Blackfoot Forest "for Mrs. Long has just been here,

MANDATORY PACK MEETING

Our first marriage ceremony! Sorry for the delay. (: I will tag everyone involved, but the pair will not be announced until the whole pack has responded! After that it is only required that the two wolves being paired respond(also me or Amara), that way we can make sure everyone's here and then from there get this done swiftly! Hope that makes sense/is alright with everyone, let me know if you feel that's unfair. (: 

ALSO, all ceremonies take place in Lover's Grove, please check out our territory page under the Members Only section to read about it if you have not already <3

Perhaps salty that Amara had not yet agreed to be his own mate, Aaron trudged to the Grove with frustration. He should have the first ceremony- which is why he held it back so long. But fine, rules are rules, and he didn't wish to force her to elope with him if she would rather just remain assumed mates. Fine, whatever. 

He arrived proudly nonetheless, his head high and posture perfect as always. The man let out a loud howl, signaling for every wolf in the forest to join him in the Lover's Grove. He then sat and waited at the head of the narrow path, leaving room for his right-hand to join him and for the rest of the pack to be seated opposite of him.

The first ceremony would take place soon.

@Amara @Faramir @Maja @Liri @Claudia @Madeleine @Goober @Saries @Gotham @Samuel

She glanced up from the stream where she sat, a pack call from the lover's grove only meant one thing. The mating ceremony was taking place, or the first of them anyways. She wasn't sure. With a deep breath she got up and loped in the direction of the grove.

She weaved amongst the rose bushes, white fur flashing like a beacon. She was one of the first to arrive it seemed. Sitting down in what looked like a good audience area she nodded to her Alpha. She was trembling with nerves, nervous that it might be her getting mated.

She took no time in making her appearance to the meeting, although she knew exactly what it was for. What she didn't know was how upset she had made Aaron, not his intentions that had been with her. A radiant smile she have signaled she had not even considered he possibility that Aaron was upset with her unknowing dismissal of any relationship forming between them. Well, she hardly knew anything about him anyways and he did not know much about her so how could one expect anything to compensate from something that didn't even exist?! The subject was taxing, and deep down all these thoughts were quite relevant and most certainly ther but ignorance was bliss, in fact.

She boldly stood beside him, greeting Liri in the process. It was her rightful place, beside him since he had made her his Alpha female for a reason she truly did not know. No bother, this was a day of celebration for the first couple would be chosen, although it was quite surprising the tiles somehow didn't apply to her. Maybe Aaron didn't want anyone winning over the Alpha, even though the reason was much deeper. But she had questions about his order, and the offspring thag would hopefully 
multiply once the couples were bonded. She loved children, they were just so cute. One day, she would have her own but as far as she could see, no one was interested in that kind of commitment as of then. She found herself day dreaming until the next member arrived, shaking her out of her own fantasy where everyone was just happy, and lots
of children too.

As soon as the summons had reached his ears, Faramir was off with an excited lope to Lover's Grove. He did not know who was to be mated first, only that he was pretty sure it wasn't him.

The suspense was still there as he arrived in the enchanting place of marriage, nodding to his alphas and taking a spot near them. He noticed Liri trembling slightly with nerves; it was only natural to him to catch her eye and give her an encouraging smile.

Maja wasn't panicking at the moment, she was cleaning herself. A nice dip in the water had washed all her worries away. She was sunbathing, something she had never done before (sunbathing was for lazy people), but it was her getting ready for the ceremony. Her muscles were sore from hunting. A sudden howl made her jump. Oh crap, the ceremony. She bounced up and dashed into the greenery.  Her fur easily blended, as she stayed near the ground. 

 She reached, with only Liri and Faramir in the audience. She slipped into the crowd of two, attempting to be subtle. Her heart sank a little as his focus seemed to be on Liri. The white wolf was older than her, it seemed, as Maja turned two years a couple months ago. She didn't know how she really felt about Faramir, he was a good guy though, a friend. But in her point of view, his attention was on the snowy white wolf, the beautiful one. Maybe it was just her natural instincts of competition. Or maybe she was slightly jealous.

She just kept her head up and a polite smile, a quick dip as an acknowledgement to the alphas, easily and smoothly holding in her emotions inside. But her eyes flashed around, searching for something she could think about. Whatever was happening, she almost knew that the white wolf would get married first. She was totally nervous, mostly it was her self esteem was going down by the second, her box of bad thoughts had swung back open. 

*subtly tries to start drama*

The big gray male was sitting on some flowers, disgracefully eating up the fox he had caught. Blood was on his muzzle, on his paws, and even one of his ears seemed to be covered in the red liquid. A call from his leader made him look up. It came from a direction he hadn't been to, and he raised an eyebrow. Had it already been a month since the pack was created? It seemed like it. He shrugged, slowly getting up and trotting in the direction the call had come from.

Coming closer and closer to the meeting place, he noticed a very sweet smell. It were roses, a lot of them, popping up here and then, but soon covering his entire vision. Jezus, how did he not know about this place? It was breathtaking, even with the too sweet smell filling up his nostrils. He looked around, slowing down his pace to admire the roses. But after a while, he stumbled upon the rest. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't excited, he was Gotham, and that was enough. He looked around, both seeing familiar faces and new ones. He chuckled softly, seeing all their friendly faces. It reminded him of his past. He took a seat, a fair distance away from the rest. His eyes rested upon their alpha, and a gentle, respectful smile was flashed to him. He looked around again, actually a little eager to hear who would be paired up.

Aaron's howl rang through the frigid air that surrounded Samuel, his long legs carried him gracefully towards the sound. The call brought up his curiosity, for it was about the marriage ceremony since it was in Lover's Grove. Who was getting married today? Was the alpha pair getting hitched? Maybe the betas? Or just subordinates?

His curiosity was peaking, he made his way through the rose bushes, getting a few petals in his grey fur. He plopped down near Liri, giving her a smile before staying quiet and watching the alphas curiously. He gave them a dip of the head in respect. He really hoped that if he was getting married, it would be a wolf he knew. He didn't want to be paired with someone he didn't know, though there were only a few faces there.

His smile was evident on his dark lips, he awaited patiently.

they were late! madeleine harried claudia. "venir vite!" the frenchwoman called sharply to her ward, punctuating her demand with a prompt little nip. claudia gave an exclamation of anger, glowering at her guardian, but soon came away, and together the pair of them made their way to the little glade and settled at the back of the already-gathered group, madeleine's features drawn with shame and dread.

claudia was quite annoyed with madeleine's treatment of her -- she trotted in annoyance behind the quick red heels of her protector, glaring at the ground. when they arrived -- late! -- to the lover's glade, she sat stiffly beside madeleine, determined to be angry for the remainder of the day, but soon curiosity overcame her and the girl began to anticipate what was to soon occur.

After this meeting I think we'll be introducing rounds to our Ceremonies, for now we'll be skipping Saries and Goober for the time being. Feel free to join in late! After this post, only the two mentioned wolves / @Amara will be required to post! 

 

Not everyone had arrived, but the man was growing impatient. Amara had joined him at his side, and although he longed to greeting her lovingly he held his tongue; instead he gave the woman a gentle nudge on the cheek and shoulder, refraining from any kisses. He stood proudly beside her, his tail waving behind himself with as much patience as he could manage. Finally, he let out a loud bark, gaining the attention of his packmates. Still standing, he looked over them for a few moments before speaking. 

"Welcome, friends. Today we will be celebrating the union of two wolves as our first pair. This pair will hold the Gamma and Delta spots in our pack, it is up to them to hold their position," he began, his tail held stiff and high behind him. His ears pivoted forward as he listened to see if any murmurs would spread among his wolves before he spoke again. "@Samuel, if you will step forward," he beckoned, nudging Amara to call forward the woman they had discussed. His gaze settled on the male before it fell to Liri, but only for a a moment before it fell back to Samuel.

It hadn't occurred to Samuel that his name was called, he had to snap out of his small thoughts and walk forward. He couldn't really believe it, the boy was getting married to someone today. He was lucky, and also worried. Would his spouse like him? Would he like her?

So many worries! He had to rid himself of fear and just smile. Her nervousness was also excitement, he wondered about the identity of his wife. His head bowed to Aaron once more in thanks before standing before him, awaiting to hear the name of his bride.

He arrived later than some of the others, but he arrived in time to hear Samuel called out to step forward. Goober looked on, glancing to other members of the pack before returning his gaze to Samuel, who seemed to be on the spot. Unfortunately, Goober had missed exactly why this little meeting was being called. He recognized Liri, having talked to her some time ago.

For the most part, Goober had made himself scarce. It wasn't the best impression, but he would try to make up for it by being present now.

Secretly, she had hoped Aaron would dote on her more than he had, although she was unaware of the restraint he used to do so. Deep down, she wanted to be introduced as his mate, but truthfully she—they were not quite ready for something as everlasting as marriage. Perhaps she would come to accept him as her significant other, as the unsaid words commanded, but maybe it was her own independence she felt threatened by such a union. Nevertheless, it was another's time now, and it would not be the last. 

She smiled warmingly as her eyes settled on her gamma. "Liri, will you please take your place beside Samuel," Hopefully this would be a fitting pair, after her and Aaron had evaluated their personalities for the best possible outcome, she was sure this would work. "Congratulations. You are the first pair of Rosings," she looked upon Samuel as well. He would do well treating her right, that would be made sure. She looked back to Aaron, waiting for him to continue the ceremony.

She nodded at her friends as they appeared, too nervous to say anything in the serious ambiance the ceremony seemed to create. Some sent her reassuring smiles as she shook like a leaf, it was quite possible she was getting mated today. She half hoped it was just to get it over with, like ripping a bandaid off. The other half hoped that it was the higher ranked wolves, the Alpha pair or Faramir. 

She was glad to have Sam beside her for he was her best friend and therapist. God knows she was gonna need his help if it was her and she ended up mating some random male she hardly knew. She was more like to snap at them if they touched her than she was to reciprocate. She didn't miss the envious looks she was receiving from Maja as Faramir smiled at the small arctic woman. She hoped the two were paired, for her own sake as well as theirs. She didn't want some petty competition for a male she wasn't particularly interested in.

Samuel was called forward and she turned to smile at him encouragingly, wondering which wolf he was being paired with. When Amara called her forwards she froze for a moment but quickly hid her nerves in place of a calm dignity as she walked towards them, refusing to show weakness.

Liri had always been a shy girl and now was no exception. Her eyes were on the ground as she approached, unsure if she was supposed to do anything specific. Her first marriage had been a sort of barbaric affair. There had been no ceremony, only Remo presenting a claim on her before his pack. She was half afraid the same would happen, that she would be dragged off by the scruff of her neck in an attempt to force her into submission. 

She stopped next to him, sending small glances his way cautiously. After Amara announced them as mates she turned to look at him, obviously confused as to what happened now. Her body language was somewhere between alert and wary, waiting to see her what her friend-now mate-would do.

thanks to everyone who was a part of this! going to close it out here. (: ceremonies will take place OOC from now on as they take up a lot of time and effort for the entirety of the pack... it'd get a bit tedious eventually. (: to any pairs announced in the future, feel free to make a post meeting your newly appointed partner and feel free to invite the rest of the pack to join! up to your own creative ideas now. (: SLIGHT PP to wrap this up! feel free to msg me if it isn't okay! everyone is welcome to post after me, fill in the gaps as this is very vague! it's just an overview of the rest of the ceremony (:  i'll be closing this thread on april 17th! 

Aaron nudged Amara (assuming she'd let him) as she finished speaking. He gave her a gentle lick on the shoulder and returned back to the pair. The pair exchanged the usual ceremonial customs (well, the first of many, anyway). It was the gift of a flower, freshly picked by both of the alphas. Aaron watched as Liri struggled for confidence, and attempted to give her reassuring looks. The pair was finally mated, and the man was pleased to see the pair together. Secretly, very deep down, he squeed at the thought of how perfect he felt they were together. Both were active members, working hard to achieve greatness among the pack. He was truly proud.  

The man cleared his throat, calling for a settling of the pack. Then he let out a loud bark, dismissing the meeting. He urged Samuel and Liri to share something to eat, to sit and discuss. When he turned, he made his way to Amara, gingerly offering that she would share something to eat with him. Had she obliged, he'd perk up and lead her to a nearby cache. If not, he'd leave to sulk in his den before heading out to release pent up frustration on some foxes. 

Regardless, the meeting ended. It was a success.