The night was tranquil, quiet.
Crickets sung their songs; owls screeched down upon their prey creating the white noise all of the lands all around them. The shadowy sky twinkled as tiny stars sparkled and glimmered aside the bright moon. The air was humid, not sickly so but a comfortable, pleasant heat. The entire lands of the Poison Path were at peace and it seemed the perfect time to bring everyone together. He’d taken his time planning their future, food was needed, ranks were needed, structure and rules had to be put into place. The sooner the law was laid out the better. Life for the Poisoned Wolves was going to be different, a challenge from day one; not just from the bounty on its head but from its location, from its laws and from its leaders. They were going to be glorious, there was no mistaking it. They just needed a little work, some polishing to really make them shine. There were only a few wolves here who he truly new, Ava and Jedd were almost strangers and he'd also scented another upon the lands- he'd been unable to question Naira about this one but assumed she had marked him against his orders to stay away from the borders; he would have to have words with the stubborn female later. Now was not the time to be seen fighting- they had to be a united force, strong for their pack.

Perched upon the cluster of boulders which marked their den site, a throne above the other levels which seemed made for this very reason, the lofty, dark, lean male sat. His grey stare was facing upwards as he took in the breathtaking view of the sky. He’d been star gazing for a little while as he had been organising his final thoughts. Pleased with the setting, he allowed a melodic howl to escape his black lips and thrust his song outwards into the night. He called to his pack, from wherever they might be lurking, to come to him.

She had been sleeping quite peacefully in their den when she awoke to her mates melodious howl. Grumbling to herself she stretched and yawned. She knew they needed to have a pack meeting but she was exhausted. Taking a moment to allow her eyes to open properly she stretched again before exiting the den with a good shake. He could have warned her.

Slowly picking her way up the boulders that made their home she gave Ava a nudge of greeting before continuin her ascent. The girl had improved immensly under their care and it made her heart swell with pride, even if it was mostly her own doing. With an affectionate but respectful lick to his cheek, she settled herself, laying on a boulder at Rhysis's left, alert. Eyes searching for the approach of the rest of their pack. If he was going to drag her from her rest she was going to be comfortable while she waited for the meeting to be over. Already expecting an earful at its conclusion, she maintained her calm exterior. No tension would be shown between the pair tonight.

First came Ava. The skinny wolf that he had met not that long ago was gaining weight nicely. She didn’t look as sickly as she once had and he was glad that pack life was doing her health some good. He didn’t know her well of course, they had little time to talk since coming to these new lands and the journey here and be hard, taxing, too tiring to talk much. Naira seemed to like her though and that was all that mattered in his eyes. She was loyal enough, she had followed when he called and so far, she had done nothing to irritate him which was always a plus. As she slipped into the land and lowered her head and in greeting, he nodded in return. From his pillar above the world he, where he had purposely sat to avoid physical contact, the nod was more then enough for him.

Next a scent he had been waiting for tingled his nose. His female was coming. As the grace of her silver body joined him upon his podium and layed aside him, where she belonged. He acknowledged her greeting with a half smile and a nudge back before she had laid to rest. It appeared she was giving him the reins for now, but he was certain if she had things to say, she would not hold her tongue- that was not the wolf he knew. Outspoken, she would not cower in speaking up if she needed to.

Little Wolf came next, slipping in as if nothing more then a gust of wind. She was so tiny, and when Rhysis stood near her he felt like a giant. Already he towered over all wolves he had ever met, but towering over her almost made him feel dizzy to look down. She too had a sweet disposition and Rhysis should not have liked her... but he did. Something about her, be it her blind loyalty, her boldness to look him in the eyes when he spoke, or even that she simply had a calming effect about her made him fond of her. Naira had chosen their second well and whilst she might not be much of a fighter due to her size, but she was loyal and did as she was told. Not all wolves had to be fighters to be useful. He dipped his maw in greeting before she took her seat.

Their first male arrived next. He didn’t know him well. It appeared they had only met upon joining but Rhysis had formed no real opinion of him yet. So long as he was loyal, so long as he did his part in protecting the pack, then they didn’t have an issue. He had after all taken down a mountain goat, a tough fete indeed, so he must have skill. His submission was lacking however and Rhysis merely narrowed his eyes in response as the other took his seat.

He cleared his throat, ready to begin tonights meeting when a black formed slipped from the shadows. At first Rhysis thought a stranger had slipped into their home, but with a sniff of the air he had been marked with their scent. His narrowed gaze drifted from the strange male to Naira who lay at his side; the comment clear, she was in trouble. She knew not to patrol the borders and yet she had accepted this male. He’d be having words with her later. Next his gaze fell back to Athena, had she known about this yet not told him? Honestly, females. They were going to be the death of him.
The stranger approached the podium them, lowering himself into good submission. Rhysis was almost impressed with the display until he spoke. Please think of me kindly. He was joking, right? What sort of pack did he think he had joined her? With a snarl, Rhysis dipped his head and snapped at the muzzle of Fallen, a warning followed in a harsh whisper to his ear. ”We do not speak so cowardly. Go. Sit.” he said in a dark tone before he elevated his head again and looked down at the pack before him.

He’d taken a good few days to arrange his thoughts, but looking down on the mishmash of wolves before him he had a feeling that a lot of what he was about to say, wasn’t going to go down well. ”Thank you all for coming so swiftly.” he began as he met the eyes of each of the wolves present with his own, eerie grey gaze. ”We have much to discuss this night but before we get into the details, I am here to present you with the lore of the Poisoned Wolves. Any who break the law, face the penalty of exile or worse, death. So do not take these lightly.” With a final glance to Naira, he began.

”Firstly. We do not allow any and every wolf into our lands. Those that stumble upon us are to be tested. To gain entry to our pack, those wishing to join must battle another; the winner of this fight shall receive a place within our packs whilst the loser must leave. Any two wolves who are to battle for a place must have either myself or Athena present to determine a fair fight. but I only will have the final say on their entrance.” He chose not to glace at Naira then, knowing he would meet a scorching stare in return but well, she wasn’t allowed near the borders, so it was tough. Athena might not be a leader, but she'd be a fair judge and that was all he needed. He would give the final say so until Naira was fit enough to leave the pups to aid him in the task.
”Secondly. We are to remain as secret as possible. If you meet a wolf on your travels, you will not tell them the location of our lands or who we are. Even as a young pack, we have many enemies out there. Secrecy will be the key to our survival until we can build up our strengths. Discression is our best chance at survival at this point.” He said, though with another glance to Fallen he wasn’t so sure news of their pack hadn’t already gotten out, how he had known where to look for them?
”Thirdly. You will all undergo a rigorous trial to improve your performance. We are not here to play nice, we have enemies out there, we must be prepared. Each of you will undergo an intense training course against the world around us to improve your fitness, strength and senses. I shall work with you personally until you are done with the course, either by completing it or death.” he paused then, letting that sound in the air. If you didn’t complete the course, you’d either die trying or would be forced to leave. That was the law.
”To tie in with this, we encourage each of you to spar with a pack member often.” Though he would allow them to sort this themselves.
”You will also be taught basic healing techniques. Naira will guide you all through the properties of common plants and how to heal or sooth common wounds.” he then said with another glance to the silver lady at his side. He had very little doubt that she would enjoy passing on her knowledge to others, especially if it meant she was helping them in the long run. She did love to help.

”Lastly. The main rule here is loyalty and respect. We are a family now. We care for our own. No matter who, no matter why, we will fight for our brothers and sisters in arms. If you show so much as an inch of disloyalty, you will be exiled or killed. Above all others, you are here to protect my female and her young with your life.” And the one he spoke the last part of that sentence with was dripping with both pride and malice. They were the most important things to him, they were to be saved at all csots.
” We have few rules here, you may come and go as you please, so long as you attend your lessons, keep quiet about our location, care for your own and you participate in the food stores, you may do as you please.” Though it wasn’t said, breeding was off limits too but that was the way of the natural world, it didn’t need announcing.

”Now we have those out of the way, we should get down to ranks and other business. In two days time, we’re to take part in a pack hunt. We need to build up our food stocks ready for the pups to be born. I expect everyone to attend.” and there was no option with that, everyone was coming, even Naira (though she wasn’t going to be getting herself in any danger) was joining in for this one. With spring upon them now was the perfect time to bring down as much as possible, dead mothers meant dead babies... which meant double the food.
”As for ranks... I suppose you may ask for one. State your name, rank you wish for and what it is that you can offer to uphold that rank. Other then that if you have any questions, concearns or you wish to leave, make it known now. After tonight there will be no room for error or excuses- you must be certain you wish to remain here... I don’t have time or space for those who can’t obey.”
Finally he fell silent, ears open ready to hear any chatter.

The only wolf to actually approach them in greeting was Fallen and it irked her to no end, irrespective of Rhysis’ harsh words. At least the dark wolf had been respectful, perhaps it had to do with his age being so close to her own? But then what was Jedd’s excuse? Had she been so laid back that they believed they could walk all over her with such disrespect? Her eyes narrowed on the small gathering as she raised herself into a seated position, hackles itching on the edge of rising as her rear started to lift with her tail. Dark mood beginning to cloud her usually cheery disposition, a low growl of warning emitting from her chest. But now was not the time. She would ensure they all knew their places. But not now. A nod may have been enough to keep her mate happy but she was less secure in her new position and needed to know everyone else knew it as well as she did.

Settling herself a little, but ensuring her dominance was clear, she pressed the burning of Rhysis’ glare to the back of her mind. She knew she would hear about it later, but right now there were other matters to be dealt with. As Rhysis began to speak she listened closely and chose to bite her tongue. Athena? Athena was not the leader and should not be the one to judge in her opinion, already she was beginning to wonder if she had chosen the right wolf as second. Her tension was only evident to Rhysis however, as she was sure it was only evident through her tensing of muscles against his side.

She had to agree with his second rule. ”Anyone who breaks this particular rule will answer to me personally.” she stated, her tone laced with tales of what would come to any foolish enough to break it. There was a darkness to her now that hadn’t been there before. Facing her mate was one thing, but a mother protecting her young was more than a force to be reckoned with. She had managed to tear half the hide from the silvery wolf called Valiant, and she hadn’t even been overly upset that night.

The third sounded so familiar to her birth pack, she didn’t even bat and eyelid and while she would enjoy teaching others to heal, she had every intention of throwing herself into the rest of it just as rigorously as the others... for as long as her stomach would allow anyway. Her grandmother had gone into labor with her father in the middle of a hunt. She had every intention of being happily curled up in her den when the time came.

His last rule puffed her chest out with pride and settled her earlier malicious thoughts of Athena. The girl would need to fill her place when the pups came. But until then she would continue to do her part. The news of a hunt made her heart soar with excitement. It may be one of the only she would manage to participate in with her new family before she was confined to the main den. Leaning into her mates side a little stronger, her golden eyes roving over the gathered waiting for each of them to say their piece, or leave for good. Now they would weed out the dogs from the wolves.