He came into sight of the Valhallan border and slowed to a stop, teal eyes scanning the wall the wolves had erected. It was obvious that different techniques had been tried and tested over a long time, from dry stacking, to a more solid mortar stack. Even from here he could smell the scent markings, and his ears pricked forward as he recognized several scents, merely from passing the owners in the festival. Over his back lay the bear hide, tanned with help from Wangui, with the hair on. It wasn’t the best work – he was no furrier, after all, but it was serviceable. Wrapped in the hide and held inside by the braided sinew ropes the lemur had also made, was dried bear meat, bones, emptied stomach, and other odds and ends of the bear he thought the wolves might like. Claws, the skull with its teeth… he was glad the meat was dried – air dried – because the pack on his back was heavy enough without the meat being fresh. Wangui sat on his back, helping keep the package on his back, though it was lashed to his armor for extra security. Isolde launched from his crest, claws scraping the leather, wings buffeting his ears before she gained height and circled higher, scanning for any pack wolves. She whistled as she spotted a likely wolf, and the stallion made his way forward, head high and eyes still scanning as he drew to a stop at the border. He thought back to Obsidian’s stories and lessons about how wolves worked, checking off a list in his mind as he tipped his muzzle upward slightly, whinnying loudly. The sound echoed off the distant hillock he could see, and he waited, wondering how this would go. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Aurielle Adravendi

She’d been patrolling, an uneventful patrol, when the decidedly un-wolfish call reached her ears. Despite the difference in call, it was impossible to mistake it for anything other than a summons, a respectful one, but even still. Curiosity and duty drew her to it. She recognized the sound as equine, certainly, but what horse would be calling for wolves? The answer was a glowing one with a great horn upon his brow. He was huge, but not unfamiliar. He’d been at the festival, even joined in the fighting contests. She smiled as she drew to a stop, leaping with a bound to the top of the wall to be on better level with him—she’d get a stiff neck if she craned back to look up at him to chat. “What brings a stallion to a wolf pack?” Her tone was friendly and frankly curious as her tail flicked neatly to drape the long hair over the edge of the wall and over her paws, head cocked as she waited for an answer, eyes roving over the lemur with a nod of greeting. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

To the stallion’s pleasure, it was the Spirit herself that came to see who was calling. Isolde, her job done, drifted down to land on his armored crest, folding her wings and nodding to the alphess. Wangui eyed the wolf, nodding finally with some caution. The lemur was still of some mind that the glowing stallion was a god, even if he didn’t realize it and frankly denied it, and now, here was a glowing wolf she’d only seen at the festival. Respect was paramount to staying undamned. The Queen greeted him, and the friendly tone was encouraging. Taliesyn dipped his head in a bow, then kept it at a comfortable level for both himself and the wolf to speak comfortably as he admitted, “I’ve actually been seeking a pack my mother told myself and my sister about when we were foals. I originally started searching just to see a piece of her history, but the seasons have stretched into two or more years, and I find myself alone. And so… if this is the Valhalla she told me about, I wish to join.” He tipped his head around and Wangui unlashed the bundle from his back. The bearskin and its contents dropped gently to the ground at his hooves with his teeth and strong neck to slow its fall, and he stepped back, making it clear he wouldn’t use her distraction to strike while she was vulnerable. “I am a warrior, and have been tried and tested in battle, as well as leadership.” He fell silent, then, wondering what she’d think. It was down to her whether he had a new home or not. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Aurielle Adravendi

His answer was an interesting one, and it struck a chord in her, plucking a string of memory. There had been a mare that once lived with Valhalla of old, fighting at their side in the infamous Siege launched against them by the Glaciem Isardis had led. Truth be told, there had been two horses, but the filly the mare had adopted had vanished. It could be either horse’s offspring that stood before her, offering his services as a warrior. Her lips quirked in a slight grin as she wondered what it would be like to have this horse as a high council member or a Lodestar, or a Sentinel. However, she did give the stallion’s words serious thought. He was large, and the obvious bear pelt and the items she heard thumping and clattering within were a proof of sorts, that he wasn’t just fibbing. He clearly wished for her to examine the offering, and so, Aurielle dropped to the ground, opening the package and looking everything over. The death blow was an obvious hole in the hide where the bear’s ribs would have been, and while the hide was roughly skinned, the air-dried meat, bones, and skull – a skull that bore the clear signs of a well-aimed, hard hoof on its crown – were all useful items, even the roughly skinned hide. Her eyes flicked up to his horn, noting the sharp edged adornment that tipped the end of it, a coil of metal wrapping to the base of the horn to keep it in place. He was clearly devastating in battle. “Who was your mother?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She didn’t speak for a long time, instead examining the offering, though he spotted the smirk twitching around her lips and wondered what thoughts had amused her. Probably that a horse was asking to join a wolf pack. But when she spoke, it was a question. One he was happy – proud – to answer truthfully. His neck arched, ears pricking forward as he stated, “I am the son – well, one of them, but the only one from that pairing – of Obsidian and Mystral, though I never met my sire—he’d lost the herd before mine and my twin’s birth.” His head tipped to the side to better see the wolf, wondering what her reaction would be. Had she even heard of his mother? The wolves could well have dismissed his mother’s existence as soon as she’d gone her own way after Cormalin’s death. They were horses after all. And wolves normally ate horses. Obsidian had often nickered in laughter at the memory as she told it, of the pack’s reactions when a horse stood among them without fear at meetings. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Aurielle Adravendi

He was proud in his answer. And so you should be proud… She was well loved in my family. A warm smile bloomed on her features as she straightened from his offering, returning to the wall with a leap and bowing her head. “It’s good to meet you. Obsidian was well-liked in my family. Erani and her daughter made sure tales of her were passed down to each generation. Is your mother still alive?” After all, horses did have longer lifespans than wolves, so she well could be. As for the status of his home being Valhalla, she stated, “I am willing to accept you as an Outlander. I’d like to test your fighting skill, though your bear here is good proof that you’re at least ballsy enough to take on a grizzly. And I don’t see a mark on your hide, so you must be decently quick.” Her head tilted as she studied the horse, pretty sure her pack would be rather puzzled at his first appearance among them. “But for now, welcome home…. Taliesyn, was it? I remember you from the festival.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He was pleased, a little amazed, that his mother had indeed been remembered by the wolves she had been a part of. Aurielle seemed to approve of his proof of skill, though his ears flicked forward with interest at the prospect of a test. He looked forward to it. “I’m happy to be tested any time you like.” Home. It felt good to hear that word after such a long time. At a nod from the glowing wolf he stepped forward, striding across the invisible line that spanned across the passage in the wall. He was no fool, he knew he’d need to prove himself and keep proving himself, but for the time being, he was happy to relax and get to know the place, and the pack he’d just been welcomed into. To her last words, he nodded confirmation, tail flicking over one haunch as he scanned the plains, asking, “When would you like to test my skills?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think