COME SLITHER, COME SLITHER + MEETING

[toboggan]

The steady rhythm of Tanglewood's bi-weekly meeting schedule had a stone thrown in its course with the Mask Vigil. The event's outcome seemed comparatively peculiar, for a vast number of participants came out successful. Too much prey and not enough hunters was the primary factor in this, and regrettably so. Now, since such a high percentage of the population had earned their masks, future mask vigils would be damn near impossible for anyone new hoping to secure victorious results. Oh well. Leroy planned to do what Crow didn't - maintaining a consistent pattern of Mask Vigils, so that these circumstances would not repeat themselves.

"Everyone!" he beckons heartily, "It's meetin' time!" His behind is sat to the iconic statue's flank, making an uncomfortable habitat of the waterlogged ground below. Today's gathering didn't possess an abundance of interesting details on the itinerary - just joiners, some shoutouts, a demotion, news regarding out-of-tribe parties, and a reminder. Pretty run of the mill shit.

"To begin," the general initiates, his tail picking off the ground and leisurely wagging to and fro, "I'd like to welcome all of our newcomers to this tribe. Eulogy, Amaris, Virgil, Chuuya, Sterling, Arbor, and Itsy, I hope ya enjoy your stays here. And, Florence, Poetking, and Vigenere," he pauses, hardly believing that he had truly mouthed that final name once again, "welcome back."

He doesn't offer any time to let the first batch of announcements sink in, and immediately moves on to the next set. "I'm proud of ya," Leroy admits, a smile steadily spanning across his maw, "everyone here has put in their all lately, and that's fuckin' awesome. Shoutouts to Aurum, Sam, Beck, and Kaito. Keep it up, guys, and good shit'll come your way. I promise that."

The following announcement is brief. The wolfhound wears no negative emotions in his visage, though traces of displeasure are evident in his dull tone of voice. It is not a sort of announcement he makes often - nay, it is not a sort of announcement he had made yet. Thus, the male knows not the best way to go through with it, so he settles on sounding as if he were totally devoid of all passion. "Snarl has been demoted from Chaser to Member." If the reasoning behind her demotion had simply been inactivity, then he would have been all the more comfortable in saying so. However, that was not the case. Provoking another Tangler, one known to be prone to outbursts of pure anger, wasn't an appropriate act coming from a semi-high position.

But that was enough of that. Time for some lighter news. "The Mask Vigil, as you know, has finished. With this particular vigil bein' the biggest one in a whole fuckin' year, I decided that an afterparty of sorts should be held. I assigned Feza the task of hosting the party, which will take place in the tavern this evening. Be there, or be square."

"And, lastly," he says, his tone flattening out into one of a serious nature, "there's been some more instances of our enemies coming near our borders again. Take caution when venturing out that far, and be prepared for anything. If you have to defend yourself, defend yourself. If you can't defend yourself because your opponent is fifteen times your fuckin' size, alert someone bigger. This is our home, and I don't want anyone feelin' unsafe. Unfortunately, that's how it might have to be for the next while, but I promise ya, those fuckers'll know to leave us alone in due time."

"Meetin' dismissed," Leroy declares, before adding, "except for Aurum, Vathmos, and Snarl. I don't want any o' ya leavin'."

//THE NEWS:

- Eulogy, Amaris, Virgil, Chuuya, Sterling, Arbor, and Itsy are all welcomed to Tanglewood!
- Florence, Poetkind, and Vigenere are welcomed back to Tanglewood!
- Activity shoutouts to Aurum, Sam, Beck, and Kaito! Keep it up, guys!
- Snarl is demoted from Chaser to Member.
- The Mask Vigil Afterparty is being hosted soon! Expect a thread in the near future.
- A word of caution in regards to the border, and how enemies are becoming more and more common around that area, so be careful!
- Aurum, Vathmos, and Snarl are expected to stay after the meeting to discuss something. What exactly? You'll probably find out by reading it lol.

[Abattoir]

Meeting finished, Itsy finds herself bemused by all of the noise, movement, & smells. She scurries off back to the forest. There will be time to mull over the events once home.

[Blazic]

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SNARL

 

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Snarl had a feeling. She knew Tanglewood's clientele. She knew they didn't take kindly to fighting; all naive in thinking issues could be solved strictly peacefully. Knew something was going to happen, as she heard the dog call out for a meetin. Or, at least, that something should happen - though Leroy was better than Crow, somewhere in her still expected a lack of action.
She didn't hurry to arrive. Sipped at the last of her drink, took her time finishing it. Something should happen. Not rightfully, but it should. She saw Aurum's reaction, knew he'd tie Leroy along. Knew the lion was wrapped around Vathmos' fingers. Saw how he begged to let her hurt him. Saw how he'd barely think any wrong of her, simple disappointment. It made Snarl sick. But Aurum's being deluded wasn't her problem. She couldn't change his mind, even if she wanted to. She knew how those like Vathmos operated. He was wound too tight. It'd be fruitless to try.

Finally, finally, took a deep breath and stood up. Cracked her neck, paced towards the boundary of the meeting. Held her head high. Listened. Let her eyes lull half-closed, as if bored, as if she didn't, couldn't care, about what the dog said. Not in the slightest. Measured her breaths - not too long, not too short. Swished her tail idly, as if this was just another meeting.
Stared directly at Leroy. Didn't break eye contact, scarcely blinked as his expression sullened. As he worked up the courage to say the next words. Almost daring, hidden behind a lazed persona. Didn't drop it, as he finally spoke.

He actually did something. Part of the hyena wanted to be surprised. Part of her wanted to sink into anger, let it envelop her - Snarl being punished, for wanting to protect her fire. Snarl being punished even though Vathmos attacked her friend. Even though Vathmos fucking electrocuted him.
She bit her tongue - literally. Didn't drop her gaze, swishes her tail once - the only outward reaction to the news how she scratched at her wrist. The facade was nearly too still, too unreactive.

She stayed where she sat - near the edge of the crowd, but not on the outskirts, careful not to skulk. If Leroy had more to say to her, he will say it to her face. If he has an issue, he will make it known, and Snarl will make it known what exactly Vathmos has done. She will leave No uncertainty, she may even make it clear just how lucky Vathmos was that Aurum was there to protect her.

Physical || Scent || Group ||   Roleplayer

[fulzanin]

WE'LL MAKE A WAY WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOUR PLACE
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Feza hadn't attended the past two meetings. She was busy, after all. Parties had to happen, parties had their time and that time was all the time. She'd managed to attend this one, though! Something she was mighty proud of, working in time to get away from her in-depth work to come and listen to the meeting. What was even better was that she'd gotten the cardboard box gods to approve of working on the afterparty. She'd make it special, unlike any party that she'd ever thrown before. Or, so she hoped. She'd see how it went after she finished setting it up.

The vibrant female couldn't help but wince upon hearing that some people would be staying after the meeting. She supposed that it meant she was good to go and throw the party however she pleased, since she wasn't being held to discuss such a thing. Cool. Lots to work with, then. Not even Feza, oblivious as she tried to be, could say that she didn't know why Snarl was being demoted, or why the hyena was being held behind after the meeting. Her fluffy tail swung behind her. She remained sitting for just a little while longer, before quickly standing up to bound away. There was a party to plan, after all - and it was quite the short time limit to add in the finishing touches! Something festive was far more necessary in such a rough time where people were being held behind after a meeting. Feathered wings tucked close by her sides, offering up a glance towards the parties before the guardsman took her leave.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
THE EMPTY CHAIRS WILL BE RESERVED FOR OUR PITY

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; width: 500px; font-family: Times New Roman;font-size:10pt;text-align:justify;"]It had seemed like forever since the last meeting, so long so that Moth couldn't remember it, couldn't remember if she had been there or not. She knew in a place such as this there would be few meetings, long enough apart so that there was actually news in them, but still, she had expected there to be action taken against things that had happened before this meeting here, seen Vathmos and Snarl punished for the actions of the bonfire. Though Moth hadn't been there during the events and had only seen what had been the aftermath, she knew roughly of the events that had taken place before she got there, had been told of the story from onlookers that had spoken to her after she had helped Kaz out, and it was neither Vathmos or Snarl's fault Kaz had been hurt, but rather both.

Snarl had egged the other hyena on. Rude words had been hashed out towards the other, and despite the fact a thing such as a bonfire was something for all to try and enjoy - no matter who made it, it was still on Tanglewood territory for fuck's sake - Snarl had decided that there were some not allowed, and that had caused the issues that had happened. Yelling and trying to start a vight with Vathmos, but that didn't excuse the fact that Vathmos had taken the bait, and had attacked. So although Moth was glad to see repercussion in the way of Snarl, she had hoped there would be more towards Vathmos. Wasting the medicine that Tanglewood could so desperately need on petty fights wasn't something she took lightly, especially in her own pregnant state, so when she had needed to use them on tribemates that had fought each other she had been furious.

She listened to the rest of the meeting, listened to the words of warning of enemies at the border, and the mention of the celebration that would begin tonight, and she would hear as Leroy asked for Aurum, Vathmos, and Snarl to stay behind, debating on staying behind herself, but deciding against it. It was getting closer to when she knew the kittens would come, and Moth didn't need the stress of the conversation she had a feeling would be at hand, so with a slight dip of her head towards the canine, Moth then got up and left, heading back towards her home.

[wormwood.]

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AURUM

DO NO HARM BUT TAKE NO SHIT !

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Aurum had known this was coming. He wasn't sure when exactly, but he had known that eventually Leroy was going to take actions to deal with that whole unpleasant scene involved Vathmos and Snarl, and honestly he was glad for it. He was pissed at the both of them, and he knew that Vathmos would've been demoted just the same as the other hyena if she had been in a higher position. He had tried to provide Leroy with all of the unbiased information about what had happened that he could, although it had been somewhat difficult in the time following the whole thing. After all, hot fury had been rushing through his veins after what had happened, and it had taken all of his willpower to grit his teeth and calm himself the fuck down before he explained things from both sides. He honestly felt like Vathmos had been the most in the wrong of anyone, since she was the one who had escalated it all to violence, but he also knew that Snarl was far from the innocent party that she had made herself out to be thus far. You didn't just look at somebody who you didn't know, who had been loyal to Tanglewood, and insult them straight to their face. It was just asking for trouble, and it made Aurum let out a soft snort of anger through his nose as he padded over, sitting beside Moth. He glanced worriedly down at the feline, just to make sure that she was doing alright. He knew that she too was frustrated by the childish behavior that had been displayed not too long ago, and he was worried about any extra stress being put on her body.

The lion's tail was flicking absently behind him as he listened to what Leroy had to say, a faint nod dragging his head downwards at the welcomes and re-welcomes. He was glad they were getting more people, although he could already feel anxiety over a bunch of new clashing personalities being added to their mix. He tried his best not to dwell on it too much, however. Worrying about issues before they even really manifested would do nothing but drive him insane. He was still in thought when his own name was brought up in the meeting's news, and he found himself blinking in surprise before a smile curled its way onto his mug. It wasn't as if he could really advance any farther in the rankings – aside from titles – of Tanglewood unless Leroy suddenly dropped dead, but it still felt nice to hear his hard work appreciated, if only so he knew he was doing things right. He found himself mumbling out a small "thank you" in response, heard over the crowd only because of how deep his powerful voice could be. He was glad that Sam, Beck, and Kaito had received shoutouts as well. He had noticed them around often lately, and he was especially glad about Beck, even if the other wasn't exactly his biggest fan. Having the ghost around again was... pleasant, even if others might not have agreed.

The next announcement wasn't exactly surprising, but he still felt his heart beat a little faster when he heard it. Snarl was experiencing the consequences of her actions, and it seemed as though she wasn't planning on protesting it, something that the lion had been a little wary of. He simply nodded his head mutely when he heard this, not wanting to give any signs of pleasure at the demotion, or otherwise. The next two bits of news were taken in without much fuss, and just a simple chuff of happiness left him as he thought about how he had gotten his mask. That had been an interesting night, to say the least. The meeting soon grew to a close, and Aurum found himself heading towards the front before Leroy even asked him to stay. He had figured something was going to happen. Once he was near Leroy's side he settled back down, rumbling softly, "Good meeting, Leroy." It was said without a hint of sarcasm, his one good eye scanning over the crowd for the two hyenas.

━ I'M GONNA WIN.┆PROUD. WARM. PROTECTIVE. ━

[Vathmos]

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VATHMOS

INFORMATION ROLEPLAYER MISC.

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Not a soul had seen Vathmos since the bonfire. The hyena had thought about leaving all over again, but could she do such a thing? Do that to Aurum? Leave him again? Aurum had a nice family and the others here. Aurum didn't need her.
You're a waste of space to him.

Vathmos still felt she was in the right. Snarl had made her mad, provoked her. That little creeping voice had been whispering the same thing to her, though. That Snarl was right, but the other hyena couldn't possibly be right. Snarl didn't know her, know what she went through, what she thought... she should just leave again. They didn't want her. All she did was horde food and stay at home.

Of course she expected Snarl to get demoted. That's exactly what she wanted. Snarl needed to understand shame just like Vathmos. Her black eyes trailed to the other hyena, staring at Snarl and gauging her reaction, laying her chin on her paws. Maybe she'd won this fight? This time. Leroy probably had something for her, too.

━ [b]MY SKIN IS A STORY┆LONELY. CLINGY. HATEFUL. ━

[deimos]

She came, she saw, she listened, she left. Peace out bro.

"SPEECH"

♡♡♡
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[Orion]

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When it came to the meeting, Raymond expected nothing less but professionalism from Leroy. The usual greetings to the newcomers, the rehabilitated hellos to the newcomers, and the rest of the political drama with their enemies were all normal topics. Basically the theme was 'protect your ass and be kind', as if that wasn't already implied. Raymond couldn't help but practically tend to snooze in the audience. There were a few moments where he considered leaving.

As per usual, the interesting content was at the end though. With the disbanding of the meeting, Leroy called upon three: Vathmos, Snarl, and Aurum. He very briefly casually met with all of them, but have not heard of any wrongdoing between them. It was obvious Raymond missed something. With that in mind, the panther didn't leave just yet.

[THEM]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]It's hard, these days, for him to decide what exactly he feels in regards to Snarl. She was in the wrong. He'd watched every second, felt the tension ripple through the air, took the hit before Snarl had a chance to receive consequence for her actions. Why? To all others, it was a compulsive act - it was stupid of him, to defend someone who put herself in danger just for fun. She probably would've said the same, had they the opportunity to talk after the fact. But he'd kept his distance, since that evening, loitering uneasily in town while the wound in his neck healed and the singed fur began to grow back in. A few, pearly bitemarks lining his jugular would remind him of his sacrifice for years to come. Snarl probably wouldn't even last that long, not at this rate.

Yeah, stupid felt right. Leroy's reaction was fair. Snarl deserved punishment. He wasn't sure, then, why he felt a prickle of indignant anger at the decision - was it because Vathmos deserved the same, and received none of it? Because he wasn't being given a choice but to sit back, to listen like he hadn't been there at all? Kazuhira flashes a look in Snarl's direction, tries to catch her eye; the anger was a palpable, heavy thing that radiated from her firm gaze. He turns back towards Leroy, adding, "...I'd like to stay behind and listen. I was involved, too." He reflexively rubs a paw against the fresh scars on his throat. They still ached.