By The Gods
Serene had taken her time with her mother's resting ceremony; so much so, she had nearly forgotten her date with the Alpha down south and her promised religious lessons on The Fallen God. So much had happened since she last traveled to these lands, it almost felt like she was traveling them for the first time once again. The fawn woman had to reach back to her last visit, when Malleus told her the landmarks that would act as her directions to his Empire. Once she past the strange rock sculpture where she had met the silver male, she would spend another day heading southwest, hoping to stumble upon that Boneyard he spoke of. It would take her another half a day to cross such a horrible place riddled with death and decay, until she came into sight of what she assumed to be Malleus's territory.
Many yards ahead of her, stood the beginnings of a heavy line of vegetation woven with a vast array of grapevines. Like a thick, invisible blanket, many scents guarded this territory. Unlike the stone structure, where the scents of wolves past were little and fading, this place wore it's colors proudly. It was unmistakable, even for an inexperienced female like Serene, who had never been on the borders of a claimed land before. That would be her next problem. At last, she had finally found the Empire Malleus told her about, but how would she get his attention? She knew that crossing into claimed land was a death sentence, so she had to call out to him from here. But how would he know it was her? Perhaps that was just something Alpha's were trained to know.
So Serene sat back on her haunches, letting her tail rest lazily beside her, before letting out a soft and delicate call into the vines. Hopefully it would be loud enough for Malleus to hear and recognize her voice, even if it was as gentle as a lullaby. Serene would then anxiously wait, uncertain who she would see emerge from the vines. Perhaps another family member would respond to her call, or maybe it would be the silver male with sky blue eyes. Thoughts began to think about what things she could possibly learn today, who she would meet, and what would come of this meeting. Would the fawn woman end up choosing to live here? Or was there something hidden in those vines that would chase her away? The possibilities were endless and that alone was enough to intrigue the woman.
"Speech"
Malleus was making his way to one of his herb caches with a bundle of dried horsetail wrapped in a hide and clamped firmly between his teeth. He'd been thinking a lot lately about preparedness. The Abraxas lived and breathed physical training. They were ready for whatever fight came their way. It made sense then for him to be just as prepared to treat their wounds and it was for that reason that he'd begun squirreling away useful, wound care related items. The soft howl at the border made him veer off course. He wasn't sure if it was the vines that prevented her voice from carrying far or what, but Serene was lucky he'd been nearby otherwise he might not have heard her. Malleus recognized her voice immediately. The intricately marked woman had made an impression and she wouldn't be someone he'd forget easily. Malleus wove through the trees until he found a break in the vines and was able to weasel his way through. He then doubled back outside the border and trotted along it until Serene came into view. He nearly woofed a greeting when he saw her, but remembered at the last second that he was carrying a bundle that would muffle the sound. Stopping a few feet away, he dropped the bundle and stood up with a smile. "Ah, Serene! I'm glad you decided to visit. Welcome." |