Why did adults always insist on deciding when you could sleep? It never failed that just when a game was getting really exciting, it was time to sleep, and then, once you were actually sleeping, right when a dream was getting really good, the nudge of a cold snout would wake you up. Gale grunted and rolled over, in no mood to follow Adelayde anywhere, no matter who was calling. Luckily, she had more than enough trouble with getting his siblings out of the den, and he manage to go unnoticed, slipping back into the warmth at the back of the den.

But the boy’s freedom was short lived. Another nose disturbed him, just when he had fallen back asleep, and this time there was no escape. The comment about his father did nothing to spur on the pup though, his dad was about as likely to get huffy as he was to suddenly grow wings. But Aleksei was persistent, and it occurred to the pup, as he grouchily followed the adult, that even if his father wasn’t gonna be mad, his mom might, and that was really its own incentive.

They did seem to be the last to arrive, and Gale shot the grey lad a small smile at his parting words, before hurrying to join the rest of his family. It was only now that he even noticed the sky, seeing its reflection in the pond and glancing up, jaw dropping in awe. He’d never seen anything like it, light flashing between the rolling, dark clouds. Unconsciously, his tail slipped between his legs. He’d stopped right in the center of the group, without realizing, eyes fixed on the ominous picture above. Only a calling bark from his father drew his attention away, and he quickly rushed to join his brother by the dark paws, snapping playfully at the smaller boy as he sat down next to him.

Word Count: 319

Jessie was the first to arrive, having been prepared for the coming call, and Drestig offered her a loving smile as she settled by his side. After that they followed in quick succession: their newest member first, which pleased the king; Then Aksan and Reyes, together as usual; And then Adelayde arrived with Sphinx and Chimera in tow. The greying man smiled and nodded at her in thanks, turning his eyes to his children as they came up to him, Kasai seeking refuge from the churning skies under his father’s belly. He smiled softly, offering his son a comforting nudge before his eyes again returned to the gathering crowd. There was no sign of Griffin - Figures..! - but otherwise their circle soon grew to its full size, one any alpha would be proud of. He was also pleased to note that Cottongrass had seated himself next to Rosalind, who had seemed to most uncomfortable in the gathering, hopefully he would be a calming influence.

Then, finally, Aleksei came with the last pup shuffling after, and again Drestig smiled and nodded at the adult, before his attention turned to Gale, and a light frown marked his features. The boy took no notice though, eyes turned to the sky, and his father had to bark loudly to draw him back to the present. He had to issue yet another warning when the boy attempted to start a brawl with his brother, teeth baring and a muzzle shoved between the boys to push them apart. Only once he was sure they would behave, could the king turn his attention to his pack. “Thank you all for coming so quickly, we will try to keep this short, so hopefully we won’t get wet!” He was all smiles now, wide and honest, shooting a quick look up towards the sky to underline his point. Then he cleared his throat, sharing a brief glance with his mate before moving to business; As promised.

There were a lot of points to get through, but he decided to start with the easiest: “First, you’ve already met them, but it’s high time the puppies had a proper introduction!” He nudged both his sons forwards and nodded at his daughter, turning towards each as he said their names: “Sphinx, Chimera and Griffin Avalon, or Silva, Kasai and Gale for short. You’ll all get to know each other thoroughly from now on.” Drestig smiled out at his pack mates, obviously proud of his growing brood. Then, as his eyes landed on Cotton and Rosalind at the back, he continued: “And those are not our only new faces. It’s been some months for many of you, and I hope you’ve settled well and gotten to know everybody. Still, I’d like to extend a proper welcome to Cottongrass, Rosalind, Aleksei and Neko!” He nodded towards each, waiting for them to stand before he moved on to the next name, to make sure everyone knew who he meant.

With the introductions over with, it was then time to move on to more complicated matters. Looking out over the crowd for a brief silence, the alpha waved his tail happily, excited at the mere prospect of his next topic. “Next, it is high time that we have another full pack hunt! The pups will be old enough to start learning soon, and we want them to watch a proper hunt. Most likely, we will team up with wolves from Hearthwood River, as we discussed earlier in the year,” he would bring up the subject when he visited their neighbors, to see if they were still interested; “Regardless, we will have a big hunt out in the lowlands, come fall. Would any of you be interested in taking on the planning, and lead the chase?” Ember eyes gleamed as the king looked out over his subordinates, wondering who would volunteer for the task; Hopefully someone will… It would be a good exercise for all involved, and nice practice for an aspiring, specialist hunter, if they had one of those in their midst. He would wait and see, leaving everyone room to speak up.

Word count: 692

Thoughts ”Speech”