OoC: ...and more rambling. C:
Slay was settled comfortably alongside Cercelee, lazily watching the wolves in the pack shuffle in. Not everyone had attended their last pack hunt, as exciting as it had been; and this was his first chance meeting a handful of the luperci. Whereas the white-furred Rosea perched atop a bench, adding height to her sleight frame, Slay sprawled out on the stones below her, relaxing on the ground beneath her paws. He felt much more at ease these days, unconcerned with rank and duty. Perhaps it was just another phase of hedonism, but the big arctic male was quite comfortable hanging out at home, puttering about the big church and dreaming up plans for the future that would probably never happen. The flirtatious male was surprisingly happy at being tied down, so to speak. Now it was merely amusing to him to listen to Cercelee play leader, speaking in that false-warm tone she used whenever on "official business". Knowing how impish and playful the girl could be when she was in private somewhat spoiled the illusion she spun as the "responsible adult", but he wouldn't call her out. She might nip him on the ear for that, like she had at Flayra's farewell. His pale eyes sparkled with mischief as he studied the wolves that filed in around them.
As Cercelee's speech continued, she announced their official mateship, pausing for a moment to grin at him. He caught a smirk from Kol, the dark female he had befriended in the orchard, and smiled sheepishly, letting his black-dipped tail thump pleasantly against the cold ground. "It's true, you know. Sorry, ladies! Better luck next time around..." Okay, so he might get an earful from Cer afterwards for being sassy, but hey, she should expect that by now. He didn't have a reason to be awkward at meetings anymore. He felt a small pang of guilt, though - Susquehanna. The meeting with the herbalist had not been that long ago, but he had not mentioned it to his mate. Hanna had admitted that she loved Slay, but of course it was too late for anything to be done about it. He hated that he had broken her heart - him, of all people. Love was such a sticky business... Cer continued smoothly to her next topic, about following the laws and whatnot, and Slay tuned out. He was noticing a few new characters out in the sea of faces that struck him as a bit unfriendly. He didn't know it yet, but they were Svara's mother and Ril'o's brother, two of the less savory pack members. His gaze lingered for a second more, and then the moment was forgotten as his musical friend Mew spoke.
"Lubomir and I are next in line, Mew," Slay rumbled lightly. "If we need another council member, I'm guessing it'll be either of us." That was thought-provoking, actually. Slay had automatically assumed that the position would go to Lubomir, but seeing as how the greyscale male was now mated to Mew, would that be fair to Firefly? Then again, she was mated to the Lilium... and if the council position went to Slay for some god-forsaken reason, he was mated to the Rosea! The powerplay was confusing. It seemed like Cwmfen was the only one without an extra stake in the leadership (little did he know of her affections for Haku). Shaking his ruff, he let his chin settle onto his paws, waiting for someone else to chime in.
The next to speak up was a shy girl who looked startlingly similar to Haku, speak of the devil. At the name "Colibri", his ebony-daubed muzzle lifted, curiously studying this newcomer. He of course had known Colibri Soul, the introverted white wolf who had helped found the pack before abandoning it to Cercelee. This new, younger Colibri had the same uncomfortable demeanor as the former Rosea, as though she did not want to be around others, but there was fear in her actions as well. "Coli", though - that was Cer's friend, the one she thought was lost forever! She looked like a single gust of wind would shatter her - what a fragile little thing. Cer said Haku had wronged her in some way. She certainly looked haunted enough, poor dear. Still, he hoped that the girl's father had the decency to apologize for whatever-it-was... although he knew his own father would rather die than go back on his word, even after locking his own son up from the world, trying to use his sleep disorder to his own twisted advantage. What a bastard. He offered Coli a small smile, a gesture of acceptance. It was good that the girl had found a home so soon.
I've got soul but I'm not a soldier
