Birna's moment of loss and uncertainty had passed as she headed north out of the southern lands. She had made a decision. She was not the kind of wolf that worked along, that meant joining a pack and as a warrioress who had little tolerance for weakness the pack name that lodged in her mind was that of Imperium. Perhaps it was there she could find what she was looking for and surely they might have room for one more warrior? There was always a fraction of uncertainty, life was full of it. In the end the only thing that could be done was to make a decision, pray it was the right one, and deal with the aftermath whether good or bad. Lingering on the border the bear woman took a deep breath, let it out and standing strong and tall she raised her voice to the sky. speech

The woman was massive. That was his first impression. She was easily his height - a rarity in these parts - with a build that suggested a penchant for fighting. Immediately the King was intrigued. Could he be so fortunate as to have a woman such as this interested in Imperium? While he was more than happy to train up a young wolf of promise, adding a more experienced wolf to the ranks would save him quite a bit of effort. "Greetings and welcome to Imperium," The King boomed as he approached. "My name is Valentine Imperialis and I am the Rex, or the alpha, here." His gaze, lingering on her features as he assessed her, noted the line under each eye. Surely this wasn't yet another Destruction! "What brings you to our borders today?" ""

Soft and warm the spring breeze ruffled Birna's fur as she waited, nostrils flaring to take in the scent of this land that might become her new home. The warrioress did not have to wait long for her call to be answered. A large male, standing equal to her in height soon appeared. While the wolves of Alacritis tended to run quite big she hadn't seen that many that matched her size. He was a handsome fellow not to much older than herself and he introduced himself as Valentine Imperialis, the alpha, the Rex. Birna nodded in greeting, her tone controlled and disciplined. "A pleasure to meet you Rex. I am Birna Xanilov, a warrior who finds herself without a pack to pledge her fangs to. I was wondering if you might have an opening for one such as I?" speech

Xanilov? Valentine's ears pricked forward in renewed interest. That was Kassander's name. Perhaps this was a relative? Suddenly the markings under her eyes didn't remind him so much of Destructions, but of his Xanilov friend. A possible relative of Kassander and a warrior to boot. "It's a pleasure, Birna," he said with a dip of his head. "And I'm sure we do. Here in Imperium, to better place new wolves in our ranks, an entry spar is required." Even for non fighting types a spar was mandatory, the reasoning being that in the case of an attack, Valentine would know where to place each member. "Which I'm sure is not a problem for one such as yourself." He paused to consider momentarily derailing the conversation. After a moment's thought he went through with it. "By chance, have you any relation to Kassander Xanilov?" Surely she did. ""

Observant eyes saw the mans ears prick forward at her last name. Did he know of the Xanilovs? She waited to see what he would say. That man returned her words with a respectful greeting of his own and she was pleased to hear that he would test her. The action reassured her that this was a pack of strength. Not just anyone was accepted as a warrior and it also meant that if she was skillful enough room would be made for her. The man himself held the bearing of a warrior and there was no doubt in her mind that he had seen many battles. That experience coupled with his size would make him a truly fierce opponent indeed. Birna nodded. "It would be an honor to test myself against you, lord Rex." She moved to give them space, about 10 feet between them as she set her defenses. "I am ready. Test me as you will." He paused for a moment and she waited before he divulged what was on his mind and it became clear why he'd recognized her name. Ahh… Kassander. Her heart still went out to the boy, taking on the burden of ruling a pack and then dealing with the death of his brother. If she was not mistaken the pack had been turned over to Katja. As far as she knew he remained in Yfir. "Aye, we are kin. However, our relationship is somewhat distant. I believe we our cousins. I… do not know him terribly well. How is it you know him?" While she didn't intend to derail the fight she was truly curious as to the relation. Sapphire eyes lingered on the mans eye dots and suddenly it dawned on her why the marks were so familiar. They were eeriely similar to those of the Arcanum bitch she'd blinded not to long ago. A relation? Well… all the same she would not judge the man on those he was related to and in her mind that ordeal was in the past. There was no reason to go dragging it back up. speech