Pyralis raced out of the forest and across the field, praying that when she turned around the bear would be gone. She turned her head to look and then let out a cheer. Hahahaha! Yea, she gave the bear the slip WH— Pyralis tripped over a large stone and promptly face-planted into a garden of herbs. Spitting and sputtering she stumbled back onto her feet and shook the plants from her coat. Smacking her lips she spat out a bunch of thyme. Ew! Taking a few big gulps of air she looked around her, wondering if Alarik had made it out ok. "Talk" "You" Think

Alarik burst from the shadows of the forest, chest heaving as he panted like crazy. He took a chance and looked behind him and, thank the gods, that monstrous beast was gone. Well, the boy supposed he could no longer say that he'd never been face to face with a bear. And this was, what, the fourth time it had happened to Pyralis? How was her heart still beating after so many near death experiences? Speaking of which, where had she ended up? Hopefully she was okay, Alarik hadn't heard any screams of pain, so he could only assume she had escaped like he had. But where was she? He trotted along the line of trees that marked the edge of the cedar forest, scenting the air for any signs of her. Oh, there it was. Lowering his head, the large brute followed the scent trail that led to his traveling companion. And when at last she was within earshot, he called out to her: "Pyralis! Guess what?" he shouted. "I just discovered that I hate bears!" "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis was relieved that the bear didn't seem to have followed them but she was concerned when she didn't see Alarik. She was about to head back and give that bear a talking to when she heard him call out. She grinned but was too tired to laugh. Instead she trotted over to meet him, nodding her head as she closed the distance. "They're awful aren't they? Glad you weren't eaten. I was starting to wonder when I didn't see you." She stretched for a moment then headed back into the garden. "it seems fairly nice in this place. If you don't mind I think I need to rest a bit. I wasn't expecting to exert that much energy so soon." "Talk" "You" Think

The woman grinned at his little joke, but seemed too tired to laugh. He was pretty exhausted too, after running away from that bear. The adrenaline that had been racing through his veins was now used up, replaced by fatigue. Alarik let out a quiet huff as he sat down, chuckling when Pyralis said she was glad he didn't get eaten. "Wow," he said, pretending to be touched. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He smirked as he teased her and then let out a little grumble as he stretched his tired muscles. His traveling companion did the same, and then turned to walk deeper into the garden. Alarik stood, following her mostly out of curiosity. And when he took a moment to look around, he had to agree. It was a lovely place to stop and rest. "Sure," he said, flopping gracelessly down into some bushy looking grass. He let out a big yawn and let his eyes wander aimlessly. "So, Pyralis, I guess I never did ask you," he began. "What is this family of yours like? They seem to have made quite a name for themselves. What does it mean to bear the name Abraxas?" Alarik asked this in a dramatic voice, meant to keep the mood light and slightly teasing. But he had no idea what her family was really like. Perhaps she was about to tell him. "Talk" "You" Think

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Pyralis continued to grin as she chirped, "That's me! I always aim to please and compliment." Her voice was ringed in a teasing air and for a moment she fell silent, just catching her breath. The place smelt strongly of various herbs and Pyralis made note to let her healer know of this place. Lydia would go nuts here. Pyralis lightly pawed at a stalk of rosemary debating if it was safe enough to put in her mouth so that she could actually bring it back. Alarik flopped into some plush looking grass and yawned. Pyralis shifted over towards him and did the same. They were getting close. They could cut straight south through this garden and into the wolves but she agreed that she needed a rest after that encounter. Alarik spoke again bringing up her family. She grinned and stared at him thoughtfully. "There are so many of us it's hard to pin down exact traits but I would say all of us are proud and ambitious. To be an Abraxas… an interesting question. You see we are descendents of the Fallen god, cast out of paradise many ages back and we seek to reclaim our place there. That is our mission." She let it lay there for now. Amon was the best one to define what an Abraxas was and she had such a tendency to deviate from the mold she wasn't sure it was her place to say. "Talk" "You" Think

The young man wriggled a bit, nestling himself further into the plush grass bed he had made for himself. His eyes followed Pyralis as she came closer and found a place of her own to plop down and rest. Alarik had no way of knowing how close they were to reaching their destination. For all he knew, they might have to travel the rest of the day. So he had no problem taking a moment to relax, especially after the whole bear thing happened. When he asked about her family, Pyralis seemed more than happy to answer. There were many of them, apparently, and they were all proud and ambitious. In that way he supposed her family was much like his own. Except for the fact that their ambition had begun to die. The storied pack they'd been searching for, Ebony, was nowhere to be found. They seemed to be the only wolves of Xanilov blood left in this land. They'd kind of hit a dead end in that respect. But he listened with interest to hear the story of the Abraxas family. Their origins were in the heavens, quite literally. They all believed they were descended from a fallen god with a mission to escape mortal life and reclaim their place in paradise. Maybe that would turn out to be a dead end too. But of course Alarik didn't say that out loud. "Interesting," he said. "and this god from which your family descended... did he give any advice on how to get back to paradise? Because that sounds like quite the task. Much more daunting than the task our family placed upon my siblings and I..." "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis grinned as Alarik nestled down to rest. She sprawled out on her belly, her front limbs forward like a sphynx and her back limbs splayed out but she didn't want to fall asleep, not with the bear around. She was certain they'd ditched it but she still was way to antsy to rest on her laurels. Pyralis eyed the position of the sun in the sky, doing a series of quick calculations. They still had time to rest. They could cut south soon and reach the mouth of the canyon just before dusk. She turned to Alarik as he asked her about the journey back to paradise. She grinned wickedly. "To return to paradise we have to prove our worth, particularly over mortals, no offense." She laughed. "We are here for conquest and battle and when we've proven ourselves to be worth we will ascend back to the heavens and leave these mortal bodies." Her head tilted to as she gazed at Alarik. "What is the task that has fallen on you and your siblings?" "Talk" "You" Think

Alarik listened with genuine interest as Pyralis explained what they had to do in order to leave this world and return to their rightful place in paradise. Apparently they had to prove their worth, show that they were greater than mere mortals, and at that point they would leave these mortal bodies and be gods again. Alarik tried to imagine such a scene, and failed. Would their mortal bodies just fall limp as they ascended into the sky like shimmering, translucent spirits? It was a lot for anyone to truly believe, but Alarik was a respectful man and so of course he didn't laugh at Pyralis or her beliefs. He simply nodded. "Conquest and battle," he repeated. "You're certainly the type to have no trouble picking a fight," the young man said with a teasing grin. He sighed a bit as she asked what he and his siblings had been sent here to do. "Well, evidently, a couple of generations ago there was a great pack in Boreas called Ebony," he said. "The leader of Ebony was named Raisa Xanilov. My grandmother," he said, to clarify. "Ebony was a strong and unwavering pack, where only females held positions of high authority," this he said mainly because he thought it might intrigue the woman. She seemed the type to be fascinated by the idea of a matriarchy. "But anyway, long story short, my mother broke away from the original Ebony and created her own pack in another land. When that pack began to struggle, she sent her children—my siblings and I—back to this land to find Ebony and restore it to its former glory." Alarik looked down, pawing at a scraggly tuft of grass. "When we got here, we couldn't find Ebony at all. Turns out it fell, or was disbanded, long ago. And our grandmother Raisa is nowhere to be found." "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis grinned. Oh yes, she had no problem picking fights. "And winning them to!" She settled down as he began to tell of their history. She had to admit she rather liked the idea of a pack where only females held high positions. In her opinion it made perfect sense. Testosterone had a tendency to turn men's minds to mush. She didn't know what to say as he finished his story. It wasn't in her nature really to comfort another. "Do you still intend to try and raise this Ebony yourself?" She stood and shook out her coat, eyeing the sun. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Alarik. If we want to get back before dark then we need to get moving. We can cut south into the Wraith's Woods from here." -exit- ooc: sorry if its abrupt, I'm looking to wrap up some of my spree threads xD "Talk" "You" Think