Summer School

[≈ Sky ≈]

Enix

{This is only semi-mandatory for pups. Auntie Enix wants to see you. If you cannot join and if you do not join it’s understandable though it may hurt you later on. If you cannot join for a REASON PM Oni Azuhel so that it can be noted.}

It was time for great change to take place, starting with the youth, always with the youth. They would need to be molded, manipulated, educated but most of all dominated. Those wiggling writhing happy balls of fluff with their own ideals and conventions were nothing more than untaught heathens, without religion and without order. They were chaos bundled in balls of muscle and fur. Enix couldn’t deny that some small inkling of herself found such thoughts to be stimulating and exciting, the taming of children who could barely speak the language of their land, and perhaps she would have left them that way, self-taught through observation and their own theories had she not held a higher purpose for the growing children devouring their food and wasting about the land. Certainly, their parents could teach them everything they wanted to know, but today she would teach them what they ‘needed’ to know, or rather, what she believed that they needed to know and who would question that?

Once again, she was up before the sun rose, moving across the lands with a light heart and a mind heavy with memorized plans. Her feet walked a pathway she had walked many times before, and when the sun did rise she could feel the rays blanket her back and light up her steps with its want to serve her. Soon, she would make sure that those unintelligent whelps knew nothing but to serve her.

Muscles worked beneath short fur as each step was taken, a usually brisk walk made a long saunter as extra weight was manipulated and dragged. Behind the white alpha was drug a wolf, one who thumped and flopped across the landscape in a silent agony as it tried to escape the grip she held on its lower left leg. But jaws held tightly to the wolf in question, teeth having sunk into muscle, past fur and flesh, to make an unbreakable hold. It was a scrawny thing, a broken thing, out of its mind with thirst and babbling incoherently in a well placed fear. Though these actions were ignored as the elegant bounce of Enix’s walk remained uninterrupted and unhesitant. There was nothing but surety in her mind, nothing but certainty in her mannerisms. She knew what she was doing and nothing short of a god itself could halt her progress.

And what god would go against the ‘teachings’ of another?

Soon she came to a stop, feeling the wolf in her grip claw at the soft earth around them in an attempt to free its broken limb from the jaws of the monster that had managed to take hold of it. In the end, Enix only stared forward, watching the rather large tar pit she had taken to setting up her opening class in front of. Then she shifted, a body put in motion as she arched her neck and back to drag the smaller timber wolf runt from behind her to be placed upon its back before her. With a yelp it flopped down, though wasn’t given the time to escape as it soon found its neck pressed against the sand around them by one large paw and it’s body restrained by a heavy butt as Enix took the wolf as a seat.

Then, she took a deep breath and released it, gathering in the fresh scent of a new day and the beginning of an awakening, a transition from innocence to… something more.

“Alright then…” She whispered, before she let loose a monstrous bark from the depths of her throat, one that screamed in summoning with one meaning and one meaning only.

Come.

And they dare not be late, least they get detention.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Acetone

Opportunity was his drug, his obsession. An addiction no adult, let alone child, could ever extinguish, the expansion of his knowledge and understanding was a cocaine of its own category; fascination of his home Oukoku had led Acetone all across the territory, whether or not Mom and Dad approved... It seemed right, learning about the culture, meeting new people. There was something essential to be uncovered, something behind the scenes that constructed a functioning pack, and he wanted to find it, use its power. Obviously anyone who was successful knew all about it already. He wasn't going to be left behind; this was serious! The puppy could only assume that his parents would feel the same about his adventuring, certainly hoped they did, especially Kolt. The great Judge Pathos was so strong; Acetone was going to be just like him. Maybe even better. But definitely at least as good.

That meant knowing and respecting the Rosa. He'd learned that when he met the Yellow Rose, Massacre. The way she had so flawlessly manipulated the crowd around him, despite her size and age, drove the point home in ways words may have been insufficient; if you were a Rose, you had ultimate power. Puppies, adults, everyone was supposed to listen to them, and so of course Acetone would as well. He hadn't quite yet made the connection between this staunch hierarchy and the stability of Oukoku, but in time, this would become apparent. Religion, too, was more relevant than Acetone understood; it weaved away the gaps between leader and follower, tying down the latter to the former, but in exchange for the enslavement it provided permanence and meaning to the disciple's life. That's what he was looking for, an explanation of power relations... Sometimes what you're seeking lies right in front of your nose.

But ignorance was the result of his youth, not idiocy, and his naivety would be outgrown. Until that time, he would try his very, very hardest to do what was right based on the knowledge available to him. Coming when you were called was a part of that responsibility. In fact, Enix's call summoned more than his physical presence; it demanded his complete attention. Acetone didn't know that this was the White Rose, the most feared and unpredictable of the Scions. All he could gather from the message was that he should obey it, or else. It had to be someone with rank, if she actually thought anyone would follow her orders. Oukoku members were smart. They wouldn't tell everyone else to come to them if they didn't have the proper authority. Stupid wolves who did things like that got tossed into the tar pits for being cocky. Then they didn't bark so much... 'Cause they were dead.

At first glance, the timber wolf Enix had brought to the gathering seemed to be one of those fools, clearly killed off for being a bad wolf. And now the source of the call was sitting on the corpse! Acetone hadn't ever thought of bodies as chairs before. Just as soon as the idea passed through his mind, the victimized seat-creature moved, just a tad, erasing Acetone's original impressions. Nope. This one was still alive. Must of made some mistakes to be punished like that. Serves it right! Acetone almost wanted to get the timber's attention, just so he could show his disapproval and make it feel bad for whatever it'd done, but he restrained himself. He wanted to make a good impression on Enix, and taunting useless wolves wouldn't help that cause.

So instead, Acetone bowed to the White Rose and waited for her to address him before speaking. In the past, keeping silent until his superiors requested otherwise had worked to his benefit; no sense trying to fix a habit that wasn't broken. Soon, he figured, she would answer his unspoken questions: Who are you and why did you ask me to come?

[≈ Sky ≈]

Koranger

Korangar was alone and he felt that as he awoke cold beneath the shadow of a half-barren tree. His mother long gone, his sister's dead for various reasons and so he awoke cold each morning, cold on the inside and outside. He was becoming nothing more then a hardened puppy, if he had ever been a puppy. He was nothing more then an adult in a smaller body due to his experiences but that helped with this place of Oukoku-Kai. It meant he was not a fool that romped around a played with no heed for what he should do to advanced. He was already under some training to become a Slaver under Blackout, he was a member of the house of Crow and even a peasant would know that. Anyone that challenged his honor or the honor of his House members would be sadly shown different as he would beat their butts into a pulp upon the ground, when he was older of course, but he'd still give a very good fight if the individual was not a skilled fighter. He wasn't trained but he didn't care and fought with an abandon that most would deem stupid. He had nothing to lose after all, just the honor of his House.

He moved from the shadows into the waxing sunlight, the white and black colors of his fur rippling with the motion. His puppy fat was all gone, he was nothing but muscle and bone now. Chasing after prey yourself would make you fit, yes indeed it did and Korangar was used to it by now. He was just another member of Oukoku-Kai at the moment making him of no more importance then most, except for the fact that he was part of a Legendary House and was also a Slaver-in-Training which stuck him higher then just a plain hunter after all. He had a more dangerous job then they did, the worst the could happen to them was to get stabbed with a horn on a deer, of which he had already endured. He had a small silvery scar under the fur of his shoulder where it had punctured the skin and flesh into muscle. But his musings were interrupted by the strong barking of another, an alpha he supposed with the strength and command behind it. He would have to answer of course and so he moved.

He moved with fluid motions that were reminiscent of an assassin, almost but there was a stronger tone to them that showed that he was not the child of a spy. He was the child of a brute of a judge. He was thick and squarish like his father was, his fangs serrated as you could see when he opened his jaws to a give a quick yawn before coming into the sight of the Scion. He walked until he was in front of the Scion and then bowed towards her thinking nothing of the white rock she was sitting on until it moved. Then he looked at it a bit closer and found that it was a wolf that was alive. Interesting and it's leg looked quite broken he mused as he sat down next to the very colorful little puppy that had managed to make it here before Korangar had. Koranger looked at him swiftly before returning his attention to the Scion in front of him. She had orders. . . she would be obeyed. That much he knew already.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Render

Being but merely three months of age, the little blue female had yet a lot to learn in life itself. There was no such thing as a 'culture' to her though, there was nothing known or even understood as a 'different' way of life than the one she had here, and thus instead of questioning why these things were, she only learned them and reinforced them in her understanding of the world. After all, a pup isn't simply questioning why it listens to its mother or father, nor does it seem to recognize that it's mother or father, or whatever caregiver it might possibly have, has anything more to do in it's life than to be it's source of a role model, and a source of light to learn from and to grow in their experience of how the world, and all it's many wonders worked.

Naturally though, she was off in her own adventures and bouts of mischief. And no matter what her mother said to her, whether positive or negative to reinforce her behavior towards others, she held a strong stigma of defiance locked inside of her very core soul to be able to keep up her antics and her tough nature and way. She was just naturally protective, although that could grow into a serious trademark that could easily be considered 'overprotective', or bound into a tight nutshell of just protectiveness that would probably stay with her. But a pup's young childhood was a magical time to where anything and everything had an effect, and so they would help enforce the strongest measures of what the child would really be like in the future. And it was only so easy to reinforce what they were naturally like anyways.

Still, when the call was posted, she merely flicked her ears, wondering here and there. Her brother had taken off long ago, and she was actually, and maybe a bit surprisingly, away from most of the crowd of family members. It was natural too, for pups were curious by nature, and held the understanding and commitment of a sponge, soaking up everything they could. And for her it couldn't be truer, as to where she looked to her parents most of all for her guidance and her lessons in life. But even so, she finally gathered her feet, and she walked to the meeting, to which her eyes landed solely upon her brother, Acetone, and then she raced to his side, pushing and shoving at the large bulk of an eight month year old (and the tiny bulk of her brother by accident.)

"Hey brother!" She barked, as she wagged her tail, making that her very first remark, and then bounded over. "Move!" She growled in her small voice at the other, and then pushed her head to get between them, and her whole body to try and scrape for any land between the two, before she would try to use the full of her force to scoot him away from her brother. If there was something she didn't seem to like, it was the thought of anyone she had yet to approve of around her family - something that could seemingly only be corrected by Mother Jasper or Father Champion, or in this case simply her brother letting her know that was 'a friend', or something of that like. Surely, she had some things to learn.

After she managed to pull herself from her fussing with the other, her eye would catch site of the large timber wolf underneath the very much larger wolf, Enix, and she would simply stare at the both of them for a moment. "Hey...Hey!" She whispered a bit harshly towards her brother into his ear, or rather at the ear. "What'd he do? What's goin' on?" She asked him, hoping that he could just magically know and explain to her what was going on here.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Lilith

Animation stirred in the distant form of a lurking predator, something cloaked in leathery black fur with fiery, frenzied eyes so licentiously snapping open from their shadowy visage to scald the world with their chaotic intention. Over said windows to the lone beast's wicked little soul grew a shaggy mass of down stiffening into a proper extension of its coat, a peculiar trait many spawn of its lineage long like a strain of pests would so unwittingly sport. Such a figure walked now with a carefree if not unbalanced stride, legs stretched and shaped by inevitable growth from the flailing nubs they'd been into the cantering, jagged sinew all wolves held as their trademark. Bones, once weak and worthless, steeled into steady promise and streamline muscle beginning to form beneath the sun's merciless beatings that seemed so cheerfully to drill that single sliver of insanity into the beaming grin it often illuminated like a flashlight beneath the chin.

Child's eyes, so slippery and intense like lava, were alight with a twisted, fascinated bonfire on this eve as she prowled, the rustic smell of violence in her nostrils touched with sour fear-stink and the come hither of a ferocious demigod ringing like air raid alarms inside velvety, tapered ears. The combination was very stimulating to the feral little brat, arousing some raw wire in her otherwise semi-sentient biology to wriggle and encourage her forth on a mission to solve this provocative mystery, growing form weaving in a drunken hypnosis toward the scene of the crime... or was it indeed justice? Busybody snout to the breeze, Lilith pursued and she did grow frenzied, black chops moistened by a pale tongue relaying a misplaced hunger in her belly to her tumultuous brain, eyes flicking to white as dust would tickle her throat and provoke a sneeze that nearly sent her tumbling.

"... he do? What's goin' on?" And so the girl would advance in time to eavesdrop on part of an already present maggots' unanswered question, wandering freely into the arena like an untouchable, leering childishly upward at the impressively large wolf hovering over a squirming, broken body like a vulture circling degrading carrion. Lilith's throat jerked at the grisly sight, emitting a ghastly, choked bark of deranged pleasure, the imp fluttering gleefully on all fours as she'd lean that long neck of hers in to steal a better peek at the victim before pulling sharply back as if he would lash out, giggling frenziedly under shallow breath drawn in near-pants.

"He's all busted up," chimed Lilith helpfully to nobody in particular, unable to tear her gaze from the mauled, twitching beast -- obviously empathy was not a defining character trait here. "Soooo busted up. Look at his leg. Look." Gleeful cackle, a kid having the time of its meager life, legs pattering back to sit beside Acetone, a boy she recognized with the vaguest of memory, who she'd whisper a grinning bit of rhetoric to before shutting up so the Big Wolf could speak, the giant wolf, the one with the ripped face, yeeesss.

"He'll die soon. You'll see. That's what happens. You'll see."

All smiles.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Jasper, Evie, Jezebeth

They had been resting nonchalantly in their cool den, her tail curled around the small bodies of Evie and Halogen, with Shiva tucked somewhere under her chin. Ah, this was a blessing, this right here. Of course Ace and Render wobbled off somewhere, too defiant to take a re-energizing nap... and who could blame them? Lovely morning, not a cloud in the sky and a beckoning of play amongst children.

It was only when the bark sounded that she raised her head, let the remnants of it ring in her ears, and nudged harshly at the bundles of drool and fat. “Wake up, all of you,” No soothing lullabies this time, dears. Jasper was all too familiar of the bark that resonated the den walls... a command to appear and to be assessed. Quickly, in nervous strokes, she pushed them all out with her paw and should any of them attempt to crawl back bleakly into the dark, a prompt snap would graze their face. If not now, then never.

“Someone is calling you. All of you, report to them immediately—Halo, fix your hair, it’s a mess—oh, Evie, don’t eat that!” Their lives sparked only three months ago, but Jasper knew she had to let them leave the nest already; they would have to grow up quickly to survive. Whether any of them chose to heed Enix’s call was now their choice and their consequence; Jasper would no longer partake in their decisions and, with a heavy heart, went back into her den.

Evie + Jezebeth

Evie skipped along the pathway that would very well define her days in the pack, completely unawares of the horrors that lie ahead. However, the girl had already developed a strong stomach—she’d often screech at her brothers “I’m tough now because I can take your ugly faces!!”—and when she saw the familiar figures of Acetone and Render, she thought, this shouldn’t be too bad! Wriggling in between her two siblings’ bodies she prodded Ace’s chest, stating the obvious, “Mama was wondering where you guys got off to. She said this was important! Isn’t this exciting?! Hey, who’s that guy?” The sight of a broken body (and no doubt soul) being used as a comfortable stool unperturbed the little girl... she just wanted to do whatever had to be done for today and go back to sleep!

The call excited Jezebeth... it was calling him, and there was no doubt in his little pumping heart that it was his Anu Ishra. She needed him, of course! Perhaps she’d talk more about Scions today, talk to him more about the Red Dragon...

The sight of Lilith, however, was disappointing. What was she doing here? Oh, no, of course, she was here to HUMILIATE him. Eat on his hair again, most probably, and—oh, there were more non-Priests... unfamiliar faces, though all one similar purpose... to obey orders. It was only until the sight of Enix sitting atop a ghastly-looking creature was Beth certain that Anu did not call for him... of course, of course...

He sidled next to Korangar—god, he hoped his brothers wouldn’t come—and listening to the clamors amongst the other pups, it was all very clear to Beth that they were all thinking the same thing... what was going to happen?

[≈ Sky ≈]

Ruen

He lay on the ground. Watching from distant and he watched for several reasons. Not all did he know, but he was fully aware of that he had to get out there, that he had to take the step forth and play a pup, and be at school like the others. He bowed his head and sighed. He was probably also the only ranked youth. He opened his eyes and stood up. He didn’t want to deal with pups. No, no, no! No puppies in his directions, he just didn’t want to deal with them. He would come because he had to, nothing less, nothing more. Well okay he was curious too for sure, and he wanted to learn something. But he didn’t feel like a child though he was aware of that he was one.

Did he not dare? Well it wasn’t like he was afraid of meeting the other kids, he just didn’t like to place himself at a pedestal and pose for everybody in any angle they asked for, so he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, smiled and opened in eyes. Yes there we go, no to meet the others as well. Yes okay walking forward was a very good start, he should try that. Okay enough sarcasm forward! He started to walk and smiled. It was a very discreet smile. Shy, but very friendly as well. A perfect one for a first meeting with people he didn’t know or never had seen. He walked slowly through the group of pups and youth who already seemed to know each other. Out of place he placed himself a little away from the others. It felt. Wrong to be here, it felt nothing like right. He straightened his neck and half lay his ass down, but kept his front paws at the ground.

The waiting was coming now. Oh the waiting how he hated that! He looked up at the eldest, the scarred white she wolf. He knew her. The white rose, oh yes he definitely knew her; he had seen her at another event. But he didn’t really think that she even would remember his face, no, no so unlikely that something like that would happen. He looked carefully at the other pups, nobody seemed to know what was going to happen, so Ruen didn’t bother to ask or make any attempt to talk to them at all. Instead he looked up at the white rose and the look he gave her was eyes of, curiosity. Not from a child, but an adult male who seemed to trying to unfold secrets she kept, unfold the secret of the goddess. And impossible quest he knew, but none the least he gave her such look he kept it before nodding toward her.

He was playing an adult game.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Vetis

What a useless blob of puppy Vetis was turning out to be. Oh, he capable of benefiting the pack; that wasn't the issue. His interest in fighting and unwavering lack of compassion made him fitting for either a warrior, slaver, or officer position... Officer. He liked the sound of that. He'd been alive long enough to understand the responsibilities the job would require. Weren't they supposed to keep the heathens in line, and ensure no one went running amok in forbidden territories? Vetis could do that. Yes, yes, he could beat up those uglies and make them cry when they tried to escape. It made him giggle, just thinking about it.

So Vetis would have value, as far as the pack was concerned. Eventually, he would find a way to prove it.

But until that time came, he was losing worth. Time was ticking away. All around him, his siblings and children of more recent litters, some practically fresh from the womb, were surpassing him. Little Pretty was a real, live slaver person now, and had already gone off and found herself a toy for Oukoku to play with, and eventually baptize. An' Jezzy was a priest or somethin', all high and mighty. He probably thought he was better than the rest of the family now. There were others, too. Bonds and ranks all over the place, and he was getting left behind. It was... irritating. Unfair. Stupid.

That would not do, oh no, not at all. Vetis would show them he should get bonded to someone important. Then the pack would be terrified of his power and prestige; he'd be the Crow to all the tiny little screaming Charons, and it would be perfect. He'd consume their fear as a staple food, building his sadistic demeanor to ridiculous proportions. If anyone stood up to him, he'd break them so good that ain't nobody would ever mess with him again. Vetis could steal away Little Pretty; even Don would be too scared to fight back. The black and blue monster would be like a king, no, better than that, a god. And he was confident that's exactly how things were supposed to be.

He'd noticed Enix's call, but it wasn't until the breeze blew familiar scents past his face that the gathering intrigued him. Lil and Jezzy were definitely there, and that one bigger male, too. The tree-eater. Koranger's bite was well remembered; their spar had been so exciting. It didn't matter who won or lost. Because he'd played the game, he meant something more than the rest of the maggots prancing around Oukoku. If only by a little.

Finally arriving at the scene, Vetis gazed over Enix's body, and that of her captive. Ooo, this was going to be fun! Lookit, it was already bloodied up... Maybe, maybe they'd get to poke it before it died. Or spit in its face. Or claw out its eyeballs until they slurped out onto the ground and got muddy. The anticipation was rising dramatically; Vetis wasn't certain about the owner of the fat ass who was crushing the victim, but she must be someone special, to provide all the puppies with a unique performance like this one. Something great was going to happen, and there was no way in hell was he going to miss it.

The devil child sat down behind Lilith, at an angle where he could practically shove his face into her ears to whisper, "Look, look, Lil. Do ya think we get ta eat it?" He sure hoped so.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Charon

The sound of Enix's bark was familiar to him - he'd heard it before, he was sure - and yet, to his frustration, he couldn't quite place a name or a face to the sound. He'd obey it anyway, of course, he had no choice in the matter, and although the adolescent was beginning to develop some sense of rebelliousness, he was not prepared to completely ignore an unknown voice. It could belong to somebody important (a fact which made him angrier still, considering he could not remember who it was) and he didn't feel like being thrown into the tar today. All his other siblings were heading that route, Charon was certain, with their ludicrous behavior, and he was hellbent on distancing himself from them in every sense of the word.

It was with no small amount of disappointment, then, that he recognized the outlines of a few of his family members amongst the small group that had gathered around...Enix. He had met her once before, had been incredibly foolish on that day, and had been working to block out the memory ever since. Whether that tactic had worked and thus caused today's mental lapse or if it had just been his puppyishly small brain, he wasn't sure, and he wasn't too interested in finding out. Charon had already delved deep into his own mind on several occasions, and each time he'd found nothing but directionless bitterness and a disappointing lack of a plan for his future. He hadn't done much to educate himself except wander around aimlessly and inwardly declare that the entire premise surrounding this pack was complete bullshit. He hadn't been able to come up with a sophisticated argument against it yet, it was mostly just the childish "I don't like this and that's the way it is" mindset, but it was a path that sent him in a completely different direction from most everyone else in Oukoku, and he couldn't help but feel slightly proud.

The half-grown wolf slunk onto the scene, sleek black fur that resembled his mother's eel-like hide more than anything gleaming in the sun. There was no tough sinew, no rippling muscles - Charon was kind of scrawny, to be honest, long-legged and spindly. Twiglike. He'd grow out of it eventually. Placing himself to the outskirts of the group (read: as far away from his relatives as possible), he sat down delicately, curling his short tail around his legs, tilting his head to face the White Rose with a curious gaze. If she started preaching about faith, he could just tune it out...but the struggling wolf beneath her was a point of interest. The physical world was a far more relevant place, and Charon was gripped with a sudden, foolish urge to reach out a paw and touch the captive, drag his paw over the unprotected face, sink his claws in...His thoughts trailed off, one foreleg so tense that it began to shake back and forth. He hadn't noticed, didn't notice anything now except the hapless victim. Could even ignore his siblings' annoying voices. Hopefully they'd return the favor.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Halogen

Warmth, cushioned pillow...these were both things that the young pup loathed to leave behind, but was forced to abandon as a sharp nudge into his puppy gut won a squeak of protest as teal eyes met his mother's. He loved and adored his mother dearly, but did she have to wake them up? Thoughts of this kind did not linger long, however, because no sooner were they thought than his mother's giant paws were pushing and shoving them out of the den entrance. One watching would have perhaps thought the whole scene amusing, with little balls of fluff and puppy fat tumbling head-over-heels in mass confusion. A comment was thrown toward him about his hair, which he ran a creamy paw over to no avail, and then the large she-wolf disappeared whence she came, leaving Halogen alone with Shiva and Evie. The burnt orange streaked pup took off after his mottle colored sister. Obviously they were supposed to do something. Without a sniff or a lick of care toward Shiva, or a thought as to where Ace and Ren had run off to, he followed Evie, wondering if she knew where they were supposed to go.

Apparently she did, because soon the scents of others, as well as their incessant chattering, reached his nose and ears. He didn't know any of the pups here, aside from his brother and sisters, of which the missing pair could be seen. The little sneaks, wandering off without telling him. Well, he'd show them later...currently his teal gaze went to the adult the rest of his age mates and/or older were gathered around, the huge female with a scarred face, glaring down at them all. She was ugly, and he didn't want to be here. Just like the mangled bits of fur and limbs that seemed to stick out from the big wolf's furry behind. Better that one than him. He would never allow himself to be sat on without a fight. He would bite as hard as his little puppy teeth would allow. Besides, if you couldn't stand up for yourself, meanies like he was could pick on you. It was one of his favorite hobbies concerning his siblings. Sure, he could do whatever he wanted with them, but let a stranger try to hurt them, or even threaten them, and Gen was on the aggressor like stink in the tar pits.

Taking his place at the back of the group, so as to be conspicuous, after all...the adults only gathered him and his siblings and everyone else his size to do one thing. Teach. And, well, trying to teach Halogen when he didn't want to listen was like trying to filter sand through water. It went everywhere at it's own steady pace, contained perhaps, but not malleable. He would sit here, and he would listen, and perhaps he would learn but what he chose to remember and what he chose to forget would be on his terms. The little male took to sizing up the other young wolves, remembering their faces, their excited voices. He had to rely on that data alone, because he doubted he would remember their names, even if this was a social gathering to get to know each other better. Which he knew undoubtedly that it wasn't. Well, would the old biddy speak soon, or what? Cause he didn't have all day to sit around doing nothing. Maybe this adult would give them all a nice surprise, perhaps the creature she was sitting on was a new toy of some sort? Maybe they'd get to play a game of tug o' war with it. His tri-colored tail separated the grass behind him in waves as he waited for the female to begin.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Tatari

Ever distancing himself from the squabbling runts that called themselves 'family', the darkened whelp had preferred spending his later youth by the side of his Bonded, the wolf he now knew better than his own siblings. Kathux the Head Hawk had taken him in, seeing potential within the venomous eyes of the child. Having wrapped his immature mind around the thought of having someone to learn from, the little devil had stolen away many times from the den, forsaking supping with his family just for the experience to learn more on the border. Of course, he had only been given the chance to accept one member, a white cur that Tatari couldn't even remember its name (which clearly showed its importance to the young tyrant). He was beginning to dislike thinking of how long it would be before he was an official member of the pack; each sunrise and sunset seemed to not go by as quickly as before. Tatari hated many things, but above all, he hated waiting. The temperamental whelp held a particular dislike for most of his own packmates- why did they glare down at him so? In fact, why did he have to stay with those wretched brethren of his? They were all monstrosities, each and every individual rubbing the slate whelp the wrong way. He did not lash out as expected, but merely gave off the casual, adolescent 'roll of the eyes' before leaving them each morning to go off to find Kathux, who had become more of an idol than an older brother figure. You could say that the innocent mind of the youth had placed the Jitte on the same pedestal as the Scions themselves- not that admiration was a bad thing, but an obsession was starting to form and Tatari couldn't help but find himself toddling after his bonded, matching him as a shadow did. He was a strange creature, the little demon, but he thought he was more normal than the two abominations that ruffled his fur the most.

Speaking of which...

The summon had been noted and the dark-tinted wolf had obliged the Scion's orders, his ringed paws taking him far from the safety of the den toward where the booming herald had come from. His eyes, darkened with a sense of dread as he knew he would be forced to put up with a few of the pests he'd grown up alongside, scanned the area, took in the sights of a mass gathering at the foot of a mighty titan. In silence, he slipped into the field of play, knowing this moment was the moment he had been waiting for. A moment to see what sort of other chewtoys he would soon possess after thoroughly establishing his dominance. He honestly cared not to impress the Scion with his superb knowledge (not that he had much knowledge to flaunt) or his strength. He hoped to remind the others who was the top youth in the valley. And that was certainly not any of the red-patterned mutts he had been seeing as of late. The big-boned whelp prowled among what he called the 'inferior', looking with venomous eyes out at the world of maggots and flies. His jaw remained clamped shut, even when he inhaled the sickeningly sweet scent of his sister, the cackling demon that was hissing some sort of taunt at another pup. His eyes drifted to Vetis, the striped fiend that seemed to be the lesser of all evils. Tatari's acknowledgment of his brother was a simple flick of the tail, then he would continue into the mass, a black and gray sheep among the many different pelts. He saw them all, poison eyes narrowed in distaste for their smell and faces. His eyes drifted to Jezebeth, quirking a dark eyebrow at his more submissive brother, then proceeded. Was he the last of his brood to arrive? He saw Charon ahead, silent as the grave- as usual- but took no note of Abaddon. Tatari didn't feel remotely worried. His other brother was most likely off tormenting some unfortunate victim... Something that sounded rather appeasing to the adolescent.

Tatari's eyes flickered over the others, younger worms that didn't strike him as particularly interesting. He chose whatever position was available closest to Charon, for reasons unknown, and lifted his eyes to the great scarred goddess that stood before him. The eyes, usually dimmed by a quiet anger, stilled their loathing expression, giving way to complete awe and admiration. Before him stood a wolf riddled with marks of battles untold and wars fought long before his existence. He was interested by this one. He did not speak, only because he didn't have anything to say. He wondered if this would be what the grand turnout would be. Or if there were more hungry beasts yearning to see what the great Scarred One had to say.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Shiva, Abaddon

Morning had been a whirlwind of chaos, a rush of bodies - or rather, a rush of mother's body as she poked around her brood and forced them all to wake up and see the dawn, to go and make their peace with the White Rose who had supposedly summoned them. Father had merely watched with a stern, unset expression, his sharp blue eyes watching each of them in turn as they barreled out of the den with excitement too obviously veiled by the fact that it was far too early for anybody to be up, let alone children. They were young yet, but evidently close to making something of themselves beyond just existing - today was a day to be proud, perhaps, but it was also a day of letting go, something Kolt was wary of but not entirely in denial of either. The Rose - Enix - would mold them, turn them into weapons and icons of righteousness to be wielded for the betterment of Oukoku, and for that he had no fear... for the white Lady had indeed plucked him from his own ignorance once upon a time ago. "Watch yourself, girl." He'd say to his hotheaded daughter - if only to earn a childish glare - before turning away.

Ugh, parents! Shiva was already late; Evie had took off while dad blabbered stupid nonsense at her (even if it was only a total of three very long words), and Halogen had pretty much rocketed off after her, leaving Shiva in the dust and floundering to catch up. The girl pushed hard, grinning to herself, revelling in the challenge and setting a goal for herself that happened to be, to her brother's misfortune, Halo's tail. And she would get it, mark her words.

Suddenly they came to a halt; this was her chance! Another wicked grin and she skidded neatly to a halt behind brother, crouching in mock difficulty, before leaping to make an attempt at snatching up his tail with a triumphant expression of satisfaction and then let it go once she realized she wasn't exactly alone. Wait - why had they stopped, again? "Evieevieeviei - what's going on?! Whose that, what are they doing?! Wait, wait I think it's a heea... heathen!" She'd gotten it right this time. There were puppies she didn't recognize. A crowd had already gathered, attentive yet chaotic, around a great white beast who stood as the centerpiece to such a group - she was utterly magnificent, the pinnacle of perfection to the Oukoku pack, surely somebody of importance. Shiva gaped without shame...

... which was in direct contrast to Abaddon. The young maelstrom lingered heatedly at the borders of the clusterfuck, his expression wrathful and ugly - WHY did his brothers have to come, and ruin the moment? Not that he had gotten here first, in fact, Abaddon could have been considered late. Outside of the den their iconoclastic family "shared" with one another, he had stopped to contemplate exactly what he should do about the summons: to go, or not to go, mulling it over with Shakespearean drama, amusing himself in disgusting ways as interjecting thoughts of violence and gore broke the seriousness of the moment. Boys would be boys, afterall. And when he had arrived, Enix had failed utterly to impress him. Scars? Weakness, because she did not have the strength to evade her assailant, and had earned the mark of her failures as a reminder. Size? Nothing to him, because even beasts the size of Goliath could trip and fall on their own toes, especially if they lacked... elegance. So he watched and he waited, pointedly ignoring the presence of his family.

But Abaddon's possessive nature could not be denied outright, and within seconds he forded the crowd to crush against Lilith, his eyes naught but narrowed slits in the needlepoint of his face. "Maybe we'll get to break it..." Her mood was infectious.

[≈ Sky ≈]

Enix

Through eyes of golden color she watched them as they appeared one after the other, her small furred and underdeveloped actors. Even as they approached there was no attempt to hide the developing inner glow of perverse intention that devoured the usual amusement she was keen on displaying in their depths. So strong was her inappropriate pleasure in seeing them answer her call already and so young, in seeing them understand (to the best of their ability) the difference between following order and ignoring false dominance that she allowed a grin to spread across her scarred face, wrinkling her muzzle in a display of sharp slightly yellowed teeth and a black stained tongue. That earlier excitement, subdued by the sense of purpose she had carried when dragging the subject of this lesson returned in near full, causing a twitch in that stub she was forced to deem her tail. This was more than just a class, a simple teaching of the most basic ideals she wanted to convey in their rawest forms, it was also a hunt, a weeding of the weak minded from the strongly willed and a search for the lust of blood, of destruction, that she wanted to pull to the surface of their tiny hearts and minds. Whatever their parents had wished for them for may have not wished for them didn’t matter, for now, for what time she would spend with them, they belonged to her just as surely as any other member of this god forsaken pack did and if they couldn’t comprehend such with their small brains and puppy created principles then they would eventually, least they become nothing more than fodder to pacify the bubbling pits that cried out on her land.

With a patience fueled by her current inner planning she allowed them their jabbering only listening, barely, to particular spoken phrases of gibberish. In the end, Enix only really paid attention to the tone of their speech; to the excitement or lack thereof that their words may have held as they spilled across untamed tongues. Yet still she waited, head slightly tilted in mild curiosity as she took in the different patterns and colors of the fur each ball of possibility possessed. Inwardly, she was trying to categorize them by their demeanor and fur tone, seeing if she could figure out which bitch had spit forth which whelp for later evaluation of attempted parenting and genes. Least any whelp prove to perform less than satisfactory it would all fall back to the bitch and male that had given birth to it and Enix wouldn’t allow for further poisoning of her recovering land by farming weakness and disappointment. In the end, she realized that a sizable amount of the children that had appeared had been fathered by either Crow or Kolt, both of which she thought to be well beneath her paw of service, perhaps the other one more than the latter. In the end, this brought a slight huff of expectancy to the white colored alpha. She only hoped that this current batch of meat eating sacks would prove worth something. She’d hate to have found an entire breeding season wasted on frivolous hopes.

Then, her ear twitched, her thoughts rearranged and her attention summoned away from her inner brooding and evaluation of the budding personalities she could see hinted at in the pups by the one word that would hold the most power in this small gathering.

Heathen.

Immediately her gold eyes searched, shifting from body to body for the speaker of the word, and when they landed upon Shiva she would spare the girl a rather fully fledged display of teeth and brutal delight.

Say that word again, that beautiful trigger phrase…

Enix rose then, lifting her bottom from the panting wolf, but giving him no relief otherwise. Instead, the paw that dug and clutched at his neck pressed further down, and now he fought and struggled against the full weight of the blackblood alpha against what seemed like a slow suffocation. Though the pressure wasn’t persistent, and soon enough Enix stopped making the wolf whimper so pathetically and addressed the children surrounding her.

“ Indeed, it is a heathen!” The accented wolf cooed, allowing the sound of pleasure to roll up from her chest in a sound more linked to a growl than some warped purr.

“I am Enix, ” She introduced herself to those who may have not known whom she was, “Your White Rose.”

“I do not need to know your own names, for they are meaningless to me at this point.” And it was true, there was no need to know who they were, only what they could do and how they could act, until the pup to adult transition ceremony. She wouldn’t let them waste their breath nor her time, “I will learn of them on my own time and you need not say them in the presence of this heathen. Your titles are too precious to be heard by soiled filth.”

To this announcement the wolf under her power gave out a choked cry, perhaps a denial that he was, in fact, filth, and jaws snapped in desperation at the dirt around him, despite the fact that he was clearly attempting to snap at the paw that held his throat so firmly in place.

“See how this one appears? How this heathen acts with such desperation to live? How savage! How ugly! Never been seen in such a state. You have been born in a world where you must die with honor. If you feel your time to die has not come yet, then fight with courage and strength. Do not worm and flop about like frightened prey. When you act like prey, you become prey.”

Here her other paw was lifted, and with it she would place it down upon his chest, to keep him in one place as she gave a beckoning motion of her head.

“Now, come smell what a heathen smells like. Can you see the difference? He doesn’t smell like home, but like the horrible world outside, that terrible place filled with savages and dirty-blooded wolves! This heathen doesn’t care about you or about anything you will stand for. He wants to kill you, to eat you, to take all your warm food and freedom!” Now Enix started, now she began to speak in a rather imploring tone, her face pulled back to form of a rather hideous appearing snarl, her golden eyes narrowed so much so that the only a sliver of the pupil could be seen.

“You must hate him, because the heathen already hates you. Inhale his scent, and remember to hate it! All heathens will smell like this, not like us! They are stupid and they are prey. There are only some heathens worthy of saving. Those who are strong enough to realize they must be saved… as you grow you begin to will understand the difference. Until then, develop your sense of fury and feel it afford you the excitement, and the skill you need to serve this land.”

Now she seemed to become thoughtful, “I will give you your first order now. Your first service to the Rosa. You must kill this heathen, this prey, and all like him. Snap at his fur and rip at his flesh. Push in his eyes, punish him for his blasphemous ways so that he may repent in hell for his deeds…. If you do not kill the heathens first, if you show them mercy, they will kill you and send you to the very hells we must avoid.”

Now she lifted up, though she made sure to now place her paw upon his snapping muzzle… to make sure he could not bite at the pups while he laid upon his belly fully exposed to them.

“Destroy your first heathen and be blessed.”

[≈ Sky ≈]

Evie

Her siblings had all gathered and she didn’t feel so alone now, greeting Shiva with excited puppy licks all over her black-clad muzzle and a grudging glare at Halogen... not that she hated her brother, but ever since the ant invasion scenario, well... he should be glad he got off that easy with her.

“A heathen? You think that’s what it is, Shi?” Evie had caught both her parents muttering that very same word before, and only now did she have a sketchy idea of what it could mean, a stare of fascination at the struggling heap of fur beneath the Rosa.

“If you do not kill the heathens first, if you show them mercy, they will kill you and send you to the very hells we must avoid.”

These words... they resonated throughout her mind, made her shiver; of fear or excitement she couldn’t tell, but she knew, as she grew older... these very words would echo through her life! This would be her creed...

And by her very first order she was the first to plunge forth, adrenaline pumping, fearing nothing, to the heathen’s ear and... she dug her pincer teeth into the flap of skin and pulled with all her might. She had done this before, playfully to her father’s ears and to her siblings, but there was a sense of knowing that this wasn’t a game. So she pulled and chewed until finally a trickle of blood was tasted, the essence of both life and death... finally, with a yank, a morsel was torn off but a morsel nonetheless. However she dropped the piece and immediately dropped her bloodied teeth back onto his ear, tearing it piece by piece. Miss Enix sure would like a present...

[≈ Sky ≈]

Jezebeth

There was a sense of dread as two—three—darkened individuals entered, grinning their macabre grins and jostling to their seats, attitudes deviled as always. If it was one thing Jezebeth learned as a Priest’s bond is that they would all burn in Hell and he realized he didn’t care.

Jeze moved forward as was requested, taking in the scent of the wolf and noticing that it was... a frightening aroma. He didn’t know what to think of it and he struggled back into the crowd, back to blending in with the others and being another insignificant speck.

“Destroy your first heathen and be blessed.”

He watched as one little girl sped off like a bullet and began terrorizing the outsider’s ear, and he watched as others inevitably ran off as well to maul whatever patch of body seemed plausible. It was too much of an order and... and is this what he was destined to do? If being their Savior could not save them, you would become their executioner? He wasn’t like his father... what would Anu Ishra do?

“My Rosa,” he piped up, moving around the cannibalized corpse and to the flank of the scarred female, “I am sure he can be saved... the Gods would see to it. The deities are not cruel enough to let this soul wander to Hell aimlessly, with no teacher to lead him! There must be something we can do...”

But it would be too late, perhaps, if the Scion did not listen to him nor release the prisoner he would be reduced to a twitching, writhing carcass, left to drown in the tar or picked by the scavengers.

Oh well, atleast he had tried without getting dirty.