Iskra did a LOT of dumb things, and she sure wasn't afraid to admit it either. Sometimes her pursuit of a good time lead her to pushing things too far. Like today, a tale in which the Astral woman went a wandering in the woods and when she found this ravine, what did she do? Why, the red lady thought to herself "I wanna climb down there! and proceeded to do just that. Rule number one; never climb down into unknown ravines alone.

After a great deal of padding around in the low lighting, aimlessly treading paths until she hit dead ends, kicking rocks as she tried to keep her mind occupied Iskra came upon a snoring fuzzy brown creature curled up in a hole that was scooped out of the wall of the ravine. She'd never admit that today she was in a bit of a foul mood, or that said mood lead her to do probably the most foolish thing she'd ever done. Poke a damn bear while it was sleeping. Who even does that?! Iskra, that's who. Waltzing right over with narrowed eyes the woman stuck out a fore-limb and poked that fuzzy snoozer without even thinking. Then it woke up, and Iskra suddenly recalled why you didn't let your mood dictate your actions.

Stupid, stupid stupid! Racing through the passages, the Aeris woman cursed herself for being such a dumbass. Even playing with badgers wasn't as insane as this! Her breaths came fast, gasping while her legs carried her at breakneck speeds through the lengths of the ravine until her worst fear was realized - a dead-end loomed up before her, trapping her between it and the snarling bear behind her. With her rump against the dirt wall, shadows casted over her faintly trembling rosey form, the beast she'd pissed off stood looking rather pleased by her predicament. Shit!

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He’d ventured south of the pack border, today. Aello led the way, snowy pelt gleaming against the dark stone wall as they delved into the ravine. Part of the reason he’d come here was to explore behind the reasoning of Sterling’s presence. Thus far, from the stale scent around the top of the wall, he could see that she’d seemingly been wandering. The rain had made it difficult to discern if she’d been actively scouting. While he didn’t believe she’d been scouting, he was still curious as to what had brought the girl so close to Celestial’s lands. Something he’d have to ask her personally. An infuriated roar of a bear ahead snapped him straight out of his musings and into high alert as Aello came racing back, fur on end. “There’s a wolf being chased ahead. Bear, big, and pissed!” Regulus felt ice rush through his veins, but he’d already launched himself forward into a dead run. It wasn’t in his nature to stand idly by or retreat when another wolf was in danger of a mauling. Artashir and Aello flanked him as he came around the last bend, and he registered the red flash mostly obscured by a bear before he took the last big stride, gathered himself with his good hind leg and pushed off. Had he had both hind legs in full order, his launching, flying tackle of a leap would have taken him well up on the ursine back. As it was, he struck the beast a solid slam of muscle in the lower back, laying his teeth to the thick hide with a resounding snarl. Aello crashed into the bear’s upper back, claws ripping into it. Artashir went for a hind leg with his claws. To say the bear was surprised would have been an understatement. Downright shocked. Suddenly the anger of being prodded out of a nice nap was forgotten in favor of the fear and anger of the unexpected attack as he staggered to the side and tried to turn and face the attackers with a bawling roar of displeasure. Regulus pushed himself away with a leap, to bring himself between the astral red woman and the ursine, jaws snapping around a fresh snarl as the cats worked as a team and convinced the bear that sticking around would not be the best plan of action. The cats dropped away and bounded aside as the bear took off, but none of the three saviors relaxed until the crashes of a fleeing bear faded far into the distance. Hopefully not toward Celestial. Regulus let the fur lay flat along his spine as he turned and studied the woman, fathomless sapphires roving her frame with a quick assessment of her condition. Nothing that said the bear had managed to lay a paw on her, luckily. So, his features relaxed into an easy grin, tongue half lolling as he quipped, “What did you do to piss him off?”

Snarling with the last of her defiant resolve, Iskra figured she probably learned this lesson a bit too late. Talk about having a bad day, though, heavens above this really wasn't how she had planned to go down! The irate bear lumbered closers and closer, seemingly relishing her realization that she was effectively trapped. Feeling it's hot breath on her face as it neared she wondered if she should try to snap at it before it beat her to death, eyes reflexively flinching as it moved in and- nothing?

A snarl ripped through the air, one that was far more canine than the ones she'd just been hearing from mere feet away. Suddenly her assailant's attention was drawn away letting Iskra breathe for a moment while it tried to get an angle on whoever was coming to Iskra's rescue. The more it stumbled around trying to figure out where they were and how to nab them the more she felt like she might not see the end of her days just yet. A man leaped down from his purchase on the animals' back to stand between Iskra and the enraged  bear. Stepping away from the wall to join the snarling display and tell her attacker to get out, Iskra stood near Regulus, hackles raised and lips drawn back.

When at last it turned tail she too waited with baited breath to make sure that the bear wouldn't grow bold and return. Once it was only a faint sound in the far, far distance she let out a sigh of relief and allowed her body to relax, rump hitting the ground as a nervous chuckle escaped her. That was more than likely the most adrenaline she'd ever felt hit her at once. Wow. The chuckle grew into a laugh as she shook her head faintly at her own stupidity and replied, "Oh, you know, lost my mind and decided to poke him while he was sleeping. I don't think fuzzbutt enjoyed that a whole lot!"

Looking to meet his Sapphire gaze with her own ocean blues, Iskra smiled and got a bit more serious as she calmed. Hey, he was tall !  And red, like her! Who knew there were more red wolves. "My name's Iskra Aeris. Thanks for saving my hide, guess I should learn not to be an idiot now that I got to watch my life flash before my eyes. Although, it was pretty cool." Never again though, bears were officially not on the list of acceptable creatures to disturb. Not that they ever should have been on it.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He had to bark out a laugh at her explanation, huffing out a sigh and shake of his head as his hind end dropped into a neatly seated position. “That would do it.” He smiled easily at her thanks, nodding, then his eyes lit up as his ears perked when she introduced himself. “I may have meta member of your family, Artemis. A sibling? I rescued her son Jupiter from these two,” He nodded toward the two mountain lion, Artashir’s dark features clearly sheepish, as Regulus continued, “And ended up with them for companions. So I went ahead and escorted the boy back to his pack’s lands.” He had to chuckle at the memory of the boy. “It’s fascinating how different he is from my two in personality.” He snuffed hard through his nose, clearing tufts of musky bear fuzz from his nostrils and scraped his muzzle through the grass before he turned his head to gaze down the ravine speculatively, musing aloud, “A bearpelt would be nice in the dens…” Those fathomless eyes flicked back to Iskra as he realized his lack of manners and quickly fixed his mistake. “I’m Regulus Anatolii Adravendi, by the way. I’m the Archangel – leader – of Celestial, the pack northwest of here.” And, come to think of it, now that his nose was clear of bear musk… her scent was in his nose, now. Dragon. His features sobered, and he studied her with fresh eyes, wariness slipping into his posture as he said, “And what is a Talis wolf doing so close to my pack after last Spring’s raid?”

Nodding faintly and giving him a knowing look Iskra sighed, "I can't say I'm surprised. Jupiter seems like a spunky kid. I haven't seen Art in forever though, but it seems like everyone else has!" her voice took on an almost pouty tone as she spoke. First that Angel guy and now this man. Although the fault was most likely hers. Artemis was always the one who had to seek out Iskra so maybe it was time for her to step up and look for her sister this time instead of waiting for Art to come hunting for her starry red hide again. Especially since she had three kids, poor thing was probably constantly busy with them.

She glanced to the felines as the man mentioned them. They brought Dragon's set of felines to mind and she suddenly wondered what it might be like to befriend such creatures. Smiling at Regulus' musings, she shrugged, "It's probably genetic. Jupiter has that Aeris spirit." Heaven help Iskra when she had pups of her own. It wouldn't be like Arwen, those kids would have her blood and probably keep her constantly on her toes trying to prevent either them or herself from dying. She could see it now, a complete mess as little starry children climbed all over her.

Taking in the name of both the man and the pack for future use, she was going to respond when he seemed to suddenly shift from amiable to uncertain. Oh right, she sure was a pack wolf now, wasn't she? Getting used to her scent suddenly having new meaning to those around her wasn't easy. Keeping a neutral tone she gently explained, "I actually didn't know you were the ones they raided. I met Dragon before then, and didn't join Talis until quite recently. He didn't even really tell me what happened there aside from the fact that he was blinded by injuries he received during that raid," she mused, brows furrowing slightly, "I mean no harm though, in fact you have me intrigued. If you don't mind, I would like to know what exactly happened. Why was your pack the target?" Iskra was genuinely curious, though she'd understand if Regulus would rather not chit chat about it.

Her brows knitted together further as she gazed at him and added, "I mean maybe it's cause you just saved my sorry hide but to me you seem nice enough." Not being an alpha or knowing him well might make her opinion worthless, but Iskra preferred to not burn bridges entirely. Heck, even after that stupid pack challenge she wasn't going to end her deal with Malleus. Of course, that was a means to an end. Speaking of, she needed to focus and work on upholding her end of said deal. Taking her mind off what transpired as well as creating a working relationship with this world's newest threat. Two birds, one stone.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

It made the crimson male smile as she remarked upon the Aeris spirit, a soft chuckle escaping as he admitted, “She looked healthy, but very much like she needed a break. And she does give the impression that she can give a very good chewing out. My own are so well behaved I worry my daughter sometimes forgets to be a pup. They’re the only children their age in the pack, so they’ve no one to really cause mischief with.” As the serious time arrived, he studied her features as she spoke of her experiences. A brow point lifted, then was followed by the other as she spoke of the fact that Dragon hadn’t even let her in on the reasons of why he was wandering around blind. “Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but you carry his scent far more strongly than most pack wolves would. My guess is that you are his mate, or at the very least a very, very close friend. My own mate knows every single detail about every moment of my life, and I of hers. We keep nothing from one another. Since your leader has neglected to be open with you about his wounds, I will fill you in.” He drew in a breath, and blew it out in a sigh, tail drawing to tuck about his hips, as he began, “To answer your question as to why we were the target, I’d love to tell you I know exactly why. Truth is, I have no idea why there was a raid in the first place. As far as I was aware, we were on, at the very least, cordial terms with Talis. My late cousin Kavdaya’s mate was Creed Ancora. Dragon’s cousin. Their children are in my pack, and were in my pack at the time of the raid.” A soft click of his tongue followed the words, ad he growled out, softly, “Creed was murdered last year. Valor, his son, was badly wounded by the same bitch who killed Creed when he fought her off his son. Justice, Valor’s sister, went to Talis and informed Dragon in person, of the murder. And then, quite soon after that, in spring… Talis comes a-raiding upon my pack. When he knew damn well that his own family members were members of my pack, and that they had just suffered a heart-breaking loss. “The gist is that they were after herbs. Which, to me, makes no sense. If they were truly desperate, Dragon could have come to trade with us. Celestial helps others. If he had come peacefully to ask for help, he would have gained a good reputation as being level-headed, and he wouldn’t have put members of his pack in danger.” Those fathomless sapphires gazed into Iskra’s eyes, and there was nothing but pure honesty there. “They went away empty pawed. We fought them off, but not before one of my hunters was fully blinded, one of my now former members was half blinded. My uncle was half blinded, my brother maimed, and myself? Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed my right hind leg isn’t exactly working correctly. Not only that, but he took Valor prisoner. And this leads to why Dragon is blind. Justice, his own cousin, blinded him. Both in retribution for the actions against Celestial, and thus, her family, but for Valor being attacked. She didn’t find out until afterward that Val was actually force claimed. “Valor is unaware that their mother died this past Autumn. Dragon not only stole him from his siblings, he stole him from his mother’s side while she was ailing, dying… and he has stolen the chance to say goodbye from him too.” A slow shake of his head followed the story. “I don’t believe the raid was an ‘act of desperation’. It was an act of hubris. And a raid on my pack is a hostile action, and taking one of my members prisoner, no matter what he did afterward with Valor, is an act of war.” To her final words, he chuckled, softly. “I prefer making friends, to making enemies. Allies are useful when it comes to stamping out threats.”

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Iskra said with a breathy laugh. She was definitely going to visit her sister soon, maybe offer to babysit or something. Art might like that since it seemed she might be running around after some spirited little munchkins all day.

There was a moment when Iskra hesitated at the mention of being Dragon's mate. This whirlwind romance, or whatever it was, was the only thing of its kind she'd experienced so far. Before now she'd figured she might not even end up having a mate. "You're correct, I suppose I'm just not used to calling it that."

A frown would knit her brows together as she digested the news this man gave her. She was beginning to get an interesting picture, one she wasn't sure she liked at all. If they were at least on somewhat good terms why resort to a raid right away? That didn't make a lot of sense. And, he had family there? Yeah, that sure didn't sit too well with Iskra - in fact she could feel her muscles tensing and teeth gritting, body language betraying her increasing confusion and irritation.

It was all for herbs?! Was that for real? As Regulus listed off the injuries sustained she could feel her chest tightening, ears falling back as she gazed at him quietly and saw no reason not to believe him. Shaking her rosy head she let out a soft sigh, "If there's one thing most important to me and my kin it's family. For me to hear of this fruitless and from what you tell me unnecessary and devastating raid, well, I think my bloods about ten degrees hotter. Hear me when I tell you, you're not the only one on the war path if Dragon does not explain himself to my satisfation." her normally soft tones took on a harder edge the more she thought about the things she'd just been told. No matter what came of it, she was going to be having a rather serious conversation with the man she'd just professed to love.

At his final words she'd grow silent a moment, blue eyes taking on a thoughtful expression as she canted her head and studied Regulus briefly. It was clear she was debating something, and it took her a minute to decide. When she did, Iskra straightened a little, her voice gentler but still quite serious and she decided to offer this man something in return for what he'd just shared, "Thank you for telling me what Dragon failed to. Whether I am his mate, his pack member, or anything else the thing I prize is my own freedom. My agency and ability to make independent choices is important to me. Of course that hardly makes me the best pack member, but, today it works to your benefit. As a thanks for your helpfulness I'd like to offer you my own brief tale. A warning of something on the horizon you and others may not be aware of." Taking a deep breath as memories of the challenge flashed through her mind, Iskra closed her eyes and breathed several times before going on, "Several times recently I met some strange wolves. They speak of conquest, of gods, and they all have the surname Abraxas."

Visions of Ashiel and Dragon in their fight ran through her head, with Dragon and his companions working together in their bid to fight off the challenger, "I wasn't aware until the challenge that, most likely before I joined, Dragon let two of them into his pack lands. They took advantage and targeted Talis, knowing that he would be blind by the time of the challenge." shaking her head and huffing bitterly she grimaced, "The one who challenged, Ashiel, had a whole pack of these Abraxas behind him. I have to wonder if they obtained it through the same means... If so, there seems to be a dangerous threat looming in Auster. And I have no doubt they will come north next. Watch out for Abraxas wolves, with their mottled coats and titan-like size. Maybe it's not my place, but I'd recommend doing what my mate did not. Strengthen ties with other packs. I'm considering going to find out if anyone in boreas has run into them yet, while I'm on my little errand..."

Speaking of this errand, she really needed to get on with it and find some herbs while she was in Boreas. There was just one small problem. Iskra didn't know anything about herbs! Sniffing the air and finding several earthy plant smells but recognizing none as useful, she frowned and glanced up at Regulus. Since she'd already shared this much, she figured it couldn't hurt to ask for help with one teensy little thing, right? "Before they came seeking to take Talis, I made a deal with one of the Abraxas men. I'm to help him gather herbs and find good places to get her them, in return for a favor of my choosing. I'm not stupid, I plan to keep that deal intact since a favor could be very useful indeed. But, I may have bit off slightly more than I can chew seeing as I don't know much of anything about herbs. Do you?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He could see that his words had some effect on Iskra. Far from wanting to wreck Dragon’s relationship, he wanted to know this woman knew who she was choosing to spend her life with. And it was clear she didn’t. However, his mind turned from the matter as Iskra offered her own tale; a warning, and he nodded, ears perking as his features turned serious. He took in the tale with that same intense expression, nodding from time to time as he listened. “Thank you, Miss Aeris. I will certainly keep that in mind.” He straightened, head cocking as she went on about her deal. She was resourceful, and clearly intelligent enough to take care of herself. Favors were indeed useful. Something Dragon hadn’t seemed to learn. The fact that he’d been foolish enough to allow a threat to tour his lands stood as enough reason alone to consider him an unfit leader. Or the two he’d shown around were excellent actors. Probably a mixture of both. “I do know something about herbs. My grandmother was a healer, the best on this continent in her time. My mate is also a healer, and two of my cousins, as well. If you ever meet a Nomad, though, you’re in some of the best paws for learning what to look for. They have colored scars on their brow to signal their status as master healers.” He grinned easily at her, wariness once again gone. His gut said she had no threat to bring him, and she had been highly helpful. “Were there any particular herbs your Abraxas fellow was particularly interested in? Any particular functions?”

She didn't really know how to process what she'd learned here, it would take time for the depth of the anger welling up within her to make itself known. For now she was tired and uncertain and -though she wouldn't admit it aloud - thankful to be doing these errands she'd set out to do instead of standing around mulling over things. Yes, she was glad she knew the extant of what happened in the raid, but she was pretty irked that she had to hear it from someone other than Dragon himself. If he couldn't open up and share important things with her what was the point? Closing her cerulean eyes she took in a few slow breaths, letting her mind clear so she could cool off. Better to let her knee-jerk reactions subside before she headed back to Auster... For the time being though, she was busy anyways.

Regarding the crimson male, Iskra decided that maybe if she learned more she'd pass it on to him. Her travels would probably take her all over Boreas before she was done. If she learned more and ended up near his pack, she might feel obligated to share. After all, she wasn't sure how many packs had reliable emissaries to send messages. As long as she was fact finding and herb hunting she might be tempted to fill such a role to entertain herself...

"An impressive resume indeed, I'm inclined to think you may just be the perfect man to aid me in this quest for herbs," she said with a smirk, her demeanor mirroring his and becoming more relaxed as he did. She couldn't help but find it irritating to think someone so easy to talk to and get along with was raided seemingly unnecessarily. Their exchanges thus far went well, each of the pair offering information and acting cordially. Ah well, back to the topic at hand. "I'll have to keep an eye out for such wolves in my travels. I want to bring back as many herbs as I can when I finally return to Auster and hopefully make myself invaluable to these Abraxas. I imagine they'll like having someone to aid their healers without taking up space in their ranks." after all, they seemed like smart, calculating individuals. They'd know a good recourse when they saw one.

Her face scrunched up as she considered Regulus' question. Finally she shrugged and admitted, "I don't think it was discussed. But, in hopes of matching the value of unspecified favors, I think I should look for herbs that are less common. Actually, ones that don't grow at all in Auster would be ideal no matter the rarity since it would be a long trip for them to collect such plants... I suppose function doesn't matter a great deal but I imagine they need mostly herbs to help treat wounds, what with their family being bent on conquering. They must get in a lot of fights and do a good deal of sparing and the like." Iskra was pretty proud of her deductions. It made her feel like she was actually out accomplishing things, learning, and getting to exercise her brain for once.