OOC NOTE: This is the drowning ceremony of Myrkvi, Voluspa, Rasmus and Hrefna. Family (Sigrún and Skagos) are the ONLY ones openly invited. Pride members are also free to spy, but outright intervention and blatant ogling will probably piss Magnus off as he will be ~lost in the sauce~. Please also bear in mind that we will not be adhering to general posting order once all four kids are in, as we want to try and avoid limbo as best we can, but of course just be considerate of others if your character is addressing theirs, and don't skip them, yadda yadda etc etc you get the jist.

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It was time.

Magnus had been increasingly restless over the coming days; the approaching birthday of his children weighed heavily on him, as he expected it did @Nadia. And so he would rise with the dawn, swiftly leaving his den and offering loud, urging calls for his kin to attend. All of them; not just Nadia and the children, though ultimately if it just ended up being them it would not matter so much. Drownings were a family affair, though - he felt that the more of his kin were present, the more grounded he would feel. Some days - most, truthfully - he felt they were his tether to reality; perhaps, if they had not been here to weigh him down, he would have sunk into the stormy depths and into Vellen's waiting jaws months ago.

How much easier that would have been.

The titan slowed to a halt by the edge of the shoreline, studying the waves. As expected, as hoped, the weather was on their side today. The sea had been calm for days prior, but on this particular morning a storm seemed to be brewing. He awaited them. And so, tight-jawed, he would remain standing - he would not sit, could not sit - staring out at the sea as he waited for them. Waited for @Myrkvi, @Voluspa, @Rasmus and @Hrefna, just as he waited for the rest of the clan.

Magnus would not dare admit it, but his stomach was in knots.

@Desdemona @Saga @Draugr @Úlla @Steinar @Svana @Brigid @Hákon @Sjórbjörn @Embla @Ragna @Zélie (I'm really sorry if I've missed anyone, yikes)

irish

The second drowning of the Sigrun children was something that Ulla looked forward to. When once Vellen was just a voice, he now would surface as the great tides that would give testament to the strength of those born beneath his banner. And if they were not chosen, were not strong enough, then Vellen would take them as his. Truthfully, Ulla didn't wish for her nieces and nephews to be taken. But this was Vellen's sea and he commanded it. She was the first to arrive and the first to pick her spot, just close enough to watch but far away enough as to not intrude. @Magnus looked calm and Ulla wondered if, right now, he was feeling any bit of regret. The children drowning will be his and if they should not come back...well it was best not to think about it lest it come true. Ulla is observing!

code by corvus | image by rabbit

the call is not for him. neither is this ritual, truly, but he feels the pull regardless. he is no stranger to drowning, after all, and the storm was in his blood. the lagoon's white sands seem almost too petite for today's ritual — the sky too clear, the wind too calm. a storm was coming, true, but it paled in comparison to the shore-wrecking things that ruled nethelus. another thing that the sigrun have gotten wrong, he thinks. the border markers do little to stop him as he lets himself in, not quite beckoned forward. this was their day but he is keen to see if magnus, too, fumbles this ritual. he is curious to know if the big, white bear had simply done it wrong or if they all had the same misguided ideals. the skagos man knows the answer to that, truly, but he comes regardless. a small group already is gathered and he settles a small distance away from them — othered, even in this. drawing himself up to his full height, then, gaze keen from a fair distance away. he frowns as he waits, judgement clear in his expression and wonders, idly, if his mother would be proud.

code by irish & art by tanzani

Like an obedient moth to the flame, Svana rose to answer the call of her older brother, one that seemed far more important in its insistence than just a mere summoning. Such thoughts were solidified the moment she arrived upon the clamoring beach of the Lagoon, seeing the stormy rage of the sea at her brother’s back, and the familiarity of it drew forth a cold and clammy feeling to her flesh. Ah, it was that time. An ugly grimace twisted itself inside of her as she moved to find herself a place amongst the ranks, her gaze that felt suddenly sickened spotting the looming figures of @Úlla and then @Hákon, choosing to pick a spot between them both to sit. Her attention would divert itself for a moment to offer the Skagos and her older sister a light greeting, a silent, cordial incline of her head to both before it would return itself to the affair at hand.

She knew it was eventual, inevitable that her nieces and nephews would undergo the same ritual all Sigrun did when they reached the age. It would be the same for their children, for her own if she were ever to have any, and yet even armed in the knowing it was how things were, she could still not loosen the knot ever tightening within the pit of her stomach. The memory of her own drowning was still so vivid in her mind, of how close she herself had come to being nothing to Vellen but fodder, and she felt that same anxiety coiling around her as her split tails that served a constant reminder; she had almost lost herself to the sea. She could remember every bit of it; the water replacing the oxygen in her lungs, the slowing of her own heartbeat a thrum in her ears, and the way darkness had begun to overtake her vision. A tiny shudder rippled up her spine, a slight quivering of the skin that seemed as if a ghost itself had touched her and gone just as sudden as it had come. They were stronger children than she had been, more concrete in their faith of their god. They would be fine. Her eyes flicked to Magnus, beholding the same stone of a countenance he always wore, and yet, she wondered if such a thing would be broken today. He was always the rock, one that kept this family grounded and maintained as a Jarl should, but even the most hardest of hearts are capable of splintering apart.

black moons in those eyes of hers

as vicious and dark as the sea

code by corvus

She has not been asked here -- she is not invited. Beelzebub knows what a call for family is, and knows that she is the furthest thing from it, but her curiosity surmounts it. She has so many questions about the lions that have come to her home, and why they wanted it so badly; she can tell well enough that they have a love for the ocean, and despite their disdain for the Dieudonne, she recognizes that it was not about her. It wasn't about any of them, really. She knows every path of the Lagoon now -- she has walked them many times before, and so she knows which ones offer more cover in the thick underbrush. Beelzebub skirts quietly around the territory, keeping low and moving slowly so as not to draw any attention to herself. When she reaches the edge of the tree-line, she comes to rest in the thick cover of the bushes, her curious gaze peering out from between the breaks in the leaves. They all seem to be gathering at the water's edge, but for what, she cannot yet begin to fathom. What a surprise she's about to be in for. beelzebub is hidden

True to her name, Echo trails behind her sister as the call is sounded. She too is curious and like @Beelzebub, she wants to know more about the lions that had wrested control of their new home. With her previous wounds healed, Echo is back to her mud-covered ways and today she may as well be a ghillie suit. It's not that she had prepared to sneak up on anyone today in this way, she had just missed the lagoon waters and had spent much of the morning swimming. As she got out, her wet form attracted the small twigs and ferns that stick to her form with a healthy coating of sand mixed in. Things that could easily be washed off by the water-loving girl later on when whatever cryptic meeting was about to happen was ajourned.

She sidles up beside Bee, not quite touching (she is sure her sister would not appreciate her current slime), but close enough to feel the anticipation radiate from her larger sister's form.

Echo is hiding

It is early when the call reaches her ears and yet Nadia has already been awake for hours. The woman could not sleep, her stomach was a jumbled ball of knots as she awaited the voice of her husband on the cool air. Her eldest children had reached their first birthday and inevitably their second drowning would be upon them. The piercing ritual would be a private affair afterwards, something small and special (Vellen giving that all of them managed to make it through). But Nadia didn't even want to allow herself to think about the darker side of this process. That there was a very real possibility that they could well .. Never mind any of that. She moves across the land with poise and grace. A dark vixen swiftly making her way across the Lagoon borders and towards the sandy shoreline. She forces herself to put on that very cool poker face that she had come to master as she moves to take her place firmly at @Magnus' right side. Briefly her muzzle would shift to plant a delicate kiss upon his cheek, leaning against him for comfort before she would retract and turn steely once more. Dark gaze would turn to the adults gathered: @Úlla, @Hákon, and @Svana, all waiting and watching. She would give them a swift nod before allowing her gaze to move to the ocean before them. A storm was brewing, just as one was brewing within her. The unborn in her womb rocked amongst one another, as if they knew just what was happening outside of their world within her. Their gentle kicks were a reminder truly of just how far her eldest had come, and how far they would go. But now she would wait, and god she was struggling to hold onto the resolve she had.

Ordinarily Rasmus was usually always the last to these types of things but this occasion was far different and far greater then any other gathering they had to be present for. Their first birthday had come and gone and now his second drowning was upon him. Rasmus hadn't spoken to any of his siblings about the self-doubt he felt surging within him. His affinity for water could not be trumped by thoughts of what if. He had seen his aunt @Brigid and how Vellen had cursed her sight. There had been others before her that had also failed and the thought that it could be a very real possibility, that even death was on the table was enough to curl his stomach up in tight knots. But he was also invigorated and enthralled by it all. He couldn't wait to plunge into the cold depths of the water and to allow it's icy tendrils to decide his fate for him. Vellen with him he would pass with flying colors; his siblings too. For now all thoughts would be pushed behind him as he made his way towards the shore line. His face was drawn up in a stoic and observant stare as he assessed the family members that were present. He was silently pleased that he was the first of his litter to arrive and what did that say about his siblings, @Myrkvi, @Voluspa, and @Hrefna? That today of all days he was the most punctual. He would move to stand close to the water but still far enough away to be considered a respectable distance. His lilac gaze would turn with fondness towards his mother before correcting itself back to it's steely nature. He would shift it then toward @Magnus, offering him a firm nod - I will not disappoint you. He stood with shoulders squared, muscles tensed and ready. He could do this.

table by ferus

The day had come. Myrkvi had known it was to be all along. His apprehension manifested in the form of an eerie calm or perhaps the knots in his stomach couldn’t get any tighter. He was only moments behind his brother in order of appearance. A cool, neutral expression on his face but his black gaze was alive and bright as he took in the scene. The storm brewed dark and felt impending. Vellen was ready to make his decision for each of them. Myrkvi looked to those gathered already before ultimately settling on the sea. He didn’t need to offer any assuring glances or affirmations. The eldest son of @Magnus and @Nadia was not to fail today. Or any day. Kvi comforted himself with the idea that it was never an option to begin with. He came here today with having battled a trespasser; his first taste of blood in the spirit of defense around six months of age. He felt ready because he needed to be. Kvi would lean against @Rasmus briefly as he came to stand beside his pale brother as they awaited the arrival of @Hrenfa and @Voluspa

table by ferus, art by munk, unsplash stock

Haven't I given enough?
Always the fool with the slowest heart

All life had an expiration date on it, no matter if the creature accepted or resisted the appointment. It felt natural to Hrefna that she would have a potential date set--another meeting with Vellen, where He would decide how suited they were for one another. She thought that one year old was just the right age for this, as it was the oldest age she had ever known. She thought that looking into the eye of her death from her first moments alive would make her stronger than the others--as strong as a Sigrùn ought to be.
She approached her kin in eerie silence, their lack of chatter allowing Vellen alone to speak through His lashing of waves against the shores of the lagoon. She felt Him calling to her and took this moment for her own private audience. Let us all prevail, she prayed inwardly, her expression unmoving as she walked. I will give You anyone else in turn. Don't let me die--don't let them die. Hrefna's sinful prayer evaporated into the depths of her own consciousness as it ended, her gaze finally settling back upon the gathered lions and truly seeing them.
"How do we start?" She questioned in a low murmur over the sloshing waves, dancing her attention between her mother and father's somber expressions. To have had experience with a drowning was to have survived it, she knew, and her parents would not put them up to something impossible.