Dead Empress Backwater none of you are going to heaven

March 25th 2021, Late Afternoon/Early Evening, Light Snow, 17F/-8C
This pack meeting is mandatory unless there is an IC reason or you're on absence!
Next round will begin April 1st (1 week from today)

This was the second time that Viorel was going to call the pack together in any kind of official manner. The irony wasn’t lost on him, last time his heart had been pounding out of excitement, and this time it was nerves. He was also aware that the pack was probably aware of the fact that both Clover and Vanadis were pregnant, but he had never publicly addressed it. But, he couldn’t avoid this. Viorel had been the one that had created this situation and now he was going to have to tell everyone, no matter what that meant.

Standing at the backwater, which because of the recent rash of cold water had thin ice gathering along the edges he peered into it. Distorted by the ice crystals, and the light snowflakes that fluttered down and created almost abysmally small ripples Viorel couldn’t recognize himself. Was it only from the ice? Or had he really changed that much in such a short period of time?

Turning away from the water in disgust, Viorel grit his teeth and then lifted his muzzle and called for everyone. Before anyone could appear he morphed into the happy, cheerful wolf that they all knew, despite his inner turmoil. It would do them no good to think that their leader was feeling so low about his own choices.

Katna might as well have floated in on a cloud of oblivion. Unable to detect any sense of unease, worry or concern. She saw only what was presented to her. A young, smiling man. So she greeted him the same. With a warm, aged smile of her own.

Delicately she settled down nearby. An almost guardian sphinx like pose to her. Close enough to hear any words he spoke without straining her ears forward. Truthfully, she had no clue why her grandson had summoned them! She had not organized any meetings, events or the like. Perhaps he had another surprise up his sleeve. More fishing lessons or a proper discussion about the horribly kept medical den they had discovered.

katna is showing signs of mental decline
as such, she might be unreliable or confused

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Vayko was still not pleased with how things had turned out, but he also knew that he was going to have to be okay with it. They needed to be unified if they were going to survive this… Perhaps he was blowing it all out of proportion. Vayko hoped that everything worked out well. It wasn’t like he wanted to struggle and he didn’t want the pack to suffer either.

He heard the call and he knew instantly what it was. He took his time getting up as he was not far and made his way there, an impassive look on his features. He took his seat near his grandmother. He kept a stoic look and simply looked on, waiting for the others to arrive. He offered his grandmother an affectionate gesture to greet her, because he admittedly had kept his distance, simply because he had been busy with other things.

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2021, 12:35 AM by Vayko.)

She had finished patrolling the eastern border and found herself snuffling amongst the undergrowth, hoping to find any roots from flowers that had started to grow but not yet bloomed that held medicinal properties. But her search was interrupted before it even truly began by a summoning from Viorel, and with a harsh exhale to rid her nostrils of dirt, Clover began quickly making her way towards him. Towards the backwater where everyone else would be. Everyone who had not shown up for the pack hunt would be there, and she could only assume Viorel would announce the two upcoming litters. Her ears pulled back at the reminder, still unsure of her feelings about the whole situation.

When she arrived she took note of Viorel standing by the backwater, looking as cheerful as ever, and of an older female who she had not seen before, but whose scent she had caught whiffs of here and there. Vayko was sat beside the woman with a rather neutral look on his face. She offered both him and the woman a quick smile before, somewhat awkwardly, sitting before Viorel, keeping enough distance between them that would allow others to pass through them. Her expression was fairly neutral, if a bit nervous, but she allowed a small smile to show up briefly on her face as she finally looked at Viorel. However, she kept silent, waiting for the others to arrive, hoping that everything would go smoothly.

Sharlee wasn't surprised when she heard the call from Viorel to gather. This would be the moment he would share the news with the rest if the pack. A few days ago she may have hesitated in going but now after speaking with the leader and sorting thing out she felt better. She hoped that this would be the start of a better relationship between leader and advisor. She made her way through the territory until she reached the backwater. 

Viorel was if course already there. Her brother and surprisingly her grandmother then lastly Clover. First she went to Viorel and offered an encouraging smile, "Good luck," she offered quietly before turning to Katna. "Grandmother," she greeted with a nuzzle to the older woman's cheek. A nod was given to her brother before she turned to Clover and also offered her an encouraging smile. She would have to speak with the healer soon. After her greetings were given Sharlee settled down a little off to Viorel's right side. 

The young women within the Backwater being knocked up now was of no secret, surely not by anyone and definitely not by Modesto. She interacted in unnecessary chit-chat less often yet mindfully listened to all. Viorel had successfully knocked up the only two wolves within the ranks that were not his own blood. Modesto was perfectly fine with this as long as things went according to plan, a plan she felt was the only one fitting. These two women, if they were 'floozies' as Vayko may have suggested, had no place at Viorel's side as Queen. She had no right to have the name Valle. The pups would be loved, cared for and raised as Valle pups but the mother's were little more than a vessel for the deed to be done. She wondered if either of them might prove capable as more... Modesto had her doubts.

When she arrived she came with the same air of confidence and power she normally wore, despite not being the Alphess here. To her, she was still very much counsel, still a wolf who's words were meant to be heard and heeded. She settled the opposite side of her mother as Vayko had taken the other. A formal nod was given to her two nephews, her niece and a bump of her shoulder against her mother's own. To Clover, the same hard glance she had given her their first meeting.

Viorel's call was not altogether unexpected. She knew that eventually he would have to address things with the pack, and that the sooner he informed them and allowed them all to air their concerns, the sooner they could get on with things, but that didn't make her any more eager to experience it. She had never really cared what other wolves thought of her, nor did she plan on starting now, but she wasn't particularly excited to find out how they felt about her future children, either.

When she finally made her way to the clearing, Vanadis found quite a crowd already gathered. Taking a deep breath, the woman seated herself towards the front, just a few tail lengths away from Clover, and waited for the meeting to start.

Start of round 2! Round 3 will begin April 8th

It didn’t take very long for the members of the pack to assemble; minus Andrey and Xulia. It didn’t surprise Viorel that his brother was late or absent - he had been notably upset and reserved since the pack had been created, however his sister was a shock. A bigger shock was that one of the first to appear was his grandmother, in all her confusion he had expected her to either arrive late or not come at all. He had maybe hoped for some more support from Vayko who would soon be his co-leader but at least he looked neutral. He wanted to move forward and embrace Clover, but didn’t really know where they stood and so he offered her a brief smile instead. Sharlee’s words brought out a small breath of release, they were well on their way to mending what he had done and building a stronger advisor relationship. And then Modesto and Vanadis, who both got a bright smile.

Well this was it. He couldn’t wait any longer for his siblings, and their absence hurt a little but he must push on. Standing before everyone Viorel dove in, ”Thank you everybody for coming so quickly, I know everyone has been very busy since the official creation of the pack.” It had been true, especially now that things were beginning to thaw, caches to be dug, borders to patrol, hunts to be had. And now there was a lot to be a whole lot more.

He took a deep breath, ”I wouldn’t have called this meeting if it wasn’t important. And, what I have to say probably won’t be a surprise to a lot of you but it’s something that needs to be out in the open.” The smile faltered a little now and Viorel shifted on his paws uncomfortably, ”I also understand that there are probably going to be a lot of thoughts and emotions about this. But, I would appreciate everyone being respectful and voicing their opinions one at a time so we can address them all.” That being said there was no choice but to really get into it. He tried to meet Clover and Vanadis each in the eye and steel themselves before continuing, ”This spring there will be two Valle litters, one with Clover and the other with Vanadis. I know that this is not traditional, but Clover and I will raise our children as friends and it is no secret that Vanadis and I are romantically involved.” He paused, but only long enough to take a breath, ”And I would expect that despite the unconventional way that these children are coming into the world, that you will all treat them with the respect that the Valle name deserves.” But now his speech was over, and the floor was open for the others to speak. He fell silent, and waited for whatever words were about to come their way.

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Vayko tried to be more enthusiastic about the meeting, supportive, but he found it difficult. He still had mixed feelings over what would be coming this Spring, and the apprehension had kept him in a rather sour mood as of late. He tried not to let it show, because he needed to be supportive and upbeat. He needed to show that elegant façade that he so often loathed… Still, he had appeared, and he was there in support, even if he had the nastiest case of resting bitch face Relic Lore had ever seen… it wasn’t his fault that his cousin had gone and floozed about with Clover and Vana.

The others filtered in, with a notable exception or two… and then the meeting had begin. He hummed as he listened, remaining otherwise impassive and silent as his cousin spoke. He clarified things, took responsibility and asked then to excuse the fact that it wasn’t tradition. It certainly wasn’t and Vayko felt he was still dancing around the problem. Then again, Vayko was still worried about all of the incompetent mouths they would be feeding until the pups were old enough to help fend for themselves. Still, one problem at a time, and he was trying to not stress too much about it. They could handle one problem at a time, and that was a problem that wouldn’t even be a problem until they knew how many pups would be brought into the world.

Still, hopefully with Vi having a girlfriend in Vana, they could avoid this problem in years to come… that was, unless they had some kind of horrendous break-up, in which Vayko would be trapping Viorel in a cave surrounded by men until the end of breeding season for the sake of not only the pack but his cousin’s sanity as well.

The second young woman of Viorel's little harlem came to play then, settling herself towards the front of the crowd and now far from Clover herself. Was it a display of dominance? Was it that the two women were perfectly fine with their place as woman 1 and woman 2? The Valle woman lists her grayed chin to hear her nephew out.

He explains, stating that while he was 'romantic' with Vanadis, he was no more then simply friends with Clover and that they were to raise their pups as such. Call Modesto old fashion, but she didn't really go around screwing anyone she considered a friend. Maybe, the woman thought, they had a prior relationship to raise pups together before Vanadis came along...

There is silence for a time and Modesto wonders what her mother at her side might say. Modesto and her mother being the only two wolves here old enough to have followed any traditions, Modesto could only assume the rest of the young wolves in the pack would have little care.

"Yes," Modesto begins with a click of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "They are your pups, your blood. Of course they would be treated as Valles, as they are." Viorel's mother had been a whore in her own right, for it didnt take long for Sita to cozy up to Vasco after her mate's 'disapearance'. Even more so, that unknowingly she had found yet another for her bed chambers this year... Seemed just as well her children were loose with themselves as well.

(This post was last modified: Apr 08, 2021, 03:08 AM by Modesto.)