Mortis, when he travelled, often went towards the battlegrounds or the Orchid, or more commonly, the Weeping Woods. He hadn’t ventured East any further than Lover’s Mangrove before. He wasn’t sure what struck his fancy, perhaps it was the way the sunset struck the water of the Kamui Delta in the distance, or the sea, even further then that. He found himself wondering, walking through the tall trees, and then the bushes of the sandy, wet lands. He came to a careening hult when he found the scent of a pack before him, and sniffed curiously near the border, before backing off a polite distance. The last thing he wanted to do was cross into the lands of another pack. In his short life, he had had little to do with other Alphas, and despite the sudden curiosity that enveloped him, his better sense kept him away. Instead, he moved across the beach that wasn’t pack lands, and rolled up on the balls of his feet. His wings spread out before him, and his nose touched into the wind that swept dramatically off the ocean. He wondered if there was a storm going on somewhere out in the ocean, something to bring these driving winds and scent of rain and salt. His feathers twitched and ruffled as it washed over him.. "Mortis"

She'd come to love the sea. Although the high snow drifts kept her busy, she still found the occasional free afternoon to explore further afield of pack territory. Today she chose the delta, whose small fingers of water that stretched further inward had mostly frozen. It wasn't until the it met the ocean that the water broke through and created a choppy mess of ice and slush. Theory was staring out at the shoreline where the water and ice churned before she caught sight of a small, strange shorebird standing with its wings aloft. How odd. I've never seen a bird quite that big. Intrigued, she shook out her fur and slowly stood up. Theo loped towards the bird slowly, coming at it from a wide angle so that she didn't startle the thing. She slowed on the approach and lowered her head. What...? No. Her eyes had to be deceiving her. She blinked furiously. "Uhh..." Okay, how should she approach this? It was a wolf, right? "Hello?" "theory speaks!"

The young Heir startled at the sound of a voice, and he tossed his head to the side, wind catching at his eyes as he turned to see who spoke. He opened his mouth to speak, and a sneeze caught him off guard and shook his body. He shook himself out, and cupped his wings forward like a bird of prey protecting its meal from watching eyes. Only, this motion was not nearly so ominous, it simply cut out the wind. He was able to see her now, from beneath the umbrella of his wings, and his tail gave a friendly wag as he surveyed the other wolf. “Oh, hello there!” he said, bounding closer. The motion was a strange one, as he kept his wings in place, and moved close enough so that he could stretch them out and offer her the comfort of their protection as well. A touch of rain had begun to enter the strong winds. In doing so, he would catch the scent of her, and realise she belonged to the pack he had scented just before. More than that, her scent was the prominent one. He blinked across at the older wolf in surprise. “Oh, pardon me, are you the Alpha of that beach?” "Mortis"

Oh, oh, oh fuck! It wasn't a bird at all! Theory would have tucked her tail in primal fear if she had a tail to speak of. It was a wolf with wings! You didn't see that every day - or at all. She'd come across only one before, but he had been much, much smaller. Gavroche hadn't been nearly as intimidating, but she could tell by this stranger's hulking size that when he came of age, he'd be taller than her. His paws were huge. Theory tried to keep her cool even as he came bounding closer. His tail was low and loose, his posture wasn't threatening, but Theo couldn't deny that there was a sense of the supernatural that made her a bit uneasy. Even as he stood before her, flesh and blood, she couldn't deny that it felt like she was witnessing something... strange. Like a story that you'd tell puppies to keep them in their dens at night. Nevertheless, once he closed the gap between them, all he did was offer her a place out of the rain. Theory chuckled at his question. He looked this fearsome but he still respected borders. A good kid. Someone must have raised him right. She eyed him more closely, making sense of his markings. Why did he look - and smell - so familiar? Suddenly it struck her. Was this one of Sirius' brood? If you cut the wings off, he was a perfect mix of Zee and the fearsome Warlord. "Yes, I'm Theory, alpha of Abaven... and you are..." she trailed off. Had he mentioned the names of any of his children? "You belong to Sirius, yes? And Zee?" "theory speaks!"

He caught the edges of theory’s unease, and it wouldn’t be the first time he had witnessed it. He slowed his gait, coming to a stop, and tried not to look too threatening. He had already extended his wings, and she wasn’t running screaming, so perhaps he hadn’t been too foolish with his quick motions.

“I’ve heard a little of Abaven” he admitted, through he hadn’t caught their scents before. He wouldn’t have been able to place it without her explanation. “I’m Mortis Fatalis. Yeah, that’s mum and dad” he agreed easily. “I think dad’s mentioned you before, he said you were nice, and that someone named Ace had wronged you both. He dosen’t call many people nice...” where was he going with this? He had lost the end of his thoughts with his middling words between. ‘So uh, did you want to be friends?” the young pup asked. Grinning at her fro, between his outstretched wings.

Oh, thank goodness. He was friendly. She could never be too sure, especially when Sirius was involved. While fatherhood had seemed to temper the warlord's spirit she couldn't forget that he was still the same wolf who'd struck a terrifying bargain with Poem for Motif's safety. He was... unpredictable. Did his son take after him in that way? "I'm glad you've heard of us, Mortis," she grinned. Good. Sirius had spoken of them. She hoped to tighten their alliance in the coming seasons. Hearing that he had personally escorted Aurielle to Abaven's borders gave her hope of a tight-knit, triad alliance. Then maybe she could finally, finally relax. It felt like she'd been holding her breath ever since Winterfell had left her borders at the end of the raid; always waiting for the other paw to drop. She chucked at Mortis' comment but was pleased to hear that Sirius had complimented her. "Yes! I'd very much like to be friends. What d'you usually do with your friends?" she asked, her ears pricked with interest.

She grinned at him, and he grinned back. The dark coated wolf seemed inclined to be friendly, despite seeming uncertain at first. He was glad. He didn’t like frightening people, he preferred people to think of him as a goof, and a friend. He was still peeking across at her from underneath the umbrella of his wings. The occasional spray off the ocean finding them. He paused at her question, frowning thoughtfully. “I climb trees, or wrestle. Tell campfire stories, or play hide and seek. What about you Theory, what do you do?” he wondered. She was older than him, but he didn’t think by too much. So perhaps she wouldn’t be above sily play along the sandy beach. He hadn’t met another Alpha before, but he was pretty sure Sirius was serious because of his personality, and not his occupation. "Mortis"

"Oh, climbing trees sounds fun! I bet those really help," she said, gesturing towards his wings with her muzzle. He reminded her of a very, very big raven, so he was already on her side good side - not to mention, of course, who his father was. It would pay dividends to hang out with Sirius' kid. Theory didn't like thinking all political, but it was impossible to put those sort of thoughts aside. The good of the pack was always her primary concern, and if she could help protect Abaven by climbing some trees with a quirky, allied pack heir... she was all for it. "I love to swim in the ocean and I like to wrestle as well," Theo grinned. This kind of spitting rain was no fun for swimming, it chilled you to the bone once you clambered out of the water. "But, I do like the idea of campfire stories. Could you tell me one?" she asked, settling down next to him. While it wasn't ideal for swimming, this kind of weather was perfect for spinning a yarn.

He laughed, but shook his head, and raised his paws. “No, it's these that do it” he explained, showing off his extendable, cat-like claws. “I suppose the wings help a little for balance, but they can’t actually help me fly” he explained to her. Most people made that assumption, and he had to disabuse them of the notion. He sure wished they could fly, that would be wicked. But unattainable.

Theory settled in beside him, and seemed happy to spend some time chatting with him. He appreciated that, and hunkered down beside her. Her pursed his lips in thought for a good long moment.

“The albatross soared over the cliff face, catching the updraft to support his wingspan. Where was his mate? He was late to return this year and he’d felt sure she’d already have a spot for them amongst the craggy rocks. As he glided along, he saw brooding pairs nestling together for warmth and the unmistakable ugliness of an abundantly fluffy newborn chick.
Albatross mate for life so another female simply wouldn’t do. With a heavy heart, he circled to scan the crowded rookery once more. Halfway along, amid the riotous clamour, he suddenly saw her, beautiful as ever, waiting patiently.”