There was something about this land. It was strange, and it almost seemed to call to the dusky male but... He sighed. No, it must just be his imagination. He couldn't help but feel as if he was on the verge of something important. Even so, he'd been lingering amongst the boulder field for nearly two weeks and all he'd found were some empty dens. Rain and time had long since washed them free of scent, but several seemed well used before whatever had caused the abandonment. Perhaps he should have taken it as a clue to move on, but... well. He had never been good with that sort of thing. Memory of that blasted snake brushing up against him still gave the ashen male shivers. Still, despite his quick wit he was a slow learner. Albion would sigh, allowing his paws to slow from a walk to a halt at the base of a particularly large boulder somewhere near what he could only assume was the epicenter of the region. The moss that covered so many of the others had been disturbed, and as he circled it he found that a den had been dug beneath. After nosing around for a moment, he was disappointed that this too lacked any scent strong enough to follow. Albion grumbled and upon exiting hauled his lithe frame up onto the boulder itself. The air was thick and muggy, heavy with warmth, yet it was still. Uncomfortably so. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd missed something important, or that something important was about to happen. "Talk" "You" Think

She wasn?t one to normally wander off, but she had yet to fully examine the surrounding territories of her new home. She?d seen much of it with her brother, Chord, their return trip to Abaven had been beautiful. Now she was on her own, unaware of the huge danger she had put herself in. Recently her cousin had gone outside the pack borders alone, her venture ending in a vicious attack. Rhythm would continue onwards anyway. She?d walked most of the day away, though the hot summer air. Her tongue would hang loosely from her jaws, as blue and purple eyes surveyed her surroundings. Her weariness was becoming more evident as her pace slowed when she came into the rocky expanse. The Destruction girl had never seen anything quite like this, delicate paws would carry her cautiously forward. Each boulder was a different size and shape. She had to examine the beauty found in some of the oddly formed boulders. The sun would creep ever closer to a twilight setting when she caught a whiff of a rather fresh scent. Other than Abaven pack members Rhythm had not been granted the pleasure of talking to an Alacritian wolf. Curiously she?d look around, head up and ears erect. "Hello?" Curiously she?d call out to the stranger, would they mind some company while she took a rest? ""

Albion's interest would be diverted in a sudden and startling way. He jumped, gooseflesh popping up under his fur, as the voice of another broke into his thoughts. "Gods! What the-" His gaze would light upon the earthen fae, though not after whipping his head around fast enough to strain a muscle there. He winced, and slowly turned his head back to it's original position, hoping to alleviate the pain. No such luck. "Oh, ow." Carefully he turned to the fae once more, overly aware that he wasn't exactly painting the most noble picture of himself. But what did he care about that anyways? Whatever she thought of him he could definitely live with it. "Hey, stranger," he'd mumble. Manners, along with most other social graces, were not among the pale brute's strong suits. Oh, but his neck hurt. He knew the ache would linger for a number of days at the least, and probably make it more than difficult to sleep comfortably. If he hadn't gotten lost in his thoughts it wouldn't have been an issue, he would have heard her coming at the least. But no, he had to daydream! Albion allowed himself a quiet scoff. You fool, he chastised himself harshly, but after the initial lashing didn't give the self-deprecation much thought. "Whatcha up to?" he asked the fae easily. Maybe she'd have some idea as to why this land was so bizarre, why it seemed to call to him. "Talk" "You" Think

Her form would stumble on the sudden backside of a very much startled male, his jumping would cause her to jump and her paws would draw her back a bit. Eyes would grow wide as he moved his head quickly, but obviously regretted the decision right after. "Oh! Are you alright? I?m so sorry!" Her dark ears would fold against her skull as she watched him turn back around, obviously distressed. He?d turn much slower this time, finding a gentle hello to offer back to her. A slight smile would turn up her lips, "Hello." She?d say softly, "Again." Her lips would turn up a bit more as she nodded her head slightly towards him as another question followed. "I?m just scouting I guess. I live in Abaven and I wanted to see the neighboring lands." That was the truth, other than following Chord or visiting her family there was little use of the rogue lands. Still, she wanted to keep herself familiar? just in case. "Talk" "You" Think

The fae's concern was some consolidation, but his neck was not looking to be consolidated. So it would ache on, but Albion would force a weak smile. "Oh, it's nothing," he lied. She said hello a second time (under better circumstances) and Albion's smile widened just a bit. Was that maybe a sense of humor he was seeing? It was probably worth finding out. She would answer his other questions in quick, polite form, and the pale male found himself surprised to find that she was a pack wolf, and rather far from home at that. "Abaven, huh? I'm not much for packs myself, but that's just preference." He didn't wanna rag on her lifestyle or anything like that. He'd heard of this Abaven from some passing rogues not too long ago but that hardly meant he was an expert. He'd passed near their lands when coming up from the south but hadn't felt any express need to drop in and say hello. In fact, he hadn't felt that sort of need with any wolf, but that didn't seem to stop them from tracking him down and pestering him. A wry smile appeared on his lips as his mind's voice quipped, Or breaking me, either. His neck still twinged, but he swallowed the pain down and tilted his head (Ow!) as a question popped into mind. "Found anything interesting? I've been puzzling over this boulder field for the better part of the day. It just seems... I don't know. Different." He had never been eloquent and that didn't seem to be changing now either, but oh well. Perhaps the chocolate fae would get his meaning anyways, maybe it would be his lucky day. "Talk" "You" Think

She hoped that this invisible injury would not cause him much distress, but already her sense of regret was draining. Even more so as he assured her there was nothing wrong and topped off his comment with a smile. The same expression developing more as she greeted him once more and would proceed to tell him who she was. In turn he would allow her the information that he was did not belong to any pack, nor did it seem like he ever would. She?d smile though, he must have been a lot like her brother. The only one to have not joined Bass?s pack, Chord was too much of a free spirit to belong to any such organization. He?d go on though, tilting his head in question as he asked if she?d found anything of interest and explaining to her why it was he?d found himself in this garden of rocks. She?d let her gaze wander off over the surrounding areas, and though she hadn?t really felt much before now his words would send a slight shiver over her neck. "I?ve found nothing of note this trip." she?d start, an eerie feeling having fallen over her. "These rocks are of more interest than the rest of my trip." her bright dual colored gems would rest back upon the stranger?s gaze. "I?m Rhythm Destruction by the way." ""

We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts when we're holding too tight The brown woman would attest that she had found nothing of interest, but Albion found that rather hard to believe. She'd found nothing interesting? Nothing at all? Surely she had to have seen at least something that caught her interest. But instead of allowing the the sarcasm to voice itself he laughed. "Well, they're well enough as far as rocks go. I think there must have been a pack here once but..." He shrugged. "Hard to tell why they might have left." She introduced herself and Albion leveled her with a curious stare. Rhythm? Odd enough but it seemed to suit her. He loosened his jaw, about to unhinge it and speak his own, but the name caught in his throat as it usually did. Albion Kierne-Avilov. That damn hyphen. A lie to omit it but a painful truth for any wolf of Ebony. He knew that the odds of Rhythm understanding what a common name and a noble name would entail, or even which was which if either was anything at all. He let out a low breath before saying. "My name is Albion," he said with a smile, and tried to force a friendly light into his eyes. Albion stood, hoping to distract both Rhythm and himself. He began to walk around the boulder he'd been seated upon not long ago, sniffing at it's base for any stronger scent of whichever wolf had once inhabited the den. Nothing stuck out to him and he came up with a sigh. "Well, if you don't have anything else to do, I plan to look around some more. Care to come along?" If she truly had seen nothing at all interesting on her journey maybe he could help liven up the return trip at the very least, give her something to tell her companions. "Speech," Think

Truly she had seen nothing to take her notice, trees, rocks, there were not even any small animals to catch her attention. Still he would go on, these rocks were not different to any other rocks, and yet there was still a feeling of oddness to the lands. Albion would divulge more information, stating how there had been a pack here at some point. "What if the reason is still here somewhere?" She?d offer curiously and quietly as her bright blue and lilac gems would glance out over the expanses before them. Their names would be exchanged, and she would not miss him catch the words before they fell from his lips. There was something curious about his name, but she would not press any issues. She was a stranger, and had no right to look into something so personal. Still as he looked a bit uncertain she?d help him by adorning a friendly smile of her own. "I?m pleased to make your acquaintance."She would nod respectfully towards him before his form moved around the boulder. She?d tilt her head curiously at his actions, but an eager smile would overcome the curious expression as he asked her to explore a bit more. ?Certainly," she?d answer simply, her dark tail wagging slightly at the thought of the mystery. "Do you have any theories yet?" ""

Albion let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. She didn't press after his lineage, thankfully enough, and he wondered at how different Alacritis was from his homeland. Blood had been everything there, but here... She withheld a shrug. If it didn't matter to Rhythm he would hardly dwell on it. Her acquiescence to come along was enough to satisfy the pale brute. He smiled at her own eager showing and regretfully shoot his head. "Not yet, no. There's a den here," he would say, pointing out the hollow beneath the large boulder she'd found him resting upon. "Smells fine, looks fine. There's enough animal sign all around to make me think food wouldn't be all to hard to come by. I was just about to circle the area, look for any markers that might still be around." The size borders could tell him how many wolves might have lived there, after all. He turned and set out in the direction he'd come from, knowing he'd crossed a newly overgrown pathway to find his way into the rock field. It might have been a border trail for all he knew. It occurred to him that Rhythm, belonging to one of the packs here would probably know infinitely more about this realm than he could. Besides, it might be a good way to pass the time while they snooped about. He turned over his shoulder and spoke, hoping to find her there trailing him. "Abaven, huh? I was raised in a different realm entirely, in a Queendom far away. This landscape is nice, from what I've seen of it, though I confess to being a bit wary. Don't exactly know what I should be on the look out for." He knew many packs were friendly, if stern, with wanderers. They would be turned away from borders, chased down if they encroached, but otherwise would leave the wanderers alone. He also knew there were sorts that would hunt them down for nothing more than sport. The train of thought wasn't exactly cheery but he'd been on his own for too long to not consider these things. "Talk" "You" Think

She?d approach the empty den curiously, but even Albion would not offer any theories on the disappearance of these wolves. She would not be able to help him either, she?d only been within Alacritis for a moon or two and knew little of the surrounding lands and their inhabitants. The whole reason she was this far from Abaven was that she was trying to familiarize herself with the surrounding landscapes. He?d offer more of his thoughts on the matter, stating everything he?d found thus far and like him she could not draw any solid conclusions to the disappearance. She would not offer her own opinion, she had no story building in her mind for as to why they might have left. There was no sign of distress or sudden bad happenings, it was very much mysterious. She?d nod, taking after his movement, now very much curious about the wolves that lived here. She?d follow just a few steps after him, meeting his bright gaze as he looked back over his shoulder. Listening as he continued with his words, he told her of how he had not come from these lands. He?d confess his wariness as well as his thoughts of the lands, and she felt very much similar. Rhythm was from a much different place from this, the packs were different, the wolves and the landscapes. She was wary, but at the same time she felt curious of her surroundings and Chord got along rather well. "I?m not from here either." She?d smile softly, "It?s not terribly far away, I?ve only just joined my brother?s pack after leaving my parent?s." She?d all but tell him that she was as unsure of their surroundings as he was. She had little experience outside the pack and would show her naivety in unashamedly exploring by herself. ""

Rhythm didn't seem overly familiar with the area but Albion could hardly fault her for it. He was certainly no hypocrite so he smiled and shrugged the admission away. "Looks like this will be a learning experience for both of us then!" He continued walking, his pace comfortable, yet he moved with a purpose. Perhaps the area was a bit barren, lacking trees or tall brush of most sorts, but there was cover and shelter. If it weren't for the lack of scents he would wonder if it was simply held by a smaller band he hadn't been able to detect. And this would be me trespassing, he thought, Which is exactly what I need right now. He looked over to Rhythm and wondered what she'd be worth in a fight. She looked hale enough, but he didn't know what sort of training her pack put their members through. "So what all do you do in your pack?" he asked nonchalantly. "You specifically, I mean. Are you a healer, a hunter, den mother, what?" He tossed out a few options, even though his family pack had never had such finite obligations. They'd been a small enough band that everyone had helped out where they were needed. When his cousin had given birth he'd played babysitter often enough, and his grandmother had done what she could to teach him about the medicinal arts, but he knew larger packs didn't tend to operate that way. He'd considered joining up with one after arriving in this realm, if only to hone his own skills under one of their Masters- er, teachers. Sages. Whatever they were called here. But life in any unit outside of his kin didn't always sit well with him. They were all so strange, so different from him. Albion couldn't often bring himself to trust strangers, and under those circumstances, what was the point of evening trying in the first place? "Talk" "You" Think

She would nod at his words, yes she would be learning as much of the land as he was as both had not even been there very long. He?d continue his motion forward and she would keep up with her following of the brute. The scents were all so faded she could hardly even make out where the wolves might have lived. She could hardly make them out at the den, she?d searched for a hint of fear in those old smell and would not find it. Whatever happened to these wolves she would have to guess it was voluntary unless they found a clue pointing otherwise. Her bright dual tones eyes would catch his glance back towards her, his jaws falling open to ask her of her duties to Abaven. "I?m a messenger technically speaking." She?d start, her rank rather embarrassing compared to the rest of her siblings. With two alphas and a beta to look up to she felt rather insignificant in the scheme of things. "Though I didn?t leave my parents without proper training in all of those fields." Except for pups probably, she?d never actually seen one in real life except for when she and her siblings were children. She knew the specifics of child making, birthing, and rearing but only in theory could she accomplish any of those. Her delicate steps would continue forwards as her voice was offered to Albion. His questions were far from very personal, which she would give him props for. She wasn?t one to delve into personal or emotional subjects. She didn?t understand them for the most part, however Rhythm did love to indulge in the occasional secret. "What?s your specialty, Albion?" She?d return the question as her eyes sought out the next clue of this missing band of wolves. "Speech"

Albion wasn't overly familiar with the ranking of messenger. He could only assume in entailed what it would seem to on the surface level, and nodded along as she spoke. He could imagine knowing the lay of the land would indeed be an important skill for someone like her to have. He grinned, coming up with half of some little joke, poorly formulated, and letting it slip away once more. It wasn't worth fleshing it out anyways and it had already done it's job. He was smiling when he said, "Messenger, huh? In my home land we had all sorts of nobility, but the working folk all trained to be knights. Ebon knight woulds hunt and fight, Sola knights would heal and study and advise. So I supposed you'd make a decent knight in either rank." Asking about his own skills nearly had his eyes rolling. As far as talents went, he was pretty poor. He preferred fleeing as to fighting, talking his way out of something rather than facing it. Was it honorable? In his mind the better question was 'Who cares, as long as your alive to remember it?' Still, he was hardly so callous when he put his mind to it. "This and that," he said simply. "I'm more of a 'Jack of all trades, master of none' sort. Handy when it comes to getting by, but anything else is another matter." He allowed himself a self-deprecating laugh. It actually was funny how incapable he chose to be. Perhaps he was spiting the grand family who had supposedly sired him but refusing to commit himself to any cause, but either way had hadn't amounted to much. It didn't strike him until after that fact that he'd just admitted that fact to a pretty girl. "Talk" "You" Think

Paws would continue to pull her forward as Albion took a chance to respond, he?d take the chance to once more tell her of his home land. She found it interesting to listen to him, as she?d not had much exposure to culture back in Ahlon. There were the Destruction wolves and now many visitors would come to call. Though her parents had tried to teach her as much as they could she still knew very little of life outside her own pack. Nobles and those of higher rank were not so much of a huge part of Ahlon life. She felt rather equal to most of her pack mates, she had no superiority complex to speak of. She?d catch his words of approval, she would easily fill either knight rank within his old home. A smile would appear on her features as he mentioned such things. In reality Rhythm felt as though she had accomplished little in her life and the confidence of ever being something great was rather minimal. She?d ask her own question of him, curious about the skills that he boasted. He?d practically describe herself perfectly. Yes her parents had trained her well, but when it came to an expertise she was at a loss. She?d join in his small laugh, though it wasn?t directed at him it was more in agreement of herself. ?You sound a lot like me.? The comment was rather quiet and almost said to herself. ?My brother and sister rule the pack, and they?re amazing. But here I am, barely able to survive on my own.? She?d admit her folly rather easily after he?d opened up to her. ?Were you a knight Albion?? She?d ask as her bright eyes brought themselves back up to his own gaze, curiosity evident. Had he reached a rank of note? ""