Surreal Adravendi

Surreal meandered the borders of what had once been Valhallan territory, before it had been Arcanum’s dwelling. If you could have called them dwellers. A small snap of her jaws dispelled the thoughts. Arcanum was gone. And Valhalla would rise again, as it always had, though under a new name. She had given it serious thought for as long as the notion to revive the pack had been in her head. Resurrecting Valhalla would be like waving a fresh kill in front of a pack of starving mongrels. No sooner would she have settled the revived pack into life then some bastard with some kind of meaningless beef with the pack would come a-challenging. Yes, challenges were inevitable, in some cases. But the only other pack she could think of that had been passed through more paws and more challenges was perhaps the long since died out Tortuga. Glaciem, she believed, ran third. No. Valhalla would rise again, but it would have two new names. One in Common, and its translation in the Old Tongue. Spéartha. Celestial. The name settled something in her gut, eased her heart. Similar, but not enough to trigger those who had caused trouble in the past. The rules would be harsher, but it would be to ensure a strong pack. The time was long since due to turn these Plains into the bustling home Valhalla had made it for years. And if anyone slacked off, they could kiss ‘home’ goodbye and go to a more lenient pack. Perhaps with a few shiny new scars to remind them that laziness wouldn’t be something Spéartha as a whole would tolerate. And… that even included her own family, as much as it hurt to admit that her own family might be lax. Maybe it was the heat of her season that was making her grouchy today. She had been considering not trying for a litter this year. It was past time to get Spéartha going. She’d been lenient with herself, and then she had been too busy raising pups, getting lost with Regulus, nursing her despondent husband back to health, and then raising pups again this year. The only step forward she had made was moving here after Arcanum had been vanquished, and Gods, she wished she could have been a part of that fight. Her tail flicked behind her, a grumble rolling through her chest. This year, it would be different. She intended to stick to her plan. Pups could happen next year. This year was to be devoted to making it real. A scent caught her nose and she lowered her head to get a better sniff at the spore. A deer, passing through. She analyzed the scent and decided the animal was healthy, thus safe from her, especially since Regulus had brought in a deer the day before, and they had plenty left, even with their number of family members. Family. Her heart gave a pang as she thought of Castiel, Faite, her mother, and all the others who were missing... Or dead. She had been so sure Castiel would be home for good, and Faite? She hadn’t even gotten to see her third-born grow up. She had wanted to provide a safe, structured pack for all of them. But for some of them? It might already be too late. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Nostalgia had drawn her here once again. These plains had been her home since she was young, since they had fled her birthplace when she was but a child. Part of her hoped she might find some of her missing family here again one day - Chrysanthe, Eos or Preston, or maybe even one of her missing children. It had been far too long since she had seen most of them. Despite the time that had passed, though, it seemed this place hadn't changed. Her blue eyes drifted along the landscape, the flat plains she had known as home for so long..  the only thing that was different, now, was that these lands were vacant. There were no borders marking a claimed territory; there were only vague hints that wolves had passed through recently.

Her dual-colored ears flicked as she searched the sounds in the air, moving slowly and cautiously. There was no reason to feel safe here, though thanks to muscle memory she moved with ease across the various bumps in the terrain. Even some of the trees and shrubs were familiar, little more than memories of a life she had chosen to leave behind long ago. Still she wondered what might have been different had she not chosen Seracia. Perhaps this might still be her home.

A soft rustling in the distance would alert her to the presence of another. Inquisitive eyes would rove her surroundings, searching for the source of the sound, as she crept closer. Only when the female's scent finally hit her did she realize it was Surreal. Feeling her tail begin to sway happily behind her, she would turn slightly to close the distance between them, a smile making its way to her lips. "Surreal,"   she'd greet her with a dip of her head. "It's a surprise seeing you here."  

Surreal Adravendi

Epiphron’s arrival on the scene was enough to wilt the irritation brought along by hormones begging to be soothed. An easy grin came to her face as she turned to prance back to her sister, falling alongside with her, fur just brushing. ”Pip. It’s a surprise to see you so far from Fiori.” A quick sniff gave her a clue, and she cocked her head, eying her older sister curiously. ”Stepped down, have you?” A second sniff settled the idea in her head; Epiphron no longer carried that special something in her scent that marked a wolf as an alpha. She wasn’t sure what it was that changed the scent in a wolf that made them so identifiably Alpha. Not only that, but Epiphron seemed more relaxed, less careworn. A chuckle left her before she said “We’ve been here since Arcanum was crushed and I found out they were gone. No way in hell was I going to let some strays hole up in Mother’s den. Wanted to retch when I first walked in, though. Her den reeked of the two alphas. Naturally, it had to be the bitch who blinded my mate that settled into Mother’s home. Into her alcove, even.” Some of the anger surfaced in her words, before she pushed it away. “We’ve been keeping our scents at a minimum, though. Don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves before I can get Celestial started.” Her tail gave a flick as she turned her head to smile at her sister. “The time is upon us, dear sister. Valhalla will rise again under a new name. Like it always has, and always will.” So much confidence in her voice. This time, she wasn’t stopping the momentum needed to raise the flag. “How’s everyone in Fiori? Any new babies or members?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Was it really surprising to see Surreal her? In a way, it wasn't - this place held so many memories for all of them that it was difficult to not to want to return once in awhile. Along with the memories though came pain. This was the last place she'd ever seen her father, and this was where he was buried too. It was difficult to imagine that she might not want to come here again, someday, if but for a moment. Her own expression lightened at Surreal's approach, her tail swaying lightly behind her to indicate her pleasure at seeing her adoptive sister. She had only really known Surreal when she was a child, but that didn't mean they couldn't still be close - or that they couldn't continue to get to know one another. The comment about being surprised to see her so far from Fiori brought a wistful smile to her lips. "One can't stay in the same place forever," she thought aloud, no matter how perfect a place might be. This place, these plains, she could've happily lived in for all of her years without complaint.    

"I have," she noted gently with a nod to accompany it. "I've given the pack to Leo. I'm too old and tired to be dealing with politics." A playful laugh left her lips. Epiphron wasn't that old, but she'd lost interest in holding power; it mattered to her much more that her children were well and thriving.

Her ears flicked as Surreal spoke, explaining that she'd been here since the last pack left.  It was good to know an Adravendi had been living here, if nothing else. Her nose wrinkled as she listened to the story that Surreal told. She felt her chest swell with pride at Surreal's wish to bring Valhalla back to rule as a new pack, called Celestial. "Well, you know Fiori will always support and aid you," she offered gladly. "Things are fairly quiet there, though admittedly I've been keeping to myself. Nothing of interest to note. What about you, though?" Her gaze sparkled as she eyed her, wondering where her husband was - and the kids she had spoken of too.