Walk | Talk | Think She knew her mother was doing everything in her power to ensure the safety of her children. She knew it was weighing on the grey woman heavily, that it often caused her trouble sleeping. She knew that it often gripped her in moments where all she could do was cry and mourn her losses, the complicated mess it had left her n, and made her hide her despair from her children. But Vaishya was no dummy. She could see the falseness behind the smiles, the hollowness within her mother's purple and gold eyes. The young girl had no idea how to make it go away, but she tried to be less burdensome on her mother. Normally it involved staying put, wherever it was Ashtoreth had left them, and being still while she waited for her return. But not every day could be like that. Waiting made her restless, sitting idle made her long for something to do. And every now and then, with her timing just right, she would sneak away and use the time allotted to her however she saw fit. As long as she returned before her mother did, there were no problems. The weather might have only begun changing here in the west, but already it was warm. It was why her path had been directed here rather than out into the open, taking shelter beneath the trees and the coolness their shade offered. The petite young girl traveled quietly beneath them, her blue and gold eyes for once not wide and alert but rather half-lidded and just skimming the ground as she tread upon it. Her body, very nearly that of a yearling now with hints of puppy roundness lingering, was relaxed and at ease, seemingly comfortable in her skin and where she was. The woods appeared empty, safe, and considering her mother would have been upset if she allowed herself to wander someplace dangerous Vaishya figured she would be fine. Picking up the hint of water on the air, she let her lazy course shift and drift further into the new territory, content for the moment with her wanderings.

Welcome to Hell

The brute was constantly focusing on his goals which had led him to a strange new forest with strange new lands. He was very intrigued so he figured he would take the willows as his base camp while he plotted his domination across the lands and across the entirety of the world. He sang a soft hymn to the devil when he saw a young girl, still a pup, by her lonesome and a grin caught him as he approached her with a false sense of security about him. He had his tail waving from side to side in a friendly gesture even though he was anything but. His hymn would be soft as he called out to the girl. "Hello there young darling."


He briefly contemplated how he would play out the rest of his interaction with the girl assuming she did not run from the site of him. He was not sure how far the stories of his 'ventures' had panned out. He could fall back on his haunches and pretend to be that friendly guardian type of wolf OR he could go with his personal favorite of making himself the center of her nightmare. It was all so tempting that he wasn't sure what he wanted. Part of him considered taking the girl and running off with her as he could not see her mother around. Hmmn, so many options. For now, the peppered soldier would remain standing with a somewhat kind expression printed upon his muzzle.

Thanks ♥

Walk | Talk | Think She had not gotten very far into the territory, well enough in to no longer see the edge of the unique forest but still a ways from the water that she knew to be hidden within, when a voice called out quietly and gently to her. The unexpectedness of it was more than enough to startle her, the girl's entire body jumping slightly in place as her heart began to race inside of her chest. Tension curled into every muscle, altering her stance and causing her to sink into a hunched stance, her head lowering almost in a cower. Her head turned as her eyes, now wide and alert, caught sight of the male who had addressed her, and they fixed on him with open assessment. Who was this? Had he been here the whole time? By all appearances he seemed harmless. His smile was warm and inviting and the wag about his tail added a friendly air, overall giving off an impression of kind greeting. He was not so bulky as her father had been, nor quite as tall. Darling, he had called her, a term only her mother had used on her before, and somehow it sounded strange coming from this wolf. A natural guardedness kept her rooted to the spot, prevented her from relaxing or easing where she stood half crouched, but she still he had done nothing to outwardly give rise to an alarm. Likely he would expect her to say something - they usually did - and so she chose something safe. "Who are you?" It was one of her favorite questions, spoken with a steadiness that she did not altogether feel, one of many that she often found herself wishing to ask. Gathering information was almost like a hobby for her, collecting it all and storing it away safely within her memory for later use. She never knew when it might come in handy again, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. But she also hated answering questions as well, preferring to remain a mystery, to stay aloof. So long as she kept asking the questions, they would never get a chance to delve into her own inner workings.

Welcome to Hell

The response was one that he expected from a girl of her age who seemed to be so curious about the world around her. He would tilt his head to the side slightly as he responded to the question honestly. "My name is Aurelio." He would introduce himself with the tip of his head as he decided to fall back onto his haunches to sit down. "And who might you be young darling?" He would use the title he had chosen once more because she had not objected the first time he had used those words. His mind would run itself down with thoughts, probabilities and reactions to how to handle the situation. He was like a god, living forever, because only the good die young.


She was a pretty one, he couldn't deny that and only scarcely younger then himself admittedly. He was probably one or two season older than her, a bit more grown up. He would examine her black pelt and her blue eyes. Her muzzle was a skeptical too. He would let his gaze harden in caution but he still held his friendly gesture. She seemed on edge and so he gave her the truth about the situation at hand (at least the truth for now) as he toyed with the idea of kidnapping her. "You can relax a little bit you know. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." He stated in the hopes of calming her nerves as his tail wrapped up close to his left legs.

Thanks ♥

Walk | Talk | Think At least he did not try to hide his identity from her. His answer came readily after a slight tilt of his head, a curious sort of gesture, paired along with a little inclination of greeting. Aurelio. Not a name she had heard of before, for sure, but one that she was sure she was not going to forget, not now that she had it planted firmly within her memory. Though he had been cooperative, the same could not be said of her. She expected him to turn the question back around on her, to ask her name in return for his, but she did not give her name out so easily. "I'm no one," Vaishya answered evasively, feeling a little more easy after he had reclined upon his haunches to sit. That was an advantage for her, a second's time to get ahead if she needed to make a speedy exit. She had already ruled out being able to fight her way to safety if the need arose. Aurelio seemed to make an effort of easing her worries, assuring her that it was okay for her to relax as he had no intention of bringing her harm. "I am relaxed," she lied, uselessly. Surely he could see that she was not. Otherwise she might have already mirrored his position and taken a seat herself, showing that she had no intentions of bolting right away. But risks were not something she was just yet keen on taking, not in the company of someone she had yet to write off as safe or dangerous. Her mother would not want her to set aside caution too quickly. So she continued to lie, to use her ability to keep her voice steady in an attempt to hide her uncertainty, waiting and assessing all the while that they conversed. "Do you live here?"

Welcome to Hell

No results. There was nothing he was able to get from the pup which he wrote off as smart. Whomever her parents were, they had taught her well. He'd have to go at it a different way, the long way around. She asked if he lived here after lying to him about being relaxed and he answered with little hesitation. "Young darling, I live no where and everywhere just as you are no one but someone. I wander. For right now, this very day, I do live here." He answered in a rather confusing way as he looked at her with that still curious glance.


How was he going to react next? He was having one of those days where he considered, but only considered, being nice to the wolves he met and not doing something for his personal gain but then he realized that he just could not do it. His greed, hatred, desires, they all led him to do what he wanted and he was just starting to wonder what he wanted with her. Was she worth it?

Thanks ♥

Walk | Talk | Think He seemed pretty adamant with his chosen pet name for her, using it even now that she had refused to offer him her given name. The sound of it was still awkward and strange coming from him when she was so much more accustomed to it being spoken gently and sweetly from her mother's lips, but somehow he still managed to adopt a similar quietness. Whether it was sincere and honest she could not yet decipher, and for the moment it was of no real consequence. Her guard was still up, her mind still actively assessing each little word, each little gesture, the male made, and under precautionary terms she hoped her mother would approve of she continued to play the role of a mystery. For a change, Aurelio's answer sounded just as cryptic as her own, answering her question in such a way that made her wonder at its meaning a second before she fully understood. He had no home. Like her and her family, he was packless, free to wander, free to dictate his own life, free without consequences. "That's a hard life," Vaishya responded, knowing from experience herself the challenges that came with living as a rogue. There was no safety in such a life, no stability on which you could count. You were completely at the mercy of the wilds, and all you could do was hope your smarts were enough to get you through each day. "Packs are safer." She had heard her mother say it countless times before and even recently involving her new endeavor to find them a new home. Having adjusted to life as a rogue, Vaishya thought she agreed.

~Sorry this is short!

Welcome to Hell

Her answer definately was not a lie but he had to disagree with her second statement. "Some packs are safer, some are not young darling. I've been in a few in my time but the limitations tend to outweigh the freedom I desire." He answered her, still holding his curious look. "While most packs are safer, there are the packs that make you fight for your life everyday. I mean, quite literally, fight." He explained a little farther as his mood darkened slightly and a frown hit his muzzle. He remembered one of the packs he had been in so long ago. His birth pack.

Thanks ♥

Walk | Talk | Think It was apparent that Aurelio did not hold the same views that she and her mother did regarding packs, and from her narrow point of view his did not make sense. How could a pack not be safe? For the first time, her expression betrayed a little of her true emotion, a frown beginning to form gently upon her brow. Valhalla had only ever been fun and exciting; it had always been her mother who had stifled the exploration and freedom of her children, preferring to be safe rather than sorry. If they had been able to stay there, Vaishya was sure she would have been familiar with the whole of the place by now, as well as all of those who had called the place home too. Her horizon was broadened with his next statement, and likely the little token of shock she felt at knowing there were packs out there who thrived on violence was noticeable. Valhalla had never been that way. Valhalla had been quiet and peaceful, perfect as her mother often put it. How could packs care so little for their pack mates to make them fight like that? Vaishya's gold and blue eyes watched and noted the slight darkening of the wolf's expression, sensing a certain familiarity and knowledge about the topic at hand. While gathering information was something of a hobby of hers, this did not seem like the proper topic to pry into. It felt wrong. So out of kindness the deep grey girl left it alone, and finally allowed herself to relax, if only a little. Her gaze might have been unwavering but she turned slightly and reclined back upon her haunches, finally taking a seat across the distance that separated them. "What freedoms do you need that you can't have in a pack?" she asked, once again wheedling in her quiet, guarded way.

The girl seemed to leave the topic be and for that he was truly grateful. It was not often that he spoke of such evil things even though he thrived on such things. She seemed to be respectful and that was another reason he decided that just for that day he would try to be nice and he would not even attempt to kidnap her despite how tempting it was. She asked him a question that he could answer in a heartbeat he started to explain. "Well young darling, being in a pack ties you down to one area. You have certain responsibilities to uphold and I like to do what I want. I don't really handle being told what to do well either." He tried his best to explain to the girl as his frown slowly faded away. There was a slight sigh as he looked to her, hoping that he got his point across well enough to the point where she understood his views on it all. His tail had curled around the left side of his body in a bit of a relaxed yet withdrawn way. He took another deep breathe as he felt the wind across his face. It was a pretty nice day and he had to admit that he enjoyed talking the the nameless girl.

Walk | Talk | Think She was actually almost starting to get used to him calling her "young darling." It no longer sounded so strange, no longer made her feel so averse to it, and she might even have been growing to like it. It sounded so...innocent. So harmless. And though she had never really said it to anyone before, being harmless was not something that she wanted to be. She wanted to be small, to be dainty, and to be overlooked. All so that she could surprise others when she showed them her ferocity, her skill, her true capabilities. Only now getting to that point was going to be more difficult. How did someone like her learn the best way to fight if she had no father, no pack, to teach her? As before, it took a moment for Vaishya to comprehend what Aurelio meant. Valhalla had never been too constrictive on her life. If anyone, it had been her mother to do that job. But she did understand the feeling attached to it, the need that arose to go against the grain and do what you wanted to do when orders dictated you stayed put. After all, it was the reason she was here. "I'd never thought about it that way," she admitted, for once giving a little peek into her own inner workings. She really was beginning to relax now. "I've never known a pack to be like that." Her own experience was minimal - it honestly felt like she had been a rogue forever, but here she was, wandering off on her own, talking to strangers. It seemed she was adjusting pretty well to it.

She admitted that she had never thought of it that way and he nodded. Most wolves never saw things the way that he saw them so why would this young girl be any different? In his mind he shrugged it off and then she admitted she had never known a pack to be so limiting. "Most wolves never see a pack like that young darling and most wolves also submit to their leaders without a question like 'why is this particular wolf my leader' or 'is this wolf making the right choices' because most wolves don't think like I do. Most wolves have a need for a pack, like an instinct and it was one that I just don't seem to have." He tried to explain how his mind worked but he ended up just confusing himself in the process with talk of instinct and such. He continued to feel the breeze on his face as he let his neck roll, hearing a small crack like the cracking of knuckles. Oh yes, most wolves were definitely not like him but for different reasons then he had explained to the young and nameless girl. It still bothered him that she seemed to relax to him being there but still refused to give him her name. Why was she holding back something as simple as a name? She had revealed more about herself with her thoughts than simply giving a name so why did he not know her name? He couldn't believe he was being bothered by not knowing but he was.

Walk | Talk | Think She felt as if she was learning quite a bit from this chance encounter here within these strange woods. It had never been more obvious than now how sheltered she had been, how sheltered she was. Her pack had been a safe place from the start - it was part of the reason her mother had even considered bringing her and her siblings into the world - and Ashtoreth had done her part to ensure that they were spared from dealing with any hardships, anything that their mother deemed a too frightening, too serious, for her children to deal with learning yet. But now they were rogues, facing new and dangerous unknowns on a daily basis. The more informed she was, the better Vaishya felt, and so she was eager to remedy her ignorance. His statement got her thinking. Did she need a pack? Having one had never been a question she had had to ask herself before. It had always been something that Ashtoreth had pressed for, claiming it to be the safest, most stable option available to her and her own. It had been more of an issue since Leon and Ashelia had gone missing, leaving her mother as the sole provider, the sole mentor, the sole guardian of their remaining two children. But if the choice had been her own, would she still chose to stay in a pack? "When did you know you didn't want a pack anymore?" Vaishya asked, curious to determine where she fell on the scale of pack wolves and rogues.

Her question was a very good one and he had to think about it for a moment. When did he know? He knew he knew but he didn't know when he had realized it. "I'm not entirely sure I know when I first realized it to be honest young darling." He told her as he looked off with his eyes narrowed still thinking about the topic she had just handed to him. The packs he joined had made him who he was and he never regretted joining them, he just always seemed to cause too much trouble for the leaders. He supposed he was just sick of getting yelled at? That was an idea that he could settle for, defying authority at every turn except when he wanted something in return from them. Yes, that sounded like him indeed.

Walk | Talk | Think It seemed she had finally stumped him, posing a question that he did not immediately have an answer for. Just a little she felt victorious, finally having found a wheedling question that seemed to go so far below the surface that even this quick speaking male could not pull his answer out of the air. But it was also good for her too. If he decided to answer honestly - as she had already suspected he was answering all of her questions - it meant a better way for Vaishya to judge her own preference, when she might decide to look further into her status as a rogue or pack wolf. His answer though, when he gave one, was lacking. Aurelio could not remember the exact time he had come to this realization, only that he had and that it had led him to where he presently was. The deep grey youth's gold and blue eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtfully, trying to gauge herself just how old he might have been. It was always so hard to tell, though she supposed he could not have been that much older than herself. It must have been early on, she supposed, or he had adjusted to his new living conditions very quickly. Without an answer to progress her own trail of questioning, Vaishya searched for something new, something else that might be of benefit to her in knowing, or that might lead to more curiosities for her to voice. "What do you plan to do here?" Bold, for sure, but she assumed her childish appearance, her innocence, might still be working with her to get the answer she wanted.

She asked of his plans, though she looked rather pleased to have given him a question that he had to think about. He wasted no time to think about it because he already knew. "I'll probably end up just running about. I might end up causing a little havoc on accident as I'm famous for it but apart from that I just wander on to do what I want. Might join a pack but I doubt it will last long if I do. I'll basically do what I always do. I'll survive but even better than that I will live. They are two drastically different definitions in my book young darling." He would respond without hesitation as a small smile grew on his muzzle. He wasn't telling the complete truth but he showed no signs that he might be lying. He had grown rather accustomed to lying in fact. One of the things that he liked about not telling the complete truth was that it was easy to do because part of what he said was true, just not all of it. Part of him had the desire buried deep within him to do what he had been trained to do. Part of him sought to rule with an iron fist but part of him was quite keen to keep wandering. Aurelio had a certain lust for power to him that he often tried to hide and often times he succeeded by being seductive in his own manner or being falsely nice like he was being to the young darling in front of him. It was like a defense mechanism because once he started to lead, he would not be able to stop until he controlled the world or as much of it as possible. Mephistopheles help him.

Walk | Talk | Think Now his answer came quickly, as if it sat right there at the front of his mind on any given day. How nice it must have been to have such a set plan for your life, to know exactly what it was you wanted to do and to be able to carry those thoughts to fruition. In comparison, Vaishya felt rather lost. All she had ever done was follow, to trail in her parents' wake, after her siblings, very rarely striking out on her own and never straying very far when she did. It all sounded rather...well, boring. But Ashtoreth had only ever stressed safety, structure, stability. All things she claimed a pack could provide. Was it truly impossible to feel any of those things while being a rogue? Was it possible her mother just did not know the whole story? Her thoughts were puzzled as she listened to Aurelio explain himself, all the options he could see in his future and how easily each of them seemed to be spoken by him. It was all of little consequence in his grand scheme, and somehow she admired him for it, wishing she could have been born with a similar inclination for freedom and travel. As it was just the thought was enough to fill her with guilt, knowing how poorly her mother would feel if she suddenly woke up one morning to find her now-only daughter missing. She could never do such a thing to the woman, not after everything they had been through. The older boy smiled, a look that almost made an answering one upon her face creep up though she smothered it with a look downward and away, being sure to keep her rather wide-eyed mask composed and impassive. "There's a lot of freedom in your plan," she remarked, adding confirmation to what he had said about needing those freedoms to do as he wished without consequence, "It must be nice." And maybe that was too much. It was not her place to complain or comment about her own strict living conditions, especially not after everything her mother had done to get them where they were. But there was envy in her words, even if it was not noticeably audible, and a little the deep grey youth felt guilty she had said it.

He could sense the slight envy in her voice when she spoke and he frowned. Why was she so withdrawn and held back? Why was it she was so uncomfortable? He began looking at the bigger picture as he started to try and figure her out. "You know young darling, you could do it too. You seem to have a wanderer's heart from what I can tell, though that is not much as you are a very tough nut to crack." He offered her with a slightly confused look as he tried to figure out why she seemed to think that she couldn't be a loner for her days just like he had been. She was envious of it and she thought she couldn't. She was already a rouge so what was holding her back?

Walk | Talk | Think She thought from the look about Aurelio's face that she might have puzzled him with her cryptic answers, her lack of contribution to anything that might give away who she was or what she was like, and strangely it made her happy. It meant that she was safe. It meant that there was nothing that could be used against her. It meant that when she left she would be just as free as this male claimed himself to be, with nothing but a memory of herself left behind that would fade with time when she did. But, she assumed, it might also make her memorable. And that felt like the better reward for her efforts. There was no comment made to his assessment of her - he was right, what else was there to say? But he was also wrong. The young girl's two-toned eyes lowered slightly as she considered how much to tell, how to say it, in such a way that might not give her whole life story away. Or at least as little of it as she could. "I can't," was her answer, simple and certain."Someone would notice." Two someones, actually; a brother and a mother. "There'd be trouble if I did." Of that, she had no doubts. Her mother had always been a peaceable sort, but she had also been strict. Not once had her temper ever had a reason to stir but Vaishya thought this might be one area where it did.

She stated that she simply couldn't because someone would notice and that she'd be in trouble if she did. That was how he took it at least, was that she would be in trouble. He thought about it for a few moments before speaking. "Have you talked to this somebody about it? I'm sure that if you explained why then they wouldn't hold you back, young darling." He suggested without knowing the situation that she was in. He was trying his best to help but he had no idea why he was even helping her. It wasn't like him but maybe he just had a bit of a.... soft spot... for loner children. The idea almost made him shudder. He considered kidnapping the young darling again because she didn't seem all too happy with the situation she was in. In fact, it would be doing her a favor if he kidnapped her because then she wouldn't be forced to join a pack. That was his understanding from the whole thing was that she was going to be forced into joining a pack despite not wanting too. He thought about it in a certain depth while he waited for a response from the young darling who still refused to give up her name.