[Event] Emergency Meeting

Words could not describe just how hard the white matriarch had to control herself to hold back a smile as the events before her unfolded. The way that this new presence in the clearing caused such a disturbance, it was quite amusing to say the least. A connoisseur of punishment and violence, Artemis waited, yearning for the outraged auburn Queen to rush forward, to tear into this new fool and her lackey. Watching the more troublesome of her own pack tear into each others’ pelts in a clash of snarls and yowls was already entertaining on its own. But watching wolves from another pack rip each other apart, especially those who called themselves Leaders? The image sent a pleasurable ripple down her spine.

A tinge of disappointment creeped through her as the present brute stepped between the flying sparks, her maw just barely shifting into more of a frown than before. Golden eyes flicked towards this sandy brown she-wolf, gaze narrowing. Internally, a part of her almost felt what she said underneath her pelt. She was not wrong; change was in the air, but not just in terms of the packs themselves. The change of rulers often did mean a shift in the wind, and the same could be said for her own pack. She hadn’t been the Leader for very much time, but this did not mean that she couldn’t bend those below her to her will. And she would. And, just as this other tool had spoken aloud, those who didn’t accept change would be lost to it.

As the conversation continued, her golden eyes remained trained on the Au’Dar dogs, gaze almost uninterested but listening more out of duty than desire. The name that they spoke was not familiar to her, but context clues suggested that this Xanfried was the previous Centurion. She didn’t personally indulge herself in knowledge of the rise and fall of power within the other packs, so the why or how that wolf was not present held no importance to her. In addition, she had never met the previous Centurion, nor had she met the Vertok King or Queen prior to today. So the meeting would have held no difference in importance, regardless of who had been here. Her expression remained almost bored as the she-wolf spoke of how this other wolf was dead and that the Au’dar were “ushering in a new era”, as she put it. She rolled her eyes at the fact that this tramp seemed to be talking herself up as though her now leading that pack of idiots was some life-changing event. Somehow the white she-wolf doubted that much would change, especially from an outside point of view.

An air of surprise, or maybe just slight shock, crossed the Suit’s face as she stared at what played before her. This now named Akala seemed to shift her body into a tighter and larger position, chin lifted and eyes narrowed, with her voice taking on a more authoritative tone. The bird who accompanied her, who up until this point she had barely taken to memory, perched behind her and openly outstretched his wings as though on cue. The way she introduced herself, how she raised her voice, how her little pet seemed to be trained in visual performance, how she almost seemed to think that she was making herself look so mighty……

It was hysterical. So much, in fact, that the large white monarch burst into audible laughter. One leg bent, placed at her stomach as it began to slightly ache from amusement. Her head lowered slightly, eyes closing for just a minute through the rumbling of her body. Even I could have done better than that without the need for some fancy living centerpiece behind me.

The lack of proper lighting, the hardly notable scenery, the presence of some random insignificant onlooker in the background, the use of a far-less-than-impressive ugly fowl as some sort of dramatic framing. All poorly used by a wolf who was not only smaller and a bit scrawnier than herself, but also seemed to have the absolute max amount of confidence from what attention they assumed this little show would bring forth. It was one of the funniest things she had ever seen in her life. Even watching the almighty Draek, a now ex-member of her pack, go bolting out of camp with blood pouring down his face from the ear she had torn off with his tail between his legs, yowling the whole way out of the territory, was nothing compared to this. It was amazing, honestly.

As her laughter began to cool down, her eyes, full of hilarity, turned to this new Centurion, her head shaking a tad.

“I was aware that the Au’Dar were known for being fanciful cretins with their little pets and their elaborate ceremonies, but to know that they are so theatrical and dramatic as well? My my, has this valley has gone to shit.” She took a deep breath before her gaze, still flecked with enjoyment, turned to face the Vertok Leaders, ears far more attentive both mentally and physically to what the King began to say.

“Indeed, ‘to some degree’. Though I do believe that some are more fortunate than others.” The leftover smile from her guffaw remained, almost shifting in a smug direction. The Sanzin had water. They had a whole ocean at their disposal. Granted, the water was salty, and at times it almost made it feel as though it made the thirst worse. But even water full of salt was far greater than no water at all.

Her gaze narrowed, ears flicking at his words. A solution? That was what he wanted?

“And what sort of solution would you propose to solve our problem? It is not as though the packs can bring back the rain by some miracle. We do not have the power of gods, not even the faux prophet in our midst.” She did not turn to look at Akala, but a part of her reveled in the fact that the other she-wolf was hopefully fuming at the shame she brought upon herself.

"Speaking." Thinking.

Out of the corner of her eye, the Suitess had caught sight of a twist and a growing tenseness in the Au’Dar Centurion, which brought forth a small smile to her face. The measure of power was lost in the eye of the beholder. Where one would say that power is found in physical strength, another would argue that it is found in speed, or size, or willpower. Or intelligence. But, when one thinks of themselves superior in power to others, they grow cocky. In their eyes, a fanciful display of themselves is all it takes to prove that they are a dominant being. It was astounding, really, how foolish those blind to their own confidence could be in the presence of actual power. As golden eyes flicked back to the Vertok King and Queen, a small smirk remained in the corner of the white giant’s maw. You will learn soon enough who truly holds the power of this valley.

Though Artemis listened to what the opposing Queen had to say, a part of her almost wanted to laugh again. These wolves expected members from each of the packs to travel together? The displays shown between the Leaders within this circle had already given one another a taste of what that situation would be like. The packs did not get along, and all of them knew this. Yet somehow these two believed that banding some of their own together would wield positive results? She did not laugh, nor did her previously amused smile grow, but a hint of doubt flashed through her gaze, more or less a comical doubt.

The Vertok King rose from his paws, making a new announcement. The smile fell from Artemis’ face and her gaze narrowed. A new group? What was this, a party with free invitations? It wasn’t as though Artemis was a strict rule-follower; she couldn’t have cared less about the age-old laws set in place for these meetings. It was just a tad ironic that right after the dramatic Centurion had been scolded for bringing a plus one, now it seemed yet another extra with no right to the meeting was being brought forth. Hypocritical.

Her sharp gaze followed that of the Vertok leaders, finding a multi-colored brown she-wolf push through the brush surrounding them. She was a larger wolf, smaller than Artemis but still decently sized, and she brandished a hefty set of scars along her jaw. Though scars, in her own eyes, were in fact a mark of one's durability, she would save judgement on this newcomer for later. Scars didn’t always connect back to stories of worthiness.

Even though she had said to herself that she wouldn’t immediately judge this new she-wolf, that disappeared rather quickly. A ‘guild’? What the hell was that? If glorifying the word pack was any key to what to expect from this new addition, she had a feeling it wasn’t much to be interested in.

Though she wasn’t entirely interested in what this Timber had to say, she listened anyway, her attention only really catching when she made mention of a dam in the mountains. Her ears flicked, considering the possibility, and though in her mind her first thought was ‘if I sent some of my wolves, there would be no need for anyone else’s presence’, she did not speak aloud. Her eyes parted from this brown wolf, looking in the distance at nothing in particular, thinking.

On one paw, she had seen beaver dams, and oftentimes they were not exactly huge. If this wolfess had come to this meeting with the idea of some tiny dam in the mountains providing water for all of them, she was even more idiotic than intially thought. Then again, coming into a meeting of pack Leaders as a complete stranger in itself was a pretty bold move for an outsider. It would make sense that she would come with information that could actually benefit them. It did cross her mind…if what she said was true and there was a large dam holding back water, it would be very beneficial to investigate it and try to break it. And, if in the end the rumor was false or the dam was too tiny to be noteworthy, those she would send on this patrol could merely kill those who had given the false information.

“And you believe that this rumored dam would be restricting enough water to provide for multiple packs?” Her voice was laced with doubt in this plan, as were her eyes that landed on the new wolf again. But, she knew what the plan would be regardless of her answer. And that was enough for her.

"Speaking." Thinking.