Anyone! :D
It had been treacherous getting into the territory, a steep path that one could easily lose their footing on, but they had made it nonetheless. Hiram guided them, showed the pair their new home before departing for other matters, and Phares politely excused himself from Nova Rose to explore solo. Not that he had grown tired of the older female's company — he just wished to spend some time on his own.
He travelled towards the center of the territory, enjoying the last of Raas' light for the day. It highlighted his face, turning the fur there a vibrant red as he surveyed the area from atop a rocky outcrop. He faced a large lake, one he could only assume was the pack's water source. The priest smiled, beginning to pick his way down the slope towards the body of water. It was a blessed place, indeed.
The Grand Vicar moves through the territory with her shoulders squared and her head high. Her new title was nothing she was proud of-- she felt that Beta more accurately described her job-- but she still wore her rank with pride. She was Reek's secondhand, and she'd do all she could to keep him happy.
As she walks, she catches wind of a male who she does not know, and begins to move towards him. Her ears perk and her head lowers to sniff at the ground, but it raises when she has herself pointed in the right direction. When she sees him, she speeds up to catch him-- it looks like he's headed towards the water-- and she lets out a chuff to call his attention. Her posture straightens once again.
He made his way to the lake with every intention on stopping there to test the waters, but before he could another made her presence known. Phares paused, turning to look over his shoulder at the stranger. He turned fully after noting she was female and gave a low bow with a smile, tail waving amicably. She was noticeably feminine, but definitely larger than any he had seen in a while. Especially among his breed.
"Greetings," he offered after straightening again, head held higher than usual. He had gained a newfound sense of confidence and purpose upon arrival at the Grotto. "My name is Phares, priest of the Daystar."
Priest? of Daystar? Did that mean that was some sort of rank here? Was he part of the Grotto? She stares at him as she tries to decide, but it hopefully it doesn't register that she is confused. "I am Jhala," she finally says. "Grand Vicar of the Grotto." She does not work for any Daystar, and therefore doesn't make any comment on such-- whoever it was.
"Did Reek let you in?" she asks, her head cocking to the side. She doesn't bother using his name-- it seems stupid to her. For the moment she forgot that others wouldn't know him by his old name.
She introduced herself in turn and, after hearing her title, Phares quickly lowered himself into a bow again, his ears respectfully tucked back. "My apologies!" What an honour for the Grand Vicar to grace his presence (even if the female thought this whole thing was nonsense, unbeknownst to him). He wasn't certain how many held the more esteemed ranks in this church, though obviously Hiram and Kesheph had chosen at least one.
"Reek?" he echoed as he looked up to her, her question causing him to pause and wonder at the name before suddenly it dawns on him. That was the name Nova Rose had used upon meeting the Cardinal. "Oh, you mean Hiram? Indeed he did, he led me and my follower to this place." With his muzzle, Phares gestured to the lake beyond them, smiling at the sight before turning back to the Vicar.
She pauses as he quickly lowers himself. Perhaps her title will never hold as much meaning to her as Beta did, but it seems to register with this man-- so she accepts it. Her head then tilts as he speaks, and she shakes her head. "Whoops-- right, yeah... I respect his uh--" she hesitates to continue, forgetting exactly what it was Reek had done, "--moral cleansing, and-- uh-- conversion, and stuff-- but he'll always be Reek to me," she finishs, her explaination somewhat rocky.
She glances to the lake, her tail wagging. "Yeah? The Grotto is great-- you'll like it here," she tells him, her lips curved into a sweet smile. "Who was your follower, by the way?" she asks, turning back towards Phares.
Her stammering only caused Phare's eyes to glimmer with amusement, his expression remaining neutral, though suspicions began to arise about the Vicar. He could not fathom why she did not accept Reek's new name. The ritual would have been quite the event, he was certain, and any who did not agree to it would have been exiled and marked heathens. Did she have reservations about Hiram's turning to the light of Raas?
He kept his skepticism hidden, however, instead allowing the female to speak. Eyes remain steadfast on her dark form as she glances at the lake, but his features fall into a warm smile mirroring her own as she asks of his follower. "She goes by the name Nova Rose," he answered simply, before continuing. "How many belong to the Grotto?" And, by extension, how many were of the faith here?
this thread was before Solus arrived so he's not included <3
"Nine," she replies quickly, not skipping a beat.
"Including you." As Beta-- or Grand Vicar, now-- it was her job to keep up with the pack, and keep up with it she had.
"There's Re--Hiram, Me, Kesheph, Terich, Vuk, Lilac, and then you and Nova Rose," she tells him, feeling that's an easy way to inform him of the pack.
"Vuk and Terich have a kid too-- his name is Seff," she adds, her ears perking with childish excitement.
"He's real cute," she tells him, her tail wagging.
Nine. A fair number. He nods as she lists their members off by name, storing each one away. Kesheph he had still yet to meet and was quite eager to do so, though he knew he would be graced by the Seer's presence in due time. Surely she would be busy with other matters. An eyebrow quirked at the mention of the child, Seff, wondering his age and who his father was — this Terich or Vuk?
Phares decided he would find out himself, ask further questions upon meeting the child's parents. He had been raised celibate and found it hard to imagine rearing young. He also wondered of the father, if he himself were a priest in this pack. "I look forward to meeting them all," he replied with a gentle wave of his tail. "And what of you? You were a follower of Hiram's?" Might as well glean as much information as he could from the Grand Vicar.
"Yes," Jhala says proudly, her chest puffing out. "I came to him when he was first starting this pack, and have stayed loyal to him through everything," she tells Phares with a flick of her tail. "A lot of wolves left the pack when Reek became Hiram and began to speak the word of Daystar, but I stayed," she adds, remembering Zaavier and-- with a heavy heart-- Skeet. She wondered if this would mean anything to this Phares character, but didn't really care. Reek was her leader, she wanted everyone to know just how loyal she was to him.
Finish up soon? :D
She was loyal, then. A good sign. Above all else, the Grand Vicar had to be trustworthy, unwavering in their faith in both their leader and the Daystar. He allowed a small, pleased smile slip across his lips.
"Good," he replied simply, before his eyes narrowed.
"Heathens are many but those who are true, pure —" at this, he nodded as a gesture to Jhala
"— they are rare." Time would only tell if her loyalty to
Hiram instead of Reek was as strong as she said it was.
"Heathens and the flat out stupid," Jhala adds with a twinge of frustration. Heathens was such a rude term-- not believing in a god shouldn't put you on a separate level from everyone else... believing in one shouldn't put you on a pedestal. Phares was just like the Seer, maybe even worse-- and she only had more sucking up to do... at least now she was above him, disrespect wouldn't be as big of an issue.
She smiles nonetheless, her tail waving. "I serve the Daystar as I do Hiram-- endlessly," she reassures him, eyes glinting with pride-- though it was only for Reek. "I hope you'll continue to do the same... keep the Daystar's light shining brightly on our humble pack."
With a glance away, anger piling inside her chest, her throat beginning to burn. "I'm gonna keep doin' some rounds. I'll see you around, Phares," she says with a smile, dipping her head. Without waiting for a proper response, the dark Vicar begins her pad away-- teeth gritted.
He was unaware of the disgust she harboured towards him, believing her words true. She said she would serve both their god and Cardinal endlessly, eternally, and had given no indication that she spoke lies. Phares let the small smile remain on his features. If it was His will to purify these lands of heathens and sinners, then it was his duty as a priest to follow Raas' wishes. Even if they had only brought one pack to the light for now.
The Grand Vicar took a swift exit, then, which the priest accepted, going to bid her a fair day but the dark-furred female was already quickly striding away from him. At this he gave a small, questioning tilt of his head before shrugging it off, turning back to the lake to pace along its shores.