Larksong Grotto babylon the great

Everything was spinning for Skeet, almost all words were unheard by his ears. All he could focus on was his boiling anger. He did not belong here, this was not a place he wanted to be. This so called day star was not his God. His God created the star, and Skeet was not going to forsake him, even though he was not strict on his religion.

After the whole ceremony, it seemed Charley Pryor wasn't going to have it, nor aspen. Jhala already was giving him hell while Hosannah was calling him terms Skeet didn't take kindly. The mountain man rose to his paws, almost towering over the others with his stature.

​he looked at everyone, the wolves- no, sheep. He grumbles to himself before deciding to head out. Before he did, he decided to give himself a speech. "I do not agree with your religion, Reek" he said, calling the new man by his original name. "I can't stand for something I do not believe in. So I will depart the grotto, and I hope for only the best for all of you," He said, soon looking towards Jhala, his one friend in the pack. "I'm sorry Jhala, I can't follow this path." He said, almost quietly. He backed up a few steps, raising his stature.

his voice soon boomed like the wiry female who claimed reek. "Call me a heathen, call me a traitor, call me anything!" He exclaimed, almost with glee. "I have my own god, and He wants me to follow His path." With that, Skeet gave both Charley and Aspen a soft smile before loping out of the grotto, tail and head high with pride. he would follow them and hopefully stay with them, but for now he would take what he could from the caches and make his way out (while peeing on random stuff).

Zaavier listened to everything that had unfolded before him. Reek was Reek one moment, and Hiram the next. Hiram? What kind of name was that? It didn't fit Reek -- er, Hiram -- at all, and Zaavier couldn't help but scowl in distaste.

Not to his surprise, Charley announced that he and Aspen would be leaving. What surprised him was Jhala's outburst. She howled at Charley, baring her teeth and defending Reek with all her might. From what the lanky brute had taken from her personality when they first met, Zaavier would have never thought her capable of such a thing. He was comepletely shocked.

Vuk -- sweet and quiet Vuk -- remained silent, looking confused yet content at the same time. He eyed her carefully, wondering what she would do. He had no knowledge of her affairs with Hiram, but she seemed to take a liking to him, and he assumed that she would stay. He thought the same for Terich of course, for he was Vuk's mate, but he could never tell for sure. 

Skeet left with his tail high, and to Zaavier's disappointment, he seemed to be following Aspen and Charley. He had no problem with that, but having begun to start his own pack, he had hoped his friend would come with him. Now it was him and Lilac. He glanced at the girl beside him, but she seemed content on stayed, slightly interested in the religion. Zaavier was discusted but that the religious crap. It was not his thing... at all.

After a moment of hesitation, Zaavier stood, bowing to both Hiram and Hosannah, then Jhala. He wore a saddened look as he spoke. "All this just does not agree with me. I'm sorry, but I am going to leave. I wish you all the best." He gave Jhala a small smile, knowing she would hate his guts now. Finally, her turned towards Seff, giving him a wink. "See ya later, bud." With that, he turned and trotted out of the cave, skirting around the lake and exiting the territory for good. So long!

Everything happened fast through the eyes of Lilac.  The religion, the ceremony, Reek becoming Hiram, the disagreements.  She took a deep breath.  Could she follow this Raas?  Maybe.  All of her life before Larksong Grotto had been death and destruction.  She didn't want to go back to that.  She wanted to be free of sin.  A fresh start in life and if she had to follow some God named Raas so be it.  The agouti was desperate.  Desperate for answers to why she had been taken away from her family, washed away from their grasps.  Now a possible answer laid before her and she was taking it.

Solemnly she watched two of the males leave and then slowly made her way up next to Jhala and Hosannah, although stood by Jhala's side to confront Charley and Aspen.  "Get out Charley Pryor and you too Aspen.  Raas is the truth.  The righteous one.  He holds our answers.  So go now Aspen and Charley Pryor.  You have no more rights here."

Aspen's eyes shifted from wolf to wolf as they all arrived in the grotto one by one. Once every wolf was there the stranger as Aspen had every right to call her introduced her as Keseph. Weird name but okay. I won't have to call her it seeing as I am leaving She thought to herself quietly.

It was then that the ritual begun. The seer as she had titled herself began to do a series of things with snake skins and frogs which didn't make really any sense to poor Aspen seeng as she new nothing but the perameters of what this religion encased. One she did not wish to be a part of so for the time being she just watched. She did join the circle of wolves around Reek but there was no heart in it. She just did what she was told until the time was right.

After, Reek was given a new name, Hiram. Hiram? Surely...oh well that was weird.   To aspen he would always be Reek retail,  no matter what she called him.

Shortly after Charley had decided it was time and he made a series of statements saying they would not be staying with the pack and that they would be leaving and starting their own pack elsewhere and that anyone was welcome to join us. Although he also said some rather sentimental stuff towards Reek and appeared he may have been crying. She gave him a sympathetic glance before dipping her head to the Alphas. "It is time for me to leave, religion is not in my heart and likely never will be, I have dealt with to much to believe what you say is true, and with that I shall follow my mate. We will start our own pack and live out our lives the way we wish too," she stated turning to run after Charley before more could be said to her. Catching only the brief smile of Skeet as she turned. Could he be one to follow them? Who knows.

She was dissapointed yes that she was leaving the wolves she had first come to trust here in the grotto, most of them at least. There was still a few she did not know but it seems yet again she was forced to leave, part by choice, part by not. 

As she kept pace with him, not hard for a wolf with long legs, Jhala was quick to stand and block their path. She looked pissed. Great, just great.  Last thing they needed was him or anyone to fight after this. This was meant to be semi peaceful. Jhala called her mate a coward and immediately Aspen felt a low growl rumble from her chest. "He is not a coward, nor am I,  we made a choice to follow our hearts and our dreams, and unfortunately that means we are not staying with you guys and following a religion we want no part of, you gave us a choice leave or join the religion,  we chose to leave. End of story. Now cool it both of you. No one needs to get injured, no blood needs to be shed,  what's done is done," she stated staring hardly at both wolves and pushing her way between them.

"Now Jhala if you could please move and let us be on our way, that would be greatly appreciated," she said dipping her head to the female out of respect. Despite the values of these wolves she still had respect for them. Then she turned to Charley rubbing her muzzle against his cheek and whispering in his ear "Please...don't." 

Aspen pondered for a moment as to whether anyone had followed them. Or would follow them. She looked behind to see that Zaavier had made his exit from the grotto also and thay Skeet was in fact following them both. They had anot her follower and that made Aspen smile even for a brief moment as she directed the smile towards him but also gave a look that warned him of a potential fight. Though she was convinced she may be able to talk them down from it.

Terich knew their world had forever changed, and despite his desire to leave, to run, to follow these others leaving this insanity behind, Terich remained for Vuk. She needed his strength more than he ever thought, and he would follow her commands and her decisions now. Terich didn't know anything about this religion, didn't know if he believed or not, but for Vuk and Seff he would stay. He would learn all he could, and even if he didn't ever truly believe, he would try. For his family, he would try anything.

After the ritual, he followed Vuk and Seff from the meeting, wondering if his heart was in this charade. He settled beside her and offered his shoulder, his strength, to her, and thought of the strangeness of the day, of the ritual he had participated in. What would become of them now?

Teeth were in his scruff, and Seff was no longer by Reek. He had gotten a kiss for his efforts, though, and smiled brightly at Reek. He knew him by name, now, though it's syllables had not yet past his's lips. No true words had as of yet, making him seem to develop a little slower than other pups. Perhaps it was his lack of siblings that made it so, perhaps it was simply him, but he was far from stupid. But the proceedings to follow would most definitely baffle the pup. 

The woman spoke, the one who looked vaguely familiar and yet gave the boy a bad feeling, which was odd. Her voice was great, booming and filled with passion, and Seff was enthralled. Then they, all of them, walked in circles together, in which Seff generally disrupted proceedings by weaving in between legs and lunging for the tails of various wolves, though his friends and pack-mates held him in check. But then they had to sit again, and then things got scary. 

The woman, the red woman, spoke again, and Seff watched with wide blue eyes as Reek, who seemed somewhat of a father-figure to the boy, ripped apart slimy creatures, frogs as he would later know them, a fierce, rabid affair that led him to snuggle closer to his mother. The woman waved things around and generally did odd things with the objects around her, which Seff found fascinating. He had half a mind to go see if she would play with him, but knew his mother would not think much of that. So the boy stayed put.  

He noticed then the trembling of his mother and lifted his baby blue eyes to hers. But when his attention was drawn to the wolves around him, that was when he felted his mother quake and whimpered softly. He did not like this. Who was this woman? What was Reek doing? She sobbed then, and wolves began yelling, and Seff felt like he was being smothered. Angry, sad, bad...these were all feeling Seff got from the meeting. He whimpered, tears gathering in his eyes, and shouted in anger and sadness. "Eeek! Eek, no!"
But his words trailed off, they were insubstantial, nothing, and his mother was taking him away and he felt bad, bad, bad.

It was a wild commotion. One thick with noise, movement, and anger. More wolves followed Charley's lead, forsaking both the newly named Cardinal and the salvation he hoped to bring in one foul swoop. Each wolf who rose to leave drove a knife into Hiram's back; deeper and deeper until he felt the hot sting of tears fill his eyes. These wolves, his friends -- how could they just walk away? He felt betrayed. Used.

But, there was Jhala. Her loyalty had always been something to admire. She swiftly moved in to intercept the departing wolves and began to angerly admonish them. The words she spoke were the words the Cardinal wished he had the strength to say, but couldn't. They were cowards -- all of them.

He wished to join second in command -- his Grand Vicar -- at her side. Not only to deal with the splinter group, but to comfort those who remained loyal to the grotto; those who would give the faith a chance, but it would not come easy. But he was bound in place. Made powerless by the ritual. The circle could not be broken.

Rising to his feet, but not daring to break his circle of protection, he spoke. "Let them go," he said, unable to hide his dissapointment from Jhala. "They've made their choice." 

His head hung low and he soon settled back into the dirt. The noise around began to die away and the wolves who planned to stay dispersed. This night had been marred by the actions of the unfaithful -- and though their absence would surely be felt in the days to come, it was good that only those dedicated to following the light of Raas remained. Now, they could move forward in establishing his church.

Although Apsen and Charley rouse anger in the dark girl, Skeet's announcement pokes at emotions she didn't know existed. Her posture falters, and she stares at him with wide, amber eyes that beg for answers to questions she can't even think to ask. It's selfish of her to think he would've stayed for her, but somehow she feels that that is how it would've went. She thinks back to their conversation days before, how she'd tried to convince him to stay for Reek. Perhaps that wasn't enough, perhaps she wasn't enough. She looks away, muttering a quiet goodbye to her friend.

As her gaze breaks, she shifts to look back at Charley, her fur bristling once again. It brushes against Keshephs, and for a moment she feels comfort in her presence-- but only a moment. As Reek speaks, her attention turns to Aspen, who was the last to speak. "I don't care," she growls, "When I joined this pack I made a vow to protect Reek and this Goddamn Grotto. I'm fucking keeping it. Cowards aren't welcome here anyway."

Without waiting for a response, she shoves herself in between the couple and pads towards Reek. After the traitors leave she sits a few yards from him, before she sinks to the ground. She would lay there for a good hour, staring at the ground with a glassy, dull gaze. Any words spoken to her would go ignored, but she made note of what wolves hung around. She knew they weren't required to stay, but she figured it was worth it to stay by Reek for the rest of the night. She fell asleep eventaully, unable to keep her eyes open.

last for me <3