Curiosity drew him to the plateau, with it's strange relics of creatures long dead. For as long as he could remember, he had been fascinated by such things, preferring the use of his mind in study rather than in battle as his former pack had. It had been just one of his many interests that had not gained the approval of the pack. Loki paused in his slow meander to sniff curiously at a chunk of metal. What was it? What had it been used for? The circular shape with the pattern of holes held no meaning for him, but he'd seen more than a few in his current perusal. He shook out his sleekly profuse fur, considering whether or not to continue with his exploration. Green eyes examined the landscape distractedly. If he weren't to continue, he had nothing else planned. Ah, the only downside of living outside a pack. At least when he'd been part of a pack, there was always someone around for him to manipulate or trick, always some mischief to play at. Alone there was only his mind for company, and at this moment he was finding it somewhat dull. "Speech"

No, no, no. This would never do. What had lured Natalya to such a dangerous place? Her curiosity had brought her to many places in this new land, but none quite like this. Instantly when she arrived she had a foreboding feeling, as though it was a cursed place, but she had pressed onward despite her instincts. Now she found herself wincing periodically as she failed to feel what was around her and stepped on the sharp objects that littered the plateau. She marched on through the pain, wondering idly where the nearest escape route was while doing her best to hide her handicap from any creatures around her. It wasn't often that the queen found herself in such a predicament that she even needed to worry about her blindness showing, but here she was nonetheless. Oh, how she longed for Helios now. If he were at her side, she wouldn't even be in this situation. He could have warned her of what lie ahead, or at least told her what the hell she was stepping on. As another sharp object embedded itself in her paw, a cross between a cry and a growl of frustration would escape her lips. For some reason this object had sunken deeper than the rest and refused to come out. Her scarred leg would bend as she raised the paw to her mouth and began trying to bite at the mysterious thing to pull it from her skin. She felt the presence of another nearby, but was far too concerned with her own well-being to acknowledge it just yet. "Speech"

The sharp cry of a pained animal shook Loki from his distraction, and the dark wolf lifted his gaze from the metal piece to sweep over the terrain. There, a figure even blacker than he, the glint of green that his own eyes held replaced by a black as dark as night. Loki perused the slim female with interest. She was biting at her paw, apparently attempting to pull something out, though it looked to the trickster as though she were failing. He simply watched her for a moment, eyes slitted in amusement, before he shook his slim head. This was sad, just pathetic. He sauntered over to the female, making no effort to hide his approach. Surely she could not be so distracted by her injury to not see her rescue coming in the form of a sexy black god. "Well, well, you have gotten yourself into a predicament, haven't you?" he purred. "Speech"

The object had been too smooth for her to easily grip it with her teeth. She found it continually sliding from her grip until she hooked one fang into a hole on its edge. With one fierce tug she would tear the object from her sensitive pad and drop it unceremoniously to the ground, careful to set her bleeding foot on a clear spot of land. She would face the stranger who approached only when the deed was done. Without interest she would reply, "And it seems I have gotten myself out of it, just as quickly." From the sultry tone of his voice, Natalya guessed that the stranger was a cocky one. Would it throw him to have a woman react so nonchalantly to his charms? Probably, but he would not know that she couldn't see him. Not that it would matter if she could. Even if the male was beautiful, her disinterest would not change. "Speech"

"I'd no doubt a remarkable woman such as yourself could manage quite nicely on her own," he said, switching gears smoothly. Something told him this female would be a challenge, perhaps even impossible. A married woman, perhaps? Well, let it not be said that Loki was not up for a challenge. "I am called Loki," he told her, bowing low to her - all unknowing that she wouldn't be able to see it. "I travel the land in search of freedom and knowledge, to better myself so that I may prove worthy of my name." A grand way of saying that he liked to wander around, and he certainly didn't care about his name, his surname, or anyone else's name for that matter, but these... higher-class women generally seemed interested in someone with a grand purpose and an important family. Not that his family was particularly important these days. But who knows? Maybe Hati was actually making a name for himself in this lands. Not that it was likely to be a good name, as uncivilized and vicious as the brute was. Probably best to just play on the god angle, come to think of it. "Speech"

The woman chuckled at his flirtatious words, amused that he would continue in his cocksure ways despite her blatant disinterest. As he introduced himself, she would dip her head in a return greeting. "My name is Natalya Olympus. I have recently come here with my family to make our home." A smirk would play on features as she contemplated names. Hers was most certainly a powerful one, but it seemed none here knew that. Was his name one that was known here? Names were only power if others knew them. She had heard names in her travels here that were clearly linked with power, but by the virtue of being linked with packs. Their ownership of something was what gave them power and prevalence, what made them significant. This male did not smell of a pack, so it was doubtful that he was of a family considered significant here, but perhaps he would still be worth allying herself with. "Do tell me stranger, what name is it that you bear? Perhaps I have heard it before." A flat out lie, but maybe if he thought his name had gotten around he'd be more inclined to talk about himself. "Speech"

"A strong name for a strong woman," Loki spoke approvingly, curving closer to her. "I also led my family here," a stretch of the truth rather than an outright lie - he and Hati were the first of their family to travel to this land, and he was sure Hati wouldn't care at all if he was removed from the list of founding fathers, so to speak. "Sons and daughters of Hroovitnir, we are, whose empire lives on past his death in the far north," again, not an outright lie, although Vili had probably lost control of much of Hroovitnir's vast territory, "but it is not my family name I strive to live up to." Here he affected a tone of mystery. "It is the name of Loki, the trickster god, that I would have spoken by every tongue with awe. They will know me," he added, his mood changing like mercury to complete seriousness. Another swift mood change, and he cheerfully continued with, "and if my family name reaps the benefits, I wish them luck with it." "Speech"

She listened silently as the brute spoke and her distaste for him grew with every word. First she balked at the idea of doing anything without intending to honor one's family name. In Olympus, everything was done to honor the name of the home of the Gods they worshiped. Their name was their inheritance, the source of their honor and strength, and it was not something to be taken for granted. The idea that this male thought himself a god actually drew a quiet chuckle from her. 'Loki' was not the name of any god she had ever heard of. It must have been that of a false god, giving this male the impression that he had such a power that did not exist. It was pathetic, really. So much so that she could not even spare a reaction to his change in tone. "I must be going to find my family now. Perhaps I will see you again." She would rise and turn to leave, pausing only briefly to speak again. "I wish you luck in your endeavor, trickster." Let the fool have his dream. Sooner or later, he would see the truth. -exit Natalya- "Speech"