Spring roiled around the pair with fierce intensity. The recent storm had decimated the landscape. Granite clouds and a brisk wind were all that remained now of the ravaging storm. Small trees had been ripped from the ground and cluttered the paths. Small scorched patches of earth marked where lightning fires had been struck up and quickly extinguished by the torrential downpour. Raisa was fascinated by the strength of nature, of the power it held. She recalled the afternoon she had spent in a mountain lion's presence, and saw similarities there. It reminded her at once how weak she was, and how strong she yearned to become. A deep breath pulled in a lungful of air, and expelled it with hearty gusto. The smell of damp, fresh earth imbued her with a vitality she rarely felt these days. She turned to Koros and offered the small fox a rare smile. He was, of course, immediately concerned with her intentions, but could not help returning the gesture. It was infrequent to catch his Queen in such a buoyant mood. "This is a day of possibilites, Koros!" She declared this boldly, and could not help but stand up a bit straighter. Her long, lithe legs carried her tot he lapping shore of the lake. The water was bitterly cold with spring thaw and cluttered with debris, but the dark fae could still catch fragmented glimpses of her reflection. How much longer would she have to wait before the world around her stilled completely? She was certain that when it did, her true self would be able to piece itself together once more.

code by sam & image by lu

Sass and vinegar? "Dam mosquitos!" Kaliska roared out as she dove at the tiny insects trying to scoop as many into her mouth as possible. That blood was hers and she wanted it back! The storm had been nice in one way in that it cleared the area of insects but now that the maelstrom had passed the little creatures were apt to be getting back to their lives. Kaliska sighed and shook out her coat which was still damp and clumping around her slender form in odd spikes and clumps. Kaliska hadn't gone much farther when she came across another female wolf and a? fox? Kaliska head titled to the side as she eyed the smaller creature. "A curious pair of traveling companions? please tell me you aren't going to eat him?"

A curse broke the air, and was soon followed by a more physical intrusion. That a wolf should appear so suddenly before them, while startling, was actually a welcome sight to the charcoal fae. Raisa's eyes narrowed, scanning over the small newcomer. Her eyes were bright and piercing, much like her own right optic. Her frame, while much shorter, was of a similar build; slender and lanky. She looked somewhat foreign, and reminded the larger of the two wolves of hot places and arid landscapes. Her wry comment brought a wry smile to Raisa's lips, even though Koros looked mildly horrified. A chuckle bubbled its way up and out of the Queen's mouth. "Hardly," she responded, just as the piebald fox burst out, "Excuse me?" The tall, dark woman threw her head back and laughed then, a powerful kind of mirth that she rarely experienced. She lifted a paw and used it's pad to muss the fur between her steward's ears. "There, there Koros! It was a fair question!" The queen turned back to the small, tan stranger and gave her a small smile and a raised brow. "And who might you be, Lady Snark?" She teased, and wondered absently if she would offend. It would not be the first time her crass humor had turned a stranger against her or away, but something had her wondering if this situation would be like the others. "Talk" "You" Think

Sass and vinegar? Boy she was a big one. The other femme towered over Kaliska but the sleek, ruddy femme didn't let it bother her. Size wasn't everything and she was quite capable of taking down larger opponents if it so suited her to do so but she wasn't really looking for a fight right now. She was just hoping for a conversation, maybe some chow, some tip, some something that could end her boredom more thoroughly than wandering around Alacritis like a lost pup. Kaliska grinned at the fox's shocked expression. It really hadn't occurred to him that some wolves enjoyed killing his kind, even devouring them? Not that Kaliska was one of these, no. She meant neither creature harm but she couldn't resist making the jab. "There, there Koros! It was a fair question!" Kaliska grinned. Good, a fae with a sense of humor! Alacritis seemed to be sadly lacking in such wolves. "I'm Kaliska Kaltharsis. A wanderer. And what of you, Lady Fox Lord, what brings you to Alacritis and in such unusual company?"

This Kaliska, or so she dubbed herself, seemed to enjoy her humor well enough. Raisa felt her approval grow, hoping perhaps she wouldn't have to censor herself around this one. Her question rolled through the air, and Raisa let it settle over them as she considered how best to answer. Finally she decided she might as well be frank, so she shrugged and offered a lazy smile. "I've come to rule the world," she said, her voice as smooth as water over rocks. A chuckle broke free from her lungs and she bobbed her head from side to side, saying, "Or at least a portion of it. I am Raisa Xanilov, former queen of the Ebony Throne. I have come to rebuild." Raisa did not know much about the pack structure of this land, but if this Kaliska was a wanderer in true, perhaps she did. "Tell me, what might my competition be? Do you know aught of the packs roving about?" It would be good to know of course, but not entirely necessary if not. Many rogues purposefully avoided pack life, and if Kaliska was among them there would be nothing for it. Koros still could not bring himself to speak, so instead he flicked his gaze between the two fae's waiting to see what would become of this encounter. "Talk" "You" Think

Kaliska grinned. Rule the world? My, my what lofty aspirations for a rogue fae and a fox. Kaliska had no such goals. She didn't care for her hopes to tower above her so readily but she knew plenty of others that got their drive from it. The femme, now introduced as Raisa Xanilov, was clearly a creature of ambition. But Kaliska admired her for it. A disthroned queen determined to rebuild. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Tell me, what might my competition be? Do you know aught of the packs roving about? Kaliska shrugged at the femme's question. "I know little of the packs of Alacritis, other than most of them do not capture my attention. Glaciem is large, a pack of conquest, though I hear femmes are expected to breed often. Seracia is also quite large and so is Valhalla though? a call rang out not long ago of a challenge on the battlefield so that may change. I know nothing of the others. The packs of Alacritis are as fluid and changing as water." The jackal-faced femme sighed lightly. She supposed she should have done more to find a pack but the rumors that constantly shifted around made it difficult to guess where she might belong. Her tone suddenly shifted to a more serious tone, head cocked slightly to the side as she gazed at the mismated eyes of Raisa Xanilov. "I like the way you carry yourself, former queen of the Ebony Throne. What are your plans to rebuild and why is this goal of importance to you?" "Speech"

Raisa drank in the fae's words, committing them to memory, vowing to ascertain the truth of them later. Blind trust was not her forte, of course. Still though, she head heard the names before and Kaliska's words only built further upon the picture. That they were in such turmoil brought a smile to Raisa's face. Her pack would be no such thing; loyalty and security would be ironclad. Not to mention that the others changed so frequently denoted a certain weakness in their leaders. More for me, she thought happily. When the tan fae posed her own questions Raisa paused a moment, considering her words before she answered. The compliment had sweetened her mood. "My plans are to gather a following and stake a claim, what else?" But it was more complicated than that, of course, and she was certain they both knew it. She sighed, and continued. "The pack I came from housed dozens of families and proud lineages. Our court was fear for leagues in every direction. But my parents were overthrown and killed in a coup. It was the result of complacency and weakness," she said with a sad sneer upon her face. "I will allow no such weakness to prevail in the new Ebony. Loyalty and security will be unquestionable, and pack ties will be of paramount importance." She paused and looked away, gathering herself. "When the cold winds blow the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. And what a pack we shall be." The grandest Alacritis has ever seen. Let these Glaciems and Valhallans tremble in my wake... "Talk" "You" Think

Ahh? so Raisa sought to build a pack. Kaliska listened to the fae speak with rapt attention. She had been longing to join a pack for some time but nowhere had seemed to be a good fit for her. If the one Raisa sought to build appealed to her then Kaliska would join on the spot. If not she'd cut her losses, bid the femme good day and be on her way until fortune seemed content to free her from her solitude. I will allow no such weakness to prevail in the new Ebony?When the cold winds blow the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. And what a pack we shall be. Kaliska grinned. What Raisa proposed seemed to be exactly what Kaliska was looking for. A pack of strength and solidarity. Something that could stand. Her old pack had been close but greed had damaged them and they split in the middle, easy prey for the growing, violent packs around them. To the parable of the wolf Kaliska nodded. "Truer words were never spoken and I've grown weary of traipsing around as a loner. I was born a pack wolf and I wish to be one again. My pack was terribly close and tight-knit but we were small and fragile and swept away in the sea of violence that drowned my homeland. At the moment your pack is words and air but if you give me a place in this pack then I will do all in my power to help you achieve this goal. My Queen." Her bow was awkward, unpracticed, but her words rang sincere. Kaliska was done waiting for a pack to fall from the sky that coul suit her needs. It was time to make one. She righted herself, grinning. "Speech"

Raisa watched the fae as she spoke, carefully noting her reactions. Despite this, it surprised her when the woman pledged herself so readily. Her reasoning seemed as solid as any, and yet... Raisa resisted the urge to look upwards, search out some sign or omen from the gods. This whole recruiting thing was going easier than she had ever hoped for. She looked over this snarky fae with a new eye, trying to determine what role she might play. She supposed that even if she would not fit, now was not the time to be picky. One did not pick and choose without excess, after all. Finally the ex-Queen simply raised a brow as the tan fae bowed before her. "There's no need to grovel, I'm not queen of much... yet, anyways. Still, I like you, Lady Snark," she said, breaking out into a grin. "I think you would make an excellent addition to Ebony." Raisa looked down to Koros and cocked her head, prompting him to speak. He blinked a few times, quite rapidly, before finally stuttering out, "I-It is not my place to speak on your judgments, your Grace! Your decisions have always been most favorable in the past." In truth of course, the smaller fae worried the fox a bit. Then again, who would not fear one who proposed they be eaten? Raisa could sense his reservations of course, and chuckled, lifting a paw to muss the fur between his ears. "As diplomatic as ever, Koros." She looked back to Kaliska and bobbed her head in a small gesture of friendly approval. "Well, welcome to Ebony then." "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: sorry for blahness?I'm ill. Shall we call this a finished thread?

Excitement was growing in Kaliska's bones. She'd looked for a home for ages, never finding one to her liking. By being there from the beginning perhaps this one would come to suit her better. She would be able to adapt to it all the better. Straightening herself out she nodded. "Good, I'm awkward with my graces any how, as I'm sure you've noticed." Raisa then accepted her. It was a curious feeling and a welcome one to be part of a pack again even if it was in words only for now. She knew their time would come. "Thank you, Lady Raisa. I won't let you down." "Speech"

Raisa smiled at the woman's frank demeanor, happy to see her so calm and accepting. This was exactly what Raisa was looking for. The woman's proclamation that she would not let the dethroned Queen down brought a sincere shine to her eyes. "Well, I should hope you will find Ebony to your liking. I will roam a while longer until I find a land to call my own, but it will be ours before long. And then it's only building up from there." She smiled and turned, knowing that this day had been a grand success. -END- "Talk" "You" Think