Thrain does not pride on being late; having had been caught somewhat unawares on the furthers slopes of their borders, feeling the urge to undertake a patrol not long before Morrigan had summoned. So, his taut ribcage is well-oiled with the rise and fall of a slight pant as he arrives upon the meeting.

Pinpointing his family in the group, the gentry seeks to come up alongside @Léonie, aiming a mischievous and inconspicuous nip of his incisors as the soft spot by her flank; entirely unable to not seek her contact when presented with merely her presence.

ART COPYRIGHT ZODIAC / CODE COPYRIGHT ANALESE

Where @Alette cowered in the faces of so many, her tawny sister presents herself before the toes of @Talisa with a stern gaze and furrowed brow; fuelled by the feeling of unease from her dark sister and @Fearne, the tiny toddler expands in the face of non-existent threat.

With her elbows perked outwards of her childish body her lungs fill with the thin, mountain air; an oceanic glower peering across the many faces gathered, taking up her stance of try me if you dare somewhere in front of her Mumma. Small as she may be, Felipa's heart is mighty and her baby-ego strong.

_{— CODE}

"Hola! Hooola!" Young Apollo waltzed across the rocky prideland with a prince's grin, ignoring how blatantly late he was compared to the bulk of their family. He studied all those colorful lions with interest as he walked, picking out unique patterns and pelts and hues of all kinds. He likely could have sat there for hours just studying the different ways there were to be an Illyrian lion.

Picking out one of the largest and darkest manes in the crowd, Apollo slipped up to his father's side with that same flashing grin and an attempted shove at his brother.

"Oh no, Lucía loses," he snickered under his breath.

---

|| november y10 | five months | IS cub | at illyria summit | @Scorpius @Leonidas ||

code by scorpixia♡︎

you made your
sceptre with the
bones you've broken

Morrigan had tried once to shelter her children fiercely against the knowledge of the grim and gory world below, and it had only served to shatter and scatter those children from her. She would not make that mistake again, not if she might never have a living chance to apologize for it as she had done with @Virgil. As she heard @Talisa begin to usher the youngest brood along behind, she would not change what she wished to say today. Let them see their inheritance in its whole. @Yavanna, @Alvena, and @Faelyn all drift in like the white and grey autumn clouds above, followed by @Roan and his own progeny, @Hero.

@Isla ♔ joined her fellow rulers while @Eskel mercifully helped herd the children, as any good father would. Because though the dark knight may not have believed himself as such, Morrigan had already happily found a place for him in her heart and home. A mix of her own children and @Jafar's came next, just before the Casales patriarch. He joined @Mateo and @Valeria as Morrigan looked to her now-yearlings with a smile of obvious pride at them both. She had not forgotten the signifigance of this day, but nor would the gods, and her smile faltered ever so slightly as she was reminded of the choice that now lay before @Lavender and @Radahn.

"Happy birthday, meine lieben," my loves, she would say all the same, loud enough for others to hear if they were listening. For the consequences of her own actions be damned, today would be a celebration for many things, for the good far outweighed the bad. @Alette clung to her wife's side, wide-eyed as Morrigan brushed her tail soothingly toward her as her eldest daughter arrived, followed shortly after by her granddaughter. She dipped her head in welcome to both @Cassandra and @Eisa, as well as to @Dumah as he joined Jafar. @Fearne's small woah behind her causes a small smirk as the cubs see the kingdom for its glory as more and more arrive.

@Diomedeidae is greeted with warmth and hope that perhaps she intends to rejoin them here, "Hallo, Dio," she returns the shy greeting, hoping to make the young cleric know just how welcome she is. @Capucine joins her and is followed by the now much grown figure of @Inigo, whom Morrigan thinks she recalls from the birth she had attended with his unique markings and tail. He joins his presumed grandfather as well and Morrigan is reminded once again just how much of her strength she owes to the Casales patriarch and his legacy. @Zahra, her steadfast lead scout in given a warm smile as her ruby figure arrives.

@Sedona and @Scorpius join them, the latter looking far better than she had last seen him, followed by what the Greyflood could only assume was their own young brood in @Güell, @Leonidas, and @Apollo, though once joined by @Amandil, @Léonie, and @Thrain, Morrigan chose to just chock the lot of them up as 'Jafar's grandchildren' in her mind and wondered if that was how others felt about her own brood. There was a girl whom Morrigan did not yet recognize as well, her markings reminiscent of a bird she thought as she gave a small smile to @Muriel, trying not to let her split lip stretch too far over her fangs in case it was unsettling.

@Flip joined them for all the world looking like a tiny ball of fluffy wrath, her Valour blue eyes a sea of defiance as she seemed to refused to be balked by the amassed Illyrians. Morrigan presumed there would be stragglers as she cleared her throat and began. "I first wish to get the worst part of this meeting over with so we might focus on what is important, a bit of revelry before winter's embrace." She looked out at all of them as she continued, her eyes steel cold and serious, "The pact I made between myself and the Saxe beast is personal and the next time anyone places the value of my life higher than the ideals of the Summit... I will break the truce myself and hunt him down."

She paused to let just how serious she was sink in for anyone who might need to hear it again. "You will never be more bound to me than to your own freedoms, including your own desires for vengeance and justice," she looked to Cassandra with the last words, knowing her daughter yearned to take back what belonged rightfully to the natives. "There are no chains on this mountain." And with a final dismissive nod she would continue, "Now, on to the important part. Boring parts first, we have ranks to fill. Sedona has already shown her skill with healing, and is now officially being asked to take the position of Lead Medic."

She looked the the young woman for her answer before asking her next, "I would ask the same of Roan for the position of Lead Advisor?" She knew very well whom had last held that position and what it would mean, but Roan had always been a steady force in every situation. "@Eskel, should you do me the honor, the position of Lead Hunter is yours. Alvena, for our Storyteller, maybe you could grace us with your skills today perhaps? There are others who deserve rewarding as well, but we are only left with one rank of Barony to offer anyone interested. It speaks volumes that we are faced with too many deserving souls."

Morrigan would reach now to place a gentle kiss on her wife's face again, as if to say 'forgive me, please celebrate with me anyway' as she concluded their official business and leapt down from her small perch. "Finally," she would say as she began to walk through the gathered, "Whatever scores you need to settle still, do it and call it a training exercise. Walk away if not friends then comrades. Celebrate with bloodshed if you must, but my children have a birthday to celebrate, and we have another victory behind us." She looked then to the number of young felines gathered, "Speaking of children, now wouldn't be a bad time to think about mentoring some of them, eh?"

She looked to the other adults whose varied skills so well rounded out the Summit as she moved to where she had stowed a pelt full of some of the choices cuts of meats from the store, and another with the last of the years fruits from the south. Now mostly frozen yes, but that made them better to chew on she told herself. After spreading them out haphazardly, she would say, "Eat, drink, be merry before winter's chill can grasp our bones."

table by ferus, art by grav3wolf

LUCÍA

Admittedly the young girl didn't care much for meetings. They were quite boring, and the adults droned on and talked for what felt like hours. But little Lucía wasn't the only one dragging her feet, she could tell just by the way Papa @Scorpius was moving that he didn't necessarily want to be here either. Unfortunately, though she's the last to arrive which means she's the first for bath time later per @Sedona's threats. @Apollo is quick to chide her but the young girl does a small flash of her teeth, an ornery smile before she replies. "Mamá sabe que soy la más limpia, así que voy primero. Tomará horas eliminar el hedor de tu pelaje." She says with a snicker before she weaves herself in-between @Scorpius' front legs. This was the place that she was always meant to be, closest to Papa's heart of course. She leans against his right leg, sending one last glare in her brother's direction before keeping her eyes on @Morrigan.

---

¹ Mama just knows I'm the cleanest so I go first. It will take hours to get the stink out of your fur.

code by flea, art by yumpy

Fearne crawls slowly away from Talisa, just a bit until he's at his sister's side, but just a little behind her still. Flip-Flippp. He says insistently, shyly half hiding his face behind his sister's bold stance and strong shoulder. They're loud, who are they? He sks of the Miro-Casales children across the way from them. Fearne couldn't keep his eyes (at least the part peering out from around the protective shield that was @Flip) off of them or their antics. He didn't quite understand what they were saying all of the time but it looked a lot like when he or his siblings joked around and rough housed with each other. None of the adults, his mothers included, looked concerned so it couldn't be anything bad. But still Fearne felt struck with nerves and shyness in the face of these small strangers in particular.

Fortunate was he, that strange children was the greatest of his concerns. His mother spoke of things far more serious, deadly, and final. A gravity lost on Fearne now that he's got a more tangiable target in the area to fixate on.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

Jude follows in dutifully behind Papa @Thrain even though he'd 100% rather be sleeping right now. His gait was lazy, unhurried even when he overhead the tiny voice of @Fearne across the way proclaiming how loud their group was. And it was no fault of Fearne, it was the truth. His siblings and cousins were generally loud and obnoxious, and Jude couldn't help but send a toothy grin in the direction of the other cub and @Flip before continuing his trek through the snow next to his father. The boy would move over to @Léonie's side that wasn't already occupied by his father, leaning against her and enjoying the shared body heat before he'd hunker slightly down in the snow. Boyish brows knit together as he listens to Morrigan speak though he doesn't have a clue what she's even talking about, probably adult mumbo jumbo that he likely could care less about. Huffing a sigh he settles in, waiting for whatever his family decided to do with their time next.

code

There was a call and it sounded like it was important, but Wyn still hovered within the family den for a few extra minutes. She had no real desire to socialize but she knew that they lived in the pride, her momma was kinda important here, and if she didn't at least show up to see what was going on her momma might be disappointed. So reluctantly she would leave the warmth of the den and make her way towards the epicenter. There was a large crowd already gathered but Wyn decided to plow through the snow on the outskirts of the gathering. The young girl would dig herself a little burrow in the snow between some boulders and hunker down, making herself as small as possible as her gaze focused on Morrigan. Immediately she recognized her as the Queen (having seen her at big brother's fight briefly) and her attention remained focused on her, for now at least. She did her best to remain hidden though, not wanting to have to speak to anyone. She was here, that should have counted for something.

*Wyn is attempting to hide!

 
[assassin exp/doubled - to be claimed at 1 yr]
+10 - Practice stealth
+20 - Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread

table by cala

He slips in, fashionably late.

He weren't much for prides and the idea of gatherin' to be talked at didn't really leave room to look forward to it. Still, though, he comes -- if only for his friend. Might as well see what was happening, right? A little gossip never hurt anyone. He manages to sneak in before morrigan officially begins, settling in at @Dumah's side -- greeting the younger man with a lopsided flash of fangs.

hope ya don't mind.

Assumin' he weren't shooed away, doe settles in and listens -- struck strangely by the topic. He was missin' an awful lot of content for the warrior queens words, but really it didn't matter. Weren't like he was gonna pipe up and ask for clarification. The mention of a feast, though, was enough to keep his ass in the seat; that, at least, was right up his alley.

code; background; art;

The massive size of the pride is very evident, as everyone begins to gather. Eskel takes a seat, to the edge of things- with enough space for any cubs who wish to sit near him. His pink gaze lifts to Morrigan as she begins speaking, and he considers her words carefully. His own gaze traveled to Cassandra as the Queen spoke to her daughter- and he wondered if she would soon make a move to get the Brook back in the rightful paws. He listens as Sedona is named for Lead Medic, and Roan for Lead Advisor- his eyes seeking those lions out, in case they reacted to the offers and then his own name is mentioned.

Eskel's posture straightened, his eyes widening in surprise. He dipped his head to her. "I would be honored." He spoke, though his words were soft they were anything but unsure. He would let his confidence show, and when she asked about mentors, he offered. "I can mentor in the art of stealth and hunting, to any who wish to learn."

@Morrigan

ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY LARS