Thunder boomed in the distance as the sky lit up with brilliant colors. Audra hadn't meant to wander so far South. She had been in search of food and shelter. Her stomach grumbled quietly as she realized how lost she was. When lightning struck the thick clouds overhead, everything that was once dark flashed with brilliance. For a moment, she could see the miles of sand before her. Beneath her, the individual granules of obsidian crunched quietly under each step. Sand stuck between her toes and her lips curled up in annoyance. Coming from the East, she knew she should have just stayed where she was, but the threat of larger prey finding her was ominous. Sighing softly, Audra paused for a moment, taking in her surroundings. The beach really was beautiful. Frothy waves lapped angrily at the shores of pure obsidian. Everything was alit in a soft glow as the storm carried on over the sea. Wrapping her tail around the left side of her hips in an attempt to shelter her from the chill of Winter, she felt hopeless. I need to find someplace to call home. Audra thought to herself in quite the melancholy mood. Might as well watch the storm. The thought came to mind as she looked over the empty beach. Not far off, a piece of driftwood lay haphazardly. Wandering over, she perched her small frame on it, scratching at it until the barkless log was free of sand. Laying down softly, with paws tucked beneath her and her chin placed on her hip, she watched with her own honey brown eyes. It truly was a sight to see. Fortunately for her, the rain stayed over the water, droplets causing the tumultuous surface to ripple. Sounds of crashing waves and echoes of thunder kept her awake as the night waned on.

The air carried a bitter chill as the storm raged over the horizon, its thunder so loud Hattori flicked his ears back in a show of distaste. He frequented Obsidian Beach often, it was a short walk from Ashen's borders and usually granted a sense of peace and quiet which was hard to find in Boreas. It often felt as though no matter where he looked there was always a stranger waiting in the wings, hoping to make small talk with a man who simply did not care for such things. But he supposed it wasn't their fault, wolves were inherently social creatures and thus likely making him an exception to the general rule of thumb.

Padding further down the beach, the orange of his back paws earned a light dusting of black sand, blending in well with the splodgy nature of his koi-wolf coat. He stared down at the waves as they rolled in, furling in on themselves as they grew too large for the sea's momentum to maintain. The wind swept across the sand, blowing horizontally and foisting a new scent upon Hattori's senses, he could not see the wolf from where he stood but he could certainly smell them. She was close...and if he had to hazard a guess she was taking shelter beneath the only piece of driftwood to be found on the beach. An unwelcome furnishing that ruined the otherwise blank slate of obsidian.

His gaze was blank and steely as he watched the gnarled wood, only just able to make out the tan of her coat from where he stood.

"If you seek shelter move further in land. The tide will come in soon." And a flimsy bit of wood wouldn't protect her from that.

Each minute that passed, the lapping waves inched closer. Her spot on the beach probably wouldn't be safe for much longer, but she was intent on enjoying the storm while it lasted. Sheltered from the brisk wind, a chill settled into her bones. Relaxed, she almost didn't notice the large wolf approaching. The soft sand beneath them was good at canceling out the noise of steps. As his scent drifted over to her, her ears perked as she turned to look up at him from her position. It took only a moment before her eyes grew wide in awe and perhaps fear. This wolf was most definitely twice her size, in both height and bulk. His red and black coat nearly blended in with the obsidian sand and turbulent storm that lay out in the distance. As his words reached her, her ears fell back for a moment. Did it really appear that she was attempting to take shelter? Perhaps, due to her small stature and the fact that she was laying by a piece of driftwood, it would appear that way. Slightly perturbed, Audra didn't normally let others bother her. Most things were just a misunderstanding. Shaking off briefly the pieces of debris that had fallen on her from the driftwood, she stood to stand and face the stranger. "I-I suppose it does appear that way," she hummed, her voice a quiet lull beneath the rumble of thunder. "Actually, I was just watching the storm before moving on," Audra added, surprised in her ease in speaking with him. Normally, others made her hesitant and shy, especially when they loomed over her. Not to mention, his stark eyes and horns that adorned his head really made her heart falter. Turning her chin so that she could watch the storm, she attempted to steel her nerves. How could she ever hope to make acquaintances with anyone if she was always being such a scaredy-cat?

Hattori had said his piece and was content to leave it at that, but the loner soon got to her paws and shook off the sand clinging to her coat. She was just about as small as he'd presumed, her fur plain and standard, a contradictory oddity in this part of the world where wolves could be all manners of shapes, sizes and colours. From blues, to purples and pinks Hattori had seen it all here. His gaze lingered on the satchel hanging around her neck and a cursory sniff let him know there were likely herbs and other such plants stored inside.

There was a degree of hesitation in her voice, as though she had something to fear from the Shogun. Well, she did not. Hattori could be described with all manners of phrases that were none too flattering, but he'd never attacked someone just for the sake of it. He was a man of reason, his actions carried weight and his words were few.

"I see." He said flatly, not because he was looking down at her, rather it simply made sense. There was nothing else to say. "The sea is rough at this time of year, avoid swimming to the islands unless you are confident." The last thing he wanted was to wake up one morning and find a drowned wolf on his shores. Or worse yet, one of his children might find her.

The way his eyes lingered on her satchel around her neck made her nervous. It was the only thing she could claim was hers. While being a Loner didn't have many perks, it gave her ample time to collect herbs and plants she found. Taking a step back, Audra tilted her head in slight confusion. His matter-of-fact words were not wrong in any way, but she wondered why he thought she might want to swim during a storm. Musing a smile on her lips, she shook her head. "Swim? In these conditions? In my condition?" There was humor in her tone as she continued to watch the storm. Winds whipped through her winter coat - even if it still wasn't as dense as most others. Clearly, he wasn't blind, and her small frame was quite obvious, but possibly he was attempting to be helpful in his offer of words. "Sir, uh, sorry I haven't caught your name, but hm," she paused a moment while she looked over at him, her honey-brown eyes casting a slight glow from the sands beneath them. "I may be a Loner, but I am nowhere near being daft," Audra spoke lightly, the smile still tinging the corners of her lips. Audra was naive at times, all too willing to be helpful and comforting, but she wasn't stupid. Swimming in the sea, even on a calm day, was dangerous. The tides could easily swipe her away and carry her somewhere or even worse, kill her. She wasn't the only one who didn't want to wash up dead on a shoreline. "My name is Audra, by the way," her words cut off there as she looked away from him. Why does he care? She thought, forcing herself not to react to her own thoughts. He might think she was crazy if her expression changed.

Hattori stared at the woman humourlessly, the slight wrinkle of his nose the only sign he wasn't particularly fond of her witty quips. His sense of humour was weak even around people he liked, so around a loner like this her jests sunk like lead. He would have tolerated one or two, but she persisted and he was quick to surmise she was toeing the line in a way that was bordering impolite. Perhaps this was simply her way of acting or she wasn't raised in civilised society, in the end it didn't really matter regardless.

He didn't even bother acknowledging, let alone respond to her first set of words and instead focused in on her introduction. It was about as casual as he'd come to expect. He regarded her with a side eye, this was why he didn't socialise very often. It was never an enjoyable experience for him, to be completely honest, especially with those who did not speak his native tongue or understand his reserved mannerisms. If they thought he was being rude then they surely did not know the meaning of the word.

"Hattori. Shogun of Ashen." He said in turn.

His lack of words rang clear through the stormy haze. This wolf was not fond of her humor. Noticing the subtle change of his expression, her lips pursed close. Maybe she should wrangle in herself a tad bit. Normally, she was all sorts of nervous, but his aforementioned advice had been all too funny to her. Or maybe she had been insulted he questioned her intelligence. Shaking it off, Audra glanced at the black and red wolf as he introduced himself. Shogun of Ashen. The title was not familiar, but she was the farthest from disrespectful. He appeared to be a wolf that would be of some sort of title so she tilted her chin down in response. "A pleasure Hattori," Audra's tone was calmer now, only slightly louder than its usual softness so that she could be heard over the din of the crashing waves. "Would you spare a moment to educate me on what being a Shogun means?" Her curiosity was genuine as she turned to face him fully. The word Shogun felt odd in her mouth, but she could only presume it was from a different language. Unfortunately, Audra wasn't that cultured, but she did enjoy learning new things all the time. To her, she knew simple rankings such as Alpha, Beta, Omega, etc., but outside of that realm, she was new. Tilting her head slightly, she hoped she hadn't deterred him from wanting to interact with her.

Hattori paused, wondering how to best explain it in the common tongue. He spoke English well enough, even with his thick accent he rarely had problems these getting his point across, but some words and phrases did not translate very well. Either they weren't any equivalents or the nuance was missed due to the lack of cultural connotations to back it up. Usually he did not enjoy this sort of question, but all things considered he did not have to think about it for too long. She wasn't being too nosey and it seemed like a natural response, to hear a word in a language she did not know and want to learn its meaning.

He pursed his lips and adjusted his gait, so his paws were spaced closer together.

"It's a term for a military commander. My native language is Nihongo, though I believe in the common tongue it is called Japanese." He wasn't really sure why they called it that to be honest, it sounded nothing like its actual name but it was just one of those things. Dodgy translation.

Audra was not the least bit surprised when he spoke. Just the way he stood, she could feel the authority in his posture. Refraining from stepping back out of intimidation, she paused for a moment to think. Common tongue. Hm, I suppose that's what it is if everyone understands it. She nodded once more, the smile slipping off of her lips. "I apologize if I was rude earlier; sometimes I forget that most wolves around here belong to a pack," her voice hesitated. There was no doubt that no matter what tongue anyone spoke, she was at the bottom of the totem pole. Wolves were inherently pack animals and if you didn't belong to one, respect should always be given to ones who did. "Nihongo," Audra tested the word carefully in her mouth. It was unusual, but more easily pronounced than she thought. "Do you enjoy being a military commander?" The question left before she realized that maybe that was too personal a question to be asking of a stranger. Looking at him, with his large bi-colored body and interesting eyes, she felt weary. Audra had no doubt that if he wanted to hurt anyone, it would be without effort.

Most wolves wouldn't have thought to apologise, but the fact she did was not missed. Hattori regarded the loner for a moment longer, still unblinking and gaze steely, before he looked back to the sea. The ocean breeze ruffled his coat as he hummed deep in his throat, the only acknowledgement she would get before they were swift to move things along. He loathed lingering on such things longer than need be, she'd said sorry and he'd accepted it. There was nothing left to say.

Her next question was one he'd never considered, and his series of blinks said just as much. Whether he liked work had never been relevant in his eyes, it was simply something that needed to be done. Good or bad, Hattori would do whatever it took to best serve the Empire.

"In a sense." He began, still thinking it through. "It is fulfilling and I know I am capable of doing things others cannot or will not." He paused then, suddenly taking interest in Audra once more. "And what brought you to Boreas?"

Audra watched the male in front of her with a depth of inquisitiveness that was not unlike her. Her forward ears could hear the thrum of his vocal cords as he passed over her apology. It was enough for her. He hadn't yet run tail or done anything else to disregard her being there. Maybe he was beginning to respect her? That's preposterous. He's a military leader and I'm nothing but a loner. Bah. Her thoughts tinged her mind only for a moment. Watching him blink repeatedly after her question made her chin tilt the other way for a moment. Was what she said unusual? Did others never ask things like this? Almost wanting to shrug it off, she didn't expect him to answer. Audra enjoyed his answer. To find a place in life where you have meaning was something she yearned for. Silently yearned for. It was her turn to blink a few times at him. What did bring her here? She couldn't remember honestly. "I suppose I've been wandering my whole life here. I'm only two so haven't had much time to really do much. Hm," the smaller she-wolf hesitated, unsure if he wanted any more personal details than that. "My parents died shortly after I turned six months old. The band they belonged to didn't take much time to kick me out. Been alone since that." It was then that Audra shrugged, attempting to act like the fact didn't bother her.

Though it wasn't truly Hattori's place to judge he found loners often told the same stories, each with a slight twist to differentiate themselves from the last. Many were wanderers, with curiosity gleaming in their eyes as they sought to explore the world and others had been forced to adapt, to leave all they'd ever known behind. He had long since settled, but was quick to acknowledge he was the latter. His life here suited him better than the heir of Iga ever would have, but beyond all that there was no denying he wouldn't have left unless he'd been made to.

But why had they kicked her out at such an early age? Simply because she was a burden they did not wish to care for? Hattori understood such a line of thought to an extent, he did not wish to deal with others issues, but he was not needlessly cruel. Some things just needed to be done, whether he liked it or not.

"I see." He wasn't entirely sure what to say, offering an apology or condolences would only come across as disingenuous. A word that would never apply to him. "Wolves from many lands settle and find home here." Which was to say he assumed the same could be said of her.

The larger two-toned wolf didn't pity her. That she was thankful for. Sure, her story may sound like others who were also loners. But she wasn't lying and she hated the fact that her past was miserably true. She also wasn't going to waste his time explaining her history either. His offer of words was honest and she nodded in response. "Yes, I've noticed that there are quite a few packs in these lands," Audra spoke thoughtfully. She offered another shrug before smiling. "I have also noticed that a lot of wolves appear to be friendly or at least respectful," she looked to him at the end of her sentence. This too was another true statement. While she may attempt to avoid most wolves in general, the ones she had come across hadn't been nasty or outright attacked her. Maybe it was a sign that she should be more trusting. "One pack has offered to take me in for the winter, but I'm unsure if I wish to stay with them after that," her thoughts rolled off the tongue before she could stop herself. One thing she hadn't thought about was whether all the packs were cordial with each other or not. Hesitating, Audra looked away from Hattori. While he had been kind enough to stay and chat with her, she didn't want to risk creating tension for others.

For the most part she was correct. There was very little to be gained for picking fights needlessly, though he was sure that didn't stop many from going to the battlefield to test their mettle. So far Hattori hadn't met anyone he'd truly taken issue with, but he imagined a day would come where he'd find someone so intolerable he'd feel at least feel a slight inclination to do something about it. Till then, he was content to save his fighting efforts for raids and training sessions. No innocent blood would be spilled if he could help it.

"Which pack?" He asked, wilfully ignoring perhaps it was not his place to do so. He mostly asked as he wasn't entirely sure if said pack would let her go when the time came. Certainly if they felt she was indebted to them, forced to stay in order to repay the favour. Not that it was any of his business, but she ought to know what she was getting into, if nothing else. Ignorance was not always bliss.

His question was direct. There was no getting around answering it. It wouldn't be a bad thing, right? Her newfound home and friends weren't bad wolves, they couldn't be.  "Uh, Valhalla out in the west," she spit it out without stuttering. An accomplishment in her mind. Exhaling the breath she didn't realize she was holding, her honey-brown eyes swept back over to Hattori. Surely the large male only had good intentions in mind. Yet, she wasn't going to assume he would protect her. They barely knew each other and he had nothing to lose if she were harmed. "They-they're a good pack, right?" Her question was hesitant as her paws shifted her weight from left to right. Out in the distance, the storm over the ocean seemed to dull as the sun set behind foamy waves. Nervous, but also curious, Audra secretly wanted everything to be alright. Up until now, things hadn't gone very well for her. Like at all.

Valhalla. Hm. Hattori had not personally had any interaction with this pack, but they were known to Ashen despite the great distance between them. From what he knew they mostly kept to themselves, like most of organised society within Boreas. But to outright claim  they were a good pack seemed uncertain to the Shogun. He simply could not say whether they were good or bad, they just were. He doubted even packs who raided, pillaged and maimed saw themselves as bad, it was all a matter of perspective in the end.

"Assuming they are hosting you from the kindness of their hearts, you could claim that. Yes." He told her, drier than summer grass. "Just be aware they may want something from you in return. Or simply see this as a chance to recruit you for the long term."

After all it made sense. Show her how nice and kind everyone is and make it so she felt indebted to stay. Hattori had seen it before, knew some wolves just couldn't say no.

His flat tone did not surprise Audra. Hattori didn't appear to be one of those wolves who enjoyed nonsense or lies. She appreciated his honesty and careful wording of caution. This in return made her shrug. "Oh, I know they want me to stay in the long run," she spoke quietly, her chin nodding softly. While it had been out of the kindness of Cairo's heart to take her in for the winter, there was no doubt that they wanted her to stay. But they had given her the option to leave after winter. It was a daunting choice she wasn't sure she was ready for. "I just...barely know anything about Boreas or the packs within its borders," Audra said thoughtfully, looking away from Hattori and the ocean toward the tree line not far off in the distance. Valhalla appeared to be a docile and peaceful pack, but strong and intelligent. While they weren't out seeking violence, they were prepared if it ever came to knock on their doors. On the one side, it would be smart to stay with them. They offered protection, education, and companionship. A warm home to come back to at the end of the day. On the other side, the allure of exploring Boreas in its entirety called to her. There were wolves out there that possibly needed her help. There were plants to be gathered and examined. Her uncertainty riddled her face as she contemplated.

There was that at least then, she wasn't stumbling in completely blind. With winter clawing at the door loners were a hot commodity, it made sense Valhalla was putting their first paw forward in trying to make a good impression. In all honesty, to Hattori it came across as trying far too hard. Like they had something to prove, in a bad way, like their efforts weren't enough to get the point across. Still, he supposed he could understand why the offer was tempting to a loner like Audra. She knew the risks and what it looked like, yet persisted all the same. It didn't seem to be an act of desperation, she didn't look starving so maybe she simply did not want to be alone.

"Letting one pack fill your mind with biases isn't how you will learn."

Audra peered inquisitively at Hattori. Was he implying something with his words? Furrowing her brow for a moment, she nodded. "You are not wrong," her words were simple but thoughtful. She wished desperately to pick at his mind and what knowledge he had. "For someone such as I, what would you recommend?" She finally looked away from him toward the ocean. Things had seemed to settle down, but her heart still raced. "I don't want to make the wrong decision," Audra trailed off, her mind in all sorts of directions. How could she distrust the information and kindness of Valhalla for this mysterious Shogun standing before her? But then again, she had so easily followed Cairo to Valhalla's lands at the temptation for a warm place to sleep. Confusion riddled her expression as she waited for him to answer.

Hattori thought on it for a moment, his gaze cold and knowing. He learned from experience, both good and bad, but like everyone else he was not omniscient. There was no way to know for sure whether staying with Valhalla was the right choice to make, all she could do was stick to her choice and see where it led. To lean back and forth would get her nowhere in life, some risks simply had to be taken. And out of all the decisions she could make, this was not the most foolhardy. Last winter had been brutal, near intolerable for even the most resilient pack, so if this one was as bad as the last then Audra would not stand a chance alone. That Hattori knew for certain.

"Do what you must. If this turns out to be a mistake, learn from it. Be aware of the risks and consider as much as you can. In the end your life is your own, do not let others sway you to take a different path. "