Since life didn't seem to feel like delivering any amusement or purpose to her doorstep, Alis was beginning to think she ought to go out and hunt one or the other down herself. Staking out a spot in Auster and just focusing on herself had been enjoyable, therapeutic even, but it was time to go out and do things. The first of many potential ideas had, oddly enough, been to go investigate who all was in her immediate area. While she wasn't keen on sticking herself in among a bunch of pack wolves like some sad little sheep who wanted a new leader, it did feel reasonable enough to know who her neighbors were. If some conflict happened at her doorstep she didn't want it to surprise her.

Sitting a half-pace from the border, Alis yawned and studied it for a bit. Before she'd caught two pack scents trailing about through Auster, but now there was only one. Hey, fewer neighbors meant more lands were accessible, so she wasn't about to complain. In fact, Alis was vaguely curious. Tipping her head back, she howled for the alpha and then sat back to wait, red eyes still scanning the area for clues about the residents while she waited. They smelled like that drowned dwarf she'd found... interesting.

Aaliyah was still troubled over the meaning of Ashiel's vision, but she needed to do more within the pack, and as a result, she was found patrolling borders to occupy her mind. It proved to be more mindless than she thought, and her imagination began to flit back to the dream Ashiel and Malleus had shared with the pack. What could it mean? Were they in danger, or could they be saved? Maybe their God wasn't happy with their direction, but their father had left them to their own devices. What were they supposed to do? The move would be good for the pack though, perhaps it was a step in the right direction.

There was too much to think about and Aaliyah felt like her skull was splitting as she tried to think through the fog that had suddenly developed in her brain. A howl for their leader caught her attention, but she knew Malleus would be a bit busy still with answering questions and making sure his little ones were safe and tucked in. It was a welcome distraction, so Aaliyah took it upon herself to go and keep the newcomer company until Malleus could get to them.

When Aaliyah finally found the woman, she was on the other side of the border, and Aaliyah made it obvious that she was not the alpha but answering the call. "Well, you're certainly good at minding your manners. That will help when the alpha gets here," she smiled, though it was one that a goddess might give to a mortal child, even though the wolf was older than her. "Shouldn't take him too long, we were just wrapping something up, anything I can help with?" Aaliyah was not good at diplomacy, but she tried to keep the haughty out of her tone for the sake of the pack. It wouldn't do to have Malleus catch her in a fight on the border, especially not with a potential work horse before them.

The last several weeks had been hectic, but he was loving every moment of it. His children were growing by leaps and bounds; it felt as though they were hitting new milestones everyday. Knowing he might miss something important made every moment with them all the more precious and Malleus was determined to make the most of their childhood. Finding a balance between work and home was hard, but he was doing everything in his power to ensure both the pack and his kids thrived. After the meeting he'd stuck around to answer questions and to speak to packmates, and it was only after the howl had reached his ears that he excused himself from the gathering. By the time he reached the border his sister was already there and engaging the howler. It was unusual for mortals to approach Risen, so Malleus studied the stranger carefully as he approached in the hopes of sussing out her intent. The caller was a mortal woman whose size rivaled that of the average Abraxas. She'd chosen - wisely - to seat herself outside the border. Perhaps word of their exploits was beginning to coax strong mortals to their cause. He could hope, at any rate. "My name is Malleus Abraxas and I am the Emperor here. What brings you to the empire?"

Yawning dramatically, Alis awaited a response, and while she was tempted to sprawl out with her toes juuuust touching the border when the impatience reached it's highest she managed to refrain long enough for someone to make their way over. Crimson eyes shot to the side, studying the mottled and striped girl who approached her with a stance that definitely said she was not of high rank. Pity. The girl comments on Alis having the brains to stay on the other side of the border to with she snorted softly and offered up a clearly fake and toothy smile. "Oh, I wouldn't confuse common sense with manners. As much as I like to think I'm rather angelic..." she trailed off, letting the dry, sarcastic tone hang in the air a moment before offering her own, almost imperceptibly condescending smirk. "Just a social call, so I suppose it depends on if you feel like keeping up a chat with a silly loner?"

Of course, Alis immediately tuned out anything the brown girl might be saying when she spotted the new arrival. Just as he took a moment to study her like any sensible wolf ought to study a new face, Alis would eye the man with her own curiosity. He was tall, not unlike herself and her kin. As was the brown girl. He smelled like the girl, so, relatives? Siblings? Hmm. His posture bespoke his position before his words did - Emperor, oooh, so fancy, so important - and Alis would answer his question promptly, "Curiosity, I suppose. I was spending time nearby and, well, it's always good to know your neighbors. I'm Alis." It was a small movement but a keen eye might notice her shift one of her forelegs closer to her body when Malleus got close. A slight hint of body language expressing the discomfort she sought to hide lest she appear weak or fearful.

The younger wolf found herself smirking at the other's sarcastic tone, "Some find it hard to come by either way." Aaliyah tried not to judge the newcomer too harshly, perhaps she wasn't meaning to come off as abrasive. The young woman knew better than to start problems where they weren't needed, though and she let go of the bristling feeling in leu of feigned patience. "I could chat, I'm not doing anything at the moment." A more genuine and welcoming smile lit the darkly hued girl's face just as one of her ears twitched back to hear her brother approach. Nodding her head in greeting Aaliyah moved a bit to position herself behind Malleus. She said nothing, only listened and watched the stranger with a close eye, just in case the woman lost her sense. It was doubtful that this mortal would be so stupid, but one could never be too careful in dealing with the wolves around here. Aaliyah hid the smirk as the woman shifted just the barest hint to a guarded position that showed Malleus's presence made her just a tad uncomfortable. It was good that the woman was smart enough to feel some measure of trepidation when dealing with the likes of the Abraxas, the ones who didn't often found themselves on the short end of the stick. "Speech" Walk. "You." 'Think.'

Simple curiosity was what had brought her to his borders? Malleus resisted the urge to frown. He'd been hoping for more than that. Perhaps word of their exploits, a curiosity about their reputation. Neighborly curiosity was kind of mundane. "Curiosity, you say? Well, I hope we exceed your expectations, Alis." Malleus sat down across the border from Alis and studied her face again as he tried to suss out her true intentions. Even though it may have been her only intention, he wasn't satisfied with simple curiosity. It simply wasn't a satisfying answer and it left him wondering if she had ulterior motives. In all likelihood his suspicions were misplaced, but believing that changed nothing for him. He'd rather be wrong in this instance than duped. It was that simple. "So tell me," he ventured. "What can we do to satisfy this curiosity of yours?"