Aurielle Adravendi

She’d ventured eastward, intending to meet with Abaven to touch bases. It was a long walk, and she overshot the eastern pack by quite a bit, or, perhaps undershot. The Abaven border had vanished from the rapids. So she’d settled at the falls for the night to reconnoiter until morning. It was almost full dark, and she lay sphynx-like at the topmost cliff’s edge, gazing out toward the ocean, considering. A soft smile settled on her features as she breathed in deeply, glowing form relaxing, though her haunches remained coiled lazily, ready to send her springing at any moment. There was much to consider. Both Cairo and Caelia were advancing in skill, and they were in store for a promotion. Domari, as well. It would be the first promotion of their young wolves since instating them in their Circles. And she wanted it to be something they remembered with fondness. Not just a simple announcement at the next pack meeting. A rustle of pawsteps reached her ears, and her head tipped slightly to give herself a peripheral view of the area behind herself, though her form was relaxed and unbothered. She was certain of her skill and ability to defend herself, and it would be a fool that would attack a wolf from behind at the edge of a cliff. Too much risk of overshooting the leap and going over the edge… or being thrown over it. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It would be the sixth night since she first came to the hot springs. The clouds of steam still rose high into the sky and the smell of sulfur was lessened from here. To be honest, Skyfire was quite happy to not smell sulfur for so long even though she had grown accustomed to it. Being able to smell the fresh water, distant rotting leaves of autumn, and the fresh air was much better than sulfur anyway. Skyfire was preparing to find a place to sleep when she noticed a white wolf glowing like the moon. Skyfire froze and was simply in awe at her coat and glowing blue eyes. "Girl, you are GORGEOUS with that coat! How did you make it look like that? I'm so jealous! You have to be a queen to be blessed with something like that!!" Skyfire bounded forward as she wanted to get a closer look, completely forgetting her manners. She had never seen a coat glowing like this before in her lifetime. It was as if every individual hair was plucked from the moon and planted into her coat to give it this luminescence. "Does it make it harder to see at night?" she asked, wondering if the glowing in her face disrupted her vision. Remembering that she just bounded in with no regards to this persons reasons for being here, let alone even introducing herself, Skyfire backed up a few steps and bowed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude! My name is Skyfire Turner."This woman had to be a queen with a coat like that. Surely she just wasn't gifted it for just because! It made Skyfire think of her own coat and wonder why she was born to look so mundane, but this woman's coat? She just wanted to squish her face in it and go to sleep! Skyfire thinks. Skyfire listens. "Skyfire speaks."

Aurielle Adravendi

She’d heard the younger woman coming, certainly, but she was less than wholly prepared for the monochromatic wolf’s reaction. None of the surprise showed on her features, save for a lift of the brow points at the enthusiasm. She studied the girl with mild interest as she introduced herself belatedly. The name rang a bell. Hadn’t Cairo mentioned encountering a wolf by that name at the hot springs a ways southwest of here? Finally, she rose, poised and graceful without effort to fully face the younger woman, haunches settling on the ground as her head cocked. “The status of a wolf in a pack or a kingdom has no bearing on their appearance. However, in my case, yes, I am what some might call a Queen. I am Aurielle Rhiannon-Marie Adravendi, Spirit of Valhalla, a pack in the west of Boreas. And I believe you’ve met my apprentice, Cairo.” An ironic smile touched her features without rancor as she took in the girl’s appearance. “As for my light, I’ve honestly no idea. It grew in over the summer this year along with the mark around my left eye, and now… well. I glow. I’d rather like it if I didn’t. However, I was born already shimmering and bearing my mane, canines and long tail hair. But they all had to grow in as I grew up.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She really was a queen When Aurielle spoke her name, her full name, Skyfire swooned at the sound of it. "I knew it, I knew it! My name is Skyfire!" Skyfire exclaimed, dancing around the woman. This was hardly any way a princess would act, and she remembered as such when she completed one full circle and sat down. Skyfire cleared her throat just before the woman mentioned the name Cairo. Skyfire stopped and blinked for a moment. Who was Cairo, and why was he talking about her? Then it hit her harder than a cast iron pan to the face in full swing. That Cairo. That Cairo who was red with white under his eyes, reprimanding Skyfire for her behavior and her glare. "Ooohhh yeah...." Skyfire laughed nervously. That Cairo. He's really nice! And handsome... and" Skyfire said, side eyeing Aurielle in embarrassment, trying to put on the nicest looking smile possible with her ears lowered. There was nothing she could say to sway what Cairo had probably told her. "Ugh. Okay, okay. He startled me at the hot springs and I ended up glaring at him and... wasn't very nice. Not queen like, at all." Skyfire frowned at the ground as Aurielle continued to speak about her fur. Just one day magically, besides the mark on her eye, her fur glowed as bright as the moon! Skyfire didn't even notice that she had saber fangs, but she did see that glorious tail! "Your tail is so glorious too!" She squealed as she got a closer look at it "So you think that the mark over your eye had something to do with it?" So Aurielle had been shimmering like a pearl for her entire life? It was the makings of a true fantasy magical story that Skyfire only dreamed of! She had to have been blessed by a god somehow, because there is no way she could be existing in reality! But here she was, glowing like the moon, and reminding Skyfire how much of a fool she was earlier today. Heh. Skyfire thinks. Skyfire listens. "Skyfire speaks."

Aurielle Adravendi

The Spirit watched Skyfire with some bemused amusement as the young wolf fairly danced in triumph around her at the revelation of her rank. According to Cai, the girl was a proclaimed princess of some far-off land. As the girl took in her mention of the young man, Aurielle observed the flutter of emotions that flashed across the girl’s face—first puzzlement, then realization and nervous embarrassment and attempted nicety… then resignation as the girl understood that honesty was a more sensible path. The Spirit smiled gently at the admission, muzzle dipping slightly with a direct look in the girl’s emerald eyes. “Not at all. I know my cousin. He’s a good, kind young man who wants to do his best for the pack. He competes not with others, but with himself, always wishing to be better than he was the day before. A Queen is not the wolf who sits above the people, pointing and ordering and sitting pretty. It is she who serves her people, stands beside them, and promises them safety, wealth, and ambition. She fights beside her people, inspires them to strive and live and love. It is give, and it is take. You accept their service and, in return, you give yourself to them.” To Skyfire’s exclamations over her appearance, she gave a simple cock of her head, brow-points lifting in faint amusement. “I’m not entirely sure. The world works in strange ways.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

(replying without table tonight)

As Aurielle discussed with Sky about her cousin, the way the queen composed herself to teach a lesson was fantastic. It kept Skyfire hooked to every word. Skyfire sighed as she continued to listen. "That's what I want to be. Someone that people can look up to while still remaining beautiful. Someone the people know the name of." she said. While yes, Skyfire was bossy and arrogant, she was that way simply because she was aiming for the highest heights, even if she was a little crass. She didn't intend to be that mean, she didn't want to be perceived as weak or have others take advantage of her because she was so young. She had enough of that from her brothers, she didn't need it from complete strangers.

With regards to responding to her question, Skyfire simply responded with "Huh." as she tried to think of what the cause to her glowing fur was. As if she knew the answers to everything. But finally, she shrugged her shoulders. "The coat is still beautiful. How do you maintain it? With the length I would imagine you would need extra time to clean it." she said. She continued on to talk about her coat and how the perfect circle her parents thought they received from the gods, thinking it was some all powerful symbol. Her brothers included had some variation of it on different places of their bodies such as their face or chest. For her, it was on her left shoulder. Her parents each had it on their spine or their hip. As long as the Turner family displayed a circle like this, it meant that they were blessed in some way.

Aurielle Adravendi

She studied the young wolf, and as the girl spoke, Aurielle gave a mental sigh. The girl was young, hearing the sounds of the words Aurielle spoke, but not listening to what they meant. The girl seemed to be intent on self-interest and notoriety. Glory. Gently, Aurielle questioned, catching the girl’s eyes with a direct gaze, intense and blue and compelling the girl to truly think and listen, “Why do you wish to lead, Skyfire? For yourself? Or for the safety of others? Would you give up glory and notoriety for their sake?” To the girl’s query as to the maintenance of her coat and mane, she gave no answer, though she did listen to the story of the circular spot on her shoulder and the beliefs and lore behind it, nodding occasionally in acknowledgement as she took it in. Idly she wondered what this girl's blessing was supposed to be. But still, she waited for an answer to her questions. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

(Due to recovering from a migraine, no table today.)

Aurielle intentionally didn't answer her question and instead asked Skyfire a question, one that was serious in nature. Why did she want to lead? Skyfire stopped for a moment, her smile fading from her face as her head lowered toward the ground slightly in thought. Skyfire could have all the notoriety she wanted, but what would that mean if no one followed her? She could have a bunch of slaves, but that would force people against their will to recognize her nobility. Then, she remembered something her mother taught her. Nobility was something you earned through righteous action and respect, and without it then you were nothing. Sky's mother was an important figure not just for her beauty, but for her ability to manage crises and situations that called for attention. Even if it meant fighting off fugitives and trespassers. Her mother would gladly give her life if it meant safety for her pack and for her children. It was something that Skyfire never truly paid attention to, but Aurielle reminded Skyfire so much of her mother, even though she picked up some of the arrogance she had at times .

"I.." she started, but then paused getting her thoughts together. Would she give up her name and glory for the sake of others? Skyfire wanted to be important, but why? It wasn't as if she didn't have enough attention. In fact, she had plenty of attention between herself and her brothers. Maybe perhaps it was because she wanted to do something good and feel good about it. There was a goal and a dream Skyfire had. While she couldn't define it, she would recognize it when she saw it. Skyfire wanted to lead to greatness, and take others with her. Whatever greatness she experienced, she wanted to share it. If something happened to her pack, and she had to step down, would she?

"I want to lead to .." she started, trying to get her words together. "To lead to greatness. To experience things one hasn't seen before, and to live happy lives." Skyfire paused again, determining how to define what she was saying. "I want to show others to explore within them for their highest potential, and to aim toward the top and to never stop until they get there. I might have been born into royalty and nobility, but that doesn't mean others have. I want to give others the world. I want them to see the magic and the uniqueness that I have seen and to know what it means to be free. So... Yes.. yes I think I would step down. It is what my mother would have done." Big talk for a young woman. Skyfire went on to talk about how even as a young princess, she didn't have the freedom like she had now, and how she was always followed by someone. Now that she had her freedom, Skyfire got to experience things and see things that she never had before. This was also beginning to teach her what she wanted out of life, and what she wanted was this same sense of freedom.

"I don't know what that will mean for me in the future, but I don't want to be seen as weak, fragile, or needing to be protected. I don't need to be protected by anyone! I need to be allowed to be broken at times and grow up from that. I just... I just don't know where to begin if I were to actually become a queen." Skyfire was a little frustrated at her past by her parents being so protective, but also not helping her to learn what she wanted out of life. Not like that they didn't have the chance because they were never given it. Now that she was here, she had to learn everything through experiencing it rather than in the protection of her family. She had Sirius now to teach her things, so perhaps that would one day tell her what she wanted out of life.

Aurielle Adravendi

There. It clicked visibly, and the glowing, shimmering Spirit watched patiently as Skyfire actually heard the meaning, and thought about what she truly wanted. She didn’t speak, instead letting the girl work through her words and explanation. The answer was met with a soft nod, this time of approval. Perhaps one day, the girl would make a fine Queen. There were many, many moons of polish that had to be undertaken to remove the rough edges and show the gold beneath. The arrogance of the young and highborn would need to be ground away, tumbled in the sand of reality as it truly was. Her own shoulders were marked by the scars of the bears she’d fought against to ensure that they would only ever cross Valhallan borders as stacks of meat, claws, bones and furs instead of a rampaging grizzly after the sheep or her pack-members. She listened to Skyfire’s tales of her upbringing, an occasional smile tugging at her lips. Loshir has been a near-constant shadow at her side since he’d become her guardian. It was a welcome presence for the most part. “In my blood family’s culture, it is common for the men to be brought up wit the instinct to cherish and protect the women of our family. They can get stubborn about it. There is some matriarchy to our culture, however, should I have children, and my firstborn is a son, then he will take my place as Spirit one day, unless he chooses otherwise. As my father was Archangel before me. I changed the ranks of my pack in my first spring as alpha.” She tipped her head, nodding to her shoulders, rolling each so the fur parted and bared the dark skin of her scarring, the places where the fur hadn’t grown back. Oddly, the places that it had, the fur had remained white and shimmering, rather than coming in as a bristly black. “I have fought creatures larger and more vicious than myself for the safety of my pack. I suppose I ought to take more care with myself, as I have no children as yet. But often, larger predators will give no quarter, and no other option but to eliminate them.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Skyfire brushed the ground with a paw in remembering her maiden that followed her everywhere, disapproving of her experiencing the world as "not lady like" since Skyfire was so adventurous. Skyfire wanted to be like her brothers, but at the same time be different. If that made any sense at all. Free to be her own person rather than one her parents or brothers wished her to be. As she thought about it more, Skyfire was grateful she had someone watching out for her, because being so small meant that she couldn't defend herself anyway - she was too weak and inexperienced to. Being captured before running away didn't make that any easier. Sure, she watched the fights between her captors, but that didn't mean she knew how to fight. At least not until Sirius started teaching her.

Aurielle moved to reveal her shoulders and Skyfire gaped at the scars. Places where the fur didn't grow back bothered her the most. She did this for her people? It was a lot more honorable than Skyfire realized as Aurielle explained both her family culture and how she obtained the scars. Beasts like bears and mountain lions were vicious enough. But to face them alone or otherwise? That took an unsurmisable amount of courage that Skyfire didn't have. Being that this woman had three years up on Skyfire, she must have seen and learned some things for her to make a decision like that. Scars like these made Aurielle strong, and in fact, it made Skyfire appreciate her that much more. It was like looking at her mother again with a different coat and a different voice, and suddenly, Skyfire wanted to be like her.

Besides the males becoming stubborn about protecting the women in the pack, Aurielle's home seemed like a nice place to be. With her at the helm, there was no way that anything bad would happen. And if it did, then they had their queen to lead the helm. Listening to her accent laden words, Skyfire felt something within her heart that changed her a bit. She wasn't sure what it was - whether seeing the scars or hearing her story - but Aurielle had inspired her to change a bit. It was the information Skyfire never received from her mother, nor was she given the chance to. If her mother were here, Sky was sure that she would also back up what Aurielle said because of what she had seen and experienced. Queens were held to higher standards of behavior, sacrifice, and leadership. If they were going to lead, then Aurielle - and eventually Skyfire - would have to give her all to provide everything they could for the pack, even if it meant sacrificing themselves for the packs benefit. At least that's what her mother would have done.

Skyfire looked up to Aurielle and smiled. "Thank you, Aurielle." she was at a loss for words because her mind had practically been blown, but she was also filled with such inspiration that she had no words to say. "If.. if things line up right.. could you maybe teach me some more? she asked. Skyfire knew Aurielle was from a different pack so she didn't want to take her from her duties, but with this lesson already, Skyfire wanted to know more about her experience being the leader she was and how she could even become like Aurielle one day.

Aurielle Adravendi

The Spirit could see a change in the girl, some of the rough edges being polished away, from mere influence of words from the older wolf. Something had clicked and, even if they never met again, Aurielle could only hope that she’d done this girl a service. She would find nothing in life, save for perhaps an early grave, if she continued to desire leadership only for her own ego. Skyfire gave a genuine thanks, and the Spirit dipped her refined muzzle in a nod of acknowledgement. A light smile answered the following, tentative query. “I don’t see why not. Perhaps you might choose to live in Valhalla someday. The pack’s main Seat rests in the west in Vericona Plains. As well, I am willing to teach you how to fight should you wish it.” The pack scent on Skyfire was still incredibly light, but she thought, now that she’d had a chance to analyze the scent, that it must be Sirius’ pack she was smelling. At some point she’d have to chat with the titan, see how he was doing after their fight with the bear in the Gorge. Perhaps before she headed west she might swing by the borders and give the man a call. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Skyfire was giddy when the queen obliged to train her more later one day. She had even invited her to Valhalla, but Skyfire smiled only lightly. "Sadly, I am part of the Ashen Armada. Sirius is teaching me to be a fighter there." As much as she would have loved to be under Aurielle's lead, she was with Sirius. With her word, Sky had to keep it lest she pay the consequences. No one pisses off an armada. "Perhaps I can come visit in between my lessons?" she asked instead, wondering if the occasional visit would be elected instead. "Learn etiquette and how to be an affective leader like you." On her off days, she could learn the leadership skills that Aurielle possessed so that one day, when she earned her own kingdom, that she could be as brilliant as her. Skyfire thinks. Skyfire listens. "Skyfire speaks."