princess_mutt:

Muir Island had seen many large Christmas celebrations over the years, but this was one of the biggest. The building was warm in the cold North Scotland weather, and brimming with people.

Loretta Lynn's Christmas album was playing loudly. This was not an attempt to make any Kentucky guests feel extra-welcome, but simply because, as any of his stepgrandpuppies would happily explain, Sean was daft.

Moira happily clutched at Lucas as they came into the front atrium along with Cassidy and Izzy.

dream_catcher:

Lucas has been even busier than usual lately. Part of that is simply classes, getting finals done, and getting the academics in order. The second part is cooking - he's been a fairly steady presence around the kitchens, mostly cooking with stone ground flour and oats to make cookies - using preserves from his garden that he'd canned in season, the better to leave something behind for the other students as something of a Christmas present.
The last has been speaking with the spirits, wishing them well, and helping to spiritually ready the area for the coming season, thanking the spirits for the bounties of the past year and hoping the next would bring better times.

When prayers and meditation are done in the early hours, he does a little more cooking. This time there's more meat than he usually makes for himself, scrambling together ham, herbs and fresh spinach into extra-fluffy scrambled eggs, with a side of still-warm oatcakes.

By now, privacy isn't the biggest of concerns between them, so he brings the breakfast in bed directly to Moira and Danielle's door, knocking softly. It is still really early, after all.

princess_mutt:

The Hrimharisdottirs had been planning to do this in the daytime, when Danielle could talk, ever since they'd heard, but things kept coming up, so they were going to do it now, despite her form, while they could get to it.
They sought out Cassidy.

princess_mutt:

"I think that's the last of them," Danielle said quietly as her sister pulled another science textbook off a high shelf at the ESU bookstore. Danielle looked over the list of recommendations that Granny and Doctor McCoy had suggested she read, and confirmed that she was right about their thoroughness.

"All right," Moira said, the large stack balanced on one hand as they head towards the lady with the little machine at the counter. "You've got the card?"

"Aye."
Shopping was still so odd.

tooth_n_claw:

One of the few benefits about being a shapechanger who was stuck in animal form was that Alex always traveled light. He didn't have to worry about clothes or toiletries or other stuff like that. Of course he'd still rather be able to take human form again for a lot of reasons. A certain purple girl was one of them.

Alex flew down to Xavier's in falcon form and landed just inside the gate. He would have preferred dragon for a long flight, but he didn't want to scare anyone. It was best not to ruffle the feathers of the natives when you showed up asking for help. Not to mention he didn't feel like getting into a fight over a misunderstanding.

He landed and shifted to orangutan. He would have used the gate buzzer, but not being able to talk made it a little difficult. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the front door and then knocked.

shield_maiden:

They were gathered at the gates to the city at the foot of the newly repaired Bifrost Bridge. Tryggvi stood behind Svalin and pawed at the ground with a hoof. "Stop that," she said to her mount. He responded by headbutting her arm. Svalin new he was eager to go. He was always like this before a trip.

Svalin was not so eager to go. This would be the last time she saw her siblings for awhile. They would return to the Defenders and she would be going to the Avengers. Father's idea and Svalin had thought it a good one, but it didn't mean it would make this any easier.

She stood a little distance away from her siblings and waited for her chance to say goodbye to them and her parents. Father and the Mothers were saying their goodbyes to the other three.

Hrimhari, Lady Rahne, Moira and Danielle were a little ways off saying their goodbyes to each other.

Amorason stood off to one side.

nextgen_asgard:

The Great Hall of Odin is awash with people and noise. The fallen heroes have been honored and it was now time to celebrate their victory. It was also time to celebrate the acts of courage and bravery in the heat of battle. Mead flowed freely and the tables were pregnant with food of all kinds.

Stories about the recent battle were exchanged as well as stories of previous battles. Songs passed down through time were sung as well as new ones.

The air was light and merry and it was a festive time in Asgard.

shield_maiden:

Odin's Great Hall was almost silent. The gathered crowd waited for Thor, current ruler of Asgard while Odin slept, to speak. They were gathered to honor their fallen warriors. The battle had cost many lives and it was only fitting and proper those lost lives were honored.

Svalin stood next the throne and next to her father as Princess of Asgard. She was uncomfortable standing in front of so many people and as the princess. She was a warrior born and had a warrior's heart, not some speech maker. Barking out orders or yelling battle cries were more her style and easier to do.

Her father looked at her and nodded once.

She swallowed against the lump in her throat and looked out at the assembled warriors, her people. It was so hard to stand before them and talk about the ones that she had failed. The ones that had died because of her actions and her disregard of her duty. By Odin's beard this was hard. Her hand shook and she nearly dropped the goblet of mead she held.

"When mine father said I wast to speak to all of thee today, I didst not know what I would say. I wast scared to stand before you all and speak for I art much better with sword and shield than with words." Her voice started out a little shaky, but got stronger the more she spoke.

"Today I doth not stand before you as a princess of Asgard nor as a warrior. Today I stand /with/ you as a daughter of Asgard and the words I now speak art from mine heart."

She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Sons and daughters of Asgard, we art not here to celebrate victory with food and drink. We art not here to sing songs of our prowess in battle. We art /not/ here for us. Today we do not mourn the loss of our sisters and brothers, but today we honor them. We honor their strength, their bravery, their unparalleled courage, and their sacrifice for Asgard.

Mine father hath tried to teach me and mine siblings humility as his father had taught him, but naught hath made me more humble than to see our sisters and brothers standing up in battle against an enemy that outnumbered them. I wast deeply humbled to see them do their duty to Asgard and to pay the ultimate price for the home and people they loved."

Another deep breath to steady herself. Tears clouded her eyes and she blinked them back.

"We feel the painful loss of our fallen brothers and sisters, but we must take comfort in knowing that they art now in Valhalla with the honored slain. They hath been reunited with our brothers and sisters that hath fallen in battle before them. Take heart brothers and sisters, for one day we shall be reunited with them, whether it be in Valhalla to wait until the final days or at the end of times in the final battle when we once again fight side by side with our honored brothers and sisters.

Honor their memory and their sacrifice each day by celebrating and appreciating the life they have given you by giving theirs. We must not let them slip from our memories or our hearts."

She raised the goblet in her hand.

"Raise your drinks and voices to our honored fallen brothers and sisters and keep their memories alive until the end of times."

She looked out at the people before her and then a quick glance over at her father. "To our fallen brothers and sisters. May you rest well in Valhalla until we see all of thee again in the final battle."

Svalin poured a little of the mead on the floor as an offering and then took a long drink of mead.

nextgen_asgard:

An eerie calm fell over Asgard for a few brief moments. The forces of dark were outside of the shield over the city and were still. Inside the Asgardian warriors waited for the moment when the shield would come down and the battle would start. They were warriors, men and women, caught in an endless struggle against the dark forces that were camped outside the walls.

This would be another battle in an almost endless series of battles. Two forces locked in a constant struggle until the day the last battle came and all would be decided. Today was not the day of that last battle, but it was a day of battle.

The warriors inside the shield had taken up their proper places and waited for the shield to come down. The warriors armed with swords, shields, axes and other weapons were on foot and horseback. Beserkers waited to unleash uncontrolled fury upon their enemies. Magic users stood perched upon high battlements waiting to unleash their spells upon the enemy. Archers also lined the battlements, waiting to rain a storm of arrows upon their foes. Valkyries waited to take to the air to strike at their enemies from above. The battle commanders paced the upper battlements looking out at the forces, dark and light, below them.

Everything was still. Man, woman, horse and enemy. Not even a breeze blew.

The shield came down and chaos erupted.

circle_of_seven:

Asgard had seen a rare period of peace. That peace was about to be shattered. Dark forces gathered in a far corner of the realm. Trolls, dark elves and giants fathered their forces and prepared for an assault on the city and the cursed Asgardians.

Soon the city would fall and Asgard would be theirs to rule.

Alfun looked at the assembled troops and smiled. They would make a great distraction. Alfrun knew they wouldn’t succeed in defeating the Asgardians and taking the city. Countless times they have tried and failed. The Asgardians always won.
Until today. The troops were a distraction until the real weapon could be brought onto the battlefield. With the two, the Asgardians would fall. This would be their Ragnarok. The final battle for them.

Alfrun ran her fingers lovingly over the parchment. How very nice of that dwarf to give her this wonderful piece of parchment. With it she could bring about the downfall of Odin, Thor and the rest of Asgard. Then she, Alfun daughter of Eisa and granddaughter of Loki, would sit upon the throne of Asgard as queen.

“Send them!” she said. “I have to start the ritual.”

Treg grunted and then bellowed orders. The troops started moving.

dream_catcher:

Its been too long through the winter, and he knows Danielle has wanted to keep her promise to her body. Lucas also made a promise to Lyta. He's been extremely discrete about it, but made arrangements to borrow one of the vans to get out into more or less the literal middle of nowhere so Lyta can stretch her wings without any risk of being seen and the others can get some relaxation time in. He's invited Lyta, Moira and Danielle to invite along anyone they like and feel comfortable with, and who aren't going to mind the boy being along. Otherwise, he's kept it strictly between them.

He and the Hrimharisdottirs have been out this way before, but this is the first time anyone else has been invited along.

ng_marauders:

Penny stepped out of the cab and didn't look back to see if Winterkill and Breakneck were getting out. They would follow, of that she had no doubt. They had a mission to do. Penny smiled. They'd have fun doing it too.

Penny smiled more as she practically bounced up to the gate. Makeup covered the bruise she had because of that bastard breaking her nose. Anger bubbled up, but she pushed it back. She couldn't afford to let real emotions get the best of her. She had to play a part right now.

Smiling into the security camera, Penny pressed the buzzer.

little_gabriel:

The magic of the holidays was finally dying down, and Gabriel had started a solid relationship with Warren.  In fact, he had proposed to bring Warren and Lyta to Scotland to see Connor.  Something unexpected happened, though, after he informed Professor Xavier about the trip.  Gabriel got outside of the building to find that word had gotten out about the Scotland trip.  'Oh Jeez,' he thought. 

"At least I should have a nice flight today."

wild_rose:

"That the best you got, you slimy scum-sucking uglies?  I've seen worse in my breakfast cere...."  The woman, clad in a brown and gold costume, a single bone spike protruding from the back of each hand, dropped out of the sky.  She looked around the grounds of the mansion in confusion, though also with recognition.

"What the flamin' heck...?"  She sniffed the air and found no signs of her teammates, nor of the N'garai they'd been fighting.  No trace at all.  Which was beyond strange.  Even if they'd finished the fight without her, it would take days, even weeks or more for a scent to vanish completely. 

She pulled her mask off.  "Don't tell me I missed the whole dang fight..."

nextgen_deviant:

The brides were clad in white and lined up in front of the altar. A semi-circle of priests stood behind the brides and were chanting. The magic in the air became more powerful as the priests chanted. A small circle appeared in the air before the brides and started to get bigger.

Standing behind the priests was a large group of deviants. They were witnessing the rebirth of their god into the mortal realm. It was an honor and privilege to be witness to this historic moment.

dream_catcher:

Its a little before dawn. The circles are drawn, the spirits have been called. There's food and drink laid out for family and any friends who want to witness the ritual and who have been invited by Danielle, though everyone except Danielle has been instructed to remain outside the circle and keep any talk quiet and between themselves.

Lucas has been in meditation for over an hour, communing with the spirits of the area and one in particular, preparing the introductions and making sure he has the stories right.

At ten minutes before sunrise he looks to the gathered. "We have a few minutes. If there is any questions or concerns, now is the time. When Danielle steps into this circle, I must request we have no further interruptions or it risks everything. You may talk among yourselves, but not to either of us, and neither of us can leave the circle for any reason or the ritual will fail. We'll be here til sunset. Feel free to come and go, but please keep it quiet once the sun is rising. Everything is ready, and we have a few minutes. Any questions?"

nextgen_deviant:

It was time to bring Set back into the world and bring about a new age for the Earth. Mammals would no longer be the dominant species and humans, those foul evolved apes, will be slaves once more. Slaves like they used to be before the accursed Celestials wiped out most of the deviants and lizard men.

The priests knew what needed to be done. One of the special deviants, those modified to better fight for Set, would accompany them and take the brides into custody. Teleporting was much easier now that Set’s influence in the world was getting stronger. The priests did it now with very little effort.

The priests teleported in near the brides, they were marked and easy to find now, and once they were alone, a small spell was cast and the bride went unconscious. The priest’s escort picked her up and the trio teleported back to Lemuria.
It had only taken a matter of moments to retrieve all seven brides.

Once they were back in Lemuria, the brides had been dressed in white dresses and cloaks and prepared for the coming of their lord Set. They were then arranged around the serpent crown and the ritual began.

nextgen_parent:

The Moonlight Flit, the private -- and very discreet -- plane of the Muir Island Research Center, started to touch down at the appropriate landing area at the Xavier Institute.

Danielle's tail was already wagging as several of them waited for the plane to open up.
And when their family comes out, there is some mutual pouncing.

"Mummy! Da!"
"My Stars," Hrimhari greets them enthusiastically, first hugging Moira tightly before shifting down to full-wolf form to nuzzle at Danielle.

The temporary neglect of others present is not intended to be a discourtesy, certainly.

mishaloganovich:

As a reward for being a good little mutant and submitting to Xavier's psychic help and Dad's daily work outs, Misha was allowed to mingle with the student body. No sparring, no teaching, no weapons training, but by God he could now talk to them without the fear of hurting somebody. They still couldn't tell him what would trigger an attack other than the obvious Romanov one, but since Mom wasn't around and as far as he knew Anya, James and Eliza were still in SHIELD custody, that didn't appear to be a problem.

It was a nice afternoon, so he pulled Dad's jeep out of the garage to wash it. Darlene was still in his parking spot in the city and from the messages left on his phone, not happy she wasn't getting more air time.

nextgen_adult:

Dr. Moira Ann Kinross MacTaggert had been busy. Her primary research concern lately had of course been her granddaughter Danielle's condition.  Retrovirus-mediated therapy was looking like the best possible solution, but making <i>that</i> work with Danielle's physiology was going to be tricky. She'd need to see her again soon. Still, progress.

A telephone rang at the Xavier Institute.

_tsunami_:

The air was warm and the sun was bright making it a perfect day for a cookout to celebrate Labor Day. Classes would start on the 8th (for those going to college they started a week ago) and it was the last chance to kick back and cut loose before hitting the books.

At Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning tables had been placed out around the pool and the large grill fired up. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

Cait had even gone as far as going into the woods yesterday and made some garum. It was a surprise for her brother, the twerp liked the stuff, and making it near the mansion was not an option. It was currently in a small container on the table.

She stood on the edge of the pool and made different water sculptures unpon request. Yes, once and awhile a sphere of water would "just happen" to get out of her control and soak someone.

princess_mutt:

Moira and Danielle were in their designated room. This needed to change. It was so...inside. Moira changed into the outfit she'd been provided that was shifting-appropriate. They stepped out of their room.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent was pleased with himself. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Vincent was generally pleased with himself; but this was exceptional. His two childhood friends, his best friend and teammate, and his adoptive/extended family, all sitting down to dinner together. Granted, the Richards family and their lot weren't in attendance, but this was still very nice. Combining it with the fact that he'd picked them all up their dinners of choice from one of the city's best eateries was just icing.

Once they were all settled, and he'd explained how he'd met the wolf daughters, he made the 'official' introductions.

"And so... Moira and Danielle Hrimharisdottin... Kristoff Vernard, Cassandra and Scotty Lang, and 'Awesome' Andrea Denker." He gestured around the table with a bit of flourish, before sitting back down between Moira and Andrea.

princess_mutt:

"And so that seems to be all in that regard, " Moira explained to the telephone as she stood on a sidewalk just outside the Greenwich Village area, the long leather jacket a little odd for summer, but comfortable enough. "Dr. Strange said he was unfortunately quite sure -- Aye, we can get back to Westchester; we are walking now to the transportation that was arranged, taking a little time to look around. We will be fine, Granny." Then, after listening for another moment, Moira sighed. "Aye, it was worth a try." Then she nodded, even though Mummy and Granny had explained that telephones could not show that. "We love you, too, Granny." And then one hand closed the phone and put it away. The other hand held the lead that was attached to a harness around her sister, because of some silly New York law and the need to not panic people.
Danielle was sniffing the air a little at this point with a thoughtful look.

princess_mutt:

Moira Hrimharisdottir, in human form, wearing plain brown clothes and a leather coat, crouched beside her sister near the lake at Xavier's. Granny -- that being Lady Doctor Moira Ann Kinross Mactaggart, Midgard's Greatest Physician as she'd proudly told the children of Asgard a thousand times -- was inside talking to the Professor. She and Danielle had thought it best to let them discuss some things alone.

If Granny thought it would be best for them to stay here, she must suspect anything she could do for Danielle would take a while, Moira knew. No quick fix, even from Midgard's Greatest Physician.
Danielle nuzzled her a little, obviously nervous, and Moira silently scritched her behind the ears.