Visiter beyond the wall
Karine!!!
His paws crunched in the snow as he continued on his way, stopping for a moment in a beam of sunlight and allowing him a few minutes to allow his black pelt to soak up the warmth. Slowly his frown faded and a small smile pulled at his tan lips. He was happy here, much happier than he had ever been back there. His dark face tilted up to the sun with closed eyes as he sighed a breath. Even if winter lasted eternity and my debt to Aurielle was never ending..... I think I could still be happy here... he found himself thinking. His thoughts were quickly shoved aside as his sensitive ears caught the sound of faint movement in the grass, sounding different than the hoof steps of the local deer. His head lowered as his oceanic blue eyes scanned the area around him while his earthen nose twitched as he drew in the air looking for scents. Ah. There. his eyes narrowed slightly as he picked up the scent of a stranger. Enzi's screech in the trees above directed him towards the source of the disturbance, still on the other side of the border. Would they trespass or would they scent his fresh markers and stop? Drachen remained silent as he stood in plain view as a deterrent, his body tense and ready to move should they step across the border. A small flick of his tail was enough to send Enzi to the sky and circle above, ready to fly and rally the pack should this come to a fight.
the priestess would dance with her ghosts
Satisfied that the lands she'd stumbled upon belonged to a relatively safe pack, some of whose members she happened to have already met, Karine moved through the frozen brush with ease, gliding effortlessly over snow and between dead weeds and branches on her way from its border. The likelihood of running into less favorable groups was still at the back of her mind, of course, but at least in these parts, she could rest assured that she'd at least left a good enough first impression on some of the Valhallans to be deemed nonthreatening. And in her quest to find where she belonged, such assurances were precious to her.
A velvet ear flicked at the sound of a shrill caw from above, not unlike that of the hawk that had led her and its presumed owner to viable prey. Yet, as Karine's gaze scanned the sparse trees above and landed upon the source of the sound, she discovered that it was trained on her. Instinctively, her nape tickled with the urge to prickle, and her upper lip yearned to bear defensive teeth, but for now the woman maintained her composure, instead looking around for anyone who might have been tracking her. Whoever it was, they too belonged to Valhalla, for the scents in the air hadn't changed.
That was when she spotted him there, still as stone, observing her from what her nose could tell was another section of the Valhallan border. A guard. Karine came to a complete halt, now, but remained with her side to him, knowing that facing such a tense wolf at his post could potentially trigger something she very much didn't want at the moment. "You and your bird can stand down," she said, tone neutral but firm along with her posture. "I've no interest in causing mischief."
"
and the ones who had loved her the most
Slowly his tail lowered to a more neutral zone, his deep blue gaze giving a quick scan of the area to make sure she was indeed alone before returning to her. "What brings you to the border of Valhalla." his soft spoken voice rumbled, his tone just as composed and neutral as hers. His body turned to face her fully, his movements more graceful than one of his size would have thought. He did not smell a pack on her so maybe this was just some loner looking for a pack to join. Even still, that did not mean he could let his guard down. Drachen was one of those men that did not trust easily, especially ones words. He knew better than most how empty words could be. His dark ears rolled forward as he waited for her response.
the priestess would dance with her ghosts
The air had briefly fallen stagnant with their combined tension, amplifying what few words passed between them despite their respectively collected tones. Yet, by the moment, Karine could sense the breath returning to both their chests. His tail lowered slowly, and as he turned to face her, his movements were as fluid as her own. There was still a sort of apprehension in his eyes, but so long as the rest of him indicated docility, then she could tolerate what didn't.
Skull tilted downward at his question, though her eyes remained on him. "Chance," she said, warily but a little more amiably now that she'd made her point clear. Karine pondered her next words as she, too, turned to face the male completely, bearing before him scars and all. They were nearly identical in size, she noted. At least if it came down to it, she could be sure of her ability to hold her own, but as of now, she didn't see things moving in that direction. "I'm a stranger to this region...as well as those within it who hold land. In fact...I've only just learned of Valhalla through one of your own. Taliesyn, I believe was his name?"
She offered the name with a light tongue in hopes of convincing the male of her alibi. Karine allowed this information to sit with him for a moment before continuing, allowing herself to soften further into more of her usual warm stoicism--though, as of late, it also seemed to come tinged with exhaustion. "Please," she invited genuinely, nodding once more, "my name is Karine. Truly, there's much I'm seeking, but violence is not one of those things....I've already seen more than enough of it for a lifetime."
"
and the ones who had loved her the most
He observed her face for a moment longer before his oceanic blue eyes closed and a deep sigh left his lungs as he relaxed his posture, his tail falling to hang neutrally at his hocks. He knew just how daunting it was to arrive in a new land, he himself not even a season in from when he first washed up on the shores. "Alright then." his hushed tones rumbled just under his breath as he opened his eyes and returned them to the woman, who named herself as Karine. "A pleasure, Karine.... My name is Drachen." he replied, this time his soft voice was loud enough to be easily heard by her. "I know how confusing it can be in a new land. I have only just arrived myself." he offered the small amount of information, nothing that could hurt the pack by some stranger knowing. His pink tongue swiped once over his lips, smoothing out his whiskers, before he lowered his haunches to the ground and curled his tan tipped tail around his dark paws in an effort to ease any remaining tension in the air. While he was not averse to violence, he was glad that it did not come to it this time around.
the priestess would dance with her ghosts
Karine wasn't above expressing humility to a stranger. One of her brother's biggest weaknesses had been his inability to admit to anything--that he'd done wrong, that he'd needed help, that he couldn't handle everything the fates threw his way. But the priestess understood that not everybody would give into someone so hard-headed...and rightfully so. It made such wolves seem untrustworthy. She was anything but, and she wished to make that clear before history caught up with her, if it ever did.
Fortunately, the male seemed to take her words to heart, relaxing completely now and even lowering himself to the ground. Karine was almost puzzled by this, but then she realized he probably just didn't want her out of his sight while in such close proximity to claimed land. She couldn't blame him for that. At least he trusted her now, if only a little. Before the pale woman could think to mosey on her way, however--"The pleasure is mine, Drachen," she uttered with obvious relief and a polite nod--he said something that revived her small sense of wonder. He was new to these parts as well, it turned out, which, to her, meant he potentially could've fled from the same place as she.
"So you have," she hummed thoughtfully, brow rising as she took her turn to sit down from her position on the safe side of the border. Karine took her turn at skepticism, tilting her head slightly, though her demeanor and tone remained at ease. "And where did you arrive from...if I may?" If he was as much of a stranger to her as he was letting on, then she needed not worry about a potential threat, only wondered if by chance she wasn't alone in the things she'd seen and managed to escape.
"
and the ones who had loved her the most
"Enterra." his hushed tones finally rumbled after a moment, the name of the land he had been born on felt strange on his tongue now. Separated by a sea and with no direction to guide him, there was no way he would be able to return even if he wanted to. "I washed up on shore here a some weeks ago, dragged out to sea during a storm in my homeland." he added. Perhaps it provided more questions than answers, especially when he did not add the part where he had jumped off a cliff into the sea to escape his deranged half brother but that part was not really important. It was in the past now and Drachen had already put that part of his life behind him. He was in a new land now, found a home in a new pack and he was determined to make the most of his life now. Even if come spring and his debt to Valhalla was paid and he set out on his own, he would make his own life here. "And you? Where do you come from?" he asked her, curious to know at least some part of her story. Where those scars on her face and shoulder some valiant war story or was she a victim of some horrific violence? Whether or not she chose to give out that information or not was completely up to her, he was curious but he would not ask about it.
the priestess would dance with her ghosts
She, too, remained observant, noting as his own gaze followed her movements how his demeanor seemed to change at her question. A natural response, to be sure, coming from someone else whom had come here from another place; she wasn't even entirely sure what she'd do in his position, with such curiosity thrown her way. His brow creased, and for a moment he appeared to ponder what to do with it, but eventually he relaxed again, a small smile crossing his features. No harm in speaking of what was lost, right? Not if there was no chance of getting it back.
Roughened vocals let slip a name, Enterra, a similar title to what the wolves she used to know had called their home--her home--but one that was still unfamiliar. Karine sat there quietly while he maneuvered his thoughts, blinking once, her gaze soft with attention as he revealed to her the circumstances of his change of path. Drachen hadn't chosen to come here; the fates had forced him, ripped him away from what was comfortable to him. Lip twitched upward in a small, fleeting smile of gratitude for what he was willing to tell her, though she received his short story with an empathetic, "I'm sorry that happened to you."
He asked her, then, about her own origins, to which she responded with a deep inhalation and a thoughtful shift of weight between her forelimbs. When she was finally able to bring herself to relive the idea of her old home, the name rolled warmly, fondly, off her tongue. "Ethereal." She let it hang there in the air for a moment, the nostalgia giving her strength to continue onto memories both sweet and bitter. "It gave me everything--not without its trials, of course, but...I had a home, a crown, a family. Until a plague ripped through the continent and forced every known pack and healthy creature to scatter." Of course, that hadn't been how she'd gotten her scars--she'd have gone mad with sickness if she'd allowed any of the rogues to touch her--but it had hurt her in other ways. The chaos had taken everything from her that she'd held dear, much in the same way Enterra's great storm had done to Drachen. Her world had been upturned, forcing her to learn how to navigate it all over again. And she would, but she wasn't prepared for how long that might take.
"I've yet to find where else I belong since then," she went on after a moment, "but I must say, it's comforting meeting someone else who has." Or at least seemed to have done. Drachen surely seemed comfortable here. Karine was eager for the day she felt the same.
"
and the ones who had loved her the most
The reason she left her homeland was much worse than his and he was not sure how he would have felt if his situation was like her's. To have everything ripped from you by disease, that was terrible. At least his father and brother were just raging murderous ass holes and it was easy for him to brush them aside. Had his mother been taken by disease, well... he would be in a much different mental state. "I'm sorry." his words almost the exact same as her's but it seemed to fall flat on his tongue. It seemed like such an inadequate response to him but he did not know what else to say. His ears shifted forwards once more when she told him she still had yet to find a place for her to belong, and that she found comfort that she had met someone who did. "I have been extremely lucky this past season. I am grateful for the Spirit of Vahalla to have taken me in after being here for such a short time. He replied, his feelings on the matter genuine and shown brightly in his eyes. He had rarely experienced such kindness and he was not about to brush it off like he did so many other things. "I hope you can find a place to belong too. You seem like a strong individual, I am sure you will find your place soon.... Maybe even here in Valhalla..." He rumbled, his hushed tones more personable as they talked and he became a little more comfortable around her. He still didn't completely trust her, just like everyone else he met but he did enjoy her company so far. He would have been ok with calling the Spirit here should Karine express an interest in joining the pack.