Ouroboros Spine came down over the sleeping mountains

This round will end after December 13th. @Kierkegaard & @Mara, feel free to post in the second round -- I tried to leave a bit of narrative gap for any late arrivals! Kaname should post first, but after that there is no posting order or obligation to match length. :)

It took a few minutes, but the footfalls came sure enough. Among the first to arrive was Sitri, and Mordecai offered him a gentle nudge a friendly wave of his tail. He was glad that the scarred creature had come out from the depths to join him. Lucius emerged from the surroundings next to join them, followed swiftly by Harlyn. The deference he was finding came warmly, satisfying the claim he had forged into the Spine. He greeted them with mirth, letting his gaze break away from them as Kaname came next. Seeing the dark-haired beta come was a good sign as well, as their last talk had helped with the very gathering that Mordecai had put together. Among the immediate last to arrive was Cara, who was quick to settle down and in between her more familiar counterparts, and her deference towards him was enough to keep his interest away from her.

Perhaps that was a sign of the cumulative change within the Spine, but Mordecai did not acknowledge it otherwise. Instead he lingered quietly, waiting on any stragglers to come. Whether they did or did not, he knew it was time to press ahead with their meeting. The ones that did not show, he would find later. “I'm glad you could join me,” he said, casting his gilded gaze over them. “I'm sure as you can all tell, winter has set in everywhere. This will be a crucial time for us all as we cannot anticipate everything, and there are expectations to be met.” And for him, this was the point where he wondered if his wording would be worthy at all of a leader.

“I've called you all here to bring those expectations to light and to bring an end to the turmoil that this pack was faced in the past. The Spine requires cooperation from all of us, and I will not tolerate insubordination in our ranks, nor will I tolerate outliers in this pack. It's fine if some of you intend to move on come spring, but while you are here, you will be apart of this pack.” There was a resolute sharpness in his voice, his gaze turned pointed. Mordecai chose not to single out any of them with that gaze, certain they would know who they were. But it was far from his intentions to provoke leery feelings in any of them, if he could help it. “If those simple needs cannot be met, the outcome will speak for itself.” If the loyalty of those who stayed was strong, he knew the Spine would oust the freeloaders in time.

He pressed on then, bringing other matters to the light. “We've done well to keep our caches full, and have done well to continue to fill what we can. With winter here, we will need to continue those efforts, and defend them. The Spine also requires other talents as well. We need healers and caretakers, wolves that can fight just as well as they can defend. It is far better to be over-prepared than not at all, and I want to see all of you strive for something. We can help one another here, not only to better the odds of survival, but to better ourselves.” Only then did his eyes single out to Kaname, who he knew had been working on those very things. Make his effort to cooperate, to see that they all made it through. But that wasn't entirely why Mordecai had singled him out then. “Kaname, as I recall you had things to add to this when we spoke last.” It was there that had paused, hoping that his silent second-in-command would pick up where he left off.