The rain was torrential, filling Hattori's ears with a constant rush that near drowned out his other senses. The mud was slick and saturated beneath his paws, puddles forming along the stretches of cobbled stone as Auster settled comfortably into the midst of winter. There was little shelter here in the wide open space of The God's Garden, but a cursory glance-or rather a squint through the grey rain-revealed a cedar forest to the east that would provide cover should they need it.  Staying here was not exactly ideal, given the proximity to the Hallows and their territory, but given how far his band had travelled, Hattori sensed it was time to rest. To gather resources in preparation for not only travelling even further south, but for the tribulations that would take place once they claimed the Bamboo Maze as their own.

Focusing on the goal that was still a way out of reach, Hattori stood atop a crumbling stone wall and tipped his head back to call out for his band, the deep timber of his voice dulled by the constant downpour. They had not travelled as a single unit and instead had branched off, scouting and cultivating a sense of independence. He trusted them all-besides from Laith who was being escorted by Yaeume- and knew it was only a matter of time they till arrived on scene. And thus he waited.

The northern tip of Auster had two packs on either side, creating a narrow funnel for travellers to squeeze through. Perhaps it could be argued Hattori was being inconsiderate for settling-temporarily, mind you - so close to the Hallows, but it wasn't as if he had much choice. Though he made a valiant effort to act as though it did not bother him, the stump of where his toe had once been throbbed incessantly, till the point he realised he probably needed to have it looked at. Just in case.

But that was a matter to deal with later.

"Speech"

Quick on her pace, Yume was raised to perform her duties as fast and efficient as possible. Ears up and tail up, the large female escorted the prisoner all the way down to Auster. She felt curious to see how Hattori would lead this new group, how things will go for them. Rain fell heavily against her pink coat, soaking wet as she worked her way forward. Shaking it from time to time, she aimed to stay as dry as possible but at this point it was pointless, a sight of annoyance escaped her lungs, feeling a bit heavy on the wet fur but she was a Yakuza, she could endure anything life threw at her. Hopping Laith followed her like a nice boy she would sit down, facing the Shogun, motioning her captive to sit by her side. "speech"

Gin had arrived in the God's Garden as dawn broke over the horizon. The air here was distinctively damp, and it smelled like rain. The girl had tucked herself away in an abandoned fox hollow to rest for a while, figuring it safe enough. Tucked away carefully, there was no way anything could find her, and if nothing could find her, then she'd be safe. Sleep had come more easily than usual, the ghost near exhausted from travelling. It hadn't been bad, a nice walk really overall, but it had been long. Overhead, the canopy of leaves from the stately cedar trees had been enough to keep the rain out of her temporary shelter. It had been a good sleep. But not nearly enough sleep. The call that pulled her from her rest was one she recognized-- it was time. Carefully, she pulled herself from her hideaway, giving a great shake to free the leaf litter from her ghostly coat. With a stretch and a sigh, she carefully padded into the rain. A hard blink once, twice, as she cleared the sleep that made her eyes bleary. All around, rain was coming down. Torrential rain. It was enough to put a damper on her mood, but that was fine. At least there was no sun to cast its harsh light on everything. No, the dense cast of grey really was a positive. Carefully, Gin picked her way towards the wall. Meishu stood atop it, stately. How was he not cold? Gin could feel the cold seeping into her bones as the rain soaked her coat. Though she did her best to conceal her anxiety as she approached, it certainly wasn't the easiest-- not with wolves starting to gather around him. It had been a time since Gin had been around this many others at once. The long night had left her worse than it had found her, but it was no matter. Briefly, respectfully, she dipped her head in greeting to Meishu before finding a spot at the foot of the wall to take a careful seat. It was with enough distance from the others to keep her comfortable, enough of an angle to keep them in her periphery. Gin would not be startled, and would not be too uncomfortable to pay attention during this gathering. She wouldn't have it.

These days, it appeared that all he and Usagi did was travel. Go here, go there, keep walking, just one more day. He really was starting to get tired of it. All Kuroo yearned for was a home to rest his head and a nice fishing hole to spend his afternoons. Except, if they wanted to secure a meeting with their father, they had to follow Hattori and see this whole band deal out. Not that he was complaining. There were promises of meeting more Kois like them and Kuroo was interested in seeing who all would be there. Maybe Hattie and Keri would be there, that hope was high, but he wondered nonetheless.

From the eastern parts of Boreas, he traveled with Usagi south over the Bifrost and through the narrow channel that snuck between the two main packs in Auster. Their scent was strong and he made sure he and his brother didn't wander over the borders. Finding their way through vague directions and faint scents of the behemoth they had met on the beach, Kuroo found himself quickly ducking beneath a tree as the rain began to pour. Why Hattori would want the band somewhere where it was cold was beyond him. Glancing over to Usagi, he gave his grumpy brother a faint smile. "I believe we're almost there, bunny" he murmured in their language before setting off again.

Bristling against the downpour that followed them toward God's Garden, Kuroo found himself pouncing playfully in muddy puddles. Splashing brown globs all over his mottled legs, his occasional giggle broke through the drum of droplets against trees. During the playful distraction of their travel toward the band, Kuroo glanced up when he heard the booming timber of Hattori's call shatter through the sheet of rain. Relief washed over him. They could finally relax! When he picked up his pace, he shot Usagi one more look before making his way to the clearing. Quickly skidding into the area where a few other wolves already gathered around the Shogun, Kuroo briskly nodded toward Hattori before finding a place off to the side. Plopping his splotched body in a rather muddy patch, he smiled over at Usagi, hoping his brother would sit nearby.

Travel, travel, travel. Ever since their exchange of words with the towering Shogun, he and Roo had set off on the most tumultuous of journeys through the strange land. Usagi wished to say they could settle and be done with it, but when it rained it poured - literally, in this instance. The flop-eared koi scowled even deeper than usual as the heavy downpour soaked his pelt, making him look that much more like a rabbit soaked in a puddle. It was an amusing sight to anyone except him. It wasn’t so much the rain that bothered him, though. It was the prospect of him and his brother meeting their father, their real father, that had kelt him going all this way. Following suit after Kuroo, he recalled the sheer amount of land they’d crossed to get here. A massive piece, no doubt, as it had taken what felt like ages to finally reach their so-called destination. They’d passed through forests, deserts, more shoreline than he cared to see - but he’d by lying if he said he didn’t enjoy any of it. Truthfully, there was an unseen beauty to this place, all the new climates and textures and colors he and his sibling hadn’t seen much of compared to their mild-tempered homeland. Watchful over his brother, and ever protective, he followed suit after him, and Kuroo following him at times, as they made their way through endless strips of land. Avoiding packlands like the plague, he made sure not to cross the invisible lines that bordered territories they’d skimmed past, making utmost certain they hadn’t trespassed. It wasn’t an easy journey, but Usagi would never admit he was actually having the time of his life. He wasn’t sure if Kuroo noticed those times when something made his chartruse gaze warm and glimmer in a brief childlike wonder, or the slightest of smiles that dared tug his slouching lips. The adventure was just beginning, more struggles and woes to come, but also a wondrous amount of thrill and amazement. And with his most important part of his life, his brother, he felt they’d get through anything together. Still, this island they’d come on to was a slight damper in the adventure. Slightly. As his piebald brother ducked under a tree, the two of them having tracked the Shogun’s faitn scent trail, he followed suit, a sneeze erupting from his maw as he huffed. I believe we’re almost there, Bunny, His even-tempered brother assured him. The use of his nickname almost made him soften up in their current wet and cold state, and his scowl lightened into its typical netural sag as he looked over to him with acknowledgement. Before long, the koi had begun splashing about like a pup by the crumbling, strange structure of a garden, and Usagi sighed heavily in irritation as the earth splattered on his festures. No mind, the rain would wash it off, but it wouldn’t be Usagi if he wasn’t angry about everything. "Roo, quit it," He huffed in exasperation as the piebald koi danced and sloshed in the puddles of mud. Though to say it didn’t make him the least bit happy, his mind at ease that his brother was so happy would be a lie, too. Relief washed over him as he saw his brother engage in the playful splashing, and soon enough, a familiar gravelly howl rang out. Kuroo heading towards the source of the call, Usagi followed suit, no longer feeling the rain’s downpour on his body. As they approached the clearing, the flop-eared wolf dropped far enough behind the wolves to shake himself off briefly, then approaching Kuroo again to sit next to him. Copying his brother, he offered a polite nod towards Hattori as well, scooting close to his sibling. The sight of more koi wolves, those who likely shared some form of their heritage in one way or another, made him sweep his gaze over the crowd with a mixture of relief, pride, and curiosity. This would surely be an interesting endeavor, a life-changing one at that. "Speech"

He'd been stuck with the pink behemoth for what felt like an age, unable to escape from her watchful eye as she practically dragged him ever southward to wherever the hell the wolf he had come to learn was called Hattori wanted them all the meet up. Them being his strange coloured family, and unfortunately him. After learning what it would take to earn his freedom Laith had no real indication to learn any of their names or actually talk with them, just enough to pay his dumb debt off so he could leave without being chased down and dragged back. The call did not go unnoticed, and he would've happily ignored had the pink wolf not been right next to him at that moment, and sullenly he followed behind her, paws dragging in the wet muddy ground as he followed her. The rain fell heavily from the sky, soaking him almost immediately, and when they finally arrived he sat down next to her where she had motioned with a big shiver. His ears flattened back against his skull as he squinted up momentarily at Hattori where the large wolf stood, before looking down at his paws again, and where he would continue looking until this meeting was over, or he was specifically told to raise his eyes. Laith didn't bother to acknowledge the presence any of the other wolves that were already there, or any others that would show up. He was here against his will, and he'd make that pretty fucking obvious. And so he sat in silence in the pouring rain, simply scowling down at his own feet.

Áskell packed up his things and with his companions by his side headed south into Auster to join up with Hattori and the rest of the Ronin band. His head was still full with more than he could process. Ari had told him the whole story of how his father had fallen in love with his mother and how outside knowledge of their birth would've certainly meant the death of him, his brother and his mother. Not that it mattered much any more. He seemed to be the only survivor thus far anyway.

The rain was falling down heavily and he carefully worked his way through the mud and muck. There was a dull pain in all four of his paws, nestled around his claws. Apparently his mother had wanted to name him Ketoru. He debated still what to do with his name. There was the matter of his family name on his mother's side. He didn't want to rid himself entirely of his father's contributions to his identity. He still loved his father and his brother. It was just their memory that had plagued him in Habari. The place of so much tragedy for him to bear. Áskell sighed. It was a matter for another time.

They came to a stop in a land rich with greenery, various herbs, and strange stonework. He settled down amongst the rest of the band. Most of them wolves he hadn't had a change to really know yet. It was hard when he was still working out who exactly he was.