that direction, as he not seen the friendly wolf in a while. He had no idea of the pack conflicts going on over his head, only that he missed Reek and wanted to see him. He had quite some trouble getting to the grotto, though his enthusiasm propelled him forward. 
Finally, the dark furred male came into view, and Seff gave a delighted yip. He paid no heed to the thin woman who seems oddly familiar, nor the others gethered. He runs right for Reek, a curious smile on his face. He skids to a halt a short distance from the wolf, tail wagging a mile a minute. "Eek!" he cries with delight, for that (or something like that) is what his mother calls this wolf.

Some slight pp of Aspen, shannon and I talked already.

  
Charley had just met Aspen on the borders, Reeks howl cutting them off before even an introduction. With a sigh and an irritated flick of his tail, Charley lead the way to the heart of the Grotto, Reek's den. He knew very well right that his time in the pack was limited, and he and Aspen had talked about it "pryor" to this day. From the very day the Seer woman tried to force it on him, he was cast in the dark: still was he the same man, but he refused to see Raas as anything positive. In his eyes, the god let them all suffer, and then expected them to follow him without question. 
So, when they came to the meeting spot, Charley stopped outside and gave Aspen a wary look, unsure how this was going to go and immediately gave the inital lead of this situation go to her. Whatever made her happy, whatever she wanted to do, he would follow her. Following after her with a lick of affection to her flank, Charley sat on the outskirts of the den to watch with his cautious caribbean eyes.

Aspen frowned slightly as the two werent even given a chance to greet one another before a howl broke in the atmosphere. It was the Alpha calling the pack for a meeting. What could Reek want to talk about? She thought to herself even though she knew today was a "judgement day" of sorts. 

After having spoken to Charley and to Reek learning about Raas and the faith and commitments involved. Aspen had made her decision and she knew that Charley would follow her no matter what. Now they just had to get the talking out of the way. 

Aspen trailed alongside Charley tail swaying slightly behind her as despite their probably impending doom she was still pleased with Charley's company. The two walked into the clearing near the alphas den and Aspen gave Charley an affectionate nose to the shoulder before dipping her head in greeting to the pack members who had already gathered including the female alpha whom Aspen had never formally met. Well at least i know she exists now. She thought to herself as she took a seat next to Charley and waited patiently for the Alpha's to speak.

the howl rose and vuk stiffened.

by now, the girl knew the undercurrent of unrest that had swept the pack with the appearance of the priestess. she knew of the religious fervency that had seized hold of reek, and even her love for him could not stop it from consuming the man. 

the dynamic between herself, reek, and her mate had not yet been settled, and therefore there was an additional flare of worry that sparked in her belly. she followed seff's trail quickly, intending to scold the boy once she caught him.

vuk had not intended to attend the meeting -- she would not be a part of the priestess's fallacy -- but seff's curious nature now led her before then, and she tensed to be before them all, beneath the eyes of the red woman. to seff vuk came, meeting reek's eyes -- she could not help herself -- and her cheeks burned beneath the pale fur as she gathered up her son and drew him to the back of the crowd to await terich's arrival.

Terich-mir wasn't far behind his mate, having heard the howl and caught scent of his family heading in that direction. It didn't take him long to arrive, but he wished it had taken longer when he came upon the group. He had seen some religious fervor in his lifetime, and none of it boded well for the wolves involved. Terich found Vuk and Seff toward the back of the gathering and settled beside them, giving each a kiss before turning to stare at Reek and the strange woman he'd put above them all.

He arrived later than expected, mud clinging to his underbelly, under neck, and legs. He slipped to say the least, and really didn't have time to change his appearance.

skeet wasted no time seeing everyone and dipping his head to the alphas. He soon took a seat and awaited quietly for something to happen.

Ryan and I have decided to spree out the remainder of the ritual. If any of this PP is not acceptable, please let me know and I will edit it. She will be telling non-believers to leave, and anyone loyal to Reek and the faith to take part in the beginning (which is just to walk around Reek until a small trough has been made in the dirt). Once we have finished the ritual we will open the meeting up for final posts. Sorry for the wait on this!

They appeared in time, not as quickly as she demanded, but it would do. And none seemed adamant enough to move against her. The crowd became quite populated, but she would not let any being enter the grotto, not yet, not until she had sanctified the space. While waiting for the beasts to appear, Hosannah began to recite a myriad of lowly spoken psalms; they were not in the common tongue, but rather seemed to be a muddying of many, to the point where anyone listening would hear nothing but intense jibberish.

She carried the snake skin with her to each corner of the grotto, placed it down, recited her words, and then plucked it up again. She did this repeatedly, spanning the circumfrence of the interior of the cave. Then,  once the hubub of the gathering overpowered her own focused diatribe, Hosannah stopped. Her teeth carefully grasped the snake skin once more and, placing it before Reek, she sank back upon her haunches. The woman's ruddy back faced the entrance—and the people gathered there—and her voice, directed towards Reek, addressed them all.

I am Kesheph, the Seer. I am equal to Reek, who has assumed his role as the esteemed, faithful, loyal, Cardinal, above me. There was great conviction in her voice as she spoke; yet also, if one were keen to listen to the undertow of finality, a great and stern sense of righteousness. Hosannah was doing her best to officiate, and mimicked the priests of her home. As her voice boomed within the cavern and out, to the waiting ears behind her, she lifted her head proudly.

Today marks the great Tammuz, the longest day of the year. The brightest. The day that Raas' power is at it pinnacle, as we have each felt on this most holy of days. The greatness of the Daystar can be felt by all—impossible to deny. He is here with us; He who warms us, He who feeds us, He who covets our souls. As her voice boomed, she rose up, and then turned to face the entrance to the grotto where their waiting, watching eyes sat perched together. But not all who bask in Him are made pure. Not all have accepted His light, and their hearts reap the darkness, bringing rise to the Heartless. Your leader is not fit to become the esteemed Cardinal as was fortold to me by the Daystar. His spirit harbors the darkness. We gather here, on this holiest of days, to rid Reek of his evil. To cleanse his very soul, and make it fit for a true being chosen by the Lord.

She breathed deeply at this point, her gaze shifting between each set of eyes, each watching face, and with the slow exhalation of her breath, Hosannah bowed her head. Pray with me. If you so love your leader, as he loves you, lend him your strength. His soul has been weakened by temptation, by pain, by grief, and by suffering—but you may help him. Come, join me. She waited a few moments, let the words sink in, and once they had ample time to react with the bowing of their heads (or not, as some would be resistant even now), Hosannah lifted her snout and stepped aside from the door.

Come to me. We will cleanse him. But if you do not believe—if your heart is closed to the Daystar as well as to your love of Reek—then go, and do not return. There will be no place for you among His flock. And to those that lingered, she welcomed them, and told them, You now must form a circle around him. One at the head, one at the tail, one on either side, and then walk. As you walk I will pray to Raas, that he will grant this space the sanctity and safety for the rest of this night, as Reek will need his protection from the darkness. She watched then as bodies turned and began to walk; there was some bumbling simply because Hosannah had forgotten to tell them in which direction they should go, but with a few motions of her snout and some repositioning, she had them moving counter-clockwise.

With each patrol we offer Reek our hearts, we offer him our light, as was given by Raas upon our creation. She would let them keep on walking until the last of the flock had been around him the seventh time, and then by inserting herself in to the line (but careful of the path they had been walking, for it had become a small path around Reek and she would not tarnish it), she had them remove themselves, and stand off to the side within the grotto. An audience.

Before Hosannah chose to continue the ritual, she inspected the path for its depth, and passed @Reek one final look, as if to say, are you prepared? Along the wall were her offerings. The frogs, the feathers, and before her sat the snake skin, carefully piled before her own paws.

As the sound of his howl died away, Reek was left to his own devices as the Seer began her work. He settled, allowing his rump to rest on the dry, dusty earth at the grotto's mouth. His head turned wkwardly and he craned his neck to watch as Kesheph carried the skin of her snake around the grotto, muttering some strange verse as she went. The language was lost on him, sounding to be nothing more than noise, but there would come a day when he would understand it in it's entirety.

He turned away as noise from the outside began to overpower the sound of the Seer's incantations. He was greeted by several wolves, many inquiring the nature of this gathering. There was little time to address each indivuidual's concern, and before he could explain -- Reek's attention was elsewhere.

The pup, Seff, whom Reek had come to adore like his own child, bumbled up to him with the boldness of the bravest of warriors. Reek couldn't help but dip his head toward the child as he leaned in to give him a wet, sloppy lick across his forehead. As he pulled away, Reek's face lit with a warm and loving smile. But the child was soon pulled away by his mother, whom Reek had also come to love deeply, but in a much different manner. His eyes met with her's and his gaze lingered as he looked upon her with adoration. With the boy in tow, Vuk took him to the back of the croud.

There, Reek could see Terich -- with Vuk and her son at his side. It pained him to see them this way, as it served as just another reminder that Vuk was someone that he could never call solely his own. That his love for her would never be returned in the same way. His body stiffened and he hardened his heart.

With the pack in complete attendance, the Seer returned -- dropping the snakeskin before Reek's paws. His gaze shot downward toward skin as she addressed the crowd. Her words were like fire -- burning with intensity. As soon as she hit her stride, Reek couldn't help but lift his head and watch as she spoke.

As her firey speech drew to a close, the cleansing ceremony was to begin. She brought his wolves inward, toward Reek to surround him in a circle. They, just as confused as he, bumbled and bumped around, but they soon found their path with Kesheph's guidance. A neat rut was was made in the dirt, and with the Seer entering the circle, the rest his wolves dispersed back into the crowd.

His gaze met with the Seer's. He nodded, signaling his desire to be made new.

He nodded, and she continued.

First she picked up the snake skin. Carefully, so as not to tear the dried segments of scales, she laid it out within the crevice made by the paws of the others. At its full length it took up only half of the circle around Reek. Upon realizing this, she removed it, then chose to tear the skin - first by removing it from its resting place, then placing her paws upon it while it lay unfurled, and she began to tear and pull at it until the bulk of the skin was longer. It was thinner too, but after some tending she could make it wrap around Reek's position almost to completion.

Where the snake skin could not match head to tail, like a great dead oroboros, she fetched the feather. As this was laid out to complete the circuit, she proclaimed, With this offering I beseech thee, Raas, our Great Redeemer, bless us. Bless this place, this man, and cleanse his spirit so that he may be of service to You. After a moment of silence, she picked the feather up with the careful and birdlike lift of her snout, she moved it around like [urk=https://www.google.ca/?ion=1&espv=2#q=smudge%20stick%20ceremony]a smudge stick. Then she placed it back down again, and left it.

She went to the wall and from the dirt, fetched the frogs. These she presented to Reek, positioning the two slightly bloated bodies as if to offer him a meal.

Reek—take these. Tear them, rend them to pieces. Do not swallow even a speck of the blood or flesh. Tear in to them as you may tear in to the heart of your enemy—the enemy of the Grotto, the enemy of us, and of the Daystar. She fixed him with another look, and this time focused her eyes upon his, almost like a challenge. She knew he would follow through with this; whether he understood what this portion of the ritual was truly supposed to signify or not, she had yet to witness.

Once the bodies were in pieces, puddled and putrid, she fetched the feather and anointed it with the blood and guts of both frogs, soaking it through. It once more was raised and swatted at the air, then placed in the ring to complete the circle.

With this, the completion of the circle, we summon the will of the Lord unto this man. I beseech thee, Raas, with all your holiness and perfect knowledge—look in to his heart, and see it is pure. Fill it with your light! Fill him, take him over, so that he may be your vessel! Perhaps it was the putrescent frog bits, or something in its skin and now upon her tongue, but she raised her head as she spoke and then, chattering soundlessly with her jaw as a cat might towards an unreachable bird, she proclaimed: You—you name him? You grant him these things, and name him as your vessel? My Lord—

Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment, and she sucked a breath from the stale air, then rasped, Hiram—exalted brother—yes, as her head dropped again, with a heavy panting, she stared at the ground as if some great energy had been stolen from her spirit. She then looked at Reek and smiled. Do you accept your responsibility, Hiram?

He remained perfectly still as the Seer carried out the rest of the ritual with the understanding that if he were to somehow break from the circle in any way, the influence of Raas would be lost and so would his protection. The threshold protected Reek from the grip of the Heartless one as his darkness descended all around. For the sake of his soul and the rest of the grotto, he did his best to not interfere with the ritual.

As she layed her offering down and began to speak once again, it was if a fire had been set inside of the grotto's alpha male. A bright and burning religious fervor took hold. Reek couldn't help but hold his mouth slightly agape as he felt the power of Raas surround him.

The ritual continued, and with the strength of God filling him, he did as he was told. She presented the frogs for him; bloated and disgusting, yet Reek delved into them with passion -- tearing them to shreds, but being extremely cautious as to not ingest any part. Though the gesture was probably more than symbolic, he imagined the frogs were a part of him that he wished to leave behind. His sin. His old identity. There would be nothing left of it.

Once more, she grabbed the feather -- and after soaking it's fronds with the blood and the bile from the wasted creatures, she swatted the air. He could feel the droplets of the remains fall against him. He was anointed by this morbid stew.

She soon drew the ritual to a close with her final blessing. Though it may have been simply the power of her words that stirred hims so, Reek thought it was nothing more than the power of Raas, consuming him from the inside out -- wiping his soul clean. He was made new... And with his new identetity came a new name. Hiram.

No longer was he Reek Redtail; the bastard, the con-man, the drudge, the refugee, the liar, the leader, the husband, the cheater, the broken, or the sinful. Now he was the Cardinal Hiram, washed by the mercy of Raas and he would be His servant for his remaining days. With a smile, the newly named Hiram met the Seer's gaze and spoke, "I do," with conviction.

It was done. His vow was taken, his new identity assumed, and Hosannah felt a great wave of conviction flood through her entire being. She grinned, but it was not over. Welcome, Hiram. Welcome to the Larksong Grotto. Then she turned to the waiting individuals, and called to them, I welcome each of you on behalf of our Lord. He has blessed us, blessed this place. This grotto will be home to his newest church—and here, we will make his power known.

It is done. Hiram, you are not to leave this circle for the night. I will remain with you, commune with Raas at your side, and in the morning I will bring you to the light. But there were hours to go, and she doubted the others would linger much longer. They were not required to. Thus she turned to them, gathered as they were within the cavern, and dipped her head to them. The rest of you may go. Your presence here was felt, and your loyalty to your Cardinal—and your Lord—will be rewarded.

As Charley had something to stay, he chose to linger, but stayed outside the grotto with Aspen at his side. They knew not who else would stay, but he felt compelled to ask the other nonbelievers if they would join his ranks, stay with someone they know. A part of him urged to do it in whispers, or straight out inturrupt the Seer, but another part of him remembered the times he'd had with Reek. The year they'd spent together had been an amazing year, and though he fully dissagreed with what his forever friend was doing, he couldn't find it in his heart to be anything but respectful. 
After all, Reek finally got what he wanted. He could see it in the dark man, who no longer seemed so dark. He found himself happy for Reek, watching the man with a small smile hidden in the dark of his face and the shadows he sat in. 

When finally it was over, Reek was no longer Reek. Hiram, he was called, and Charley decidedly accepted that as well. He wished more than anything he could stay close to his friend, that this rift had not come between them. He hoped to leave him a friend, if nothing else, even if they never again saw each other.  When Hosannah dismissed them, Charley stood, and with a respectful nod to Reek, swept his eyes over those who were gathered. 
              "First, I would like to say congratulations, Hiram, for finding what you wanted in life. I wish you the greatest on your endeavors and may your life be full of light until the day you die. I may not share the belief, but it's enough for me my friend is finally happy, and I hope we stay friends even after my departure. Those nonbelievers who will be leaving are more than welcome to travel with Aspen and I to find our own home, our kingdom to rule the way we see fit. We gather at Redtail Rise for the next night or two before were off." 
With that, he stepped down, carribean eyes glancing over the grotto wolves for the last time. He wished he could speak to Hiram alone one last time, set their relationship should they ever meet again, but he wouldn't be able to leave the circle till morning. Perhaps he would come to the Rise and see him before they were off?
                            "Goodbye, and thank you for the home you gave me all this time."

Backing away and hoping his wife was staying safe behind him, Charley exited the den with what might've looked like tears they were but most certainly were not. Turning and nudging Aspen forward, hoping those who wanted to will follow, and took off towards the borders, set on running all the way to the rise in order to quell the emotions leaking from his eyes heart.

Thread is back open to posters! @Jhala @Terich-mir @Vuk @Seff @Skeet @Zaavier @Lilac @Aspen

And with that, he was welcomed anew. A child of God -- purified by the light of His love. His soul had been stripped bare; what had once been murky and polluted by sin was now pure and white. He felt clean. Happy. Free.

It was then that he began to smile, but the ritual was far from over. He was to remain in the circle for the rest of the night so he could remain within the protection of Raas while the Heartless took hold of the land around him. His soul would be unmuddled by the tempter's presence. It would not be a lonely thing. Kesheph would remain by his side until the sun rose.

"Thank you," he whispered to the priestess -- truly greatful for the lengths she had gone to save his soul. Without her, he would have remained lost. 

Without out moving from the circle, Hiram turned his gaze to the pack mates who remained -- nearly all, even Charley -- which surprised Hiram, but he felt a surge of pride to know that his pack had stood by him. But then Charley spoke, and though he remained respectful (and deep down, Hiram knew he'd never accept Raas), Hiram couldn't help but feel betrayed by his friend. It felt as if he plunged a knife into his chest, and then, he twisted.

Hiram winced. "After everything, you forsake me Charley?" He asked. He had given him a home, safety, everything he could... And Charley couldn't even give Raas a chance. "Go," he said, unable to stop his voice from cracking.

"As for the rest of you who remain," he said, turning his attention to those who remained loyal. "My friends, I want to thank you all for standing with me now and through the worst times. You will all forever have my gratitude -- and I promise you, the Grotto will no longer be a place of heartache and strife." Raas would watch over them from now on. Everything would be healed.

assuming it's ok to post now... <3 warning for language.

Right away Kesheph-- that's her name-- dives into the meeting, explaining the date and this... religion that she plans to  engulf them in. The girl stands at first, her ears lowering. This is not what she wants-- not what she had planned on at all when she came here. She takes a few steps back, out of view from Reek and Kesheph, where she plans on turning and bolting. But her attention is caught when Kesheph begins to talk about purifying Reek. He is okay with this? He is converting? Her ears press against her skull as she presses her rump back to the ground. She listens to the whole of the ceremony before she is invited-- commanded?-- into a sort of... circle. She steps forward first, being of the next highest rank, and walks in the circle around Reek, trying to catch his gaze the whole time-- she fails.

They're told to disperse, and she steps away from Reek along with the others, this time taking a seat near Skeet. Reek is renamed Hiram, leaving Jhala to scoff. He'll never been Hiram-- he will always be Reek Redtail. He will forever be the sinner that she met that day in the field, because that is the man she laid her life down to follow-- not some stranger named Hiram. She does not voice her discontent otherwise, remaining quiet. 

Finally, Kesheph tells the wolves to disperse, and she stands anxiously. "That's.. it?" she mutters. Not that she wanted to be part of any religion, but were they not all invited in immediately? Was only Reek given a fancy ceremony and a fancy new name? Not that she wanted a new name, either... but still. 

Suddenly, even after the carpet had been pulled from her feet, the floorboards begin to spring up. Charley voices his discontent, and announces he is leaving. Enraged, Jhala refuses to listen to his final words and lets out a loud, deep snarl. She ignores Reek's calm response to his leave, turning to Charley with amber eyes ablaze. "COWARD!" she yells, her fur fluffed up at all angles. "You fucking coward! Both of you!" she snarls, lunging forward and blocking the path of the male. She's almost fully grown by now, and her large body and muscular frame may appear intimidating to some. She shoves her face into his, choosing to ignore Aspen-- Charley is the ring leader. "Do you not trust your Alpha? You really think you can do any better?" she snarls, "Fucking disgusting. Can't even stand by what you believe." She spits in his face, licks her muzzle, and stares him down-- her pupils dilated. She has no plans to attack him, but will gladly fight back. 

Keep forgetting to bold my words T_T Dont mind if they have to fight, lol, Ill be able to could this as a trade thread xD Up to you

Fully intent on leaving without another word, Jhala blocked his path and disrespected him: this he would not allow. However, still doing his best to keep the peace, though he literally shook from the effort and covered it by shaking out his fur - and the saliva on his muzzle. Holding himself high and forward, a clear show of his pride and dominance, and steeling his cold blue eyes into the beta's, he spoke in a stone cold tone. 
              "Jhala I saw you nearly run from this meeting more than once. I know you don't agree with this, and it makes YOU the coward to follow something you won't let into your own heart. You blame me for following MY dreams, for wanting the rights to have my own children, claim my own land? I AM standing for what I believe, and thats myself. 
Now, don't make me fight my way out of here. Move aside."
Charley didn't move his stance, hoping Aspen had his back should anyone else come after him.

don't care! but if it does make sure you let others post too. i expected him just to shove past her tbh lol. 

His eyes met hers, and for a moment she almost clamps her muzzle down on his-- but she holds her ground. Her gaze holds his, and she refuses to break it. She let's him speak before letting out a laugh, loud and obnoxious. "But did I? No, asshat. I'm right fucking here," she says, her laugh fading into another vicious snarl. "I follow Reek. I made a promise to him when I joined and I'm not walking out on him like you-- you fucking traitor." She spits again, then smiles. 

"Don't make you fight me? I fuckin' dare you."

Alright. From here on out can we please have everyone reply one at a time? This is not a free-for-all. The point was to open the thread up after the ritual so you could all post once, make closing statements, and have characters depart. Thanks.

Things seemed to dissolve the moment Hosannah gave up the reigns to the gathering. It did not surprise her that Hiram's old friend was against them; he had not been given access to the cavern as he was not an ally to the Larksong wolves, and it was known now. Yet he protested. He spoke as if his word was law, attempting to steal away the tainted souls of the wolves which did not wish to linger among them.

Hiram spoke. She listened, her ears turning, while her eyes remained upon the traitorous stranger among them. When next Jhala spoke, vehement in her attachment to Hiram, all that Hosannah could do was smile. This was everything she had been creating. This connection betwixed the wolves of the grotto. They followed their new Cardinal with zeal even now! And oh, how powerful they would be once Raas began to influence them.

But there was still the traitor to consider.

You are not welcome here. You, a traitor, a heathen, may not set foot upon this holy place. As she spoke this, she advanced until her body was aligned next to Jhala's; the seething woman was her weapon. Step aside. Remove your tainted self from our lands—in the name of all that is holy—lest our Lord smite you down!

her eyes were drawn away from where they had wandered back to reek, and she felt horror beginning to slowly burn in her belly. the priestess held her stare as she moved with abandon and muttered words that vuk herself did not understand. the light blazed down upon kesheph as she lifted and placed, replaced and lifted, a dangling snake-skin, and the girl's hackles rose involuntarily. she gathered seff closer to her; fear choked her as the priestess began to speak.

her voice was stern and laced with the conviction she displayed in this place today. vuk's brow narrowed as kesheph began to speak of cardinals and seers, raas and tammuz. swallowing hard, the girl tried to catch terich's eye, and then, unable to keep her gaze aside, vuk looked back toward the priestess and reek.

reek.

he stood alone as kesheph went on, speaking of cleansing and evil and prayer. vuk shook; she could not find the words to pray, let alone speak to seff or to terich, let alone the strength to turn away and run from the energies filling the space. the priestess directed them to circle reek, and vuk's legs numbly followed suit, stumbling several times as the pack milled in some vaguely focused fashion around their leader.

reek.

indoctrinated, caught up in this ... vuk had no words and tore her eyes away from him as the pack assembled nearby to watch the rest of this atrocity unfold. snakes, frogs -- nausea choked her as the man she loved followed the twisted words of this kesheph, and tears threatened to fall, but vuk willed them back fiercely. she would not cry for reek, who had in one fluid motion, turned his back not only upon her but upon all of larksong.

hiram.

he was renamed and this time vuk did sob aloud, her voice reverberating in the small space. she had watched reek be murdered before her, and she had done nothing to stop it. it seemed those around her held more strength than her weak heart, for the man called charley spoke once and then turned away, aspen in his wake, the pair of them refusing to surrender to this raas. 

jhala was fierce, her words confrontational, threatening -- vuk's tears continued as she watched kesheph stand alongside the former ridge wolf, heard the pair and also reek -- hiram -- order away charley and his followers.

but vuk continued to stand numbly her, mind emptying as shock settled peacefully over her. instinct alone led her to gather seff and turn away from the grotto, leading him toward the den she had chosen not so long ago.