I am super sorry for the delay! 300+ words.

Nádherné stared at the doggish man, nostrils flaring at the intrusion to his sizable makeshift stable. Vigilante had decided that today was a good day to tidy up the inside, so he had turned the blood bay stallion loose. Unfortunately, the stallion was less than amused by the sight of the King kneeling in his stable, and that was making things difficult. Vigilante finally stood, emerald eyes glaring at the stallion, though it was not real anger or annoyance. The man and horse had a strange relationship. Vigilante did not ride Nádherné, and he did not use him for anything. Generally, the stallion stayed by the house, something he did of his own choosing. His homemade stable did not even have a door. The relationship between them was one of friends, he supposed, though he did not quite know if that was an appropriate description. Really, he just took care of the horse, because the horse had chose him ages ago.

"Fine," he said, brushing at his knees some as he stood, knowing that there was a bit of dirt on both of them from kneeling for so long. "You win. I will let you be." Vigilante ran a hand down the stallion's nose, an affectionate gesture for the stallion that he still found so mysterious. Leaving Nádherné to do whatever it was that he did when he was alone in the back yard, the doggish man entered the house through the back door. He did not get very far down the hallway before a knock sounded at his door. Without a moment's hesitation, the King changed his direction to the front door. When he opened it, he recognized the woman from the meeting, though he was unsure of her name. "Hello," he said pleasantly, curious to know the reason for the visit. It was not often that he had visitors at his house.

300+ words.

It was rare for anyone to seek him out at home, though he supposed that it would be different now, considering his new position in the pack. Before, he had been the Constable, someone known but whose duties were mainly regarding the protection and security of the pack. He had remained someone that was not of immediate interest to most of the pack members, as far as he was aware. Of course that would change now that he was the King, but it still came as a surprise. He took it as a sign that, at the very least, this member accepted him as the new leader. There had been no open objections at the meeting, but he could not help but harbor the mild concern that problems would arise. He knew that many of the pack members were very fond of and very loyal to Jacquez, and to have his dethroning announced by the new King could have easily angered some of the members. It seemed that it hadn't, thankfully.

"Absolutely," he said, holding the door open for her. "My mate and adopted daughter are not at home, but we could talk inside if you would like, or outside if you would prefer, though my stallion is out back and he is none too pleased that I just cleaned his stable," he admitted with a chuckle. Still, the back deck had a table and chairs, worn from the weather and the decades without the humans, but still usable. He would leave the decision-making up to her, however, as he did not know if she would want to leave her own horse outside unsupervised, or if she would even feel comfortable inside his home. Some considered it imposing, though he thought that if he invited her in, then it certainly was not.

Slight PP, hope it is okay! If not, let me know. And sorry, very short.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Anann." He paused, unsure of whether or not she knew his name. "I'm Vigilante Haskel... I'm really not sure if I properly introduced myself to everyone that the meeting, I'm afraid. Out back is fine," he said, leading the way to the back door and exiting, holding the door for her. As they stood on the porch, Nádherné glanced at them briefly, snorting in what most would perceive as discontent. Vigilante, however, knew that it was just the stallion's way of greeting them. The dog King moved down the three steps from the deck, running his hand down the horse's nose. "This is Nádherné," he said, "and he decided one day to follow me here. We have a very... Odd relationship, I suppose." Vigilante chuckled, before turning to her again. "Does your horse often wander?" He did not see a problem with it, exactly, but it did seem a bit strange that he had just taken off.

I know. :o So many! WotD: Fathom. 300+ words.

Nádherné sniffed the strange woman's hand, but that was the extent of their contact. He nudged Vigilante's shoulder roughly, a strange and fond greeting for the luperci, before he moved away from the two of them, having already grown bored with their presence. The two were close, but they both tended to leave on another alone, and that seemed to suit Nádherné just fine. The dog mutt shook his head half-heartedly as he watched the stallion stalk away from them. The horse certainly had a mind of his own and an occasionally abrasive personality. Their bond was different than the bond shared between Haven and Drogon, certainly. For one thing, Drogon seemed to actually listen to what Haven had to say. Nádherné probably could not have cared less.

Vigilante moved back on to the porch, gesturing the chairs for Anann to sit and relax. He would sit after she did, as was only proper. In response to her question, he shook his head. "No, I don't. I think that might be part of what is odd about our relationship. I do not ride, and have no intentions of doing so, and I do not use him for any working purposes, either. I suppose he just... Lives here, and we're friends." He idd not know how to explain it at all, but he did enjoy the relationship he shared with the stallion. He could not fathom why the horse had chosen to follow him home that day, but he was very happy that Nádherné had.

Judging from what she had said, he could only assume that she had not been a member of the pack for more than a few months, at best. "How are you liking the pack?" he inquired, curious to know what she thought of living here.

♥ WotD: Macabre! 300+ words.

"I think he appreciates it, as well," was all that he said in response. Though he had no proof of the sentiment, Vigilante did not expect that the stallion would stay with him if he were not treated as an equal with the utmost respect. Nádherné would not tolerate being treated as anything less, absolutely, and the caramel-colored King could not ever see himself treating the stallion as anything less than a trusted equal, either.

The Haskel man listened to what she had to say intently, jade eyes studying her while she spoke, dark ears absorbing each word as they were vocalized. He always focused on what the others were saying in a conversation, but it had become even more important to him now, if possible, that he had risen to the respected rank of King. Most seemed to enjoy not having to do anything specific, but he could understand the restlessness that came with sitting by idlely. "Have you considered picking up a co-rank to have a more specific sense of duty? We have many, and if you enjoy working with the horses, I'm sure Heath would appreciate the help. He is a good man." He did not have the problems with Heath that their former King did.

A faint smile graced his muzzle, and he took a moment to consider the question. Truthfully, it was still a strange sensation to realize that Jacquez was truly gone and he had been accepted as the King. "When Jacquez originally asked me to step into the rank of Constable, he had told me it was because he wanted a strong, physically, leader. He was missing an arm, and Ruri is blind. He said that I was level-headed and strong and would make a good leader. I like to think that I have lived up to his expectations, and then some." Certainly Jacquez had never expected Vigilante to usurp him, but it had been unavoidable, given the circumstances. "Being here as the leader of the pack is much different than what I had originally expected," he admitted, thoughts turning to his macabre history, "but I enjoy it. Now, I would not trade it."

Late Meghann is late! xD; 300+ words.

The newly-crowned King listened with interest as she spoke of the skills she posessed, some of them surprising him. He did not know her well at all, of course; before now, only by name. However, he had not expected her to have much interest in swords, if only because it was something not many worked with here. He knew that Haven did, but otherwise, he had never seen anyone using a sword. It was something he did not see often, which was likely the only reason it surprised him the slightest bit. "You seem well-versed in many things," he mused. "Perhaps you might find that you enjoy teaching others about your skills?" Aside from listing every single co-rank the pack had, he did not know how he could help her find something suitable, but he could give her ideas. "If there is anything that interests you, perhaps there is a job similar, or one could be created for you." Making a new and official duty based on something she was interested in was not impossible.

He found is comforting to know that Anann thought him suitable for the job. "I think it is better to hear it from those that don't know you well," he admitted, considering the idea. "Those that know you well want to make you happy, or they want to support you. Those that don't know you... If there is something unfitting, they don't seem to worry about pointing it out. It's so different from where I come from," he added ruefully. The idea of letting the words settle on just that, however, did not sit well with him. The statement left it too open-ended, and questions could be asked. Now that he was the King, though, he wondered if it was even acceptable to be vague about his past. He frowned slightly, then decided to ask her a question to direct the conversation. "What was it that brought you here?" Well, it was not much of a way to alter the course of the conversation, but it was enough of one to satisfy the dog mutt of a King.

300+ words.


That reminds me that I never.... answered a PM I remember getting. As for the Reeve co-rank, I think any thread with a pack member/about a pack where she learns anything would count as a thread? :3

Vigilante had taken some time before he had decided he wanted to learn to work with metal, and it had been even longer before he had felt comfortable asking for the official co-rank of being a Blacksmith. He was not concerned that she would never find her job. "You'll find something you enjoy doing officially, I'm sure, although you could always be a jack of many trades, so to speak, if you enjoy it." As it had always been stated, it was not required for members of the Miracles pack to do much to live there. Vigilante was not as lenient as Jacquez had been in regards to this—he felt that the pack's members should do what they could to pull their own weight and then some—but it was not as pressing here as with other packs.

The King grimaced inwardly. "I suppose that's also very possible, though I hope I am considered approachable about things." Vigilante did not want to think that his pack members were afraid to bring up any concerns with him. He tried very hard to make himself available to his pack members, and he was willing to try even harder if it was necessary. Anann was proof enough that there were at least some pack members who did not know him well who were still able to approach him easily. That pleased him a good bit, indeed.

"That is very respectable," he said. "There are many who do as they're told without much thought, and it is honorable that you chose not to fight for something you did not believe in. Are you happy with the decision you made?" That was the most important part, of course, and he hoped that she did not regret it. It was not worth living with regrets. He knew this personally.

Same. >_>; We could prolly wrap up soon?

Nothing more was seemingly needed to be said about her finding a job within the pack, so Vigilante allowed the subject to drop as she did. Everyone found what they were meant to do with time. He had been born and bred to kill sinners, and though he believed what he had done was right, he was now meant to lead this pack of misfits and mutts, drawn together by a wayward former King who had just as quickly abandoned them. This was nothing that he could have expected for himself, but Vigilante had found that he was happy in the position he had seemingly fallen into. The King could not imagine going backwards now. He was glad, as well, to hear that she found him approachable. "Thank you for telling me that," he responded honestly. It meant a great deal to hear it spoken aloud by someone who hardly knew him.

He nodded as she spoke, processing the words and even relating them to his own life. It was a similar situation in that he had worked his way through his regrets, making his way through them so that they no longer plagued him. "It is important to be comfortable with your decisions in life, even if it means moving past your regrets," or at least, it always had been for him. Eyes of knowing jade moved across the yard, settling on the form of his stallion once more. They had found one another and he suspected that having the horse to care for had helped him move away from his past.

works for me~

The regret and pain he had felt after Martyr's sacrifice had been an extremely heavy burden for him. The regret was for himself for listening to what he had been raised to believe, and the pain for knowing that she had wanted that end so that she might end the troubles her son was causing. It had been in vain, though, hed learned this past winter when Lolita had found him. Pello had not changed in the least, and rather, got worse. That had reopened the wound, but he had always done what he felt was better for the whole. It had been his upbringing. What he wanted had little to do with it, had never even affected it in the least.

The King listened intently as she spoke, taking in what she said while keeping his expression as calm as possible, a faint smile present. Inwardly, he was incredibly pleased knowing that she felt that way. Jacquez had been well-liked by many of the pack's members, that was for certain, even if he had not been the most responsible of kings. The caramel-colored dog hoped that other pack members felt the same way as Anann, and he also hoped they might share such thoughts with him. "Thank you. That means a great deal to me," the Haskel man said, speaking honestly. "I am glad you came by today so that we could speak like this. It was a pleasure."