A hard pace had brought her in fairly short order to the borders of another pack. She'd gone directly from Crucifix to her children, then straight here with no rest so she may have looked a little worse for wear, but after having recently made the long journey from the north to Solstice, carrying either one child or the other much of the way, she was in surprisingly good shape. Carefully remaining well outside of the border to avoid offending the alpha before they even spoke, she breathed deeply of the scent markers, noting that the members of the pack all seemed quite young, and not simply by comparison with herself. The idea didn't bother her - she'd known quite a few younglings that she wouldn't have hesitated to put to follow, including her own current alpha who wasn't much older than these. Shaking out her rumpled fur she sent up a polite request for the pack's alpha to join her at the border to speak. ,

Massive ears would twitch and swivel, lifting and reaching to catch the sound of the howl. For Valentine? Hmmm? Tiny fae would lift herself on stilt like legs, pushing herself into a seated position before lifting herself so she was standing. She would shake out leaves and debris, ridding forest green coat of anything that might mar it before she would set off. Long legs would move with dancers grace, fluffy tail flittering lazily behind her. Skull was raised, slightly and ears were pricked as she made her way to the boarder. What she found was an older lady, white in colour. Unfortunately nothing overly pretty? And no king? For a moment she would pause at the boarder, the woman a short distance away and she would sample the winds. No Valen, at least not close enough to smell or maybe not on the right wind current. Who knew? Tiny shoulders would shrug before the nymph would take a step over the boarder, a small smile toying at her lips but eyes hard as she studied the white woman. "Welcome to Imperium?" Her words were like liquid sugar, pouring off her lips with a purr as her head tipped in greeting to the white woman. Don't be a psycho. Don't be a psycho? "I apologize for any wait you might have, our king seems to be held up. I am Dione, the beta here. I would be happy to help in any way I can or perhaps just keep you company until the good king arrives?" She would ask, head tipped as she smiled to the white woman. Who knew maybe her presence would not be required at all, for that reason the green woman would remain standing.

TALK HERE

Table by Namaste

Slight pawsteps drew her attention, and Qanik swung her muzzle up for her gaze to meet... a tiny, bright, and vividly GREEN wolf. Qanik's brow raised, her eyes widening in surprise at the more-than-unusual sight before her. She was polite enough to clamp her muzzle shut before she could say something undiplomatic and rude and probably alienate the pack completely. Alienate... Alien could certainly describe this little wolf. She was even smaller than the compact white wolf and held herself in a way that struck Qanik as odd, though she couldn't put a paw on what exactly seemed off. She nearly didn't register the wolf's words. When she did she gave herself a mental shake and dipped her head politely. "Greetings. I am Qanik, recently beta of the pack Solstice." It wasn't so long ago that she was introducing herself as the beta of Tortuga. How quickly things could change. "I would like to wait for your king, as I have come to speak with him on diplomatic matters, but I would be more than happy to speak with you while we wait. Have you been in this pack long?" The pack borders smelled new, but that could simply have been from a recent move so she couldn't make an assumption about it. ,

She was used to odd looks so the one she received from this woman was neither surprising nor insulting. The woman was kind enough to not to speak her mind, not to say anything rude or shocking like Dione had heard in the past and oddly enough the tiny woman found herself thankful of this. She would smile pleasantly, the woman speaking after a moment and introducing herself as beta of a pack called Solstice. Dione didn't know this pack, had not heard of it nor had she encountered it. "Solstice? Do you mind me asking who rules there? I apologize? It seems I have been living under a rock?" She would frown, obviously not impressed by her own lac of knowledge on this subject. The woman would speak again, stating that she was here for diplomacy and the tiny woman would nod with understanding. But she didn't mind company? Whoot! Dione would smile, curling her haunches beneath her so she sat easily, tail flipping to her side as she pulled her tiny forepaws close to her body and tucked them under her tail. Not a very defensible position but she wanted her toes to be warm and this woman was here for diplomacy correct? "Since it's founding in fact. I would love to say it's been a while but this pack is new, only a month or so old. Our king, Valentine reclaimed a pack from the ashes of another. We moved here from the Soulless Forest." Dione would say, words easy. She was here for diplomacy, why not let her know everything about their pack? Not that their was much to know. Most of it was kids with her and Nova being the oldest here it seemed. "And how long you have been with Solstice?" She would enquire carefully. Damn. Who knew she might be good at chit chat?

TALK HERE

Table by Namaste

A summons drew the titan from his duties and the brute heeded the call easily. He was glad for a respite. Since it's founding Imperium had been quiet, but that didn't stop him from treating each day as if an attack was pending. He was sure that when the day for war came, if it came, it would come on stealthy wings. They always needed to be prepared, always needed to be watching. He held a caution he hoped his fledgling troops would adopt in time. Reaching the border, Valentine was unsurprised to see that Dione had beaten him to it. The vivid green of her coat stood out sharply from it's surroundings, the dominant, unnatural color briefly blinding him to the subtly cloaked visitor. He reached them just in time to hear the nymph's final question. Solstice. Immediately, the glaucous brute's gaze lifted from the messenger to the surrounding hills, his nostrils quivering as he tasted the air. What brought a wolf from Solstice, the pack whose queen Valen's own mother had held prisoner, to Imperium? "Greetings," he said, his gaze returned to the fae. As far as he could tell, she was alone. That didn't lessen his caution any, but to some extend he was soothed by the knowledge. "What brings a member of Solstice to Imperium?" "Talk" "You" Think

The little green wolf responded with a question and Qanik had no issue with answering it. "Solstice's alpha is a young male called Crucifix Black." But before she could answer the woman's other question another figure approached them to greet her politely if rather pointedly. She inclined her head to him respectfully. "You must be Valentine? I am Qanik, beta to Solstice. I've been charged with speaking with each of the new packs to learn more about you and to - if you are willing - discuss the possibility of alliance now or in the future." She straightened her head once more to gaze at him, but found herself craning her head back. He was young, but taller than any other wolf she could recall meeting, a full foot taller than she was. "I have free rein in making any possible arrangements you may wish in exchange," she continued, after smoothing her surprised expression once more, then cocked her head to the side inquisitively, inviting him to choose whether to learn more or reject her offer out of hand. She knew little of the pack or the alpha, but thus far they had been nothing but pleasant to her and she could appreciate that. ,

"I am," he confirmed with a nod, interjecting that statement before letting her continue. Qanik of Solstice. Beta. Her name was one he was unfamiliar with, but really, that wasn't much of a surprise. She spoke of a potential alliance and Valentine was slow to respond. He hoped she wouldn't take his hesitation negatively; he was merely weighing the possibilities and choosing his response with care. When his thoughts were finally in order and his words chosen, a process that too no more than a couple of long seconds, he said, "We seek to build a pack centered around a capable militia. Imperium is a new pack, only just beginning, so at this time we're not ready to commit to an alliance." He needed to know more about the Alacritian packs in general before he stuck his neck out and committed to any one cause. Valentine paused before continuing, carefully studying Qanik for her reaction. "However, that doesn't mean that amicable relations aren't an option in the future." His expression sincere, he said, "If we are to be potential allies I would very much like to know more about Solstice, ma'am." He had many questions, many regarding Sibelle, but he was certain this was not the wolf to ask. No, for this meeting, he was determined to keep things strictly political. "Talk" "You" Think