Aurielle Adravendi

With the rise of Spring, and the further thawing of snow, Aurielle made the trek northward, glad not to be beset by a blizzard this time. As she reached the edge of the Redwoods, and the Border of Fýri. For several minutes, she merely stood, taking in the scents and regaining her energy, before she tipped her muzzle skyward and sang for Ignatius, tone friendly. Sitting back, she waited patiently, eyes scanning the trees that always stood to take the breath away with their gargantuan size and peaceful presence. There was always something about this place that… well, settled the mind and centered one’s self, and for a moment, she merely let her mind go blank and drank it all in. But, eventually – in a minute, or maybe an hour, she wasn’t quite sure – she heard the tread of paws and opened her eyes to take in whomever had arrived. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Song was becoming more familiar with the land he now called home. He enjoyed the serenity of the giant trees that guarded the pack lands, their ancient presence a comfort to him. His large alabaster form traveled through the forest like a spectre, his paws making minimal noise as they touched down on the needle bed beneath him. He had recovered from his encounter with the enraged moose, though his pride still stung.

He didn’t have a very high rank, and though he hadn’t been specifically told to Song took to patrolling the borders. The activity gave him a goal and he was sure it wouldn’t be frowned upon. As he padded across the forest floor his ears would prick with the sound of a familiar voice. It had been a season or two since he’d seen the woman, but he couldn’t mistake her lyrics.

She called for his alpha, but Song decided to be a bit nosey and shifted his direction to seek her out. He approached curiously, a smile playing at his features as she came in to sight at the border. The Destruction didn’t hesitate to approach. ”Well, hello Aurielle.” He greeted her in friendly tones as he stop to stand before her and wait for the one she’d originally called.

Aurielle Adravendi

A large form stepped into sight, but it wasn’t the glowing blaze of glory that was Ignatius. Instead, she gave a pleasant smile of surprise as none other than Song Destruction greeted her at the border. Clearly, he’d found a home to settle in. “Hello, Song. It’s good to see you well. I see you chose to live in Fyri?” Her smile was easy as she nodded to the fact that he stood unaccosted on the inside of the pack border and seemed quite at home there. Her tail gave a gentle tap against the ground as her head cocked, looking the tall male over with that same keen attention to detail she’d displayed in the cave, before she asked, “How have you been since our encounter? Any interesting travels between then and now?” Why not make conversation while she waited for Ignatius? After all, his pack would be involved in her Festival plans if the molten male decided to join in the fun. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He'd been busy to say the least, traveling more of Boreas when he could now that the winter was well past and the north was working on thawing out some. It was still cold as hell sometimes, but he loved it here anyway. Especially now that Kirsi was here. The thought made him unconsciously smile to himself, slowing his pace to a halt as he reminisced in memories of the day that he'd brought her here. How he'd lived a day apart from her he couldn't fathom.

Once a familiar call brought him back to reality Ignatius was quick to alter course and race to answer it. The shimmering alpha of Celestial awaited at the border, already speaking with Song. Slowing to a trot and then a walk as he neared, Ig beamed at the pair as he called out cheerily, "Aurielle, how have you fared since we last met?" And to song he'd dip his head slightly in acknowledgement.

She returned his gentle smile and polite greeting as he came to a halt in front of her. She stated her easy observation about his chosen home and he nodded affirmatively. ”I feel at home here in the north.” He offered her a peek at his reasoning. He barely thought about the southern lands, especially on days like this.

Song reclined back onto his haunches, obviously comfortable in her presence, as she asked of him since they last met. ”Just recently I tangoed with a moose cow.” He pulled his head up and put on a show of bravery, but deflated just as quickly as he used his nose to point at his ribs. ”Still have the bruises to prove it.” He returned his icy blue gaze back to her shimmering features, if his pride was going to hurt he may as well laugh at himself. That’d teach him to ever let his guard down.

Their conversation wouldn’t last long, not that Song expected it to. While busy, Ignatius was punctual. The fiery alpha gave Song a quick nod in greeting, and the Destruction returned the gesture. He wasn’t sent away, so allowed himself to observe the interaction between alphas. He tried to hide his inquisitive enthusiasm as Ignatius asked Aurielle exactly what Song had sought to ask next.

Aurielle Adravendi

A warm smile settled on her features as Song confirmed her observation, nodding contentedly. While the part of her that was Spirit to her pack was a little disappointed at missing out on a good member, that other part was pleased – greatly so – to know that the large male had found a place that made him happy. A grin quirked over her lips as he described his encountering a moose, and the proud little display brought a laugh, particularly when he added that he still bore the bruises. “I take it she stepped on your feet instead of dancing gracefully?” She teased, eyes twinkling with amusement and jest. It was then that her ears perked at the sound of a fresh set of paws arriving. Ignatius appeared around a Redwood and she grinned at the male, pleased to see that he seemed to have grown cheerful since their last meeting. “I’ve been well enough. It’s been a long winter…” she greeted easily, nodding to Song to indicate that she would be happy for him to join in on the conversation if he liked. Returning her eyes to Ignatius, she added, much less cheerfully, “I am afraid, though, that we lost my second. She will be deeply missed. However, I’ve made a lot of changes to my pack, from name to ranks, and so on. I am now the Spirit of Valhalla. As well, I wanted to check in with my fellow alphas, because I’m planning an event in Mid-Summer. A festival.” She flicked a grinning glance to Song as she added, “I’m hoping Fyri will be among the packs invited to attend.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"Indeed it has been," he agreed, thinking back to the many storms they'd weathered and the wolves he'd met wandering the north. All things considered, he was simply pleased that his pack had come out the other side no worse for wear. It seemed though that Celestial had not been so fortunate.

With a respectful bow of his head Ignatius would reply, "I'm very sorry to hear of your loss." Straightening, he listened as she went on to introduce her pack's new name. Valhalla. It had a distinctly northern sound to his ears, one he wasn't certain Song would recognize, but Drifa might have if she were present. After a moment considering her next words and a quick glance to the warrior beside him, Ignatius nodded his assent.

"We would be glad to attend Valhalla's festival. I was actually planning a summer festival of sorts myself, though I'm not certain that the project I'm undertaking for it will be finished in time... If it is then I'd like to extend a similar invitation."

A brief pause, a furrowing of his brows being the only signal that he'd become lost in thought for the briefest of moments. At first he had been unsure whether or not to ask, but further consideration led him to offer the query anyway. "I do have some more pressing issues I'd like to discuss though. Fyri hasn't been here long, and I've only been in these lands a season or two longer. There's still much I'm not aware of, and I was hoping that you could enlighten me some about the nature of some of my other neighbors. I've already met the alphas of Lirim and Abaven, but I'm very much in the dark about the others out there. Perhaps you could shed some light for me, Aurielle?" Normally he wouldn't be too keen to let anyone know what information he had or lacked, but the young woman had been keen to visit his borders more than once and expressed a great deal of interest in maintaining a healthy alliance between their packs. She appeared trustworthy, and nothing could develop between the two packs if trust wasn't given anyway. Of course, he'd still be making his own personal visits to others borders, in due time.

Song smiled good naturedly and nodded in affirmation as Aurielle teased him about his dancing partner. As she said it though he became thankful the cow hadn't stepped on his toes. He was rather unscathed considering. Ignatius appeared and the conversation shifted as Aurielle lost her amused smile and spoke of losing her second in command.

His ears fell to his skull as he offered her a sympathetic glance and an encouraging wag of his tail. She didnt let her grief get in the way, and she swiftly changed the subject. Aurielle was going to hold an inter-pack festival that encouraged Fyri to join. He felt his own lips pull back in an eager grin at her words. He already told her of his interest in the bear hunt, this would also prove to be a challenge he looked forward to.

He hadn't expected Ignatius to echo a similar plan. Not that Song was complaining, it sounded like the summer would prove to be full of activity. Song remained mostly silent, though he was obviously engrossed in the conversation.

Aurielle Adravendi

The shimmering white Spirit smiled slightly as she caught Song’s expressions as she mentioned the festival plans, and her tail tapped the ground as Ignatius professed his acceptance of participating. She hoped this meant she’d see more of his pack and get to know those of Fyri, and that the two packs might be able to intermingle and befriend one another. Her eyes sparked with interest as the fire-made male spoke of his own plans for a summer festival, and she nodded, a smile breaking over her features. “I’d definitely love to participate. Might I ask what the project you're working on is or is it a surprise?” A grin was on her features as she asked the last. As Ignatius’ features became thoughtful, Aurielle waited patiently, interested to see what had brought the male to such a pensive moment, and she listened intently as he spoke his next piece. She paused for several minutes as she considered his question and what she knew, both from Gwen and her Father, as well as her own interactions. Ignatius hadn’t mentioned Branch’s pack, Kesali. Had the large male made it to Fyri? After a moment, she spoke, including Song in the conversation with a tip of her ear toward him. "I can add a little about Lirim that you might not have known yet—they are my pack’s sister pack. My Aunt Faite founded it during my father’s reign, not long after my grandmother’s passing and a challenge for Celestial. Torin is my cousin.” She smiled briefly before she thought and went on. “There is a pack in Auster called The Risen Empire. They are a family called the Abraxas. These wolves believe that they are gods, or at the very least, godlings. We are, to them, mortals, and the general gist that I’ve gathered from what we’ve heard of them is that they wish to conquer such packs as those led by ‘mortals’. They’ve encountered our border before, back when Father was alpha and I was either not yet born or still very tiny. He said they were skulking about instead of calling for an alpha, only members of our pack were already on guard and called for reinforcements.” She paused, running through what she knew further, then, “This family has, in the past, challenged for packs. The latest that I’m aware of was Talis, which they won.” She paused, tipping her nose southward. “I was visited by a Branch Wreckage a while back. He leads a pack called Kesali. He stated that they are fully neutral, a pack of traders. He seems a good enough male, but I hope that this peaceful nature doesn’t become viewed as a potential weakness to be exploited by the darker packs.” Her head cocked slightly as she pondered further, then she added, “And in the south, I encountered two other pack territories, however, I was on my way home from visiting with Shaye to reaffirm our own alliance, and I needed to return home. So, I didn’t stop. Nor has any alpha from either of them come to my border to speak with a leader.” She fell silent, a shrug lifting one shoulder as she gazed to the two males. “I’m afraid that’s all I know, thus far.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think