The river. It stretched wide and long, just like back home. He watched the water trickle over the rocks that stood high enough to disturb it. It was peaceful here, a place where his mind could wander and his muscles could relax in the cool evening. He rested his head on his paws, great satellite ears flickering this way and that, picking up sounds that others failed to notice. A field mouse scratched in the bushes somewhere behind him, a bird nested in a nearby tree, the water babbled and jabbered like a newborn child, sounds were everywhere - and he heard them all. Even in the most solitary place he could find there was noise, but he liked noise. He thrived on it. Balderdash shifted, eyes following a sound his ears had detected but could not discern. Finally he arrived at a conclusion: paws. Another canine lingered nearby, and from the sound of it, directly in front of him. Eyes of gold scanned the area in front of him, coming across the figure of a large - impressively large - wolf. His dappled coat served wonders to keep him hidden, but what was the use of staying hidden? The wolf was across the river, and couldn't make a move for him now without being seen or heard. Powerful jaws splayed wide open in a lazy yawn accompanied by a characteristic high pitched noise. Eyes remained trained on the wolf, wondering if he knew he was being watched.

Elysium had expanded. To the river they had pushed, as their members slowly grew, and as they required more land. Soon winter would be upon them, and they needed as much territory as they could claim before then. Basilisk greatly preferred the security of the forest, but today he would venture to the river. Though he was an often solitary creature, he knew Cataleya required more of him. He needed to be present, and strong, for all the wolves of Elysium.

Silence fell upon him as his massive paws carried him over the flat terrain. One step, two steps -- his vibrant purple gaze danced across the horizon. The river was wide, but not overly fierce. The setting sun played delicately on the surface of the river, casting a lovely display of colors. But his attention was not on the sunset, no; but, instead, searching for the foreign scent that lingered nearby. A stranger. He didn't like strangers. A slight sneer played on his dark lips as his head swung to the side, finding the creature across the river.


"Your name," he commanded loudly, his voice echoing across the river. He would remain a great distance away still, tail whipping once behind him, waiting for his response.

Ah, so the man had noticed his presence, whether by the high pitched note of his yawn or else his scent. He only now realized that his scent was drifting right toward him. The dogwolf lifted his head higher, just enough to see the brute more clearly. The sunset gleamed on his pelt, but it didn't seem to be creating the purple hue that lingered there. That was odd. The man commanded his name, and Balderdash would retort with a very audible snort. "It isn't polite to ask information you haven't volunteered." Mottled frame shook lightly - ridding itself of dust - as he stood to his full height and gazed nonchalantly at the man across the river. It wasn't as if he couldn't outrun the nameless man if things turned ugly, not that that was in his nature at all. In fact, it would be more likely that he'd face the brute head on - for it had been a few days since his last display of prowess. "Oh fine, Фиолетовый глаз (purple eyes). I am Balderdash Volkov." His right ear flicked idly as he took a step forth, his left front paw vanishing into the crisp water.

The stranger did not show surprise at his arrival. He felt mildly irritable at the man's level demeanor, and his sneer lingered for a long moment as he gazed across the river at him. He was a strange looking thing -- so different from himself. His statement brought a snort from him. "And it isn't polite to enter territory that has been claimed." The expansion of Elysium was recent, and perhaps the border had not been marked perfectly. It seemed more likely that this male simply did not care. He wasn't sure if that angered him, or impressed him, and so he would maintain his slightly aggravated expression.

Slowly he drew closer to the river's shore, staring with interested eyes at the creature. He was a canine, but somehow looked so different than anyone he had ever seen. "I am Basilisk Saxe. Monarch of Elysium." He was finally a adult, though held an air of childishness still. Despite his large frame, and his strong voice. He was not a seasoned leader, though he was trying to become one. To refocus the rage that burned forever in his chest into building this pack, into Cataleya's dream. "What brings you here?"

It didn't take much to sense the man's irritation, though Balderdash hardly blamed him. He wasn't exactly on his best behavior, and he mentally noted to calm it down a little in case this man ended up being of some use to him in the near future. And there it came, the reason for his irritation - this land was claimed. How anyone could lay claim to a river, he had no clue, but the man seemed bent on protecting his land. "Pardon, it never occurred to me that a river might be claimed land." He tilted an ear idly, wondering just how much he'd managed to piss off this man in only a mere few minutes. The man came closer, and Balderdash stiffened ever so slightly, though he hoped it wasn't very noticeable. "Monarch," he echoed, with more reverence than previous statements. The question came as to what brought him here, and he pondered it for a moment. "This place reminds me of my home, and it was empty - or so I thought. I like being alone sometimes." Honesty, it filtered out of his throat smoothly. He offered an eighth of a smile, just enough to curl one corner of his lip, in sincerity.

His lips quivered, as though Basilisk was on the verge of snarling at a moment's notice. He did not like intruders, especially ones who seemed oblivious to the fact of what they had done. Behind his frame, his tail lashed out a few times, his irritation obvious -- but he would not grow violent so easily. Cataleya had taught him control, but only when it was necessary. She had always taught him to kill. When he needed to, and when he wanted to.

A low sigh spilled from his lips. The man seemed less guarded as he spoke, some of his pride slipping away from him. "It is not empty," he reiterated quickly. "But our home is open to like-minded wolves." An ear would perk as he crept as close to the river's bank as he could, without falling in. His purple gaze was unblinking as he watched. "Do you like to fight, Balderdash?" It might not seem relevant to the conversation, but it truly was.

He didn't appear to be making the best of first impressions, but there was hardly any reason - in his mind - that the man across the river should be so terse. It wasn't often that an entire body of water was claimed for a single pack, and even so, it wasn't as if he was on the same side as Basilisk, he was yards away! Still, he knew a mistake when he made one and would have to learn to hold his tongue in case this Monarch and his pack had any sort of benefits in store for him. 'It is not empty,' came the quipping of the man's tongue, and Balderdash's jaws tightened their vice grip on emptiness. 'But our home is open to like-minded wolves.' Ah, that was promising, though he wasn't certain just how like-minded he was with this man. 'Do you like to fight, Balderdash?' Blackened jaws parted and hung agape for a moment, curled up in a sly smile. "More than breathing," he commented with honesty. If there was one thing the hybrid knew how to do, it was fight.