ooc: looking to get some intellect point with a religious ritual, feel free to observe, chat him up or if you have a religious character of your own Ashiel would be curious to learn.

With the snake held firmly between his teeth Ashiel made his way toward the runestones. He wasn't sure about this but Griff seemed to be insistent that this was the way to achieve the fallen god's blessing and secure some sort of luck for himself in achieving his ambitions. There was more to it of course and he was sure the kite would lay it all out. "This way master!" The kite soared over his head and was swallowed by the mist. Ashiel remained still for a moment as he watched the tendrils of gray seem to hover and shimmer in the air before he too let it devour him. The morning was chill and dew made the grass wet and slick and as he broke into a clearing he could only stare at the ring of massive stones that stood like teeth rising straight out of the ground. Ashiel set the serpent down and looked to the bird expectantly. "Talk" "You" Think

Slowly the she-wolf moved through the lands, hardly noticing what was around her as she moved. For once, she was content, having snagged a couple field mice earlier in the morning by sheer luck. Her stomach wasn't rumbling and so she felt a nice bliss washing over her. When she was younger, she never appreciated having a full stomach. Now even a partially satisfied stomach was pure joy to the female. She had even taken the time to nap after her hunt, or, well, what she considered a hunt. In all honest, it had been dumb luck. She had spotted a fox digging at a hole in the ground and had lunged prematurely at the fox. It had been her initial target, and it had chuckled at her, too, as it bounded away safely, having heard her when she ran at it. Realizing her prey had escaped her, she had turned to the burrow the fox had been digging at. She had shoved her nose inside, inhaled, and immediately started salivating. The fox had found an entire nest of mice, which she promptly had finished unburrowing and devoured. Just thinking back on her meal put a smile on the she-wolf's face. It would do nothing to put any weight on her, but that didn't matter to her today. A meal was a meal, and she would live on. A soft breeze brushed against Enya's fur and as she paused to enjoy it, her eyes widened slightly. There was a scent on the breeze, a musky scent that could only belong to a male. Normally she would stray from encountering another, but with her mood so pleasant, her body subconsciously shifted in his direction. It was a fair trek as she followed his scent on the air, and when she finally crested to see the shape of the male in the distance, she also noticed that he stood at a large stone cluttered area, where they all seemed to be neatly arranged and protruding to reach to the sky. Looking across to the male, caution in the back of her mind causing her heart to quicken it's beat, she lifted her muzzle and howled to the male. The two were within shouting distance, but what better way to greet a stranger than by crying out her song. Ooc// Hope you don't mind me dropping in! Kinda interested in Enya joining this pack, so thought I'd throw her in here to see if maybe he can tell her about their ways, and she can observe him. Dunno, thought it would be fun to see where it goes c:

Today was the first day she had ventured out of her new homelands. She was curious to explore more around her home and work on getting prey patterns down. She would also need to meet with the pack's current hunter and try and work on teaming up with them to work together. Today though she had exploring crowding up her schedule. Talis hadn't been all that exciting so far and for the young female and with the blood of wandering gypsies in her blood she was growing tired of sitting around and waiting for things to happen. She needed to roam, to explore, and to see what she could find. She also had a vary high interest in finding her own companion. She had never had a interest before, but when she met the two her alpha had it sparked an interest in her. She wondered if she was meant to have a companion and what type of companion would she have. She also wanted to meet more wolves with companions and find out how they managed to bond with their companion. The lean hunter headed at a quick trot, she didn't know where exactly she was headed, but she would go somewhere. It wasn't long before she reached the runestones, the area was foggy making her pause a second to look around. Not far off her eyes caught the sight of a dark figure that looked like a wolf. He was doing... Something but she wasn't sure what. She quietly moved forward to get a closer look, curious at what he was doing. Her ears then perked as a feminine howl rang out through the air. As she approached another figure appeared back behind the male (assuming that's her location). Her teal eyes shone with curiousity wondering what was going on. "Speech" & 'Think'

ooc:  No problem at all! Ashiel would be happy to talk of his pack and their beliefs, well those that he knows of. His companion Griff his helping to teach him.

The black-winged kite settled atop one of the runestones that bore strange and unusual markings. There was a stillness to the air and the strangeness of the place seemed to seem into his bones and twine its way around his lungs. Yes, this certainly felt like some sort of holy place. "Griff… what is this place? Why are these stones marked so?"  He slowly approached the one his companion was perched on. What could possibly cut into stone like this? "No one is alive who remembers. I am told it was various gods in league with the fallen god that have left these stones for their followers. It is like a gateway, a connection between this mortal realm and that of the divine." Ashiel nodded slowly, seeking to understand. "Ok, what next?"  The answer came not from the bird but from a melodious howl not far off. He turned to see a dark-pelted woman standing there and his ears flicked forward curiously. She was a good size and to his mind she was built like a warrior. He barked out a call. "Hello! What brings you to the Runestones?" He cast a questioning glance at his kite, wondering if this sort of ritual needed to be done privately but the inclination of the bird's head confirmed that it was not. Despite himself Ashiel admitted that a little company would be nice in this eerie unsettling place. "Master, we have more company."  Ashiel glanced in the direction the bird was point and saw an older woman with a rich coat of pale earthen hues.  He dipped his head in greeting and offered a small smile to the strange women. "Are you both here to barter for favor from the fallen god as well?" "Talk" "Griff" Think

The male called out in greeting, and to this, Enya moved forward briskly. She wasn't sure why she was so eager to meet another, but the thought warmed her. Maybe she'd been alone too long. Wolves weren't meant to be loners anyways. One who stayed isolated for too long, she was once told, would go insane. This must be my own way of preserving my sanity she mused to herself, chuckling at the ironic thought as she nodded her head to the male in greeting. As she approached the male, she heard him speak to another as a second wolf arrived. The caution in the back of her mind began to scream louder, but as she scented the air, she picked up that the two did not smell similar. Was this a meeting of three rogue wolves? "Fallen god?" Enya questioned as she turned to the male briefly before looking up to the tall rock, eyeing the strange markings across it before settling on the bird perched at the top. "That wasn't my intent, no" she continued, turning her eyes back to the male. "I simply wanted to stop by and say hello. It gets lonely when you're living alone." Her focus turned back to the other stranger, a female considerably smaller than herself, and lighter in coloration as well. Enya nodded her head once more, this time in greeting to her. "The name is Enya" she stated as she turned from the two and stepped around the large rock formations, gazing up at the markings across them. "Did your fallen god do these?" Ooc//

She continued to approach, the male first addressing the dark female before she heard another voice speak to the male and brought his attention to her. Her eyes then saw the bird and she grinned realizing that this male also had a companion. The male's words brought a questioning look to her eyes. Religion wasn't strong in her clan, the fact they had adopted in so many outsiders that the religion was horribly diverse, to the point that the younger generations let it roll in one ear and out the other. Those beliefs were never enforced. Her parents hadn't had a religion to fallow. The other women asked what she had been thinking, questioning what he had meant by Fallen God. She picked up her pace and closed the distance between herself and the others then turning to also look at the carvings in the stone. Her eyes fallowing every curve and she even outstretched her neck to take in the stale scents that lingered on the stone. She looked back to the female cetching her greeting and nodding warmly to her then looked to the male. "I'm Zinnia.... Zinnia Wreckage nice to meet you both," she said giving a smile to both of them before looking back at the stones again. "What do the markings mean exactly, what message is your god giving?" "Speech" & 'Think'

ooc:  looking to get some intellect point with a religious ritual, feel free to observe, chat him up or if you have a religious character of your own Ashiel would be curious to learn.

Neither woman seemed to be familiar with the Fallen god but Ashiel supposed that was to be expected. He'd yet to meet anyone in Boreas or Auster familiar with the god of his family apart from Griff. The dark-pelted woman introduced herself as Enya and explained she'd simply wanted to say hello, having been living on her own. That was a curious life. Ashiel could not imaging living alone. Apart from his occasional wanderings, he'd been surrounded by his family his entire life. "Alone? Is this by choice or are you in the process of seeking a home?" The pale pelted woman introduced herself as Zinnia and both asked about the Fallen god. Ashiel was quite pleased by this. He rarely had a chance to talk about his beliefs outside his family and most mortals weren't the least bit interested in listening. "My name is Ashiel Abraxas and this is my companion Griff." The black-winged kite dipped his head in greeting. "Yes, I believe the Fallen god and his followers left these stones as a way for us to communicate with them. I'm afraid I don't know exactly what all these symbols mean. Griff says there probably isn't anyone alive who does but this one…" he padded over to the stone on his left and lightly placed a paw on one of the figures. "This one kind if makes me think of a deer. Perhaps if you wish for luck in hunting you might face this stone?" Ashiel shrugged lightly. It was a guess anyway. He padded back over to the serpent he'd killed. "I came here to ask the Fallen god for wisdom. You see I am seeking to lead my own pack in the near future and I wish to have the wisdom to rule it." Griff took off from the stone he'd been perching on to land next to Ashiel. "Yes, to send a message to the gods you must leave it in the middle of this circle, a thing symbolic of what you would ask for with a prayer. To seal the prayer to the thing you are leaving, if it was once living, you must leave it in the entrails." "Talk" "Griff" Think

"A little bit of both" Enya replied, shrugging over her shoulder, trying to brush the question off as much as possible to deter him from inquiring any further. She didn't want him asking about her past, why she might be alone. She didn't need to bring up her banishment. Luckily, the other female introduced herself, and the conversation was steered away to be forgotten and turned to the fallen god. As the young male spoke and explained the stones, Enya alternated between looking at him and the tall structures. How on earth could one use stones to communicate? They surely didn't look like they made any sort of noise. She hadn't heard them make a single peep the whole time she'd been here. She watched him walk to the stone with the deer on it and perked her ears as he spoke of it helping in hunting. Face it? She could sure use some better luck in hunting. She averted her gaze and stared hard at the rock, quite literally facing it as hard as she could without making it blatantly obvious, but nothing happened, or at least she didn't think anything happened. He padded over to the serpent on the ground which she hadn't even noticed until now, then spoke more about the stones. Oh, so he was looking to start his own pack. That would explain why he was curious to know if she was seeking a home, she supposed. The bir-er, Griff, fluttered down to land next to Ashiel, and startled Enya once more by speaking. She wasn't used to companions. Usually when she saw something other than a wolf, it was food, not talking to her. He explained how to speak to the god, and it suddenly struck Enya that she was standing inside the circle of all the rock runes. She quickly skittered out of the circle, not wanting to be involved in any sort of message or symbol or prayer type of deal. She didn't like the phrase 'Once living'. She liked living. "I don't uh, mean to question you, but wouldn't a fox bring more wisdom than a snake?" Ooc//

Each stone had different markings to them and Zin was a curious creature. She couldn't help but want to know more about these stones, the ritual, or even this man's faith. Zin had always like to learn what knowledge she could obtain from others and today was her lucky day. Bright eyes looked over the stone and then shot over to the one next to it. Her tail wagged with eagerness to learn. Her eyes then went to him as he began to speak introducing himself and his companion. He then spoke on about the stones explaining what he knew. Her gaze fallowed him to the one stone he knew more about and she leaned closer to look at the figures while listening to him. He then explained the reason he was here. Asking for wisdom about leading his own pack. It was curious, even more then the current stones before her. So what kind of ritual did he need to preform to gain wisdom. Then Enya asked a question that she deemed a vary good one. Foxes were a lot more cunning and smart then a snake. Or at least that is what she believed. Then the male's companion explained the process her eyes looking up to it as it explained. It was an interesting ritual, one that she wondered if it worked. "So then how does one know that their prayer ritual is successful? Does it come to them in a dream or?" she asked. "Speech" & 'Think'

Enya replied that it was a little of both. She was alone by choice but perhaps open to the possibility of a home. Ashiel nodded lightly at her ambivalent answer. He wouldn't have had much help to offer either way as he had yet to really visit the mortal packs and he did not know how she would feel about the Risen Empire to which he belonged. Not that he could bring a mortal back with him even if she was interested. The Risen Empire was now almost full, the Abraxas were spreading rapidly and more of their family were making the journey to this new land. Ashiel felt the pressure. They needed a new pack soon and he felt it was up to him to make it happen. He grinned as Griff's speech startled the dark-pelted woman. He'd gotten so used to animal companions he'd forgotten what it was like to hear other animals speak the common tongue for the first time. She skittered out of the circle and he nodded respectfully to her. Ashiel hadn't made a sacrifice in the stones before and he wasn't sure what would happen if someone else was standing there. Surely nothing right, since he was making the sacrifice? He wasn't sure and he certainly didn't want to call down the fallen god's wrath. Ashiel's ears perked up at her question and he shook his head. "Not necessarily. A fox is best for intelligence and cunning, for thinking quick on your feet. A good thing to ask for to be sure but I'm interested in deeper wisdoms, the kind that comes with experience and old age, particularly as it relates to the wishes of the fallen god. Sometimes I find it hard to interpret his will. For that I need a serpent." He wasn't quite sure how to explain it but hoped she'd understand. He pondered Zinnia's question. It was a good question. "It's hard to say. It's different for everyone, sometimes you just have to have faith and wait and see. Some do get dreams and my mother tells me I have some cousins who get visions while they're awake. I think for me… I will know when the results of my challenge present themselves." "Excuse me a moment." Ashiel bent down and quietly whispered his prayer. He felt a bit on the spot, being so new at this and also having an audience. He was sure if his uncle were here the man would speak out bold and confident but he wasn't ready for that, not yet. When Ashiel finished he carefully worked his fangs down the middle of the snake before pulling out the entrails just slightly. He glanced up at the bird. Griff nodded. "The brain, Ashiel, don't forget that." Ack… he shot an apologetic glance at the women, before he carefully got to work on the serpent's skull. He carefully cracked it like an egg before delicately extracting the brain and leaving it in the center of the artfully arranged entrails. Bowing his head he whispered a few final words before leaving the circle. Griff flew after him and landed between his shoulder blades. "Well done Ashiel, now we leave the remains for nature to reclaim." "Talk" "Griff" Think