He was long overdue to finally see the kids that Kairi had said were his. The woman had spoken with him prior to going to Valhalla, so he was unaware of her demise upon bringing the kids into the world. He wasn't sure when they had been born or how old they were now, but he found it weird that she hadn't contacted him after the first time despite letting him know he was welcome to see them and have a part in their life if he so wished. He should've probably come sooner, but with the pirates raiding a constant thing on top of his heavy procrastination, he finally managed to get himself in gear to go see them and find out why contact had pretty much been radio silence.

He approached the borders of Valhalla, eyeing the wall, and debated hopping on top to see if he could spot any pups, but considering he didn't even know what they looked like, he decided against it. Instead, the Saxe male tipped his head back to call for the alpha.

ooc//Ardyn first to talk, etc then kiddos!

"Speech"

Ardyn Adravendi

He slammed into the deer’s shoulder, taking the yearling buck off his hooves as the king’s black claws unsheathed and sank into the deer’s shoulders, sabered jaws sinking into the buck’s neck and squeezing as the deer thrashed. A sharp twist of his head, and the buck went limp with a crunch as its neck broke. The buck had just been strung up into a tree when the howl reached his ears, sending them swiveling toward the call. Ardyn hauled the buck higher and tied the rope off on a sapling and took off at an easy trot, black tail flickering behind him and light-motifed features wearing a curious smile as his eyes found the tall man waiting at the wall. By scent, it was clear this man was part of Sparrow’s crew, and Ardyn wondered briefly if he was the “younger messenger” the old woman had spoken of. But it was the familiarity of the scent of the man himself that gave him pause for consideration. Every family had a certain note, and this man smelled similar to the pups. “Good day. What brings you to Valhalla’s wall?” Oh, he could guess, but everyone knows what they say about assumptions. The man was painted in deep space, with distinctive spots under his eyes that caught Ardyn’s interest. He set his curiosity to one side, ears perked with interest to hear the man's answer. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ----  "Hear" ---- Think

Ares was an impatient man. That much was a given. After all, considering the family he belonged to, patience wasn't exactly something they were known for. And although he was getting the urge to just hop the wall and go look for these kids, he forced himself to remain where he was, neck craning to try and see what he could beyond the wall. He spotted something moving, approaching, and with each step of the black figure and its windswept hair, Ares noticed the ember-like flames on the man's form. Huh, that was cool! The fancy-man approached and greeted him, though didn't give his name. Oh well, Ares wasn't one for formalities either usually, so he wasn't offended. "There was an older woman that came here, Kairi. We were in communication with each other for a while but...I haven't heard from her. Last I knew, she was pregnant. I imagine the pups have been born some time ago. She had said she was going to send for me when they were." Surely she had mentioned him to this guy? If not, he best make sure. "I'm dad."

"Speech"

Ardyn Adravendi

The man got to the point, and Ardyn nodded confirmation that Kairi come to Valhalla. Ardyn’s tail flicked as he lowered his haunches to the dirt, long hairs blazing nearly white-hot gold as they swept across the ground, cooling into fathomless black as the hair settled. The man finished with an introduction, and Ardyn supplied with a twitch of a smile, “Ares. I am Ardyn, Ard Rí of Valhalla—or King.” His smile dropped, as he said lightly, “My elder cousin bore two sons and a daughter, all healthy.” Then the blunt stone in his voice dropped as he locked eyes with Ares, stating, “But Kairi is dead. She lasted long enough to hold them and name them, but the bleeding was too severe, and she passed on to Somnium soon after. We’ve been raising them since, to the best of our ability without another lactating woman in the pack. Luckily, they seem to have grown strong. Phoenix and Sorra, your sons, are independent and adventurous. Their sister Chioni is intelligent, and seems to have an interest for healing, though she hasn’t voiced it outright yet.” His head tipped, humor glimmering to the surface of his eyes as he remarked, “I could see the boys enjoying pirate life. However, there is the matter of their parentage, one parent of Valhalla, and the other of the Pirates – Plunder, isn’t it? Generally, once a Valhallan-born pup reaches a year of age, they are free to choose their paths in life, whether that be staying here to rise through the ranks and build a family or go on their own in the world as a loner, maybe join another pack someday. Whatever makes them happy. A resentful wolf is a liability.” Brow points lifting, he asked, “As their father, what do you wish to do? If they wish to go today, and you want to take them to Plunder, then I will abide by their choice.” He left the floor open to Ares, allowing the man to digest the information and the news Ardyn had laid at his paws. Life, death, three new lives to meet and learn about, and choices to be made. It was a lot to swallow at once, so the King didn’t pressure the older wolf. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ----  "Hear" ---- Think

Huh, well Whaddaya know! The guy knew his name! Kairi must've told him in case he ever decided to visit. Had he not been so busy raiding and stuff, he would've visited a lot sooner! Not to mention, he assumed Kairi wanted some time alone with the pups after they were born and would send for him any day. But...it hadn't happened. And when he had gotten nothing but radio silence up until today, he figured he should check in himself. He knew if it were Valentine or his own dad in this position, they would've taken the initiative instead of waiting. The ebony male introduced himself as Ardyn, Valhalla's king. And then went on to say that his elder cousin bore two sons and a daughter. Huh, he didn't know she had been related to these Adravendi! (Not that he knew any others or any he could remember off the top of his head). His ears perked and a grin began to show as he light lit up his eyes, "That's good to hear!"

But then things seemed to get serious, indicated by Ardyn's tone of voice suddenly changing. Ares remained quiet long enough to listen to what was said. Kairi was dead. It was unfortunate, really. She was cute, but...they weren't involved with one another beyond a one-night stand, and, well...then the pups happened. Still, they weren't romantically or emotionally invested in one another. Though who knew if that would've changed after the pups were born and if she had lived...but when the pups' names were said, and Ardyn let him know his thoughts on them, Ares' attention drew back to what he truly was here for. "I...I am sorry to hear that she passed away. I assume she mentioned this, and if not, well...we weren't involved with each other beyond a one-time thing. But then she told me she was pregnant, and I didn't wanna be some deadbeat dad. My gramps and my own dad would probably kill me if I did that!" And beyond that, despite all his flaws, he wasn't the type to just leave and pretend like it never happened. "She did choose beautiful names. It's a shame that she didn't get the chance to stay in their lives. My condolences."

He wasn't sure what else to say regarding their situation. He was never really good at comforting. “I could see the boys enjoying pirate life. However, there is the matter of their parentage, one parent of Valhalla, and the other of the Pirates – Plunder, isn’t it?" Ares nodded, gaze steady as the King continued. He had to admit there was...a lot of information. But he was glad at least, that Valhalla's king wasn't trying to chase him away or reprimanding him for not having shown up sooner. Or telling him to fuck off or something. Though considering the circumstances, he was the remaining parent of the three pups. And as he thought about everything, his attitude shifted to a more serious one. "I appreciate all of this information. If I were to take them to the Plunder, I would need to speak with my cousin Sparrow first since she runs the show there. At least, that's if they were to go permanently. Though considering they've never met me before, I don't want to just spirit them away on a whim. I have no doubts they'd adapt to the change, but they'd be living among an entire pack of strangers."

He clicked his tongue against his sabers for a moment as he thought. "I would like to meet them, let them know who I am, and start introductions. Back and forth between your pack and mine for a bit, or however long until they feel comfortable. It would be unfair and mean of me to just...whisk them away today on the spot." Was this something that Valentine or his dad would do? Or would they have just whisked them away and said fuck it, they'll learn? These kids had lost their mother, and he had no idea if they were even affected by that considering the circumstances. But they were accustomed to the pack and the wolves in it. He supposed he'd assess them in the coming days or weeks, and go from there.

"Speech"

Ardyn Adravendi

(Going to be a crappy post. Hands are cold and I’m spitting out posts quick as I can to finish alpha posts so I can hide them again. xD) Ares took the news of Kairi’s passing with the proper level of respect and sadness, and his words on having to iron out details with Sparrow regarding the children’s residency with Plunder were logical. He was glad the man wasn’t planning to simply take the pups away. As their father it was within his rights to take them with him today if he wanted, but Ares seemed more than open to what the children had to think. He nodded in agreement. Being he’d grown up in Valhalla and known everyone aside from those who arrived, he couldn’t imagine how it would be to be thrust into an entire pack of wolves he didn’t know, with a man who claimed to be his father. A smile tugged at his features at Ares suggestion. “Surprisingly, we have a law regarding this sort of deal, though generally it’s put into play regarding when one of ours has fallen in love and reproduced with a wolf of another pack, and it runs about the way you suggested. Time in either pack, unless the mother decides to move to our pack, or the father goes to hers. At that point, we rescind any say over the children’s lives. I believe one of my Head beta’s companions calls it shared custody.” Enito was old enough to have actually been a human’s pet in his youth, until the humans’ un-explainable disappearance long ago. “I like these terms. If you’re ready to meet them, I can call them now.” He waited for the man’s acceptance before turning aside and singing a long, carrying call across the plains, voice echoing the three pups’ names well after he’d stopped howling and settled to wait. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He was busy chewing on a stick, minding his own business when he heard Adryn calling for him and his siblings. He continued gnawing on his stick, half contemplating ignoring the call...though the seconds ticked, his gnawing slowed down, and he finally decided to get up. What if it was important? What if it wasn't? Curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to go see what was up. Ardyn usually called them for training or some sort of lesson. Was that the case this time, too? He wondered if Sorra and his sister were gonna show up or not. If they did decide to, he wanted to be the first one there! So he hurried his pace until Ardyn and...a stranger...? Came into sight. He panted from his effort of hurrying here, slowing down as he approached his alpha and the sparkly guy. He looked at him curiously but had no clue who he was. A visitor? An attacker? No, that didn't seem right. If he was here to attack, they'd already be fighting. Instead, he remained quiet as he waited to see what they were called for. "Talk," 'Think.'