Let the games begin!

[Skoll]

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Charlie, come on in whenever you want your character to make an appearance. We won't get the main event started without you. Shortly after Aivyr and his guests arrived had come a second group. A big wolf, close to eight feet tall with shoulders set so wide that he appeared stocky despite his height, led a group of eight wolves down along the river toward Skoll's arena. As the massive were approached, other distinguishing features became apparent. His fur was a contrast of whites and near-blacks, with smears of grey and some lighter brown, all laid over one another into patterns that seemed to shift from dark to light as they went down his body. An eyepatch clung to the left side of his head, and a bearskin hung from his shoulders, fastened around his torso down by the collarbone. As this giant of a wolf and his seven comrades came closer, Skoll cracked a smile. "Skoll! What happened to your eyepatch!? We were supposed to be cyclopses together!" the leader boomed, and Skoll laughed lightly. "I'm sorry Jantus, but my sight wouldn't stay gone. How have you been, my friend?" Skoll patted his large friend on the back, made merry by the reunion. Jantus had been one of the leader figures of their group, alongside himself and Twilight. The bronze male had started the pursuit of the Shadow Priests, but without the help of some of these very wolves, their goals would have been unachievable. The Snow-Capped Pine, the pack to which Jantus had originally belonged, had dedicated most heavily of its fighting wolves, sending over a dozen off to war. He had been Gamma of the pack at the time, but had survived where his alpha and beta had not, and returned home the leader of the pack, or so Skoll had assumed. Those around the big warrior suggested as much. "Well, the war hit the Snow-Capped Pine hard. You know that only Samson and I returned?" Skoll nodded somberly, he had heard the reports. "We lost a lot of good men, and a few good women as well. The news of Tymara's passing struck us especially hard. We pressed on through the trials, though. The cause they died for was a worthy one, and there is no greater honor than to give one's life for the betterment of one's brothers and sisters. Their names have been carved upon a stone of reverie, as is the tradition in our land." Skoll dipped his head in a gesture of reverence. A moment later, however, Jantus became almost inappropriately jovial. "I've got to be true with you, though, Skoll, it's good to be alpha. Vera and I are hoping for pups of our own come autumn." Skoll smiled at the end, though he couldn't so quickly shed the memories of their fallen allies. Though he observed the rituals of his people, Jantus wasn't the most sympathetic, or even understanding individual. The alpha of Snow-Capped Pine proceeded to introduce his seven guests: his mate Vera as well as her two sisters as spectators, and four fighters who included his younger sisters (they were a year younger than the three year old alpha but built strong like their brother...save a half-foot shorter), and two seemingly unremarkable male fighters who were apparently friends of his younger sisters. He motioned them all into the circle with Aivyr and his guests. Of the two, Skoll had little doubt that Jantus's company would do better in the contest than Aivyr's, though the old warrior thought that Aivyr would win any match with one of Jantus's guests, though definitely not Jantus himself. It was as they were passing him that Matrix, her brother, and a gaggle of children descended upon him. He had never seen her so happy. He had thought that leaving home at her age had to be hard on her, but her hardened facade had allowed him to dismiss such thoughts. The sight of her jubilance made him happy. Acknowledging Niyol as well, he turned to the three smaller creatures that had tagged along behind their sister, kneeling down to their level. "I can't say I've had the pleasure. I'm Skoll, a friend of your mom's." As he was introduced to Twilight and Apache's latest litter, a smile as he had not shown in years was clear on his face. Turning up to look at the still standing Matrix, he shook his head. "Your parents are still helping people find their way in without cutting through any claimed territory. From what I've heard, there should be another group or two coming along, and then your parents will be with us and we can get this started." He rose from his kneel and looked north to see any new comers in the distance. ~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.

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