"AHAHAHA I LIVE!" Dagmær shouted to the sky, she was healed! It was a miracle! She could breathe! She could- the girl tripped and promptly fell forward panting. Ok… so she wasn't completely healed but she was feeling amazingly better and on top of all that she'd befriended a princess and queen of a foreign land and they were both so cool! She was particularly smitten with the warrior princess, Rhys, and couldn't wait til she was healed enough to spar the other girl. Apart from these few and Integra, another healer assisting with her recovery, she didn't really know anyone else of the kingdom of Imperium. The girl frowned as she got to her feet. Well… she wasn't going to meet anyone cooped up in that den! Getting to her feet she set out exploring. "Speech"

It really was impossible to find anywhere quiet around here.

Last time her rest had been interrupted by a squealing blue and white female, and now the shriek of a child sent a chill down her spine. Ugh, little whelps were taking over Imperium, slowly. She was going to drown in tiny paws and tails soon if the population of the whole land mass didn't stop producing, and then dumping them on Imp's doorstep. Squinting purple eyes quickly found the noise maker, who had just tripped and fallen on her face. She smelled of herbs. Damn, Valentine was just bringing home all the half dead little ones, wasn't he? Trying to raise an army of tiny minions? Now... that was an interesting idea. She would be all for that one. She watched the tiny black and white being carefully from where she sat atop a knoll, not quite making herself known just yet. It was more fun to observe from her perch anyways, with all the muck and mud that coated the lands she didn't want puppy paw prints all over her white fur. There was no telling how these tiny gremlins would react, and she didn't feel like taking a chilly bath at the moment.

Growing bored with just watching, Mercy rose to her paws and carefully made her way down the hill, coming at the child's left flank. She slowed as she neared her, long tail swishing behind her as her toes squished in the mud. "Did you rise from the dead?" she asked, a smirk on her face. After all, she had exclaimed that she lived. Mercy didn't quite know what had ailed the child, she wasn't a healer and honestly didn't pay much mind to the lessons that her brother tried to shove on her.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Exploration dictated that everything be sniffed and then sniffed again. Dagmær stuck her nose into a dandelion and took a good sniff before shrugging and moving on to the next available scrap of nature. Every twig, tuft of fur, leftover bone, rock and plant was sniffed. Just as Dag was working on creating a mental picture of the area around her from the smell alone she'd hear the sound of approaching pawsteps. Dagger's recovery in the home of Imperium's royalty was going smoothly. She still was not strong enough to continue her rescue mission but her injuries would not deter her from training. She was scenting the grounds to make sure that she and Princess Rhys hadn't been followed by servants of the Man Who Smells Funny. Just as she was completing her rounds she heard footsteps behind her… large ones. Had the enemy caught up with her? Dagmær eyed the tall white woman and puffed out her chest. "Yes! It's been a miracle of fate. A sign that my quest is vituos….virtous…VIRTUOUS!" She stared at the woman for a moment before diving toward her intent on sniffing the woman's wrists. "You smell like Imperium! Are you a guard or something? A messenger? Is there news of the Man Who Smells Funny? I fear his servants may be looking for me." "Speech"

She didn't know what she expected from the child, but it certainly wasn't the words that came out of her maw. Mercy blinked slowly, before a wide smile grew on her mouth. Dammit, these mini ones were starting to grow on her. She tried not to laugh when the girl wasn't able to quite say the word she was looking for, cause that would be rude. This girl had a lot of spunk, and it made her warm up to her right away. Plus she was a pretty little thing, there was no doubt that she was going to grow into a fine young woman. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the child dove for her front legs, hackles raising slightly from the sudden movement. It only took a few moments before she was shooting questions in her direction, and this time she did let out a small laugh. "It's a good thing I smell like Imperium, otherwise I would be trespassing," she started, trying to remember all her other questions. "I am a warrior, yes. But I have no idea who this man-who-smells-funny is. But if his servants come for you, we can beat them up, okay?" Mercy gave a firm nod of her head, dipping down and letting out a big growl and baring her teeth for show. Quickly pulling back up, she smiled fondly down at the child. "I'm Mercy, what's your name?"

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Dagmær stared at the tall white woman expectantly. She assumed a border guard would have been informed of the potential threat tracking her though she supposed the news was being kept private. Dag didn't care though. She wanted everyone to be on the looking out for the Man Who Smells Funny. The woman got over her surprise and began to talk stating that she was a warrior. Excellent! Another warrior to train with! "He is an old man, drab, smells of weird poisons and plants. Don't worry if I catch scent of him I'll let you know!" She nodded at the mention of beating him up. "Mk! But I get first dibs then if he's still moving you can chew on him to." The woman introduced herself as Mercy. Curious name. The girl puffed out her chest. "I'm Dagmær Thyre! You can also call me by my code name, Dagger. I'm on a mission to rescue my dad… not that he needs it. My dad can beat up anyone." …course… if that was true then why was he gone all the time? Maybe it just took longer because he was alone. Well when Dagmær became a mighty warrior she'd go help him complete his mission. "Say, Mercy! If you're a warrior can you teach me some moves? I already know my defenses! Check this out!" She scampered a bit away from Mercy and turned to face her. Dag's head and tail moved to align with her spine, her chin tucking slightly as her neck scrunched back, shoulders rolling smoothly forward and her tiny puppy hackles standing on end. She moved fluidly, limbs spreading equidistant apart and bent to lower her center of gravity. Just like father taught her! It was clear she'd spent much of her time practicing, her weight shifting evenly amongst hr limbs, toes splayed, claws digging into earth as her ears pinned to her head, eyes narrowed. Yea, she was awesome! She knew wherever her dad was now he'd be so proud of her! "Speech"

A black marked brow rose at the child's description of the man. Whoever he was, he didn't sound like he was pleasant. She doubted that he was known to her for a good reason, not if she was on the lookout for him. Mercy wished to ask more of the girl, but she bit her tongue. Perhaps he wasn't real at all, it could be a game that she was playing here by herself. It was hard to tell with pups and their wild imagination, if what they were saying was true or not. To question her on such a thing would be hurtful though. Mercy was not that old, she didn't forget the times when she played make believe as well. She remembered well how real those games felt at that age, and how well they geared you up for adulthood. So she kept everything back, focusing instead on the pup. She was a feisty little thing, saying that she wanted to be the one to pull him down. But oh, she was allowed to take a bite out of him if the girl had now downed him already. Chuckling, she nodded her head in agreement. "I'll allow you to take your foe down," she said with a rumble, playing along with her. The white woman was guessing that this was more of a game, if there was a real threat to the pack she was sure that Valentine would have told them.

When it moved on to introductions, Mercy paused. Her brows furrowed as she eyed her carefully. Where... that name. Where had she head it before? Her purple eyes blinked several times before she opened them wide, a quiet gasp leaving her maw. Dægmar Thyre. She had been a member of this pack for a short while, she remembered the bold warrior well. This child's name was close to that, the last name the same. Once she was able to compose herself, her gaze became more thoughtful. She did look a little bit like the woman she once knew, although she didn't speak to her much outside of training and meetings. She was young still at that point, and didn't see much purpose in speaking with the adults. Mercy had had a lot of respect for Dægmar though, it had been easy to see what a great fighter she was. If she remembered right, she had been close with Hati as well. "Any relation to Dægmar Thyre?" she asked slowly. It could be a coincidence, or perhaps she had never met her. After all, there were many Destruction members that Mercy had not, and cared not, to meet. She almost skipped right past the part where Dagger had said that she needed to rescue her father, her name having grabbed her attention. It was very close to the Dæg she once knew, but with more of an accent on the end than on the beginning of her name.

The girl moved on quickly, saying that she wanted to learn some moves. Mercy loosened up, watching the smaller girl trot some distance away before she set her defenses. She slid into a fighter stance with ease, a fluidity that some adults didn't even posses. Huh, the girl was obviously a natural, and she had been shown some things. "Well done, Dagger! You move with the true grace of a fighter already, more so than some adults I know," she said with a chuckle, lowering herself slightly as her own defenses set quickly. Her legs spread an equal distance apart, toes spreading as her claws dug into the earth. Easily her hackles raised, head lowering as her tail rose, both aligning perfectly with her spine. Ears pinned back to her skull, eyes narrowing as her chin tucked towards her chest. Her shoulders rolled forward, lips pulling back as she tossed Dagger a quick snarl. Before long she was grinning though, her weight even across all four legs. "Now then, what do you think your best move would be against a larger adult like me? Try it out, and I'll see if I can stop you." Mercy exclaimed with another playful growl.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Dagmær was pleased to hear that Mrcy wouldn't get in the way of her delivering the final blow to the Man Who Smells Funny.  Good, good.  She appreciated the others offer of help and would leave his nefarious minions to Mercy's less-than-merciful jaws.  Dag grinned at the older woman's next question, chest puffing with pride. "You bet!  She's my grandmother.  My daddy told me of all her legends from slaying bears to rising through the ranks of numerous packs.  I hope to be a great warrior like her one day." Dag suddenly paused as she glanced at Mercy.  "Wait… did you know my grandma?"  It hadn't occurred to her that anyone might still know her namesake and then she froze as if she'd been struck.  IMPERIUM!   Of course!  This was the pack her grandmother was living in before she fell in the Battle of the Bears.  How had she forgotten? Emerald eyes tipped toward the sky and she felt a spreading of warmth in her chest.  So her grandmother's spirit was guiding her?  That had to be it.  Of all the packs she could've been rescued by it was her grandmother's former pack.  She was on the right path.  I'm coming for you dad… Dagmær beamed at Mercy's praise, head turning just slightly to the side in embarrassment.  She was quite sure why, maybe because it was so much harder to earn her father's praise but she wasn't complaining. Dag quickly reset her defenses as she eyed Mercy.  Best move against Mercy?  Well, against a larger opponent she'd try to turn the others strength against them and wait for them to attack.  Dagmær grinned. "I'd wait for you to attack then use your strength and momentum against you."  She glanced at the other, body tensing and ready to spring. "Or are you suggesting this is a case where I would have to make the first move?" ""

ooc:  sorry for the wait!  I can have her make a fight move in my next post, just been struggling with fight muse and didn't want you to wait any longer.