The Pledge {Pack thread; IMPORTANT}

-@heartland babies-

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It had been quite some time since Kairos had entered the land formerly known as Flaxtown Kingdom and had turned the tides. And as deep and heartfelt as his calming speech had been, it wasn't enough to set things in motion. Now that he had met with the Alpha of Ash River, it was time to set in motion the things that must be done for Knights of Heartland. 

He had been waiting since the sun was only a sliver of yellow and orange on the horizon. The news that the pack would have a meeting today was announced yesterday, but he had sent his watcher as a reminder to all  who wake this early. Φsiqe would most likely be busy with that all day, so he would be left alone with his thoughts for quite some time.

Apparently it wouldn't be enough time however. There were quite a few early risers and already he was seeing more than half of the pack shuffling around him. He gave a warm smile to those who are there and chuckled. "I guess I was not the only one who couldn't sleep all too well, huh?" He wasn't really nervous or anxious. It was just that there was a lot to be done and he was one who liked preparation when it was possible.

Now the sun was a little higher in the sky and nearly everyone was here, he was finally ready to speak.
"Good morning," he started with, of course. "Or at least a better morning than the last few where everyone has been left in the dark." Again another joke. It just made him feel much better to see their smiles than them looking up at him expectantly. Prior to this step he had worked with a group of dogs where there was no team leader, just a bunch of dogs working together. And even though now he would very much be a leader among dogs, he wanted to foster the same comfort and casualness with him that he had with his team. At least for now.

"I would first like to say that it was not my intention at all to leave you all hanging on my last words and wondering where to go from here. The night I arrived was one filled with many strong emotions. Some highs and lows. Everyone, including myself, was a little wired up. I wanted us to have a chance to rest our body and mind before we move forward and make important decisions of how to move forward from here."

"Now that things have settled down you may notice some things about me that hadn't been addressed before. Yes, I am quite young. I am probably younger than many of you. And no, in the short time I have been alive I have not had experience as a leader. But I have had experience as a teammate among dogs whose common goal is to make this world a better and safe place for dogs and humans alike. It is what I live for, and I don't think it is much of a stretch to say the dogs of this pack are aligned in a similar mentality."

"I want this pack to be an open and friendly environment just like Flaxtown Kingdom, but I want it to go beyond the boundaries of our pack. Perhaps if we are willing to open our kindness to those outside of our borders, even if they do not join us we can change their lives and in turn, they will change others. Flaxtown Kingdom and Knights of Heartland both had a vision of making Canaria a better and safer place, but the later understands that we have to put effort into that vision beyond expanding our ranks as a return.
Of course, all of this will require a strong and dedicated team to pull off. For the reasons mentioned earlier, and for the challenges that come in the future, I'm calling for the dogs who are ready to take those first steps at this moment. There will be plenty of opportunities for those who aren't quite ready yet, so please do not feel rushed to take the call. And if you think that it may be too much for you, don't feel pressured to leave the pack; it is your home after all."

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Template by Ocean on THQ

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OOC Anouncement: Pack "Joining" Thread

So this is a hastily made pack thread for those joining the Knights of Heartland who were previously part of Flaxtown Kingdom. For those of you who don't know about the situation, here is the summary of the situation Flaxrown Kingdom ended on from the leader positions board:

The current leader, Wren, had gone crazy in grief after her son--the heir--had died from a freak accident. The Augment formed a treaty with Ash River for their knowledge, hoping to find a way to reanimate his corpse because her healing nanobots could not repair him. This was fine until she started giving Flaxrown's sick and weak to Ash River as experimental subjects. She only wanted to see her son's smile one more time.

(There is also this claiming thread that you can read to get an idea of Kairos's introduction to the pack.)

As stated earlier, this is for every dog who wants to be a previous Flaxtown Kingdom dog and become a Knights of Heartland dog. If you don't want to pledge right now and keep your dog a Heartlander, thats fine. Just make a post about your characters feelings on the situation or even ask a question. If you have any out-of-character questions feel free to PM me. I will update the list below as canines post in this thread.

Knights of Heartland Dogs:
Heartlanders:
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Knights:

John
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[attr="class","johntitle"]John

so the story goes they wore the clothes[break]
they said the things to make it seem improbable

John woke up early as he always did. He started when the sky was still dark. His enhanced eye allowed him to see enough to start his exercise. He would sprint and trot. He would jump and leap. And then, go into a play bow and then lift his back end and then put it back down. He would balance on his hind legs, stand up, and then settle down into the position humans called sit pretty. Exercises that Ash River, where his mother originated from, had lifted directly from human-led training regimens on their military dogs for improved proprioception and body conditioning from dogs who came into that pack with military in their history. He did them shamelessly every other morning, remembering his mother calling him a good boy as he did them. He was about to put his hind feet up on a piece of foundation stone and stretch out and back when Kairos began the meeting he had announced yesterday. 
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John's body was warm, but not tired. He had incredible endurance and attended to Kairos's words. Hanging on them. Truthfully, he was fine with his station as a Heartlander. He knew he was broken. That there was something wrong with him. Other dogs knew to feed themselves, clean themselves, hunt for themselves, while John hung on every order given. Though it would be awhile before Kairos spoke, John started his cool down, pacing slowly. It looked like impatience and could be read as such, but the lurcher was able to wait until the world ended for someone. His loyalty was powerful and unwavering, but also easily given due to his naivety.
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Truth be told, he was one of the dogs who helped deliver the Vassals. And he had been a Vassal himself. One of the few that Queen Wren thought too useful to toss into Ash River. He only believed what the Queen had told him. That the dogs were going to get better. That Ash River would heal them. And that was enough for him because he knew that reputation. He hadn't a sense of right or wrong to know otherwise. All he knew was that he liked to be told he was a good boy. And that was what he was told as he did the deed.
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And it pained him when suddenly, his actions were no longer good. Kairos's speech moved him. If that was all it took, he could do that. Right? John stepped forward, his head dipped low. He knew he might be rebuked for what he had done. "I luh-luh-eh, ahem, I like this v-vision of yours." John hated his stutter, but hoped that the new leader of his territory would be able to sit through it. He didn't stammer as badly with Queen Wren. He also didn't speak much. He was a tool. Point-and-shoot. He'd get it done. And when working, there was no trace of that stammer. Interacting with others was so hard for a dog that hadn't really been allowed to do it before. John wanted to be a good boy. Be a Knight that was making Canaria a better place. It was what his mother had said they were doing once, when he was little. "A b-b-b-better place." He smiled sweetly, but his thin little tail didn't wag. It was low, between his legs, but also not tucked.
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"But I'm not a guh, guh... I'm not a good dog." Shyly he lowered his head further. He didn't know how to be one. But he presented with an interesting case. He could do whatever he was ordered to do and get the job done. What he couldn't do was think for himself. Not really.
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Kairos

Pattern (cc) Evan Eckard @ DinPattern.com | table coding by Quirky Tea

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[newclass=".johntitle:hover"]background-color: #6C828B;color: black;[/newclass]

- John and the @heartland crew -

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Kairos was less surprised that John was the first dog to respond as much as he was surprised he had responded at all. His ears perked when John started to speak and his serious, leader-like face melted into a big silly grin. This was good. Kairos was excited for this. Kairos found himself really liking John. He was a dog that was committed-no, devoted- to the pack and its cause. Despite the message being that it was time for those who needed it to rest, John would be up in the earliest of mornings until late evening. It wasn't in his mind initially to question why one would be so devoted to a cause he didn't know of yet; Kairos was in the exact same situation himself. It wasn't until later when he started to get the opinions of other dogs did he start to find out something was wrong. 

When John spoke up, he could sense the  energy of the ones around him shifting. Kairos' body subtly shifted as well, stepping forward as John spoke to ensure that he would get his message out before anyone tried to refute. And before they could, Kairos was the one to speak. "You are right John. You aren't a good dog; you are a great one. You are always actively taking the steps to prove it to those around you and you don't even know it. The only one left to prove it to is yourself. " Kairos said with a lighthearted laugh punctuating his point. And with it, all the tension roused from memories of the past seemed to melt away.

"Join me as a knight if you wish John. If you have to worry about what can go wrong, just know that you won't have to face that future alone anymore." Kairos added with a wink.

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Template by Ocean on THQ

Quinn was walking around with his horn(s) out and stumbled upon what looked like a pack meeting. He froze and looked at the dogs. One dog stood out in particular. "Heyo! Whats going on?" He asked as he looked at the dogs gathered in one place. He grinned and showed off his fangs. His long legs made him seem like he was towering and he looked straight at the dog that was talking. "Heyo! I know I already said that but my name is Quinn and you guys look like fun. Want to play?" He asked with a childish grin on his face that seemed way to innocent yet almost deadly. Like it was if you denied him he would snap and turn into a destructive ball of rage.

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[attr="class","johntitle"]John

all the nightmares came today and it looks as though they're here to stay

John averted his eyes and shivered when Kairos confirmed that he was indeed not a good dog. He thought of all of the things he had done in his life. He had killed his brother. Had his mother die. He blamed himself. And he helped with delivering the Vassals to Ash River Project. And then there were the dogs telling him that killing was wrong. How often had he killed a dog? The thoughts were spinning around in his head, filling him with anxiety and self-doubt when Kairos said something else, which surprised him.

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A great dog? Really. He glanced up momentarily, surprised. He never considered it in the way that Kairos explained. He did. He did try so hard. And apparently his leader could see that. A shy smile spread its way onto John's mouth, revealing his silver smile, his upgrades hinted at, small things that Kairos could pick out if he was paying attention. If trying hard was good enough, would it be okay to mess up? Even if the mistake cost another dog's life? That was what John knew, but he trusted that Kairos was good for it. That he wasn't lying to him. His Rex apparently believed he could be a Knight. In the quiet way that John bumped through life, he agreed. If someone else thought he could, then he could.

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"I'll b-be a Knight." He had stumbled over his words, as he always did. He wasn't sure what all that entailed. He had started in Flaxrown as a Vassal. Now he was a Knight of Kairos's pack.

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A stranger appeared and that dog made John shrink back. He squeaked and lowered himself. He glanced at Kairos, half hoping that his Rex would take the reigns and half hoping that he would tell him to kill the dog so he could show him just how useful and proficient he could be. Not this quivering mess of a dog. He could be lethal and beautiful in how dangerous he was. If only.
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Kairos , Quinn

Pattern (cc) Evan Eckard @ DinPattern.com | table coding by Quirky Tea

- John , Quinn and the @heartland crew -

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There was a warming feeling that spread throughout Kairos when John smiled at him. He had been more than a little worried for the dog. John tried so hard every day despite it all, but Kairos could feel that this entire event had been stressful for the already self-depreciating male. John had given him the impression that he was a little afraid or unsure of Kairos. But now they were making a connection; he could feel it. And he couldn't wait until they could explore it until that smile eventually becomes a happy laugh and a cocksure swagger. "Honored to have ya' , John."

The moment was so fleeting, especially with the arrival of the outsider. But Kairos could understand in this situation. This rather large dog was a tad bit too outgoing for one surrounded by a pack of strangers. Most dogs were taken by surprise from his sudden appearance and cleared a path, but Kairos stood tall, resolute, but cheery in face of the rather quirky dog. He noted John's glance and once again gave him a wink to help bring relief to his tension before addressing the canine before him.

"Well if you can't tell, a pack meeting is going on. We aren't quite ready for guests yet, but I'll see what we can do afterwards. Feel free to hang around until then."

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Template by Ocean on THQ

Quinn looked at the two. "Okay, I can stay. It's not like I have anywhere to go." He grinned at the two. He might as well stay. No harm no foul and with these dogs here he wouldn't try anything. 'I am not as scared as I thought I would be.' He thought and went to go and sit on the sidelines. Making himself smaller so that he didn't drag unwanted attention to himself. He glanced at the dogs and bowed his head low and went to growl but stopped himself. He breathed in the scent and logged all of them into order.