Crossing the Ashen Islands, Hattori found himself in Auster once more. Though he hadn't travelled far, or it didn't feel as though he had, the weather was considerably warmer here, lacking the piercing chill that announced winter's imminence back in Boreas. He was still rather surprised only the Hallows had claimed a patch of land here, with much of the continent left quiet and empty in turn allowing other larger predators to fill in the gaps. As such it could be a dangerous place to wander alone and yet Hattori was no more cautious than usual,  falling back onto his shinobi training with his mind and senses sharper than his talons.

Ahead of him laid a meandering river, bunged up in the middle by a beaver dam. There were none in sight to speak of, but their smell permeated the air, filling Hattori's nostrils as he lingered in the shadows of the tree line and wondered where they had scampered off too. It was then he saw it, a little further downstream and thudding along as though each footstep was torture.  Grizzlies were, as far as Hattori knew, not native to these parts and this one did not look to be at home. Thick, congealed blood was smeared into it's coat and it had a rabid, almost feral gleam in its eyes, no doubt a little bitter about the state it had fallen into.

Usually around this time of year bears were fairly predictable, more interested in gaining weight for hibernation than anything else, but if this bear had wandered to Auster then it would not sleep winter away. That made it dangerous, a liability.

He stepped out of the trees and the bear snapped around to face him, clearly surprised by his presence. It reared up onto its hind legs and roared so loud Hattori felt the rumble of it in his chest, as though its paws were beating against his ribs. The Shogun did not blink nor flinch, it would take more than that to make him move.

Speech

Following his recovery at the borders of the pack known as Ashen (and with some much appreciated care and supplies smuggled courtesy of Kitsune), Kumiho had begun to trek around the lands of Boreas and Auster to try and gain his bearings. He was so far off course from his original destination, but he also had no idea how to get anywhere from these strange lands. Sure, it would be easy enough to build another raft and simply sail off in any given direction, but that was a fool's errand. No doubt he would either end up in another unknown land or drowned at the bottom of the ocean, and neither option sounded particularly appealing to the youth. He wanted through the autumn woods of the southern continent alone, making mental maps as he went of the lands, the rivers, the coasts and lakes, everything he could see. If he was going to spend any extent of time here, it would behoove him to at least know his way around.

Coming upon a river in the aspen forest, Iho noted a sizable beaver dam in the middle choking the water and thinning out the river into a calmer stream. He considered the efforts of the beavers, noting none of the small aquatic prey animals anywhere in sight. A thundering bear roar gave him all the answer he needed for the lack of herbivores around. Icy blue eyes spotted the massive grizzly rearing up to face off against the biggest wolf Iho had ever seen! The wolf wore a stunning coat of black and orange, garnish against the verdant woods and looking more like living flame than wolf. The brute was positively unfazed by the bear's antics, but Iho didn't know of any wolf that could stand toe to toe with a grizzly alone and live. Although worried about his recently healed leg and breaking his promise to Kit, the boy knew he couldn't just walk away.

Rushing back through the trees, Iho came around to emerge from behind the bigger male, doing nothing to mask his approach so he wouldn't startle the other wolf. Ice-like antlers gleamed a pale blue in the sunlight and he offered the wolf a quick nod of his head. "Need a paw?" he offered while he took position against the bear, spry youthful energy buzzing and ready to square off against the apex predator. Maybe when all was said and done, if they weren't dead, he'd make a new connection in these foreign lands. Well, one that wasn't a small pup, at least.

"Kumiho"

Hattori fully intended to call the bear's bluff, as more often than not they tended to back off when their opponent did not spook into fight or flight. But it seemed as though such an approach would no longer work, as a stranger called out to him, offering to help out if need be. The Shogun eyed the newcomer and took in the sight of his crystalline horns and blue-black smeared pelt; he was young but still old enough to be out and about on his own. Most likely capable of to backing up his offer with youthful brawn, better than nothing Hattori supposed.

"If you want." The Shogun told him, his voice drier than the fallen leaves beneath their paws. "Get behind it, if you can."

Hattori surged forward, yanking the bear's attention back to him as he swept in close, moving as though he planned on taking a head first direct approach. He shifted his trajectory last second in a deft side step manoeuvre as he grabbed a mouthful of throat fur. His movements were seamless and fluid, no effort wasted, with full intentions of ending this as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no need to make a mess or a spectacle of this, the bear would die and that was all this encounter would entail.

Blood rolled over his teeth, as he yanked back and dug his talons into the earth to gain traction. The bear was quick to raise a paw and try to swat him out of the way, but the Shogun dipped beneath the swing, using the chance to barge his shoulder into its remaining front leg. If the boy took the hint and went for its hind legs they'd be able to topple the already weakened beast with ease.

The older wolf regarded him with an austere glance and short comments. His curt manner did nothing to phase young Iho, who was happy to be up and about and itching to get some exercise in. Not that a rabid bear was his ideal definition of exercise, but you take what you can get. He nodded wordlessly to the larger man's simple order, and then the fight was off. Iho ran up with the stranger, turning and swinging a wide semicircle around the bear's side while the other wolf diverted its attention away. The large brute was impressive to behold, clearly a trained and seasoned warrior by the way he moved and struck. Like a viper, he struck for the ursine's throat, and that was all the opening the young wolf needed.

While the grizzly contended with the wolf at his neck, Iho rushed in for the thick hind legs. They were less densely furred and contained less fat to shield them from the charging wolf's teeth and antlers, fangs finding purchase in the ankle joint above the bear's hind paw. With his teeth in flesh and the taste of coppery blood in his mouth, Iho jerked his head, jabbing his spiked antlers into the bear's thigh to tear at the muscle. The bear, unable to support its own weight on three injured legs, crumpled beneath itself. Iho wasted no time in dancing around to the bear's opposite side, yanking on its last good leg with sharp teeth and throwing all of his (admittedly light) body weight into its side to try and fully topple the gigantic grizzly so the veteran warrior could deal the coup de grace.

"Kumiho"

The bear had already been struggling to stay upright before, it was only a matter of time and effort before it toppled. Hattori glanced over and caught sight of the yearling putting his teeth and antlers to use, he did well to remain light on his paws and even took the incentive to make a grab for the bear's last leg. It thumped heavily to the ground, further exhaustion settling in as it tried to thrash itself off its belly but simply could not find the leverage to stand. Hattori noted the frenzied look in its eyes, panicked and feral as though it would do whatever it took to survive. He'd seen this look far more times than he cared to count, too many, but as always he offered the same expression. Cold, aloof with his eyes as emotive as tempered steel.

Stepping around, Hattori made a grab for its muzzle. Asphyxiation was perhaps not the most quick or merciful way to put an end to a life, but in this situation he had fair few options. With the way the bear had fallen there was no way Hattori could reach for its throat again and letting it regain its footing was simply not an option. Clamping his jaws around its nose, he bit down so hard his muscles ached with the strain, as his talons paws reached up to hold the bulk of its head down. This wouldn't take long now, it never did.

Being the smallest combatant in this melee, Iho knew better than to try and square off on the bear the way the giant brute did once they'd toppled it. Even downed, a grizzly bear was no pushover, especially not a rabid one. One bite of those teeth and it was game over, either now in a bloody mess or down the line as the virus destroyed what was left of you. Fortunately, the stranger seemed to have the bear under his power and in control. Iho helped out where he could, keeping his jaws latched around the bear's good leg as it kicked and struggled to get its footing. The arctic-hued wolf did not grant it the chance. He thrashed with the leg, preventing the bear from righting itself while the larger wolf slowly suffocated it.

It took several minutes, but eventually the bear began to succumb to asphyxiation, its oxygen-derived brain shutting down slowly. Its flailing movements became slower and more confused. Iho could feel the fight leaving its body along with its life. At one point, the bear gave a jerking final movement in the throes of death, nearly throwing the smaller wolf off his feet, the bear's leg slipping free from his jaws. Iho reacted quickly, going for the leg again, only to get a hard kick to his face. A startled yelp was all the bear got though, as Iho managed to grab the weakening leg once more and pin the bear down with his added weight. A minute longer and the bear stopped moving entirely.

Once he felt no life left in the ursine's muscles, Iho let go of the corpse and stumbled back, breathing heavy while blood dripped from his nose. He brought an examining paw up; it didn't feel broken, but the bear had definitely gotten a good kick in on him. Grimacing, the boy made his way up to the bear's head where the veteran warrior was still holding it in a lethal grasp, staring in awe of the man. "Wow... that was something!" he remarked, trying to smile while keeping a paw held to his nose to stop the thin trails of crimson running down his chin. "Never thought I'd ever help take down a bear!" Offering a dip of his head in greeting, Iho introduced himself. "Kumiho Mayonaka. Pleased to meet you!" Of course, he had no way of knowing this wolf was the father of the pup he'd been spending almost all of his free time with—or if he'd be able to detect traces of the girl's scent on him, faint as they might be from the couple days apart.

"Kumiho"

Like all things, the bear soon died. Hattori pulled back and exhaled sharply, though he often killed without question or much thought he couldn't say it was something he enjoyed doing. It brought him no sense of satisfaction or righteousness, fighting was simply a skill he'd honed so sharp it often felt it was the only thing he was good at. His one purpose and reason to be, beyond the life he'd made for himself and the wolves he considered his own.

Turning his attention to the yearling and with blood still dripping from his maw, Hattori noticed the nature of his name. It was rare his countrymen wandered to this part of the world and aside from a lone canine he'd only ever met other koi-wolves thus far. He was not arrogant enough to think that those of his ilk roamed Nippon, as he knew full well wolves of all shapes and sizes roamed the land of the rising sun. They were simply a rarity in his homeland, non-natives, if you were being pedantic about it.

"Hattori, Shogun of Ashen." He introduced himself in his native tongue, his tone dry and lacking the expected formality.

Something in his introduction had sparked something in the large wolf's otherwise unexpressive features, but Iho wasn't aware of what it was until the man introduced himself in turn. Hattori. Shogun. Spoken in the tongue he hadn't used in almost a year. The shock on the young wolf's face was less concealed, a widening of surprised eyes, the upward turn of the edges of his lips. Well now, this was a pleasant surprise! The wolf spoke with the dialect from the southern parts of his home—although to be fair, when your pack lives on the northern tip of an island, everything is south to you. Perhaps he had more in common with this impressive wolf than he thought.

"It's an honor, Shogun," he responded in their mother tongue, dipping his head noticeably lower. Hattori was his elder and his superior, and despite the boy's roguish personality, the respect of those above him had been a lesson deeply instilled into him by his parents. Lords, if only they could see him now, in the presence of a wolf such as Hattori! "Ashen... That is the empire on the northern continent, correct? What brings you so far from home?"

The question could have been construed two ways: what brought him so far from their homeland, and what brought him to the south from Boreas? He was intimately familiar with Ashen, having lingered just outside the pack's borders for the last several months while he recovered. That was the pack Kitsune belonged to. The impressive shogun, he must have been someone of great importance to the pack to the north.

"Kumiho"

Hattori rumbled in the back of his throat in recognition to the courtesy offered. He had slaved away in Ashen's name, his title had been earned and yet he did not let the gravity of his station go to his head. He knew his worth and his place in the Empire, like all wolves he was here to serve the Empress and do her bidding. No matter what it may entail.

Sensing the double-edged nature of the yearlings question, Hattori considered it for a moment, his gaze wandering to the winding river as it cut through the land. Stark blue against the oranges and reds of autumn. He had always been a private man, more inclined to hold his cards close against his chest rather than lay them flat out on the table, but he saw no harm in this. Shinobi or not he had nothing to hide and if Ashen's name had spread this far then it could only be a good thing. Proof of their efforts paying off. Yet the same could not be said of his past, he would not divulge that so freely. Even with Venom it had taken some time and effort on his part.

"The journey is not far if you make use of Ashen's Archipelago." He explained, a conversation he'd had once before. "It is quieter here, usually." He tossed a glance in the bears' direction, which said enough, surely.

The less Hattori said or reacted, the more Iho was actually learning about the Shogun. The man was controlled, private, stoic. He had been trained, physically and mentally, and was fully in control of his faculties. These were the hardened traits of a master warrior, someone who had taken a rigorous and unforgiving regiment of training. That made him all the more dangerous, though Iho felt no fear being near the man, simply a calm reverence for him. At the Shogun's words, he followed gray eyes to the corpse of the bear, a wry smirk pulling at his lips as he gave a single chuckle. Peace had never been an option in this case, but sometimes the prize of peace was worth the shedding of a little blood.

"Perhaps peace can return here now," he remarked, letting his paw fall from his nose to check and see if he was still bleeding. It appeared to have stopped, but the yearling would need to clean himself up some. "Ashen sounds expansive. I think I saw those islands when I was passing down along the eastern coast." He studied Hattori for a moment while the man surveyed the autumn wood around them. The wolf looked like he was made of lava bubbling to the surface of a bed of obsidian. Such rare and unique colors... He'd only ever seen similar hues on...

Dark realization began to dawn in Iho's arctic eyes. Kitsune had told him that her mother and father ruled Ashen, that her father was a cold killer, that he was dangerous. Shogun, a high rank in its own right... but what if it was a reigning rank, say, for an empire? No, that was improbable. What were the odds that he'd meet the one wolf he'd been cautioned not to meet by his young savior? What were the odds Hattori was Kitsune's father? Iho didn't dare ask, afraid of what that conversation would bring, and instead followed the Shogun's eyes nonchalantly over the serene autumn landscape. "Thank you for allowing me to fight beside you, noble Shogun," he said after a moment, being careful not to let his churning thoughts reveal themselves in his voice or his eyes. "Shall I leave you to your peace?"

"Kumiho"

Hattori rumbled in acknowledgement. Other than his brief visits to Auster he could not say he knew the land and its inhabitants all that well. The same could not be said for Ashen's Archipelago- aside from Ibon of which the degenerate Chimera had claimed as his own-  Hattori knew the islands like no other. Despite the sea and distance between them all, each and every landmass served an important role. A small part of the grand design of the growing Empire.

He shifted then, his gaze flitting back to the yearling only to note the subtle change of tone in his body language. It was quiet, like a whisper in a storm, but Hattori knew conflict when he saw it.  Unsure of what had caused his shift in mood, Hattori redirected his attention to their surroundings. All was as it should be, and the bear no matter how ferocious it had been in life could not raise from the dead. So what then, what was the issue? Hattori blinked slowly, unsure if this was a tangent he wished to pursue. After all, if the boy wished to be on his way, then Hattori would not raise a paw to stop him.

"It is no issue." Hattori was quick to say, almost dismissively. Wish was to say:"You may leave or stay if you wish."

If Hattori had noticed his subtle and minute changes in body language or posture, he gave away no indication that he did. Did that mean Kumiho was in the clear? Hey, so long as he never asked, Iho would never have to lie or fear the giant wolf choking him out next! He did hi best to relax once more, focusing his mind on other things and tasks at hand. He was still very new to these lands, and getting his bearings and his footing would be crucial. The Shogun hadn't explicitly dismissed him, nor did he show any desire to be left alone yet, so he might as well try to glean as much as he could from his encounter with the shinobi lord.

"If I may ask, Sir, perhaps you could point me in the direction of any lands worth exploring or worth avoiding," asked Iho, then proceeded to explain, "I'm still new to these lands. I was shipwrecked not long ago a bit further north of here and was wounded. I'm only just now getting my legs back under me. Any information or advice you could offer a stranger to these lands would be welcomed." He suspected the Shogun to be of the worldly sort, the kind that knew where all the bones were buried and where the pitfalls lay. If anyone could offer him a good insight into what was possibly going to be his new home, it would be this wolf.

"Kumiho"

Hattori paused for a moment, the dark corners of his mouth twisting down at the corners as he considered the boy's question. He did not pretend to know Boreas as well as some, as he did not have much time or interest in exploring it from top to bottom, but he well the land well enough to at least have a rudimentary understanding of it. To know what places were worthy of exploring and where best to steer clear of. He did glance over when the yearling continued, stating he'd been shipwrecked here some time ago and was only just now recovering from injuries sustained. It was a mere happenstance, but Hattori had arrived in a similar state. Wounded and lost, he was fortunate to run into Venom when he did. And look where he was now, the Shogun of a growing empire.

What sort of places would Mayonaka do well in avoiding? Trespassing upon pack lands was the obvious answer, but Hattori gave him the benefit of the doubt in assuming he already was well aware of basic courtesy. He'd been polite enough thus far, Hattori had no reason to doubt him. So on the other side of the question, what places would suit him well? From the looks of his coat and frame, Hattori assumed he was from a colder climate, meaning out of habit he would likely prefer to reside in Boreas come winter.

"Most loners I have met tend to stick around the south and east, where prey and shelter are accessible year round. The north in particular is barren, you would do well to avoid it come winter. As for the west I have not ventured past it's deserts, so I do not know much about that region." And understandably so, since no such terrain was to be found in his homeland.

Wolves in all shapes, sizes and from all walks of life called Nippon home. Just because Hattori was unfamiliar with its northern regions, did not mean hardy wolves had not called it home for generations. Perhaps the yearling would soon find himself yearning for something familiar, a home away from home.