YOU POINT THE BLAME. I'LL TAKE THE FALL.

The smell of blood had brought him to this place. It wasn't an attractive smell; it was a harsh, familiar smell that opened the flood gates for memories he'd tried to forget. A shiver ran down his spine in response to his thoughts, turning them from his own experiences to those of the fallen. It was obvious that a battle had occurred here recently - Tiresias assumed at least two from the state of the ground. The claw marks and red stains indicated that they had been fierce fights. Tiresias wondered if the loser had lost more than just his pride, but he wouldn't dwell on the thought. The wolves were long gone.



A more pressing matter was the fact that what started these battles was unknown. He could have easily wandered into a dangerous area, where he was likely to witness a fight or become part of one. alert to any sound or movement, Tiresias kept a close eye on his surroundings. He didn't enjoy fighting but he would if it became necessary to do so. Tiresias was more of a peacemaker than a troublemaker, partially out of his distaste for more scarring.



The battlefield was dead. No flowers appeared to be growing there, no animals seemed to live there. It was as if every living creature had vacated the hell hole. Tiresias was beginning to feel antsy and was itching to leave. Anywhere else was better than here. If another wolf were to approach, his sense of smell would not aide him in knowing. The stench of rot was too thick.



He was intent on remaining as quiet as possible, ignorant to the rules of the arena. This was a place he did not want to be found in alone, but if he had known differently, he would have howled his arrival. Tiresias had been searching for a pack to call his home but he didn't feel that this would be the best place to start.

TAG: any! . WORDS: 328 . NOTES: edited for prettiness.

The battlefield. It was not a place that Kamala had wandered before. She had never felt any sort of desire to. Gerhardt and Maverick had always been the ones to scout out potential members. But Kamala was temporarily in charge of Seracia and what better time to start recruiting than right then? That was what had drawn Kamala out there and she padded along she felt uncomfortably out of place. This was a strange place. How did recruitment work? She wasn't even sure. But hey, if she was recruiting a wolf, they probably wouldn't have had much experience with being recruited, otherwise they would have a pack already. When her gaze settled on a rather rough looking black male, Kamala cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and set off in his direction with a sigh. She could do this. "Hello, sir." Kamala greeted the male in a friendly tone, tilting her head slightly as she examined him. Other than the scars marking his body, he seemed to be in fairly good condition. Perhaps he could contribute to Seracia. It was worth a try. And if he was seeking a fight, Kamala would continue on her way. "What brings you to these lands on a day such as this?" Emerald eyes focused on him as she devoted her entire attention to this male. His next answer would decide if Kamala stuck around. There were many possibilities for how this meeting would go. But Kamala sincerely hoped that she would return home with another member, a way to prove to her father that he had been right in trusting her with Seracia while he and her brother were away. Speech,

YOU POINT THE BLAME. I'LL TAKE THE FALL.

As he had expected, he hadn't smelled the female before she arrived. Fortunately, she made the first move toward introductions, calling out a friendly greeting. Tiresias waited a few seconds to assess her body language, and responded after determining that she was not a threat. "Hello, miss," he said, his tail wagging softly. He wouldn't admit it but he was extremely happy that she seemed friendly. Fighting was not his thing, and to be honest, he wasn't that great at it either.



She questioned his being in the battlefield, and he instantly replied with, "It wasn't exactly by choice. I've been wandering for a while now but I'm still fairly new to this region." A shadow of a grin crossed his face but soon faded away. "I've forgotten my manners. The name's Tiresias, miss. Medic." His striking orange eyes kept a steady gaze on the gray female, a look of interest in them. She was the first female he'd met in Alacritis and he was determined to treat her with the utmost respect.



For the briefest of moments, his mind turned to his brother, Tyberius. The thought had been unprovoked. He wondered if the cripple had survived the winter. It would weigh heavily on his conscience if his brother had died alone.



With great effort, Tiresias brought himself back to the present. This female was here in the now, speaking with him. He would not dishonor her by being distracted.

TAG: kamala! open! . WORDS: 240 . NOTES: edited for prettiness.

At the friendly greeting, Kamala relaxed slightly, figuring that he wasn't much of a threat if he was calling her miss. And he was respectful. It was a far cry from what Kamala had expected from a wolf in a place like this. She had heard that wolves fought to the death here. The thought made her shudder violently, and Kamala turned a thoughtful green gaze on the male before her in an attempt to distract herself. She looked at him thoughtfully as he spoke, tilting her head slightly. "I assume, then, that you are not with a pack?" Kamala questioned curiously, mulling over her options as she spoke. She could tell this male of Seracia, offer him a home, if that was what he desired. But some wolves preferred to wander than to settle down. Still, she could make the offer. But she would wait to see how he reacted to her observation first. She would look foolish if she offered him a place within Seracia when he already had a pack. A smile crossed Kamala's features at the mention of manners, and the female snorted softly. He would fit in perfectly with Seracia, she thought to herself. "My name is Kamala. Grand Duchess - or beta, I suppose - of Seracia." It was due to her meeting with Fenrir that she remembered that not every wolf knew what a Grand Duchses was. To her, it was second nature to call herself that. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Tiresias." She spoke lightly, but it was indeed the truth. He had been perfectly kind since she had first spoken to him, and very respectful. It was a good deal more than she would have expected from a wolf in a place like this.

YOU POINT THE BLAME. I'LL TAKE THE FALL.

Tiresias found himself fortunate enough to have met two good-natured wolves in a row, although he feared that three was too much to hope for. The female seemed to relax when she realized that he posed no threat to her. It was ironic to him that he was a decently-large wolf with no will to fight. Most expected him to attack them first due to the deep scars on his face and chest, something he found funny only when the other was passive in their behavior. It was only when the other wolf had its teeth bared that he would shy away, his ears back and his tail between his legs, rather like a big puppy.



His ears perked forward from their lax positioning when she spoke. "You have assumed correctly. I'm actively seeking a pack but somehow ended up in this godforsaken place," he said, his words a mix of elegance and regularity.



The female smiled at him and although his face did not match hers, his eyes burned with that same emotion. He raised his eyebrow at the mention of her title, impressed. "The pleasure is mine, Grand Duchess Kamala." He repeated the name to keep it fresh in his mind; if he met her again, Tiresias would feel odd asking her name. It was a good thing that she had mentioned what her title actually meant, for if she hadn't, he would have been very lost in the conversation early on.



For the first time, Tiresias wondered why she was here. He had accidentally arrived here but Kamala appeared to have come here for a purpose. "Forgive me if I'm out of line, but what brings a beta to this awful place?"

TAG: kamala! open! . WORDS: 285 . NOTES: none.

So he was seeking a pack, huh? Kamala twitched her ears, filing that away for future reference. She would have to tell him a little bit about Seracia soon. But for the moment, she contented herself with a simple, "This isn't the first place that I would look for a pack." There was a note of amusement to her voice as she examined the scarred male. He was indeed very polite. She had to admit that much. He would fit right in with Seracians. She inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement of his words before turning her attention to what he said next. What brought her here? Well, this was the perfect time to make her offer. It was a good thing that she had held off on mentioning it earlier; this was the perfect bridge. "I have come seeking members for my pack," Kamala spoke lightly, though her voice was carefully controlled as she hesitated, trying to gauge how he would react to her words, "Many wolves claim members for their packs in this place. I was hoping to find a willing member, however, rather than one forcibly claimed." The thought was vaguely distasteful to Kamala. She had no interest in forcing any wolf to be a member of her pack. It seemed rather counterintuitive to her. Why force a wolf to be a member of a pack? Flicking her ears, Kamala returned her attention to Tiresias once more. "Now, I know that you said you were actively seeking a pack. Would you be interested in learning of Seracia?" And now the offer had been made. She could not control his answer, and if he declined, Kamala would continue on her way. For her, it was simple enough.

YOU POINT THE BLAME. I'LL TAKE THE FALL.

He took in her words as she spoke, finding the conversation more and more appealing as she went on. She was here, looking for new recruits? Tiresias knew next to nothing about her pack and was already intrigued. Kamala seemed pleasant enough, and if her packmates were anything like her, he'd say yes instantly. He needed something like a family again, wolves to care about his well-being. Tiresias had been robbed of all that far too early in life, and in the grisliest way. The scars on his face prickled uncomfortably at the thought and he tilted his head toward the ground, raising a forelimb to rub against the offending area.



Returning his paw to the earth, he glanced back at her, realizing what she had offered. Kamala had offered information about her pack to him, the last piece of information he needed before he jumped in with all four paws. "I would like that very much," he answered, a grin cracking his usually stoic demeanor. Tiresias was more than happy to have found a pack to take him in. He was no loner rogue who could function just as well on his own as in a pack. The feeling of having other wolves around was enough for him. He just hoped that Seracia would be his perfect fit.



Tyberius popped into his head but Tiresias pushed the memories away. Kamala was too well-tempered to willingly take in a wolf like his brother. He would not find Tyberius residing there.

TAG: any! . WORDS: 250 . NOTES:

Seracia, Seracia, Seracia. How to explain the pack that she had been raised in? The pack that her father loved so dearly? "Seracia puts a lot of emphasis on respect. Be polite to all wolves, but especially those of a higher rank than yourself. Obey all orders given to you by older wolves. We do not force wolves to stay within our ranks, so if you find that the Kingdom is not a place you would like to be, you may leave, of course. Just don't be stupid, and you should be fine." Here she paused, glancing at Tiresias in an attempt to gauge how he felt about Seracia thus far. "Do you have any questions? If Seracia does not interest you, I know a little of some of the other packs in Alacritia, and I can can tell you what I know of them." Valhalla and Ludicael were the ones that she knew the most of, and she would be happy to tell him anything that he desired to know of those other packs if Seracia did not interest him. However, she rather hoped that Seracia would catch his eye, for he seemed like the kind of wolf who would fit in there well.

YOU POINT THE BLAME. I'LL TAKE THE FALL.

"I have no questions, no further information is needed, miss. I would like to accept your Seracian offer. It seems like a place that I could call home very easily. Would you mind leading the way?" His heart leapt. He was going home, finally. These wolves would accept him for being the wolf that he was; from the sound of it, their personalities would be much like his own. It was nice to have the prospect of a safe place to rest his head at night.



His mother would have been proud, surely. With any luck, the other wolves would like him and enjoy his company.

TAG: kamala! . WORDS: 106 . NOTES: horrible muse but yay!