The pack border was an endless frustration. While Lyonovei remained clearly on the open side of the scent line, brows furrowed and grimacing, he couldn't help but wonder if he would really face so much peril by crossing it. It was not the strongest of scents, perhaps the pack was not terribly large. And gods damn it all, he wanted to see what was inside! He was exploring the entirety of the continent, and these pack borders were a constant frustration. He growled quietly to himself, stood, and paced along the barrier. He was infringing on no laws, pushing nothing, only a dull threat of encroachment. Would he cross? ...He sighed. Possibly. He would at least scout the area out for a bit, watch from the sidelines, wait and see who came and when, how many and how often. It would be tedious, even if he was only trying to satiate his curiosity. But he had set his mind and that was that, there was no other option left. "Talk" "You" Think

Nothing much went on in a pack, she'd soon discovered. Whatever did anyone do? No one encroached on the borders, that she could see, so why did everyone bother her about patrols? Hang on, they'd bugged her last week. come to think of it, she hadn't seen anyone around since then. Where had everyone gone? Had she missed some memo? An important one? Maybe she'd forgotten about a meeting? A loud, exasperated sigh shuddered through her flanks. She wanted to go on an adventure! See if she could collect anything cool to decorate her den! But, there was no one to adventure with her. Feminine curves tapered into gently curved hips, which swayed back and forth with each stride. Thick, unruly mane of fur about her neck was thickening as fall approached. Large paws struck the terra with no regard for silence, due to her aggravated and bored mindset. There was nothing to do! She wandered along the borders around the cave system where she made her home, trying to find someone, anyone who would take a little walk with her, away from the caves. They were getting boring, to tell the truth. She'd investigated every deposit of the shiny minerals in the whole system, or the ones she could reach on her long legs. They weren't providing her with answers, and in frustration, she'd long since abandoned them. Now it was time to find something fun to do! A scent caught her nose, coupled with the amalgamation of scents that formed their borders. Someone new! With a childish glee, she catapulted off toward the scent. Maybe she could go on an adventure with them! Tongue lolled from her maw in reckless joy, and she thudded across the landscape without a care in the world for the racket she was making. There was someone new here! When she found them, it was by crashing through the brush and bounding up to them. Wow, she hadn't expected this. Her goofy grin faltered briefly, and she gazed up at the giant with her mismatched lavender and ice gaze. Tongue retracted into her maw, scraping over her visibly oversized teeth. This stranger looked like her, sort of. Family. he had to be family. She grinned again, charcoal tipped plume wagging jovially in the air at her rump. Her only flaw, was that her tail never withheld from expressing her emotions. "Hi there, gigantor!" She laughed, wearing her characteristic grin. Tall audits tipped forward, and she edged closer. Crown would tip upward, and her doofy grin revealed every one of her big teeth. However, she was such a whirlwind of glee it hardly stood to make her seem threatening. At all. "Speech" OMG THESE FEN ARTS ARE HOT STUFF

The woman's appearance was sudden, and horrifying. She came upon him like a whirlwind of noise and... sunshine. Lyon recoiled back, ears pinning halfway to his skull, eyes narrowing. Gigantor? It was hardly his fault she was so tiny. It took him a moment to realize that her sudden entrance meant his presence had been discovered. He sighed and said, "I didn't cross your border, alright, I'm still-" Then he looked at her. Those markings, that mask... He sucked in a breath. This was a wolf from his homeland, there could be no doubt about it. "You're from Ebony," he said, his voice hard and gravelly. Was she a member of the new regime? ...She hardly seemed the type but his guard was up all the same. He'd seen stranger things, assassins trained in subterfuge for example. But what was she doing here, in this pack's borders? Had she slipped through too? "Talk" "You" Think

At first, he seemed so disgruntled and off put that she was momentarily stunned. What was his problem? He explained that he hadn't crossed the borders, but she didn't really care about that. He wasn't doing anything wrong, really. Finally, he stated the obvious. She chuckled, mismatched gems twinkling. "Yeah! Well, I guess. They didn't really like me back there, being a bastard and all." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders calmly. It didn't really matter to her, not anymore, at least. His startled expression was almost lost on her, and it didn't help that she wasn't really caring that she had struck a disdainful chord in his mind. "I'm Sacha, who're you?" She inquired gently, tilting her crown to one side. Maybe he would want to adventure with her? That might be nice, once she got past how much of a grump he was. As ungraceful as usual, her rump dropped onto the ground with a muffled thump. Walk "Talk" Think

A bastard? He could hardly believe his ears, yet there she was, speaking to him as plain as day. The breath he had sucked in wooshed out of him, weakening his limbs. A bastard? She was... like him. Sort of. He didn't know what family she had come from or what she had been through since. She seemed so... joyful. But if her claims of 'they didn't like me' could be believed, knowing what he knew of their homeland, it can't have been pleasant. Yet there she was. His voice was urgent and harsh, tinged with disbelief. "I'm Lyonovei Nikolai Volkov, bastard of the King." The weight of this meeting sat on his shoulders like a boulder, crushing him, making it hard to breathe. What was she doing here? She seemed... happy enough he supposed, but... He couldn't shake the feeling. If she was an Old Ebony refugee, an outcast and a rebel and a refugee, they belonged together Not that he could see this overly-energetic puffball being all too useful, if her current state was anything to base his predictions on, but all the same. "Talk" "You" Think

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ He introduced himself, looking suddenly shaken. Her brows knit together in confusion. Had she upset him? She hadn't meant to! All she wanted was someone to go on an adventure with! She surged forward when she realized his last name, bounding up onto her hind legs to wrap her forelimbs about his great neck. He was so big! Wagging her ash tipped plume a few times, the steel babe let her cheek press against the thick fur of his ruff. "Why do you look so upset?" She asked tentatively, letting out a short huff. Lyonovei was her big brother, whether in size or age as well, and that made her very happy. "Aren't you happy to have a sister? I'm happy to have a big brother.." She murmured. This revelation was wondrous, and she was overjoyed to know that Lyonovei was here. She didn't have any family here, other than those she had seen. Solas, and his sister. They were going back to Ebony, apparently. That was okay, they could do whatever they wished. Unraveling her forepaws from about his neck, she dropped back onto her oversized paws and gazed up at the giant. He had eyes like lava, it was pretty cool. Intricate markings all over his face showed his lineage, just as her own did. The rugged silver femme fixed this newfound big brother with an unreadable gaze, wondering what he was doing here. "What are you doing here, anyway? Were you looking for the weird silver minerals in the walls, too?" She inquired, cocking her crown to one side quizzically. That was a valid reason to be here, on the outskirts of Ethereal territory. "That's what got me here, and then I upset miss Azalea, and she said I could either join, or be a slave, or fight her for my freedom. So I joined, and there's like no one here, and it's super boring..." She rambled, unable to help herself. Once she'd gotten started, she wasn't about to stop. "Speech"

She seemed so hurt, but Lyon couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. He had... a sister... It was not too hard to believe, the old King had been promiscuous and it was no secret. But the children he sired were another story. Their mothers either hid them away or killed them to spare their family the Queen's wrath. That Sacha had survived, had made it as far as he, gave him hope. "Surprised, rather," he said in a short tone. But she would speak on, and his gut would twist. Anger boiled up within him as he thought on her words, as they sank in. Slave? No wolf of Old Ebony was meant for slavery, to be imprisoned and held against their will! Especially those of royal blood, this Azalea did not have the foggiest clue who she was messing with. He would turn his molten gaze over the woman's shoulder and allow his glare to bore into the space behind her. "No wolf of Old Ebony is meant for slavery," he said, the words seeping from his maw like molten rock. He cast a glance over his own shoulder, back to where he had come from. This fae shared his blood, and he would do right by her. "Come along, sister. Freedom awaits." He turned away, keeping his eyes on her to ensure that she was on his heels. "Talk" "You" Think

His indignant rumblings made the woman tense, and she blinked at the giant man. She was not technically of Old Ebony, more just a byproduct of it's success. She had no right to anything an actual wolf of Old Ebony did, it was made clear in her youth. Along with her rights as a bastard. Her rights were to the things her mother could offer. That was all. Nothing of the kingdom was hers in any way, and she wasn't to trespass. She'd had that beaten into her at a very young, and impressionable age. She knew these things better than her mother's own last name, which she had begrudgingly taken. However, she did not use it when she wasn't in the presence of those who might abuse her for using her father's. Lyonovei's anger was without reason in her mind, though the droop in her usually wagging tail signaled the shift in her mood as easily as vocalizing it. She regarded him with mismatched jewels in ice and lavender tones, wondering where this could have come from. he must be mistaken. Truly, she did not warrant that title. She gave a weak hum of agreement, simply appeasing the irate giant. She was far from desiring a temper like that to be rampant around her. Sacha so loathed aggression, for obvious reasons. Dark audits would tilt backward, two toned optics widening ever so slightly in the face of his wrath. At the mention of freedom, she blinked again. Freedom? Had he spoken to miss Azalea about letting her go? That was very nice of him, but nothing she had seen led her to this conclusion. did he plan to simply leave? She couldn't do that, she'd promised miss Azalea that she would stay until she'd paid her dues. It was only right, after trespassing like she had. She took a step after the molten giant, but hesitated before she even came remotely close to the edge of the border. "Where are we going?" She inquired tentatively, her usually boisterous and bubbly tones cooled by her flashback to days gone by and her once upon a time home in the north. She cocked her head to one side again, narrowing her bicoloured orbs at him in mild suspicion. "Will there be things to collect there? Can we look for cool things there?" She continued, perking up as she did. She would so love to go out and find new trinkets, shiny things and colourful things, strange things and soft things. Yes, that would be nice. An adventure and new things to add to her growing collection. "Speech" OMG THESE FEN ARTS ARE HOT STUFF

She appeared crestfallen for reasons the brute just could not fathom. What on earth was this femme's damage? He did not know who her dam was but she seemed to lack their shared father's martial spirit. It was a bit alarming to see so much of her vigor drain away so suddenly. When she finally did speak again, it was hesitant and quiet, but he answered her as best he could. His tone was placating, begging almost, wondering if she was some sort of lack wit. But she's your lack wit now, you gargantuan fool, She wanted to know where they were headed? "Anywhere," he insisted. "We can go anywhere you want, I'll find you a- a heap of things to collect. Whatever, just let's go alright?" He was getting more than antsy. Not that he was unwilling to fight if the need arose, but honestly, getting away without notice was a much more attractive option. He took a few more steps away from the border, silently urging her onwards with his eyes. Was he really taking on the care of this silly little creature? ...Yes, apparently. But so be it. "Talk" "You" Think

At the news that there would be a plethora of trinkets awaiting her, and the insistent tug of her brother (she had a brother!) trying to get her away from her obligations, she started forth. Casting one last long look over her shoulder, she bounded up to the giant's side. Returning to her jovial attitude, she swung her tail back and forth behind her as she strode along. "So have you found anything cool here? I found this place on an island when I first got here, and it was like those cabin thingie mabobs that were all over the place back home. There was moss and stuff, and I found the softest bed ever." She exclaimed, smiling cheerily once more and looking around as though she hadn't seen this forest a hundred thousand times before already. She was happy to have someone to wander with, and now she could go on an adventure with someone else! One might find it strange that this fierce and rugged looking woman might be so cheery. Maybe it was because she'd once fallen into the pit, and after clawing her way back out, decided there would be no dark clouds anymore. Silver linings were rampant, and she neglected to see anything but them anymore. The negatives did nothing to help the mind, but the positives did wonders for the psyche. "Can I show you the cool place? I promise you'll like it!" She pleaded, fixing him with a hopeful gaze. Her cabin in the lovely forest on that island, was it still there? There had been storms, had the storm hit her cabin? Was if broken now? Did the super cool, only slightly broken bed not exist anymore? She could be worried about that, but there were probably other cabin things there, and she could always make another super soft and squishy bed. It wasn't that hard, it had taken her less than half the day when she'd first arrived in Ethereal lands. Thoughts of her obligations were gone now, her entire thought process was focused on her approaching adventure across Alacritia with her big brother, Lyonovei. There was no possibility of her ever being tired of having a brother, even if he was a big grump. She could over look that. Walk "Talk" Think

She was following, finally. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and picked up his pace, wanting to put as much distance between the border and himself as possible. His new companion was rambling, something about a cabin? He didn't his best to drown her out, focus on the task at hand, but damn it all if she wasn't being difficult. He wanted to urge her to be quiet, but he wasn't entirely certain she realized the gravity of their situation, and he hardly wanted to scare her back over the border. He'd probably have to drag her out then, but no sibling of his was going to live a slave. She asked him a question, or at least it sounded like one, but he didn't tune back in until she was halfway done posing it. "What? Yeah, sure. Whatever." He sped up, hoping she'd get the idea and follow hot on his heels. He gave one last look over his sooty shoulder to the lands they were leaving behind. The large male wondered if he'd be able to push the woman through the night. He doubted it, but here's to hoping. So they'd be refugees for a bit, big deal. If that pack was as boring as Sacha said it was he doubted they had the spare warriors to hunt them down anyways. Maybe it really would be this easy. "Talk" "You" Think -EXIT LYON-