Drachen jolted to consciousness sputtering and gagging on sea water that had made its way into down his throat before heaving the watery contents into the sand before him. The black and tan brute groaned and rolled over into his tan belly as his world still seemed to rock and shift like he was still clinging to the wooden raft at the mercy of the ocean tides. It nearly took all of his will power to flutter his oceanic blue eyes open before shutting them once more when the morning light hit him. "Fuck...." he groaned hoarsely, grimacing  as the use of his voice burned from both the sea water and dehydration. The Vaekhal male allowed himself a few more moments to lay on the beach as he cleared his head as best he could before opening his eyes once more. Blinking heavily before they finally decided to focus, he met a pair of golden eyes staring at him intently, causing him to jerk his head up in surprise. A female red tailed hawk perched on one of the large driftwoods that he had clung to, her frame haunched as she studied him.  "Sorry... I won't be your breakfast today." his rough but hushed voice rumbled to the bird of prey but the bird still did not seem so sure as she only clutched her talons harder on her perch. Drachen wrinkled a lip to flash a fang of defiance towards the bird before he shifted his black paws underneath him and slowly got to his paws. His pink tongue swiped over his tan lips as another wave of nausea rolled over him but fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, his stomach was empty and he could not bring anything up.

The male, then slowly drew in a breath once he was sure he was not going to fall or heave and lifted his head to observe his surroundings, still feeling the hard stare of the hawk. It seemed he had washed up in a bay with high cliffs on one side and a forest in front and to his other side. With the sun just peeking over the horizon, he could not see deeper into the forest and his burning nose refused to pick up any scents on the air besides that ungodly ocean smell. He had no way of telling if he had washed up on some pack land or if there even was another wolf or larger predators around. But honestly, his main concern was finding some sort of water, so he forced his weak legs to move his body towards the trees in front of him, praying to whatever Gods that were listening that he would find fresh water. And it seemed that his prayers were answered as the storm that had deposited him on this sandy shore had rained and left a decent puddle and he did not think twice about shoving his face into the fresh water and drinking. He was on his way to gorging himself when the sharp cry of the hawk had him snapping his head up to the raptor with bared fangs. The bird had followed him from the edge of the sea to the forest line. Drachen was too tired to try and scare the hawk away and he slumped to his belly and rested his head on his dark paws. His fur felt disgusting from all the seawater that had dried on his pelt but he was too tired to try and bath it off and just took a moment to just appreciate the feeling of his body slowly rehydrating.

Aurielle Adravendi

She’d made her way eastward, wanting to get in touch with Theory – mainly to apologize for having flaked on their planned inter-pack festival – carrying an extra set of saddlebags across her back over her armor and the many pouches that went with it. Winter had reached even here, and the nights where there wasn’t snow had been crunchy and cold with frost even still. It gave her food for thought, wondering what was in store for the wolves of Boreas and Auster. For all that the warmer seasons this year had been practically idyllic, the winter wasn’t quite so pleasant. A screech brought her eyes up from the examination of a sea shell, and her glowing head lifted, though Ayodele snatched the shell and tucked it into one of the woman’s pouches. A hawk and a bedraggled male sat before her, the male looking unwell and cranky. Head cocking, she stood for a long breath before padding forward, studying him carefully. “Are you alright?” Her voice was gentle, un-threatening and laden with a lilting accent that the long canines she sported only helped to enhance, and gradated sapphire to sky-blue eyes looked him over further. While healing wasn't one of her main skills, she had a decent working knowledge of it, and a medical kit in one of her pouches. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He had almost slipped back into sleep  but was brought back to alertness when a gentle voice filled the air. “Are you alright?”, the question making him chuckle once before it shifted into a pained groan. The black and tan male opened his deep blue eyes and ending up staring almost dumb struck at the sight that his eyes landed on. A white female wolf stood before him, literally glowing in the morning light, a long mane of fur flowing down her neck and long canines peeked from under her shimmering blue-white lips. She even had a delicate purple marking over her left eye. He had never seen such a creature before in his life and he was sure he looked like an idiot as he stared at her for a moment longer trying to comprehend what he saw.  His oceanic eyes then traveled to the assortment of packs that rested on her back and he honestly began to question if he was actually alive and he dropped his gaze as his world seemed to spin again. He dug his claws into the soft earth below trying to ground himself as the nausea passed before tried to focus back on the female in front of him.

"Define alright..." he rumbled with a damn near sassy expression on his face that honestly probably looked like death was clutching the last of his will to survive. Another tired chuckle before he continued "Forgive me... i'm sure I will be.... Unless that hawk up there gets tired of waiting for me to die" He glanced up towards the trees above him and sure enough the hawk was still perched above watching him closely. What's up with that thing He thought as he flicked an obsidian ear in unease before he returned his attention back to the female, still not used to her otherworldly appearance but trying his best not to stare. With a grimace, Drachen lifted his body up so that he was sitting, his frame swaying slightly before he collected himself. "You uh... Wouldn't happen to have any herbs for nausea or pain would do?" perhaps it was way too bold of him to ask her for herbs, especially in winter, but he felt like absolute shite and he didn't care too much about manners at the moment. A shiver raked down his spine as finally the cold air registered and he clinched his jaw in irritation, he was mostly dry but not dry enough for his exhausted body to stay warm. He felt completely pathetic sitting there so ragged and shivering in front of this stranger asking her for help. Asking others for help was something he never did willingly as he never had good experiences with it in the past.

Aurielle Adravendi

Ah, yes. The long stare of shock nearly everyone who met her for the first time fell victim to. A rueful smile twitched at her lips. Still, his answer had some spirit to it, pained though he sounded. Her eyes followed his to the hawk, studying it with interest. “They prefer hunting their prey down. It’s vultures and buzzards and the like that you’d be better worried over. Perhaps if you befriend her, you’ll have a friend in the sky, and a layer of protection.” Her eyes returned to him, noting the shiver, and his words confirmed that he was in pain. “If you can walk a little further, we can get a fire going and get you dosed up. I’m not primarily a healer, but I’ve been trained enough to pass.” Her teeth flashed in a grin as she shifted close enough to take his weight, adding to Ayodele, “Dele, could you find a good spot and some wood? I have the tinder and coal horn at least.” The ring-tailed lemur nodded and bounded off, tail in the air. Aurielle smiled at the male, adding, “I am Aurielle Adravendi, Spirit – or alphess – of Valhalla, a pack in the west of this continent—Boreas, it’s called.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

There were few things that Akari despised more than winter. The biting cold and the constant feeling of being damp, especially since finding herself on her own. She had yet to find a comfortable rhythm in this new life that she led and it was driving her nuts. No purpose, no job, no friends. Just lonely silence and the sound of her own voice on those occasions when the silence began to feel suffocating. It was in those moments she was glad no one else was around to hear her muttering to herself, though she supposed if anyone else had been around, she would have been talking to them instead.

She usually enjoyed the feeling of sand between her toes, and was fond of the beach usually, but the grey skies and the ungodly cold pickling across her skin like razors was enough to dampen her usual enthusiasm. Luckily for her, it seemed she wasn’t the only one in the area. Two others were ahead, one of them a glowing white woman, shining like a glorious beacon in this otherwise dismal place. She neared them just in time to catch the mention of a fire and that was enough to sell her on the idea that she was precisely where she was supposed to be. "Did I hear fire? That sounds heavenly right about now, if there’s room for a third."

"Speech."

He saw the glowing  woman follow his gaze up towards the trees to where the hawk perched with her golden eyes watching them with interest. Drachen twisted a dark ear in her direction when she said that he had nothing to worry about from the raptor but instead he should try to befriend the Hawk. He knew that hawks were hunters but its behavior was nothing he had encountered before with its near unnerving stare solely on him. The black and tan male gave a small grunt as he gave the bird a thoughtful look, considering her words before looking at the other-worldly female as she graciously offered medication and the warmth of fire. He watched silently as the blueish white woman flashed a smile and then moved toward him, offering to take some of his weight to help him move to the location she desired. Drachen hesitated for a moment, unused to such generosity, but then gave a nod of his head before getting to his obsidian paws and allowing the woman to take some of his weight.

Still, Drachen was a bit prideful and did not let her steady him as much as he probably should have. He was about to part his tan lips to thank her when she said a name and asked it to find a good spot for them and he damn near flinched when he saw the little lemur dash off to do her bidding. His deep blue eyes stayed on the brush were the little creature disappeared, before he smiled to himself and shook his head subtly. He must have swallowed much more seawater than he thought and he must be delirious. The woman then introduced herself and Drachen gave her a small but warm smile and replied "A pleasure, Spirit Aurielle. I am Drachen Vaekhal. Thank you for you hospitality, I will find a way to repay you some how." his hushed tones rumbled with a bit more strength than before. He meant every word, he was not the type of man to let debts go unpaid.

He was about to take a step forward when he caught the sound of paw steps nearing them and he stopped and turned his head in time to see another female appear, her coat a stunning mix of greys, blacks, and orange. At least she is not glowing thought to himself with amusement. As time went on, he began to become more accustom to Aurielle's appearance but it was a bit of relief to know that not every wolf in this strange new land glowed. The new woman then spoke, asking if she could join them around the fire and Drachen shrugged a muscular damp shoulder. Who was he to deny another the comfort of warmth in this chill but it was not his resources to give so he nodded towards the white female next to him to silently suggest that it was the luminescent female who she should be asking. He could care less about having another join them but ultimately it was up to Aurielle.

Aurielle Adravendi

He accepted her help, for the most part, and though he didn’t take as much of her support as he could have – and maybe should have – she didn’t press him to accept further. He started as Ayodele bolted off, and Aurielle smiled slightly to herself. Either he’d never seen a lemur before, hadn’t seen Ayodele there before, or he’d never heard of other animals becoming one’s companion. She dipped her head at his promise to repay her for her help, though she, privately, did this with no wish for repayment. Sure, in a political point of view, being owed debts was better than owing them, but she preferred genuine bonds. “It’s a pleasure, indeed, Drachen; probably far more of one once you’re feeling better” A woman came upon them, and Aurielle’s head cocked slightly at the remark about a fire, and the request to join. However, she smiled, nodding. “I don’t see why not. If you can find any dry driftwood here, that would be truly helpful.” Ayodele returned, waving to urge Aurielle forward, and the woman followed steadily, near enough to support Drachen if needed, until the lemur showed the trio to the spot she’d found, backed against the cliff and under a ledge, sheltered from any adverse weather and beyond the reach of the tide. The lemur had already gathered a decent enough pile of sticks and kindling, and Aurielle, once ensuring that Drachen was steady enough, moved to a good spot where the smoke was likely to blow out rather than in once the fire was going. She twisted and plucked a bull’s horn from two loops in her armor, uncapping it with her teeth as Ayodele set a nest of tinder and twigs. When it was ready, the glowing white wolf held the horn in her jaws, tilting her head and letting the live coal tumble out into the dry tinder. Quickly, she blew on the coal, sending the tinder smoldering, then smoking, and then, with a pop and whoosh, catching fire. She gently coddled the newborn flame into a larger one, then let the ball of flaming tinder settle onto the ground while the lemur began to feed it. The Spirit turned from the flame and set to further work, pulling out her healing kit, water-skin, a small tortoise shell, and a small package of dried meat. The larger saddle bags she tucked at the back of the cave. Those were for Theory and Abaven, so she wouldn’t dip into them. The fire crackled merrily, contented for the moment with what Ayodele had managed to gather. It threw out plenty of heat, more than enough to dry a bedraggled fur coat. While water slowly warmed in the shell by the fire, she settled easily, casting a look over the man and the as-yet unnamed female as she remarked, "Once the water's hot I'll get the tea going. It should help your stomach if you swallowed sea water. In the meantime, if you're hungry, there's dried meat in that package. Air-dried, not salted, so it shouldn't affect you adversely. As for injuries, where all do you hurt, and how badly?" Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The man was quiet at her approach, but didn’t seem put off by her attempt to invite herself into their little gathering. The woman, however, was accommodating enough and asked her to find driftwood. "You got it." She spoke cheerily, turning to begin her search. As cold and tired as she was, she wasn’t a freeloader by any means and was happy to help find some fuel to keep the fire going.

It wasn’t exactly easy to find suitable wood, given the damp conditions on the shore, but it wasn’t impossible, either. After some time, she’d managed to drag some decent sized chunks over to where the glowing woman was working on getting the fire going. "I’m Akari, by the way. Thanks for letting me join you." She sat down on the other side of the fire from where the others were, giving them some space.

She listened quietly, watching the other woman work. She wanted to ask about what she put in her tea, curious to see what she would use, but it was clear she was about to get to work. The man was hurt, it seemed, and the last thing she wanted to do was make a nuisance of herself. She would save her questions for later.

"Speech."

A soft chuckle rumbled in his throat as Aurielle commented that their meeting would probably be even more pleasurable once he was feeling better and he couldn't help the quick jib at himself from leaving his dark lips "Oh I wouldn't go that far. I have been described to be mule-headed more than once." A small smirk on his lips before their attention turned to the newly arrived female. Aurielle was quick to accept the multicolored female's request to join and gave the stranger a task to gather firewood that was quickly accepted and the other female set off to complete her task. A black and tan ear twisted when he heard the lemur appear and waved them forward with a tiny hand, and even though it slightly weirded him out, Drachen began to follow the small creature, grateful more than once for Aurielle's steady frame beside him. As they walked, he began to notice his aching muscles and a harsher pain on his right ribs and there were a few times he had to clench his jaws against the pain.

Thankfully the shelter the lemur had found was not too far away and he nearly released a sigh of relief when they came to it, giving a nod to the glowing woman to show he was steady enough for her to move away and begin whatever she was going to do. Slowly he settled to his haunches, still not entirely comfortable enough to lie down even though they have been nothing but nice to him so far. His sharp blue eyes watched as Aurielle pulled a bull's horn off her shoulder and drop a coal from it into the kindling and gently nurse the fire to life before he turned slightly to examine himself for injuries for the first time since he woke up at the water's edge. Luckily he found he mainly had a few bruises to his shoulder and small scraps on his legs that would heal easily on their own. But as he twisted to gently prod his right ribs, he couldn't help the small inhale of breath. He didn't think his ribs were broken by the way he could still breath without too much pain but there was certainly a deep bruise beneath his thick black fur. Drachen closed his eyes for a moment, honestly just grateful that he did not sustain worse injuries or even drowned in that storm before he turned back around to face the fire just as the other woman appeared with the wood she was charged to collect.

The warmth of the fire was enough encouragement for the damp male to inch closure, fully enjoying how it slowly started to chase the chill from his bones and ease his shivering. The multi-colored woman settled herself and introduced herself as Akari and Drachen dipped his head in greeting before he rumbled "Nice to meet you Akari. Thank you for gathering the fire wood. I am Drachen Vaekhal." He then turned his attention back to the glowing woman as she settled a water filled tortoise shell next to the fire to begin heating it and pulled out a bag of dried meat that the scent of it already had his mouth watering but his stomach flipping slightly.  His deep blue eyes flicked from the meat to Aurielle's face as she began to speak, informing him that she would begin the tea once the water was hot and that the meat should be safe enough for him to eat as it did not contain any salt. She then asked him where his injuries were. "Luckily I did not seem to have acquired any deep cuts, only a few small scraps on my legs and paws but my right side on my ribs has, I suspect, a very nasty bruise. I don't think anything is broken... by some sheer luck." Considering the alternative, he could have been laying on the wet cold ground bleeding out while his half brother and his followers sneered over his dying corpse, he would not scoff at his luck more than that.

His expression turned subtly stern as he looked at his paws, lost in the memory of his escape before the sound of talons on stone caught his attention and he saw the female red tailed hawk standing at the edge of the firelight watching them before she half hopped skipped closer to him but still just out of reach. He flicked the tip of his tan tipped tail as he looked at the raptor from the corner of his eye before he shifted them to Aurielle, remembering what she said to him earlier. Drachen then reached forward and took a dried piece of meat and chewed a piece off before swallowing the rest and pushed the piece he chew off towards the bird of prey with a dark paw. He didn't know if the raptor would even be interested in dried meat with its harder texture but the bird hopped forward and snatched the piece of meat and jumped a few flaps away and began to work on her meal. He was completely intrigued by the creature as she looked like she was healthy and not skinny enough to be begging for food but he was too tired to really think on it much more and he returned his attention back to the two woman around the fire. "Are you a healer too, Akari?" he asked the merle woman in his hushed tones, noticing how intently she was watching Aurielle work.