The sun was setting quickly over Alacritis, dropping the temperature by several degrees and sending many diurnal creatures to their dens. It was this time of day that Flamesong felt the most comfortable, sending his golden amber eyes into the fiery night sky for comfort. His kind was teeming with activity in these nocturn hours. Wolves emerged from warm nests to commune beneath the moonlight and the nightowls sang a beautiful lullaby to entertain the animals below.

His paws stepped carefully through the unknown territory surrounding him. The ground was cold and damp and told him that there had been recent rainfall upon the grassy plain. He found a small indent in the earth and lapped cool rainwater from its depths, finding that the water carried the strong tang of iron. Blood had been spilled here, and with blood came the presense of warriors.

Ebony auds swiveled forward quickly as the sound of a nearby pack reached his senses. Without a second thought, Flamesong lifted his maw into the chill night air and sang two peircing cries, calling out to any authority that would hear him. He would not allow this pack to pass beneath his nose like so many others. It was time to serve.

She hadn't expected anyone else to be joining Valhalla before the move, but the call of another lupine would grace her ears. The alpha would move toward the sound after giving a call of her own, lifting her muzzle to the sky to give a short responding howl before trotting off in the other's direction. It was night, the territory was quiet even though she was surely not the only Valhallan awake, and it was beneath the moonlight that she would see catch her first glimpse of a stranger.



He was somewhat large, and looked to be more built for speed than strength or stamina, but there was no way to tell without the other being tested somehow. As she stepped toward him, the tall grasses of the plains brushed past her legs, one of the few sounds that would pierce the night air. She would dip her head in greetings, before introducing herself. "I am Chrysanthe Adravendi, alpha of Valhalla." Whatever he needed from the pack, she was the starting point to it all. "Who are you, and what brings you here stranger?"

ooc:sorry a bit of writer's block - the next shouldn't take so long for me to respond to... and should be a bit better than this c:

Not longer after his howl rang through the night sky, softer tones reached his silver auds. The pack authority was swift in her response to him, he thought. She obviously truly cared for the safety and integrity of her people. He nodded to himself and began preparing himself for the female's arrival.

His amber eyes scanned the landscape lying before him, from the trees swaying slightly in the winter breeze to the tall grasslands that could hide any creature great or small. It was a beautiful land, even in the hours of nocturnal activity. It reminded him much of his previous home, and that was slightly disturbing, but with every new beginning came new memories, and he was willing to start here.

Suddenly, his ears perked and his head bowed as a she-wolf entered the clearing of his occupation. She was a tall, slender white woman who walked with an air of grace and power. Her pelt shone silver in the moonlight, all but for her face and a single paw which were an unusual shade of red.

"I am Chrysanthe Adravendi, alpha of Valhalla."

Silver head remained bowed to the woman, looking up only to blink respectfully and to say, "Milady Alpha, Chrysanthe Adravendi, my name is Flamesong Ethereo, and it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I have traveled far and for many years to stand before you now and ask that I may be allowed to serve you and your pack for the remainder of my days. I have been trained well in the ways of the warrior, and am willing to lay down my life and offer my skills for the good of our people, if granted the honor of acceptance." He began, flexing his paws into the ground as he spoke. He didn't care to mention that he was once an alpha much like her, young and willing to protect his pack at any cost. It would take too much from him to bring it up, for he had failed them so many years ago. He would never allow that to happen again, nor would he allow himself to take on that position of power. He would understand her wariness of allowing a strange brute onto her lands.

The brute was polite, and although it was hard to tell upon first glance, he seemed to be sincere. He wasn't a challenging presence either way, and she would find herself relaxing somewhat as she listened to him. His name was Flamesong, and he was looking for a pack to pledge to. The woman had to admit, that it was rare that she find someone so willing to join a pack, and pledge themselves so completely the way that he did. Integrity seemed to run deep in the brute, if she were going to make immediate judgement. It was honorable, she liked that about him. "You make a good first impression Flamesong." She would say once he was finished speaking, a small smile making it's way onto her lips. "Normally I would question such unyielding loyalty from a stranger, but I find myself trusting your words."



"The pack has its fair share of enemies, but if I can help it you won't be laying your life down anytime soon." She wanted to protect her members, new and old, young and aging, if she could fight their battles for them on her own she would. Flamesong seemed to have a similar fire to him, flickering just beneath his respectful nature. "Welcome to Valhalla - although, we will be making our way South here soon. Our new location will be on Nephilim Island." The man had admitted to a previously long journey, she felt a bit bad that he was jumping from one travel to the next. "I'm sorry you won't get to rest your feet after traveling for so long - but the trip will be worth it." And he was welcome to settle in for the time being. The woman would motion for the other lupine to follow her, beckoning him inside of the pack's borders with a gentle nod of her head. "Would you like to tell me a bit about your old home? I can fill you in on the other packs too, if you'd like."

Flamesong dipped his silver head graciously, following his alpha into the land beyond the border of Valhalla. His golden eyes were warm with gratitude and respect for the younger dame who walked beside him. She seemed so respectable for one so young, and wise beyond her years.

The woman asked him about his previous home, and though it pained him to do so, he felt that she had every right to know of his roots. He walked onward through the territory and turned his head briefly ro recant his tale.

"I come from a pack just past the mountains, where my mate and family lived for a short while. I was raised there, and trained to relieve the alpha of his position when he reached the age of retirement. Not long after my mate had pups, I became alpha of that pack."

He remembered her that early morning, her hazel eyes bright with joy after delivering three girls and a boy. She had been so radiant, the light of his life. A smile rested faintly on his featires as he thought of her and the love she had for him and their children. They had been such a beautiful family.

"Weeks later, I had taken out a patrol to hunt for the pack, and we had only been gone for a short time when a group of nomads..." His countenance fell at his last word, a tang of bitterness causing his voice to crack in harsh memory. "They raided our small pack when it was left unprotected. And my mate was one who did not survive. I have not seen my pups since, as my searches have been fruitless. I then decided to venture into the packlands beyond the terra I was familiar with."

He held his head high at this point, drinking in the scents of his new pack and letting the images of the landscape wash away his fears and doubts. It was a great pack. He turned his head once more to the alphess and gave her a curious look.

"You say Valhalla has many enemies? What other packs pose a threat?"

She wouldn't have minded if he didn't want to talk too in depth about his past. There were some things that were simply better left unsaid. This male though, hesitated only a moment before falling into step beside her and telling her a little about himselef. He had a family, and was a leader before hand - she could nearly hear it in his words, see it in the way that he carried himself. The woman would listen to him with interest, intruiged as to what had happened, and what had brought him here. When he mentioned his family, she would wonder for a moment where they were lingering, but it didn't take much to figure out that they were no longer with him. There was no scent of family on his pelt. "I am sorry for your loss. Hopefully you can find something of a fresh start here." She couldn't imagine the pain of loosing loved ones that way - he was strong to carry on, where most would give in to revenge or despair. "There may still be hope for your children - they have a way of finding their way despite the odds."



He would ask who their enemies were, and she wouldn't falter in her answer. "Glaciem and whoever its allies may be. They are cold, merciless, and started a siege with Valhalla a few weeks back." She would explain, not wanting to scare this male, but knowing that he should be aware of the threat. "They stole members and are the reason the plains are in this state." Many fields were trampled, some were bloodstained, and there was no rain to wash away the scent completely. Deeper in the territory some areas remained untouched, but it was not something she wanted the pack to live with, or live in fear of. "They are a single pack, but not to be underestimated. For now, they have no reason to fight with us, but they didn't have much of a reason before." They had attacked even after winning the girl that supposedly had started it all. "Please be careful of crossing paths with them, they won't hesitate to take you or something from you - I fear you being from Valhalla may be enough for them to act in violence." They were the reason for her mismatched gaze, and had taken her right eye. They seemed to be quite senseless in terms of malevolence.

Enemies. He knew the word well, and had sworn that he would always handle them before they got out of hand like his previous packs enemies. Upon news of this Glaciem and their vile ways, the light of battle lit in his fiery orbs.

"Have all of our people been returned home?"

It hit him very close, the thought of wolves being held as prisoners in foreign packs. What if his pups had been prisoners? It infuriated him. His mind worked diligently as they walked, thinking up plans of escape and long treks to the north with a group of warriors. But he was no longer an alpha, and any rescue mission would have to be approved. Yet, He knew he could be a valuable asset. Then an idea came to him and his auds perked.

"Milady, I can help them. They don't know me and my scent...I can slip past their borderline, or tell them i am joining their ranks, and when they are unaware, I can take the prisoners and escape to Valhalla!"

He had stopped in his tracks at this point, all weariness forgotten as his muscles tensed for battle. Flamesong was completely prepared to throw all caution to the wind and venture into the enemy lines.

The male would ask the dreaded quesiton - whether everyone had made it back. Unfortunately, the answer wasn't a good one. Cormalin was still a prisoner in Glaciem, as was Bronze as far as she knew. Themisto had managed to make it out on his own, and for that she was proud - but the others... she would have to help them. Flamesong though, would surprise her in his reaction. Although he was a new member of Valhalla, he truly was willing to risk everything for it's members. His offer was tempting for a split second, but it would last no longer than that. "They are bound to Glaciem, trapped - until they are fought for and freed. Even if they escape, so long as the title of Glaciem looms over their head there isn't anything that we can do." The only way to break their chains was through battle - Isardis listened to nothing but the sound of flesh tearing and the sight of blood shed. You are courageous." The woman would say after a moment, offering the brute a smile, partially to calm him after he seemed to prepare for battle. "But that is not a journey I want you to take." She worried for him, his willingness to help was something that she admired, but she didn't want it to be what got him hurt. "Please for your own safety, avoid Glaciem and it's borders."



"You are free to visit our allies though. Seracia, Amenti and the rogues on Inu Island are all friends of Valhalla. All led by my siblings." She was proud of all of them, whether they were blood or not, they had created something of themselves. All so different, and yet she was sure they would come together when they needed to. Perhaps he would be a bit more at ease knowing that Valhalla had it's enemies, yes - but they had wolves in other packs that they could turn to as well. "Be wary of Amenti though, Syrinx's bite is just as bad as his bark." That jaw of his was a little more than just pretty.