every breath he takes eternity [QUEST]

this is a non-mandatory pack ritual/sacrifice -- members may be eligible for EXP depending on CM action. there is no post order.

With Aktaie gone back to Themiscyra, it left Caiaphas at the helm of rituals. In many way she was a novice - Aktaie had taught her to the best of her capabilities, yet when she left, Caiaphas felt a wilting sense of abandonment. Aktaie had advised a ritual after her departure, and with a tentative cheerlessness, Caiaphas howled for the rest of the wolves to join her.

The ritual this time took place under the swollen belly of the Mother Moon, deep in the heart of Caiaphas' grotto where the cavern was tremendous and yawning -- the glittering ceiling reflected in the sinuously dark pool. At the crudely composed altar (made entirely of seashells and fractured flowstone) the incapacitated, scarcely breathing form of a fox lay supine and wounded. Caiaphas hoped it was one of Autumn's kin, and she had taken it down with great savagery. With three of its legs broken, it was incapable of flight -- yet that did not stop Caiaphas from cruelly refraining it, her form hulked like a ghoul as she awaited the arrival of the Mother Moon's supplicants.

Many changes were occurring in Ankyra Sound, changes that were both unexpected and welcome. Perhaps Kevlyn's interaction with those of the pack was limited and so his experience was lacking, but to know the strange male who had stood in the cavern that first day was gone was a relief as much as knowing Aktaie was gone was concerning. He'd not known Nishu, never got the opportunity to know him, but he could tell intuitively even at his age that Nishu was not a model specimen. Kevlyn's preoccupation with appearance and obedience was growing by the day, such that he was beginning to rank wolves in his mind not only based on their status, but also their perfection... and Nishu had been neither handsome nor obedient, so he was lowly in the Ostrega's mind. Aktaie was another matter, though only because the females seemed to have revered her.

Although she was the queen, Caiaphas was admittedly low ranking on his list as well, if only because Kevlyn found himself captivated by the sharp coat of Eos more often than the chimeric and sharp aspect of the pack's Alpha female. Tethys was also a nice-looking female, but didn't have as many points in Kevlyn's imagined system of specimen perfection as Eos did, if only because she was also bland (everything about her was dark) and angular.

Spyridon was the only model male, given Greyjoy was sparse. Since Spyridon was also something of a role model, Kevlyn made attempts to make himself a model specimen as well in hopes of one day standing out as much as the Epivitoras did. Unfortunately, his impending growth spurt was making that difficult: he was fatter than ever, his paws and ears broad and ungainly. Though he groomed himself as much as possible, his fur still stuck up at odd angles along his neck and shoulders, owed in part to his genetics and in part to its half-coarse, half-downy quality. Perhaps the only handsome thing about him presently was his eyes, which had brightened in the past week and were beginning to show hints of their true gemstone turquoise near his pupil.

Nevertheless, Kevlyn continued to exist and his opinion of himself was not hampered by these negative features. He thought himself somewhat superior in ways to other males aside from Spyridon himself, though he was not even three months old and certainly not qualified for anything.

He was in the middle of a beauty rest (he needed a lot of it lately) at the edge of the grotto he and Larus frequented when Caiaphas summoned the pack. Without waiting to find out if his fellow Spawn was nearby, the young male sprang to his feet, blinking sleep out of his eyes, and padded quickly to Caiaphas' chosen meeting point.

He dared not look at her as he approached, but muttered a quiet and reverent, "Queen," as he entered her presence. As befit his station as a male and uninitiated Spawn, Kevlyn found a place near the back of the grotto where he would remain unseen and of no importance, though he would be able to witness the ritual in full, something his curioisty craved very much though he would never say it. He didn't dare to give himself the comfort of sitting and instead played the part of a standing gargoyle, facing but not looking at the pack's wily Alpha and scarcely even swaying in place.

snicker i love kevlyn

Impatient, the waif waited -- her sharp little eyes fastened coldly on the spherical shadow that marked the tunnel's deposit. She could hear the approach of another -- and as the sound echoed and grew louder it was easy to ascertain the origin of them. Kevlyn.

His deference was met only with a flick of a tail -- yet however brusque, Caiaphas knew the youth held a place dear to her in the Sound. He showed promise -- and as Spyridon's fledgeling, Caiaphas knew the male would aspire to more than a drudge upon his adolescence. "Kevlyn." She rejoined, though there was none of the customary scorn for males held in her voice.

It occurred to her this may be his first ritual -- and with a deviant flicker to her eyes she leaned back, releasing the fox from the pressure of her paw. If none came soon, she would call him over -- and the two would perform the ritual in solidarity.

There had been plenty of things to stalk and terrify around Ankyra Sound. Rising late in the evening, Tethys left her hollow to peruse the beach, scrambling between the coastal rocks and spooking roosted birds from the crevices. Those slow enough found themselves in the ebony female's unrelenting jaws.

She guessed it would keep her mind off the leave of Aktaie, something Tethys was still on the fence about. The onyx creature was spiritual indeed, aligning herself with certain deities, but sometimes found she could only reach that spiritual connection with the guidance of a wiser mentor. Tethys found that Aktaie would fill that place by being the Matriarch, but unfortunately she had stepped down to let Caiaphas spearhead the Nereides. It wasn't like Tethys had no appreciation for the half-breed, for the female had proved herself more than capable. Following her scent, the raven drifted under the light of the moon to find the new leader.

The cave was familiar to Tethys, but the black warrior hadn't found much need to come into it often. It was Caiaphas' sanctuary, only to be used when summoned. Tethys knew that tonight would be one of rituals, though, and entered the soapstone and granite cavern. The bundle of fur known as Kevlyn had already found his way in here, but the ebony wolf ghosted by to formally greet the new leader with a sweep of her head.

Good evening, she spoke hazily, skull low but her sapphire orbs bright.

Caiaphas acknowledged him by name and he pulled his ears forward with some surprise, but quickly turned them back again and regained his composure. Though young yet, Kevlyn had a lot of physical discipline. His eyes scarcely rose when Tethys broke into the silence of the little cavern, and fittingly she didn't spare him a glance either. He knew little of Tethys but that her pet was gone, a fact he pondered with another wave of relief.

A quiet sigh pulled through his nostrils as it became clear that others were unlikely to join them. He felt a sudden rush of indignation in his breast for this treatment of Caiaphas' summons, as though these sirens thought themselves superior to their Alpha female and queen, but he was quick to stifle it. Kevlyn would learn in time the danger of showing emotions, but no doubt given his age his momentary ire had shown plainly on his face. He ducked his head further in hopes of hiding it.

Much like Kevlyn, Caiaphas felt a rush of fury that her summons went grossly ignored -- though unlike him, her displeasure showed sharp and pinched on her narrow countenance. Her gaze flitted accusingly to the mouth of the entrance -- and when no further supplicants came, she issued a lengthy sigh of exasperation.

Tethys, being the only other female there, was motioned gravely by Caiaphas to stand watch over the broken frame of the fox. Caiaphas slid closely around the perimeter of the dark pool, coming to a stop just before Kevlyn. Μητέρα Σελήνη , μια προσφορά για την άφθονη γενναιοδωρία που μας δείξατε She spoke gravely, humbly -- her eyes lowered to the dark pool in which the crisp outline of the moon was barely visible. With a dip of her head she brought forth dried boughs of kelp, shaking them ceremoniously about them, scattering the small heaps in crinkled ruins about them.

And then she looked to Tethys pointedly -- to dispatch the animal -- and together the two would spill the blood about the red kelp and flowstone until the ritual was done and their Mother sufficiently appeased.

We can just powerplay Tethys to finish this up, I think.

He remained at the back of the grotto, stone-faced, as the ritual began. There would be no punishing the females who had ignored their queens' summons, at least not on his part. He was but a lowly servant who could not raise a tooth against a sister of the sea and moon, even if he'd wanted to. He was taught well, but that didn't mean he would look upon them without judgment henceforth. The young Spawn could not withhold that part of himself.

His ears twisted as Caiaphas' voice bounced off the smooth stone walls. The moon shone down on them from overhead; from his angle he could see its reflection clearly in the pool, though it was dulled considerably. He oft pretended he understood the sisters' devotion to the moon, but in reality, he wasn't sure he followed their religion. The moon had never done anything as far as Kevlyn knew, but it must have once, for them to be so devout.

The fox's claws scrabbled on the stone, drawing the pup's attention. Tethys had stepped forward as Caiaphas scattered kelp, and with a squeal the creature's throat was slit. The tantalizing scent of blood wafted up from the altar; he felt drool collecting on the edges of his blackened gums, but dared not allow temptation to overtake his senses.

The dark-masked female watched as the black-shadowed wolf descended upon the fox, a grim sight -- and with expert ease dispatched the animal. She made no noise -- no pity dared flutter across her hardened gaze as she watched the animal's life eek across the careless stone dark and matted.

Her attention turned to Kevlyn -- and being besides him with the kelp she motioned for him to seize the animal and dunk it in the water. Once he completed that task they would drag the corpse about the ceremony and finish their ritual -- and hopefully, the goddesses would find favor in them.

Hello I suck, think one post from you could wrap this up!

He remained stationary by the wall of the grotto, unmoved by the sight of Tethys falling on the fox. Even its death wail had no effect on him, so well trained was he to remained motionless. Nobody really taught Kevlyn to do it, but all the same he developed the skill in seclusion in the Sound, in those moments when no one was watching him and no one cared.

This wasn't one of those moments, but it called for stillness all the same. He obliged.

At least, he did until Caiaphas beckoned for him to come forth. Tethys had stepped back, leaving the fox to leak inky blood into the pool. The small consort stepped forward, trying his best not to appear too excited, as the Alpha motioned for him to dunk it. He stepped up to the altar gingerly with his gaze cast away from the two females, then struck for the fox and dropped its corpse into the water in one swift move.

It bobbed there, soaking, and Kevlyn carefully stepped back to allow Caiaphas the honour of concluding the ritual, however she chose to do it.

Often Caiaphas admired Kevlyn's instilled composure. From a young age he had shown remarkable attention to servitude -- he possessed great discipline and a methodical aspect few of his age would ever boast. Caiaphas herself had been a tittering youth full of impetuous and annoying noises -- had she grown in the Sound she likely would have been culled.

The Siren Queen watched grim as Kevlyn committed the fox to the sea's embrace -- she watched in silence as the water pulled forth from the wound a rush of pale blood that stained the dark pool in fluttering gasps. She stepped forwards, spoke a quiet incantation to the Mothers, and then turned to Kevlyn and Tethys in a final gesture. The three would then depart the cave and leave the corpse alone in the pool for the sea to consume entirely.