The warming spring days have the red woman more and more eager to go out and explore. While the temperature is nowhere near the hot tropical weather that she is used to, Keahi still finds it easier to move around without the bitterly cold snow present. The sun slowly moves across the sky, not yet at its zenith and the red wolf moves across the lush green land. Her polar bear armor is firmly in place, not because she expects trouble, but because the polar bear fur offers her some extra, added warmth.

A nearby river gurgles its pleasure, calling for her to come and quench her thirst. A happy smile is on her red lips as Keahi moves to the babbling water’s edge, lowering her head to lap at the cool liquid. A breeze picks up, softly running its fingers through her fur, making the grass around appear to wave in greeting to the red wolf that bows at the bank of the river.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

Lothaire didn't know what to do with himself.

He'd grown up in a life of luxury, and never had to do a thing for himself. He'd learned how to fight from his father, but healing had been an art he enjoyed doing far more, if only because he found his mother easier to be around. She'd been kind and intelligent, having respect for the world around her and the creatures who dwelled in it alongside her. His father had been a stoic brute, a man with wealth and power that let his position go to his head. A hop, skip, and a jump later, and after several bad investments, the Morei family found themselves without a penny to their name. Humiliated, Lothaire's father sent him away with a quest to save his family by discovering riches beyond his wildest dreams, or don't come back at all.

It was a rather unfair deal if you asked Lothaire, but who was he to argue with the head of his household? The young adult set out much to his mother's dismay countless weeks ago, and Lothaire was regretting having ever left at all.

He forgot the exact amount of days he'd been traveling thus far, but his weary paws threatened to throw him down to the ground. There was an assortment of stickers stuck to his once pristine coat, which poked him suddenly and without warning from time to time. His stomach growled from lack of nourishment, but he certainly wasn't on the verge of starvation. He'd managed to wrangle up a snack here or there along the way, but it certainly paled when compared to the amount of food he was used to. His throat was parched, but the bubbling of a nearby river beckoned him closer with the promise of a cool drink. He made haste toward the water, and in his hurry to drink his fill, he neglected to check his surroundings for anyone else who may have lingered nearby.

His paws carried him toward the water's edge where he wasted no time lowering his muzzle to lap eagerly at it's surface. All the while, he remained blissfully unaware of the crimson lady.

As Keahi bows her head at the water’s edge, tongue lapping up the cool liquid, a small ruckus pulls her attention away from her drink. A slightly shorter male appears, making his way to water some feet away from her. Red head tilts in curiosity, water droplets falling from the fur on her chin as she silently assesses the male. His fur appears to be full of stickers and, by the way he eagerly laps at the cool liquid, he isn’t doing well on his own. Well, maybe she can offer him some help.

Tongue darts out to lick the last errant droplets from her lips before Keahi gives him a soft ‘woof’ of greeting, allowing the stranger a moment to gather himself before slowly moving toward the gray wolf. Her stance is relaxed, open, unthreatening as she slowly steps to him, asking, “Sir, are you alright?” A gentle smile is on her red lips, tail wagging slowly at her hips as she looks to read the unknown male’s body language.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

Gray ears flicked when a gentle woof drew his attention from his drink. Crown lifted, ears twisted back in slight embarrassment as twin pools of firefly yellow snap to the owner of the voice. Upon first sight, she appeared to be unthreatening, and truth be told, he would have accepted it even if she hadn't greeted him so compassionately. It had been far too long since the last time he'd seen another wolve's face. With regret still swirling in his eyes, he cleared his throat before standing up a little taller. "I apologize, miss. I hadn't been aware I had company here," he explained, offering a small smile whilst dipping his head in greeting. Water droplets still clung to his muzzle, but his tongue was quick to swipe them away.

"Truth be told, I am quite lost, my lady. I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest clue where I am, nor do I know where I was headed. I was merely looking for something better than the life I led." A wistful sigh was expelled from his nose then, his tail offering a meager flick as his troubles threatened to consume his mind. Shaking them away, he refocused on the crimson lady. "My name is Lothaire Morei. To whom do I have the pleasure?" He might have looked dreadful, but he still had his polished words and mannerisms. The wilderness couldn't take that from him.

Keahi takes it slowly, trying to show the male that she not a threat while also trying to be respectful of his space. He clears his throat, apologizing to her and the red woman offers him a soft smile and gentle shake of her head, saying, “No need to apologize, sir.” The way that the gray wolf speaks, reminds the red woman of some highborn wolves that she has met since coming to Boreas. Her head tilts slightly, blue eyes emanating sympathy to the male as he speaks, watching as a wistful sigh escapes through his nose. Ah, he is a gentleman, introducing himself and then asking for her’s. His manners and words hold a polished edge that are not present in his appearance and the red woman wonders what misfortune has befallen him.

With a respectful bow of her head, the red wolf says, “Pleasure to meet you Lothaire Morei, my name is Keahi Mogotsi. I am the Diplomat to the pack known as the Armada. We live not too far North from here.” Her tail wags lazily behind her as Keahi stops a respectful distance from Lothaire and she settles on her haunches as she asks, “You seem a little worse for wear Lothaire. May I ask what happened?” The red woman’s kind smile never leaves her lips as she listens to what he has to say.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

The woman of fire remained ever sincere despite his initial appearance, and somewhat scatterbrained antics. It was refreshing to meet someone who did not judge him from his outward appearance right off-paw. She returned the polite gesture and offered him a little information that was valuable–perhaps not right at this moment, seeing as the pack name and location meant little to him, but if he chose to reside in these lands the information would be most helpful. He returned the tail wag with one of his own hoping to make a better impression now that he was aware of her presence here.

The former noble reclined to sit on his haunches, seeing as Keahi was the first to sit. It was only polite to follow suit and keep the interaction as casual as they could. Besides, his paws hurt from all the traveling he'd done. We're he a lesser wolf, he might have flung himself down on the ground for a well-deserved rest. "I am most delighted to have met you, miss Mogotsi. After so long in my solitude, it's refreshing to see a friendly face." His words were warm as he spoke, much like velvety chocolate pooled over the top of a strawberry. He gave pause when she inquired after his reason for being here, but decided it wouldn't be harmful to indulge in the kind female.

It wasn't his mistake after all. "Truth be told, miss, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I came from a world of luxury and comfort, only to have all that I'd known ripped away from me when my father made some poor choices. The reason for my being here is I'm looking to start anew," he paused here, and offered Keahi a sheepish look. "Though, as you can tell, I am not off to the best of starts."

Lotharie seems to relax and he even gives Keahi a tail wag in answer to her own. A smile tugs at her lips as they both sit and the gray man opens his mouth to offer her more honeyed words. The smile she wears takes a warm quality as she bows her head in respect to his smooth words and a chuckle is pulled free from her red maw as he speaks of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, to which, the tropical woman cannot deny. She listens to his tale and a sympathetic frown tugs her smile down as he speaks of his father’s poor choices.

A small laugh rolls off of Keahi’s tongue as he says he is not off to the best start and she gives a shake of red head. After a brief moment, the laughter dies away but leaves, in its place, a friendly smile and the red woman says, “Well, Lothaire, I cannot deny that you were born with a silver spoon. If your words carried anymore honey on them, I’m afraid I would have to beat off flies while we talked.” Another, mirthful laugh bubbles out but the red woman quickly cuts it off, realizing that she might have offended him.

Waving a red paw through the air, Keahi says, “Ah, sorry. Please forgive my lack of polish. I am a simple island girl who is still new to this place and I meant no offense Lothaire.” A shy smile pulls at her lips for a moment before she continues, “But, if you’ll allow it, I think I know how I can make it up to you.” Straightening her back, she says, “Allow me to take you back to the Armada for food and a nice hot bath. You will not be forced to stay but, I might add that we do have heated dens. Might be just what you need to get back on your paws.” Her lips now hold a friendly, bright smile as she looks to him, waiting to see what he thinks of her offer.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

It wasn't often Lothaire found himself so fond of another shortly after meeting them, but Keahi was difficult not to like. She was far too polite for him to find any fault with her, and even offered a laugh at her harmless joke. He offered a shake of his crown when she apologized, explaining she was from a small island, and was still learning the customs of these lands. "You needn't apologize to me, miss Keahi. I do believe out of the two of us, I am the one who's new to these lands, no? I've only just stepped paw in them," he reminded her with the arch of a single brow.

The femme went on to say she could make it up to him, and offered him a place to stay while he regained his bearings. "You needn't go through such trouble for a man like me. You owe me nothing, seeing as there is no wrong for you to right." Lothaire paused here, his head tilting just so to the side as contemplation became evident on his features. It would be distasteful, not to mention utterly foolish for him to decline her offer, seeing as he didn't know nary a soul in these lands. He needed to recoup and figure out where he was going to go from here, and Keahi was offering him a means to do just that.

"That being said, I am no fool. If the offer still stands despite there being no offense, I shall be thankful for your assistance, though I would like to make myself useful to your home for as long as I am there." His ears flicked on top of his skull as he regarded the lady of red. "Perhaps I could assist with some menial tasks? I know a bit of healing, and can fight to protect myself. While I'm not an expert in either field by any means, I still may be able to find some means to repay your kindness."

Ocean blue eyes watch Lothaire, the red woman enjoying his company and the banter he offers. He does not take offense to her words and Keahi offers him a relieved smile, she had truly worried that she might have offended him. The gentleman’s next words pull another, happy laugh from her and she nods her red head, saying, “Touché. But, between you and me, I still need an excuse to use when I offend others.” A playful wink is given to the male as her eyes glitter with mirth and joy. His next words have her raising her eyebrows and she readies herself to try and persuade him further.

However, after a short pause, he accepts her offer and the tension that had been building in her shoulders suddenly releases with a relieved sigh escapes her mouth. Looking at Lothaire, Keahi explains, “I thought I might have to try to convince you further. The Armada took me in when I was new to this land, helped me get back on my paws and, I loved it so much, I decided to stay.” Offering him a bright smile, Keahi smoothly stands, gesturing for him to join her, as she says, “Come, walk me. We can talk about ways to repay the kindness and, on the way, I can tell you more about the Armada and our way of life… and, you can flatter me with more of those honeyed words.”

Eyes gleam with laughter as red woman waits for Lothaire to join her before pointing the pair toward Armada lands and slowly beginning to walk.


"Keahi Mogotsi"

It was easy to like someone like Keahi. She was charismatic, kind, and easy to get along with. If anything, speaking to her was like a breath of fresh air. He came from a world where everyone spoke in honeyed words and pretty phrases like the one's he frequently used, but it was nice to come to a place where refinement was not socially expected. He cocked his skull just so when he received a playful wink, and half thought to return it, but eventually decided against it. What if he was too awkward about it? He wasn't used to such playfulness, and he'd have to become more accustomed to it before he'd feel comfortable returning it.

"Nay, I can understand the worth of having a place to call home, even if it's a temporary arrangement. It's far better than wandering about the wilderness, wouldn't you agree?" He didn't need to be convinced to see the logic behind her offer, nor did he need prompting to stand when she did. His limbs pushed his form up from the grassy terrain, where he paused to shake out his sticker-ridden coat to try to grow more comfortable.

"Lead the way, Keahi. I shall follow you back to the Armada, and offer what honeyed words I can whenever appropriate." He offered a soft laugh as he fell into step beside her, feeling far less drained of energy than he did moments ago. "What do you wish to tell me about your home first, my lady? I'm absolutely enthused to hear more about your home."

Keahi talks with Lothaire, enjoying his company and the refined words that he offers. A smile is never far from her lips as they speak freely and the red woman admits that she was worried she might have to try and convince the gray male further. He easily deflects, assuring her that he understands the worth of a home and the smile she wears grows until it is a bright. They spar with words and the tropical wolf finds herself easily disarmed against his polished speech but her carefree spirit seems to keep them on even ground.

With a polite bow of her head, Keahi then smoothly stands and Lothaire easily joins her, giving his coat a shake to rid it of some the stickers that are clinging to him. A sympathetic wince is given to his current condition but his smooth-velvety words has her smile quickly reappearing and his soft laugh has the smile warming on her lips. Once Lothaire is beside her, the tropical wolf sets the course and makes the pace leisurely and unhurried as he questions what she wishes him to know first.

A thoughtful hum rumbles from deep in her chest, the soft sound lingering behind her closed lips as she thinks. After a small pause, Keahi turns her head so that her ocean blue eyes can look to where Lothaire walks and she says, “I think the first thing you should know is the Alphas. The Armada is led by two; Sirius and Azure. Sirius is the Warlord and Azure, his son, is the Champion. Their word is law and I will be calling on them to seek permission for you to stay within the pack lands.”

A soft smile is given to him before Keahi turns her head back to the front, her steps are sure and confident as they move. She leaves room for Lothaire to ask her questions, if has any yet.


"Keahi Mogotsi"