It did not take long before the first wolf came bounding into the clearing to accept my invitation. A smile creased my features, reaching into my eyes and showing my genuine happiness at her arrival as I barked a greeting to her. My ears flicked to and fro even though my eyes were focused on Pine, and before I could do more than say hello I heard the approach of more wolves. They came from all directions, slowly filling the clearing with their adolescent frames of every color and scent I could imagine. I was quick to store each name as they introduced themselves. But when my cousin arrived my attention was momentarily focused solely upon her. Conflicting emotions warred in my heart - I had missed her so much, but part of me was still upset that she had not come with us when the usurper had bested my mother. Today was not a day for such quandaries, though, and I abandoned the troublesome thoughts in favor of waving my tail and bumping shoulders with Samus as she danced around me in greeting. No matter what, she was my cousin, and there was a bond between us that had been made when we were pups, attacked by an outsider.
When she pranced off to greet the others, I turned to focus on the other arrivals, my tail continuing to wave happily behind me. I stood tall, proud of the gathering I had brought together as it steadily grew in numbers. There was Abel from Glorall, Cenmatl from Taviora, Sidriel from Diveen, Nevermore from Asteraia, Samus from Spirane, and the first girl to arrive had said she was from Iromar. A representative of every pack had come, and it made me even more proud of this accomplishment. We were the future of our packs, and if all went well today, perhaps we could build a better future for Moladion, together.
My eyes flicked towards the boy who had settled out the outskirts of the clearing with his back turned to the gathering. He had arrived with the girl Nevermore. Glancing around, I thought that things were going quite well, and I moved to step in his direction so as to introduce myself on a more personable level. But then a boy came galloping past me and I stopped short, head lifting and ears flicking back in annoyance before pricking forward once more. My brows rose in surprise as I watched him zoom past the group, and I assumed what he'd yelled was, in fact his name. An interesting introduction, to be sure. It was only as he exuberantly made his way back to the gathered wolves that I noticed his lack of a tail, and my head tilted to the side. He seemed to become more complex with each moment that passed, but for some reason I could not turn my attention from him. What an odd, odd child, I thought to myself as he threw himself to the ground and proceeded to laugh endlessly.
A single ear flicked back at the arrival of more wolves, but my gaze remained fixated upon Hektor. There was just something about him, beneath the obvious strangeness, that held my focus. It wasn't until harsh words were directed to him that my gaze snapped away from him, landing on the girl with the pink nose who had spoken them.