Chaos hadn't been wandering far from the old Imperium lands lately, and he was getting restless. Cascade was doing fine without him, now that Valentine was back and all. He knew just his existence, the fact that he carried her family name with the same dignity that his older siblings bore Valentine's name, was a comfort for her and that maybe her adult son hovering all the time might be cramping her style, so to speak. He'd never really entertained any illusions that his mother was anything close to squeaky clean innocence, and she had never tried to hide him from that either, so if Valentine was back and getting healthier, well... he could imagine they'd both be glad for him to be out from underfoot.

So he'd wandered towards the east with the vague idea of hunting there in the lush lands, and found himself in the foothills of a mountain range. It appealed to him, strangely enough for a wolf who had been raised on the gently rolling hills around the knolls and range. Maybe it was just because it was different. Maybe just because it was a hint of adventure after so long bored and alone without his partner in crime. Whatever it was, the sight of those jagged peaks set his mismatched eyes gleaming and lengthy fangs flashing in a grin. A grin that faded grumpily when he sniffed at the scent of a pack marker guarding one of the approaches. Aww no fair.

He considered doing what his mom would do and just go in anyway just for fun, when part of the scent caught his attention, the alpha-scent. It was vaguely familiar, somehow, and he pummeled his memory for a moment before he remembered. It was the victory celebration after the siege, when Abaven's wolves had come to Imperium to feast. He'd been pretty distracted by the weird creature who'd somehow been part of the other pack - a creature he now knew to be a fox - but he did recognize this scent as belonging to one of Abaven's wolves since she had been singled out for a reward for actually getting to fight. He couldn't really remember her name, but he was wild with jealousy that she'd been old enough to actually participate in the siege while he and his half-siblings had been stuck in dumb Abaven's lands being bored. That put her a notch above most other wolves in his mind. And she'd managed to break away from Abaven and make her own pack, then?

It was pure cat-curiosity (an unfortunate inheritance from his mother) that had him impulsively lift his heavy muzzle to the sky and sing out to invite the alpha to visit with him on the border, after which he seated himself politely at a reasonable distance from the scent marker to wait and see if she'd appear.

""

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Thick gray clouds hung in the sky as Karabela began her climb up Fenrir's Maw. She'd been traveling lands to the south and exploring the hunting in the Redbud Nook and scouting out it's boundaries. It was her desire to claim the land at some point though as of yet the pack was too small to be able to effectively patrol such a land though the good hunting would be easier on her budding pack. They were still getting used to the rocky and dangerous terrain and winter was fast approaching. A cool breeze blew through and she sighed. How the hell was it autumn already? Time was moving faster than she could keep up.

Sure-footed and quick Karabela continued her climb, pausing for a moment to lap at one of the small streams that wound it's way down the mountain from last nights rain. Soon everything would start to freeze. She hoped that she could find enough quick moving streams that her pack would have good sources of fresh water. Raba enjoyed the mineral taste of the streams here and she licked her lips for a moment. Time to get going. There was so much to do and only so much time in the day. If she worked hard in her evaluation of the territories she could perhaps claim a lowland territory by winter.

Karabela turned the corner of a particularly sharp path when she caught the sound of a howl at her border. Oh? A potential member? She certainly hoped so. They needed to continue to grow their numbers in order for the pack to grow in strength. Of course, that didn't mean she'd accept just anyone. She had a particular set of criteria now and reason to be selective. As she neared the source of the call she caught a familiar scent in the wind though she was unable to place it. It wasn't until she neared the young male that she recognized him from the victory feast after the siege. He was impossible to forget with his unique markings, gorgeous eyes and saber-fangs. She also remembered that he addressed Valentine as his father and his mother was Cascade. She ached a little for the fall of Imperium. When she'd learned the news she'd been stunned into silence and disbelief that such a thing could happen and she wondered how everyone was getting along.

Well, she could say one thing for the boy, he'd certainly grown well into his frame. "You rang? Hello there, it's good to see you're well though I'm afraid I don't remember your name. I'm Karabela Thyre, Chieftan of Ivory Ridge." She debating asking more about his family and how they were doing as well but she didn't want to overwhelm him with questions. "How's the fox terrorizing going?"


"Speech"

As the answer to his call promptly appeared, Chaos was satisfied to see that his vague memories hadn't steered him wrong. This was the Abaven wolf he'd thought it was from that long-ago feast. Well, former Abaven wolf, clearly. She'd gone up in the world from having Rhys' uncle giving her a fighter's rank, hadn't she?

Her words provoked a flash of teeth in a wide grin. So she'd noticed and remembered him too even though he'd been just a pup back then. He clearly preened over the attention, and his gunmetal-gray striped tail brushed the rocky ground clean behind him in a gleeful wag. Ok, so he really liked attention. It was sort of his thing. "That's ok, I didn't remember your name either," he laughed. "I'm Chaos Saxe, Cascade and Valentine's youngest. I never did catch that fox. Maybe I should pay Abaven a visit and see if the little snack is still alive." He curved his head down coyly to watch her as he continued teasingly. "You're not as big as I remember though, I could have sworn I only came up to your elbows... Did you shrink?"

"Chieftain huh? So all this is yours?" He gestured with one large paw towards the delightfully forbidding peaks and ridges that glowered over them. "That's pretty cool," he added wistfully. It reminded him of Imperium in its prime, though Imperium's lands had been the friendliest part of the pack and it'd been the warriors who'd been the attractive danger. These lands looked far, far more easily defensible than the knolls or the range. The young male could just picture the sorts of traps and ambushes Ivory Ridge warriors could come up with on those narrow mountain paths... If they were any good, anyway. He wondered idly if she had any of the former Imperium warriors in her ranks yet. "So what sort of things do you do here in... Ivory Ridge you said? Anything exciting?"

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Chaos!  Now that she heard the name Karabela wondered how she ever forgot.  He was well named if her memory served her right and at the mention of Cascade and Valentine she found herself aching for older times.  Raba chuckled. "I'm sure Dart would be most amused if you paid him a visit."  Far be it from her to encourage any animosity, she assumed it was all in fun and that Dart may very well like a chance to poke back at Chaos. "I SHRANK?" Raba feigned panic before laughing. "I didn't shrink!  You just got taller.  A LOT taller!  You grew like a weed but I have to say you're looking good!" She stood on her tippy toes to try and make up for that extra inch but was soon back on her paws with a grin on her face as she nodded proudly.  "You bet!  I've started up my own pack.  At the moment we're just trying to get thinks put away for winter and get ourselves familiar with the terrain while we can still see the rock formations."  She knew as soon as it started to snow and ice started to form Fenrir's Maw was going to become a whole new set of dangerous.  The thought should've frightened her but really it also made her feel safer.  Ivory Ridge was still small, still vulnerable, and the forbidding land protected them.  No one in their right mind was going to try and siege a pack nestled in brutal mountains during winter.  

"I hope to get trade routes established with the other packs here.  Every day there's something new to find, something new to discover and the mountains are vast and wild."  Her gaze turned up to the mountain that rose behind her, carving its way to the sky like a beacon and with the sun just slipping behind it she wondering if she would find her mother at the top if she dared to climb that high.  She made note to try it before winter really set in.  She'd climb to the highest point in the territory and after that… well, she didn't really know.  Karabela supposed she hoped for a sign.  Something to give her that final push, some sign from her mother that she was on the right path.  Speaking of mothers…

"So what have you been up to Chaos?  How are your parents?"

"Speech"

Chaos lifted one side of his mouth in a cocky half-grin that, despite the addition of his fangs, was more than a little reminiscent of his mother's devil-may-care attitude. "Steep inclines with ice on them, what's not to love? I was actually heading up this way to check out the mountains myself when I found your borders. If it was anyone else I might have ignored the border and gone exploring anyway, but..." he shrugged, blithely uncaring that his honesty may have been a little tactless. "My parents are doing pretty well. Dad was sick for a while so Imperium kind of fell apart, but he's doing better now. I think he and Mom have pretty much retired from pack stuff though so I doubt he's going to bring it back." He paused gloomily. He did miss Imperium, but he couldn't see any of his siblings bringing it back either, and he wasn't exactly the alpha type himself, so... He tilted his head thoughtfully. "So trading with other packs, huh? Do you happen to be looking for good fighters to protect your traders?"

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela couldn't help but grin in response. Chaos' smooth, lackadaisical attitude was infectious and she appreciated his particular brand of sarcasm. She chuckled at the mention of border crossing if the pack had belonged to anyone else. Oh she had heard the tales! The story of Valentine and Cascade crossing into Sonticus' border to… well… conceive "chaos" in more ways than one and it made her chuckle. Though, she wasn't quite so brave as Valentine, she really didn't want any of her members toying with the borders of other packs, especially while they were so small and vulnerable. She was sure of herself as a warrior and of the skills of a few of her pack members but even a small group of skilled warriors could collapse under the weight and numbers of a larger pack.

She nodded slowly at the mention of Imperium's fall. She'd heard the rumors and suspected as much but she'd always wondered if Valentine was somewhere planning a resurgence. However, Chaos words seemed to shoot down that idea but Karabela nodded. "Well, it's a retirement well earned though I imagine even without a pack those two are still getting into trouble!"

Karabela caught the inflection in Chaos' tone and tilted her head curiously at him as he asked if they needed any good fighters to protect the traders. Was… was her interested in joining? Karabela knew Chaos was a skilled fighter and would be crazy to turn him away. "Yes, I'm hoping to build a pack that can thrive on trading and you know its funny you mention fighters. As a matter of fact that is something we're short on. I have one Defender currently who is skilled in both fighting and hunting and I'd like to give him more of an option which route he'd like to pursue but with no fighters I felt I needed to push him into the Defender rank. I'm also hoping I can convince Birna to join but…." She shrugged. It was hard to read the stern, older woman. She grinned back at Chaos. "Why do you ask? Would you be interested in joining my ranks as a fighter Chaos?"

"Speech"

Chaos just smiled at her comment about his parents. Yeah it probably would be too much for the rest of Ardent to hope they'd stay out of things forever. He just hoped they'd start getting back into trouble sooner rather than later.

"That sucks, Raba. Good help is so hard to find these days and all that, huh?" He grinned slyly at her. "Well, since you happen to need a fighter, and I happen to be a pretty good fighter, well, it seems like fate to me. Why not? I'll join your pack. That is, if you wouldn't mind a Saxe at your side." His smile turned wicked. "Mom has gotten us a bit of a reputation, after all."

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela chuckled and nodded. With parents like Cascade and Valentine there was no doubt in her mind that Chaos was a skilled fighter. "Mind a Saxe? You must be joking! We could all use a little more mischief in our lives. Makes it more interesting!" She winked at the young man playfully though she she had not brushed off his comment. The Saxe family did have a reputation and that reputation could affect Ivory Ridge. For one thing she had a feeling that stunt pulled by his parents and her aunt would forever color the way Arian Adravendi's family viewed Ivory Ridge though after discussing the matter with her aunt she didn't feel to bad about that. She set out to form trade relations yes but the goal of Ivory Ridge was not to become friends with everyone. Having a few enemies could make for challenges that would strengthen her pack.

"I'm glad to have your strength in my pack, Chaos. You'll be accepted as a Defender. I have every reason to be confident in your skills. Come on in! We've have dens higher up in the maw and also some in the runes of the Stone Steppe. Feel free to make your den where you please."

"Speech"

Chaos smirked back at Karabela, mostly at her comment about needing mischief (and who didn't need that? The world got stale without a bit of adventure, especially for a pack) and also at her acceptance of him in the pack. "Awethum!" he enthused. Dens in a mountainside - that was a good start to a grand adventure. Almost as daring as trying to sleep in a tree. With a thousand watt smile showing lengthy fangs and a wink at the alpha, he trotted jauntily over the border. "I can wait on the den-choothing. Maybe you have time ta give me a tour of the borderth I'll be guarding? I know you alpha-typeth, alwayth buthy buthy buthy, nevah a time for yourthelf. It'ah be good fo ya. Pith on ya borderth and remin' everyuhn who'th the both, yeah?"

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela grinned. "Oh there are many dens to choose from. Depends if you want something a bit more snug or would like a whole section of a cave to yourself." She hadn't ventured to far into the various cracks and crevices that littered the mountain range, choosing a smaller, cozier den for herself which she'd lined with bison hide for the winter. She chuckled and then sighed. "No kidding! I knew being an alpha was going to be a lot of work but I didn't realize it was going to keep me occupied dusk til dawn. Thankfully though Birna has been helping out, keeping an eye on things so I can go wandering from now and then. You should definitely say hello. I bet she'd be happy to see you here." Well… probably. Raba had no idea if Chaos had caused any of his namesake for her aunt.

Karabela bounced over next to Chaos and nodded. "You bet! Most wolves haven't bothered the border of Fenrir's Maw, too treacherous and 'unvaluable' to the untrained eye but we don't want to be caught resting on our laurels. Now the Stone Steppe… that's some decent hunting territory and is the territory I'm most worried about. Come on, I'll show you. It's this way!"

-exit-

"Speech"

ooc: We can continue in the Stone Steppe if you like just let me know! <3