"A fire burns strong here." Shiva stalked forward, whiskers twitching as she tasted the air. The sky was dark, the air around them thick with smoke. At the top of the mountain, the smoke rose into the sky. The trio had never been here, but while they were in the east they decided to visit the one place that smelled strongly of fire and earth and ash. The blind king strode forward, following the steps of his companions. His mother had told him stories of the fire that rained down on the earth that drove her own father from his homeland. From a place before ardent. It sounded terrifying, and he wondered when this mountain had last erupted. "Let's go to the top." The odd trio made their way up the mountain, the scent of fire and ash growing stronger. Once at the top, he could sense the power that slept in the mountain. He could feel the power that dwelled within. Would this place erupt while he was here? Maybe. Maybe not. He toed the edge of the volcano, listening. Feeling the world around him. This was a dangerous place. But he had let go of any and all fears he once held. How many had fallen into the pits here? Fire was a dangerous thing, he knew. He had yet to experience it himself, but he never would underestimate its power. "Dragon"||Kimahri||Shiva

Light ash dusted the strands of his mantle, though he was seemingly a being already born of smoke- so it's presence was something personal. What others couldn't see, he could feel.. kissing the back of his shoulders and making him feel at home. Large talons gripped the brimstone beneath him as he embraced the feeling of it crumble and his talons scrape, being filed against it's hardened surface while he made his ascension up the heated slopes of the mountain.

He was a chaotic being, though he did not measure up at all to the chaos brewing beneath his very toes. Without notice, the fire could rain down upon them and take with it decades of life that had been growing around it. That sort of chaotic power is what drew the demon upward, he wanted to look into the scornful eye of Hell. It was not too long ago that he nearly threw himself in, that he nearly let himself fall and gave up entirely on his duties here. He nearly let himself willingly endure an eternity of torment, all for the sake of.. what was it.. mercy? Guilt? The hopelessness he felt when he awoke to find others dead? He nearly gave up, and here he was.. three years after his last.. incident with no known new victims.

He was stronger than he thought, wasn't he? Though sulfur was a thick, burning scent that made it near impossible to detect others in the area- the scent left behind on the trail of a group of three broke him of his memories. His nostrils flared as his thick neck craned downward, taking in the details of who had passed here. A cat? Maybe two, and another man. His ears flicked forward, attentive as his red gaze narrowed. He looked upward, to the peak of the mountain just twenty feet away from him now. His long limbs reached for the slopes that the lava had dried in the sturdiest, and he would grab and pull himself up with a newfound sense of need. Who was this that had visited the lands he was so quickly becoming attached to, and what did they seek of the demons that dwelled here? Were they aware of the tainted ground they were treading upon? These were things Elias had to discover.

Elias wasn't one to fight fate, and as he reached the peak and his eyes fell upon the massive cats in the wolf's company, he slowed his movements to a full stop. His face was cold and expressionless, but his being tall and radiating one of purpose. His ears remained forward facing like the horns of a minotaur, and his eyes ever watchful like those of a lurking predator. He assessed the cats, his skin rippling over his shoulders as he fought his hackles on their desire to prickle upward. Cats were fast and evasive, and therefore something he loathed to hunt. He saw them as capable hunters, and that is how he looked at the two that were before him now- like unpredictable hunters. His eyes flashed to the wolf, immediately noticing his scarred eyes and lack of life at the center of his visage. His father had been a man with one eye, and something he told him about it rang in his ears as he looked at this stranger. 'You cannot see my eye, but it is not gone. It is with them, on the other side.. and yes, it still sees.'

"I didn't expect to find anyone up here, not many are willing to dance with fire." His voice crawled out of his mouth nearly at a low whisper, only meant to reach those that stood before him just eight feet away. "Do you know this mountain?" Or rather, his true question.. did it hold any significance to him? If this was to be Elias' next conquest, these were things he was thirsting to know.

The heat from whatever lied within the crater rose to meet him, and although the warmth felt nice against his skin, it was getting a little too warm. He backed up a couple steps, sightless gaze focused over the mountains center. He wondered how something like this came to exist. How the molten depths never burned through the mountain side. Didn't fire eat everything? Yet here it stayed. Contained. Maybe waiting for the day that it could unleash itself upon the world. He knew nothing of lava or volcanoes, and if he did, then he didn't want to be anywhere near one when they did what they were best at.

Through the quieter sounds of the volcano, the earthen male heard foot steps approaching. Unwilling to be a potential target to be pushed into this burning hole, he quickly turned around while both companions stood on either side and just in front of him. He was glad he had such dependable and protective companions. Sometimes they were irritatingly protective, but he still appreciated it. The stranger would speak, and Dragon slowly shook his head. "No, it's my first time here." He replied. He tried to smell the air, to see if the man belonged to a pack or something of the sort, but the strong smell of ash and earth and fire dulled his sense of smell. Oh well...

Elias watched as the cats moved to protect the wolf in their company, it was clear to him that they held some sort of bond. He never knew cats to be pack animals or to have the heart to run with wolves, to trust them, but something clearly connected these three. He admired how they stood at his side, ready to fight for him if they needed to.

His eyes lingered on them for a moment before drifting up to the empty gaze of the blind man in front of him. It was only slightly awkward, having been raised by a man with one eye and having already encountered other blind wolves- he felt like it was necessary to show them respect in the same way he would anyone else, despite whether or not they could see his intentions. They had eyes, just not of this world.. and those eyes would see his heart, he was confident.

He lifted his chin as the stranger answered, admitting that he was a newcomer, as well. He glanced to the felines to see if they had anything to say about the mountain, but they had both fell quiet- he assumed they didn't want to talk to him, not yet. "I have been visiting this mountain for some time, can you feel the power here? I can't stay away from it." He smirked briefly, his eyes drifting over to the lining of the burning core. The lava didn't rise high enough to quite see right now, but the warmth in the air and the sound from below was enough to feel its presence and know it was there. "My name is Elias Praetor, and soon... I will claim these mountains in the name of my family. Especially.. this one." He had so many plans for this mountain already. He could feel it's rumble beneath his paws like the growling of a hungry god's stomach, and he had a strong desire to feed it. In due time, he would. For now, the cats staring him down were safe.

"And you three?"

Ears twitched slightly as the male mentioned visiting the mountain quite often. Dragon's head turned towards the crater behind him, feeling the warmth against his face once again. "Yes, I can feel it. I've no doubt that this mountain has the power to destroy if it truly wanted to," Of that he truly had no doubt. Returning his sightless gaze towards the male, learning his name and even the male's intentions. So it seemed this...Elias wanted to claim these lands as an alpha. Admirable, really. Dragon didn't think he'd ever have the guts to live so close to a mountain like this. He had heard stories from his mother, how his grandfather had been driven from their old home because a mountain like this had covered the lands with fire and ash. Destroying everything in its wake, and even claiming lives. He felt himself shudder at the thought of ever being killed by fire. Would it be quick? Or would it be slow and painful? He didn't know. "My name is Dragon Ancora, and this is Kimahri and Shiva." He felt his companions tense beside him, knew they hated how he sometimes just freely gave away their names. But he also knew they had nothing to fear. Especially when they were in the company of one stranger. "I must admit, it's very bold of you to want to claim a place such as this. I was an alpha once...I don't think I'd ever have the courage to live near this mountain. I've heard stories of what it could do...you're not afraid?" Even if he was, he doubted that Elias would tell him. But Dragon had no shame in admitting his fears. Especially around this place. "Dragon"||Kimahri||Shiva

As Dragon admitted that he was once an alpha, Elias' eyes widened a bit while those lighter color 'brow dots rose considerably. He was looking at the man a bit differently with that information, admittedly. How would a blind man lead a whole community that he could not see? He must be incredibly intuitive, or.. maybe he had his eyes back then.

Elias tried his best to focus on what he was saying, his attention drifting to the feeling of the warmth coming from the crater within. He admired this volcano from a distance, usually... the last time he'd ever been this close to a volcano being only when the thoughts of throwing himself in seemed like the last viable option he had left. A chilled feeling came over him, his skin prickling as blood rushed beneath it and caused his fur to stand on end.

Staring inside that crater burned into his very soul, he would not look directly into those flames again. He recalled the image of both his mother and father leaving this world through those fires during each of their funerals. The eerie memory was something he looked back in with both horror and an immense sense of honor. He would be lucky to have such a funeral, to be called home to Ruina through fire itself, but it was a gruesome thought to think he almost gave himself his own funeral not long ago.

To Dragon's question, he lifted his head.. quite obviously caught out of place. He wasn't paying attention, though it was not because he meant to be rude.. just.. his thoughts were incredibly hard to harness most of the time. Was he afraid? He assumed of the mountain, and for a moment Elias stared at the glow surrounding the lining of that crater. He could not see what was within, but he knew.. it burned even the sky here, the reflection of the power within dancing like fire across the clouds above.

"No," He smirked as he thought of the fallen wolves of Ruina. He hoped they could see him, standing there on this mountain making his promise to them. He felt incredibly inspired when he thought of the future.. of what he could accomplish and bring back. He had blood out there now, he had.. Zuriel. He had his brother back. Things were finally falling into place.

"This mountain's fire is in my blood." He couldn't be afraid of what he was born of, could he? This was his calling, and so long as he served his demons the way he meant to... the mountain would have no reason to be angry with him. He was certain.