in the wake of fire -- ! [VASHTI]

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Much weighed heavily on the Dire wolf's mind. Change was inescapable. It was happening before his very eyes, beneath his very paws. And there was no stopping it, no controlling it. For the first time in his life, Darius felt powerless against the foe that had been thrown his way. He was a large male, confident, a bit overly controlling but he knew how to get the job done. He ran his pack with pride, always sure of himself and never wavering in his decisions. But everything was changing now. Death, destruction... The lands beneath his feet were not the ones he'd laid claim to. Nothing would ever again be as it once was.

A powerful howl went up as he walked, summoning the remnants of his pack. He hoped, in truth, that a good deal of them would have already made it back to the SS Rilon. Maglor, Melethiel, his hunters and warriors. Kuma, he already knew, was safe at least. She was following behind him like a good little girl, no words spoken between them since they'd left the land bridge. As far as he was concerned, no one would know what transpired between himself and his lead huntress. No one needed to know about the tree or that such a lowly bitch had saved him. No one needed to know who truly had found the land bridge. Now was not the time to appear weak. Now was not the time to give all his glory and credit to some worthless woman.

"Vashti! Pack meeting at the Rilon. NOW! The call was resonant, stretching across every crevice of his territory. A wolf would have to be dead not to hear it. With one powerful bound he was up on the boat's main deck, pacing back and forth, muscles rippling beneath his thick fur. In truth he looked rather worse for the wear. His body was bruised, his fur was disheveled and covered in ash, and a long gash down his shoulder had begun to clot messily. But now was not the time to worry about appearances. How he looked and felt was the last thing on the brute's mind. Right now he needed to find out who had managed to make it safety. Then he would inform the others about the landbridge to the strange continent and figure out how to organize a search party.

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The huntress followed behind her Alpha silently, it was clear to her that he did not wish to converse. For a moment she felt that it was her fault, certainly she shouldn't have upset him in such a mannerism. Especially not right now, poor Darius already had so much stacking high upon his plate. Kuma had undying faith in the other Dire, she knew that he would come out on top - no matter what he had to do to accomplish it. Her hellish orbs watched his pace before her, for a moment she almost believed that she was enjoying the way his muscles rippled beneath his pelt. 'Stupid brute,' the femme would have snorted at the other canine, but for some reason she could never give the Alpha such disrespect. Most of the others had felt her fiery wrath at one point or another, the female was known for her quick temper.

The two wolves weren't all that different, except the obvious gender separation. Neither of them would ever be admitting to such striking similarities; both acknowledged their mutual distaste for each other. If one could call it dislike. The lead huntress craved his approval, despite having never received it. In her eyes it seemed that Darius would rather praise a loner than herself. On occasion it drove her mad; yet, by this age she was used to the brute and almost welcomed his snide remarks. The transition had been gradual, over the years she had enjoyed the attention more and more from the Alpha. Even if it meant she looked a fool to the others, perhaps that is what drove her rather cold attitude towards them. Kuma's mind ached, 'obviously this shit is making me crazy.' There was little else that she could blame her wandering mind on at the moment.

At last they had reached the SS Rilon, her aching figure was craving to sit down - but with her luck Darius would make her stand. Biting her lip slightly the femme forced herself upward, holding her frame as steady as possible. The jump and land appeared graceful enough; although, the agony firing throughout her body made the female nearly want to collapse. Pride held her strong, however, it was not going to let her make a complete fool of herself today. The femme followed the brute to the center of the boat, but wandered a bit farther off. It would give him space to pace, it was something she was considering herself. Kuma additionally did not want to be scooted off once Maglor and the others exposed themselves, assuming they were alive anyway. For once the femme was pleased to hide out in the back, the last thing that she wanted was to be noticed right now. Her pelt was mottled with ashy gunk and she was not feeling too well.

The brute's loud calling nearly split her skull open, audits rang out as her brain began to disintegrate. 'Seriously,' her body wanted to growl at the brute, but the newly found headache was tearing her up. Carefully the female reclined herself to her haunches and curled her tail up around her legs. A yawn was tickling the edge of her maw, begging her to indulge. Temptation was beginning to settle in when a violent up-heave shook her frame and the femme began coughing. Apparently her body decided that now was a good time to attempt and rid itself of the inhaled garbage. Nothing was resolved. After a few brief coughs the femme still had relieved her body of nothing and now felt a warm flush rushing into her face again. Orbs narrowed themselves to stare at the brute's paws, 'I hope he doesn't say anything.' The femme could not tell if Darius would be making any snarky comments towards her, especially not after the moment they had shared.

If he believed that she had not noticed it then he was dumb. Kuma felt him press against her neck, a tremor of warmth swelled inside of her from her muzzle to the tip of her tail. Instead of solving any of her issues, the brute had simply made them worse. Quite typical of a male. Hormones were now racing through her frame more than before, even in the weary state that consumed her, she wanted to be near the Alpha. Her mind begged to be taken, but Kuma was smarter than that. Soon the pack would be filing onto the deck, it would be quite unwise for her to be anywhere near the Alpha unless she wished to be humiliated a million times worse than usual. Although she did enjoy the occasional beating, it did not need to be in front of all the others. Silently the female waited, struggling all the while to maintain the stirring hormones within.

[Deleted]

The alpha had finally returned.

Maglor silently greeted Darius with a respectful dip of his head before trotting to the male, taking his assumed position at the right helm of the alpha to signify his position within the pack. The remaining two in the ship, Artos and Mel, along with the newest member, should have been following close behind. He was interested to ask what Darius had encountered, but he knew well enough to hold his tongue to ask about the male's hold up until the pack was not within earshot. Darius hated to seem lacking in any way, and he would not do anything to jeopardize the absolute power that the alpha male held. Doing so would bring a reign of terror over his head and potentially lose him his rank, regardless of the reputation between the two. Maglor was undyingly loyal to his alpha, and Darius knew this. It was part of the reason that Maglor ended up in the position he was. He could be trusted with the safety of the pack.

The Kenai Peninsula wolf held himself high, though still being careful to maintain a less dominant position than his alpha. The great leader may have been smaller than Maglor, but he certainly held a ferocity that was unmatched. Though his and Artos's tempers were rivaled in severity, Darius was in the position to dish out his rage, whereas Artos would most likely have to restrain himself or risk punishment. Nobody wanted to be on the other end of Darius's punishments. It was bad enough that his sister was only given a sufficient position in the pack due to her relation to him. He did not want her, or anyone else for that matter, to suffer because they could not please the alpha.

It was interesting to be back on the surface of the ship. While the SS Rilon was worn with age, the wood withstood more than the beta male ever believed it could. The fact that it survived the firestorm was a miracle in itself. Someone was surely watching over their pack, while the southern pack had been overlooked completely. Darius would be pleased to know that the competing pack was no longer in commission, but he was also unsure what this new land would bring. He had heard the whispers from others; the lava had reached the beaches and a little further inland, and there was now a land bridge between the two land masses. Maglor was intrigued and curious to venture into this new place, but he knew that nothing could be done unless it was under Darius's order. For now, he would remain with the pack and await the alpha's command. It was all that he could do.

It did not escape Maglor's notice that Kuma, their lead huntress, had made it here at suspiciously the same time as the alpha. She had been absent from the dens until recently, and Maglor could only imagine where she had been. However, if she was with Darius, the experience surely could not have been very pleasant for her. The beta male felt some form of pity toward the females in the pack. The way that Darius treated them was not only unfair, but it was downright cruel at times. While he kept his mouth shut, he was often tempted to level the playing field at times. He would often volunteer to supervise the hunts if Darius required the females to be chaperoned within the pack lands, and it was quite interesting to him to converse with the females of Vashti. They had plenty to say and were very verbose individuals, yet they were stifled under Darius's leadership. Yet Maglor knew better than to correct Darius and his ways. He was set in stone, and all he could do was be compassionate toward those who were oppressed by the alpha's iron fist. This was his family, and this was almost all that he had ever known. He would have to continue to make do.

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Artos was following behind Maglor along with Melethiel and the newest member whom Artos still couldn't believe that Maglor had accepted. The newest member should have been killed on the spot for setting foot in their dens but no. Maglor allowed her to live and accepted her into the pack. Artos could sense changes coming and he wasn't sure if he wanted change. He liked the way that things were. He wasn't a fan of new members that hadn't been born here. He distrusted them to a degree and even more so if they were female. Therefore, Artos would be watching this new female whether Darius and Maglor told him to or not. He didn't trust her and he wouldn't allow his pack's safety to be in jeopardy because of one stupid female that Maglor allowed in.

When they arrived, Maglor sat next to Darius. Artos gave a nod to them both before sitting in the warrior's spot. Artos had known that Kuma was here but didn't bother to give her a nod. He had been raised to think that females were less than males and therefore didn't need to be treated the same way that males did. Artos wanted to be promoted into being the lead warrior. He had been in the pack for his entire life and had never done anything but improve his entire time training. He had even been called one of Vashti's best warriors but still no rank. Artos felt like he deserved it. He had been working so hard. But what did he really expect? Darius had put a wolf like Maglor in charge. Maglor was soft. Which was fun to mess with but irritating as hell at the same time. Darius had to be afraid of losing something. He must be afraid..somewhere deep down, that someone would overthrow him. Artos had only been thinking like this for a short while. Perhaps he was just angry about his family still being missing or the land he grew up in and loved in a wreck. Maybe was desperate for someone to blame. Either way, he needed to relax before he said something stupid. No one wanted to be on the business end of Darius' wrath.

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ooc: i'm just gonna say mel is in attendance too since she was with the others. -nod-

One by one his wolves filed their way up onto the deck. Kuma, Maglor, Melethiel, Artos. Was this really it? Were these the only wolves that had survived? Vashti had always been a great pack, large and powerful. He had hunters and warriors at his disposal, budding shamans and a core group of elite wolves he trusted with is life. One natural disaster changed all that. Lava, flooding, rock slides and who knows what else had taken out the majority of his pack. Sure they had fared better than the southern pack which had been completely wiped out. Vashti's numbers were not good though; only his elite had managed to survive.

"Alright listen up." His voice was commanding as he paced back and forth, head lifted in dominance. Green eyes pierced each of his remaining members in turn, taking them in, assessing them. And, even as his gaze lingered on his shaman and lead huntress there was a certain tenderness to the look. It was not a kindness he often dared to show others, especially females. But these were the wolves who had dared to live! These were the wolves that had survived hell in order to remain by his side. The large brute was appreciative, thankful for each and every one of them right now. At least some of his family was safe and sound. If he'd lost them all, even Kuma, Darius would have been devastated.

"I don't hold much hope that anyone else has survived. If they have, there's no telling what condition they'll be in. A great change has come to Tas'alea, something none of us could have predicted. It has ruined our lands and decimated our numbers, but it has not defeated us. Vashti still stands, proud and strong. You are all testament to that." He paused, finally turning to face them all, stance proud, powerful, determined. His head was held high, his tail and ears raised as he spoke with conviction. His pack was his pride and joy and in this moment, they knew it.

Again letting his eyes rove over his pack, he let out a sigh. There was much to discuss and so much he still did not understand. Right now he needed the loyalty and assistance of every member he had. "Our lands have shifted. No longer are we surrounded by nothing but the ocean. A new land sits on our horizon and a bridge connects us there. I've seen it with my own eyes. When the time is right I will lead a scouting party across it, find out what sort of intruders we might be dealing with. Until then, it's all hands on deck. We all hunt, we all run border patrols. Most importantly, we search for survivors and collect our dead. If you find an intruder, summon myself or Maglor at once. We need to rebuild our numbers as soon as possible. As much as I hate to say this, I do not know what sort of threats lie on the other side of that bridge." But that did not mean he was a weak alpha or that he would not be finding out. His next words were spoken with conviction, echoing over the surface of the boat. "My pack is my priority. I will not lose any more of you!"

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Kuma held her tongue as the others proceeded to file in. Most of the others did not acknowledge her, which was a common occurrence. After all, she was a mere female and absolutely nothing of importance to these canines. Despite her efforts in serving the male populace, she was still viewed as nothing above the other females. The thought brought a spike of rage into her being. It was thanks to her that these brutes ate to their fill, but still she was not better than the other bitches. Kuma was not trying to gain equivalency to the males, simply be the best of her gender. 'They are merely imbeciles, too stupid to realize my contribution,' gently she stroked her own ego. It was all that could be done to prevent her mouth from firing off at the others, all of them except Darius.

Maglor did get a certain bit of genuine respect from the Dire bitch though. He was the only brute that dared to aid them in any way, and it was not because he believed the females incapable of completing the task. More often than not she would turn him down though, hellbent on doing everything for herself. It was the only way to prove to Darius what great worth she held. The others always received a certain sharpness within her words, nearly threatening their authority. If they did not think she was better than the others than she would have to prove it. A red gaze darted to the Beta for a split second before settling itself upon Darius' chest once again. The Alpha was the one constantly tormenting her mind, he would get the entirety of her attention.

Crania settled itself lower between her shoulder blades as the roaring sound of the Alpha's voice caught the air. It was an instinctive action, one that surprisingly showed some submission towards Darius. The eruption had been devastating to all of them, even now Kuma was positive that everyone was still feeling its' effects. They all needed their Alpha's leadership and to follow his orders, it was the only way that Vashti had any hope of recovering. The huntress knew that they would gain power and numbers again. Their spirits could be rebuilt through the Dire brute's words. Ears stayed perked upon her head, happily accepting the direction given to the group. Her optics only shifted to the face of her Alpha when she felt his blazing gaze upon her flesh. To her surprise, there was a hint of tenderness to it. Instantly her optics distanced from his face and back to her own paws. A slight flush was growing within herself.

The importance that she was experiencing radiated throughout her body. For a glimmer of time she was considered to be of some value to Vashti. Darius had the only opinion that mattered, 'Do-not-fucking-think-about-it!' her thoughts snapped within her mind, shaking off the hormonal rage within. There was no reason to take his words to mean more than they did, she was simply a body. Her head nodded slowly as the Alpha finished speaking, Kuma had no room to say anything. Words from her maw were merely a waste of energy to the brute's ears. They could say what they wanted, the huntress had to think about her own losses. All of her bitches were dead now, the group that she had trained and raised for years. The others were dead too. They would not be coming back. Her family would rebuild, but those lost would not be forgotten.

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There seemed to be very little of Vashti left. As Maglor noticed the missing elders of the pack, his ears drifted back slightly; the only ones who seemed to be back at the dens were the younger members of the pack. Of course, that would make sense seeing as they were also the most agile and did not have some of the health problems that the elders of the pack may have had. That, and they heeded mother nature's warnings better. However, Artos was likely to be missing his parents at the very least, while Maglor was happy that Mel had made it through the terror unscathed. So as Darius appealed to them to gather the dead and rebuild the pack, the beta male nodded his head in agreement. They would need to do everything that they could to rebuild the pack, especially if there were not many more remaining than what was presently at the dens. Their numbers had truly been decimated, and Darius would not be at all pleased by this. They would have to do something to make their alpha happy, or they would all suffer the consequences caused by mother nature's wrath in the form of Darius's anger.

Maglor was pleased to see that Kuma had made it through safely. While the male could not really say that he had a soft spot for the dire female, he was pleased to see that their most skilled huntress had made it through. That was a comfort to know that the one who directed their hunts would still be around to do so. What stunned Maglor the most was that Darius indicated that they would all be responsible for every duty until further notice. This must have taken the alpha quite some time to come to terms with. The alpha male had always strongly believed that the hunting was for the females and the fighting was for the males. For him to deviate from this meant that he truly felt threatened.

At least I have Mel, he thought, the comfort of his sister nestled away safely int he dens pleasing the beta wolf greatly. Though it was likely that Maglor's influence had been the only reason that Melethiel got to stay, he would fight to the death for her to remain in the pack. If their numbers were truly this low, then it would be foolish for Darius to turn her out. Truthfully, the beta worried every day that Darius would no longer see the worth in his sister and turn her away. While his loyalties laid with the pack, there was so much more at risk now that their birth pack was gone. Mel would have nowhere to go should Darius decide she was no longer worthy to remain in Vashti. The thought frightened him.

It also seemed that Darius scouted out the eastern anomaly. Though Maglor had not stuck around long enough to see the lava become a land bridge, the idea did not surprise him. He wonder what sort of terror may lay on the other side, but he dared not volunteer to scout the area without Darius coming up with the idea himself. The dire male would do what he thought was best for the pack, and Maglor had to trust him in this manner. It was his job to support the harsh wolf in all his endeavors, regardless of their disagreement over the treatment of the pack's members. They could look past that due to Maglor's undying loyalty and ability to set aside their differences. It had worked thus far. Even this trauma would not be enough to tear the pack apart.

They needed to take action, and they would all have to step up to rebuild the pack to its former glory. If that meant dragging the scroungers from around the continent in and conditioning them to live under Vashti's rules, then so be it. They would figure this out one way or another, and Darius would raise the pack back to its former glory with Maglor at his side. They could not let this little bump in the road tear the pack apart. In fact, if anything, it would make them even greater than they were. Maglor was certain of this.

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Artos looked around the group that had showed up. It was the same as on the boat. No more, no less. He had been hoping that some more would have showed up. Since they didn't, it was a sign that they must have been dead. They had better be dead if they were missing a pack meeting. There was no other excuse to miss one. That was how Artos was raised. He was born and bred here in the pack. This was the only life he had ever known. So, he knew the punishment for missing one of these meetings and to be honest, it was better to have been dead already. Still, a glimmer of hope still existed that his brother and his parents had survived and had gone to that other land mass that had been pulled up next to the Island that he had called home for his entire life.

Daruis began speaking in his demanding, commanding tone. Artos' ears perked forward as he listened to his alpha speak. Artos looked at his alpha but didn't look him in the eyes. No. Looking the alpha in the eyes wasn't acceptable. It was disrespectful. He may have gotten away with it if it had been Malgor but not with Darius. Darius would rip you a new one, if you were lucky, if you ever did that.

Darius paced and Artos's eyes followed him. The alpha took turns examining the remaining members of the pack. Artos had no doubt in him mind that his alpha would deem him unsuitable. Artos had a large ego but he also had a lot of talent. Artos was good at what he did, very good in fact. Was he the best? He'd like to think so. Did he still need to practice and continue to sharpen his skills? Hell yes he did.

Darius went on saying how the natural disaster was something that none of them could have predicted and that it had destroyed their land. Thank-you captain obvious. Artos said in his head. They all knew that their lands had been destroyed and that no one could have predicted this. Even Mel and Kuma could have figured that out on their own! Calm down. Artos told himself. He knew that he would do something stupid if he let his temper get the best of him.

Darius then continued that said their their lands had shifted. Really? I never knew. Artos thought to himself. Though he was thinking sarcastic remarks in his head, his facial expressions remained the same. He had been trained to not show any kind of emotion or even the slightest hint of distraction. Artos was focused and not paying attention to anyone else at this moment. Of course he was always alert to the surrounding environment, he wasn't paying any attention to the other members.

What was shocking was what Darius had said next. They would all being hunting and doing patrols? Artos had hardly hunted before in his life. He had no idea what to do. It was female work as far as he was concerned. And what about patrols? The females would just screw it up. They were too emotional, too sensitive to handle difficult situations that would come across at a time like this. What was Darius thinking? This was going to be difficult for them all but there was nothing they could do about it. Darius' word was the law. If he said "jump", they asked "how high?" That was how it always had been and that was how it would always be.

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OOC: Given everyone's silence IC, I'm just going to end this OOCly. Darius doesn't really have anything else to say on the matter and would have dismissed them with orders to get some rest. Thank you all for participating. Hopefully the next pack meeting will occur at a more practical time. <3

end thread.