It didn't take her terribly long to find the path in which the Abraxas used to march to their new home. On top of that, the criss-crossed scents of her kin weaving around the nearby lands did help her in locating their base rather quickly. It was very curious to her. She wondered why they moved here instead of remaining where they'd been before. Did this...structure have something to offer that their previous territories did not satisfy? She eyed the looming stones, head tilting upward as she studied it. Perhaps it would do well to provide them with shelter...but what else lied within? The bundles of herbs she brought with her dangled gently from her jaws, the twine she used to carry them swinging lightly with the breeze. It had been quite a while since she had seen her kin, but she was happy to be back. And eager to share what she learned with Malleus...among some other news. Her night with the male in the forest wasn't forgotten, and the resulting consequences that would follow after that night had begun to be felt. Kasdeya had never had children before, so she wasn't entirely sure what to expect personally. Though it wouldn't be long before she would begin to experience them. With the twine still gripped in her mouth, she tilted her head and called for Malleus and anyone else who wished to welcome her. Whether or not it was a pleasant welcome thanks to her overdue absence, she would take it in stride and try to make up for it all the best she could. Besides, she was sure she hadn't been the only one gone for as long as she had. She at least, had the decency to return to the homestead. speech action

Malleus was quick to arrive on the scene with his companion in tow. He'd been working on a project with Pascal, but it was easy to set that aside in favor of welcoming home a family member. Kasdeya's return was welcome and he was looking forward to hearing about her travels. By now she had to have seen all of Boreas. "Kasdeya," he said warmly as he approached. "It's good to see you again. I was beginning to think you'd gone back to the homeland." He teased, but it wouldn't have surprised him. That seemed to be a thing for his father's generation.

It did not take long at all for her nephew to appear, a smile gracing her lips as she looked him over. As usual, he appeared every bit as handsome and kingly. Their family really did produce very impressive offspring and she expected no less from herself. "What? And leave you all to run amok without your favorite trickster?" Her tone was teasing and playful, a glint of humor in her eye. She put her bundles down and rolled her neck before continuing. "I've had quite the interesting journey, and there's much you should know. But where to start?" She hummed a moment, wondering what to tell him first. She had plenty of information to share. Packs, loners, the cousins that were on the way...decisions, decisions. speech action

Her tone sent Malleus' eyebrows heavenward. Quite an interesting journey, eh? That sounded promising. He hoped her wanderings had been fruitful and that she'd returned home with something that had made it worthwhile. News of the mortal packs, perhaps, or word of some of their wayward relatives. "Got some choices to make, do you?" he shot back teasingly before suggesting, "Perhaps start at the beginning? Or lead with your best bit of news?" He was a sucker for a good story. Perhaps she had word of Archon and that band he'd said he was starting. Or maybe she'd managed to get her paws on one of the crazier wayward Abraxas.

A chuckle bubbled from her lips at her nephew's reply. "Indeed," She thought about where to start. But after a few moments, ultimately decided to start from the beginning. She had been many places, come across many wolves, and she was just itching to get it out if only to see what he thought of the things she discovered. The news of the packs she came across. The interesting characters she met...particularly the male she seduced into giving her new lives soon enough. Ah, but the latter could wait. "Very well. I'll start with the first pack I came across, the one nearest to us on the other side of the bridge," She sat back for a moment as she remembered her little visit. "I don't know if you've heard of Celestial." She had been gone a while, so it was very possible he had visited them or one of them had visited here, but she continued regardless. "I scouted their borders under the guise of a traveling trader. A young male confronted me, but he called for backup from the rest of the pack almost immediately... except only one other wolf showed. An old woman by the name of Gwenevere, who, if I remember correctly, was the secondary alpha. I didn't get much information out of them because I think I went a little strong on the herbs I rolled in after my swim so they might have been suspicious, but I did notice the pack scents, and the numbers seem rather...small." An easy target, she thought. Though they weren't the only easy targets. "Might be worth thinking about...who knows, with such small numbers, it may mean they lack the strength to protect themselves properly, if very much at all." She gazed at Malleus to gauge his reaction, or perhaps figure out what he might be thinking about it. Her visit to the first pack had been brief, but she had been able to gather some information on their numbers, and they were far, far smaller than the Abraxas Empire. She would wait to hear what he had to say about that bit if anything before she continued on.   speech action

In anticipation of Kasdeya telling him a great deal Malleus made himself comfortable by sank back on his haunches. She'd been gone for some time so he expected there to be a great deal to tell. Even a bland journey around quiet mortal packs could give him insight. Malleus dipped his head in confirmation when Kasdeya asked if he'd heard of Celestial. One of its alphas had paid him a visit many seasons ago. Gwenevere, if he recalled correctly. The wolf who Kasdeya now spoke of. Malleus frowned when his aunt mentioned she'd raised the pack's suspicions. Hopefully they hadn't been able to work out where she was from. He was, however, pleased to hear she'd gotten a sense of the pack's size. That was information he could use. "Hmm," he rumbled thoughtfully as Kasdeya gave her opinion. He wasn't oblivious to what she was implying. Perhaps someday soon when his children were grown that pack would be a good place for them to prove themselves. But that day was not today. "That is worth thinking about. Anything promising about the other packs you visited?"

Malleus looked pensive, and she allowed him to process what she'd said for a minute until he prompted her to continue. "Oh yes," She chuckled as she too, sat down. Wrapping her tail neatly around her paws, she wasted no time in speaking about what else she had come across. "Lirim, the other western pack, also seemed quite...lax. Again, I visited under the guise of a trader and met with yet another secondary alpha. He called for whoever actually leads the pack, but...he didn't come. Nobody else did. It was just me and the old man, and quite frankly I got tired of waiting. What I did find interesting, however..." She gave a thoughtful look as she remembered picking up a particular scent, "Seth is there. I smelled his scent nearby, mingled with that of the packs. And that's not the only thing, either." Her gaze grew slightly hard when she thought about the other scents. She didn't know anyone from Lirim besides Seth, but the underlying scent of someone she did recognize was there. "There were pups, or at the very least...young wolves there. Maybe one or two years old, but they smelled vaguely familiar...and yet...I've never met them. Perhaps it's worth paying Seth a visit." If the dwarfish creature was spending time among them, there was the strong chance he could shed some light on the matter. "Asides from them, there were some other packs that sprung up in Boreas. Three in the South, one in the North. All small packs from what I observed. I didn't want to raise anymore possible suspicion so I watched from a distance. The three in the South are rather close together. Neighbors, I suspect. There's one led by a larger, older wolf with long fangs. Another led by a young male who waltzes around like he's a big shot, and another, quieter pack next door as well. All three are relatively small. From what I gathered, the packs are Legion, Erovrare, and Kesali respectively. The one in the North goes by the name of Fyri, led by someone who wears the colors of both ice and fire. He's a peculiar sight, really. And I must say, he seems to have the smallest pack I've ever seen." She let that sink in before she said anything more. Of course, there was also Abaven...though she hadn't bothered to visit that one because last she knew, Archon was governing that pack. Little did she know that he had abandoned it in favor of something else less desirable...   speech action

Malleus’ gaze grew keener at the mention of Seth. So the little devil had survived the flood after all. This knowledge surprised him a great deal. Why hadn’t the imp come home? Surely the surly arms of his family were better than the wilds and the slovenly mortal packs.

He tilted his head at the mention of familiar smelling pups. Having just learned about Seth, Malleus’ thoughts naturally went to him. On average mortals were a great deal smaller than Abraxas. Perhaps the imp had finally found someone small enough to climb on top of. That didn’t bode well. Seth was grievously flawed. He had no business siring any litters let alone ones beyond the confines of the Empire. ”Hmmm,” he rumbled again, this time the corners of his mouth tipping downwards in a mild display of disapproval. Even if the pups in question were young adults they could still be accounted for by the presence of the dwarf provided he had jumped someone’s bones quite soon after the flooding. ”Yes I agree, it sounds like a visit is needed.”

He listened to the rest of the rundown with a contemplative expression. The size of the packs heartened him. It seemed they were growing smaller as Risen grew bigger. It was a good sign and a welcome one. ”Good work, Kasdeya. You know should it interest you, you have my support in challenging for one of them.”