The Sentinels one by one i'm gonna take them down

MANDATORY PACK MEETING!!! PPing everyone here so we can move this along. @Deirdre @Constantine @Tansea @Eilidh @Lærkee @Cas @Starbuck @Lotte @Emaleth

Today was bittersweet. She stood at the pile of boulders she'd stood at not too long ago, where Deirdre crushed the last hope of leadership in this pack that she'd had. She'd looked stupid and afraid, and realized that this was not the place she would lead. Beside her were Constantine and Deirdre, her gaze falling over them for a brief moment before she tilted her head back and howled for the rest of the pack. Her nose found Constantine's shoulder, pressing into it as she search for a shard of confidence and calmness. For a moment, the restlessness left her, but it was back as soon as she raised her head.

Wolves began to gather and she stared at them all in turn, and when they all settled, she raised her tail and let out a loud bark to grab their full attentions. They quieted, and she spoke.

"Today marks the day that Lasher's latest litter comes of age," she said to them, failing to mention the bastard children he'd had with Rowan. They did not count, they were not worthy. "Today, I will step down with Constantine and hand the pack back over to Deirdre and Emaleth, who rightfully hold the inheritance to the pack. They will lead you, and they will do it well. Constantine and I have taught them what they need to know, and they are ready." She waited for voices-- if any-- to die down, pale gaze sweeping the crowd-- though somewhat fuzzily now.

"Constantine and I will leave to find a home elsewhere, and we will return with our location when we find it. We will not leave Donnelaith in the dark, but need to tread a path elsewhere." She didn't speak again, just sort of cut off there. Her gaze fell to Constantine, and then to Deirdre, and she waited for anyone to speak. 

Hearing the pack leaders calling for them after such a long absence made Castiel more curious than anything. He made his way towards the call, his eyes narrowing for a moment as it was made clear that children would now be leading the pack. Children. Sure, age was nothing, age could be misleading, however, to hear that the pack's sole leadership up to that point were just walking away.....it left a bad taste in his mouth. Unaware of the strife in the days before he had joined the pack Castiel could not put to words how he felt about this shuffle and shift. It did not sit well with him, but what was he to do? 

Pretend, perhaps, that things were fine and that there would be no upheaval, but Castiel was not good at pretending. He never had been. Instead he could only see how this would affect himself and Winchester, his priorities were in his own well-being. If this was not the pack for him, it was not meant to be. The guardian would make due otherwise. He sat silent for a moment, glancing between the wolves that had assembled before them - he wondered what they all thought. 

Tansea lingered on the fringes, watching with the tension of a taut bow. Her mind raced with possibilties of what they might be called for, what problems they faced. 

Silent shock showed clearly on the witch's face, for though she didn't know Aria very well she had been amiable towards her. There was a small twinge of sadness for Constantine, whom she had liked and hoped to make a friend of.

There was happiness for her friend Deirdre as well, the fellow witch would find no more loyal a supporter than the dryad. Silently, she wondered why the pair could not remain here with them but it was not her place to ask. Perhaps the Goddess called to them elsewhere.

For the first time since Starbuck's arrival, they were summoned. Her ears flicked at the call, and she abandoned the stones that she was casting to immediately seek out its source. She had not seen Aria since her arrival, and was eager to hear what the woman had to say. Starbuck expected a rally, for autumn was upon them and winter would soon follow suit. 

She arrived and settled near Deirdre, casting joyous smiles at Tansea and Lærke before Aria began to address them. The news surprised Starbuck, who was unaware of any conflicts of interest that had taken place. She looked upon Constantine, whom she had never met, and from him she looked to Deirdre, and then Emaleth, who was no less a stranger than Constantine. This news did not upset her, though she was disappointed to learn that she would not get to know Aria better. She was interested to see how things would unfold, though in her heart she held some small fear for the new child-queens. Heavy was the crown, and young necks could not so easily support it. Starbuck vowed to be a faithful servent to the girls-turned-queens.

Lotte, like Tansea, lingered at the outskirts of the meeting; a ghost among shadows, she ensconced herself in her brother’s bearlike shadow and listened as Aria and Constantine stepped down from leadership, relinquishing control of Donnelaith to Deirdre and Emaleth. Her small, triangular ears cupped forward upon her skull as the news was received by several wolves in relative silence. “Should it be your wish, valkoinen kuningatar,” the soot-stockinged hoyden piped up, unrepentant, drawing from the ingénue’s eagerness to please and lotus-like innocence, “and with the blessing of the new johtajat, I will aid in your search and scout far and wide for open terrain pleasing to your eyes.” She swept a deep bow to Constantine and Aria, then another one to Emaleth and Deirdre, her argent eyes fixed respectfully upon her own coal-colored toes. She had no reason to mourn, for she was newly initiated into the pack and fond of all parties — too, the decision seemed to be a mutual one. Offering support where she could was Lotte’s main concern; it went without saying that all four wolves had a measure of her loyalty.

deirdre stood alongside aria and constantine, and a fire burned within her! for it was the day she and emaleth assimilated into the ranks, and it was a day she had long been waiting for. deirdre was ambitious, and was prepared to take the helm and weighted responsibility that came with being queen. and as she stood alongside aria, there was no denying she was such a thing, young though she was; she exuded grace and regality, her ears pricked and her tail lifted. deirdre was queenly. though there was a true sadness that permeated her visage, there was also pride and preparedness for what was to come!

the crown was a heavy one, and yet she felt as ready as she could be for it. she would make no decision with haste, nor would she ever threaten the wellbeing of donnelaith. her emerald eyes panned toward lotte, who spoke, and her tail waved behind her. the white witch queens ears cupped 'round the pretty words, and deirdre smiled. if aria would have you, i see no trouble with you aiding them in their search for a time. i ask that you not be gone too long--Winter comes, and our harvest will soon begin, she hummed warmly, and a nipping wind came then as though to punctuate her statement of Winters approach. each wolf within donnelaith she had spent time with, and each she loved in their own way! she had plenty more to learn of winchester, but this was something she only looked forward to.

She had taken her place at Deirdre's side, the forlorn and forgotten shadow of Donnelaith— feeling the weight of this occasion as heavily as her sister, though she bore it in silence. Her belly churned, anxiety clutching her heart tight, and she leaned gently into the white queen's shoulder for comfort. Emaleth was a child of the forest, and knew in her soul that she belonged here just as much as her sister, but she felt little bond to the wolves before her. Blood was thicker than water, and the dark witch could not bring herself to trust them in the way she trusted family. Nor did they have any reason to trust or follow her.

"I do not know if it is my destiny to lead," she said quietly, "but Donnelaith is my blood, and I know my destiny is at Deirdre's side. I will be her second, and we shall see where this path takes me."

They had not gathered the pack since the last meeting -- one that had not been taken well, when Deirdre had mistaken the intent of the two yearlings as a desire for war and devastation. It had been a moment that had devastated him far more than he had opened up to anyone -- when despite repeating reasoning that they did not seek violence, but simply the art of protection, his sister had accused them of disrespecting the deceased Lasher, and the dark wolf truly believed it had been those words that had brought them to this moment, truly.
 
He was uncertain either were ready for leadership. Deirdre was regal and beaming -- but she had proven to him time and again that she was naive at best.. Emaleth looked uncertain, but he believed she would ground her pale counterpart, and together, the two would build the tradition they demanded Lasher had deemed for Donnelaith.
 
He felt Aria's touch and his own muzzle dipped downward, grazing the back of her neck and head, a touch that once would have been platonic, but now tested further waters as they were about to announce a new chapter in their lives -- one they had not discussed too far in to detail.
 
Others took the news well as Aria made the announcement. He would have desired to be less rushed, but he understood his pale companions desire to seek out their new home. Winter was coming, and it would be better if they had settled before then.
 
There was silence for a moment -- his gaze lingered fondly upon Tansea, before drifting to Eilidh, who's opinion he truly sought. They had asked none to go with them -- for he had not wanted to take away from the ranks of the pack.. but if he would invite nay to be with them, it would be his littermate -- perhaps leaving behind their father's grave would set new purpose to herself as well. It was Lotte, however, that spoke first, and the dark wolf gave a brief nod to the rather attractive female, knowing he would take advantage of her presence to discuss the matters of their neighbors, rather than simply her scouting skills. At Emaleth's words, however, his muzzle tipped slightly, his gaze softening upon his youthful sister. "It is your destiny -- we leave Donnelaith in the best hands."

If she had not been still shrouded in grief, Eilidh might have thought it a slight that her brother and Aria did not ask her to be queen, to lead the pack that her father had lead for so long. It wasn't that she didn't believe Emaleth and Deirdre would do poorly or didn't deserve the roles; it was simply the fact that she was older, and more experienced in the ways of the world.

But that didn't matter, considering the pain she still dealt with on a daily basis threatened to drag her into the abyss. But today, there was a glimmer of her old self within as she settled near her brother at the meeting, waiting to hear what they had been called together for. When the words left Aria's lips, Eilidh glanced to her younger sisters with a twitch of her lips, before turning back to Aria and Constantine.

She noted the intimacy between them, the way they angled toward each other. Her heart tugged at the memories of her own first attachment to another outside her family, to the male named Tachyon. She wondered where he was, what he was doing these days. If he ever thought of her.

Then her mind snapped back to the present, and she sighed, wondering if her brother would even have her. She decided she'd ask later, when not in front of all these wolves. Instead, she simply smiled at her sisters, a ghost on her lips, and said, Congratulations.

skipping @Lærkee for the sake of time <3 feel free to pop in at any time. No rounds, no posting order-- forgot to mention that earlier sorry. 

Constantine's touch surprised her, though she could not help but think of Casmir-- how selfish of her. She leaned her head back onto his for a moment before looking back into the crowd and beginning her speech.

The pack did not uprise, though she did not mistake the looks of uncertainty on their faces for something else. She sucked in a breathe as she expected the worst-- someone would refuse to follow the children, there was always one... but no one did. The only comment she received that struck her as heartbreaking was Eilidh, who she stared at with a clouded gaze. She wished to say something to her now, but couldn't form the words-- not in front of all of these wolves. Instead, she tried to catch her gaze, give her something to show her concern and companionship-- even if Eilidh didn't want it. 

She then turned to Lotte and smiled, nodding along with Constantine-- that would do well, they could use an extra set of paws. She glanced to Constantine then, her eyes still clouded. It was a look that asked him if he was ready to go, but she knew he needed to speak alone to his family. 

The pack held little comment it seemed – which in itself, drew a certain dark amusement to the Mayfair. It would seem any meeting he and Aria would gather always ended up in either disarray or silence – and he could only hope their future would not hold such reactions. Deirdre and Emaleth were right for the throne – and as Eilidh cast her own words, his fiery eyes fell upon his sister, his gaze softening. She was the only one he would seek to truly ask if she wanted to join them – but now was not the time, and the slight tip of his muzzle would hopefully indicate to her that he had private words for her.
 
The meeting, which was to the point, seemed to come to an end, and drawing upward, the swarthy male gave a tip of his muzzle once more to his youngest sisters in silent congratulations to their positions, before his eyes would fall upon Aria and Lotte – ready to go when they were.

Last post from Lotte unless she is expressly addressed~ Feel free to skip her.

Lotte bowed low in readiness and respect to Deirdre, Emaleth, Aria, and Constantine, stationing herself near Donnelaith’s former johtaja and second-in-command that she might be ready to depart when they were. As a relatively new recruit to the forest, she had little to add and nothing to protest. She would accept the shifting leadership as she accepted all else — knowing that the change would bring forth other changes, and knowing too that these changes freed her from Kitku and would perhaps bring about a new peace between the wolves of the bay and the wolves of the wood.

for deirdre's part, she stood tall and proud. her darker counterpart spoke, and deirdre's emerald eyes cast upon her. should her sister be up for the task, the young queen would not keep her from it! but the meeting seemed to draw to its own natural conclusion, though Deirdre awaited aria's final command in this place.

Wide-eyed and curious, Starbuck looked from leader to leader, from the old to the new. She tried to glean what she could from their expressions, and found that this was a moment of melancholy and determination. Starbuck remained, intent on staying until the group dissolved completely. Then she would go where she was needed, either to Deirdre or to do her own business.