fireball on the rocks

The pale woman was almost a foot taller than her, and for a moment as she appeared Katja mistook her for Laufey but no, it was the woman from Imperium. Valentine's woman? "Katja Finnvi," she offered her own name briefly in return. The woman was blunt and to the point, offering her battle and, with only a moment's fleeting thought to the size difference, Katja inclined her head in acquiescence. "A spar, then,' she agreed. The woman facing her was young, but not so young as to be untrained and paired with her height that would make her a formidable opponent. Something this restless burning within her craved more than anything. A flicker of a figure seen in her peripheral vision, and she knew Auora was with her - but...

She turned her head sharply when the voice of an unknown wolf struck her, and her eyes widened to see the flicker she had seen was no vision but a solid wolf. "Auora!" she rasped, but immediately shook her head in confusion. For a moment, just a moment, she'd been shocked by the wolf's appearance into seeing her sister, for the wolf resembled her so greatly and the norsk words that issued forth. But the wolf was male, and young, and the black patch over his eye set him apart. But for that, he was nearly identical.

A second wolf sprang forward, and with hair-trigger instincts sharper than usual between her heat, the prospect of battle with the Imperium woman, and simple shock, the sudden appearance of this third stranger nearly tipped her over the edge into an instinctively aggressive response. She restrained herself, barely, as the stranger dropped her own aggression in favor of a smile and stopped just short of the male's side, but Katja's gray pelt bristled and she remained in a warrior's stance. Both of these strangers, too, were taller than she was, though the male did not reach Esti's height and this new one, a young female whose words marked her as the male's sister, was only a few inches taller than Katja herself. Dark monochrome colors similar to Katja's own, though more subtly arrayed. "Du befinner deg i Alacratia, fremmed, på slagmarken," she answered with caution.

She turned her head just slightly to bring the Imperium woman back into her attention. "Forgive me my rudeness. It is not with frequency that I find someone from my culture with which to converse. I will not keep you waiting long." And to the pair - "Min tid er blitt lovet å kjempe. Jeg er imidlertid sterkt interessert i å fortsette denne samtalen hvis du ikke protestere. Jeg ber om overbærenhet for et øyeblikk mens jeg oppfylle min forpliktelse."

Long experience allowed her to narrow her focus entirely upon the tall Imperium woman, all but eliminating the other pair from her thoughts though enough of her attention remained on them that she would not be taken unaware if she were attacked. Facing Esti head on, she indicated to the woman that she could begin.