Her pacing had begun as her mind began to go in several directions. From her sensitive nose she could tell that Ashiel's pack was just a territory over and she was lost at what to do. Part of her wanted to turn the other way and high tail it out of there before she was seen or discovered. To her there had been nothing abnormal about the pack challenge, but if she went and joined with Ash she felt she was betraying Dragon. She really didn't want to do that, but she had strongly felt that Ashiel had proved to be the better leader in this situation. She supposed going and talking to Ash without joining would be okay thing to do, that's not betraying is it? She sighed in a frustrated matter as she continued to pace, quickly wearing her sleep deprived self out. She was liking the weather down here in Auster and didn't feel like traveling back to Boras. Even if she joined with another pack she would still be betraying Dragon even when she still didn't know him all that well. Her pacing began to slow as she was wearing down and after a while she moved away to settle in a sunny spot by the water. She laid down and rested her head on her paws as she continued to try and mentally talk herself through what she was doing, but then before she knew it she had begun snoozing. "Zinnia Talk", & 'Zinnia Think"

Warm, afternoon sun streamed down into the canyon and eased the bite of winter in Auster. Ashiel paused for a rest as he reached the top of the canyon path he'd been following. Just ahead would be the Cedar Falls. As he slipped into the territory he took his time, taking in the scents and sounds and marking the lay of the land. The Eclipse Empire was still very small so there was no need to worry about claiming a second territory but all the same he wanted to have a few options in mind for when the time came… if the time came. Ashiel paused. Doubt and worry had been seeping into his mind. He was still young and despite his victory he was still unproven in many ways. Would the other Abraxas follow him? He could hardly blame them for sticking close to Amon. His uncle was the true leader of all the Abraxas but with the Risen Empire becoming crowded they had little choice but to expand or face the consequences of overpopulation. The singing of a bluebird caught his attention and he eyed the little ball of feathers before it stopped, looked at him, then took off into the trees. Ashiel sighed and kept moving. He was overthinking. He needed to stop over- Ashiel sniffed the air as he caught a familiar scent. Zinnia? His thoughts drifted to the mortal who had seen both his ritual sacrifice to the Fallen god for wisdom and also his challenge. He hesitated. He wanted to visit with her again but after the challenge he wasn't quite sure how she'd feel about his company. Deciding he had nothing to lose he followed the scent until he saw Zinnia sleeping next to the water. Oh… hmmm… Ashiel took a few steps toward her then stopped. Maybe he shouldn't wake her, but then he didn't really want to wait and it seemed a shame to just turn around now. Ashiel cleared his throat, hoping not to startle her. "Afternoon Zinnia, this is a nice place for a nap." "Talk" "You" Think

The spot she was in was vary nice with the sun shining down on her pelt and keeping her warm. Her mind had grew blank as she dozed leaving her finally feeling peaceful. The world had begun to fade away as she began to drift deeper and deeper. Mind twisting and contorting as dreams began to start lulling her into a world that wasn't reality. They were happy dreams and she was perfectly content in her slumber. She was to lost to notice his approach, but the clearing of his throat abruptly made everything stop. Reality quickly spinning back to her and her body tensed up. Nose was the first to move twitching and taking in things around her. He was close enough that he was able to smell him, her eyes opening and her head then lifting. It was Ashiel, a wolf she had met on two different occasions. Though earlier she was ridden with anxiety over what to do, right now she was calm and relaxed. Stretching lightly she smiled in a greeting to the larger male. There was nothing wrong with being social, maybe he could even help her decide her next move. "Mmmhhm.." she murmured while the rest of the sleepiness left her. "Not my original plan when I got here but it was certainly a nice recharge." Being sleep deprived the nap had been long enough to give her a slight recharge and made her mood better also. Her eyes looked over to the falls for a moment wondering what to start with, she didn't need to be dumping her emotions on anyone, but hopefully some socialization would get her mind off things. She looked back to him scanning for where his wounds from the challenge would be, he seemed to be healing well "You look like your fairing well since the challenge I suppose the new leadership is being kind to you?" she asked. "Zinnia Talk", & 'Zinnia Think"

Ashiel held still and waited patiently as she woke, hoping that she wouldn't freak out when she saw him standing there. His challenge of Talis really hadn't been anything personal. He was merely an opportunist and they became his target. He was pleased though when she simply stretched and smiled rather than jumping to her feet and raising her hackles. He nodded at her words, taking a moment to let silence fall between them and enjoying the warm winter afternoon. He grinned at her question. "It helps to have family members skilled in healing. I do not know how leadership is treating me just yet but for the moment it seems to settle well. What of you? How have you been doing since the challenge?" "Talk" "You" Think

The Easter Bunny hops on by!

On her way through, she drops an egg at the paws of Zinnia.

The warmer weather was nice and when the silence feel between the two she closed her eyes for a moment just to soak in the feel of the sunshine on her light hued pelt. Sh was glad for today to be so much nicer then it had been lately, maybe that was a sign? Or maybe it was to just help her forget her current predicament. Her ear flicked as he spoke again and her eyes gently opened before she looked over at him. "Sounds a lot like my family. A little here and there, All the others seemed to disappear after the challenge and I couldn't find where they went," she began. "And quite honestly I have no clue what to do with myself." She gave a bit of a sheepish grin, somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't been able to make a decision at what to do. She had so many years ahead of her, though the thought of traveling again made her want to pout. She was beginning to like the differences pack life had compared to the family clan. "Zinnia Talk", & 'Zinnia Think"

Ashiel stood calmly, letting his body relax into an easy standing position. It was certainly nice here, he had to admit that. It was a strange thing to hear… a mortals family being like his own. His turned his gaze to face her as he regarded her for a moment. It seemed many of the members had disappeared after the challenge. So they'd scattered? Hmph. Well, he'd be curious to see now if Dragon really would raise Talis again. Zinnia didn't seem to have plans. Ashiel sat down, gazing out at the falls. He really wished his uncle were here so he could ask about mortals and their relationship with the gods. One thing he did feel for certain was that they had to be incorporated into the Abraxas plan in some way to maximize efficiency. He also wasn't entirely sure if he wanted a pack comprised entirely of his family. Maybe it was his youthful age that had him wanting to to break out on his own. "Well… you'll probably think I'm crazy for suggesting this but you know… if you wanted to you could join the Eclipse Empire. It's not often I meet a mortal open to learning of our rituals, who doesn't scoff or scorn or think me unbalanced." He grinned gently. "Besides, I think if I rule nothing but my family I might go truly mad." "Talk" "You" Think

The ball then dropped, the one she had been dreading since he arrived, though the way he worded things made her feel more inclined to decide on his pack. Brows furrowed as he stated she may think he was crazy. She knew there was more to this family then she could clearly imagine, but for him to call himself crazy made her want to question the statement. Somehow wolves like her played a role with his family. How? She wasn't sure, but there was no reason to consider him crazy. In fact if it wasn't for his rituals she would consider him..... Normal. Though he words made her think others like her didn't have an open mind, didn't want to give his family a chance just because they were different from everyone else. The good soul within her ached for him. It wasn't nice that no one gave it a chance. Her family had all been more light hearted and had always wanted to do good in the world. Was this the reason her travels made her stop in Auster? Not for Dragon's pack but for Ashiel's? A softer smile spread on her face, eyes softening to try and visually show him that he was wrong, that he wasn't crazy. "It's not crazy, in fact that's what I've been fighting myself about. You proved yourself to be a strong leader when you beat Dragon. I didn't have many ties to his pack other then joining and something about your family is...... Fascinating?" she wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to use to explain them. "Bottom line is I am more then willing to learn more about your family, your religion, heck maybe your gods guided me this way." She grinned then trying to make the conversation on a better note. She stood then and turned to face him her tail wagging again. "I feel like this conversation has helped me to decide. Will you lead the way to your territory?" she had decided just like that. "Zinnia Talk", & 'Zinnia Think"

Ashiel's eyes watched Zinnia's face and when she mentioned that she found his family fascinating his grin widened and he suddenly felt, almost a little embarrassed. He wasn't quite sure why. His family always spoke highly of themselves. He supposed it was because so far he'd rarely heard such things from mortals. They usually seemed to react in fear. His grin widened at her words and he nodded his head. "I am glad to hear it! I hope that you are able to find what you are looking for in the Eclipse Empire. Come, this way. We've made our home in the Bent Canyon." -exit- "Talk" "You" Think