Aurielle Adravendi

She strolled through the festival grounds, enjoying the atmosphere of happiness and good fun. Music still floated on the air and she drank in the sound with a sigh of pleasure. Red was with the children, and she was free to wander around and explore what the Nomads had set up, and see if any of the guests had set up in the tents. Her long-haired tail flicked, leaving a brief light-trail in the shadows as she scanned the paths between the dark humps of the tents. Occasionally there were the sounds of more… adult revelry from within the tents, but she simply gave them wide berths, mind drifting toward her mate with a coy grin before she padded on. Soon it would be time to start the feast, but she could enjoy her stroll for a while yet. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The festival had far surpassed all of his expectations. It seemed like him taking Cairo's description of what the festival would be with a grain of salt had been a mistake since it was everything he had said and more. He had never seen tents like this and all of the music and activities... Even with all the traveling he had done in his life, none of it really seemed to compare to how large all of this seemed to be. It had been overwhelming at first since he had grown so used to being on his own or with just a handful of wolves at most. After a while he had begun to grow accustomed to the crowds and the noise and had even begun to have a bit of fun - something that had certainly been a rarity for him for a large portion of his life. All the same, he tended to linger near the outskirts of it all and simply enjoyed watching things happening around him. It was a spectacle that had become a show in its own right. His gaze caught a glimpse of the glowing figure that had addressed them at the beginning of it all. If he hadn't been surprised by how large the festival itself had been, he certainly was taken aback by the Spirit's glowing, ghostly appearance. It had only gotten more striking as the darkness of night fully settled in. It made her stand out like a bright, shining beacon among everything else around them. He watched her from a distance for a little while, hesitating before finally getting himself to his paws and slipping through the crowds to head toward her since she seemed to be alone for the time being. "Aurielle," he said to her in greeting in his usual deep, rumbling tone. He offered her a smile and dipped his head politely to her once he stopped a couple of feet from her - close enough that they would be able to hear each other easily, but not so close as to intrude her personal space. "I just wanted to thank you for putting all of this together and introduce myself since I haven't had the chance to meet you yet. I'm Ulric. Cairo was nice enough to invite me to your festival the last time I saw him." "Talk"

Aurielle Adravendi

At her name, the Spirit turned with a smile to look up at the man who had caught up to her, the smile turning into a slight grin as she nodded to him. “It’s good to meet a fellow Adravendi, if not by blood then by name. Cairo mentioned you might come.” Her eyes roved over his form thoughtfully, and memory served her well as she added, “I think your sibling, perhaps, attended Valhalla’s Harvest Festival last year.” She smiled, tipping her head in an invitation for a stroll. As she padded along, she tipped her head to look at him with a grin, “How are you finding the festival?” She was always open to feedback, for future reference for the next Festivals. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He smiled a bit when she mentioned the name they shared and he nodded in agreement. He'd never had a reason to care for the difference between his blood relatives and the wolves that were his relatives by adoption. They were all simply distant family in his mind. Perhaps one day he might find a reason to split those hairs, but today wouldn't be that day. When she brought up the fact that Philomena had come to their festival the year before he couldn't help the uncertain flick of his ear, though he did try his best to maintain the neutral, pleasant expression on his face. "Yes, I think you're right about that. Cairo mentioned possibly seeing her here when I first met him." It seemed like every time Philomena came up, even if it was just in his own wandering thoughts, he still felt that mix of guilt and frustration toward her. It really made him wonder when he would finally let that go, but he didn't see an end for it in sight. He easily fell into step beside her when she began to calmly stroll through the festival again, adjusting his steps a bit to keep his pace even with hers. His long strides often over took those that others normally did - he learned that quickly when traveling with his mother. His gaze was pulled back to the Valhallan leader again when she questioned his experience with the festival thus far. He smiled and replied, "It's much larger than I was anticipating! I'm really impressed with how much is going on. It's been a shock to the system for someone who has been living pretty much alone for most of my life at this point, but I'm still enjoying it quite a bit." He wondered if it would be any different for him if he had been living in a pack before now or if it would still be just as startling. "Wolves really have come from all over for this, huh?" he asked with a chuckle as he looked around at the crowd again, peering into the tents as they passed them. "Talk"

Aurielle Adravendi

She smiled at his words, though she hadn’t missed that flicker of reaction. She did wonder what that meant. It hadn’t seemed a pleasant reaction, or one of hope. However, she didn’t pressure him further on the subject, instead continuing on at his side, listening with a sense of mild pleasure that at least one wolf found the festival impressive. She chuckled, gazing around at the vast crowd of tents, yurts, and bustling nomads, guests and companions. “They have. The majority are Nomads, allies of mine. They like helping with the festivals Valhalla puts on. It’s a chance for them to do some trading, and for unrelated wolves to assess packs for their possible home, if they’re inclined that way.” She gazed around and added with a smile, “It’s a chance for friendships and love to blossom, certainly. I gained a pack member who went on to become my husband and the father of my children last year.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Once Aurielle began to explain where some of the wolves here had come from it began to make a lot more sense. Obviously there were still quite a few wolves here that were from various packs around Boreas and even a few loaners like himself, but knowing that some had even come from outside their continent really explained the amount of wolves that were here. It also explained the wide and varried amount of skills and crafts that he saw in the many stalls and tents as well. It was all incredibly impressive and a lot of it had easily caught his attention. He had such an appreciation for wolves that could craft and do things other than just fight and hunt. Even healers astounded him at times since it was a skill he lacked. He grinned a little when she mentioned that she had met her eventual husband from last year's festival who had eventually gone on to father her children. He had dreams of having a family of his own one day, but it wasn't something that seemed to be in the cards for him just yet. Who knew, maybe he'd come across his future match here as well somehow. "Congratulations on the husband and the children," he rumbled with a soft chuckle. "I think I met one of your sons earlier... Ardyn I think he said his name was - along with many, many other names after it." A glint of humor showed in his expression that spoke to the fact that he was just poking fun at her. "Ran right into my legs and ended up climbing up onto my back to watch one of the musicians - after I offered of course." He didn't want her to think he had just gone climbing up onto random strangers backs. "Talk"