It had been a few hours since Morrigan had spoken to her daughter and wife, finding support in both but perhaps more news than she was expecting from the latter experience. It would not be relevant right now, however, and Morrigan did her best to simply go back to the way she had been thinking for the rest of her life, prior to worrying about the need to be a living tank if necessary. She was perched on the beach where the children could be away from the borders if their parents needed to attend, unsure of how many of the Brook residents still lingered under her protection but happy to have them here as well.

Before calling for first @Cassandra and then the rest of the pride, Morrigan would take a moment to rest her paw thoughtfully on her slightly distended belly before taking a deep breath and roaring for the others. Her members needed to come first right now, and they needed to know about the changes. Not to mention they deserved recognition for coming together as they had in the war and the uprising that followed. Morrigan owed them all a great debt and the least she could do was a promotion. It would give @Nazdravan a chance to make himself known as well.

OOC: @Reyna @Petra @Sanson @Keir @Parvati @Brigid @Enki @Cassidy (@Nymeria & the children + any Vermedan refugees are welcome but not required to attend!) I will post again on 12/18 but you can still feel free to post here after. <3

table by ferus, art by grav3wolf

!!!! (Parvati is attempting to direct members to their assigned seats. If your character refuses to sit in their assigned seat you may assume Parvati gives them a glare of death.)

Morrigan's roar echoed with less familiar tone across the frigid, resounding waves. Nonetheless it was a call for a meeting. This was a difference and not one that Parvati liked. Didn't like differences and changes just on principle. They arrived slowly, stiffly, looking around with stiff skull jerks and darting green eyes. The need to assign seats - because Avaneira had said they could, last time - preoccupied them from noticing any updates to Morrigan's condition.

Parvati swiped little divots in the sand in the front row, and wider, more separated marks in the back rows, planning that the smaller lions should obviously sit in front and the huge behemoth ones could be in the back. That way everyone could see! (And Parvati would not have to feel drowned out by the presence of large males. A bonus.)

Parvati plopped themself in one of the front seats because, obviously, they were small. Also because they had taken the trouble of assigning seats they obviously deserved priority seating. Quite proud of themself, though still tense and with anxiously poised whiskers, they waited to direct incoming members to their proper locations.

In some other world that seemed much too far from the one she lived in now, she would have been delighted to follow the plan that @Parvati set forth with assigned seating. Thrilled, even, but as it were her heart was not in it. Instead, she was focused (lethargically, really) about the trip that she would be taking back to Vermeda tomorrow to help Aquila get people back together. Talisa was, as to be expected, just exhausted -- so she didn't even linger near where she normally might have and kept her distance off to the side. Focused entirely upon @Morrigan and whatever her wife chose to say to those that were present, wishing that she could stay and support her wife's promotion but knowing that that was not in the cards for her at the moment. Not when she felt inclined to glue her family and friends back together.

^{TABLE MANIP BY MONO, CODING BY DUSK}

A lot had been happening. He had noticed the chaos simply from the sudden increase of members in the Cove - both adult and child. And even though he was curious to start bullying making friends and learning who these lions were, Arkyn was also wondering what was going on with his mother. He hadn't seen her much, but he also didn't seem to stop into her den. Even though he was still a cub he felt a certain independence with turning six month, finding his own small den not too far from @Avaneira's to claim as his own. Large paws would carry him across the chilled, packed sand toward the slowly gathering crowd. He would note @Morrigan and @Parvati, but the other lioness he wasn't sure who it was. His brows would knit together and he would skitter around the makeshift seating areas the lead medic had created, instead heading over toward his aunt. "Where's mom?" His gaze would be a rather intense one, his tail swishing to the side. Just wait til you find out you're no longer a Prince, poor boy...

image by scarf, code by koi

Between the Brook challenge and his own for the Hollows, Keir felt as though he had been on go for quite some time. So much had happened and it was like the world around him was going both in slow and fast motion. He still harbored guilt for how he challenged as a knee-jerk reaction before making it known to his High Sovereigns, but at the same time he felt as though he needed to do it and would do it again if he had the chance.

The call was what roused him from his den, his wounds all but healed and now displaying the pink scars that would more than likely be covered by hair growth as time went on. Slowly would he cross the sands and reach the gathering, giving the ones who were all gathered a nod before keeping himself toward where he assumed the back of the crowd would be at. He had been waiting for a meeting of sorts to be called, to speak about what had transpired recently, and for a moment he wondered where @Avaneira was as he gazed over at @Morrigan.

image & table by gunner

Cassandra Valour

She had been to fetch her littermate from the desert, and had been anxiously awaiting her mother’s call for a meeting ever since. This would be her first time being in front of the majority of the pride - and her first time being officially announced as Morrigan’s Heiress. The yearling had been hovering in her den while waiting, organizing and tidying up. It was keeping her paws busy while she waited for her mother’s call. Rust tipped tail flicked back and forth as she waited anxiously for the sound of Morrigan’s voice ringing out over the Cove.

And then it came, first one that called specifically for her and then one that called for the rest of the pride. Paws padded quickly out of the den and towards her mother’s call from the beach. As she approached, the yearling hesitated a moment. Most of the pride members didn’t truly know her. They’d likely met her briefly or in passing, but she’d not interacted personally with most of the other pride members. Would they be upset at Morrigan’s choice of Heiress? The familiar scent of Talisa washed over her as she kept her distance, and that helped to soothe her somewhat.

Taking a deep breath, Cassandra closed the distance between herself the the rest of the gathered lions. Coming up from behind everyone, the yearling made her way past @Parvati, @Talisa and @Keir towards @Morrigan. She paused briefly by Talisa’s side to give her mother a gentle head bump if she allowed before moving on to the front of the crowd. Duotoned eyes darted briefly to her mother’s stomach, noting the slight swell to her mother’s sides. Was she expecting cubs now? This should be interesting. As she continued to make her way to Morrigan’s side, the yearling would hear her cousin @Arkyn demanding to know where his mom was.

"“She was badly injured in a fight, and has been in her den recovering. Everything will be explained shortly.”" Cassandra said, settling herself at Morrigan’s side after aiming to greet the monochrome lioness with a gentle headbump as well if she allowed it. Things were going to be interesting once her cousin found out his mother had passed control of the pride to her mom, and that he wasn’t a prince anymore. Not to mention she wasn’t sure if Talisa knew she was Morrigan’s heiress now…

actions. "speech."

Talking to the Moon

Art & Table code by Zodiac

SOMETIMES THE SILENCE GUIDES THE MIND

There was a great birth of admiration for her mother forming in her belly. Of course, it was there from the day she was born, but she wanted to be just like her. Now that she was getting older she wanted to learn and understand more about this world that was clearly much larger than she was aware of. After her mother left to answer her mummy's call she paced the den debating whether to follow.

Unintelligible mutterings babbled from the young refugee as she burned a trench in the floor, fighting with her inner monologue. Standing at the entrance of the den she dangled a foot forward daring to cross the threshold. Her trepidation was momentary, striding forward with a forced bravery to follow her mother's trail. She didn't want to sit back while the grown ups got to do everything anymore.

She wasn't too far behind Talisa, but there were more gathered by the time she arrived. Her eyes clocked her mother, her mummy @Morrigan and her older sister @Cassandra, but many other faces that were unknown to her. While Arden was bold in her arrival, she could feel herself recoil from the crowd. Was this even a good idea? Would the others even like her? The wolfen daughter steeled her nerves and swallowed the distance between her and her mother.

Arden coiled up against @Talisa's side and sat down beside her, tilting her head up. She let her expression speak for her; nervous but wanting. "I hope it's okay that I'm here." She had so many questions about what has been going on with their family. Why they had taken refuge here when not everyone was with them? There was a sadness, a weight, that followed the valour family to the cove and she wanted to know what the cause was.

Lena felt about as exhausted as @Talisa - the constant worry, the feeling of fear that hadn't settled in spite of their refuge in the Cove. It was a beautiful territory, the sunsets stunning and yet all Lena wished for was the verdant green of the Brook. It was her home - she didn't feel like she wanted to be anywhere else. News had come through the former Sovereign and friend that Aquila had led a force to drive the usurper out. Lena had cried that night, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried not to disturb the cubs - she had barely left @Talisa's side.

And followed her now, ghosting her steps as the russet creature led the way towards where her wife had called them. It hadn't taken long for Lena to work out who was who - she had seen @Morrigan around the Brook and at the awful death of Tormund and the following funeral. Now Lena lingered with Talisa, aiming to press her side against the older woman. And as @Arden approached and curled beneath her mother, Lena smiled down softly at the babe and wished for nothing more than to be at home in the Brook now.

code to ivy

the druid had to admit that it felt odd answering to someone else's call -- though she was far from complaining, considering that it was @Morrigan's voice that looked to bring the frayed edges of their family and prides together. it was slowly, and a bit timidly, that nymeria moved herself in the direction of the group, gaze even as a mixture of both familiar and unfamiliar faces came into view. one of the most notable ones was @Cassandra, who seemed to be flourish beneath the banner of the cove, almost as if she had aged incredibly during her short time spent within the pride thus far. it made nymeria happy, of course, to see her niece bloom -- but it was not bright enough to dissipate that dark and looming cloud over her head. not yet, anyways.

looking to take her place along @Talisa's free side, the woman would settle quietly in amongst the growing crowd, aiming to lean her crown gingerly against her sister's shoulder in the process. this would not be her forever-home, and she knew that -- but while she was here, nymeria would do what she could to be of use. she owed them all at least that much.

she tried to be as quick as she could, following @Arkyn down towards the shore in hot pursuit of their aunt’s summons. eilwen, though young, was far from unobservant, and had taken note of the shift in the air and the influx of strangers that had — for some odd, unknown reason — been given refuge with their home. it had made things feel crowded, and strange, and uneasy, if for no other reason that it was obvious that something had happened. something that she was not immediately aware of, and that had caused an unprecedented invasion of her personal space. Neither of which would do.

arriving shortly after another wave of spectators, her eyes were set solely on the back of arkyn’s head as she looked to swallow the space between them. it was only in doing so, however, that she heard her cousin’s words ripple across the air, inciting a wave of ice to wash over eilwen’s veins as she dug her heels into the sand and came to an abrupt halt. "injured?" she countered with a bristle of her own, eyes flashing briefly towards her brother before shifting back to the adults. it was hard as a child to understand the sudden burning that stung within her chest, nor to acknowledge that, as @Cassandra had said, it would all be explained shortly. though what else was to be expected after dropping such news on a pair of children? they were bound to have a reaction and, knowing them, it would be a loud one, too.

table code by ferus