Aurielle Adravendi

She sat quietly by the oasis, glowing white form a drop of moonlight in the dark, desert night. It was a new moon, and the stars were out in force in the sky. The sands of the desert surrounding the oasis was still warm from the sun, but the air was chill. One paw trailed in the water. Her children were growing swiftly. Ardyn was already nearly as tall as she was. He was going to be huge, bigger than his father, or her father, even. The children would be half a year by the time she turned five, right around the corner, and more intensive training would begin. Still the basics, of course, but more than just the little puppy lessons. She rose and slid into the pool, sighing. It was a night off for her. The pups were asleep at home, with Red to ensure they didn’t wander. She could relax for a few hours before heading home. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Every now and then, a sudden realization dawned upon Mikko that he was healthy and mobile again, and sometimes that realization came in the midst of a walk. This was what happened tonight as the brute decided to stretch his legs and go snooping around his new home. These days, his body was as used to hurting as it was used to not hurting, to a point where sometimes it couldn't seem to decide exactly what it was feeling in any given moment. When he anticipated pain, he felt nothing, and when he thought he was safe to move freely, a recently-healed wound flared with pain as if to beg him not to do anything reckless.

This time around, it was a little bit of both. A hip locking up mid-step, a scar stinging as it was forced to stretch farther than it wanted. His otherwise smooth stride occasionally faltered because of this, but the pain would disappear as soon as it made itself known, ultimately leading him to continue his stroll until he happened upon what appeared to be a safe place to stop...unless....

Was that a glowing wolf?

He swallowed a dry laugh that would've otherwise cut through the silence. What, was he going mad, now with his newfound freedom? Had he grown too used to conjuring his own distractions during his time in Shiba's intensive care?

No. No, he waited for the figure to change before his eyes, but she neither shimmered out of sight nor morphed into something different. She was no apparition but a very strange, very real find indeed. A wary lash of tongue over nose before he crept forward, settling for the possibility of company over the idea of returning to his den just yet.

For now, at least, the one-eyed beast approached silently, placing himself a clear distance away from the stranger before sinking down to the warm sand and resting his gaze upon the water.

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table by Lowin art by kara

[So sorry for the delay lol]

Aurielle Adravendi

Movement in the night sent her head turning enough to study the man, gradated sapphire to sky blue eyes taking him in with a nod. He didn’t encroach on her space, keeping his distance, though his demeanor didn’t suggest that he was annoyed at her presence. After a few moments, she greeted simply, “Tidings, stranger. How goes the night?” Her voice was low, not needing to rise to carry. It lilted with an accent, relaxed and unworried by his appearance, or his arrival. She glanced to the shadows surrounding the oasis. No doubt Loshir was silently annoyed that his Charge was in the company of another stranger, but there was clearly no ambush in place, and the man was keeping his distance, so the ink black mountain lion kept to the shadows, out of sight, though likely ready to pounce at the moment he was needed. The spirit stretched her toes apart and flexed them through the silty bottom of the pool. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It wasn't long before the femme swirled around in the water to face him, tendrils of shimmering white sending a dull glow through the pool. A blink, and his ear swiveled toward her, tugging his skull in the same direction until he too gazed more directly upon her. It was almost humorous, how pristine she was even compared to how he perceived himself to look, but he wasn't entirely unaccustomed to such dualities these days. Mikko seemed to be constantly surrounded by grace, smoothness and simplicity, all of which contrasted starkly with his roughed-up form. Whether it was reality or meant to be some joke played by the gods, he wasn't sure, but if it was, it didn't hurt him...much...anymore.

"Quiet," he replied, stiffly, awkwardly, but also with a whisper of gratitude for the fact. And you can tell your friend that I intend for it to stay that way. He'd yet to lay eyes on the cat, but he could smell its distinct scent and practically feel its eyes on him. No doubt it was nearby. "Hope I'm not interrupting yours?"

Clearly not--at least, not yet--but he was better off checking with his company these days to make sure he wasn't treading on unstable ground.

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table by Lowin art by kara

Aurielle Adravendi

She offered a smile in agreement to his answer. It was quiet, indeed, a pleasant night. To his next words, she chuckled softly, “Not at all.” She stretched slowly to her paws, gliding through the water to settle under one of the palms that cloistered around the oasis pool. Her paws crossed, and she gazed across at the man. “I am Aurielle, Spirit of Valhalla. It’s a pack to the south and a bit west of here. I like to come here from time to time, stretch my legs, have a soak.” Loshir remained tucked away, probably grumbling under his breath, but Ayodele made her way to the woman and plopped down next to her, playing with an aloe leaf in her nimble fingers, before her busy hands switched from plant to Aurielle’s mane, unable to resist her habit of plaiting the long strands. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"Not at all," the woman swiftly assured, but Mikko acknowledged it with little more than an, "Mm," and a dip of his snout. No doubt her response was genuine, but it was also all he needed to be sure of his place by the pool, which at the moment he cared much more about than any amount of companionship. So, satisfied with her words, he settled back in quite easily, turning his gaze lazily back to the water.

Until he spotted fresh movement, which he observed carefully, watching his glowing company settle under a broad-leafed palm. She took this opportunity to feel him out again, her voice carrying across the gentle sloshing of water to deliver him her name: Aurielle, Spirit of Valhalla. A fancy title meant to dress up the crown she wore. She was no real spirit, unless he was right that he was losing it, but instead an ambassador. (Equivalent experiences regarding his own kingship, by this point, seemed merely a string of fever dreams.) He blinked at her with his one eye, quietly tucking away this new information on the off-chance he might need it later. "As any queen should have the right to do," he agreed.

"Mikko. My...company and I"--he wasn't entirely sure what to call Shiba, but "friends" had a bad reputation of inheriting all his baggage--"are headed east, to her family. It'll be...nice, settling down again." Between his fallen legacy and the payment he owed to the Kleins, it would be a starkly different living situation from what he was used to, but then, Mikko had no real reason to complain. In fact, he was almost relieved; things were far more straightforward this way. As a follower, as someone bound to them solely by obligation rather than by love or blood. It gave him less to worry about, which, at least right now, was what he needed more than anything.

As he spoke, his gaze settled on the lemur that had come down from above, idly following its nimble fingers as they intertwined with the woman's fur.

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table by Lowin art by kara