A mission at last! Nervous excitement lights her body as she finally approaches the lands owned by Insomnia. Bramble had taken her time wandering up to the western areas of Boreas, but not so long that she would be missed back home. After bidding farewell to her newfound friend, she clasps her cloak tightly around her shoulders and lets loose a call for who she thinks would be Medusa. The Hallows had no knowledge of the change in paw to Enki, but it would not be taken poorly. She was here for business and hoped her requesting presence would be answered.

She had no idea if Insomnia knew of the Syndicate or their wayward ways. Honestly, she had no idea if they would even be open to the idea of joining her father's coalition. They appeared to be a decently isolated pack, but her interactions with Medusa had been pleasant. There was no reason to believe they wouldn't at least consider it. Inhaling a deep breath, Bramble takes a seat just on the other side of the border. Glad to be off her paws after a long journey, she tries to relax even if her mind wouldn't stop moving a mile a minute.

"Bramble"

A beautiful spring day brightens the plains that Insomnia claims. Hazy clouds drift lazily across the brilliant blue sky, sometimes obscuring the sun and offering a gentle mist of rain but always offering beautiful shapes. It is a mild day and one Enki is making good use of since the stores of food that Insomnia has have needed to be cleaned out and organized for some time now. The pink man is elbows deep one of the pantries when a summoning call rings through the air and he pauses in his task.

Swiftly, Enki sets aside the jars he was sorting so that they do not pose a fall risk to anyone who might came inside before moving to greet the wolf at their borders. Long legs easily cover the distance and he is soon greeted by a woman cloaked in teals and browns. A warm smile pulls at his lips as he comes to a stop on the Insomnia side of the border and greets the stranger, “Hello, I am Enki Klein, Wraith of Insomnia. How may I help you?” He is cordial, polite, and relaxed as he speaks, opening the floor for a conversation as he waits to hear who the woman is and why she was calling for the alpha.


"Enki Klien"

She was in the middle of gutting and prepping a deer she had just killed no more than a half hour ago before a visitor called at the border. Her ears perked and she lifted her head out of the carcass, blood painting the white of her coat a bright crimson. Who was that? It wasn't very familiar! She thought about ignoring it, knowing that Enki would answer the call, but her curiosity was just too strong to ignore, and considering the pack didn't get too many visitors, she decided she wanted to see for herself who it might be! Leaving her work for her companions to finish, she made a beeline for the border. She wasn't exactly presentable, but that wasn't unusual for her anyway. Spotting Enki already with...who was that? She squinted, vaguely recognizing the brown and teal coat, but she couldn't remember what their name was. As she got closer, she did recognize the scent of Castletown on the girls coat. Shortly after Enki introduced himself, Medusa pulled up with a big grin on her face. "Medusa knows you! But she doesn't remember your name. This is a first time Insomnia has had a visit from castletown!" She quips, both curious and excited to know why she was here. "Medusa"

Bramble’s anxiousness dissipates as Enki arrives. His relaxed and pleasant demeanor and kind smile does the trick on helping her relax. A swift exhale from her lungs is the only indication that she had been feeling any sort of nervous. Matching his smile with her own and a few thumps of her tail, she only has time to nod her head in greeting before a bloodied Medusa approaches.

Medusa’s peculiar speech doesn’t cause her to balk, but her state of unruliness does. “Are you okay?” Bramble says quickly, her eyes widening for a moment as they search for any sort of injury that would cause such a messy disarray of fur. The woman didn’t seem to be affected and Bramble attempts to shake it off with a clearing of her throat.

“We have met! I am Bramble Carpathius. The Battlefield is a wonderful place to meet new faces,” she gives Medusa a brimming smile before looking over to Enki. “I’m not intending to ignore your presence,” she gives him another dip of her head. “I am the Envoy for The Hallows and have been sent to meet with Insomnia leaders,” her eyes switch between the two, wondering what the situation was. “The Lord of Cinder feels that it is important to make any amends and forge new ties with packs that we have yet to do so with in the past,” her head cants now slightly, curious to know what they thought about the proposition.

"Bramble Carpathius"

Enki remains relaxed, his tail slowly wagging at his hips as he waits for the young woman to introduce herself when Medusa suddenly appears, covered in blood. Bright blue eyes track over to her as she joins them and his smile turns into a smirk as he gives her a small shake of his head, knowing that this is a perfectly Medusa way to greet new wolves. There is no disdain or reproach in his gaze, simply humor as he watches the skeletal marked woman speak and slightly alarm the visiting woman.

Looking back to the stranger, his lips once again softened into a welcoming smile and he remains quiet as the two converse. The woman offers her name and, even though it is not directed toward him, Enki dips his head in a respectful bow at the information. Then, Bramble turns to him and assures him that she is not ignoring his presence and the pale pink man offers a hearty chuckle of understanding as he knows that meeting Medusa can knock even the steadiest of wolves for a loop.

With a nod of understanding, he warmly greets, “It is good to meet you Bramble Carpathius, Envoy of The Hallows.” Once more he offers her a polite bow of his head before lifting it to tilt his head slightly in interest as he speaks, “Insomnia has been hated pack for a long time and, because of that bias, we have chosen to keep to ourselves. We mean no harm to anyone as long as they do not bring violence to or door.”

Looking to Medusa, Enki hopes that he doing well, as he tries not to be rude while also attempting to find the reason for seeking out Insomnia to form ties with. Looking back to Bramble, he gently inquires, “Since we keep to ourselves as much as possible, I am curious why your Lord of Cinder would wish to forage ties with us? Surely there are packs that are closer and more open to talks of trade. Don’t get me wrong, we are happy to have you here but it is slightly odd to form ties with a pack so far from home… isn’t it?”

Brow quirks upward as he offers his insights, curious what Medusa thinks on the matter and wondering exactly why Insomnia has been selected to earn a visit from such a highly esteemed pack. It is all very curious.


"Enki Klien"

The shock factor set in when Bramble saw her, asking if she was ok. Medusa giggled as she grinned, settling down beside Enki. "Medusa is fine, she was working on a deer!" She answered before the younger girl went on to give her name. Aahh! So that's what it was? Cool cool, she would remember that now! She enjoyed her previous encounter(s) with the girl, so she would be hard to forget. Now that she was comfortable, she let Bramble and Enki talk while she proceeded to sort of groom herself. She listened with rapt attention as the pair spoke, listening as Bramble mentioned that castletown wanted to forge new ties with them, which Medusa felt skeptical about and she paused midlick to glance up for a moment before resuming. Last she knew, the holier-than-thou leader had proclaimed Insomnia as an enemy when she had won the challenge for Habari. And he had never sought to find out why Medusa did it. She stopped her grooming as Enki spoke, pointing out to Bramble that Insomnia had been hated. Which in Medusa's opinion, was true. Which as he also pointed out, was also more or less why Insomnia did mostly keep to themselves. Sure, she was present during important local things, like other challenges, but other than that? Insomnia lived life mostly on the downlow. She didn't particularly go out of her way to harass anyone, and she was pleasant enough when visitors came around, which wasn't often. The only time she really enacted violence was when others disrespected her or her pack, or committed some sort of offense toward them. But even that was few and far in between. She hadn't really done anything against a proclaimed enemy since she had taken Habari, and even then she hadn't kept those she took as prisoners for very long. Hell, she had eventually welcomed them to stay with open arms when they decided that's what they had wanted to do. Enki included. She caught Enki's glance, to which she slowly nodded as she agreed with what he was saying so far. As he went on, she was also curious as to why castletown's leader suddenly decided why he wanted to do this now instead of back then. It had been what? Somewhere over two years since Insomnia had been founded? And he had waited this long only to not come visit himself? She squinted as Enki finished, taking a moment to process everything so far as her thoughts bounced all over the place. Looking at Bramble, she added, "Castletown declared Insomnia an enemy when Medusa won Habari. Bramble's alpha did not know why, just saw Medusa as an enemy even though she fought fair and square for it. Habari was Medusa's enemy. She took her enemies with her, but then many of her enemies became friends." She glanced at Enki, "Enki is one of them, and he now leads with Medusa." She looked back to Bramble then, "Medusa has many things to consider, but she also wonders why now? What does castletown want from Insomnia? And why did Bramble's leader take so long and not come speak to Insomnia himself?" Genuine curiosity, of course. But also not so hidden suspicion. What was in it for them? "Medusa"

Bramble listens to the words that Medusa and Enki have to say. Their considerations are justified and fair. Understandable even to her who barely knows them. Her father had regaled the unfortunate history between The Hallows and Insomnia. A history Bramble wished herself was different. The blindness of alliances never sat right with her. To be so... angry with someone one did not even know simply because their friend disliked them? It was illogical in Bramble's mind. She stays quiet though, nodding at appropriate moments and humming softly as they speak their minds.

Once Enki and Medusa has finished, Bramble wonders if they have heard... Her lips draw downward into a frown, her ears pulling backward as she readies to herself to speak. "There is a pack that has moved into the Polar Sound north of Fenrir's Maw. The Syndicate led by Sephiran Saxe. Have you heard of him?" Bramble pauses, looking between Enki and Medusa. "He... did not obtain his pack in a righteous way. He kidnapped a child from the now fallen Norad, only releasing the wolf to the wolves of Norad if they were to lay down their weapons and give up their pack to him. It's despicable. He threatened to kill all of Norad if they did not comply," her voice is clipped and expression drawn tight.

"After this incident, The Lord of Cinder went to intercept Sephiran and declared him and his pack an enemy for the unlawful things that occurred. Artorias has been gathering alphas to try and join them into a coalition against The Syndicate in case anything were to go terribly wrong. Because of this tragedy and because Insomnia has proven to be neutral, peaceful even, Artorias sees how he has been wrong," she pauses to gather her breath, looking to Medusa and then to Enki and then back again. "Artorias did not come himself because he spends his days communicating with as many as he can, forging new weapons, and preparing for something he hopes isn't inevitable. Plus, this is kind of my first official mission as Envoy so he wanted to see how I fared communicating with a pack that has otherwise since been on bad terms with us," her smile hesitates as she feels her heart rate quicken with anticipation of their reaction.

"I do not agree with the Empire of the past. Their blind allegiances has torn and ruined many relationships that could have been beneficial. But times are new. Old wolves have died. Old blood is being refreshed with new blood that is no longer so closed minded. There is a future that can exist where packs live in harmony. But with the threat of the Syndicate lingering in the north, Artorias fears for everyone's safety," her lips draw tight as she finishes, her head nodding to let them know she's said her peace. Whatever they decided, whether it was time or more from the Hallows, Bramble would accept it. She would accept if they out right refused her too. It was their right and duty to protect their own, but she hoped her information would be taken seriously. The Syndicate was no pack to take lightly.

Bramble Carpathius

table coding by bunni ♥

The man’s countenance is warm and friendly as he listens to what Medusa has to say, remembering the time after Insomnia had first been established. Enki does not interrupt as the skeletal-marked woman speaks and, when she is done, he turns his attention back to Bramble and politely listens as she speaks, shaking his head in the negative when asked if he knew about The Syndicate. It seems that the Hallows is full of contradictions, since their Envoy professes that they do not like blind alliances but is pretty much asking Insomnia to hate a pack they have had not interactions with.

While this Syndicate’s way of taking a pack may be foul, the pale pink man isn’t about to throw the entire pack under the metaphorical bus simply because The Hallow’s wishes them too. But he remains silent, his friendly demeanor never changing as he listens intently to all that is said. Bramble falls silent and nods, showing she is done and Enki turns his bright blue gaze to Medusa, brows lifting in silent question as he wonders if she is thinking the same thing he is. Turning back to the Envoy, he offers a soft sigh and folds his haunches, coming to sit lightly upon the ground as he considers what to say.

Voice is steady and not unkind as he slowly begins, “I remember when Medusa came to power and took Habari from my mother, Recluse. While the Empire labeled her an enemy and claimed to offer help to Recluse’s relatives, no one ever tried to seek out the lost pups or came to free her relatives that were being held here. The Empire was quick to proclaim enemies of Insomnia but did nothing to help those they claimed were their allies.” Enki is passionate about this topic because he had lived through it and he wishes to show the woman who probably even wasn’t alive at the time, why he is skeptical of entering any kind of alliance.

But the story doesn’t end there and Enki continues, “My littermates and I were told of how scary and evil Medusa was for taking the pack and I spent much of my first year trying desperately to stay away from Insomnia. In the end, I joined her because I was tired of looking over my shoulder and trying to find refuge when I wasn’t even sure where safety was. The stories I had been told were greatly exaggerated and I ended up finding my home here.” Taking a deep breath, he flicks his gaze over to Medusa, offering her a faint smile before returning his full attention to Bramble.

Head tilts slightly in thoughtfulness as he adds, “There is another issue I have; you say that blind allegiances are things of the past yet you are asking Insomnia to trust The Hallows assessment of The Syndicate and to take part in an alliance based solely on that. Yes, kidnapping and threatening violence is despicable but, when The Hallows declared enemies of a pack rightfully won and now wishes to form alliances against ones that they declare their enemies, then I simply have one question; where will you stop?” Yes, Enki is jaded on this subject and he wishes to voice it all for both Medusa and Bramble to hear.

However, this is Medusa’s pack and he will defer to her if she does wish to form an alliance with The Hallows. With his piece said, he lapses into silence and waits to hear what Medusa has to say about all of this.


"Enki Klien"

She waited patiently for an answer, something generally unusual for her, but her attention was held on getting the answer she sought. The alphas that were once allied with Habari had declared her pack an enemy despite her challenging fair and square for a pack from someone that done her dirty a hundred times over. She didn't understand it at the time, nor had she cared much which was why she never sought them out for any sort of diplomacy before. She didn't need small mindedness as an ally, but here came a small minded pack trying to forge ties with her, only instead of the head honcho himself, he sent someone else in his place when it had been his declaration to begin with. It didn't settle well with the Queen of Bones, but still, she liked Bramble a good deal. So she'd hear what she had to say. After all, she wasn't holding the decisions of Castletowns leader against Bramble, no. She was holding it against the leader who was not here. As she spoke of the Syndicate pack, she kept her body language neutral, aside from her occasional tics of course. She made no motion to nod or shake her head. She had heard whispers of them. Had heard through the grapevine more or less how they had obtained a pack in a less traditional way. A way that, to be honest, she felt indifferent about. After all, had she not nearly done the same? Only instead of taking her enemy's kids hostage and threatening their lives first, she still went the traditional route but had taken her enemy's family after the fact. Not to harm them, but to further her revenge on the bitch Recluse that she so despised. She wasn't keen on playing the long game with them, either. She had given them options to secure their freedom. And while many chose to flee, she didn't care much. A couple fought for their freedom. Others chose to join. And then there was Enki, who had traded himself for the others. Suffice to say, her enemy's family didn't remain prisoners for very long. Unlike what Recluse had done to her, she didn't intend on keeping them in that position for longer than necessary. Bramble goes on, and Medusa remains quiet alongside Enki as they both take in what the younger girl is saying. Her gaze shifts to her alpha partner as he looks at her, a questioning look in both of their eyes before returning their attention to Bramble. She holds her tongue, however, allowing Enki to speak his piece first while she stews on everything Bramble has said, along with her own feelings. She was not amused by this. Nor was she keen on it, either. And it seemed Enki had similar feelings. She listened to his tale about her and what had transpired between him and her when Insomnia had first been created. Indeed, she had seen the fear in his eyes and the despair that sat there when he had finally come to her border, offering himself up in exchange for his siblings. Even then, Medusa had never mistreated him nor the others, and had offered them a home, safety, and family and friendship when nobody else did or would, despite being labeled the bad guy. She returned the smile he gave her, sitting up proud that he has come so far. He had grown from the pup she had claimed, to an adult that she fully trusted with her pack and its affairs. When Enki finished speaking after making his own assessment, she nodded in agreement. She took a moment to consider what all had been said so far. She was still miffed that Brambles leader had opted to send someone else in his place instead of coming to mend what he had done. She wouldn't blame Bramble for his shortcomings, however. "Enki is right." She stated. It seemed that regardless of how a pack was obtained, this...Artorias had a problem with it. Ally or not, she had gone the traditional route and bested Recluse. And still, he marked her an enemy. And now he was doing the same against someone else who had done something she had not. So either way, she saw it as contradictory (which was saying something because her morals were all over the damn place, but she still had a code she lived by). She shifted as she cleared her throat to continue. "Medusa has never spoken to Bramble's leader, and he has never shown interest in Medusa or Insomnia beyond what he declared when she fairly fought for the pack. Enki and his family were never slaves unlike Habari and Medusa, but Artorias was...okay with that?" Seemed that way to her, the more she thought about it. Having slaves was, in her eyes, "unlawful." And yet he had condemned her and not Habari, but she supposed it was bias since they were all under the same canopy of whatever empire that had fallen. "And now that he thinks there is a threat because someone else got one by force?" She shook her head. "Medusa is sorry, but because he has not come to make..." Shit, what was the word? She briefly glanced at Umbra who lingered nearby, "Amends." Medusa nodded as she turned her attention back to Bramble, "Yes, that. And since it was him that decided Medusa would be his enemy, Insomnia will not be allies with him at this time. Also, what makes something unlawful?" She questioned. "Is unlawful only what he thinks is not the right way? Maybe others don't think the same way he does." She shrugged. She didn't care one way or another how someone came into power if it didn't affect her. Granted, had someone come around threatening her or her kin, she would've fought tooth and nail and not simply just submitted. But not everyone was like her. Perhaps the pack that had been stolen just wasn't strong enough. It was a dog-eat-dog world out there, and she knew that better than anyone. "Medusa isn't saying it was okay to do, she would never threaten a child." She tacked on, just so she was clear. "Besides, he's never invited Medusa to anything, sooooo...." Indeed, she had been hearing about this so-called "alpha meeting" and yet, she had not been invited to attend. Strange thing, especially since he was so worried about this alleged threat. But also, she wondered why Artorias was so hung up about it? After all, it hadn't affected him directly...or did it? From what it sounded like, the Hallows alpha had gone out of his way to intercept and declare this Sephiran Saxe an enemy. Just like he'd done with her. "Bramble can tell him that Medusa thinks she did a good job in coming and trying, but it was him that failed. Bramble is welcome here, Medusa likes her and would like to consider her a friend, pack ally or not. Maybe Medusa will change her mind someday, but until he does it himself, she thinks no." After all, she was an alpha too and always had things to do. Things to prepare for. Things to work on. And yet, she still always found the time for matters of importance. So she didn't think it was a very good excuse on why he couldn't come and right the wrong he had thrust upon both packs. Though she did very much like Bramble's attempt. Old blood was dying out, new blood was coming in...that much was true. It was unfortunate, however, that when they finally tried to come for matters of alliances, it was for their own cause and desire. She didn't feel inclined to join whatever this was. Not unless she had an absolute reason to do so. "Medusa"