Underground Sea Changing Ground

@Wraith was the first to arrive, What a surprise, but Morganna managed to limit her private joke to a wry smirk, tilting her head to run her muzzle across the top of his head. "It will be soon enough." she replied quietly, It had better be. She was tired of waiting.

@Greer was followed by @Craw, then @Renier, his questioning gaze met with a steady one of her own. That he chose to sit by Craw spoke volumes but beyond a twitch of her tail she masked her concerns well. It could easily be passed off as agitation at her current predicament. Finally @Skoll arrived, with @Angier, well that was new - so she offered her brother a grateful smile, she had almost been convinced she would need to relay the outcome to their father after the fact (which in itself could have proven problematic). What had changed?

Morganna was about to open her mouth when a large white shape stomped across the space to deposit himself at her side, she was not surprised to see @Sven, affectionately raking her teeth across his muzzle before spying @Niles tucked beneath their father. Oh well, she supposed, this will impact them too soon enough.

She wasn't about to waste her breath, with the change in her scent came an exhaustion she could have never comprehended, and an unrivalled hunger, she could be hunting right now if only the men before her had gotten their shit in a pile while she was out. But no, men were simple creatures and clearly they needed directing. "How is my uncle still leader when it is plainly obvious ter me that not one of yer respects him?" hell maybe the only problem was a lack of communication amongst themselves.

"He only sits there through the respect you lot show 'im despite his doin' very little ter deserve it." Peach eyes swept across the gathering, finally coming to rest on Skoll's, and while clearly her next words were addressed at all of them, the challenge was clearly aimed at him. She had not forgotten @Hecate's threat, if there was a chance he was going to leave he needed to get out of the way of those who would remain.

"If yer don't plan on challengin' him step aside fer someone who will." She was out of patience, they were out of time.

Give me a solution or get the fuck out of my face.

As others began to arrive, the dark male gave @Morganna one last lick of affection before standing to take a place beside @Craw and @Greer. He hardly had the time before the growing white pup Wraith had come to learn was called @Sven brushed passed him with a look that spoke of violence. The northerner stared back hard, tail and lip lifting in warning as he continued on. The male was rather easy-going, but did not take kindly to the sudden show of aggression from a child. He let the disrespect go for now - it was neither the time nor place. But Wraith had a long memory and would not let such a sleight slide again. The next time the boy thought himself a king, he'd best be willing to back it up as his family name did not make him immune to the ways of the pack.

Wraith's anger was fleeting and washed away as he moved to greet both Greer and Craw with the same amount of affection he'd publicly shown Morganna. The younger lad's wagging tail did much to reassure Wraith that his ties had not all been severed. His stiffness eased off as he settled between the pair of wolves he felt closest to and amber eyes fell back upon his Alpha.

Her address to the males of the pack was plain and the message readily understood. This meeting and the reason for it came as no surprise to the brute. Wraith would stand by what he'd told Morganna before. If she bade it, he would follow through so long as the order aligned with his own morals. The northerner recalled well what she'd told him of her uncle's threats. If none of the others would fight for her, he would. However, Wraith doubted there were so many above him in pack ranks who were unwilling to fulfill their duty.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

SKÖLL ARCHER

Satisfied that Angier quickly sat, Skoll withdrew his arm from the space in front of his step-father and stood properly in his place. He shot a rather knowing look at his sister, assumptions spinning in his mind left and right. For any other woman, this could have been a lovely time for a birth announcement or the assignment of roles; but, this was Morganna Archer... flocked by males, both related by blood and loyal by word or promise. By the look of it all, especially with how his own son had made an entrance and found his way towards his aunt, Skoll presumed this was going to be a blood bath. If there had been a smidge of luck involved, perhaps, she had called the men of Willow Ridge for the sake of commending them all for their service to their Queen.

The prince focused on @Sven for a moment but his attention was ensnared as soon as Morganna opened her mouth. "How is my uncle still leader when it is plainly obvious ter me that not one of yer respects him?" He met his sister's gaze with the same amount of accusation and fire. He even flashed the tips of his canines at her, apparently aggravated. The tidbit about respect made his hackle rise up; and, for what could have been the thousandth time, he was glad Angier couldn't see just how he carried himself. The last thing he needed was his step-father foiling any of his or Morganna's plans just by jumping the gun.

"If yer don't plan on challengin' him step aside fer someone who will." That was the last straw.

"I'm working on it," the words were forced into the enclosed space, his voice much louder than he had actually anticipated. It had been for good effect though; he wanted to make sure all the other brutes below him were listening. "Give me three days. Three sunrises. On the third dawn, if nothing has been done, by all means, do whatever you want. BUT, I assure you, sister, that I will come through with what I promised you." He could have eyed the others around Morganna, but he didn't, he only pursed his lips and raised his tail so that it curved upward in the air just behind his rump. Perhaps this little party was meant to light a fire under his ass or publicly bring him and his hollow words into light... or both. "When have I ever failed you?"

honesty above all

I'm waking up enduring my biggest fears

Ren was hardly surprised by her reaction, and let it slide. Even if it did get under his skin, there was no point in letting it do more. It seemed Craw had no qualms with him sitting beside him.

Soon enough they were graced with Skoll's presence, who surprisingly had Angier in tow. This was a twist in turns to Renier, but none the less it was good to see despite unknowing the real intent behind it. The most amusing was Sven, he did not like Wraith it appeared or at least not in proximity to Morganna. For the first time in a while the Lyall had to hide a grin. As Wraith gave Sven space the rouge did take notice of his parting kiss, and gritted his teeth. It wasn't the first time he had questioned her affections, but this was a slap in the face, leaving him little to imagine what would possess the dark wolf to act so. As the subordinate came to Greer and Craw he treated them the same, and Renier really didn't know what to think.

There was one more to join them. Niles, who Ren knew little about. The way he took place behind Angier made him wonder if the lad was really comfortable here. Surely he had his part, family and all. Apparently, there was no females joining them, and he found that odd. Why not?

The leader was quick to get to the point, and he couldn't help feel her words sharpness cutting into himself. He really didn't have an excuse nor answer. He wasn't about to go belly up. There seemed to be more going on than he had thought, where did it leave him in the game of pawns?

Skoll was the only one to speak up, to declare he was not far from doing so. Why it seemed there was truth to his words, Renier couldn't believe them. No, not until he had really won against Nicolo and driven him out would he take her brother seriously. Besides it wasn't exactly ideal to Renier. One relative for another. Certainly, Skoll had his own reasons for the thrown. Perhaps his own cubs to protect. For now the rogue had nothing to say either. The only other opinion he wanted was Angier's.

The shadow paid little attention to the arrival of the other wolves after him; he was curious as to why his sister had called all of them here today. However, with the lack of their uncle’s presence the reason became painfully obvious. She wanted something done about his current position within the pack; the position he did not deserve to keep. Unknowingly, he shared similar thoughts to Craw: if she wanted Nicolo gone so badly, why had she called all of them here? Skoll was next in line to deal with their problem — he was the one who wasn’t doing anything.

A frown cut across her lips as she spoke, confirming his suspicions. She made a remark that was clearly directed at her littermate: either challenge Nicolo or GTFO. Fair enough. If the scarred Archer wasn’t going to do anything about the male above him then he needed to step aside for the next male in line to do so. His mercury gaze flashed over to his older brother as he spoke, his words cutting through the dark air. Working on it… His frown deepened as his velvet ears cupped forward to catch the next set of words to drip off Skoll’s tongue. Three sunrises and something about a promise? Perhaps Skoll was looking to permanently remove the older Archer and make it so he was unable to return to both the throne and the willows.

The rest of the group remained quiet, digesting the words of the siblings. No other male spoke up after Skoll which meant they believed him. The thought caused his lip to curl. Skoll was the lesser of the two evils but it didn’t mean that Greer wanted him back in charge.

As much as he wanted to speak up he was also curious about what his father thought of Skoll returning to his former position. Nicolo needed to be removed, yes, but then there was Adele to deal with. Would she voluntarily leave the Ridge once her brother was dealt with, or would she accept his fate? Would she need to be chased out? Questions hung on the tip of his tongue; his patience was wearing thin.

ANGIER LYALL

The longer he sat there, presumably somewhere just behind Skoll, the more each individual scent came to his senses. At first he had believed it was only him, Skoll, and Morganna (and one other whom he could just barely hear breathing in front of him), but then, he realized that there were so many more individuals in the cavernous space. Staring out in the dark, he could only 'pretend' to look at them, turning his head as his nostrils twitched.

Wraith, Renier, Greer, Sven... There was someone scuffling at his back. Niles. He slowly turned about to smile at his youngest son when he got a whiff of the last brute who shared their space. Craw... Both instinct and a sense of reverence had Angier ducking his head downward, but before he sprawled out onto his stomach, he cautiously drew forward to nudge his nose to Niles' cheek (of any bit of fur he could touch, just to let the youngest Archer-Lyall that he was 'okay'... no matter what was about to happen between the males of the Ridge). There was a small grimace as he shifted to have his lower back pressed against Skoll's right foot and ankle, chest and head facing forward to where Morganna and Sven were situated. He blinked as his step-daughter's words fell over them. Obviously, she had been expecting something greater of her brother...

Angier's sightless eyes went to the side of Skoll's face, flinching as the dark Archer spoke his piece. He kept silence, just like all the rest; this was between them... for their blind step-father to mediate between them could only spell out something much more worse than the cub-like spats they had when they were younger.

diligently and honestly

NILES ARCHER LYALL

Pressed up against the stone wall behind Angier and Skoll, Niles sat still in his place. His ears swept forward as his eyes began to adjust to the darkened space, acutely aware now that he had stumbled into something of an all-male meeting. A part of him was sure that he could have been welcome, even if no one had particularly invited him, but the other parts did well to fill him with unease and anxiety. Where was Ravenna? Would she arrive, too? How about Mother? And why was Morganna the only woman here? His canine teeth poked out awkwardly from beneath his upper lips as his fur stood up on end. With his heart pounding in his chest and being so close behind his father, there was no doubt about Angier finding him out.

His fur stood up on end as he saw the elder Lyall turn about, settling on his elbows and relaxing his lower and upper back as he reached out to him. Niles clicked his teeth together in something like a greeting; if he could have whimpered or whined, he might have, but in Sven's company, he did not dare to even breathe such a sound. As the patriarch's nose came into his personal space, Niles moved to meet him halfway, the simple touch and hint of a smile all the assurance he needed, even as Angier drew back to face forward again.

Seeing his father flinch had Niles nearly jump out of his skin and his attention immediately went to his older sister, eyes wide as he wondered who it was she had meant to address. The answer was made clear as Skoll spoke up and the younger heir sank back and crouched down to try and hide in his father's side. If only he had been smaller and, perhaps, taken up that tawny Lyall coat gene, he might have been able to expertly blend in. As it was, he was sorely reprimanding himself for stumbling into something that obviously did not concern him at all. Beneath Skoll, their father, and Greer, it would be a long while yet until he, himself, took over the throne of Willow Ridge. If anything, he supposed he could prove himself useful in protecting Angier should anything go awry.

better an honest enemy than a false friend

Sven did not shy away from @Wraith 's counter, having already learned that backing down was the last thing he was willing to do. If he'd been audacious enough to initiate, then he would be a mockery to so easily throw his stance away. So his eyes never left the man's until Wraith turned away to greet others. Almost was he satisfied with this, until he saw the dark male's tongue leave his mouth again, this time slobbering and touching on Craw and Sven's uncle. The boy's muzzle wrinkled with disgust, completely unused to and abhorred by such casual displays of affection. What the hell was wrong with that guy?

Whatever. The boy closed his eyes briefly, tail wagging behind him as Morganna graced him with her attention. When she looked forward, so did he, straightening his posture in response to the importance this gathering would surely hold. His pale gaze glanced over @Niles, a momentary scowl curling his lips at the other boy's presence. Surely, that one didn't need to be here, but then neither did his blind father. So many little things that seemed wrong with this picture, and he was so far from ever being able to truly do anything about them. No matter. The youth was making a list. One day, a day that he was vehemently working toward, he'd be able to start crossing things off it.

The words she finally spoke were a mixture of unsurprising and curious to Sven, his ears turning to face her as his ghostly gaze surveyed the others for reactions. He didn't know too much of @Nicolò, other than that he was another distant blood relative and had stepped up when his own father had been forced to leave and search for damned Isolde. If Morganna wanted him gone, however, it gave little room for Sven to favor or even pity the man. No, what caught the boy and snagged at his loyalty was his father's clear displeasure.

Working on it. So his father did plan on becoming king again? The promise made Sven's heart pick up, and another glare was shot Niles' way, this one smug. That was where Skoll belonged, squarely on top, and Sven would be right there at his side with no one left to argue that Niles and his sister were the better brood, the more vital whelps that required the majority of everyone's care and attention. This was good news, until Morganna spoke again. She wasn't happy as he would have expected, and the tension felt between what remained of the eldest Archer litter only escalated with her final words.

No, something very much was wrong, and Sven had a sinking feeling about it. Clearly angered and fed-up, Morganna suddenly rose and left. Part of the boy wanted to run after her and ask questions, but he knew better than to nag his aunt when she was in a mood. Instead, he crossed over to his father, one more unsure glance spared for Angier and the child that hid behind him before his attention was fully on Skoll, and the boy butted his head against the man's chest in brief, affectionate solidarity.