Northstar Vale Pack Meeting || Grandis, Petit Agneau.

Let's see if I can get a hold on this! The first round will end Oct. 28th (earlier if everyone gets a response in) for this round please keep order to ensure everyone can join.

Preparing for a Matriarches annual travels was never easy, particularly now that the majority of her members were those who were unfamiliar with the traditions of the mother pack. There was not exactly an elegant way to say ' I'm leaving to be impregnated by a strange man ' but she would damn well try. A Matriarche was expected to produce one litter each year, and Viskani was not one to take on a mate. This is how things would be done.

Exiting her rocky den she stretched her legs, tilting her head up to let out a howl that would signal to the other's that it was time to return, to gather. Sitting herself down outside the bushes that enclosed the area where the Upper Bracket rested she waited.

The issue of Iris would need to be addressed now; and she had made up her mind on how that would be. @Chesley would not be happy, and she was unsure if @Tousaint would be pleased either - but it was time for her Petit Agneau to grow up. Tousaint would be used to teach him a lesson.

She felt little worry for her other members. @Kaaya Ayad and @Mnemosynes had adjusted beautifully to their surroundings. Pala was a natural Glaieul rarely leaving the borders, and Chaudry.. well, there was never a reason to worry about Chaudry, was there?

Resting after a particularly long patrol, Pala was quick to respond to the call. Exiting her own den near the rest of the middle bracket wolves she soon joined Viskani in her howl, joining the older woman in the clearing. Being the first to the party is never fun, she was quick to realize.

Settling down a short distance away she waited, hoping that other's would be quick to arrive so as to avoid the dreaded 'small talk' that Viskani was sure to trigger. She knew that it was only polite, but what was the point?

Tousaint would arrive to the meeting both punctual and freshly preened. Thanks to the aloe gel he’d scavenged and separated from the plant, he’d conditioned his fur and paw pads before grooming himself thoroughly so the greasy gel would not leave a residue. He crushed a sprig of sea lavender and brushed the powdered substance into his tail which he combed with long strokes of his claws.

Impressions mattered. He took even portions of his time to tend to his duties, and sacrificed only his personal time to tend to his appearance. 

He wrapped his perfumed plume neatly about his paws as he took his seat, humbly becoming a part of Viskani’s audience, alongside the smart-looking Paladé.

Chaudry arrived out of breath, sprinting from the borders was no easy task but he was determined not to be the last to arrive. Spotting Pala, he made a point of sitting close to her.

While he was sure that this gathering would be nothing that concerned him, he understood that missing it would be bad for his image. It would upset Viskani as well, of course, but he was growing more comfortable with her frustrations by the day.

Mnemosyne drops a particularly large branch in surprise when a howl sounds in the air. He had grown slightly attached to it to when investigating his newfound home. Making note to come back for his belonging, Mnemosyne trudges his way to the direction of Viskani's call. 

He apologies profusely for his late appearance before awkwardly situating himself in more of the outer edge of the circle of members.

He was quick to respond to the call. He’d been working with Chaudry to split border upkeep. 

Breathless, he arrived to the call. It was his mother’s, so something he deemed important enough to respond to. 

He took his seat beside Chaudry, though a quick glance was shot at Tousaint before doing so. Maybe he wouldn’t look so well-kept if he’d been out patrolling. 

He hadn’t realized his half-gaze had been fixed on the wolf for as long as it had. 

He let his eye find his mother, and wondered what this was all about.

She slipped out from the den she’d been residing in feeling slightly defeated. She had been chasing after a stag beetle prior to the howl, but ended up having to release it before she could catch and crush it to make an experimental poultice. 

Her ear twitched, walking out to join the others but keeping a far enough distance. She wasn’t quite adjusted yet.

Round 1 is over, round 2 will have no order and end Oct 28th. If everyone has responded and there is no activity after two days, we will move to the next round.

Her gaze passing over the crowd, she found each of her member's had joined her. After one more head count she gathered her words and began to speak.

"My dear friends, after today Montagne de Cigue shall be officially formed." She stated, bringing herself to a stand. "We will be recognized by the surroundings packs, and we must begin to operate as such. Each of you have your roles, and I expect them to be followed."

Her eyes shifted carefully, first meeting Chesley's, followed by Tousaint's. "With the winter season approaching, it is important to begin preparations for my journey. I have spoken of it before, chaleur. Tradition says I must leave to expand - my absence may last up to a moon."

"An Iris must be chosen before this, to ensure the care of the pack."

Tousaint took note of his packmates, taking the weight off the later arrivals by greeting each the same way. A flitting glance, and a brief, but friendly smile as a wordless welcome. 

Among their growing throng, there were the two sons- Chaudry, who merited perhaps a slightly longer smile from the Dahomey-Rivaini gentleman than the others, due to their familiarity- and Chesley, whose one eye glared at him but merited no scathing look in return. Two women, unique in nature- one whose scent frequented the borders and the other who bore the wild, earthy fragrance of medicines. Then, there was the polite, quiet fellow he’d met at the borders, who looked in better shape now regardless of his sheepishness. 

His attention returned to Viskani as she began the meeting. Expecting them to fulfill their duties was fair enough; yet as Jonquille, as per his request, he remained a man of many trades. He blinked his acknowledgement when Viskani’s gaze landed on him. 

He avoided the opportunity to gaze to Chesley, when she looked to him. 

The thought of Viskani leaving during her heat was nothing new to Tousaint. It was a custom that his family members had followed as well, and so he had little concern for her, or the pack in her absence. A temporary head figure would be needed, of course: perhaps her next point. 

Tousaint remained quiet, hoping she wouldn’t leave them holding their breath for too long.

As his mother spoke, Chaudry nearly mistook her for his grandmother as she went over the familiar traditions and terms. But the mention of an Iris snapped him out of it.

She was right, one had to be chosen. But who? The two candidates had been obvious for some time now, yet Chaudry found himself growing unsure of what the result may be.

Both were qualified, but only one was her son. Surely she would not betray Chesley.

Round 3 begins with the same rules as previous, thread ends Oct. 30th

"I have caught wind of the whispers of who my candidates are, and your assumptions have been correct in both Chesley and Tousaint."

"However, I have quickly grown tired of the rumours of betrayal, favouritism, and nepotism." Her tone grew stern and her gaze passed over a crowd, as though a mother scolding her children. "My decision will be made without bias, for it will not be made by me."

"There is no true need for an official Iris before the winter, for there are no true threats affecting us." She paused momentarily. "When the temperature falls and the vale is coated by the first snow I will call you back here so that you may each cast your vote. I will have no say in who of the two is elected."

"That is all."

She stood, turning her back to the Montagnians as she began the trek back to her den.

Viskani exits here <3

Had there been rumours? If so, among who? Tousaint couldn’t help but feel that any speculation had likely been spawned by those of Viskani’s own womb; between them, he thought, words must have been exchanged. And if Chesley hadn’t looked at him as a threat before, he certainly would now.

…Especially if his own mother was choosing to resort to democracy than choosing her own Iris from among the fold. What a blow that must have been…

He received the nomination with a grateful bow of his head, and a look of light surprise on his face. After all- Viskani owed him a favour, and he had expected to be named Iris, not nominated for it. Now, he would have to rely on Chaudry- the second wolf in the pack who had agreed to owe him one.

He was keen to collect what was indebted to him.

Viskani left, and silence fell among them, to be broken with a soft sigh and a light laugh. Well; I accept de nomination…An’ you, Chesley? He invited.