Rain was done with his father, done with Boreas, done with Ruina and all of its demons. It was time to start new, somewhere else untouched by any of his family, be them Wreckages, Praetors or whatever. He stood at the edge of the pack’s territory, feeling a tremble run over him as he looked up at the looming stone structure. Meekly he called to be met, and only prayed that whoever greeted him wouldn’t maim him on sight. He tried to calm himself and regain his composure enough that he wouldn’t be met as a coward and be immediately turned away. He reminded himself of his strengths; he could heal, and he could hunt in spite of his small size. He took a deep breath. He would be okay. speaking Thinking   You

With mounting curiosity Malleus rounded the last stone corner that separated him from the outside and from the border where the meek howler stood. There had been an uptick in visitors lately so he was eager to see what this particular encounter brought. Like he was wont to do in situations like these, Malleus appraised the tiny mortal as he approached. The male was young, that much was obvious, and he was without a doubt one of the smallest fully grown wolves Malleus had ever seen. It struck him as unlikely that one so waif-like would be a fighter seeking to join their ranks, so Malleus guessed he was either a messenger of some stripe, a trader come to do business or another diplomat. Malleus stopped walking once he stood at the border's edge and Pascal, who rode on his back, seized the opportunity to peek around the giant's neck so he could get a look at the visitor. "Greetings," Malleus boomed. "You stand on the border of The Risen Empire. What is your business here?"

He straightened as the male approached, he was not the largest he had ever seen, that honor belonged to his grand-uncle Acere, but he was nearly twice Rain’s size. “Greetings.” He said and bobbed his head in a short respectful bow then raised his head, never quite meeting the sleet colored male’s gaze. “My name is Rain Wr-“ He halted mid-sentence. Could he still consider himself a Wreckage when his father didn’t even hold the same respect for his birthname? “Rain Loire.” He corrected himself and felt a small whiff of air escape him as he spoke his erstwhile mother’s name. “I’ve come seeking a pack to join. I have some training in healing, and I can hunt.” He said softly, his bicolored eyes flicking to the alphas before quickly looking away. Even as he spoke the words they sounded feeble. His size was well below average, and had the delicate build of his mother rather than the hardened muscular form his father sported. Considering him a hunter was laughable but perhaps they would pity him and let him stay as a modest healer. speaking Thinking   You

Upon receiving the stranger's name, Malleus dipped his politely. The gesture was rather formal, but he didn't give warm receptions freely. "The name's Malleus Abraxas, and I am the Risen Emperor, or alpha, here." Although he was surprised to learn that the youth wanted to join, Malleus didn't show it. He liked to think that the Empire presented a tough front. That they were (hopefully) seen as a strong, fearsome nation and that their very proximity made the mortals quake. Believing that, he was curious as to what about their pack would interest one so meek. Malleus' first impression was that it wasn't a good match, but that begged the question: why did the boy think it was? While he had his misgivings, Malleus was willing to hear the kid out, so he sat down on the Risen side of the border and gave the boy another once over. Finally, he said, "I'm happy to consider you, but I have a couple questions. Why Risen? Out of all the packs you could have chosen, why the one bent on conquest and not any of the ones content to live in peace or who spend their days crafting and trading?"

He gave a small dejected snort at the mention of the other packs. He considered the male’s question for a moment turning his head slightly as his expression became contemplative and almost mournful. “Peace or conquest, it’s all the same to me.” He muttered then let out a soft sight, before turning his head back to regard Malleus’s paws. “My father all but abandoned me when I reached my second winter. He thought I was too weak to be his heir, and found another boy to groom for leadership in my stead.” He explained. It occurred to him that while his history was less than desirable, it didn’t explain what had brought him to the empire and not Celestial or his father’s birth pack. He closed his eyes for a moment and clenched his jaw. “I- I want to prove that he was wrong.” He all but growled. “He was prepared to have me killed to please my grandfather, a man he hardly knew." He said tightly, remembering the cold glares his father had given him on their last days together and her.”how he would stare pensively at Mount Vulcan whenever he was around. “He thought my only worth would come as being sacrificed to demons.” He felt his ears pull back and his claws dig into the earth as if he were in pain, and in truth the clenching ache around his heart was unbearable. “He regrets the day I was born, because I am so useless to him and only bring him shame. I want to make him regret it because he has grown to fear me!” He felt white hot rage course through him, unlike anything he had ever felt before; a burning in his chest as though his heart had burst into flames, and a weightlessness to his limbs that told him with absolute certainty that they could be used to kill his father, had he been there to watch and guard his son like a father should have. Never once did Rain lift his head to meet Malleus's vision. Even as his hackles rose and his eyes shut tight against the furious tears that threatened to fall he never once considered directing his anger onto Malleus or to appear threatening to him. His rage was reserved for one man and one man only. Tyranis Praetor. Speaking  Thinking You

Malleus listened attentively as Rain spoke. His expression was unreadable - not even Rain's statement about making his father regret it drawing an outward reaction from him. The boy was passionate; there was no denying the depth of his emotion or his sincerity, but Malleus wasn't sure what to make of it. While his story detailed his passion and his reasons for wanting to join, the story itself didn't speak well of him. Had the story been just a bit different, Rain's father could very well have been Abraxas and Malleus probably would have thought his actions justified. But, this boy was not Abraxas so Malleus couldn't hold him to the same standards, could he? His small size and meek demeanor weren't immediate disqualifiers but his admission that his own father thought him too weak to inherit was certainly a red flag for the godling whose whole existence revolved around strength and perfection. Malleus frowned thoughtfully as he eyed the boy who hadn't looked at him once since launching into his explanation. While he'd hoped Rain's answer would make things clearer, it had only brought to mind more questions. "How do you plan on making him regret it?" That statement kept jumping to mind as he mulled over Rain's words. Malleus had no interest in getting into mortal squabbles. If the boy intended to use the Abraxas as a cudgel against the man who had wronged him, Malleus was going to send him on his way as he had no desire to be the muscle that made up for the boy's own lack of strength. If, however, Rain sought to make him regret it by proving him wrong, that was something Malleus could work with.

He paused and looked up at the male, pinned in place by his cold stare and his rumbled question. How did he intend on making his father pay? He hadn’t considered it past the impassioned rage he felt at the memories of his father. Did he think he, an outsider, could rally this pack to rise against the Praetors? No, that was impossible and even at hits zenith Ruina had never been so grand it could warrant an attack from another pack. He looked up at the male again, feeling his fury ebb away as his resolution began to dwindle. “I want…I want to become great, I want to have a skill and be successful.” He said, his voice choked with emotion. “I want to prove that he was wrong to cast me aside, that I can be someone valuable, and do something worthwhile.” His voice became softer as he lost his boldness and fervor died away leaving him feel as small inwardly as he felt outwardly. Speaking  Thinking You

Malleus' gaze was still thoughtful as he continued to study Rain and mull over his answer. He couldn't get past the boy's passion. The strong desire to prove his father wrong could be used to mold Rain into a productive member of Abraxas society. So far Malleus was satisfied with the boy's answers. "You could be successful here," Malleus said thoughtfully. "Risen isn't a place to grow fat and lazy. If it becomes your home you'll be expected to pull your weight and work ceaselessly to better yourself. It's not an easy commitment," he cautioned. "Tell me about your training. I'm assuming you'd want to pursue healing here, correct?" While he would be starting Rain off as a commoner regardless of his answer, Malleus still needed to get a feel for Rain's healing and hunting experience.

The male reassured him that he could be great within the pack, but he would need to earn it. He steeled his resolve and cautiously met the male’s gaze. “I will prove myself to you.” He said determinedly, then listened as the male asked him about his training. “I don’t know as much about healing as I do about hunting.” He admitted“My grandmother was a healer and my father passed on what she had taught him to me…Before we came here…” He said hesitantly, reflecting how much he felt that returning to his birthland had been a mistake.  “He wasn’t a healer himself, so I don’t know much aside from basic herbology, but I will do my best to learn more." Speaking  Thinking You

OOC: gonna wrap this up real fast since we know he already gets accepted. Rain has two months to up his skill points by at least 10 points in either skill or else he risks expulsion or enslavement. The skill point system I'm working on can be found here

So his training was minimal, then. That was alright. If he was a quick study either Malleus or one of the other healers could whip him into shape in no time. Assuming, of course, that they had a firm foundation to build on. Rain's father didn't sound like a particularly good teacher so Malleus was prepared to start from scratch. Malleus nodded once to himself as he made up his mind. "Alright, I'll accept you into our ranks as a commoner for now. You have until the middle of next season to prove that you belong here and if by that time you've excelled, you'll receive a rank in the field you've chosen to pursue." He fixed Rain with a hard, warning stare. "Disappoint me, though, and you'll long for the days you only had your father's displeasure to worry about."

While his father had taught him little of healing Rain had learned more than enough from his interaction with other wolves, if there was one undeniable truth in the world it was that Tyranis was a politician. “You won’t regret this.” He said with great finality and paced silently past Malleus to enter the castle. He had no doubt that he could prove that he belonged to the pack, as long as they didn’t sacrifice wolves and eat their kin it would be better than life in Ruina under his father. Although he didn’t show it Malleus’s threat had rung dull against him. Enslavement that could be avoided by a stranger was better than being sacrificed by his father. -Exit Rain- Speaking  Thinking You