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[Claudius Aston]

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[/html]Of those that arrived, Claudius did not recognize any of them. It seemed as though since the war, many had left. Their numbers had not been fully replenished, but it seemed as though a few more had joined the ranks of the tribe. For this, Claudius was glad. Although, he felt guilty that as he looked out at the different faces, there were none he recognized. There was one, an older wolf, who seemed to be regarding him quite thoughtfully throughout Ulilohi’s speech. Claudius wasn’t sure what to make of him; he was large, but did not seem too upset to see someone as young as Claudius taking up the mantle of leadership. He even offered his advice, to which Claudius nodded silently and slowly, rather surprised by the kind offer. It was then that he noticed a reddish puppy waiting near the older wolf. Her coat was vibrant, much like the coyotes he’d met, or a hybrid like Terra. The puppy didn’t say anything and Claudius was glad. He wasn’t sure how he would have handled a child’s questions. As he gazed out at the other faces, he saw a wolfdog watching him with an odd expression. She seemed to be deep in thought and Claudius couldn’t tell if it was good or bad.

Just as suddenly as the meeting had begun, Ulilohi bade the members farewell. As she departed, Claudius saw one familiar face: Luna. He remembered drinking tea with her in the midst of the war. He smiled hesitantly and gave her a little wave with his right hand. He was glad to see she had returned after the war. Luna then stepped forward and congratulated him, something he really had not been expecting. He also saw a slinky-looking animal bow his head and Claudius stared at the thing for a few seconds. Her spirit guide was a weasel! He wondered what she would think of his spirit guide. He knew he shouldn’t think of Gerenuk as comic relief, but the bovid really was quite silly-looking.

“Thuh-thank yuh-you, Luna,” he replied, smiling warmly. “A-a-and yuh-you, sir,” he added, as he turned to the older wolf. “I wuh-would lo-o-ove to hea-ear more of the-e-e Gre-eat Tribe… since I’ve o-on-l-y-y… heard… stories… and from everyone… really… I-I hope to… ge-e-e-t be-e-etter… a-a-acquai-ai-nte-ed… with… all of… you…” [html]

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