He walked beside the volcano idly, his piercing eyes all but glaring at the lush green plains in the distance. Abaven. Once his home, now a standing example of weakness to contrast the bold wolves of Ruina. He paced through the black stones surrounding the burning mountain, his thoughts beginning to wander as they so frequently did. Thinking of Abaven always set his teeth on edge; particularly when he thought of his adolescent year. The plans he had made with Aranea, Vali explaining that he would have no preference to Sparrow in spite of how much more qualified he was, Bass leaving Abaven altogether to search of his erstwhile sisters. Betrayal after betrayal. Some days he was content to let them all run themselves into the ground and watch as Abaven consumed itself into nonexistence, but other days he wanted revenge. Just as his mind began to drift toward the serpent filled plains he had once called home, the Apollyon himself sent him a sign. He stepped back as the shale beneath his feet writhed under his paw and a great hooded serpent seemingly crafted from obsidian itself rose with a whispering hiss that sent a chill up his spine. His eyes widened momentarily, bottomless black pools staring back at him as the snake’s mouth parted with the promise of a venomous kiss. “Baaack!” She menaced, the hood surrounding her head opening wide to reveal two perfectly white false eyes. “Baaack!” She repeated, closing her mouth and flicking her black tongue to taste the heat of his body. “No!”He snarled in retaliation. “I am Tyranis Praetor! Ruina is my home! You can’t threaten me here!” The serpent drew back as if affronted that a creature such as himself would have the audacity to challenge her. She had never seen a wolf who had not heeded her warning and took flight instantly. The male stayed rooted, ivory fangs bared as the coiled serpent weaved apprehensively. ”Home…” She whispered in the wolfen tongue, then twisted her body to glance at the green plain in the distance. “HOME GONE! MY HOME NOW!"  She roared, opening her hood once again to threaten him. Tyranis, undaunted looked at the creature evenly. “Then it seems we have something in common.” The snake faltered again, her tongue flicking uncertainly. “Tyranisss…” She whispered then rose above him to look down at him “I RAANEE!” She declared boldly “I QUEEN!” “And I am a KING!”  He roared back proudly, the black serpent rearing back as if he had spat venom at her himself. “Raanee!” He declared with a wild snap of his head, flashing his teeth. “Serve me as my companion and advisor and I will give you a new home here! Serve me and I will serve you in turn.” Her hood lowered cautiously, her piercing eyes never leaving his. He was offering to be her servant, which appealed to her greatly, but the idea of needing to reciprocate such service gave her pause. What could a wolf possibly offer her that she could not claim for herself? "Talk"  "Thought" "Raanee" "You"

Although Korinna hadn't been here long at all, she'd found ways to occupy herself since being led her by Elias. What little free time she managed was admittedly spend daydreaming about her newfound leader, wondering if he was always as strange as he had been at their first meeting. She couldn't help but try to plot ways to somehow catch his attention, too, the next time she spotted him; likewise, she had plenty of time to dwell on the ways Ruina worked and formulate a plan to rise in its ranks. In truth though, she had been scouting out the borders of her new home, learning the borders of Mount Volkan - as well as navigating its treacherous peak, to the best of her ability - intending on continuing her scouting until she knew this place as well as the back of her own paw.

She heaved a slightly bored sigh as she traversed the dark rubble surrounding the volcano's base, deciding that she ought to meet some of her new packmates, lest she got to know the shrubbery better than the wolves here. Lifting her silvery gaze to the horizon, something caught her attention, and she rode that interest like a wave. It didn't take long for her to close the distance between she and Tyranis, moving with a fluid grace that contradicted her more brazen personality until she stood a few yards from him. Perhaps she would've moved closer, but something else caught her interest.. a rather larger serpent stood at the paws of this stranger. He was not much smaller than her, and his coat reminded her quite a bit of Elias. There was an obvious resemblance, but she wasn't sure if it was merely by chance or if the two were related.

Either way, he was gorgeous, and her jaw unhinged just slightly as she got a better look at him. She was so thoroughly distracted by his appearance that she was blind to the context of what had just occurred between the wolf and the snake, though after a moment she returned her attention to the serpent, nose wrinkling slightly in uncertainty. "Sorry, am I... interrupting something here?" She really had no fucking clue what it was that she could possibly be interrupting, but she quirked a brow and waited, deciding that being too abrasive with a potential family member of Elias was probably not a smart move.

He glanced over his shoulder at the approaching woman and smiled at her boldly before returning his attention to the snake. “Not at all.” He said confidently as he and the serpent seemed to reach amnesty. “Raanee!” He boomed, his chest swelling with self-assurance. “Beautiful obsidian queen, she who spits liquid fire, black dragon of the ages, I ask you to be my familiar and led me your power!” With each title that passed the storm wolf’s lips Raanee found herself more and more infatuated with the charismatic male. Clearly he was someone who knew the respect she as a serpent queen was entitled to. She gave a small pleasant hiss and weaved her head toward Tyranis’s  unflinching muzzle. “ I like yooouu” She purred and rested her head calmly against his nose. “And I like you too.” Tyranis said with a wide grin. The two broke from their refrain as the queen’s beady eyes focused on the intruding female, regarding her belatedly with a hiss and a flare of her hood. “Who girl?!” She demanded of the scarred female, her hook-like fangs dripping with venom menicingly. “A friend my queen.” Tyranis assured her. “Aren’t you? “ He asked with a cunning smirk. “After all, any friend of Ruina is a friend of mine.” He declared and watched as the serpent dropped her hood and coiled between his paws. “I am Tyranis Praetor, son of the Apollyon.” He introduced with a gallant dip of his head. “And who are you?" She could have been a sister of his for all he knew, but something in the way she carried herself seperated her from the miriad of siblings he had met since arriving, she didn't walk like one entitled to Ruina; to the Maw and the mountain, a lamb perhapse? Or another purgatorian like himself? That seemed more likely. "Talk" Raanee  Thought "You"

Korinna watched, interested in what was currently transpiring between the wolf and the snake, encouraged by his answer that she wasn't interrupting anything. Quietly she looked on, pale eyes transfixed on the scene, something akin to amusement dancing in her gaze. She couldn't help but once again be reminded of the slightly manic way that Elias had portrayed himself upon their first meeting, speaking of demons and things she couldn't quite grasp onto. Likewise, this male spoke to the snake as though swearing himself to her, and they shared a brief (but admittedly very strange) moment. She was silent, unsure whether laughter or a more serious expression was apt, and she settled on doing.. well, nothing, as she waited for the moment to conclude.

Interesting. This Ruina was definitely turning out to be quite interesting, which was exactly what she'd bargained for. The snake seemed less impressed with herself than the wolf did, though she shot the small creature a sly grin nonetheless. Tyranis's question earned a sharp laugh. "I'd hope so, at least," she answered easily, no hint of anything but joyful camaraderie in her voice. Any members of Ruina were as good as friends to her, as far as she was concerned.

Korinna stood a bit taller as the male addressed himself as Tyranis, son of the Apollyon. Elias. She nearly swooned on the spot, though held her stance, her eyebrows lifting in an awed look. Her expression clearly spelled out how impressed she was, a natural reaction rather than one that had to be forced, and that slightly mischievous grin of hers grew. "My name is Korinna," she spoke her name proudly, giving a slight dip of her muzzle. "Most just call me Kori. The Apollyon led me here not long ago. I'm still trying to get my bearings." She thought to call him 'your father' but decided his official title of leadership was a more respectful one.

He dipped his head respectfully in greeting then met her silvery eyes directly. “ We are well met Korri." He said with the dignified tone of a leader. "I’ve only recently come to Ruina myself, but now that I’m here I know it’s where I truly belong.” He said calmly his ears straight and alert. “I can only hope you feel as welcome here as I did.” He said with a soft smile. His mind pulled momentarily to the mangrove where he had met Kai and the strange weightlessness he felt speaking to him, then quickly snapped himself back to attention. This wasn’t the time or the place. His newly found familiar weaved underneath him flicking her tongue as she eyed the dark female with interest. "Talk"  Thought "You"

Interesting. Korinna wasn't totally sure what sort of family she'd stumbled upon, but they'd collective piqued her interest at this point. She wondered how many other family members might live within the borders of Ruina, and decided to make it a point to meet each and every one of them. Tyranis's confidence didn't go unnoticed, and her grin widened, faintly amused at his proclamation that this was where he belonged. She'd started to feel something similar, though Kori knew that she was adaptable enough that she could belong nearly anywhere, if she tried hard enough.. though her choice in deciding to following Elias here was proving to be a good one.

"I've felt quite welcome indeed, so far," she admitted, her smile softening, from that slightly mischievous one to one that was more natural and relaxed. "Though admittedly I've spent most of my time this far exploring the territory rather than meeting my fellow members." Her focus in this coming season would certainly be on getting to know her fellow packmates.. and she couldn't help but wonder if any other wolves in Ruina might have a companion like Tyranis did. Hopefully not - wolves she was fine with, but snakes? Eh. "How did you come to Ruina then, if you haven't been here long, Tyranis?" Perhaps the story might be an interesting one, but either way she was hoping to make conversation with him.

He straightened slightly at her question, a faint smile touching his lips. “In all honesty until I came to Ruina I didn’t know who my father was.” He explained calmly. “I was born in Abaven; a pack east of here, and I was raised as a bastard.” He took in a deep breath then and let it out slowly as he remembered his childhood. “I hated it there, I never fit in, and from the beginning I was told that I would be nothing but a bastard.” He shook his head and sat reposed, while the cobra’s lifted head watched him from below. The man’s eyes steeled then, filled with the same fire and determination that had fueled him for so long. “I left when I was a year old, and started my own pack, but I was young and ignorant to the ways of a pack. My people were undisciplined, and my laws were often broken.”  He said, careful to avoid telling the girl that many of those laws had been broken by himself as well. “I began to have nightmares, where I was tormented by Abaven’s former leader, eventually they became too much and…” He let the admission hang in the air between them, glancing at the girl to gauge her reaction. “And I left. I abandoned them, too tormented to lead and too cowardly to admit it. I went searching for my destiny, nearly killed myself in the process.” He smiled openly then “Imagine my surprise when I returned and found my destiny here waiting for me.”     "Talk"  Thought "You"

A bastard, huh? Perhaps she and Tyranis had more in common than she'd thought. She herself had been born to a rogue, to a mother that had hardly wanted anything to do with her once she was whelped and able to survive on her own. Given that she'd never heard a thing about her father, she could only assume he too had been equally uninterested in raising a child. Oh well - fuck 'em. She hadn't needed them anyway, clearly. "Fitting in is overrated, anyway," she offered with a gentle shrug, and a slight grin. Though his childhood hadn't been very easy, neither had hers, and she could somewhat relate to how he'd felt.

Apparently in Ruina he had found purpose, though, and she watched unblinkingly as his gaze shifted as he spoke of leaving his first pack. He'd started a pack of his own, which had failed, and he'd struggled until coming here. She wouldn't fault him for it, deciding that his tenacity in trying to lead his own group was honorable, even if he hadn't been ready for it at the time. "Sounds like those wolves were too weak for you," Kori offered, her gaze briefly finding the snake, who seemed to have relaxed - slightly, at least - in her presence. "Perhaps the fault had been in them, rather than you."

Or... perhaps it had been a bit of both? Either way, he'd admitted he'd been young then, and he'd had too much baggage to lead a proper pack. "Or maybe it'd been you. Oh well. At least you're strong enough now to admit fault, rather than pretend anyone other than you is responsible for your fate." Her words were plainly honest, little judgment in her keen stare as she looked back to Tyranis, studying him with obvious interest. "It sounds like you're on the right path now, and that's all that really matters." She raised an eyebrow, curious about more now. "Do you intend to climb toward leadership here? I won't tell, if that's what you're planning." Her smile was a playful one, mixed with a bit of flirtatiousness that was characteristic of her - especially around men like Tyranis. She herself had no interest in actual leadership, though climbing the ranks did sound appealing on some level.

He was pleased that she had been honest with him. The thought that he might not have been at fault and that the problem might have been the lackadaisical pack members he had gathered struck him as pandering. When she admitted he may have been at fault however he understood she was conceding that she didn’t know all the details that had come into play. The thought that a majority of them had been too weak for him had occurred to him, and he acknowledged internally that if he ever came across the blue woman again he would make her pay dearly for breaking his laws, even if Dauntless was no more. “Some of the members I gathered ended up here actually, I think they may have been drawn to me as the Apollyon’s son, although I came to find out later that most of them were his children as well.” He told her calmly, “Those, truth be told, those were the members that gave me the least amount of grief.” When she mentioned that he was on the right path he shifted slightly and felt the corners of his mouth lift in a small smile, but felt the smile fade as she asked if he hoped to take leadership of the pack. “Not Ruina no, I suspect he’ll want one of the pups from the demon mother to take on after him.” He said without the slightest touch of disappointment. “Although…” He started, an almost mischievous smirk playing on his lips. “I wouldn’t mind starting a sister pack of my own sworn to Ruina.” "Talk"  Thought "You"

Tyranis went on to admit that some of the members of his failed pack had ended up here, though the ones that had turned out to be family had not been the most troublesome ones. Probably for the best. Though truthfully her mind was drawn back to Elias, amused at the prospect of him having hoards of children. Korinna wondered how many wolves in Ruina were direct descendants of him, though decided she probably wouldn't figure that out right away. Still, the thought was a curious one.... and one she'd likely dwell on for some time. "Interesting," Korinna mused softly, though thoughtfully. What a strange pack Ruina was turning out to be, though this was more appealing than any kind of deterrent to her.

Wondering what he'd reply to her prying question, she was pleased with his answer. "Probably a safe choice," she admitted. As much as she knew about this family thus far, she doubted the throne would be something easily acquired, especially if he had as many children as Tyranis was implying. "And that does sound like a good idea. I wish you luck with that, when you're ready." Perhaps not now, surely Ruina needed Tyranis here for now as they continued to grow and establish themselves here, but in the future she could certainly see the man starting a pack of his own - he certainly possessed the drive, if nothing else. "I'll leave you two to it, for now," Korinna decided quickly, eyeing the snake one last night. "Though I'd love it if you kept me informed about these plans of yours." Her smile was mischievous again, her tail flicking idly behind her before she dipped her head in a final farewell before turning and heading the way she'd came.

-exit Korinna-