Arian understood the dismay that the pack was in. After all, she was here because Quelt had given her the chance. Her tail flicked a little behind her, she felt like rabbit in the jaws of another wolf. She may have now been the Soul of these lands, but she was not someone she would considered equipped to protect everyone. What she really wanted was them to learn to protect each other, for the wolves forever more. Arian had not been raised upon a culture of fighting, she had her life mixed with things that simply confused and perplexed her. So her lot in life was simply trying to make every day as comfortable as possible with the least pain possible, even if that was impossible. She did not give a sigh, this time she was relaxed with what was going on around her. Abandoned by family over and over again, she refused to abandon anyone at this point. Those who came to her pack would forever hold a special place for her. Arian didn't want things to be constantly falling apart. She had been far smarter beyond her years, and that had seemed to be a curse entirely. Yet, it didn't seem to bother her much. "Talk" "You" Think

"How does my back look?" The masked boy twisted his head back to look at his scaly friend, who seemed to be pretty upset. He was curled up on his rump, eyes burning with irritation. Ixionn really did wonder why...it seemed lately, ever since they reunited, that iguana has always been annoyed or disappointed. Hm, hm. Did he wonder. The blue creature looked up at Ixionn, hissing stubbornly and coiling his long tail into his body. "Horrible. And because of that, I have to sit here on your boney butt instead of your soft, fluffy neck." The blue iguana snorted and tucked his head back in. Ixionn snorted and rolled his eyes, turning his head and continuing through the many trees of the Polar Sound.
Because of the many wounds he earned when the storms rolled in, he has refused to let his companion sit in the fluffy warmth of his scruff. Many of the open wounds were located there anyways...he didn't want them getting any more infected, and he definitely didn't want to feel any of the pain Drago's claws might bring. Geez...did that lizard care about anyone but himself? --- The masked boy smiled weakly and lowered his head, eyeing his wounded paw that was coiled up at his chest. In addition to his neck/back wounds, he twisted his forepaw, and was now forced to limp around like a cripple. Humiliating, humiliating.
Suddenly, a new aroma filled his nose. No...it wasn't new. It was slightly familiar. But he couldn't exactly identify who it was. Not yet. Ixionn turned back to Drago again, sighing and playing on an irritated expression. "We're not going home," Was all the masked boy said, turning and following down the path that led to Arian.
Drago released a loud, exaggerated moan, uncoiling and whipping lightly at Ixionn's rump. "You're kidding, right?! No, no, we need to go home! Sleep awaits us!" The blue iguana rocked and continued to complain, eventually collapsing and giving up on his useless efforts. Ixionn smirked and lowered his head for a moment. When suddenly, he bumped into something. Someone. Ixionn instantly raised his head, only to see his queen standing before him. The boy laughed nervously and shuffled back quickly. "Ahaha! Miss Arian! It's such a coincidence...seeing you here...ahaha." He grinned, ears flicking softly as Drago laughed silently on his back.
'I should just eat him. Stupid lizard.' He thought with a groan, eyes still locked onto his queen, who he expected would get angry at him for being so clumsy and careless.
"Speech"
'thoughts'

Arian was nearly lost in her own thoughts until the boy ran into her. Blinking as he nervously tried to blow it off. She couldn't help but muffled a giggle in her muzzle. Both of them were probably unaware of how similar they were. Arian was an orphan, she knew death like a cold friend when she was a pup. The worst part probably would have been having to watch her blood siblings starve. Her tail flicked a little, concern washing over her face when she saw his wounds again this time closer. She knew he wasn't exactly a friend yet but he was still her family and in her pack. "Ixionn has anyone treated these wounds? Because if they did they didn't do it properly." that or discontinued the process. She sniffed him, Crystal eyes looking over him. Arian would step back looking at the iguana for a moment. Ixionn really did resemble Hajime. Even how he acted. "If you'd let me, I could treat them. Your father was Hajime right? He's my cousin by blood." Arian felt a sting in her heart remembering both her cousins Hajime and Vahva were dead. She tried to suppress the feelings as she watched the boy. "Talk" "You" Think

The girl seemed more amused than angry, to Ixionn's surprise. She simply looked at him...and giggled. The masked boy stared for a moment, while Drago continued to laugh. But Ixionn could feel him stopping cold as Arian glanced over at him. "Ixionn has anyone treated these wounds? Because if they did they didn't do it properly." What a sudden thing to say. Expecting at least a greeting, or maybe scolding, instead he was asked if his wounds were treated? Maybe Arian wasn't as bad as she seemed, then. Aye. Ixionn needed to stop being so rude...
He dropped back onto his torso, causing the stiffened lizard to roll off his rump and plop against the ground. Ixionn snorted, before turning to his queen and smiling cheerfully. "If you'd let me, I could treat them. Your father was Hajime right? He's my cousin by blood." The mention of Hajime tore his heart a bit, but the boy kept smiling, taking note that she had offered to treat his wounds so generously. He also took note that this was Hajime's cousin by blood. So she, too, had most definitely had to mourn over his death like Ixionn had.
It made the boy feel a bit funny inside though. Hajime's cousin was now his queen...but even though she was related to him, Ixionn had never gotten the chance to meet her. Though, in a way, it made sense. Maybe Arian was busy at the time...or maybe Hajime was too busy. He never knew. But that was all in the past. He needed to focus on the present...even if he did miss all the relatives he's lost over time.
"No...they haven't been treated." He felt kind of ashamed, and he probably looked a bit irresponsible for not seeking help. But- he really did. Only at first, though. "But help would be amazing. They kind of hurt...especially my paw here. You can't do much about a twisted paw though, right?" Ixionn found himself laughing nervously again, extending his awkwardly-positioned paw out to the queen and wincing slightly. Then, after a few seconds, he pulled it back into his chest and smiled. "Even if you can't, thank you so much." Drago had eventually made his way up to Ixionn's head, sitting up there calmly and glancing down at Arian with curious eyes. And instead of knocking him off, he let him sit there for a bit.




"Speech"
'thoughts'

Arian was upset that ixionn had not been treated, though on the inside a little bit it meant her ego was being stroked by the opportunity to be in her element. She smiled at the boy and his companion. "I am a healer before I am a warrior. I was raised in seracia that way, after birth my parents died when I was around two to three months old the alpha pair took me in. And I trained as a healer. Luckily before I left my old home in ethereal. I brought my herbs with me, it's best to use them before the effects die." Arian would explain with a grin. She would vanish for a moment before returning with a mouthful of herbs. Scooting a little closer to the boy so she could apply them. First she handed the boy some lavender. "Chew on that and get the oil out of it, it works faster if you don't swallow. It should make it so your paw doesn't hurt as much. But I'd recommend going easy on it until it heals." The woman instructed. Soon after treating the boys wounds with her collection of herbs. Moss to clean the wounds, grilling to prevent infection, and anything else that practically made her happy she had went through the efforts to collect it. She stepped away and looked at the lizard. "Sorry I think I look rude now, I'm Arian and who might you be?" she asked the lizard. She knew plenty of other wolves who had companions, it was not something that struck her as odd. A creature was still something that lived. "Have you thought about your specialty ixionn? That way once your healed you can start training with a mentor straight away." with all these questions she hoped she wasn't being annoying. It had actually been a long time since she had felt this comfortable. "Talk" "You" Think

The boy relaxed himself completely as she began to speak to him normally. More like they were family...instead of the awkward Queen to Buds talking. Even if she did seem a little upset that he hadn't been treated yet...she was at least offering to take care of him. How sweet of her. -- She explained her past life to him, or at least part of it, before standing and disappearing. Ixionn guessed she was off to find herbs, maybe. Though, while she was gone, he thought about the things she had said. Her parents had died...and she was taken in by an alpha couple. It sounded familiar to his own story. Hm.
She came back, and Ixionn instantly returned to reality, grinning cheerfully to the queen. She sat close beside him and calmly began listing the instructions. "Chew on that and get the oil out of it, it works faster if you don't swallow." The masked boy turned his curious gaze away from Arian, eyes resting on the lavender. It was purple...and it smelt nice. But pretty things always had bad taste, right? Ixionn frowned and took the vegetation in his jaws, slipping it into his mouth and chewing down on it bitterly. It tasted almost sour...and he was tempted to spit it out or swallow it instantly. But just as she said- it had quicker effect if he didn't swallow it.
After chewing on it for a while, he swallowed the oil he had squeezed out, before turning his head and letting the ball of chewed lavender fall from his mouth. Drago looked down at him and stifled a laugh without saying anything. But Ixionn ignored it. "Sorry I think I look rude now, I'm Arian and who might you be?" Obviously she wasn't talking to him. She was talking to Drago. The blue iguana stared at Arian for a moment, before smirking and puffing out his scaly chest. "Arian! My name is Drago. I'm Ixionn's companion, friend, and alarm clock."
He lowered down onto Ixionn's head and snorted. "Poor boy has a hard time getting up in the morning. Lazy mutt." Ixionn released a firm growl, brows furrowing instantly. "Shut up." The iguana nodded pathetically and fled to the boy's rump. He sighed and rolled his shoulders.
"Have you thought about your specialty Ixionn? That way once your healed you can start training with a mentor straight away." No...he hasn't really thought about his place in a while. Before the storms, before Quelt gave up his crown, he had always worried about his place in the pack. Where did he belong...? Why was he even here? It always made him stubborn and easily annoyed. Now- it seemed to have been cleared from his thoughts. And now that it was brought up...he felt all caught up with confusion all over again.
Ixionn suddenly panicked, and rocked from side to side with Drago struggling to latch on frantically. Finally, he stopped cold and blurted his answer randomly. "I want to be a fang." With that, he exhaled and fell back on his torso again, tail coiling around his paws as he reworded his answer. "I want to be a fighter for you...and maybe I can fight my way up higher..." His red eyes moved to the ground slowly. Was he being selfish...? Was he trying too hard? All he wanted...was for Quelt to be proud of him. For his whole family to be proud of him. His whole pack. But saying that to Arian right here beside her would make him seem greedy. Selfish, ignorant.
"You just can't ever stay still." Drago muttered, claws latching onto his orangey-russet fur and coiling up against it. Ixionn sighed. "You mentioned something about a mentor, right? Could you assign me with someone I know? Maybe someone from my family?" The masked boy continued to stare at the ground aimlessly whole awaiting her answer.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

The girl was rather happy, and he indeed did look like his father. She wouldn't say anything though she knew how painful it was to lose a parent. Arian remembered freshly what happened to her parents, thank the heavens the gods hadn't claimed Ixionn's siblings like they did hers. It was the most painful thing ever watching her crippled mother unable to hunt and produce milk, resulting in their deaths. Her mother crawled to the borders of Seracia to give her up and in her last breaths spoke only words of love. It brought pain to her, but she had met many kind females she considered mother figures in her life. Epiphron, and Destruction, always she would look up to them in their strength. She chuckled at the iguana as she settled herself in front of Ixionn. Setting her leg to the side, it had taken some getting used to, after all she couldn't sit right on it, it'd be too painful. "Teenage boys tend to do that Drago, Ixionn isn't the only one. I can't count how many times I had to try and drag my brothers out just to show them something I thought was exciting." she said with enthusiasm. Then she saw Ixionn perk up, get emotional about what he wanted to do. At first she had a face of surprise, but obviously this had been a very serious thing that he had thought about. Specially after what he said. "Fighting isn't everything Ixionn, but I thank you. This is my first time being in a position of power I'll need someone strong and willing to improve here in Isokan." She grinned. "I'll make Quelt your mentor, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." She gave a small nod. For a moment it crossed her mind to make him the Watcher, but it was far too soon for that. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me? I'm open to all questions." Arian stated as she relaxed a little. This was the life. "Talk" "You" Think

As Arian sat, Ixionn's eyes slowly drifted to her crippled leg, a frown instantly being replaced by his cheerful smile. Drago saw it too, moving out to the side. But they didn't say a thing. It'd be rude, cruel. So, the masked boy turned his gaze away, resting them back onto the red girl and smiling weakly. He had his own crippled paw, too...but it didn't look as bad as hers. Ack. It was painful, not being able to ask what had happened to her. But, again, it'd probably make the queen feel uncomfortable. And he didn't want to ruin this time to bond. So he kept his mouth glued shut.
"Teenage boys tend to do that Drago, Ixionn isn't the only one. I can't count how many times I had to try and drag my brothers out just to show them something I thought was exciting." Ixionn turned back to his companion and smirked, tail thumping softly against the ground as a laugh left his lips. "See? It's only natural for us boys." He turned back around to face Arian with a playful grin. Of course, he had used this time to remove the crippled leg from his mind. But it still bugged him. It still lingered there...
"Gah, whatever." The iguana grunted and coiled up against Ixionn, stubbornly watching him and the queen silently. Ixionn huffed and listened in to her next words. "Fighting isn't everything Ixionn, but thank you." Fighting isn't everything. It's the first time he's heard someone say something like that. He wanted to think about it...but she continued, and he respectfully listened to her. Afterward, she grinned and assigned Quelt as his mentor. The masked boy smiled cheerfully, tail continuing to thump against the earth happily.
"Is there anything you'd like to ask me?" Of course there was. But he wouldn't ask them now. Once he got to know her a little better...he'd ask. For now he needed to be respectful and mature around her. After all, she was his queen. -- Ixionn lowered his head and thought of a question besides the leg to ask her. Then, something popped into his mind. Something he didn't even rethink before it left his lips. "Don't you have a mate?" Oops.
Now he sounded perverted. Perfect. Suddenly, Drago rushed down to his rump, throwing his whip-like tail against his sensitive flesh. Ixionn released an easy whine, ears flattening back against his skull and eyes widening. "Disgusting perv mutt." The lizard spat mercilessly, claws digging into Ixionn's fur. The masked boy gaped and shook his head frantically. "N-no, that's not what I meant by it, I swear!" He turned his shocked eyes to Arian, a nervous grin stretching upon his lips. "I just wanted to know- who was taking care of my friend."

"Speech"
'thoughts'

The boy tried his best to stay polite, even if his.little reptile friend made little comments. It made her only smile honestly, as he asked her a question her ears flicked a little. A mate. Pfft, not like she had been in one place long enough for that. Plus she had only recently turned two. Arian as she looked now, didn't find herself too attractive. Her homes had lacked any bachelors."No, I only just turned two in the summer, and I really didn't stay in one place long enough to meet anyone. I was either training or watching my packs disband one by one." she explained a little sadly. When she thought about it, once she turned a year she had always been alone. "Besides, I'm not the prettiest flower in the field with how I look now." She noted, taking her good leg to scratch an inch on the side of her neck. "How about friends? Met anyone exciting?" Arian asked with a smirk. Eventually she wanted to get Ixionn to feel more casual with her. "Talk" "You" Think

She didn't seem too surprised by his question. At least not as surprised as Drago had been. In fact, the woman replied as if it had been a completely normal question. Weird. But maybe they were already at that point, then? --Ixionn's smile returned to his lips as she answered. But her next statement made him frown instantly. "Besides, I'm not the prettiest flower in the field with how I look now." Ixionn growled softly, shaking his head quickly, before standing and lifting his chin to make himself look larger than he actually was. The one thing he hated more than anything was...
Girls calling themselves ugly when they had amazingly stunning looks. Even with that crippled leg, Arian was beautiful. And that was a fact that couldn't be denied. Ixionn huffed and reminded himself that she was his queen and that he should be a bit more respectful, even if he was a bit angry now. But either way, he would make it clear to Arian that she was pretty. Even from the perspective of a stubborn and lazy young boy like him.
"One second, Arian. Don't say you're not pretty. I hate it when girls say that." The masked boy outstretched his neck and sighed, toes digging into the earth silently. "Especially girls that really are pretty." With that, he slowly fell back to the ground, giving Drago some time to climb up his back before he completely made contact with the earth.
It took him a little while to clear his thoughts in order to reply to her question. But once he did, his smile returned yet again, and he spoke in an uneasy tone. "But...I'm afraid I only have one friend. I think. Her name is Signy- but I haven't seen her ever since the first time we met." Ixionn shrugged, and suddenly went into a dreamy state. Signy was a pretty lady. She was coated in black, all but the orangey-copper lines beneath her eyes. And then those beautiful green eyes. Ah...did he wish they could meet up again. The little girl was probably busy with family stuff though. It'd be a while. Or, maybe it wouldn't. Eh. Well, he'd make sure he would at least get to see her.
Finally, he cleared his mind of Signy, grinning nervously to his queen. "Haha, she's a nice girl! But I should probably make some more friends...especially if I want to become a leader someday." Ixionn turned his eyes to ground and allowed his uneasy grin to become a weak smile. The words slipped out, but he refused to change them. After all...he did want to be a king someday. That's what his father wanted for him. Hajime...
"Are you liking Isokan so far? Or is it awkward suddenly walking in and becoming a queen while you know very little about our family?" Ixionn grinned again and glanced up at her, red eyes brightening with excitement.
"Speech"
'thoughts'

Arian raised an eyebrow at the boy. Really she did just tease others a lot of times. She wasn't much like anyone else, then again that was expected of the walker line wasn't it. Her ears flicked a little as he spoke. A leader, just like Hajime had wished to be. He wanted to right all his wrongs, make a better life than what his mother had. She understood that entirely, all of them seemed to have the worst lives and they were constantly struggling to make it at least a little better if not all the way. Arian understood though, and somehow he acted so much like Hajime maybe it also was his appearance. It made her sad. "I'm adjusting, I always do. Hajime was a close family member to me. He told me a lot about my heritage, and you guys when you were born as well. I'm sorry if talking about him makes you sad, Hajime would be proud of you, you act a lot like he did before... Elsa. But he never stopped loving all of you." Arian felt like she was about to step on a landmine. She was so used to talking about her depressions in life, her past, what had happened to her parents and family, that she always had to remind herself everyone was different. "Want to see something?" she asked him standing up. Her body turned towards the northern caverns. Their other home, which had many things to explore and discover. Her tail flicked back and forth as she smiled at him. "Talk" "You" Think

"I'm adjusting, I always do." She'd say simply, with a series of words tailing behind. She told him that he looked and acted so much like Hajime, and that she was actually informed of their heritage. So instead of breaking down and bawling his eyes out like he would have as a pup, he smiled. He wanted to be like his father. Because he knew Hajime was such a wonderful wolf who didn't need to die when he did. He could of continued to spread his light. And since there was an interruption in his journey, Ixionn would pick up after him and finish the job.
The masked boy studied the queen's face, his smile extending when she apologized. He shook his head and released a soft laugh. "No, it doesn't. Talking about Hajime makes me happy. He was an amazing wolf who shouldn't have died, and when others talk about him, it makes me happy...happy to know that he was so loved by others." Ixionn's tail thumped weakly against the earth as he finished. But Arian had instantly picked up after him, standing and turning her body toward the northern caverns.
"Want to see something?" Ixionn lifted and brow, and Drago, now relatively curious, crawled onto Ixionn's head and watched the red girl calmly. After a few moments, the boy nodded and skipped up beside her, tail in the air and swaying from side to side happily. "You two..." Drago was a bit confused. So he just stopped and relaxed between Ixionn's ears. "Are we heading back to the Northern Mines?"

ooc; sorry about the unnecessary shortness. xD
"Speech"
'thoughts'