High for this
Leo didn't leave the Fiori lands very often these days, not since he took on the responsibilities of Sovereign to look after, but sometimes he just couldn't help the itch he felt in his paws to get out and explore. He needed to stretch his legs sometimes and see something other than the same group of trees constantly. Of course he didn't go far, maybe just a twenty minute walk from the border, but it was far enough for now. He looked across the delta with curious eyes. It was interesting to him how the river and the ocean joined together at the shore. If he was the brooding intellectual type he might think more of it and find some deeper meaning in the mixing of the two kinds of water, but he was content to just enjoy the unique scenery. He moved closer to the edge of the ocean shore and looked out over the horizon. The sun was just beginning to set and it sent warm hues glittering across the waves. He smiled and sighed contently as he settled back onto his haunches to watch the colors begin their fade into night. It was a beautiful night and he was just happy to be alive and able to enjoy it. He put all of his worries about the pack behind him for a moment and let himself enjoy the breeze blowing in from the ocean.
Venturing outside of Threar's territory was a rarity for the young woman, not that she was solely confined within the borders. There had been times when she had left the comfortable and homely region of the falls, but always accompanied with her family. No-one had told her that she couldn't explore the outer regions, thus allowing her to develop a natural curiously of wanting to uncover the mystery. Though she was a well-behaved student, she was willing to take small risks in order to learn what was right and wrong. And so within the evening hours of the day, graceful limbs slipped over the border and into unclaimed territory. Perhaps it wasn't such a sensible idea to explore in the late hours of the day, although she was growing rather bored of the sunsets found within the familiar bay. It would be a quick stroll, returning just before dark if time permitted. After all, what could happen?
A particular area caught her interest, and was fortunately within close proximity of home. Many rivers snaked their way through the land until they all branched out to the ocean - similar to the bay though there were definitely some differences. It was a break from the usual, a change in scenery and she came just in time to watch the setting of the sun. With lengthy yet elegant strides, she sauntered over to the shore's edge, taking in the scents around her with long inhale. That was when she turned her head in the hopes of gazing upon as much of the coast's features as possible only to find an orange canine sitting a few metres away. Strangers - she hadn't ever conversed with them; should she? It would be quite rude of her to ignore their presence, all the while she grew more intrigued about them.
"Enjoying the sunset?" she articulately inquired with as much confidence as she could summon after taking a couple steps to reach their position, her tone and expression friendly.
"Speech"
The sound of sand shifting under paw caught his attention and he looked away from the view long enough to see the source of the sound. An pale white woman came into view who seemed to be just as taken with the view as he had been. She seemed to suddenly realize he was there and he smiled a little with a small, polite dip of his head. He could tell she was a bit apprehensive as she got closer, but he made sure to keep his expression and posture friendly. He liked meeting new wolves and certainly didn't want her to feel like he was any kind of threat. When she got closer he noticed her eye markings and remembered the unique shape from when he spoke with Frith. They were just as close to Threar's border as his own and with a small sniff he realized she was from Threar after all. One of Frith's relatives or children perhaps?
He smiled a little wider and nodded to her question. "I am. It's one of my favorite times of the day. It's amazing how the sky can turn so many different colors, isn't it?" He looked back to the sunset in question, seeing the bands of color slowly begin to darken into more reds and purples. With the shore and waves combined with the sky it made quite the picturesque view. "I'm Leo by the way. It's very nice to meet you," he said as he looked back at his new acquaintance.
Her sleek form noticeably relaxed at the sight of a friendly complexion, gradually feeling comfortable within the male's presence. It wasn't usual for her to converse with strangers, though this particular man seemed affable and so she had fallen under the impression that it would be a positive experience. After all, there was only so much she could learn from her family - not that they weren't intelligent individuals. She was bound to learn something from someone who resided outside of her own home and carried out a different life, which intrigued the lass even more.
Already, it seemed they shared a common interest: a love of sunsets and the many shades that accompanied the daily event. "Oh definitely," she loudly murmured in agreement to his inquiry, features wide with expression. Subconsciously, her multicoloured gaze turned to the horizon where the sky slowly faded into darker yet richer colours as if trying to prove the male's earlier statement, the thought bringing a small smile creeping to her guise. At the start of what seemed to be his introduction, she flicked her head with curiosity to meet his sapphire stare, exchanging her own name politely once he had finished speaking, offering a larger smile. "Varda." It was an odd feeling upon her tongue not introducing herself with her family name, though he hadn't shared one so she found it best if she regarded herself as plain Varda. To her, the chance of him having remotely heard of the Destruction name remained unlikely. "Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet you as well."
"Speech"
Leo was happy to hear that his new acquaintance was a fan of sunsets as well. He was also happy to see that she relaxed quite a bit once she realized he was a friendly face. Conversations were so much easier to have when both parties involved were calm and enjoying it he thought. He smiled when she offered her name in return. "That's a lovely name, Varda. I'm kind of glad I ran into someone out here, it's nice to talk with someone new." He would pause and then give her a curious look. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Frith would you? Your markings are very similar to his." He was almost positive she was at least part of his family in some way, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't just assuming things. "I'm the alpha over in Fiori so I spoke to Frith about pack matters before," he added quickly to explain why he knew Frith. He realized his question might be strange without some kind of background.
Beneath alabaster fur, she could feel her cheeks heat with warmth at what she intercepted as a compliment from the outgoing male. Her name wasn't something she had ever been complimented about, though she was definitely satisfied with the name herself, as her parents obviously chose it themselves, and she never doubted their wise decisions. "Leo is an equally agreeable calling," she returned the remark with a warm smile upon her features, ears soon pricking at the mention of her father. Her interest was piqued at the sound of the Author's name, curious as to where he had pulled this name from. It seemed almost random, though she hadn't yet heard his logical explanation. However, it appeared that the male had actually seen the Threar leader, assuming the two were related because of their facial markings. Ah, it was always the lashes. "He's my father," she answered simply, preparing to ask how he knew him, though the orange man momentarily explained himself. So she was speaking to an alpha? And an alpha of an unfamiliar pack? Well, she now had to state where she ranked in her own pack. "I'm a Prologue in Threar - nothing as important as a leader," she giggled, her multicoloured gaze shimmering like two different gems. Oh, she had to know more, as she was intrigued by the new information she had received. "I've never heard of Fiori; what's your pack like?"
"Speech"
Leo smiled and gave a small, grateful dip of his head as she returned the compliment about his name. "Well thank you. Leo is actually a nickname though. My full name is Aaron Leopold Adravendi-Mathis, but I'm not a huge fan of Aaron and Leopold sounds too stuffy so I've gone by Leo since I was a kid." He chuckled at the explanation, breifly trying to remember the last time he had actually explained his full name to someone. Varda would disrupt his musing by answering his question about Frith. Ah, so his daughter then! He gave a little shake of his head when she mentioned being a Prologue wasn't as important as being a leader. "No, no, every position and wolf in a pack is important. A pack can't run properly without all of its members, remember that." He smiled and chuckled as he saw the intrigue in her gaze. It was very obvious that she was curious and he was more than happy to answer any of her questions- about Fiori or otherwise. "We're one of your neighbors actually! We're a fairly neutral pack. We want everyone to contribute to the pack what they can. We're also mostly run by a Council of wolves, but of course I usually end up making the final decisions."
So it seemed he wasn't just Leo, but a lengthy title of many names. Was it better to have a longer name? It sounded more formal and no less important - a reason that appealed to her - yet there were times she desired to be as equally casual. "A mouthful indeed," she remarked blithely. "Though if you must know, I go by Varda Destruction." Wasn't he already aware of her heritage? After all, he recently conversed with her father, meaning it was likely he knew she was a part of the large family. Then again, didn't leaders consult political matters rather than their surname? "Adravendi-Mathias," she echoed half to herself in a murmur, trying to get a feel of the sounds rolling eloquently from her lips. "Is that a family name?"
Needless to say, her position within her own pack was equally as significant as the leaders themselves, just as he assured her. "Of course," she politely agreed with a chuckle. "A pack can have the greatest ruler though without the general members it isn't much of one." After flashing a brief grin, she listened intently to his explanation of Fiori, that happened to be a neighbour of Threar. How was she unaware of this? Her parents had mentioned at many meetings Abaven, an ally and residence of close family, but never a word of his own pack. "Oh! Are you the pack across the falls?" Upon countless border patrols, she had noticed a different scent marker along the edge of the aforementioned region, so was this where Fiori dwelled?
"Speech"
He had assumed that she would be a Destruction as well once she had confirmed that Frith was her father, but he liked that she introduced her full name as well. He may not go by his full name except for on very rare occasions, but as he has gotten older he has come to appreciate it and the regality it held. He nodded thoughtfully when Varda asked about his last name. "I suppose you could say that. Adravendi is my mother's surname and her family is quite large, or so I've been told. I've honestly only met a few of my family, but from what I've heard in stories the Adravendi's go back many, many generations. That half of my name I'm pretty proud of. The Mathis part I'm... not so proud of since my father disappeared." He shrugged and put another smile on his face. His father's transgressions were neither here nor there and he had put them behind him a long time ago. "It's one of those things I can't change and it would be disrespectful of me to ignore that part of lineage."
He was happy to hear that she agreed with his comment about how every member was important and then would tip his head to the side briefly with thought when she asked about the relation of Fiori to the falls. "Yes! That's right," he agreed after taking a moment to think about what was beyond the border that Fiori and Threar shared. "I do have to say that I'm glad your father and I got along so well. It makes me feel a little bit better about having a whole half of my borders shared with yours."
He confirmed to her that his pack was beyond the falls, an interesting fact that the female now pondered. Threar had always resided within the falls and bay, and she had never heard of Fiori nor did she remember their attendance at the last festival. Perhaps they were a newly formed pack. "Ah, same here," she agreed with a smile in response to his positive comment about the neighbourly relationship between the two closely-located packs. How awkward would it be if he hadn't gotten along so well with her father? "I do hope the peace will continue throughout the future."
"Speech"