Leading the way across the rolling plains, her ivory and matte gold fur shimmered in the afternoon sun. She moved with an easy grace and confidence that belied her young age. There was an energy about her, a vibrancy that seemed to move the tall grasses around her with every step she took. The wind swirled playfully, brushing against Talyssa's face and bringing with it the sweet scent of summer bloom. Ahh, did it feel good to be home for a little while.

She had called out for anyone in the area seeking an intellectual discussion before finishing the journey home. They had trailed around the outskirts of the Hallows- taking the long way back. Once everyone who was interested in participated got settled, Talyssa began. Clearing her voice to speak. "Have you ever wondered," she started, her gaze sweeping over those who had gathered with a spark of excitement in her pale steel eyes, "how places like this place came to be?" She gestured with a sweep of her ink-dipped tail towards the crumbled ridges and hills that surrounded them. Talyssa allowed herself a brief smile, soaking in the feeling of being a catalyst for thought provoking conversation, the feeling of sparking interest like a wildfire among the dry grass.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

Identification caught scent of another wandering the ridges, ears twisted forwards as her emerald pools shoot around, taking in the scenery. Then spotting the owner of the scent Fic had picked up on the breeze. Her tail flicked behind her, tilting her cranium in curiosity. Paws set into motion as she drew closer to the others. Listening to the words fall from the woman who stood there. Then turning her attention to her surroundings for a moment. "A little history lesson?" A smile spreading across her lips as she lowered down into a sitting position and waited, her tail thumping almost silently against the terra firma.
"Identification"

Dutifully, Quill followed his woman as they made their way south. She was taking him back to her home for some grand festival and the marbled giant was more than happy to accompany her. Any moment that she was out of eyesight was a moment of unease. As was her way, Talyssa was a teacher. She felt inspired by their surroundings and called for any who might have a thirst for knowledge.

The maned dire settled down in the shade of a giant skull, stretching out on his belly like some big cat. Ears remained alert and he focused on Talyssa, giving her his full attention as she spoke. A history lesson, it seemed. The golden fae asked if any of the gathering had wondered how places like the one that they were in happened to come to be. Quill shot her a reassuring smile and a nod as their gazes met. He loved to listen to her speak. She was filled with such knowledge, such passion. He was proud of her.

"Speech"

Eltrys was taking the young pup Alexandrite scouting to let her forage for some herbs nearby when he heard an interesting call. An intellectual discussion? Color him intrigued! He swished his dark chocolate tail as he pulled his way toward the woman who called and bid the young girl to follow him as well. He spotted a familiar cream figure sitting with them.

He smiled warmly to Fic and nodded his head in greeting. Glad to see her recovered and well. He turned his attention to the discussion, and a crease of concentration furrowed his brow. Came to be? He looked around at the ridges of dust and grass, and large bones he had barely observed before in his many excursions here! He had been so focused on hunting he had missed this startling revelation before him! He even used some of these bones as stakes to capture an antelope with the great cat Taiga! As he realized what indeed she was referring to he settled in for an interesting lesson, knowing the girl would be delighted to join in as well.


"Speech!"

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Her father and brother occupied the Ranger approached her to help her scout for herbs. He seemed to have some knowledge of them as well and was helping her name a few of the ones they came across. She immediately noticed the strange structures surrounding them as they entered the territory. He was scary and intimidating at first but she quickly grew to trust him.

She looked at him as she heard the call for a discussion and stuck fast to his trail as they drew nearer. So many new faces were overwhelming until she heard what the white and golden woman said as she opened the discussion.

Her one-track mind quickly drew in their surroundings, "The thingies in the ground?" She spoke up, mostly to Eltrys, but the others could easily hear her.


Speech/Thoughts

A small chiming bell announced her arrival. She grew curious about the landscape as she tiptoed between the strange rock structures. They reminded her of bones but were massive in size. An intriguing call entered the sky and the young French woman came forward. A warm smile played over her lips as she spotted the familiar cream coat of Identification and came to sit quickly next to her newest friend.

She bowed respectfully to the woman who made the call and spotted the male lounging nearby in the shade of the massive skull.

What an interesting question! A child spoke up about the things in the ground and she grew soft. Identification mentioned a history lesson.

She had always wondered how the earth changed and how the environment was made! She nodded to the teacher before them. Eager to learn!

Wynter had only arrived in Auster a day or two before, but she heard that one of Artorias' daughters was planning a field trip of sorts and she was certainly curious about the area she found herself in. She wasn't sure how long she planned on staying in The Hallows for so she might as well take full advantage of every opportunity to learn that she could while she was here! Talyssa got their attention as the crowd that had gathered started to gather around, questioning whether they had ever wondered how places like this came to be. Her head tipped curiously and she glanced around the unusual landscape. She had never seen huge, oddly shaped bones like these before so she had to admit that she had wondered where they came from, but she had also never been here before so she was still getting acclimated to it all and hadn't had a chance to think much on it yet. Still, she nodded in agreement and looked to Talyssa curiously to see if she had any insight into how all of this came to be.

"Wynter Fatalis"

She had to be very, very sneaky to creep away from her parents when she noticed some other wolves leaving the Hallows' lands to go check out the near by attractions. She had overheard someone mention big bones and fossils and she was immediately intrigued. She fell in beside a dark blue and black wolf and pretended she was supposed to be there so surely no one would notice she was out of place! Her snake-like eyes went wide with curious wonder as they walked across the rolling hills that were dotted with bones the same way the big rocks and boulders spotted one of their territories back home. "Wow..." she breathed as she walked up to one of them, lifting one of her paws to touch it experimentally. Before she could do anything else she heard the woman that had led them out here talking and she bounced over to join the crowd, wiggling her way up to the front of the group so she could hear everything.

"Kintsugi Mendacium"

Bounding away from the flickering bonfire, Korona's curiosity led her through the rolling plains. Her coat of constellations and galaxies shimmered in the afternoon sun, bleeding into the colors of the tall grasses swaying around her. She was quite happy to be somewhere other than home, her steps taking her further and further out. When suddenly, she stumbled upon a group of wolves, their eyes keen and their presence enigmatic. Korona froze, her young heart racing with a mix of excitement and caution. She tilted her head, intrigued by their demeanor and the questioning in their eyes. For a moment, the wind carried Talyssa's voice to her, sparking a yearning to hear about the mysteries of this place. She was young after all, so she needed the call and sought center stage. Creeping up to the golden woman, and tucking into a patch of grass nearby to listen.

THE KRAKEN

Having just returned back to these lands after another short stint away on his own, Revenant had been headed northward to try and relocate his family. Word had reached him of Chimera’s imminent demise and he decided to come see what would happen in the aftermath if their father did finally succumb to his illness and kick the bucket. Ordinarily, a call like the one that went out around the arid ridgelands would have been ignored by the brute, but since the territory was on his way towards the Bifröst and because he was a curious bastard, the fallen Klein prince decided what the hell, it might be worth checking out if for no other reason than a bit of entertainment.

Oh boy, had he been right!

Not only was the young fae teaching the lesson quite a looker, but it seemed that she’d drawn quite a crowd to herself—namely one very familiar monochromatic brute. Blended violet and teal eyes roved over the crowd, but lingered on his brother lying down underneath a massive exposed skull. Brows raised in surprise to see him taking part of something like this, but when he saw his brother’s eyes glued to the golden fae, he understood what Quill was up to.

A sly smirk spread across his muzzle, the dire brute pacing around the edge of the group in Quill’s direction, paying attention to the girl while he moved. She asked if anyone had ever wondered how places like this came to be. Nobody else answered her, so Revenant decided to be the outlier, if for no other reason than to make sure at least one soul here recognized her. "Perhaps it’s just by chance, or by providence. Sometimes things just happen for no reason, or reasons we can’t anticipate," Revenant voiced out, knowing his voice would be detected immediately by Quill. Finishing his approach, Rev greeted his brother with a debonair smile and sat down near him in the shade. The Kleins did prefer the dark, after all. "Good to see you again, brother," he spoke in low tones so they wouldn’t interrupt Talyssa’s lesson. He gestured to their teacher with a knowing look. "Your latest conquest…?"

"Revenant"

She moved forward, closing in on the scree piles in the basin of a valley, her gaze focused on the ancient bones half-buried in the black soil. She was quite pleased with the small crowd that gathered, some of them chimed in with the own thoughts or admiration. There was only one who was particularly vocal- a man that went to sit right next to Quill. She was distracted a moment, not really able to hear their quiet exchange- and she certainly was curious- but she was quick to refocus her attention on her task at hand. She couldn’t help but lean in ever so slightly as as she began to weave her narrative, "Long ago, a great earthquake shook the land, causing the hills and ridges to crumble down into these piles," she began, her voice carrying with it a sense of awe as she gestured towards the layers of black soil and rock at her paws. With a thoughtful pause, she moved towards an exposed bone. "These were not placed here by any of us, nor by a wolf of any kind.” Her paw lightly brushed against the ancient bone, its smooth texture cold and gritty under her touch.

Talyssa turned back to the gathered wolves, a meaningful look in her eyes. "Our world has a history far richer and stranger than what we see. Just as we have our stories, so too does the land we stand on," she said, her voice reverberating amidst the silent expanse of ruined hills. "These bones are remnants of a time long forgotten, of fantastic creatures who roamed these plains even before our ancestors'.These bones," she continued, her gaze returning to the ancient relic in the earth, "are a testament to life and the passing of time."

"Talyssa Carpathius"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

She sat there, watching others come to the session of learning about the lands. Ears perked as she picked up the scent of one that she known. The ranger from Polaris. Eltrys. She gave the brute a gentle nod and a friendly smile. More stranges than not, but soon another scent caught her attention. Iris, the darker fea who seemed to have a gentle soul like her own. Others greeted others in friendly manners. Each one she gave a flash of a smile. Soon the woman Talyssa spoke with a male near her, Identification listened.

Her focus was now trained on the woman who spoke about the lands. Her emerald pools taking in all around her, from the bones to the dark and lighter soil in which covered the bones. Noting that some looked nothing like they hunted now. "This history here seems much more richer and although not pure as some of us." She looked towards the pup who sat in on the lesson, a small smile. "The land must have also changed, causing the earth to reclaim what has fallen. And not only due to rains that fall from the skies, or possibly even the storms."

She known that she sat upon history, even walked upon it each and every day. But yearned to know more, yearned for the knowledge. "But why would anyone dare to forget about a history of such a rich land? Why would they hide the stories long forgotten? For history to repeat it's self?" Maybe she was foolish for asking such questions. But she dug into the ground with her paws. Wanting more information, possibly all the information this woman could offer.

"Speech!"

Wynter glanced around at the other wolves that gathered around this woman for the history lesson, but none of them were familiar to her so she didn't do more than a polite nod to anyone that happened to look her way. She did notice a wide variety of pack scents and such from them so it was definitely an eclectic group that had come together to learn. There was something poetic and beautiful about that, but she didn't ruminate on it long since Talyssa began to speak about the land they were standing on. She mentioned a great earthquake that had formed this land and Wynter tipped her head curiously, looking around at it all again. She supposed that was as probable as anything else she could have thought of. What she was really curious about though was the huge, unusual bones that didn't seem to match any other creature or bones she had ever seen before. Talyssa eventually brought them up as well, sharing how they belonged to creatures that had roamed this place before their ancestors. It was hard trying to fathom just how long ago that really was. Whatever kind of creatures these were they were massive if these bones were to believed.

"Wynter Fatalis"

Quill's attention was all for Talyssa, so he hadn't even realized that he was being approached until a big body sat directly beside his own. Dual toned eyes shifted to fall upon Revenant and a cocky little smirk lifted the corners of the marbled brutes maw. He hadn't been expecting that. His brother asked if Talyssa was his current conquest and Quill took his gaze back to the blonde woman. "The only one that's ever mattered," was his honest reply. Talyssa continued to speak about the terrain, the bones and the way that the earth around them had uprooted itself and moved in order to look as it did this day. It was a fantastical notion but how did anyone really know? None of them had been there when this happened. None of them had been there when these things roamed the land. As his woman moved on, the grey and white giant moved along as well, giving up his shady spot to be in closer proximity and to also hear her words. The bones were a testament to the passing of time, she said. Time ended all things but it would never end his admiration for the golden fae. "Quill"

He listened intently, she had a smooth way of talking that reminded him of one of his teachers from long ago.

She had a curious story about an earthquake and how the bones here had not been placed. He had never thought about the history of a particular landscape but now that she drew their attentions to it, he looked around. Noting the difference in the dirt colors, and the large bones that didn't seem to belong to any creature he had known before. A great skull looming over them all where two other males were listening from. Fascinating how he had not even noticed these curiosities as much as before. He wondered how she came to these discoveries.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

The teacher didn't acknowledge her, which was just fine since she drew within herself as others seemed to have glanced her way. She listened carefully to what the teacher had to say and noticed when she mentioned the bones. Ooooh so those were bones! They were soooo big. She didn't immediately know what an earthquake was but she gathered it had something to do with shaking the soil and making things pop up.

"How... How much time?" She squeaked out, her mismatched eyes glued to the teacher, she had been so enthralled in the story she had even made it two steps away from her adopted uncle's forepaws.


Speech/Thoughts

Speech//French

Iris struggled subtly to follow the conversation. Some of the words she hadn't quite learned in this common language on these lands but she was determined to learn them. So far she could pick up that the land had changed somehow and that these indeed were massive bones from creatures beyond wolf-kind knowledge. She glanced at Fic as the cream woman spoke up and shook her head, not quite following what the other young woman was saying.

"What was zome of zese creatures... called?" Iris asked aloud in her thick accent, hoping she came across clearly. Surely if the woman knew what had happened here she would know what some of the creatures were when they were flesh as well as bone.

Kintsugi listened with intrigue as the woman leading this lesson spoke about how the land was shaped and the ginormous creatures that had left behind these weird skeletons. The fact that they were not here because of any wolf and the fact that they had come here well before any of their ancestors made her head spin. There was a time when there wasn't wolves?! That felt impossible! It suddenly made her wonder just how long the world had been a thing. Was there a beginning to the world? How did all of this get here? That felt like waaaaay too big of a question to ask, but another voice from behind her asked how much time had passed since they died and that was a slightly more manageable question to think about. Another lady that had a really thick, interesting accent asked what they were called and that was also a really good question! She looked expectantly to their teacher, eager to learn more.

"Kintsugi Mendacium"

Korona listened closely, her eyes wide and ears perked up, as the woman spoke about the past. The ancient bones half-buried in the dark soil like secrets of a world long gone. She felt a shiver of excitement run through her.

She glanced at the small crowd, noticing their curious and admiring looks. The man next to the ones with girly braids caught her attention for a moment, but she quickly refocused on the gold lady’s story, eager to hear more.

As she continued, Korona leaned in even closer, her coat of stars and galaxies shimmering. The silence of the ruined hills made the teacher’s voice sound even more important. Korona's heart filled with wonder, imagining the fantastic creatures that once lived here. Oh if their bones were so big, imagine what they had looked like!

She stayed quiet, her mind full of thoughts and questions, but she held them back. She wanted to soak in every detail of the stories shared.

THE KRAKEN

The Klein brothers were a group thick as thieves. They didn't always travel together or spend traditional quality time together, but they'd grown up with a special kind of bond. A litter of all boys was bound to build fraternal camaraderie, and Revenant and Quill had always been similar. A desire to roam, to have the freedom to do as they pleased, and a love for the finer things in life and the fairer company that came with it. Revenant quietly wondered if perhaps Quill would be rejoining the new Klein pack Scylla was establishing and coming back into the fold of their family like it seemed like the rest of their siblings were. He didn't get a chance to ask him though, as the fawn-colored fae began to speak again, continuing her lesson. Quill made a remark about her being his only conquest that ever mattered, and that earned him a surprised and dubious look from his brother. With all the faes they'd bedded amongst their travels, he was skeptical to hear such devoted words from his lecher of a brother. "Oh? Is the great ladies' brute Quill Klein finally retiring to settle down?" They'd have to catch up afterwards. He needed to hear all about this girl who'd somehow tamed his wild brother.

Returning to the lesson at hand, Revenant kept his mismatched eyes on the woman as she went through her lesson, explaining how the bones had come to be unearthed. She seemed so confident, so sure of her answers, but Rev remained skeptical. She was hypothesizing at best, but it did make logical sense. He wasn't one usually moved by the past. To him, it was all about the future. What was to come instead of what had happened. Still, he would play nicely with the others. Following leisurely behind Quill, Revenant stopped to examine one of the massive bones, running a paw along its smooth, calcined sides. "And a testament that, no matter how powerful or eternal something may seem, nothing lasts forever. Everything ends." Everything—the Klein empire, their family, even themselves.

"Revenant"