The young Alphess was definitely on a busy routine this week. She had gained an alliance with Threar and now she was getting herself prepared for two more meetings. Both hadn't happened yet; as a matter of fact, she was on her way to focus on one of them. Tan paws carried a determined Adravendi towards the Prairie, mental preparation already done as she got closer to the heavily scented borders. Red and blue eyes began to scan the quiet border of grass and trees as her walk slowed to a stop. Tail lazily swept behind her in a slow, rhythmic fashion as she began to think of what type of leader reigned beyond the borders. Rumors had reached her ears a month or two back of a ruler whose temper was short and stare was deadly. She didn't want to risk her neck being snapped for simply appearing. Odette to the plunge. She slowly raised her head and let a call rise from her lips. The call rang for the leader (or leaders) of the pack, long and melodious. However, her heart rate began to race and as her call faded, she began to hold her breath in suspense. If the rumors were true and she was met with a maddened monster, she would stand her ground and then leave. If not...well, that was all up to fate. Speech

Walk | Talk | Think   A call from the border was better than finding a trespasser later on, though neither were really much accepted or tolerated by the grey Guardian. No, he preferred his privacy as well as his pack's, and felt irritated every time he heard a call or caught the scent of someone at his borders. It was true that half of them could have been potential members for the pack, something that he knew he was in need of, but his desire to protect and guard his members against the dangers of the world, against those that he had deemed untrustworthy and harmful, were too strong for him to set them aside so easily.  Calls from other pack leaders was a different matter though, and bothered him even more. That had not changed even now as he moved to answer the summons, traveling up and out of the Gulley and toward the Prairie where he had heard the sound originate from. In his mind, if he wished to associate with those other places, then he would have gone to their borders rather than wait for them to show up and disrupt things in his own home. It did not help matters any that he felt Secretua lacked a proper defense against these more established neighbors, that if trouble came knocking at his door he would have had only a handful to help him stand against it. It set him on edge, made him wary, and, as always, kept a permanent scowl on his face.  As soon as he broke from the confines of the Gulley and strode out across the Prairie he took on the demeanor and authoritative posture of an alpha, tail and head lifted, his narrowed gaze direct and critical. He did not recognize the tri-colored wolf who stood on his border, but though it meant this was no familiar adversary it did not necessarily mean this was not someone to be wary of. He barked, hoping to catch her attention, and did not slow from his quick trotting pace until he was closer, on his side of the pack border but near enough for whatever short-lived conversation she expected to get out of him. He was not friendly, all serious gruffness and guarded irritation just looking for the last excuse he needed to write her off as bothersome so he could leave, and his voice when he spoke was curt, blunt, and lacking in any form of pleasantries. "What do you want here?" She was obviously not looking to join and she carried the scent of another pack on her. This could only be another diplomatic mission to try and get him to help others who were not his responsibility.

Every once and a while the relative peace of the small pack would be broken by calls from the border and Alamea was usually more than happy to let her mate handle them; glad of his protective nature. The world beyond the small group was one she knew to be cruel and a part of her always feared that one day it would be her own brother. Still curiosity often nagged in the back of her mind for a while after such calls went out.

Maybe that was why this time she was marching towards the border, though only after she had already assured Rune was heading off before her. She would have hated to arrive before him, as despite her own rank in the pack she would need to differ to his judgement, if only for her only peace of mind. It was a surprise that awaited her at the borders, not just her mate but another wolf she recognized.

“Odette?” The multicolored woman’s name fell from salmon tongue as Alamea moved to stand up against her mate; dwarfed easily by his size.  A small smile tugged at her lips as she spoke, it was good to see a familiar face even if it had been a while.

She didn't have to wait long, for he appeared within five minutes. The rumors were halfway true when she first laid eyes on him. His face was cold, eyes were stern, and his appearance set him in Odette's mind to a protector. For some reason, the way he held himself was vaguely familiar...She immediately remembered a set of leaf-green eyes glaring at her, glassy orbs keeping every secret in the world locked in them for nobody to read. Yes...his look greatly resembled Maija Artenie's. Odette pushed the mental image away as she saw him approach before he stopped at a respectable distance. He stood tall and asked her a simple question that was wrapped around a hostile tone. Instead of backing away from the sound that came from his mouth, Odette's head rose eagerly with ears perked for effect. Her massive form stood as straight as it could before she began with, "I am Odette Adravendi and I came to..." Her words faded when another wolf appeared, this one smaller and whose fur was whiter than the fading snow around them. She looked at the pink gaze, similar to the Arcanum queen's color. Instead of this gaze being fierce and powerful, the young woman's eyes were filled with warmth and surprise. Odette's face, previously carrying a blank stare, wiped away the physical blond moment as she felt more memories flood her brain. Valhalla...a very pregnant wolf with pink eyes...quiet-natured, but very sweet... "Alamea?" she asked in pleasant confusion before she completely recovered. "Oh my goodness...it's you!" Her eyes roved over the woman before she absently added, "You had your babies, then! Congratulations are in order, I apologize to not have told you sooner!" Odette then looked over to Rune and realized that her change of focus would probably make him angry, confused, or a mixture of both. Her smile only brightened as she looked at him and hastily explained, "Alamea and I were in Valhalla, way back when I was a yearling...I never thought I would see her again." Her tail wagged as she looked back to Alamea, happiness evident upon her face. "Wow, Alamea...and your husband is the leader here? Definitely congrats again!" What turned out to be a political journey was quickly changing direction to a mini Valhalla reunion! Speech

Walk | Talk | Think   She did not shrink at all at his approach but instead seemed to draw herself up to her full height, standing taller even than the Guardian did. Is she even with Kismet? he wondered, though refused to give it any more thought than that. It did not matter her size or her look; what mattered was her business here and how quickly he could be done with it. There was not a moment wasted between his words and hers - a fact that Rune was grateful for even if he said nothing about it aloud - but there was something akin to distraction in her words as she began to speak. In fact, he felt it too, his own ears drawing back as the sound of someone approaching made him realize they were not alone. He barely had enough time to register that the tall woman had labeled herself an Adravendi when Alamea appeared at his side and completely turned the tide of the conversation. Recognition went off on both sides of the border, at least between the black, grey, and tan girl and the Guardian's mate. Confused, struggling to keep up and obviously looking like it, the grey wolf glanced in puzzlement between Alamea and the woman who was visiting them, watching as they called each other by name and congratulations were offered to the little wintry white wolf beside him. Pups? Jeez, if she meant the kids, she must have been very behind. But slowly he began to put it together. An Adravendi that knew his mate must have been a part of Valhalla before it went away. This must have been one of his packmates during his brief stay there. The cheery visitor said as much herself, to which Rune merely glanced at her with slightly less skepticism than before. It was all fine and dandy that she knew Alamea, but it still did not answer the real question of why she was here. Stickler that he was for getting straight to business, he tried to get the conversation back on topic. "What brings an ex-Valhallan here to Secretua?" he asked, his gruff tone slightly more accommodating and relaxed than his short greeting from a moment ago. Though his frosty blue stare still remained slightly narrowed, he reclined back into a seated position, willing, for the moment, to entertain their guest on the border.

   

It took Odette a moment it seemed, then her name fell from the tricolored woman’s mouth and Alamea couldn’t help but nod happily. The last time she had seen Odette? She had been pregnant hadn’t she? It felt like nearly a life time ago and yet even now seeing the clearly grown girl the white woman couldn’t help but feel younger. Her children were grown and a new litter was slowly starting to grow inside her but for a brief moment she was the scared young woman she had been nearly two years ago.

A chuckle dropped from pink lips. “No need to apologize; we left only shortly after I gave birth. Very few wolves got a chance to drop in and see the pups, or offer their congratulations.” The conversation shifted back to her mate and she offered an encouraging not as Odette turned her gaze back upon the white woman. Mention of her mate no husband’s status caused a soft giggle to bubble forth and she leaned into Rune, briefly nosing his shoulder.

Rune spoke, his tone gruff and asking as to why Odette was here. Alamea rolled her eyes playfully at Odette, then brushed up against the man again.

Odette Adravendi

Rune's statue-like façade began to melt, especially when he realized that she knew Alamea from Valhalla. Odette hadn't expected such a reunion to happen today, but she was happy that the outcome appeared to be happening in her favor. She only hoped that it continued to be that way as the meeting progressed past introductions (on her part). Slowly, she took in a couple of breaths before beginning the next step in the process. Alamea's relaxed and smiling composure made Odette feel more comfortable. When she rolled her eyes and brushed up against Rune, Odette began to let the stiffness in her legs relax. She lowered herself to the ground and felt the coldness rush to her haunches. She greeted the feeling with relief and her words were reimbursed by the cool atmosphere surrounding the three wolves. "I have a pack entitled Glaciem, after the pack my father once ruled. I intend to bring back the goodness into the world that he had carried as their Alpha." Odette cleared her throat, wet her whistle with growing saliva, and continued. "I came to Secretua today to talk about a possible alliance between our two packs. I only have a few alliances so far, and I hope I can convince you to the idea..." I speak

Walk | Talk | Think   He was glad that she did not tiptoe around her purpose here once he had redirected the conversation back to the intended topic, and listened calmly with his typical stony look on his face. He vaguely recognized the name of the pack - he was sure they had lived on his birth place of Mount Volkan for a time, a fact that had irked him when he had found out - but that was in the past now. Or at least far enough that he felt nothing about it as the memory stirred. He had such a better life now than things had ever been there; the fall of Tortuga had been a blessing in disguise. The subject of alliances was not altogether wanted, though it was hard for him to say that he was absolutely opposed. The pack was in a good place now, even if it was small, and there was promise in those who remained as part of Secretua. And maybe, just a little, because she was an Adravendi he felt entitled to being a little more lenient; they had, after all, been those to take care of his mate before he had been there to take on her safety for himself. He glanced briefly down at her as she pressed into his side before answering. "What all would an alliance entail, exactly?" he asked, still not overly friendly but at least not denying the possibility outright. It was the furthest he had gotten in any politics before.