A Leader's Questions...

Blossoming Flower took the chance again to respond, she liked this question. "Well, I hope my litter this time will be successful. My two pups both passed on a few moons ago, my pack is still mourning our loss." She closed her eyes as if she were thinking of her pups.

After a few moments she opened them again and turned to the text wolf. "What has been the largest prey your hunters have ever hunted?"

Talon looked smugly at Blossoming Flower and her mournful expression. If only she knew how many pups she herself had killed. The she-wolf would be stunned! With pride, Talon puffed out her chest, “My hunters have taken down a bison.”

Talon searches the other wolves gathered around, wondering how best to slip one of them up on a question. “How many pups have you killed?”

Scathos narrowed his eyes as the Female brought up the next topic. Though he supposed it was a good honest question if a bit insensitive considering Blossoming Flower's response. Shaking his head slightly, the male spoke up. "There's a rhyme and reason for all things in life. Just like in my pack, if you don't make the cut, your cut out of our lives. One way or another. Each pup born in my pack has the first three months of life to show promise. If they don't, we let the other packs know that there's a pup up from grabs." He swallowed, glancing from blossoming Flower to Talon. " If the said pup isn't taken in before the eve of their first full year of life, I take them out and kill them." He shrugged," one who cannot contribute to the pack in some way isn't welcome, or worth our time. To be honest I don't know how many. More than five, but less than fifteen so far."

Glancing around the other wolves, Scathos searched for a better topic, a lighter one at least. Letting out a hum, the male nodded to himself then gave his next question. "What criteria do you use when assessing possible future pack-mates?"

Talon, surprisingly, was impressed with the honesty of the wolf named Scathos. She hadn’t met another wolf that would confess to killing pups. She thought for a moment, considering what all her pack mates have in common: “Well, mostly we look for other she-wolves who want to have a life surrounded by other she-wolves and take on a female mate.” She looked up at the stars, searching for an answer to the second part of her question “We have 2 males currently, one is our retired sire and the younger one is our new 1. They will be the first and only studs to ever retire into the pack. We want strong pack mates—ones that believe in our packs greatness through its female members.” Her answer may be unsatisfactory to many of the wolves there, but she wasn’t there to make friends, she was there to strategize. Find others’ weaknesses.

She returned her gaze back to the gathered leaders. “For what reasons have you chosen the next heir?” A question to test the next leaders capabilities for planning for the future, even if it seems uncertain. Choosing an heir is quite possibly the most important question a leader can be asked—without one, the pack can’t continue.

Nyx hums softly, olive eyes flickering with both interest and amusement. The other she-wolf's answer sounds genuine, yet it is difficult for the wolfdog to comprehend a reason why one could ever opt for a pack without males. Then again, her own 'family' is different and unlike what is considered normal. "I do not have an heir in mind; not just yet. But when the time comes, whoever commands my wolves is going to be of my blood," the answer rolls off of her tongue easily and Nyx cannot help chuckling quietly; even if her offspring comes out as a runt, the power her children grasp between their paws is greater than that of the strongest of hunters. "I do not care if it is my daughter or my granddaughter; as long as my spirit runs through their veins, they will be good leaders," Nyx is young and, for now, she has no desire to pick out a child to lead the pack after her. She and Seth are doing well enough on their own and thus, the pups can enjoy their carefree lives.

Quietly, she turns her attention to the circle of wolves, bidding Talon's question answered with a quick dip of her head. Her voice is calm and, perhaps, a little bit distant as she voices her own inquiry to the gathered hunters. "What would you deem as an acceptable reason to chase off one that you have already claimed as your own family?" It happens; Nyx isn't innocent of doing such things, either. Yet, she has never felt the need to explain her choice to chase off someone she has accepted into the pack.

Rain tipped her head, the tall shewolf thought over her words carefully. "Well, if they were already born in the pack, the reason is simple; they fail the code. You see, our pack has a set of rules, not strict, but guiding. If a pup or adolescent fails the test, they are stripped of their name and either killed or cast out, depending on age." She flicked her ear, she knew some found her ways somewhat barbaric or cruel. "Now, it may seem cruel, but it is to insure only the best blood is in our pack. Another reason may be if they have violated the rules, such as taking advantage of a packmate, not pulling their weight, or being too violent." Rain glanced back at the two wolves by her side, her mate, Crystal, and her daughter, Ayri. "If they pass the test and follow the code, they can live wonderful long lives, with love and freedom."

She turned her attention to the group of wolves, catching one's eye. "What rules do you use to govern your pack? Do you think they're fair and moral?" Rain was curious, these wolves were unlike the ones from her former home. She wanted to gauge how they ruled their packs, and if they were too lax, or even tyrants. 

Talon pondered the question, she had never really given much thought to rules. In her perspective, it was either you were loyal to the pack--to her--or you weren't. She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, What makes a wolf a member of Courage of the Mother? She looked at her paws, hoping they would give her the answer. Finally, words began to form in her thoughts, and she felt confident enough to speak up "Well... the first and foremost rule is that she-wolves are the caretakers, the carriers, the most important aspect of our pack. They are to be respected above all else. Without she-wolves there would be no pack." She spoke from her own experience, born into a pack that was male-dominated and didn't take care of its she-wolves because they were believed to be weaker. She added, "Loyalty first. To me, to the enclave. To the safety of our pack."

With slightly more introspection than the last couple of her questions, Talon was feeling more brave and confident in front of all these strange wolves. She spoke her question with an unwavering courage, "Do you listen to your ancestors? Do they guide you?" She had been dreaming of her ancestors for a while now, but she didn't know how to make sense of it. Perhaps someone here would be non-judgmental and provide a bit of guidance on this issue. 

Magic the leader of the Noel Winter Eve pack. 

" i listen to my ancestors. they do guide me when i'm not sure what to do. " she says. 

" i respect my ancestors"  

  turning to the another leader of pack why asks how do you choose which wolves to form a pair bond? 

Numen shuffled on his paws, nervous to be in front of so many wolves. "Well... honestly I don't know. I just allowed pair bonds into pack law recently and I don't really know how to regulate it." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He didn't know how Latro could do this so elegantly. "I think as long as they are both of age, they have the right to choose their mate. I just want my packmates to be happy like I am with Carissime and choosing their mate for them would seem... controlling."

He turned to the wolf next to him, happy to turn the attention to someone else. "Why do you think you were chosen as leader? What trait do you think tala or your previous leader saw in you?" This was a question he asked himself a lot, so perhaps another's answer would help him find his own solution.

Rain wasn't sure how to answer the question, she glanced at her paws and thought for a moment. "Well, for starters, Tala wasn't the one who chose me. The stars did. When I was only a year and a half, I kept getting dreams and signs from the stars, speaking of a different land, where wolves could be free." She shifted on her paws, trying to recall the faded memories. "After several arguments with my father, I ran north, following the stars. I met my mate, Crystal, and we found this land." She went silent for a moment. "I'm not sure why the stars chose me of all people, perhaps because of my soul? My personality? I still don't know."

The shewolf cleared her throat, and turned her attention to another wolf. "What's your story? How did you come to be leader of your pack?" She was curious if there were any other first-generation leaders, and if they were like her.