Shaye was learning to be Alpha on the fly, taking all the stops, and considering every action she made. From recruiting, learning to fight, to marking the border, and actively monitoring the herd movements around the pack. She had been on her paws every moment since she she had called out to Archon, and changed her life forever. She had spent a very long evening seeing out a plan, that had incidentally involved a jar of dirt, a moose, and the moonlight. It would all be worth it if things panned out as she planned. The previous Overseer of Abaven had told her a little about their Fallen God, and Malleus, who had originally worked out a peaceful takeover of the pack. She knew she couldn’t leave it to chance that this unknown Alpha would leave her pack alone. The pack was a dying, fading thing, and it was going to take every act of will on her part to breath life back into its soil. If it was going to live, it needed to be free. With Archon gone, and her as the Alpha, she would need to work out a alliance negotiation with the man. A deep breath would bury her trepidation. A small contraption of vines held gently between her teeth, swung down to reveal a wrapped item that was vaguely in the shape of a small bottle. Every negotiation opened with a gift. She couldn’t quite remember who had told her that - her father, perhaps? Well it was good advice, and she would take any path she could to smooth over the next few moments. The journey to Auster had been a long one, head held high to keep the jar scraping across the ground, steps gentle so not to disturb her creation. But at last, she was here. Couldn’t the walk have been.. Just a little longer? She grinned at her own foolishness, gently placing the jar on the ground, ensuring both she and it where on the rogue side of the border, and releasing the vine handle from her maw. She shook out her coat, took another breath, and raised her head, her howl climbing swiftly into the sky. "Talk" "You" Think

It was the season for mortal visitors, it seemed. Hardly a week had passed since the other mortal woman had shown up on the border. This one, he noted as he approached, was quite a bit larger than the last one. She rivaled many an Abraxas in height. As he took her in, Malleus' gaze was diverted first by the feather behind her ear then by the oddity at her paws. He refused to allow his gaze to linger there, though. This, he assumed like the last woman, was business of some kind. It wasn't in his best interest, therefore, to make his interest known. Given how little he knew of this woman and her intentions, Malleus thought it best to keep his cards close and his less professional side well hidden for now. Much like he had with Gwenevere, he boomed, "Greetings. You stand on the border of The Risen Empire. What business have you here?"

She didn’t have long to wait before the giant prowled to his borders edge. She took him in, knowing him in description only. She took a breath, her paw touching the wrapped jar only lightly as she once again considered what she was about to say. Getting her words right here, mattered a great deal. "Greetings to you, Malleus Abraxas of the Risen Empire" She began, dipping her head in polite greeting. She wouldn't let it show how much this meeting meant to her. She concealed her emotions behind the shroud of her sapphire-blue eyes. "I am Shaye Destruction. I do not know the extent of your knowledge in my affairs, so, if you will forgive me for my ignorance, I will start at the beginning. Stop me any time if all this is known to you." She sat still, her body quiet on the outside of his borders. The occasional soft bzz could be heard from the wrapping beneath her paw. A soft and sleepy sound. "Archon ruled Abaven at your behest. The pack was sleepy to begin with, and crumbled soon under occupation, until only one other wolf was active in its borders. Sparrow Destruction. With her death, there was nothing left of Abaven, and Archon, called to a higher purpose by the Fallen God was going to disband the broken pack. My family's pack." She paused a moment here, head held high, as she spoke of her broken family. "I asked of him to give me a chance to revive Abaven. And he, perhaps doubting my success, relented. Abaven was, essentially, destroyed, and will start now anew. The pack needs wolves to bring it life, it needs a purpose and hope. Occupation will only ensure its absolute demise. It is not in your best interest, or mine, for the Abraxas to rule an empty territory. I am the Alpha of Abaven and I have come here to ask you of you have intentions of my pack." She would not sit quietly by if he intended once again to try occupation. Enslavement had only ensured the death of the pack, and would simply do so again. [b]"I did not come empty handed to your borders." She moved her lightly placed paws, and the wrapping over the jar fell away. At first, it was dark, and lifeless. A strange nothingness. With a slight smile on her maw, she leaned forward and breathed gently on its surface. It sparked to life as the bugs inside suddenly lit up, the light splayed about them in orange glows like flame, and the bugs inside made soft and gentle chiding noises. "A gift for you." She stepped back from the jar, offering it to him. Would he see the symbology? That she needed a chance to breathe life into her pack, as she had done so just now to the gift given to the emperor. "Talk" "You" Think

While it surprised him that the woman greeted him by name, he didn't show it. Malleus' expression remained neutral throughout her speech. He'd never heard of her before and he had no idea who she was, so he listened quietly and then, once it became clear where she was from, with great intensity. Only once did his gaze leave her and that was to consider the gift she was giving him. He watched it, his eyes darting from insect to insect, for several seconds as he thought. Malleus' first reaction was anger although, like his surprise, he hid it well. He'd worked hard for Abaven. He'd threatened, reasoned, and lurked to ensure his success. He'd given it to Archon because he thought his brother grounded firmly in reason. If Archon felt compelled to go elsewhere, why not give the pack to another Abraxas? And if things were as dire as the Shaye woman claimed, why not fill the pack with Abraxas wolves? As a group they weren't exactly experiencing a shortage. Why, why would he give it to a mortal woman? His brother's decision struck Malleus as very wasteful and he was greatly displeased with it. Malleus attention finally lifted from the jar to Shaye. Presently he couldn't think of a way to right Archon's error and he loathed that this news had been sprung on him by a mortal. He'd had no time to plan, no time to seek God. The woman had him at a disadvantage. Malleus was somewhat mollified by the realization that Shaye and Abaven were at his mercy. That was why she was visiting. Upon realizing this, he calmed. His anger would be better applied to Archon; it would do him no good in this situation when his ability to make decisions and think on his feet was so important. What he decided today would have a lasting impact and he needed to be unfettered by his emotions. "It is a thoughtful gift," he offered finally. "And ingenious to boot." Malleus paused and swept a thoughtful gaze over Shaye. His thoughts briefly flitted to desire to find suitable mates for some of his eligible relatives, but he dismissed the thought as it wasn't relevant to their conversation. Or...was it? He had much to consider if he was going to wring every last drop of usefulness out of this encounter. It was best to keep his options open. "I'll grant you that a permanent occupation may not be the way to go," he began, "But a pack is a valuable thing. Surely you see that I can't just give it up. It would be a loss the Abraxas would feel. What would my people think? My God?" It was time to negotiate. While he hadn't had much time, he was now prepared. Was she?

She didn’t get much from this thoughtful, neutral expression as she walked him through the events of Abaven. They where both keeping their emotions to themselves, aside from the slight smile that had graced her delicate maw when she had breathed life into her carefully crafted gift.

He seemed to pause a moment as he considered the lantern she had unveiled before him, before admitting that it was a good gift, cleverly crafted. Her father had been right. Always open negotiations with a gift. She kept this second smile to herself, it would have been mournful if it had passed her expressions. She missed her father, she missed both her parents truly.

She knew this wasn’t going to be easy, even with her attempt to smooth over the way. So when he pointed out that well a permanent occupation didn’t work for them, it would still be a loss to him. Why? He hadn’t used the land, he hadn’t, as far as she could see, gained much from placing his wolf there. Not in the sleepy, quiet lands they had found them to be. What she could offer might greater than what they had left behind.
“The land is quite far from here. Too far for your wolves there to leap to your aid in a moment, too far for pups to trek back and forth in a day.” she had to stare him down the right path. Abaven wasn’t useful to him in this way but it could be in others.

“It could however be useful if its Alpha respected you, wished to trade with you.” Her eyes glanced down at the clever contraption she had made. It might not have been a graceful execution to catch the bugs the first time. But she had learned from the experience. She glanced back up at him, a slight smile on the shadows of her dark features. “A pack that might interact with you with the desire to learn, and teach, and trade. I would share my knowledge with you. I could teach the wolves you desired to, the art of healing, of creating. To fish, or catch salamanders by the waters of Abaven.” they had spent years learning from a shaman in the heart of a mountain, in return for saving Vail’s life. She wouldn’t chose the life of a healer now, as she might of as a pup, but she had some knowledge yet to show.

She gently pulled apart the leaf that had held the lantern, showing something else in its folds. Here was the start of the next part of her plan here. To demonstrate what they might share. “Here is a healing Salve that stopped a wolf from becoming completely blind when her sight was on the verge of leaving her. Perhaps you will find a use for it, or your healers might learn from it.’ she left it on top of the lantern she had already offered him. “I came here not as a cowering, quivering underdog, but as an Alpha in my own right. I will start from scratch with Abaven, I will bring it, dragging, screaming into life until it is a buzzing hive of life. I came here as that leader, to offer you trade, to find mutual footing between our packs.”

Although he gave no sign of it, Malleus agreed with Shaye. Abaven was too far away to be of use in any case where speed was essential. He'd wanted Archon to move the pack to Boreas' south some day so they could be of more use to one another. The pack's current location did have its merits, though, and Malleus was prepared to argue them if Shaye continued to pursue this line of reasoning. He was rather liking this conversation; the craftiness and cunning of negotiations was comparable to a physical battle and he was determined to come out victorious. After pointing out how useless Abaven was to him, Shaye got down to what he really wanted to hear: what she'd give him in return for him not pursuing the pack. While he liked what she was proposing, Malleus wasn't quite ready to make a deal yet. If she was willing to lead with such a compelling offer he couldn't help but wonder what else he could get from her if he really pushed her. He decided to give her something to work with, a little sign so she'd feel hopeful he was on the verge of capitulating, so his ears pricked forward in interest and his neutral expression brightened a bit upon hearing about the salve. "Such an agreement would indeed benefit the Empire," he began thoughtfully before allowing his bright expression to fade and become a touch pensive. "And this salve, if it does what you say it does, is a very valuable thing, but that doesn't quite replace what we would be losing by letting Abaven go. " "You may think," he said, determined to talk up the pros of having Abaven even though they weren't many. It was in his best interest to make her think otherwise. "That Abaven didn't benefit the Abraxas, but it did. It still could, I suppose. We are many; if the pack is in need of members why shouldn't I fill it with Abraxas? Then my people will have all the benefits of two packs, both will be well defended and we won't have lost anything." Malleus let his words hang in the air for a moment before he seemed to reconsider. In reality, he hadn't been entertaining the idea at all, but she didn't need to know that. "Of course," he began thoughtfully, "It might also be in our interest to cultivate good relations with mortal packs. But what would The Fallen God think, seeing his conquerors befriending those they are meant to rule?" he mused (seemingly) to himself. To Shaye, he said, "I like the idea of the Abraxas learning all of the things you've mentioned." Malleus tapped the lantern and watched as it flared to life. He was quiet for a moment, then countered, "But neither my god nor my people will be pleased if the Abraxas do not walk away with the lion's share, so this is my offer: in addition to all that you've mentioned, my people, should they need respite, will be welcome to rest in Abaven for a time. Abaven will not oppose us politically; it will not harbor our enemies or provide them aid of any kind or the agreement will be forefeit. In return, The Risen Empire will not seek to reoccupy Abaven." Malleus thought about it a second, then added, "Knowing this may put you at odds with other packs, we will also offer you aid in return. If Abaven finds itself under siege we will come to your aid, and should a challenger arise, he or she will make an enemy of the Abraxas." While he didn't relish the thought of going to war for a mortal or her pack, it would provide him an opportunity to add a new element to the Abraxas war machine: protection. Those that submitted would be protected not only from further Abraxas harassment but from molestation by outside forces. Perhaps others could be brought into the fold this way. Malleus thought his terms plenty fair for an unconverted mortal. "You have a lot of work ahead of you, starting, as you are, from scratch. Let us settle this here and now so you can go home and begin. Do you find these terms agreeable, Shaye Destruction?"

He seemed interested in the salve she placed before him. He couldn’t know that this was five years of her life before her, that to learn the secret of those herbs, the right mixture, the right quantities and the making of it, had come at the price of years of her life. It had been her own sister who had desperately needed it, and she would have given those years and more. But still, here she was, holding it out before him, and his slight interest darkened. One ear gave a twitch of annoyance, no other expression would pass her, as she listened. He went from supporting the idea of her alliance, to hinting at the ruin of it. He claimed he could use the land for his own wolves. She felt a little jolt of jealousy that he had enough wolves to even consider such a thing. That too, remained hidden. She gave a snort of derision “If you need more land, put up another pack closer to home, I assume you have the means. Closer would have a better, working, support system. You would be stronger, spreading out makes you weaker, harder to keep control of something so far out of your reach. Harder for the pack to aid you, or you to aid them. Even if expanding your empire was the goal, you start close to home, not a world away.” She didn’t need to tell him that, he was baiting her. She grimaced, but the point still stood. “I won’t pretend to know the workings of the Fallen God, but perhaps he would see that knowledge is a type of power, too” He then really got down to business, pulling a heavy hand down upon her as he told her everything he wanted. She kept another grimace off her face. “Abaven won’t grow if it has oppression of any kind, we need more freedom then that. I’m here to make an alliance with you, not to make Abaven your pet. I will gladly house the wolves from your pack that travel to mine. I will happily teach them of the lands around them, I will guide them anywhere they wish to go, since I have known those lands my entire life. I will offer the skills of myself and my wolves as teachers, and once we have grown, I will offer you aid as well. If war seeks you, as an Empire and War always seem to go hand in hand - I will offer any wolves you need to have sanctuary within Abaven. I would offer you resources and healers. I would stand as a neutral party, but one that benefits you.” She eyed him carefully, wondering what he would think of her counter offer. "Talk" "You" Think

"I," he chastised coolly, "Am not Archon, I do not do things his way and I have been doing this longer than both you and him combined so do not presume to tell me how to run an empire." Were he to take Abaven by force he would undoubtedly move it closer, but he had thought nothing about keeping that knowledge to himself originally as it served no purpose in the negotiations. As for her offer, was that not more or less what he'd said, just said back to him in slightly different terms? He failed to see the difference immediately. "If you think that is oppression then you do not know the meaning of the word. I think the terms of the alliance I'm offering are more than reasonable considering the circumstances so I must insist they stand," he said firmly. The Abraxas considered themselves gods and so it was for that reason that they and the mortals of these lands could never be truly equal. That being said, Malleus thought he was giving this woman a deal that got her pack as close as they could come without Abaven being a full member of The Abraxas Empire. He regarded her with burgeoning curiosity. Perhaps she balked because they'd had a misunderstanding. Malleus was genuine in his belief that his terms were fair and her rejection of them baffled him. "What precisely do you object to in my offer?"

Ah, it was clear that was a sore spot for the prickly Alpha. He did have a god complex after all, so he couldn't’ take well to being told what to do. Not, of course, that she had meant it that way, only responding to his bluff with derision. There was truth to her words, it would be less effort and more reward to set up a new pack closer to home rather than all the way to her lands. He didn’t approve of the very slight modifications she made to their treaty, his words firm and unyielding, and she would have sighed if she was allowing any motion to slip past herself. She kept the exasperation to herself, knowing she needed her face blank and her wits about her. The truth was, she didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be back in Abaven, working on the pack she had taken leadership of. She wanted to help her people, what was left of them. She didn’t have a choice, because Archon would have returned to Malleus, she couldn’t have stopped that with anything short of his death, and not only was she nothing but a fledgling fighter, she did not believe the death of another to be her solution. Life had not made her that callused… not yet. “I was referring to alliances. Keeping Abaven neutral, rather then dictating who we can and can not befriend. I’m already offering that Abaven can be a halfway house for your wolves travelling to Boreas. I’m offering to teach your wolves craftsmanship.” her eyes trailed across the herbs she had painstakingly mixed together to create something more. Of the fireflies she had harnessed with great time and effort. All her carefully selected gifts to the emperor. She just wanted to go home “I’m offering you resources and healers in the event of war, and a safe harbour for those in your pack that are unable to defend themselves, because, no matter what, Abaven would always fight for the lives of pups, no matter whos they are.” And if he was saying that he dictated who they befriended, he would be taking away a part of who Abaven was at heart, and she could not allow that. "Speech"

Malleus dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement of all that Shaye was offering. If they were to reach an agreement on these terms her pack would be giving up a lot, but Malleus thought it plenty fair given what all they were getting in return. "I don't think I'm asking too much when I say our agreement would be void if we found out you conspired with our enemies in anyway." It surprised him that this, out of all the terms he'd put forward, was what she objected it since it struck him as a basic, commonsense term. Why should his pack be obligated to continue doing business with Abaven if their betrayal come to light? The term was an easy out; a way to void their agreement should Abaven try to betray Risen. "By and large I don't care who you do or don't ally yourself with provided they aren't hostile to the interests of my empire and I think insisting on this term is reasonable given the nature of our business and the circumstances that got us to this point." Shaye might have come here on a mission of goodwill and Malleus was inclined to believe her, but it would be foolish of him to commit to that belief from the start. Shaye was a new and suspicious variable until proven otherwise. How did he know she wasn't here on a mission to gather information on his pack? How did he know she hadn't killed Archon? He didn't. Of course he didn't believe she did, but he simply couldn't discount the possibility that she was secretly bent on getting revenge for Abaven. This one term covered his behind should Shaye prove to be a snake in the grass.

If she had known just how paranoid Malleus was, it would have added to her worries when it came to this pack. Shaye was still keeping herself still, and keeping all emotion off her face. It was difficult for the normally expressive, and friendly wolf to do so. She managed it well enough, with only the occasional flicker passing her eyes. She could see where the Alpha was coming from when he highlighted his point, but it was also a matter of control. He wasn’t seeing this as a simple alliance, he was seeing it as exerting a portion of control over Abaven.

“I intend to form friendships, or at the very least, an understanding with all the pack of both our lands.” she would go on to explain. “so how about this. Abaven will not conspire with nor work alongside the enemies of the Risen Empire, as the Risen Empire will not conspire not work alongside the enemies of Abaven.” a hint of a wry smile made it to her lips. Abaven was a lot less likely to form enemies then his pack was, but it was about making this alliance a thing of equality. She wanted to say more, but decided against it.

Perhaps the biggest reason that kept them from reaching an agreement sooner was the belief (or lack thereof) that the packs were on equal footing. Malleus thought Risen had the upper hand here and it was for that reason that he felt free to ask all that he was asking. The only reason Shaye was here now was because Archon had abandoned his post and allowed the pack to fall back into mortal hands. Malleus was approaching the problem as a conqueror and believed it was his duty to determine how best he could solve the Abaven problem that Archon had dropped on him. They could either reach a deal so that both parties walked away as independent entities, or Malleus was going to have to consider the very real possibility that he needed to retake Abaven. This was not a simple alliance between equal parties. Malleus felt duty bound to save face either by striking a deal or reclaiming Abaven, so he would readily admit that what he was proposing now was extortion. Abaven was going to give Risen things and in return Risen wouldn't enslave or dismantle Abaven. It was that simple. Either they reached an agreement - a settlement, if you will - or Shaye walked away as The Risen Empire's next target. There was an element of reciprocity in the deal he proposed. Enough that Malleus was certain Shaye would walk away with the better end of the deal should she accept his terms. Malleus shook his head. "I can't accept that. Risen's willingness to protect Abaven should the need arise negates the need for that. Should Abaven be under our protection, by default it will have no enemies among the allies of The Risen Empire."

She felt something stirring in her breast as she looked at the man. He clearly laid out his terms, and it was obvious that he had no intention of budging. She looked into his pitiless eyes, and judged that if she turned away from this meeting, if she left without setting terms, he would set his eyes upon Shaye and Abaven. Every course she could take went against her nature. She could not walk away and leave Abaven to face the consequences. She could not put the wolves there in danger, there where those there who had already suffered enough. She could not openly, completely, agree to his terms. Abaven was its own entity, and not one that would shut its mouth and do what it was told by this dark natured wolf. The lesser of these evils, would be to agree, and toe the line as best she could, to balance doing what was best for her pack without openly being seen as crossing the terms she had set here. There may well be a day where she would be forced to do exactly that, though she would not do it lightly. But, for the here and the now, at the end of the day, she had no choice but to agree with him. Perhaps his offer of protection would be enough, perhaps she would never had reason to go against him, and he would leave her in relative peace. She could only hope, well preparing for the worst. “Very well then. I agree to the terms we have set here today. “To clarify, Abaven will not oppose you politically, nor harbour or aid your enemies.” she said, sealing her fate with a grimace, but determined to stick to it as best she would able. At least, he promised her protection, he promised that if she was challenged, they would be his enemy. If they were sieged, he would fight for it. It was a good deal. The only way she would ever cross him now, would be if a good wolf, someone she could not not stand up for, found themselves in the line of fire with the Risen Empire. She hid her sigh, and hoped that day would never come. "Talk" "You" Think

Finally Shaye seemed to see reason. She seemed a touch resigned, but Malleus accepted that a consequence of his successful (and heavy-handed) tactics. There would be days ahead for him to convince her of the rightness of her choice and he was confident in his ability to do so. This was a beneficial agreement for both parties. At last he could relax. While he had no intention of showing Shaye his softer side -after all, this was business - Malleus no longer felt a need to rely so heavily on intimidation. He would let this exchange and his stoic stance throughout speak for themselves. "Then at last we are in agreement," he said without so much as a hint of unkindness. "I'm pleased with the arrangement we've reached today, and grateful for the gifts you brought to ease this unpleasant transaction." He spoke the truth. Both the lantern and the salve would be put to good use. And now, since he was dealing with a business partner, it was only fair he be hospitable. "I know your journey here was long and arduous, so please, stay and rest here for awhile. Eat with us, if you will, and then be on your way once you're rested and better prepared for the journey back."