Hail To the Chief

“How are your sons?” It was not an attempt to steer the conversation in another direction, he had a specific purpose for everything he said, for everything he did. If Cason did not have the history with Victor, the chemistry that their families had, The Vilkas’ and Moretti’s were seemingly joint at the hip, one generation after another better or somehow improved the long-lasting friendship between the family. Punishing Victor felt like punishing one of his own, he considered the man and his family as an extension of his own. “I know you haven’t. I respect your loyalty most of all.” The violation, right now, seemed insignificant. “That’s right. That’s why it takes people like us to lead.” Scratching at the bridge of his nose. “But rules are rules. Tell your son or whoever to come get your daughter. Nobody’s exempt. Not even you.”

His sons, as far as he was concerned, were fine. They were what you would expect out of young wolves - rambunctious and friendly but ultimately ones that understood pack law was just. He knew that the man was looking to see if his children would be able to benefit the Vilkas’ in the future, just as the Moretti’s - as well as his mother’s side of the family - had in the past. “Of course, sir... May I at least finish changing her?” The smell of her soiled diaper was still obvious, the baby oblivious to the fat load in her diaper. “It’s a hassle to get her in and out of her costume.” And while he knew that one of his children could do so, he already had her here, half-naked. “I’ll gladly take whatever punishment you deem fit afterwards, I assure you.”

Repercussions would’ve been dealt out under different circumstances. “I set rules for a specific reason,” Stepping around the Alpha to get a better look at his daughter, pretty cute kid, almost cute enough to escape punishment if she ever found herself in hot water. “I set rules not to hear myself talk, Victor. I set rules because we, as a pack, cannot properly function without ‘em. I’m sure you understand this.” The correlation between fatherhood and leadership could only further explain his point. “You as a Father lead, care for and protect your children because they are unable to for themselves, correct?” A rhetorical question. His hand landed atop of Victor’s shoulder. “That’s why I set rules because I lead those that cannot lead themselves. What’s the one thing I always say?”

Of course Victor was aware that he shouldn’t have gone this far, and he knew that even if he had a valid excuse, he wasn’t going to withstand punishment. He taught his kids to respect the laws of the land and the laws of the Alpha, to understand what being in a pack meant, and he could only nod. He had grown up alongside the man’s family, as both of his grandparents had been the second and the third to Cason’s grandfather - and he himself had even worked alongside Cason’s father -, and he had a great deal of respect for them. And he was certainly never one that had ever broke the rules - ever. “I understand, sir. You know that I have never done anything to gone against your wishes or to harm this pack in any way.” Sure, he may have voiced his opinion on trying to treat every wolf with respect and listen to them all regardless of their genders or their financial station, but at the end of the day, everything he did was to benefit his pack. He knew that there was no excuse, and he knew that he - of everyone - was to follow the rules as he was supposed to set an example. “Only the strongest survive.”

“What are you doing back here?” Cason would seemingly appear suddenly, staring down the figure in front of him. This section continued, by his word, to be off limits to everyone until otherwise, his second-in-command wasn’t allowed in the room. Before the wolf could get an accidental peek, he closed the door. “Do you know what I can do to you for trespassing on my property?” It could’ve been a misunderstanding, a sense of no direction, possibly. He didn’t believe in coincidences or mistakes, everything happened for a reason to him.

He knew it was risky, really, to be in this part of the town hall. He knew that no wolf was allowed here unless they had explicit permission from the Ignis Alpha himself, but Victor had no choice. With a three-year-old in need of a diaper change, Victor wasn’t about to plop her down and change her near the buffet table, and there weren’t any changing stations in the bathroom, so he had to look for elsewhere. He had went into an office, just any office, when he heard the voice. Almost immediately he rose, back straightening, and his sheer bulk shielded his Alpha from seeing the three-year-old on the changing blanket that was on the desk. “I’m sorry, sir... I just had no choice,” the third-in-command spoke just as Makenna giggled, and he took a step back to show his daughter as she sucked on a lollipop. “I wouldn’t have been in here otherwise.”

So, here it was again, the time of year for the annual costume party to celebrate Halloween. Josh was always one who enjoyed dressing up, so this party was always one he enjoyed. He had seen what Aaron was wearing for the party, and considered doing along the same theme, however, he decided to press up as Deadpool. His whole body was covered, even his face, so unless you knew it was him, Josh was unrecognisable. He had netting over his eyes for him to see and a hole on the mouth for him to breath and drink but the rest was completely covered, sticking to his body perfectly.

Josh was running late for the party due to having to do some last minute stuff at his dance studio, so Aaron was already there and Josh would meet him when he arrived. Arriving at the party, he looked around at all the different people dressed up as all kinds of things, before making his way to the bar to get himself a much needed drink.

If there was one thing that Victor liked about events like these, it was that they brought everyone together. It didn’t matter their age or preference or rank or pack - they were all wolves coming to celebrate a holiday. And Victor certainly enjoyed how his children seemed to enjoy it. From the way that Logan seemed to spend time with another girl from his class, to Makenna’s happy giggles as she was passed around from wolf to wolf to dancing with his mate... everything was perfect and everything was fun.

After dancing on the dance floor, Victor went to retrieve the three-year-old pup from one of her many admirers, giving them a thanks before he shifted his gaze to see a costumed figure nearby. It wasn’t until he caught the scent that he realized who it was, and he walked over to him with a laugh. “Josh, it’s good to see you made it!” the elder wolf spoke as Makenna suckled on a lollipop. “Trying to hide from your many admirers?” His words were teasing, playful, as he knew that the man was mated to one of his co-workers - but that didn’t mean that the man still didn’t seem to have wolves crawling to his feet. “How are you enjoying yourself, though?”

When the child squeaked out and hid in the other wolf’s chest, he couldn’t help but fake a pout. “Aww, sweet girl! It’s okay. It’s all fake! It even tastes like mint!” He chuckled as he moved to ruffle the young girls hair gently. “Well that’s good! And yeah, I’m really glad it’s going smoothly! I’m surprised there’s not been any fights recently… but hey, knock on wood yeah?” He joked. “Yeahhh, I know. You know how I am though. I don’t mind being here alone with my friends and such right? Even though sometimes I wish I had a partner and kids..” He shrugged his shoulders with a slight sigh. “Nah its not too rough or bad on me, really.”

The sea of half - unfamiliar faces kept reminding Arik that the party was taking place on neutral ground — not that there’s a lot of strangers to him, in Vilkas, considering he grew up here, but still, being surrounded by so many members of Terra pack was a strange experience no matter what.  Not bad strange, just … DIFFERENT.  You could feel it, like energy, suspended through the room.

Catching sight of a familiar face is still welcome, though, not that Victor’s ever had trouble drawing Arik’s attention — whether it’s the Alpha’s size or just the command of his presence, the charisma that makes him an easy leader.  Arik slows enough to acknowledge him, chin tipped up in a welcoming grin as he shrugs loosely, opting to read his lips over trying to pick out the deep timbre of his voice beneath the rumble of the music.  

“ — — — BEEN WORSE, ” a chuckle follows, that shrug slipping right into a roll of his shoulders as he carries on, even if his attention’s divided now.  “ Don’t tell me you’re alone tonight ? ”  

With so many wolves in one place, Victor was definitely a bit worried that things could turn sour. He hoped, though, that for the sake of the kids that were there, that the two packs would behave themselves. But he knew that that could’ve been wishful thinking. Still, it seemed that things were going well - Terra wolves were dancing with Ignis ones, and there weren’t any skirmishes. It seemed that, ultimately, everyone was enjoying themselves. And that had Victor relaxing, even if only marginally.

Still, it was nice to be able to chat with a member of his pack, one on one, in a casual setting. Oftentimes he tried to lend a listening ear, wanting to try and be someone that they could turn to and not be intimidated of because of his position. And it seemed that the male before him wasn’t. Though he supposed it was hard to be intimidated by someone that was mostly naked, save for a small pair of shirts and dirt rubbed onto his figure.

successful in his quest at getting the tot to giggle, marley feels very accomplished ( and also a fair bit broody but that was neither here nor there ). he slips one of his fingers into her hand as reward for her efforts, watching her face with nothing but fondness. “i can see that – if this little angel is happy, it’d be hard not to be happy too.” marley’s heart was practically full to bursting at another peal of giggles though he doesn’t initially understand her request. “ocorn?” he repeated with a reedy giggle of his own before victor was clarifying (thank goodness). “oh! wow, i’ve used that Look before too miss kenna and i know it’s impossible to say no to!” freeing his finger, marley poured a tiny cardboard tray full of the popcorn before holding it out to pup and dad both. “what good manners!”

If there was one thing that Victor learned after being a father, it was to try and talk to his children as normally as possible. It made things easier, and allowed them to learn their words. Of course, there were instances when baby-talk was just something that couldn’t be avoided, and he could only smile as Makenna giggled. “Now what do you say, Makenna?” Victor asked as he used his free hand to hold the tray of popcorn. “’ank you misser marley.” Lifting the tray enough so that Makenna could grab a few pieces of popcorn, he smiled as she popped it into her mouth before he turned his attention to Marley. “So, don’t tell me you’re alone tonight. Isn’t this holiday for all you young’uns?”

“Oh most definitely! I’m really glad the kids are having fun. Besides, Halloween is mostly all about them, yes?” He chuckled as he sipped at his drink for a moment before looking over to Makenna. “My, she’s grown quite a bit, hasn’t she? Been a while since I’ve seen her cute face. And I believe it! She deserves to have a good time. Maybe next year she’ll be able to go trick or treating, yeah?” He grinned wide. “I’m enjoying it for the most part. I’m sure my students are too.” He nodded over to a group of pre schoolers dancing and singing along to the songs with loud, high pitch voices. “How about you? How are you enjoying this?”

A small smile teased the elder wolf’s lips at the other’s words, finding them to be true. While Halloween was certainly a fun holiday, it was mostly fun when you were young and you could trick-or-treat - or drink without a worry. Still, as a parent it was fun watching your kids get excited over being able to dress up, and he smiled as Volker spoke to Makenna, though laughed when she nuzzled against his chest. “Daddy, he scary..” she stated, muffled words against his chest, and he couldn’t help but shake his head. “Oh, he’s not that scary, sweetie... the blood on him is fake. It’s pretend. Like you’re a pretend gorilla.” Using his free hand to pat his daughter’s back, he turned to look at Volker. “I’m enjoying it, though. It’s nice to be here and partake in everything as a wolf and not as the third. And it seems that things are going smoothly, too.” For now, he thought, but he hoped that for this night at least, the two packs could coexist. At least for the sake of the kids. “Seems like you might be enjoying it more if you had someone else with you, though,” Victor said with a wry smile, only to tilt his head in the other’s direction. “Hopefully it’s not too rough on you to prevent you from enjoying the party.”

Needing a bit of a break from the party for a minute but not wanting to leave, Charlie had settled off to one side to watch for a bit.  The Omega offered Victor a warm smile as the other man stopped beside him, playfully wrinkling his nose at Makenna to get her to laugh.  “I’m glad that they’re having fun, I don’t see why someone wouldn’t enjoy this party.”  He nodded at the question, pushing his fingers roughly through his hair.  “Definitely.  Just needed a little bit of a break for a minute.  Nice costume, by the way.”

“Not everyone is a fan of parties,” Victor said with a chuckle as he held his daughter, watching with a smile as she laughed at Charlie. Without warning, she held out her hands and gestured for Charlie, almost as if she wanted him to hold her, and he glanced over at Charlie to see if it was okay before he did. “Thank you, though I don’t think Vincent appreciates it.” Though it wasn’t like he was completely naked - he did have on shorts, much like he would have on if they were at the pool together. “We had to get Makenna in on it... might be our last shot at a family costume for a bit.”

Mako winked at the girl as she giggled at him, the man humming. He put on a good show but Mako hated kids….he had no plans of having them. If he did have them, it was only to use them as an anchor to keep someone around. “I think I am past my prime age of kids.” He replied with a shrug, playfully popping Makenna on the nose as she smiled at him. “But I can live vicariously through those around me.” Mako arched a brow, smirking at the other. “Word gets round quick here, doesnt it?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I think it went well…hoping for round two soon.”

“Your little ones do seem to be enjoying themselves.” Emilio replied back with a soft smile as he turned a bit more to Victor as they spoke. “I miss it– when they are young is the… it’s the best time. I remember one– when Valentino was five– he wanted to dress as a Princess for Halloween. Adrian and I couldn’t figure out why, out of all the possibilities, he chose that.” Emilio explained with a soft laugh, “–when he finally explained himself, Adrian told me I was going to be trouble because our little Coop was too attached to me. You see, he heard someone refer to me as a Princess. The comment was completely derogatory, meant to insult me, but Valentino? He didn’t know that– he just knew someone thought I was a Princess, and he wanted to be just like me so that’s why he chose that costume.” It was a bit of a random story, but the holidays just brought that mushy side out in Emilio; even holiday’s like Halloween. “Now, instead of enjoying myself, I get to spend my nights worried about Valentino and what’s he’s going to do. In fact, I’m lucky if I can get him to keep his clothes on for an entire day. Just look at him over there,” Emilio said with a nod of his head towards his son on the dance floor– shirtless, wearing tight short-shorts, and a massive bulls head mask. “You’re lucky, mi amigo.”

A soft laugh left the male’s lips, if only because he wasn’t sure he could qualify most of his children as little ones - not without their protesting, anyway - but he said nothing and instead listened to Emilio as he spoke, soft smile upon his lips. He always loved talking with other parents, watching as their faces lit up as they spoke of their pride and joy, and he couldn’t help but nod. “Children have such an innocence to them,” he stated, letting his glance over at three-year-old Makenna who was sucking on a sucker, smiling bright. God, he couldn’t wait to have another pup. He hoped that his breeding of Roman at their last cycle took. “But I wouldn’t say I’m the lucky one. If anything, you are, my friend... You only have one child to worry about. I have five.” Of course, one of those five wasn’t his own flesh and blood, but he considered Lysander his after raising him from a pup to a wolf. “For instance, I’m not only worried about Vincent finding himself a mate that he truly loves and cares for, but Logan as I’m fairly certain he’s going to present soon. It’s a constant headache, really.”