Dragonveil Fold fidelitas

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully

religious conviction

as when they do it from

It was almost a pity that Felyx spoke up, vouching for the man… based on Sovanya’s giggles, he might have wanted to test her mettle, charge her with ripping the boy limb from limb for his lackadaisical traipse onto their meeting… still, the tension eased in his shoulders and he offered a simple nod to show his acceptance of the news. If it were to go bad, it would linger on Felyx’s neck as well as Dacian’s. His throat cleared before he spoke, and his gaze shifted between each one of them.

His shoulders rolled back and he began to speak. “Our time is nearing, and we shall begin preparations for the rite.” He informed each of them, a saccharine smile spreading across his features. “We shall need to establish a border around the ledge used for the ritual, and find those of us who have not yet made it to the mountain.” Sovanya had done good in telling them of this place, it was up to them to make the most of it now.

“And we shall need to find our prey for the rite.” The words fell ominously in the air. “The sooner we can establish ourselves, and this place… the better our odds their acceptance of our rite, blessing us for the coming year with good fortune and hunting. I expect everyone to dedicate their full energies to the endeavors ahead of us.” Though the target was left vague. Those who had been with him, knew… and if Dacian had not been properly warned of their rituals, then he found that was not his fault. He let the silence hang over the air, looking expectantly at the gathered crowd for questions before he would dismiss them.

The tension in the air was palpable, could easily be cut through with a knife. Felt like home to the tawny girl. Her stormy gaze surveyed the group with sharp attention. Pae was enraged by the presence of Lyx's play thing but in true Felyx fashion he stood up for the boy. Cynder watched between her twin and their leader carefully. Her muscles were tight, ready to spring should things turn. The only one she would defend would be her twin and even then she would let him receive his punishment so long as it was reasonable.

Cynder relaxed only marginally when Paeryl relaxed and continued on with the meeting. She eye'd the duo once more before turn her attention to their leader. Her ears pressed forwards at need to begin preparing for the rite. She began to buzz inside at the anticipation. Her eyes brightened as she shifted where she sat. There would be work to do but she didn't mind making rounds to establish a border.

Finding their sacrifice or "prey" as Pae so graciously put it, could be left to Lyx or even Sova. Cyn was just the back up muscle, intimidation, insurance policy. When the pale leader finished she looked around to their group once more. Gaging their reactions, mostly of that of Dace.

Good. Tension was something Felyx thrived on, of course - he loved the chaos of it all - but he wasn't quite sure what Dacian liked just yet, and he wasn't about to let his new favorite playmate get tossed right off the mountain like some everyday, boring lamb Paeryl spoke about. If Paeryl had commanded Sovanya to attack, there would've been an outright fight, and Felyx knew he could trust Cynder to have his back if the time came.

The man spoke again, of sacrifice and rituals, and Felyx's paws itched as he settled into an easy sit beside Dace. He'd want to be the one to draw the lamb to this place, he knew - there was nothing in the world he'd like more than to coax a willing sacrifice to their death.

This would be fun, he thought, tail thumping on the ground. This would be fun, indeed.

Pae was appeased by Felyx's word, but Sovanya never stopped watching the boy even as the conference moved on. What she saw was prey, only allowed to continue living so that it might mature into a more lucrative kill. There was no real way in her eyes for him to actually become one of them, and so she didn't anticipate that to ever become a goal for any of her true comrades. She could play with him all she wanted.

Did he know, what their leader spoke of? There was a kind of puzzlement on his face that told her that he did not. Did Fe have a game plan here, or was he just winging it? She wanted to find out, but it all needed to wait for this meeting the end.

Her toes wriggled with want to act, but she forced herself to listen instead. It was far more important to continue being a good apprentice, no matter how hard it could be to curb her own impulses. She set her eyes back on Paeryl and nodded once. She was more than ready to do her part.

That seemed to be all it took. Dace settled back onto his haunches as Felyx also came to rest, thankfully beside him. He hated the fact, but clearly he was safer that way. The sooty youth couldn't shake the frown on his face, but he did manage to pay attention.

And... ended up with more questions than answers. What rite? It struck a bad chord with him, but he couldn't tell if it was really odd or if it was because he'd only ever heard that word in relation to his father. Reade Quinlan's rites had kept him from ever meeting his own children, or so Dacian had been told. He'd likely never know for sure what the truth was.

He'd have to talk to Felyx after this... figure out what exactly he'd gotten himself into. It certainly wasn't anything like he'd been picturing.

Exits or questions for Pae!

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully

religious conviction

as when they do it from

Paeryl’s gaze looked expectantly over the gathered crowd of followers, and yet silence lingered over the air. He let it hang for a few moments, his scrutinizing gaze passing between his followers, starting with his protégé and carrying over the others as well. His wife was the only one spared a look, as if determining their weights each. He knew Sovanya’s, given her blessed appointment underneath him… but the others loyalties would be tested, and only the faithful would remain. Only the faithful would be worthy enough to enter the sacred halls when the Mountain Gods chose to claim them all.

“You are dismissed. Everyone will be expected to pull their weight.” A silent edge in his tone carried, a veiled threat of or else lingering vaguely over the air. Whether or not it was intentional, or merely from the tone and power he commanded, was anyone’s guess entirely.

Her stormy blue gaze shifted over everyone gathered, though less so on Pae and Vae. She knew better than that, anyways it wasn't their reactions that held her interest. Oh no, it was that of her twin, Dace, and Sov. The latter was noted first, the wiggling of her toes told the agouti teen all she needed to know. Though she wasn't surprised when the only movement from the lighter woman was a nod in agreement. She was the apprentice after all. A silent snort fell from Cyn as she attempted to control her own impulse to roll her eyes. She needn't attract Paeryl's fury when its blissfully aimed on someone else.

Next came her twin. His reddish form settled next to his plaything, fluffy banner sweeping the ground behind them. No surprise there, so finally it was the ebony youth's turn. He hesitantly settled next to Felyx, silent question clear on his dark features. She couldn't wait to hear how that conversation went.

After a few moments of silence with no one speaking up Paeryl dismissed them all. The unspoken threat clear in the words and tone. No need to tell her twice. She dipped her head in farewell, before rising and turning to go. Grey blue spied Felyx lead Dace away before she headed away from the group. To make herself useful elsewhere.

~ Cynder's Exit ~