She'd barely been home a day when she woke early that morning. Already she'd grown accustomed to getting up before the sun rose for the day. A yawn left her jaws as she rose her head from the floor of her den. Rising to her feet she stretched out the last remnants of her slumber before going to check on the pups for a moment. She was quiet with her steps as she peered in on Creed's and Kavdaya's litter. Grinning softly at the five little bundles sleeping next to her mother she then turned and exited as quietly as she'd came. She set out towards the borders at a trot. Regulus' scent seemed a bit sparse lately so she started near the western side and began marking every so often. She wasn't overly fond of these sorts of patrols, but she understood the necessity of them. It wasn't even taxing work, just long and boring. With no one to keep her company as of yet it was silent and rather uneventful. No more wolves popped up nearby wanting to join and nothing exciting had happened. She finally decided to take a break slightly outside of the border under the shade of a tree. It as nearly noon now and the sun was almost at its peak in the sky. It glowed brightly from its position and today offered no relief from the heat as any other day. She'd peer at it for a few seconds rather angrily before she looked back at the ground and blinked back the dark spots that appeared in her vision. It almost felt as though Autumn would never get here. Even if it did would it be any cooler? She certainly hoped so. Walk, "Talk" Think

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Autumn lay around the bend and already the leaves were beginning to turn though the air this far west had yet to bear the whispered hints of frost like that of the eastern mountains. The remnants of summer would be spent storing enough to get Ivory Ridge through the winter but none-the-less the new Queen was interested in beginning trade discussions. Fenrir's Maw was home to many rare herbs and odd stones as well as mountain goat and big horn sheep, animals that were unlikely to be found in the plains this western pack seemed to inhabit. She gazed out over the stalks of wheat and thick grasses as she neared the border. She bet they had good prey lands here and was curious what variety of animals were available.

Tipping back her head Karabela was about to howl when she caught the scent of a pack wolf near the border. Maybe she'd do a bit of verbal reconnaissance first. Following the scent she came upon a woman resting beneath a tree just outside the border. "Good afternoon! Are you a member of the pack that dwells within these plains?" She could tell by the scent it was likely the case but felt she would err on the side of caution as well as engaging in typical conversation.

"Speech"

She was almost contemplating taking a nap. It was a lot warmer outside, but the shade was a nice relief and she couldn't smell anyone nearby from her position. The wind suddenly shifted and Faite was a bit more alert then she had been. Not moments later a wolf came to her view and Faite would rise to meet them. She offered the same lackadaisical friendly smile that she did to everyone before eyeing the female. She had interesting pelt markings that caught her eye and she also smelled faintly of a pack, though certainly not one she recognized. She didn't have a lot to go on by looks alone, but Faite's ears flicked forward with interest as she started off with a greeting and a question. "Good afternoon to you as well." She dipped her head politely. "I am. My name is Faite, I'm one of the Alphas here. Can I help you?" She questioned her curiously. If the woman smelled of a pack what had brought her here. She didn't seem like she was joining, so what was it? ooc: Sorry for the crappy tag >.> Walk, "Talk" Think

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Score! The woman Karabela had called out to introduced herself as Faite, one of the alphas of the packlands here. Excellent, what were the odds of her finding an alpha so quickly. "Yes, I am Karabela Thyre the Chieftan, alpha, of Ivory Ridge. We're a new pack that has settled in the eastern mountains. I'm interested in establishing trade with the other packs in Boreas and I was wondering if something of the sort would interest you?" Karabela wasn't sure how direct she should be regarding this. Should she wait to see if there was interest before laying everything out? Did she want to talk Faite to death? Ahh… negotiation…. the part of the job Karabela was least looking forward to but the other woman seemed quite pleasant. "In particular I'm hoping to trade for bison skins at the moment though I'd be curious to learn what resources you have available that you'd be willing to trade. Our mountains are rich in herbs, minerals and various horned mammals." There a basic summary. Hopefully it was enough to catch the other woman's interest.

"Speech"

So she was blunt and a straight to the point kind of wolf? Faite found herself admiring the trait. No reason to beat around the bush if you were here for a reason. It wasted less time (though she often enjoyed small talk) but in this case she didn't mind it. It seemed like this other woman had a mission in mind today so she listened as she explained that she was an alpha of Ivory Ridge. It was interesting to hear that she'd set her territory in the eastern mountains and she felt a smile flicker on her face in remembrance of her time there. It was a good choice of territory - she approved. Her focus would mostly shift towards the thought of trading that Karabela offered. She had to admit she was more than interested, but she'd never been a part of a trade before. What on earth would they offer them? It was a good question, one that would take a few minutes to mull over at least. She was quick to explain that she was looking for bison skins. At that note her face took a more curious look. They didn't have bison and the way she talked made it sound like they weren't hurting for herbs, minerals, or certain kinds of prey. She'd never done anything involving negotiating before so it felt like her brain was working over time to come up with something that would make Karabela's trip worthwhile. "We have a few horned desert prey animals ourselves, as well some wild donkey's if you're looking for something different. We also have birds due to the lake we claimed." She paused for a moment as she tried to remember some herbs. "I'll be honest here and say I'm not much of a healer and would be more likely to poison someone before i saved their life." She grinned with a chuckle. "You'd probably wanna talk to one of our healers, or bring your own to come look around, to see if there's any flora that interest you." Walk, "Talk" Think

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela's ears perked at the mention of desert creatures as she tried to remember if she'd run across any interesting desert creatures in her travels. Typically she avoided the more barren lands as they were dangerous to venture through alone. "Oh! I'd be curious to see the variety of desert creatures you have and… I do not know what a wild donkey is but I would be interested in finding out." She nodded as well to the birds. She didn't really have a use for them yet but the feathers could surely have uses even if they were purely aesthetic.

Raba chuckled at Faite's mention of healing. "Fear not, you're not alone there. I am a warrior and explorer, I know nothing of the healing arts either." She was a bit surprised that Faite would allow her to bring in one of her own healers and go exploring through Celestial's lands though she was sure they would have an escort. She imagined Qualm and Kassander might enjoy that. "I take it you have no bison then? That's alright, it was a shot in the dark anyway. I will take you up on your offer to have one of our healers visit and perhaps… depending on how the seasons go I was thinking of holding a gala in the future for various packs we have trade agreements with." It was a bit risky, after all she would have to maintain peace amongst packs she did not fully know. Who knew if she'd accidentally draw mortal enemies to the same location.

"Speech"

She wasn't overly surprised when the woman admitted she didn't know what a wild donkey was. She herself was a bit confused when she'd first saw one. The tended to linger towards the areas with more foliage where they could graze, but occasionally she'd seen one or two crossing the more dry and arid desert areas. They were pretty large, but she'd had yet to attempt to hunt any one of them. Goats, deer, and rabbit seemed to be their main diet. She wasn't overly fond of birds herself either. It was curious to hear that the woman wasn't a healer herself. Faite was honestly glad that she didn't have to try and think of a few of the medicinal plants that grew in the plains and by the lake. She most likely would have failed miserably. Without Kavdaya or any one of the other healers around she feared that the talks of trade would have ended there. "Sadly I haven't seen any bison. I have seen a herd at the range so if you are ever interested in gathering a hunting party I'd definitely be interested." She grinned. She knew they were a part of different packs, but it sounded like fun. Bison certainly would prove to be a nice change from their normal diet. "Just bring one of your healers by and I'd be happy to escort them around. If you'd like to come as well you can and you can tell me if there's anything else you're interested in. I'm sure one of our healers would love to collaborate and talk about trading. It'd save them from having to scrounge in one of the loner lands for the herbs they need." Walk, "Talk" Think

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela was glad to at least be able to check of these territories in her quest for bison pelts. She would have to venture south and see if there were any packs down that way that would have access to such prey. Or… well, she could take her pack on a field trip. There was no rule saying they couldn't hunt in unclaimed lands and as far as she knew the Buffalo Knolls still lay abandoned. Of course that would mean leaving Ivory Ridge undefended and that idea did not sit well with her. Perhaps the field trips would have to wait until the pack grew a bit more.

She grinned at the mention of a hunting party at the range. A joint hunting between packs? Now that was an interesting idea. "That is quite an interesting idea Faite and one I am open to. A joint hunt between our packs with a splitting of the carcass could prove worthwhile." While Dagmær was her only full time hunter she had a feeling that some of her other members would be interested as well. Raba nodded. "Certainly, I'll visit with my menders and visit you again though I imagine it will likely be in spring when there is more to be found."

"Speech"

Faite was seriously entertaining the idea of a little escapade to go hunt bison. It would be a nice change from the deer, rabbit, and other common prey that often frequented around Celestial. She'd never hunted something quite so large, but she had certainly admired them from afar. They looked challenging and she was excited by the prospect of a hunt like that. She was more pleased when Karabela seemed to like the idea as well. She didn't have a date in mind, but she was almost hoping that they could collaborate soon. "I'll have to have a talk with a few of my members and see if any one is interested, but I'm sure that won't be a problem." She grinned. And then of course she had to find a healer to help escort one of Raba's healers through Celestial. That would be a while off though. Summer had been harsh and even she had noticed how dry and dead everything was. With Winter approaching, it'd be a little while before the herbs grew back so she nodded. That gave them plenty of time to prepare and it gave her time to find someone with a vast knowledge of the plants that grew within the pack lands. "I can talk with one of the pack's healers to get an idea of what grows around here and make you a list so you can have an idea." That was about the best she could do for now. Walk, "Talk" Think

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela grinned as Faite expressed interest. Perfect! Winter was the perfect time for hunting bison if they could pin them in an area with deep snow where they could stumble or burn themselves out. Such thick pelts were a blessing in the cold weather but wolves had impressive stamina by nature and if they could run the bison long enough for one to overheat and stumble dinner would be served. "I'm glad to hear it Faite! I'll plan to visit again in early winter with a group of my hunters. That should be a good time to hunt bison and a time when our packs will greatly benefit from the meat." Faite was most helpful as she offered to make a list. "That would be fantastic! Perhaps your healers can exchange notes with mine at the joint hunt?" Karabela hoped Celestial's members would be interested in the hunt. She felt her first alpha meeting was going well and about ready to wrap up, then she'd need to move on to some others and feel out where Ivory Ridge stood in the grand scheme of things.

"Speech"

Faite couldn't help but be excited. It'd been a while since they'd had any interaction with any of the other packs and she had to admit that it was all a good idea. It would get anyone who was interested out of the pack lands and they'd get to interact with strangers. She couldn't imagine any of the healers denying the ability to exchange information or herbs and she could imagine Fortune would enjoy the opportunity to take down bison with other wolves. She herself was itching to go for some bigger game so she nodded eagerly. "Winter sounds splendid! I'll discuss it with my members and bring a group to meet up with you whenever you decide to hold the hunt. I'll try and bring a few healers along as well. I can already think of a few who deserve a nice adventure." She was pretty satisfied with how the talk was going. There wasn't too much else she could offer the other woman as far as information or suggestions so she found it was a good time to wrap it up. "I do have a patrol to finish though, so I'm afraid I must be on my way. I'm sure you're busy as well so I won't keep you any longer. I hope to speak with you soon." She said with a smile before flicking an ear to listen to see if she had anything else to say. With that she dipped her head an left to go finish her patrol on a much happier note than earlier in the day. ooc: I was hoping this is a good place to wrap this up? If not I can edit it! Walk, "Talk" Think

ooc: my thoughts to sounds good to me!

I SEE ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BUT I GOT STAMINA

Karabela worked to remain collected but she could feel excitement bubbling up within her. This diplomacy thing was off to a good start, she could only hope she'd have as good a luck with the other packs. Of course, starting the relationship was one thing, maintaining it would be quite another. The volatility of packs lately could mean a sudden shift in power and then she'd be starting from scratch and the thought brought her back to wondering about Peregrine. Originally she'd meant for Aerie to be their prime trading partner but in a moment Peregrine had vanished and the pack had fallen. It was disheartening to say the least and made her slightly nervous for her own precarious position. Many of these packs seemed to have been in Boreas for quite some time. Would her little rag-tag crew be able to weather this? Would she?

Raba turned her thoughts back to Faite, focusing on the other woman's excitement and she grinned and nodded. "Of course! I have rounds to make as well. It was a pleasure talking with you Faite, have a good day!"

-exit-

"Speech"