Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you

An irritated sigh slipped from the maw of the massive beast. The tiger plodding away in frustration. The wolf population showed no signs of dwindling and it frustrated the great cat so much that his territory was seemingly invaded by the mongrels. He could not even bother the Ebony Queen with them, they were rogues near as his nose could tell. Of course his hearing was as keen as ever. He'd heard the challenge of the woman he'd formerly made a pact with but now that she was gone the pact no longer stood. Instead it seemed his neighbor, Ebony was with a new ruler. One he knew nothing off.


Orange and black slipped through the greenery, Sk?lingr did not even stop at the border. He simply marched right on through to the lake where he bent his head to slake his thirst. Ears twitched at a few flies but he paid them little heed. He supposed what he was doing could be considered dangerous but wolves needed to learn that they were not the only predators to wander Alacritis. Satisfied the striped behemoth flopped down under a nearby oak tree to rest in the shade, his jade eyes sharp and alert.



"Speech"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

So far, border patrol had been boring. The day was not so hot as some had been, but not so cold as others. The seasons had begun to consider changing, that much was obvious. The underbrush rustled with small creatures scampering to prepare for the cold months ahead, but for Val it was just another day. the auburn queen's paws moved with a mechanical grace, loping along, strong frame propelling her body while her mind wandered elsewhere. Her shoulders were heavy with the idea of Yfir, and what it meant for the realm as a whole. Katja was one of a kind, Val had never met another woman like her. She would make a good leader, had been a good leader... Or so Valeriya had been told. So why did she feel so uneasy? Val had heard plenty of stories about her other mother as well, how she was a warrior of great caliber too. For all that they tended towards size, the Xanilov line weren't really warrior types, and Raisa was a prime example of that. Could they fight tooth and nail if it came down to it? Of course, but they'd all be trained to fight political battles first, to joust through the adder's nest of nobility, to keep the lords and ladies and their retainers peaceful for one more year. Raisa had said it was miserable. Perhaps a culture founded on battle, on martial prowess was the better course to take. Maybe it would suit the Olympian children... Valeriya looked up and stopped dead in her tracks, legs locking up so that she actually ended up skidding a pace forward in the sun-burnt dust. Some... creature lay sprawled out before her, obstructing her path. His coat was a deep amber, not unlike her own, if lending itself more towards orange than red. He was massive as well, with a lithe frame and a broad skull, with large paws and a sweeping tail. His patterning was unlike any Valeriya had ever seen... He brows narrowed, and she sighed in frustration, cursing herself for bitching about another boring day. You gods are vengeful little beasties, aren't you? The blasphemy slipped around in her mind, cool and clear. It was a dangerous habit, perhaps, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She watched the creature for a moment longer before sitting down and sighing. He was large and in possession of a nose, he had to know he was laying across a border line, she could only assume he was doing... whatever it was for a reason. "Well hello," she said as cordially as she could. "Fancy meeting you here." It was a joke, or meant to be at least, but she was certain her bemused confusion was leaking through. "Talk" Think "You"

The scrawny young wolf wasn't trespassing. Well, strictly speaking she might have been maybe a little if you really wanted to be technical about it. That is to say, she was on the inside of the scent markers that some pack or another had put down to say that they owned a piece of land but how much did that really mean anyway? Whatever, she was trespassing. The long, slim body of Ozymandias was pressed tightly against her back as he gripped her, his suspicious gaze roving around the claimed land she traveled so blithely through. He didn't like what they were doing, of course. Not that he really cared about the rules part of the rulebreaking - Ozzy was at least 9/10ths criminal that Signy had seen and he certainly didn't care about authority. He just didn't like that she was putting herself at risk like this. He treated her like a pup which... well she was, but it wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself. A half-remembered scent touched her nose, and she stopped so abruptly she nearly unseated the pine marten, who muttered darkly under his breath. Usually she'd have listened with a great deal of interest (she'd learned a lot of words and phrases she probably shouldn't have, just from listening to him complain) but she was trying to place the scent. Then it struck her, as her eyes finally lit on a brightly colored form. "Tiiiiiigerrrrrrr!" she caroled happily as she bounded forward again to even more, and louder, crude words from Ozzy. She vaguely registered an auburn-coated wolf with a scent matching the pack markers, but dismissed it. She was only a little older than Signy anyway, and her tiger was way, way more interesting right now. She pounced to a stop right in front of the tiger, her tail sticking nearly straight up as she wiggled, her paws slapping the ground in a playful half-crouch. "Did you miss me, Mr. Tiger?"

Paw's strreeetched forward and dipped deliciously into the lake. Sk?lingr practically purred. Perhaps after a nice name he'd go for a swim, there were few things he liked more and soon the air would grow colder and make the dip a bit less pleasant, even for a Siberian beast such as himself. Dotted ears flicked at the voice that spoke to him. My, my? such a quick response? Perhaps this pack wasn't as lazy as he'd imagined. Jade green eyes turned to gaze at a young female wolf whose coat was a similar color to his own. Was such a young thing the leader now? The tiger smirked. "I could say the same to you." She was either brave or stupid for approaching him alone. Sk?lingr's eyes closed in a slow blink as he let loose a yawn, is massive fangs glinting in the dappled sunlight. Tail flicked as his gaze turned from the wolf out across the lake. The traditional feline practice of ignoring those around him. Had it been just the ruddy wolf it might've worked but there were some pests that could not so easily be dissuaded. Tiiiiiigerrrrrrr! Sk?'s ears flattened down on his head. The voice was deeper, older but there was no mistaking the little black shape bounding toward him with a?.. rat or something on her head. He sighed but all the same there was a little tug at the corner of his muzzle. He resisted the urge to smile but it was hard not to. "I miss my peace and quiet little thing? that is not so little any more. You've grown well. What on earth are you wearing on your head?"

His retort was somehow not entirely unexpected, but that did not mean Valeriya wasn't miffed. It was conversational, but it answered none of her questions. Granted, she hadn't really gotten around to asking them yet, but curiosity gnawed at her all the same. The creature was languid, not easily moved to emotion, or at least not in this situation. He looked away from Valeriya to read the landscape surrounding them, for reasons the auburn queen did not quite understand. It was certainly rude but... She internally shrugged. What did she know of this creature's customs? She opened her mouth to draw his attention back in when a disturbance broke the calm of their meeting. Val flinched, ears flicking in surprise, as a dark youngling burst out from within her territory. What on earth was going on? I must be sleeping, she concluded with a wry smirk. That must be it. This is all just dream I'd really rather wake up from. She stood and took a few steps closer, taking the youngling's safety as a cue that she might expect similar treatment... maybe. She addressed the small black fae and completely ignored the cat. Fair was fair, right? "I suppose you have a good reason for rooting around in my territory?" It was said with narrowed eyes, but a good-natured smirk playing on her lips. Honestly, they were a small pack, and held more land than they really needed. The occasional rogue didn't trouble her, especially when they were young enough to have probably just gotten lost. Granted with friends such as this girl seemed to have, doubtless Val wouldn't have pressed the issue anyways! The girl I could chastise, she thought, But the creature... probably not. She had called it Tiger... Was that it's name, then? She rolled it around in her mouth, wondering if Tiger had a surname as well, or a clan of similar creatures lurking about. "Talk" "You" Think