Well, that was a surprise... It seemed packs changed up so quickly around here now he could hardly keep up. The pack he found himself at the border at was not one he could ever really say he was familiar with. Their scent wasn't one he could say he knew, though it nudged at his memory whatever or whenever the last time was that he'd been exposed to it was a long while ago and it hadn't been pertinent enough to keep on top of; at least at the time. Well, he was here now, might as well get to know the neighbors, wish as he might that he could say he knew them at all prior. He could only hope they'd be as in the dark about him as he was of them, then at least they'd be on an even playing field. Torin tipped his head back to call for an alpha, his gaze scanning the horizon as he waited. Talk Think

Eligos hadn't been expecting visitors so soon after establishing their claim on these lands, but he wasn't displeased by it. After all, if he had been trying to hide he wpuld have kept the pack in Auster, rather than moving up among the rest of the packs. So when he heard the call he was quick to put aside the work he was doing tidying the cave he had chosen - small, since it was just for him and the malinois puppies, but if the occasion came that he were to welcome a mate and pups as an Abraxas should plan for to carry on the bloodline there were many larger caves that would be suitable to move into.

The pups trotted along at his heels as he moved out of the canyon and towards the lake territory border, currently somewhat cowed as they had shredded one of his sleeping furs and gotten a severe setdown for it, as it had been a particularly nice jaguar fir that would be much harder to replace in the north.

Waiting there was an older male, smaller and pale with odd two-toned eyes. Eligos studied him as he strode towards the border, and some yards away he gave the pups a curt "stay" - which dropped them obediently though they wriggled with clear impatience - and continued on alone. He stopped on his side of the border, inclining his head infinitesimally. "Greetings," he rumbled in his quiet, slow way. "What brings you to Aerie?"

A young man tailed by some pups was not exactly the first thing he expected, but his surprise didn't even register along his face, instead, he took the time to observe the other male. A bit bigger than himself and striking with his crimson in such a dark face. The young man named his pack and Torin tucked it away in his mind. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before he spoke. "I'll be honest I have no real plans, I did not plan to stumble upon your pack while out and yet here I am." He said plainly, deep voice not betraying any real emotion. "However I figured as a neighbor it couldn't hurt to introduce myself. I am Torin Valentine, I am the leader of Lirim." He wouldn't offer more information than that, deciding to simply wait for the other young man to introduce himself. Talk Think

The older male didn't seem to immediately know what to make of Eligos, but Eligos waited politely while he collected his thoughts and began to speak. He'd had very little time to work with the pups and knew that their 'stay' had a definite half life, so he didn't want to draw this out too long and have them break the 'stay' without a command but he also didn't want to risk a missed diplomatic opportunity. "We only recently arrived in these lands, so that is quite understandable," he told the other male - another alpha, it seemed, so it certainly was a diplomatic opportunity, though he did not recognize either the alpha's name nor his pack. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Torin Valentine. I am pleased you chose to stop for a visit when you found our boundaries." He inclined his head in a more respectful nod of greeting, since in the other alpha's eyes they were equals. "My name is Eligos Abraxas. I am Tiercel of Aerie." Turning his head towards the two pups, who looks about ready to explode with the need to get up, he barked out, "Kida, Cypher, go find a stick," and the two dog pups did explode out of their down-stay with gleeful ecstasy, racing off back into pack lands to find a good stick. "Speak" "Listen" Think

The young man confirmed they were newly transplanted to these lands, though the way he said that implied the pack was at least somewhat established before this point. That kept Torin's mind spinning. For a short moment, he was buoyed by the possibility of a diplomatic relationship in the making... but that was quickly dashed as the man spoke his name. Torin's lips twitched slightly but he otherwise kept the sudden flair of emotion from his face. He remained quiet for a moment as he watched the two pups run off at the command of the alpha and Torin was slowly trying to figure out the words he had to say. "Your family's reputation precedes you." He said, some obvious strain in his voice. "I will try not to hold it against you but I hope you can understand my hesitation... My family has suffered greatly under the actions of your own." He wouldn't say anything about the further knowledge he had of the torture Pegasus' father claimed at the Abraxas' paws, but he couldn't help the way the name rankled now. Seth hadn't ever done anything to harm them while he'd lived within their borders but he hadn't done much to abate the hesitation Torin had felt about him either... he'd done rather little. And as it stood he couldn't bring himself to forgive the man that had hurt his sister and by proxy her children. But this man was not his sister's assailant. He wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt... but he couldn't help his own hesitation. Talk Think

Eligos had turned his head away just long enough to send the pups racing off for a stick, so he missed the initial reaction Torin had to his surname. There was no missing the sudden tension in the air when his gaze returned to the other alpha, though. It would have been impossible to not note the strain in his voice when he spoke. Eligos returned his gaze levelly, merely raising his eyebrows in an expression of polite inquiry that was somewhat marred by the cool neutrality of the rest of his expression. He could already see that he was going to tire quickly of the supposed misdeeds of distant relations who had thought to use Boreas as their own personal playgrounds. "Is that so?" he asked softly, but with a note a steel beneath it. "In what way has your family suffered under mine? Until today, I had heard of neither your name, nor your pack, so I admit that I am unaware of any such connection. Perhaps you could enlighten me."

Torin would never admit it but he was impressed by the lack of response from Eligos with the obvious tension now hanging in the air. He had the distinct impression this wasn't the first time he'd been faced with the negative connotations his family name seemed to carry. Though when he spoke he could hear the edge, despite the softness of the young alpha's voice. Torin had to bite back his irritation, though he supposed that it was possible the Abraxas name was as sprawling as the Adravendi name had once been. Torin sighed and began to speak, being careful to keep his voice from wavering or from keeping the pain behind his words from showing on his face. "I never got his first name but my sister found herself on the receiving end of an attack by a man bearing the Abraxas name, the kind that resulted in a pregnancy." He could feel the anger rising in his throat and he took a moment to push it back down, to not take it out on this young man who didn't even know the crime his family had committed. "She couldn't handle it, it destroyed her, it killed her." It was true enough, he had no desire to indicate that she'd been forced to give birth to the man's children, that some of them were alive and living under the shadow of their rapist father and that the circumstances of their birth having driven their mother to waste away. He didn't want his niece and nephews, wherever those boys were, to be known to this man. They didn't belong to their father's family, they'd never belong to them. Talk Think

Torin sought to speak delicately on the subject, but as he finished speaking Eligos leveled a look as flat as his tone as he cut through to the meat of it. "She was raped," he stated without inflection. He saw no reason to sugar coat it when they were both aware of what he'd meant. "And you believe that an Abraxas perpetrated the crime. You have evidence of this wolf being an Abraxas? You say that you do not know his given name, yet you claim that he carried my family's surname. I am sorry, Torin" He shook his head, slowly. "I am sorry for you, that you lost your sister. I know how it feels to lose family to the violent actions of others, and you have my sympathies for you and yours. But unless you have compelling evidence I do not believe this charge is justly laid upon my family's name, and I won't allow my family to be slandered. Perhaps you might prefer to return at a time when you have come to terms with your emotional reaction to my name?" he suggested politely, giving the other male the opportunity to avoid continuing the conversation, though despite the neutrality of his expression Eligos did want to dig down into the truth of the matter. He would not tolerate a jackal within the family, sullying their name, and if there was truth to the accusation he would find it, in time. But he trusted himself and his pack to investigate and judge the matter properly, not this stranger. "Aerie will be holding a trade festival at the turn of the season. There will be a strict peace agreement for all attendees, of course. Perhaps we could arrange to meet again at that time, when you may feel more comfortable."

Eligos didn't mince words, so neither would Torin. He stated the fate of his sister plainly and Torin returned a single word, his tone still hard: "Yes." His feelings would flair then and a twitch of his lips was the only indication of the anger that bubbled inside him as he listened to the words the younger alpha spoke. "Forgive her for not getting his given name out of the ordeal. My sister was certain, he dropped his family name, claimed he was a brown and white man with orange and blue eyes. Claimed she bit his face. When one of yours came to my pack seeking refuge she claimed he carried the same family scent." Of all the things Jewell had suffered from, this was the one thing Torin was certain she hadn't imagined. Still, he'd stepped in to mediate then, and he took a breath to calm himself. He'd not blame this man for the sins of his family, but that didn't mean he had to be happy he was being so damn condescending. He nodded curtly to the invitation. "I hope we can meet under those, better, conditions." He said, his tone short but less hostility. He gave a respectful dip of his head and started to head out, to return to Lirim and think on what had passed. -Exit Torin unless stopped- Talk Think