He watched as they arrived, greeting each of them with a nod and a brief smile depending on how well he knew them. Rozari was the first to arrive and spoke a few words of greeting with him, then came Crëyr and Flash and the others. Leila arrived and moved towards him, touching his paws with her nose and then sat next to him. A light frown touched his features for a second before it vanished and he nudged his adoptive daughter towards his packmates. ”Go on, this is the place for leaders.” Shadow whispered softly, hoping she would heed his words. He didn't feel comfortable with her sitting next to him in an official pack meeting, the ways of the Romans sticking firmly to him as always. You wouldn't see a daughter standing next to their father Emperor like she was of the same rank when the Emperor was making an announcement did you? Wasn't it currently the same thing?
The last to arrive was Hjalmar, the newest recruit, the one who was both warrior and healer. The Scandinavian seemed to be settling in well to pack life which was good, Shadow didn't want to lose another healer. Especially one who possessed both fighting skills and the skills of a medic. He observed quietly, noticing that their numbers were fewer than before and felt a pang of worry which he shook away. The gods were with him and he was sure their numbers would grow, perhaps not immediately but slowly and surely. Sure that no one else was coming, the silver leader rose to his paws and bounded onto the boulder where he sat, tail curled neatly over his paws and gazed downwards at his packmates.
”Many of you are newcomers and you have not been formerly accepted into the pack yet, so we offer you a belated welcome. Serve the pack well and you will carry the honor and glory of being one of us”, he paused, silver eyes drifting over every one of them, reminding them why he accepted them in first place and their promise to earn their place in the Bypass. Then Shadow leaped downwards and moved over to Leila, touching her crown with his nose in a fatherly manner, ”Leila here is my adopted daughter, she was a member of the Bypass and has returned. She is one of you now.”
The Roman turned now and made his way back to the boulder, ”Two wolves have taken my place when I left to solve some problems with Swiftcurrent Creek, another pack. They have led well in my absence and I have decided to promote them to the rank of Centurion. Second in command.” A light smile graced his features as the words rolled smoothly off his tongue. ”Crëyr and Flash, you have proven to be loyal wolves and have led well despite the sudden circumstances. I hereby promote you to the rank of Centurion and hope you will continue to serve this pack loyally and defend it with your life.” Shadow smiled at them, a twinkle evident in his usually cold gray eyes.