Winter was turning to spring, and with it came time for the trade festival Eligos had promised. Aerie had been quiet as it settled into it's new lands, but spring would breathe new life into the world, and Eligos intended for it to do the same with Aerie. Winter had given them time to work on whatever crafts they wanted to use to barter, and had given them time to strongly establish their borders. Now he intended to open the border up, temporarily, and invite others into the lake territory.

He had already called Aerie together moments before, and those assembled knew that it was time. He cast a searching eye over them, then raised his head to howl a long note of welcome to any packs that might be waiting at the border with their goods to enter. Best not to put it off too long, or some opportunistic raider would take it in their head to steal from a pack on the move before they could reach the relative safety of the protected land.

OOC: Open to all packs and loners, Eligos has already been around and sent word. Note that he'd already called together Aerie before he opened the border so presumably they'd all already be there.

The Armada Warlord walked at the head of the small party. The wagon trailing behind him, laden with the supplies they would use in trade. His companions walked either side of him, and the scent of the Armada was fresh in his nose. He had a mixed group of Armada wolves, those that were interested in learning about another pack, of trading, or simply along for the ride. Natha and Tamsyn he had spoken with before leaving, and both trusted warriors would be in charge with policing their members and ensuring their safety in these unknown lands. They heard Eligos’s howl in the distance, and knew they could enter once they arrived. They would walk into the lands as a group, and then splinter off as preferences took them. He requested they remain in groups of three or fewer, one each for himself, Tamsyn, and Natha. Just before crossing over, he would pause. Stern gaze passing over his Armada wolves. Best behavior, or they would see the ends of his teeth. "Alright people, you know the drill. find a group-" he pointed to himself, Tam, and Natha - "And stick with them. Trade goods will be under my guard, take anything you brought to trade as you need them, and help yourself to the communal trading goods at the back. Have fun, and call out to us if you get into trouble." he gave his wolves a moment to digest the words - nothing they hadn't heard at the start of the trip, and then continued forward. He nodded greetings to the black and gold Alpha as they crossed into his territory, "Eligos." "Speech"

[OOC: Chatted with Tea, and while the pups are not playable OOC yet, once they're playable they can most definitely post in here. So, assume they are with Aurielle, Red, Cairo, Paladin, or Regulus until their players are able to take control and post them lol)

Aurielle Adravendi

After a few weeks of rest, she was finally on her paws, just in time to hear Eligos’ voice howling for the world at large. So, it was time for the Aerie trade fair? She smiled, gently nudging Red’s shoulder and each of the pups. They were very young still, but this wouldn’t be too much for their young minds or bodies. Her eyes caressed each child, from Ardyn’s heft, slick, shimmering and glowing pudge to the smaller forms of his brother and sisters, landing upon Aoife’s tiny form. As small as the patchy little one was, it was unlikely she’d be any bigger than her grandmother Solveiga when she was grown, if even that. But she was bright, healthy, and held her own against her larger siblings. Each pup was already showing their own personalities, even in the short time they’d been alive, Ardyn leading the way in most things, and attentive to his siblings when they cried. Amorielle received much of that attention, as she was easily upset by overly rough play, and even at a young age, Ardyn seemed to do his best to tone his play down to a gentler touch for his sister. She and Red had been working hard to teach them speech and grammar—there would of course be many stumbles and oddly spoken words still, as they were still very young, but they could hold conversations enough to be understood instead of babbling unintelligibly. They had all gotten a firm course on basic manners, and as they grew older, those lessons would broaden to acknowledge their expanding minds. “Come loves. There’s a fair to go to. Father, Paladin, could you gather some of our best trade goods?” She pulled herself to her paws, flicking her tail over Red’s shoulders before she padded from the alcove, still a bit slow, but much more smoothly than she had been able to move since the birthing. Ardyn was quick on her tail, pouncing and stumbling in glee after the glowing trail of her long tail hair. Ayodele moved alongside the Spirit, reaching up and slipping the two hair combs Red had given her into place at either side of her face, mane pulled forward into a forelock to frame her face and gathered back under and behind the ears. She made the journey at a slow pace, careful not to overtire the pups, and once she arrived, she found many already there, including Eligos and Sirius. She gave each a smile and nod of the head, glancing back to check on the litter. “Eligos, Sirius, it’s good to see you. We’ve some goods on the way.” She let her hips settle as Ardyn first came to plop down, regaining his shallow well of energy. It was unlikely to take long before he was back on his paws and full of boundless energy, but for the moment, he was still and content to play with her tail as his siblings and father arrived, as well as any other members of Valhalla. “This is Ardyn, Coran, Amorielle, Laoise, and Aoife, and this is Red, their father and my Heart.” She brushed a paw over each pup as she named them, a warm smile on her features as she glanced at her husband. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

There hadn't been much time since his return to prepare, but Eurus had made sure to get some things for this fair made to trade. Mostly he put his hunting skills to good use, pelts, hooves, antlers, even some bones and skulls that he had cleaned. He didn't know much on crafting, but he had supplies to trade for the more craftier of wolves to trade and use. He was determined to prove his worth and to be a better pack member then he was before. He trailed behind Torin toting his goods on his back, wrapped into a very large pelt and strapped to him with straps made of hide.

He couldn't say he was looking forward to this, he had actually wanted to stay home and send his goods with someone else. In fact he was still questioning why he had decided to go, but here he was. His tall lanky form was putting some weight back on, but he still looked a bit on the lanky side. He was quiet as he traveled with the small group, his silver eyes taking in thier surroundings as they traveled. The call from the foreign alpha rang out in the distance. It didn't take them much longer before they had arrived, another pack had already beating them here. His eyes scanned the wolves that were already there, but for now he remained close to Torin, never had he been to one of these fairs before.

Tamsyn followed along beside Sirius as they made their way to the trading party that another pack was holding. She was curious to see what kind of trades they might be able to make and what goodies they would bring home with them, but her biggest concern was just to make sure everyone was well behaved and safe while they were visiting with the other packs. She glanced back over her shoulder at the other wolves that had decided to come with them, smiling softly to herself before fixing her mint gaze on the path ahead. It wasn't that often that they got to do something that seemed so wholesome and lighthearted so she was eager to see how it all played out.

When they arrived she nodded to Sirius' instructions and then waited for the groups to break off between Natha, Sirius, and herself. In the mean time she looked around and took in their surroundings and the lake that took up a large portion of the terrain. Part of her wished she had more time and freedom to explore the new area since it wasn't often that she got to see land trapped within another pack's borders, but she knew their was a job for her to do and she made herself focus on her pack mates instead. Her alert gaze drifted to the wolves from other packs that had gathered thus far, curious about them and what their packs were like compared to the Armada. The Armada was her only reference to how a pack was properly run so she had no idea how similar or different these others might be.

"Speech" Thought

Meadow stays close to the group as they get ready to enter the unfamiliar land. Eyes try to see everything that is happening around her while her paws do their best not to tangle around themselves and throw her on her face. Excitement thrills within her at the thought of meeting new wolves. She always wants to meet (and hopefully make friends with) others and this seems like a good opportunity to do that. Glancing into the wagon at the goods she had made to trade, the small wolf feels happy with her work. The past week had been filled with creating baskets for the trade fair. Woven together with the tall grass that is a part of her home, she had taken great care in making each basket. She had made them in various sizes and they all now sit in the back of the wagon, ready to be traded. When they pause and Sirius speaks, Meadow listens intently. A group, she needed to be part of a group. She nods her understanding to everything he says and, after he finishes, she looks at the two others he had pointed out. Eyes fall on the black wolf called Tamsyn. While she doesn’t know the other female very well, the smaller wolf has seen her from afar and they had traveled here together. Taking a deep breath to try and calm the butterflies in her stomach, Meadow moves up to Tamsyn and says, “Hello! Can I be in your group? I made some baskets that we can trade.” A smile easily finds itself on her lips and happiness glitters in her eyes. Hopefully the other wolf doesn’t see the nervousness that Meadow is desperately trying to hide. "Meadow"

He was finally able to move freely. Sure, there was still some limping going on, but that would fade once his legs had regained their original muscle-tone. He was young enough that he’d bounce back quite well from having been bed-ridden for weeks. He spent a lot of his time doting on the pups between physical therapies, stretches, flexions and patrols. When the howl came from Aerie, his head perked up, ears perking high as Aurielle called out to her father and Paladin to gather trade goods. Oh! Was it time for the fair? With all that was going on, he’d forgotten the mention about it Aurielle had made last year. As the Spirit gathered her children and mate, he went in to grab a few things he’d made once he had use of both front legs again. Much of it was simple baubles and necklaces, and herb sachets that were purely for scent and night-terrors for pups or injured wolves needing a little something to ease them into sleep. He caught up quickly, falling in line behind the last pup and herding them happily, fond eyes running over each youngster and encouraging where needed. They reached Aerie land at a leisurely pace, and he noted the numbers already gathered, nodding to the wolves and flashing a grin toward Sirius before flopping among the pups after setting his own offerings to the trade fair to one side, and carefully out of pup-range. It was an unspoken offer to Aurielle to pupsit while she got some time among the adults. Regulus and Paladin would be along with the real goods shortly, he knew. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Paladin 'Knight' Ancora

Paladin perked his head up at the distant howl, and as Aurielle spoke, he and regulus got to work. It took several minutes but in time they were headed eastward to the Aerie trade fair, Paladin pulling the travoise laden with the better goods. Furs, herbs, extra tinctures and salves he could replace easily. Those were only a few among many things that piled high on the sled and Kyode and Ime worked to keep the items lashed onto the conveyance. The two older men drew to a stop and Paladin looked for a good spot to set up, glancing to Eligos with a querying expression before nodding to the wolves gathered with an easy smile. Cairo had already taken a spot with the pups, and the healer smiled at the brood, making a playful face at one of the girls, just to get a giggle out of her. Once things were in place he took a seat nearby, curious to see if Eligos would make any announcement once enough had gathered to address.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus was over the moon as a new grandfather. He wished he could see Baine go through the same joy. He felt like a puppy again himself, romping gently with the pups, though always careful not to tire them too badly. After all, they had a lot of developing to do. When they were good and tired, he lulled them to sleep with stories and lullabies in his deep crooning thunder. He adored each and every one of them, every perfect detail. That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t reprimand them when they earned it. But they were made very aware that he loved them to bits even when he had to lay down the laws. It healed the hole in his heart, filled a void, if not all the way. He drew to a stop, brilliant crimson coat standing out as he helped Paladin set up. Fathomless sapphire eyes scanned the gathered wolves, mildly curious about the Abraxas wolves that had haunted the lands from Auster for years. Time, it seemed, had whittled the family down to barely ten souls. He had no way of knowing the full story, but they had certainly dwindled from power. Eligos had taken them down a path of mercenaries and traders from what Rielle had said. His haunches lowered as he took a seat near his grandkids, flashing a light grin toward his daughter.

Iroh and Sarabi had spent much of the winter preparing their little display for the trade fair. Iroh was quite the crafter and he had set up a few little pots and bowls to go along with his prepared bags of tea. Little sacks of leather tied shut by drawstrings held the precious herbs inside. Iroh had around two dozen little bags with varying teas and herb mixtures within. The she mandrill taught him much about tea and brewing over the last winter and he offered up his most interesting and tasty mixtures.

Iroh stood over the display, but Sarabi was the one really taking care of everything. She taught him everything he knew and then some. He was still excited though, and knew there was so much more he could learn. Both about the teas his companion made and the best way to trade them. He watched with pointed interest as wolves continued to arrive, if any offered him a glance he’d give a polite smile in return. He hid his excitement with professionalism and patience.

Natha sauntered along after Sirius, a small bundle of deer hide tied across her back thanks to Myskia. She'd brought along a few potential items to trade but really she just wanted to take the festival in. She'd never been to a trade fair before and the number of different wolves and packs lead to an excellent opportunity to gain intel. She glanced at the large black and gold male as Sirius stated his name. Ah, so that was the alpha? She dipped her head in greeting.

So, how would this work? She glanced to Tamsyn then strolled over to a shady spot where she shrugged off her deer hide bundle. She quickly rolled it out. She set up an odd assortment of items. Weasel and rabbit skulls, rabbit and coyote hides, bear claws and fruit wine courtesy of Myskia.

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus was excited and apprehensive about the festival. He wasn't sure how this was going to go, especially considering their family's reputation but he was hopeful this would show the residents of Boreas how the Abraxas had changed under new leadership. He'd brought several items along, clay bowls, cords of braided leather, bear and coyote teeth, as well as pieces of flint. Hopefully, he could do a few trades to start getting a feel for the process if this was going to become a regular thing for Aerie. He'd gotten plenty of practice trying to craft nice items for his boyfriend. He secretly wondered if Eliphas was going to show up. Oh! Maybe he could trade for a nice gift. Hmm… what would his boyfriend like? He whispered to his bird companion and sent the kite flying into the air to get a good survey of what might be available.

While he wasn’t prepared to join a pack yet Eliphas felt more than spoiled by his boy Aureus. The hermit felt adored, having gifts made for him, being taken care of, and held tight. He couldn’t help the grin on his pale lips as he arrived shortly after the man and saw his sandy furred frame. His tail wagged lightly at his hips as he found a place to deposit his valuables before greeting the Abraxas man.

”You’re looking dashing today.” Eliphas teased quietly as he offered a shy grin in greeting. ”I used the white bottles you made me.” He explained affectionately as he aimed to lead Aureus to his pack. Tucked inside were five small vials filled with the precious liquid. ”I wonder if anyone will be interested. Maybe I should keep them for myself.” He was still self conscious about his passion, and he didn’t know how Boreas would feel about his potion making.

Red lifted his head and pricked his ears as an unfamiliar call rang out from the neighboring land. Aurielle gently nudged his shoulder and he swung his heavy head to glance at her inquisitively, only for his question to be answered as she rose to her feet and called for her father and Paladin. Ah, so this voice, then, was Eligos of Aerie, who had invited them to his trade fair. He hadn't met the man, but he was eager enough to trade some of the goods he'd spent his days crafting when he wasn't doting over his young children - admittedly he spent most of his time doting on them and their mother, and so there were far fewer of his crafted goods than he might have normally had ready, but that didn't matter to him. From the moment the children were born, he'd been absolutely smitten with each and every one of them. He'd gladly give them the moon and the stars from the sky if they'd asked for them, so he set aside his crafting without the least regret to spend as much time with them as he could.

He rubbed his cheek to Aurielle's as she moved past him, then waited while the pups tumbled after her to pad along behind them to bring up the rear and be sure there were no stragglers or escapees. Cairo fell in behind the pups, and Red obligingly gave him a little more space to accommodate his limping. The pace was slow, particularly for the much-larger Red who towered over his mate and pups and had to moderate his naturally longer stride, but the little group made it across the border into the other pack's territory, and despite the circumstances that brought them there Red couldn't help the protective alertness that gripped him when he watched the puppy pack frolic over that boundary. He pushed away the urge to snatch them back and bundle them into the den again safely away from all of the strangers they were about to be exposed to - it was a foolish sort of fear, and he knew that this experience would be an important one for them and he wouldn't begrudge them that.

He studied those already gathered solemnly, including the alpha that Aurielle introduced him to. He politely gave the other man a nod of greeting, then gave his pups an encouraging smile before he faded back into seriousness and swept his alert gaze over the assembled wolves again.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He’d been dozing when his mother nudged him awake. After a delicious romp for their first time out of the cave, the pups had taken a few more trips into the ravine with their father or grandfather, or Cairo or Paladin. But when his mother said they were going to a fair? Ardyn felt a vibrant thrill in his veins as he popped to his paws, unable to resist his mother’s tail, though he was still learning to coordinate his feet and pouncing. It was a long trip, and he took in the whole range of new sights and smells with a giddy abandon, occasionally nudged back into line by Cairo or his father. And then they were approaching wolves. A lot of wolves. And probably the biggest wolf he’d ever seen. He had sabers like Da’s, too. Ardyn, however, needed a breather before he could really indulge in giving everyone a better look. Cairo was soon to flop along with Ardyn and his siblings. One thing about being young was that one’s batteries recharged quickly. He’d had a good nap in the den, and while the trip to the fair had worn him out, it was only a surface level tiredness, and soon enough, he was sitting up, eyes brought again and looking around at all the strangers. Once he'd studied each face he spotted his grandfather and Paladin as they arrived, and pounced his grandsire's crimson paws as the older man came to take a seat. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Darius was quiet interested in this... trade event that the wolves of these lands were putting on. Although it wasn't as if he had a lot to offer. The large spartan had strewn a few pelts over his back - two bear pelts and a rather nice deer pelt as well. These lands were full of life just as Odysseus had said and he trusted her word. Along with the pelts though he brought his two remaining cups of honey. Carefully carrying them in his mouth with a fashioned temporary holder. He could already see pack wolves lining up, while he disagree'd with mingling with non believers for now he would keep his mouth shut.

Darius found a suitable spot to sit and set up his little shop giving a nod to the man running the show. The two cups of honey were placed on the deer pelt alongside the bear pelts. It was rather interesting though to see a male a little larger than he was with fangs. He wondered was omens the gods blessed these wolves with. It must have been a sign of strength and he very much enjoyed that. Regardless now was the time to see what sins plagued these wolves as well as trade some goods if he could.

The fair, the fair, that was bound to be exciting for sure. Her own puppyish energy hummed through her, compounded upon by the excitement from her littermates. Shaking off the dregs of sleep, the sheer force of her tail-wag had her twisting from left to right. There was movement, preparation, and the girl was irritatingly underfoot, scampering around to check out the goodies.

All done, the band of wolves and pups were on the move. She'd conquered the ravine, and as exciting as it was to be outside of pack lands, the cub was growing ever restless. They walked… and walked… and walked… and as the scents of new, unknown wolves trickled into her nose, Amorie found herself padding towards the center of the bunch.

The fair was a cesspool of strangers and sound and scents, and a decent amount of wolves had arrived before their group, loners and pack wolves alike. From the corner of her eye, the girl saw Paladin making a face. She squinted and stuck her tongue out, pulling back with a giggle. But soon her worried blue eyes were tracking the crowd again. She’d never been around so many strangers at once…

It seemed that nearly all the excitement had been sucked back in by the time her mother introduced her. Amorielle mumbled a polite greeting to the Alphas, and scrambled away to plop down beside Ardyn with a serious pout.


"Speech"

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus had just about finished setting up with a voice that was music to his ears drifted through the air, cutting through the hustle and bustle of the gathering crowd. He returned with a grin. "Speak for yourself, you're a vision as always!" He strode forward seeking to lick Eliphas gently on the cheek. He was beyond caring what others thought, even his family. He was going to do as he pleased and right now Eliphas was the center of his world. He grinned. "I'm glad they came in handy! If there's anything else you want me to try at just let me know." He took a closer look at the vials. "It doesn't hurt to try. You're welcome to share my booth and if no one trades for them you can always keep them for yourself. That's what I do. What is in them out of curiosity?"

Torin picked his way carefully towards the trade fair, he'd felt a bit better with the young Wreckage at his side and he'd told his members they were allowed to come though he'd insisted they be wary and stay on their best behavior, just because he was going to be cordial didn't mean he had to like the young alpha who'd so ungraciously mocked the tragedy his family had faced at the alpha's family's hands.   Torin gave small nods to the various wolves he passed, catching whiff of his cousin and he couldn't help but grin at the scent that accompanied her. Torin beelined towards Aurielle, his gaze dropping to the children bouncing around her paws. "Aurielle!" He called, giving the other alpha a formal but otherwise distant nod. His gaze hardened slightly when he spotted the Abraxas alpha. Talk Think

Once more comfortably ensconced beneath her siblings, Aoife was this time a little quicker than last to come awake at her mother's words and the sudden exodus of siblings, squirming and raising her quills for a quick jab at the sibling that was still squashing her until she could race on her short little legs after Ardyn and Amorielle. Being half the size of her siblings even at this age, she had to take two steps to every one of theirs, and tired faster. By the time they'd crossed the second border wall into the other land she was drooping. Determination drove her to stubbornly set her jaw and continue to bound after her larger siblings, though she wasn't so tired as to not be extremely interested in the new pack scent at the border. She'd never even been to their own border before, though she recognized a lot of the scents there. The other pack scent was completely new, and the newness of it had her wide-eyed with interest despite how tired she was getting. The land didn't look that much different from the plains, except for the big lake that they were going towards.

Her smokey eyes widened even further as their mother led them up to some wolves that were even taller than her dad - one was even taller than her grandpa! That one had fangs like some of her family did, including her, and even more interesting was that his claws didn't show like most wolves - just like her and Ardyn! She wondered if his poked out all sharp too, when he wanted them to. Her weariness was washed away in excitement at everything going on around her.

She peered up at him and the other wolves fearlessly, agile paws grasping her mother's coat as she pulled herself up on to her hind paws to get her tiny form closer to the much, much larger wolves. "Hello!" she piped up as her mother introduced her and her siblings. "Are your claws hiding too? Are they poky? Can you stick them out? See, I can!" She let go of her mother with one paw and thrust it out, carefully concentrating on flexing her toes so the little kitten claws popped out, then had to make a grab for her mother's fur again when she wobbled and nearly fell over.