YOUNG AND A MENACE

Orders had been given, and Kaine was more than ready to follow. Like a bullet from a gun, they took to their sister's commands. Follow the directions and hit the target. The pack of Celestial was a fair ways away, but they wondered if perhaps along the way they might run into Agria again. Their little pixie. Separated for far too long, they longed to see her again. Surely she would be rather miffed that they had been cooped up in their den for so long.

Large paws thundered fearlessly across the terrain with a rolling gait. With their sister by their side, they felt as though the world should tremble. Diplomacy was not their strong suit- their frivolities and pleasantries could only roll off the tongue for so long. The sandy beast got bored quickly. Today, they would test their boundaries. Seek to improve themself. After all, Amon had pulled them aside to say that their attitude during the raid on the mortal pack had been poor. That they had been foolish. Better now to remember how to keep themself in check.

"What do you think, Ana? The last of the mortal group had been a crowd of flighty little things, will this one be the same?" They drawled, grinning like a menace. Of course, they had gone with the intent to take the pack. This time, it was just a courtesy call. To examine the edges of the territories, and find out what they could. So far, it seemed like this area was lush. The scents of flora seeped into their nostrils.

The fog bank had loomed in the distance, keeping its grip on the faraway land even in midday. Perfect for Ana, and her tender flesh. A reprieve from the sun would be nice for her, and perhaps add an air of mystery to their encounter with this new pack. The godling couldn't help themself, not at all. A theatrical creature, and oh so vain.

Stinking to high heaven of mortals, the fog bank slid over their flanks with dewy fingers in their coat. A soft hum rumbled in their chest, mismatched gaze sliding over to their sister. Was she apprehensive? After all, she had children now. Which reminded them.. "I apologize for not coming to visit you and the children sooner, I have been... out of sorts as of late." They rumbled, brows pinched together for the barest moment. Contrite. "I promise to come visit soon and give you a break from the little monsters, free of charge." It was the best sort of offer they could give. Children were the future, and they were delightful when they were still small.

It was time to get back to business. They were very close to the scent markers, and it was time to cease the advance. Instead, skirting around the edges seemed the best plan. Nose to the ground, they sought out any useful scents. Almost instantly, the aroma of some prey could be found. Rabbits, in abundance. No doubt fat from feasting on the greenery that seemed to be overflowing here. By sight, there wasn't much to tell. This would be a stellar locale for an ambush. "Perhaps we should remain in each other's line of sight, just in case." Rough baritones would murmur over their shoulder, hoping Ana had not gone too far. "After all, we do not know much about this pack." There was an attempt at a jovial tone, there. Nothing too joking, for they were on a mission and seeming foolish wasn't in the cards for them today.

"speech"


I THINK THAT GOD IS GONNA HAVE TO KILL ME TWICE

The ivory woman had been more than a little surprised that she'd been chosen to go on a scouting mission. Considering she had children to take care of she hadn't exactly viewed herself as the best candidate to leave the pack, but she definitely wasn't going to complain. As much as she adored her three little leeches, she was tired of being cooped up within the Empire's two territories. She longed to return to her old lifestyle of traveling where and when she wanted. Of course, Pyralis' choice of traveling partner was rather entertaining. She didn't quite see Kaine as the best choice for a diplomatic mission, but she wasn't complaining. At least if things went sour he'd be good to have around. In the mean time she'd have fun trying to tame him a bit and keep his tongue on the sweeter side. They'd play nice at first if they ran into any of the mortals from this pack and if that didn't work - well they'd go from there. Luckily for her, Celestial was a little ways away from Auster which gave her time to enjoy the freedom and fully stretch her legs. A fog had rolled in after they'd reached the greener portions of the desert and Ana fully relished the protection from the sun. As fun as traveling was, she hated having to move during the day time. The rays of the sun bit into her sensitive skin so the reprieve was a nice change. One thing she knew for certain. She hated the fucking desert. "What do you think, Ana? The last of the mortal group had been a crowd of flighty little things, will this one be the same?" She mulled over Kaine's words for a moment before she glanced at him. "Considering this isn't a hostile takeover, I don't seem them running away like cowards. I think our best course of action is to play nice. I have a feeling we'll get more information that way, but I say we scout their borders a bit to see what we can learn before we talk to any of them." She shared her thoughts with him, taking a pause before adding, "If they show up to the borders that is. I do hope that this pack will be larger than the one we took over. It'll be sad if they're all as pitiful and dull as the last one." The conversation change and a soft chuckle escaped her as he offered to babysit the little munchkins. Now that was rich. She could picture the titan now - babysitting her two little girls and her boy. It was a wonderful idea though - one she would definitely hold him to now that he'd suggested it. "I think that's a grand idea. Maybe you can tutor them a bit as well. My son, Belial, I think you'd do well with him." Her boy was a little trouble maker - she could sense that about him. He had the desire to learn things, but his desire for slipping off and getting into trouble was just as great. "Just don't cause too much mischief together." She said with a wink. "At least not until he's gotten a bit older." She was grateful that Kaine was taking on a more reserved approach as they reached the borders of this pack. Already she could pick up on the lush scents of herbs and prey alike. It seemed as though this pack had an abundance of resources. Lots of rocks too apparently. She smirked to herself as she eyed the wall that stretched as far as her eyes would allow her to. Surely they didn't think that this would keep them out? "Well would you look at that." She laughed. "They've built themselves a wall. I can't say I've seen this before." She spoke to Kaine before taking another sniff. Hmm. It seemed as though they had far more wolves than the last pack. At least fifteen from their scents, though there were probably more. It was difficult to judge with all the scents mingling together. "What do you think, Kaine? Shall we announce our presence or sniff around a bit more and see if anyone notices us?" Walk, "Talk" Think

He had healed from the raid, but mentally he was beginning to push himself. His loss of fight meant he needed to train more so that the next time he would not loose, the next time he would be able to properly protect the pack. He was determined to get himself back in the game and force himself to train more and to train harder. The fight left him with a slight limp vary minor compared to other wounds he had seen and heard about. That being said he was even more determined to push himself. He had doubled his patrols and had gotten himself back into his morning and evening runs to keep up his stamina. The fight training had also been another step to getting himself back into the game. He did not want another repeat on the injuries of the raid, even though they had won there was a few members that suffered greatly from their fights one being his own uncle and his cousin Acapella also. He was worried about another attack and had been doubling his patrols and being sure that things remained quiet. Today he had taken a different approach to his normal routine. Instead of remaining inside pack boarders he took a an outside approach, making a spacious round outside of the pack and leaving plenty of room between himself and the wall to catch outsiders off guard. For the most part he saw absolutely nothing aside from spooking a few game animals. He was almost finished with his patrol when his ears caught the sounds of distant voices. It was roughly where he had started his patrol and his interest was defiantly perked.Quietly he continued on before falling into the fresh trail of the two strangers. They smelled like pack wolves and his ears flattened before quietly fallowing their trail until he was close enough to hear the female's last sentence. Immediately his muscles tensed to her words, eyes narrowing. Why wouldn't they alert the pack of their presence. What were they planning? Suspicion began to cloud his mind. "Don't bother I'll announce it for you," his tone was surprisingly neutral despite how he was feeling right now. He moved forward, closing a little more distance before throwing back his head and letting a deep chested howl bellow from him. Warning his pack mates of the presence of these two and more importantly calling his brother. before dropping his head and looking back to the two. He was not fearful how they may react and even if they may attack him, this was his home and he had no fear going against potential threats. "What brings you to Celestial borders?" he questioned looking between the two. "Talk" "You" Think

"OR you could just save yourself a lot of trouble and go away," Justice said coolly from her perch on top of the wall. She was a ways down the wall from the pair yet, but voices had drawn her attention as she had travelled along her patrol and she had hurried her gait to bring her closer. "We don't appreciate spies snooping around our borders."

Her dark fur was bristled in obvious threat, her expression fierce and serious, but inside she was dancing with elation. Something interesting was finally happening on her patrol. While they weren't trespassing - yet - they were clearly not up to any good, which made her, Justice, warrior, paladin of Celestial, defender of borders... currently the most important member of the pack they need concern themselves with.

She continued down the wall to stand above them, all four paws planted and braced on the rocks as she glared down at the pair. She scented a pack on them - not Talis, she noticed smugly. It seemed Dragon wasn't going to be coming back after all, after she had sent him off with his tail tucked and his eyes blinded. But they were from a pack, and skulking about having a sniff around Celestial instead of taking a more honest approach like a legitimate messenger. It was suspicious was what it was.

She did know one thing...

... she was going to be terribly disappointed of it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He’d been patrolling on the far side from his packmates and was nearing the passage by the time his brother’s call for both the pack and himself urged him to move more quickly. He’d judged that he would reach this passage at the same time as the other patrol, and he’d been just about right. Paladin had joined him on this round, with Sterling healing well, and the two wolves padded forward. As the Archangel and Cleric stepped from the mist, Regulus was already taking in the scene with a swift glance, taking in the two wolves that smelled of a pack he didn’t know. He took the foremost station, settling into a calm stance, aware that Aello and Artashir hung back in the mists, hidden as both cats hunkered low to the ground. His own posture was a clear signal of his status in the pack, with no need to shout it out to the world. He was a leader, and a fighter who had been well trained and was seasoned. “What brings you to the borders of Celestial?” Blunt, with no beating around the bushes, his tone said he wasn’t a wolf that should be trifled with.

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

The Cleric had been enjoying the patrol up until Laisren’s call for Regulus came. As he trotted along at his cousin’s side, he craned his neck, lifting his head a bit higher to peer over the shrouded layer of mist to catch a glimpse of who it was that had warranted the call. As Regulus took his place, Paladin moved to the opposite side of the passage from Justice, glancing up at his sibling with a slight grin before turning to gaze at the two wolves. Their scents said pack, and they also bore a resemblance, both in markings and in scent that said family. And from the woman, he could tell that she had had pups, either her own or from pup-sitting. From the postures in his sister and Laisren, he guessed that they had not been behaving in a fashion that pleased either wolf, and he shifted his weight slightly, settling covertly into a battle-ready stance. The howl from Laisren would no doubt attract more of the pack, so if this turned nasty, he was prepared to join in.

WHAT'S A KING TO A GOD Anamalech seemed amenable to their offer, pleased by it, even. "....My son, Belial, I think you'd do well with him." She added. The beast grinned. Oh goody, she even had one picked out for an adventure or two. "Just don't cause too much mischief together." Her smug wink was answered with a throaty chuckle, eyes squeezed shut by mirth. "At least not until he's gotten a bit older." Ah, good. Corrupting the young was their speciality, after all. Being barred from it wouldn't do. "I swear, I shall wait until he is at least a few months older before I ruin all of your hard work with my poor manners." They teasingly assured their sister, aiming to gently bump her left shoulder with their right. The conversation trickled off as their inspection of the area commenced. "Well would you look at that." Anamalech mused, drawing their attention a little further away. How had they not noticed that before? Wreathed in mist, there was undeniably a barrier erected against unwanted trespassers. "They've built themselves a wall. I can't say I've seen this before." The titan hummed thoughtfully, scrutinizing the structure. It was rather high, all things considered. Perhaps they had been aided by other creatures. Wolves weren't known for dexterity, not to this degree. The last time they had seen a wall around borders, it had been the efforts of a distant pack. Far to the east, who had been aided by primates from the trees. Fascinating group, really. "What do you think, Kaine? Shall we announce our presence or sniff around a bit more and see if anyone notices us?" Their reply was going to be smart, perhaps even witty. However, apparently speaking wasn't in the cards for them right now. A young male, roughly Anamalech's size, stepped forth from the mists beyond the wall. "Don't bother I'll announce it for you," Oh my, a brave little one. His sonorous call boomed forth from his throat, calling for everyone nearby. A tiny smirk dared etch itself upon their features, mismatched gaze flicking over to their sister. "What brings you to Celestial borders?" The young man asked, but not before yet another wolf appeared from the fog. They must be vast in numbers, if they had so many to spare for a few lonely scouts on their borders. She was dark furred, and young. While not as large as her male counterpart, she was a bulky thing. Angry, without a doubt. "OR you could just save yourself a lot of trouble and go away," She called, cantering along the wall. So it was sturdy enough to hold a well sized wolf. Looks were deceiving, then. The stones didn't seem to complain all that much under the assault of fast moving paws. "We don't appreciate spies snooping around our borders." not much tact, this one. What if they had been sent from neighbours, seeking diplomacy? Such bold attitude from her might have sent them off with a sour taste in their mouths. Those glittering lavender eyes, though, were enough of an apology. Looking at them, they decided they could forgive her demeanour. "What have we done to give the notion that we are spying, young miss? We are not hiding." The deity purred, with no malice in their rumbling vocals. It was true. Nothing of their caliber, or Ana's, found themselves hiding very often. Next came an immense creature, red as a rose. Just as prickly, too. The stoic, aloof demeanour was not welcoming in the least. Those brilliant blue eyes stood out, even cloaked with mist. Oh, now he was beautiful. Delicious. The way he stood, it was obvious this male was running the pack. Bigger even than themself, but not quite Amon's stature. “What brings you to the borders of Celestial?” He questioned, in a deep baritone. Ah yes, their purpose. Everyone seemed interested in that. There was another male at his side, with the same beautiful eyes as the girl. A rather pretty thing, as well. The godling could not spare much time to look upon him, though. The group was assembled before them, and looking rather miffed. Two toned eyes fixed upon the leader, a charming smile seeking to creep onto their mottled features. "Greetings," They announced, dipping their head politely. Diplomacy, that was the goal. No fighting, not today. "we stand before you as Kaine and Anamalech Abraxas, of the Risen Empire." The beast prayed this would go smoothly. "I have been sent as a scout, with my sister, to accumulate some information about our neighbours. We have taken up residence in Auster, and seek to familiarize ourselves with the packs of this continent. You see, we are not from the area, so we are unfamiliar with the groups and their histories." Was this too much information? No, they didn't believe so. It was the truth, and perhaps that would help in this situation. "By coming here, we hope to remedy that. Should you feel comfortable, we would very much appreciate if you might impart such knowledge upon us. We come here not as spies, hiding and stealing, but as cautious envoys of the Risen Emperor, Amon." Fallen God, that was a lot of words. It had been some time since they had spoken like that to anyone. Carefully choosing their words, daring not to step on any toes or anger anyone. It felt.. dirty. Their gaze flicked over the Anamalech, praying she would give them some sort of indication that they had not fucked it all up. Perhaps, even, she would speak as well. Assuage the fears of the mortals, as Pyralis had told them. speech WHAT'S A GOD TO A NON-BELIEVER

"Don't bother I'll announce it for you," Well that was fast. She mused silently to herself as a male approached them and then howled for his pack. Her blood pumped quicker at the excitement of the entire ordeal. This was so much more enjoyable than taking over that last pack. This one at least had an active border patrol and considerably more members. Maybe eventually taking them over would be a challenge. She was bored and restless and was itching for something that would get the adrenaline rushing though her veins again. Some times it was easy to forget that she was a mother. It was disappointing to remember that this was a diplomatic scouting mission. Boring. Putting on a charade for these mortals would at least find some entertainment. She could play the sweet little mother role for now out on a mission to see the neighbors. With any luck she'd have them fooled into thinking she and Kaine were relatively harmless. Now this boy was a flighty thing, wasn't he? Judging from the quick howl for backup and the way he dropped his head he was wary. Anamalech looked at Kaine for the briefest of moments before going so far as to flash the large white and black male a friendly smile before letting her hindquarters slide gracefully to the ground. There, maybe everyone could just calm down for a damn minute if she didn't appear threatening. She was just about to answer the boy when a female's voice cut in. She glanced up to the top of that silly little wall and studied the dark figure that loomed over them. My my, she was a touchy little thing, wasn't she? Why, if it were up to her, she would have taken that tongue for the disrespect that came from it, but today was not the day for such things. She would easily remember this girl though - maybe she'd come back for that tongue later. "Oh, but we can't go away." She said with the smile still along her face. "My superiors would be quite displeased with me if we left before accomplishing the tasks we were given." Another pair of wolves joined them, two males this time, but she barely gave the white and black male a glance before her gaze zeroed in on the hulking red figure. His size wasn't nearly as imposing as Amon's, but he was still quite large. That hadn't been what had caught her attention. It was the bright red of his pelt that was truly something to look at. He lacked any distinctive markings, but it wasn't every day you met a wolf as brightly colored as he was. It was a pity he lacked any variation to his pelt. Other than the red he was really quite boring. From the way he stood and the scents lined along their borders it was obvious he was the alpha. And he repeated the same boring question that the first male had already asked. An ear flicked to Kaine as he spoke first and she barely refrained from giving him a warning glare to behave. It seemed as though she didn't have to and she found herself pleased that her sibling could rein himself in enough to keep this a very civil conversation as he explained why they were there. She gave Kaine the faintest of smiles, showing she was pleased with his description, before she looked at the small group gathered before them. "Please do forgive us for the cloak and daggers entrance from before." She spoke softly, in the same sweet tone as before. "It was merely a test to see how long it would take for someone to notice us, if anyone did at all. Had no one did we would have left as our family would not want to affiliate with a pack that couldn't even keep an eye on its own borders. It wouldn't be good for any possible future relations, you see?" Not necessarily a lie, but it just meant that they would have been as boring as Dragoste had been. It would be no fun at all if all the mortal packs were so easily conquered after all. Walk, "Talk" Think

Soon a pack member was on scene, one from the Ancora linage. She had been one of the betters fighters at the time of the raid, something he wished he had been better at. Her words were sharp, straight to the point, more so then his own. Not much time passed before his brother and Paladin arrived. Regulus rightfully took over and Laisren felt he could relax a little. He was still prepared in case this turned out to be an unfriendly encounter. He let his eyes further examine the two strangers, the male first. He was a big male, close in size to Regulus. He was easily a fighter with the muscles that lined his form. Though the second wolf is what caught his eyes the most and it seemed she liked to focus on him to, probably because he had been the first one to show up. She was a beautiful creature, much like his older sister Baine, but the difference was the light brindle markings on her sides and on her face. She was much smaller then the male, in fact she was smaller then himself. His ears twitched as he stayed behind his older brother, listening to what all was said. He was curious why they were here and was still weary about them being here. He didn't want another raid to happen and more pack members to be harmed. "Talk" "You" Think

The young male had been rather far from the border when a howl went up. He was resting for once, curled up amongst a brightly coloured patch of herbs where the sun cut through the fog. It was peaceful, the scent of herbs light and refreshing. He lifted his head slowly as his eyes peeled open groggily. That wasn't Regulus that had called... who was it? Whoever it was, he knew it was a pack mate, and he wasn't about to lay around hoping someone else had heeded the call. Besides, Exodus was not one to miss out on any action. He'd been present for the last intruder, and he was going to be there for this one, too. He rose to his paws, stretching as he prepared himself for whatever lay ahead. Taking off at a steady lope, the Ancora male made his way toward the border.

When he arrived, stepping out of the mist toward the border wall, his brightly coloured eyes cast around at the wolves gathered. Laisren and two of his own siblings, as well as Regulus, were face to face with two unfamiliar wolves. However, the interaction did not appear hostile, although it looked tense. Exodus pressed forward, making his way to the Archangel's side opposite his brother Paladin.
There was a stern expression upon his face as he made his presence silently known, eyeing the unfamiliar wolves cautiously. He was not here to confront, as it appeared any such thing was already being taken care of, but he was here as back up should anything of the sort be required. He was not going to let his pack mates, his siblings in particular, take on a threat without him.

Justice bristled as the male purred some pap about not hiding, calling her 'young miss'. "Bullshit," she sniped back, her lip curling at the way he was addressing her. The pale female earned a narrow eyed look as well. She wasn't some little girl pup dressing up in flowers and ribbons, and she wouldn't be treated like one. "I'm a warrior of Celestial. You're on our borders, not yours - you'll address us respectfully." Not like children who needed to be patted on the head and sent away while the grown ups talked.

Laisren's call had quick results, both Paladin and Regulus appearing quickly, and the dark-coated warrior clamped her jaws on any further sharp words and listened to the short back and forth between Regulus and the strangers, wrinkling her muzzle in suspicion as they claimed to be envoys, sneaking around to make sure that Celestial was a strong enough pack to be worth associating themselves with. "Last time an 'envoy' was snooping around here their pack tried to raid us, so we blinded their alpha and sent them running with their tails between their legs," she spoke up boldly, arching her neck to stare down at them. "That pass your 'test'?"