Of all the seasons, Autumn was definitely his favorite, and not just because it was his birth season. He could feel the slight coolness in the air, the breeze a relief to the heat that seemed to linger around these parts. He wasn't at all familiar with the land that he now found himself in, but it was clear that it was the southern part of it. He padded through the thick patch of sweet smelling trees, humming a song softly to himself as his green gaze drifted here and there, taking in the scenery around him as he tried to acclimate himself to this new place. So far he hadn't crossed paths with another wolf, but he was sure it was only a matter of time. He smelled all sorts of scents on the breeze and among them were scents of various wolves that had passed through here before him. Conall looked up toward the clear, noonday sky and smiled. Surely someone had to be out on such a lovely day. He hoped that whoever it was wouldn't mind spending some time with a ragged wolf such as himself. Speech Thought Others

I couldn't resist. xD

Erani

If she weren?t so busy, she would visit this place more often, mused the snowy white Alpha Primary of Valhalla as she meandered among the fruit trees. Autumn heralded the apple season for these trees, the plums and peaches having all fallen a while back, though many lay fermenting under their trees. She?d observed a raccoon supping on those, and as the coon began to feel the effects of fermentation on fruit, she had made a mental note not to try any herself. The coon had lost its bearings, as though the world was turning around, and had spent the better part of the next hour stumbling in circles. Erani had decidedly pounced, then, and put it out of its confused state. While raccoon wasn?t her most preferred meal, she?d eaten it anyway, and taken the tail home as a gift for Erion and Isis to play with. The autumnal air was decidedly much better than that of the summer. This summer had been one reminiscent of the summer back in the Old Land, which had dried up the rivers there and brought Rixa Vivere to merging with Valhalla, since those rivers had been their water source. Luckily, no rivers or lakes had dried up this summer, and the only bad natural disaster was the earthquake, and those tremors had ceased at last a few days ago. Valhalla was settling into the rhythms of hunting, training, and gathering, all in preparation for the winter ahead. When she got back to the territory, she would check on Surreal and Erion, as well as Alpine, and see how they were doing. There was also the matter of the rapist of Twig, imprisoned in Valhalla until his trial and ultimately his sentencing and death. She doubted that the outcome would change. He?d claimed the stillborn daughter Twig had birthed, and thus given his confession. Once Twig was well enough to play her part in the trial and sentencing, Erani would call the council forward, and they would see a threat removed for good. Erani turned her thoughts away as a scent caught her attention. Pausing, she analyzed the scent. An older Rogue male. Her head lifted and she swept the surrounding area with wary deep blue pools. Ah, there. A dark black form passed across, not far ahead. She stood still, studying the male. His body language was completely relaxed and open, and indeed, he looked about the surroundings with a good natured smile. Would that change once he saw that he had company? He lacked his tail, and carried a great many scars, with a warriors powerful, stocky build. He didn?t have the way of a wolf that would attack for no reason, so she uttered a soft woof, velvet voice calling to him. ?Good day, warrior. Do you mind the company of a Queen taking a breather?? The soft, educated British accent was lilted over by a highlanders burr of Scottish inflection, her voice warm and low, but plenty loud enough to be heard from his position.

The silence of the orchard was suddenly broken when a soft woof caught his attention. His ear flicked toward the sound and he came to an abrupt halt. He turned a curious green gaze toward the source and spotted a snowy white fea not too far off his own path. Finally! He was beginning to wonder if any other wolves here after all. Conall grinned a lopsided smile and padded in her direction. He stopped and settled down on his haunches in front of her as she spoke, his ears perking up and eyes widening in surprise. "Queen, eh? Why, I'd be honored, your majesty!" he replied in his thick Irish drawl, dipping his head low in a small bow. "Conall Dunn at your service, m'lady." She was certainly lovely and he appreciated that a Queen would take the time to speak with a passing stranger such as himself. Conall shifted a bit to lean to his left, taking some of the pressure off his right hip. "Old injuries, ya know," he explained simply with a chuckle and a shrug. Ever since the fight where he earned the large scar that can over that hip it liked to give him trouble from time to time. Nothing he would want to worry this lovely lady about though. He was sure she had her own problems to worry about, what with running a pack and all. "So this is how Queens spend their down time, eh? Lounging in orchards and talking with old warriors?" Speech Thought Others

Erani

No, this wolf was definitely of the friendly type, as he greeted her by approaching, a grin on his face as he sat down before her. There was no mocking air to his surprise at her words, only good natured delight as he dipped his head. She bit back a grin, settling for a relaxed smile. His thick accent reminded her of old Bear, even if his voice was nowhere near as deep as the bass voice of the long gone Redwood Elder. She dipped her head in return to his introduction, giving one of her own. ?Erani Adravendi, Alpha Primary of Valhalla. My pack is to the west.? As he shifted his weight off the heavily scarred hip, explaining with a chuckle about old injuries, Erani smiled. ?I know several good plants that help with old injuries.? It was an open offer of assistance, freely given. It wasn?t often that she ran across wolves closer to her older age. Cormalin was the only male she knew that was her age. Conall?s conversational question made her smile, deep blue gaze twinkling faintly. ?Sometimes. That or napping in my den. With the recent earthquake, I?ve been on my feet for most of each day. And old warriors have good stories to tell. And you aren?t old yet until you?re my age.? Here, she flashed a grin at the male.

Conall tucked away the bit of information about the location and name of her pack for future reference, along with the scent of her pack that lingered on her fur. Since he was new to these lands it was good to at least know where all the packs were located and he was happy that Valhalla was the first on his list. He gave a surprised look and a grateful nod when she mentioned the herbs to help with his injury. "Ah, a queen and a healer, eh? Well, I might just take ya up on that one day, m'lady." As she answered his question about how she passes her time he couldn't help but return her grin. A hearty chuckle rumbled in his chest and he replied, "Oh surely you can't be older than me, madame. A lass as lovely as you couldn't be bothered with all those years." His eyes glowed with mirth that he hadn't felt in a while. "Besides," he added, "even if it is as you say and you're older than my ragged self, I've always said age is just a count of how much wisdom you've gained. Well, of course, unless it's like some of the boys I used to train. I swear, it felt like the older they got the more dumb they became!" He gave a full out laugh, thinking about all the blundering wolves that used to come to him, trying to make themselves into warriors. Speech Thought Others

Erani Adravendi

A soft grin answered Conall?s words, her tail sweeping the ground lightly in a slow wag, before curling about her haunches again. ?I was Lead Healer of my pack for a long time before I became the Alpha. I would have been content as such till my dying day, but recently Valhalla was challenged for, and my daughter lost, so I took control.? A faint, sad smile brushed her lips, replaced by a grin as Conall next spoke. ?Ah, but I am nine years of age, as of last Spring. Quite late into ruling.? A laugh of husky, crushed velvet left her jaws as he continued. Then I have nine years of wisdom.? Deep blue gaze twinkled slightly with amusement, tail tapping the ground lightly. ?So how have you found Alacritis so far?? Her head cocked slightly, ears perked with gentle curiosity. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

No where freakin' near as good as the original post was. >.<

Conall was genuinely surprised to hear that the lovely white queen before him was the ripe age of nine years old. He wasn't entirely sure he had ever met a wolf of that age before. Lives were short and hard in his homeland so he considered himself very lucky to have lived to seven. "Two more years of wisdom than myself," he joked, though his gaze held plenty of respect for the queen. His tattered ears perked up attentively as she asked about his thoughts on Alacritis so far and a soft smile touched his muzzle. "Oh, it's quite lovely," he replied. "I don't think I've not been impressed yet! Everywhere has something new to see. And the prey and water here! It's absolutely amazing. Back where I'm from everything was so scarce, all wolves had to be in a pack to survive and every resource was fought over. Here it seems like every wolf has plenty." His stump of a tail wiggled behind him, a pleased look on his face. "I'm very grateful to be here, m'lady." Speech Thought Others