She'd been away from her pack's lands for a time, scouting out more of the northern lands for whatever opportunities might arise, trusting to her stellaris to see to keeping the pack running while she was out of touch. She had just returned to the den site when her precocious god-touched daughter Alfrun had dreamily informed her that someone from Ivalice had called for her from the border, but since she was gone no one had time to answer before whoever it was had simply walked away from the border.

Bristling with irritation, she'd deliberately set aside that knowledge for a time, choosing instead to concentrate on Yfir rather than dealing with what was probably an attempt at political maneuvering. Still, she'd put it off long enough, and she had certainly let the situation with Vereux fester for far too long. She should have put him on the dirt - or in it - as soon as she'd learned of his whereabouts, but she'd hesitated to be sure she would not needlessly embroil her pack in a war. Vereux's betrayal affected them all as a pack, certainly, but she did not care for the idea of full scale war in any form, and with Vereux hiding within another pack it was a distinct possibility.

The scent of him buried within the pack scent of Ivalice's border enraged her all over again as soon as she'd passed from Yfir's border into the no-man's land between Yfir and Ivalice, but she buried the fury beneath layers of ice, taking only a single bracing breath before she called out in a steely voice, tone leaving no doubt that this was not a social visit, nor was she interested in "social".

Both the alphess and the bird would lift their head in unison as a howl rang at her borders. Avalon had expected this eventually. She herself had taken too long to seek out the Viking woman, but she wanted to find out as much as she could before she did that. She didn't find out much from Vereux as he seemed to keep repeating what was already said, and telling her he was broken and such. Yes, he had gone to call for Katja out of nowhere, but he hadn't waited long enough and chose to follow her back after their argument. That alone had gotten her to think more, and then there was the conversation she had with her son who had evidently spoken with Katja without her knowledge, seeking information about him. She wasn't mad at Lykos, but the fact that he was actively seeking to throw a pack mate under the bus under allegation wasn't right. She was the Alpha. It was her business, not anyone else's save for those involved. And the fact that her son was involving himself in such matters upset her. But she did not show it when they talked. Making her way to the borders, Tanaraq flew overhead as she scouted the area. Avalon could smell the Yfir warrior, and she would soon come into her sight as well. Without breaking stride, she stepped across the borders into the neutral territory, standing several feet from Katja while Tanaraq perched in the branches above. She gave a respectful nod to the smaller woman, amber gaze unwavering as she stood tall but non-threatening. "Katja. I would say it's a pleasure, but I assume you are not here for pleasantries." She knew the Viking had questions, and Avalon likewise had questions of her own as well. This was business between Alphas. And any who tried to interfere--regardless of who they were--would regret it. "Talk" "You" Think

ooc:  got permission from Tea for Naudir to hop in and observe

Excitement raced through her veins and she followed her mother to the no man’s land between Ivalice and Yfir.  Watching the dealings between two alphas was an excellent learning opportunity and Naudir certainly didn’t want to miss it though she found herself becoming distracted every now and then by the weather.  On the southern horizon clouds were billowing up into towers and she had no doubt that the sounds of Thor’s hammer would echo across the lands to the south.  Would the storm make it this far north before satiating itself?  She wasn’t sure.  The girl was still learning about the weather patterns.  She’d have to bother Hárekr about it later.

Branwen, her white crow companion, rested easily on her back just behind her shoulderblades.  Balthazaar was out scavenging for which the female was grateful.  She loved Zaar she really did but she was here to watch and learn and she didn’t need the mouthy grump interjecting his opinion… not that he probably would risk it with Katja there.  All the same this was a chance to learn and she would do her best to be a good student.

Naudir arrived shortly after her mother and sat behind the older woman and off to her right, Branwen fluttering up to rest on her right shoulder.  The alphess of Ivalice soon answered.  She seemed to be the same age as Naudir’s mother, a lovely woman in her own right.  Naudir glanced to her mother then back again as the foreign alphess spoke.  Naudir kept silent.  If Katja wished the other woman to know her name she was sure that Katja would introduce her, she wasn’t sure it was her place to speak.


"Speech"

Katja's lip twitched, wanting to curl as she waited upon the scent drenched border, her daughter waiting silently with her as witness and apprentice. It could be no less than an outright taunt, for Vereux to have chosen to flaunt himself by joining a pack sharing a border with the pack he betrayed. It was infuriating, fanning the smoldering anger, the fire that betrayal had awoken towards the traitor. It was all she could do to hold herself still and calm, to act as an example for her daughter-apprentice.

Still, it was not long before pawsteps alerted her to the presence of another, and her eyes fell upon Avalon. "Avalon," she greeted coolly. To forestall the inevitable that always seemed to follow alphas seeking her company - well did she recall the annoyance of Arian's visit, and Surreal's attempt to buy her pack's safety - she spoke in a swift, clipped tone. "No, I do not intend to waste my time with 'pleasantries', as you say. If you are expecting politics from Yfir, you are misinformed. I am here simply because I was informed that wolves of your pack called upon my borders and disappeared again before they could be answered. I am not interested in allying with any pack. I am not interested in peace treaties. Your pack holds no interest to me but for one thing. You harbor among your members a criminal. The wolf Vereux Armada is a fugitive from Yfir - he betrayed the good will of the wolves who took him in, healed him, fed him, and sought to teach him our culture, only for him to take that knowledge and abandon his responsibilities and his pack. He is a spy and oathbreaker."

She fixed her fierce glare upon the other alpha, her stance uncaring of Avalon's advantage in height. "I am willing to grant that you may not have known of his past actions." She could imagine the naive, quivering lump of wolf who had sought to join Yfir before they had left the east having been taken in by Vereux, though she was skeptical that Avalon could possibly have somehow not realized he belonged to another pack considering it was Vereux who had tried to convince her to join the viking pack to begin with. "However, you know this now, and I must warn you that any who seek to keep this oathbreaker from justice will share in his punishment."

Avalon's gaze flicked briefly towards another presence, a child of Katja judging by scent, and to the young one she would give her a nod of greeting as well. Katja would return her greeting, though followed by a long rant of what she was not here for. Avalon kept her cool, a slight brow raising as she let Katja speak uninterrupted until the woman finished. She didn't know what was going through Katja's mind initially, but Avalon had never expected an alliance nor peace treaty between them, and that assumption in itself was uncalled for and quite unfair. "I don't know what kind of wolf you peg me for, Katja. But I assure you that is not what I meant. I never expected an alliance or peace treaty between us, nor coming to you to speak of politics. I am no fool to go begging for one, as I'm sure others have tried and failed." Her voice was stern, though remained respectful despite Katja's obvious anger. She flicked her tail, pondering what to say next. But it would come easily without much thought. "I've spoken to Lykos and learned some things that he's apparently learned from you. Which is more then I myself, knew about." She recalled the conversation she had with her son versus all the conversations she had with Vereux, and she had to admit..she had learned more from Lykos. "Vereux neglected to tell me exactly what after Yfir except that he got swept away in a storm and has not gone back since. Why, is beyond me. It was he who called at your borders, but he didn't wait long enough for someone to show. Which I must say I was not pleased with. I remember when I was first introduced to you, and I've had no intentions to bear any ill will towards you." She knew eventually this day would come, and the fact that Vereux had made an oath to Yfir, was something she could not ignore. Loyalty was something that Avalon took seriously, and Vereux could not lie about it. After all, he had the Viking symbol upon him. As much as she wished to think otherwise...perhaps loyalty was something the Armada just didn't understand. "Katja, he took an oath of loyalty to your pack and your ways. I've tried to convince him time and time again to right his wrongs, and he refused to do so until it was too late." She had thought about this moment long and hard, for weeks in the event it ever happened. Yes, he was her mate. But as an alpha, she had to think of the pack as a whole. "I will not keep you from the justice that you seek. He did make an oath, and he broke it. I would do the same were I in your position." She was not saying this to avoid a fight with the woman. But thinking back to her conversation with Bass, she would not risk the pack for one member. But she did need to know at least one thing. "How, may I ask, do you intend to punish him?" It was her right as an alpha to know, was it not? Her stance nor features would not waver either way. She wasn't weak. She refused to be what others were. "Talk" "You" Think

Katja made a noise deep in her throat at Avalon's rejoinder. "I am not interested in what kind of wolf you are, though your past associations do not paint you in any manner to intrigue anyhow." She truly was not interested in Avalon at all. Not her personality, not her pack, and not her fool reasons for trusting in a wolf who claimed to have been washed away from his pack and not returned. Washed away in a storm indeed - clearly he knew his way back to the north well enough if he was residing in the next land over. Though it did naught but make things easier on her, and was the smarter choice, she could not quite suppress the hint of contempt at how easily this alpha gave up her mate to another pack's justice, and an unknown punishment. Loyalty. No, Vereux did not deserve the loyalty of a mate and pack after his desertion, no more than did a rabid creature, but it was still a marked difference between the culture she knew and Ardent's. Yfir would never give up their own, regardless of the reasons.

She let her gaze slide to her daughter a moment, to rest upon the intent young face. What did Naudir make of this, she wondered. She, who like Katja herself had grown to a yearling having known nothing but the ways of the Finnvi viking, seeing for possibly the first time how very different other packs could be from them.

Silver gaze slipped back to Avalon as though it had never left. "Vereux Armada will be maimed so that he may never again use his faculties to spy and betray another pack. His eye will be slashed through, and, blinded, he will be truly dependent on the goodwill of whoever is willing to take him in despite his weak nature and physical handicap." Her muzzle twisted into what someone could be forgiven for mistaking for a toothy smile, certainly a rare and startling expression to see on the viking's face. "Call him here."

Her ear flicked at Katja's words, eyes narrowing slightly. She could swear this woman was trying to test her, or simply just trying to insult her. She stared down at the viking, a tight line forming on Avalon's maw. Had she known what Katja was thinking, she would have argued with the woman about it. She had thought long and hard about what she would do when the time came for Vereux to answer for his mistakes, and even now she didn't know if she could simply give him up. It had been what? A year or so now? And as far as Avalon knew, Katja hadn't been too interested in finding him until they came to the north. If he was that important, if she was so afraid that he had betrayed them, then why hadn't she gone to summon him in the battlefield? Many of these questions began to surface, and as Katja explained what she would do to him, a low inaudible growl rose in the pits of her throat. Though not enough for the others to hear. Tanaraq had picked up on Avalon's shifting mood, the bird peering at the Chief. "Avalon?" As if she had flipped a switch, Avalon snapped out of her sudden state and stared at Katja, though the majority of her kindness had left her eyes. Especially when the Viking almost seemed to demand her to call him here. "I will not." It surprised her, that she'd said it. But really, they had pups together and what would they think if she simply gave their father up to someone who was no better then the next one seeking some sort of revenge? What kind of alpha would she be then, if she couldn't protect her own? Let alone try? "I am not someone who will be ordered around. And despite what you may think, Vereux has shown no ill will towards you, nor has he spilled any information about Yfir or anything of the sort." She kept an icy calm about her, remaining in a neutral stance. "He is no spy. I would not have such a wolf run freely among my own if that were the case, lest they be a prisoner." She decided then. That she would not give him up so easily. He had made bad decisions in the past, yes. But who didn't? Everyone made mistakes, including her. She would wait for Katja's response, and she didn't expect it to be a good one. And if push came to shove, she supposed there was one last resort. "Talk" "You" Think

Quietly Taufr slipped in behind his mother and sister. Like Naudir, the yearling was here to observe the exchange. Politics was a complex, foreign thing and he was desperate to know more about it. Some day, if one of his sisters became Drottning, he wanted to be prepared to assist them in any way they needed. The boy wanted to be as versatile as he possibly could and he was in awe of his mother's ability to navigate an interpersonal arena usually wrought with strong emotion so coolly and rationally. Should the woman his mother was speaking to look his way as he entered, the boy intended to cast a polite nod her way. He didn't plan on making a scene of any kind; all he wanted to do was watch the exchange. Taufr already had an idea of what was going down; he'd heard a great deal of the exchange as he'd approached and he was curious to see how the two alphas resolved the issue. His mother was in the right to claim retribution and while he didn't think the woman truly understood his mother's claim and what it entailed, he understood her reluctance to turn a packmate over for punishment. That didn't change the fact that the man had brought it upon himself and those who sought to help keep him from justice would likely be found just as guilty. Was this woman willing to risk the well being of herself and possibly the rest of her pack for an untrustworthy man? His gaze swiveled to the back of his mother's head as he waited for her response. He wasn't sure what to expect next; this kind of bargaining (if it could even be called that) was entirely new to him. How far did diplomacy go? At what point did words fail and action become necessary? "Talk" "You" Think

The call of Katja was what caught Lykos' attention, and he paused in his route around the borders. That was no pleasantry call; no, far from it. It was a call that was demanding, strong, and wouldn't take no for an answer. It meant business. He could imagine the anger that simmered beneath her normally cool exterior, and Lykos swiftly headed for their meeting borders.

He stayed back, though. He stayed back and simply listened. He didn't make his presence known, though he didn't try to hide it, either. He stayed quiet and back, unseen and possibly unscented; likely, though, he'd not have been noticed in the drama that was happening. He was tense, waiting for something to happen; here were two women not willing to back down from their beliefs, and Lykos just had to sit in silence and hope that their beliefs lined up.

Katja's voice sent chills down his spine as she started speaking, and his eyes were riveted on the smaller woman. This was a wolf whose anger he never wanted to face. It was terrifying just hearing it directed at another. At the same time... this meant that the woman was a formidable ally. Not that he expected to garner such a thing from the Yfir alpha, but it was a thought that passed his mind.

Soon, his mother started speaking, and he nearly sagged in relief. His ears perked as his name was mentioned, and he nodded to himself from his position. It seemed as if Vereux would be tossed like he well deserved; the Yfir alpha was fully within her right to demand this punishment, and thankfully, his mother was going along with it. It was when Avalon asked about the maim did he worry. Why did she want to know? Passing curiosity? That was unlike her. She was not one who would ask something simply out of curiosity, she'd just wait to find out... unless, of course, that this was the deciding factor and her other words were just that - words. He didn't think so, but he was afraid.

The description of the maim made him glance back at Katja, it was then he decided to make his presence known and he approached quietly, dipping his head to Katja respectfully. His own eyes focused on Katja, and his body gave away his doubts; tension radiated from him, as he was unaware of it.

It was a flip of the switch. The moment Katja finished speaking, something changed within his mother. Something utterly different from what she had been only a few moments previous. Before she even opened her mouth, Lykos already knew. She wasn't going to give him up, despite her insisting that she understood Katja's reasoning. Was it the maim? Was it something else? He didn't understand how she could have changed so quickly.

When she started speaking, though, Lykos' ears trembled slightly as he resisted flattening them. Was she stupid? Of course, he already knew she was in regards to Vereux. Having pups with a man whom she didn't even know the full past of. It was like his father, all over again. A soft, barely audible sound of disgust was made deep in his throat as he stared at his mother in a mixture of unbelief and anger. With mixed emotions swirling in his eyes, he glanced back at Katja. How would she react? What would she do?

He wanted to say so much - how could she risk the whole pack for the sake of a man who would betray an oath? With the simple logic of 'oh he's not a spy'. But then again, how could she make such a man her mate? True, she didn't know... but she didn't even try to know. She just took everything he said like it was the word of a god, trusting it completely and asking no questions. What kind of leader does that? What kind of leader would willingly harbor a criminal, trusting him, knowing what he's done? It only made his uneasiness and unrest grow: he did not want to follow a leader who was willingly blind, mother or not.

Still, he stood there, still, he was silent, silent with allt he things he wanted to say, but didn't know how to say them. Silent, as he awaited Katja's reaction. Should she decide to turn Vereux' punishment on Avalon, for getting in her way... Lykos wasn't certain he'd even stay to watch.

Naudir would keep silent, her eerie blue eyes focused and intent, her ears listening sharply and taking in everything from body language to the words and their tone. This was a rare treat. The opportunity to watch her mother in the art of leadership. The art of justice. She marveled at her mothers strength and steadfastness. The aura of authority and command that seemed to emanate around her was truly something to behold. How could anyone resist her commands? Naudir's gaze shifted to Avalon as the Ivalice alpha spoke, stating she would not stand in the way of justice. Good. As she asked how Katja intended to punish Vereux, Naudir's gaze would shift to her mother as she was equally curious what fate would befall the traitor. She knew it would be brutal. Traitors were the lowest. Maggots with no honor skulking about in the muck.

She couldn't help but grin as her mother spoke, brushing the other woman's speech aside. This meeting was more about sending a message than negotiation. It was a reminder Yfir's strength. That they were not to be trifled with and while the forces of the gods and of nature herself might move them no wolf or wolfpack ever would. Katja would glance to Naudir and she would meet her mother's gaze, her front paws shifting just slightly. I am listening mother. I am learning. Yfir was very different from these other packs, harder, stronger and more spiritually rich. They were an oak tree tall and strong while these others bent and twisted to avoid conflict and battle, they weren't weak or shallow in their oaths like this Vereux and she was certain he deserved whatever his mother would met out. Katja stated the punishment. His good eye would be taken to leave him fully blind. Naudir nodded softly. It seemed fitting. He was so blind to what he had and blind to the promise he'd made, so willing to break it and abandon those that had cared for him as soon as he felt inconvenienced. As soon as another oppotunity presented itself. Katja demanded Avalon call him there.

…and Avalon refused. Naudir blinked a bit in surprise. Maybe this woman had a strong backbone after all. There were not many that had the gall to deny her mother anything. Though what could be the alphess' reasons? Her eyes narrowed. Surely a washed up, crippled traitor was of no value to Ivalice? Why would she keep him? Defend him? Also… why would Vereux betray them for Ivalice? The gears in her head were turning rapidly as the pieces fell into place. He held a high rank in Ivalice. That had to be it. Higher than the one he held in Yfir and so he abandoned them to move up in rank and that made him of value to Ivalice and Avalon. If he were a mere pawn, a simple hunter surely she would not have hesitated to hand him over.

There was another piece as well she noted. Both women were trying to avoid showing any weakness. This was a battle of wills and verbal dominance. A showing of strength as a leader. Avalon stated he'd show no ill will or spilled any information but they had only the word of a foreign alphess that this was not the case and it held no guarantee he'd hold his tongue in the future. Of course he might readily spill everything after he received his punishment but the message would be said clear and strong. Still though… did Avalon miss that key part of Katja's statement? Any who kept Vereux from them would share in his punishment… she glanced to her mother.


"Speech"

This nonsense had dragged on long enough, the other alpha suddenly withdrawing her cooperation and waffling about Vereux's betrayal even as she had previously conceded his dishonor. This was a waste of time and energy that should be going toward Yfir's well-being. Silver-ticked hackles rose aggressively, and Katja stepped forward. "Perhaps you did misunderstand when I made my intentions known? Anyone who seeks to stand between the traitor and justice will share his punishment." She cocked her head to the side and added without a trace of sarcasm, "Having only a single eye would diminish your capability as an alpha. Is a proven traitor worth that?"

She flicked the tip of her tail, gesturing to her children for their attention, then intentionally turned her back on Avalon. The insult was plain, that the other alpha could not be considered a proper threat, though Katja was not stupid enough to truly not pay attention to the wolf behind her. "I give you leave to consider your options, Ivalice," she said coldly over her shoulder. "Since it is clear you are entirely too driven by emotions to make decisions one way or another. However, if you seek to interfere when I return to call upon Vereux Armada, you will no longer have my forbearance."

Deliberately she scraped her hind paws against the ground, kicking dirt and rocks onto the border in an aggressive border-marking before striding away into her own territory, the steely anger of her demeanor held around her like a cloak.

-exit Katja-

(OOC: since this thread is... rather old, I'm going to just end it and start a new one that's more current.0