"This one wants Bryn to go ahead?" An emerald eye shot up to the fidgeting grackle a foot above his head. She looked like a reigned in stallion, begging to take flight and scope out the landscape ahead of him. "Go on," he allowed her, still unused to her idiosyncrasies. She let loose an 'aw, aw' and was off, darting ahead of him. The way she weave through the trees made him dizzy and just a little bit jealous, but it was nice having another set of eyes - particularly given his position within Imperium. Today, however, he wasn't in Imperium. He had taken southward, so far that he had stretched beyond where the ocean had once lay and onto a new portion of land altogether. Alacritis had extended southward since the last time he had ventured this far. He marched onward, nearing a particularly thick grove of oak trees that were, in his opinion, impressively large. "The oaks, Bryn." He watched her angle her wings and feathers and glide between the closest few oaks, examining the area for signs of life. It wasn't as if he really needed a scout while wandering, but he supposed she liked having things to do. He picked up a bouncy trot, meandering after her beneath the canopy of the sprawling tree giants. He knew not what was in store for him. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

Soft breaths passed through her nostrils, as she leaned against the rough trunk of the grand oak. It wasn't the biggest one in the grove, but she was inclined to believe that it was her favourite one so far. Dark lashes fanned out across her cheeks, muzzle tucked toward her chest. Each breath would stir the brilliant cerulean feathers entwined with the fur of her breast. It was a strange way to rest, but she wasn't quite in the mood for a nap; just a quick rest of her weary legs. After leaving the west, she'd decided to venture south. She wanted to see the warm ocean there, but ended up finding something completely different. The land bridge had been far too tempting to pass up. Now, she was ensconced in the tranquil forest of oaks. Dim birdsong was audible overhead, rising and falling in pitch like a siren's call. It reminded her of the forest she'd found after leaving here, full of budding birch trees.

A raucous avian overhead disturbed the comfortable ambiance, and the alabaster wolfess glanced upward in time to watch it go shooting by overhead. Audits would fold toward her skull in disbelief at the cacophony. A small frown would paint itself upon her features, but nothing more. Slender limbs would straighten slowly, relishing in the languid stretch of musculature despite her rude awakening. Shoulder would brush against the rugged bark once more, before a long breath would shudder through her lungs. Coal paws would glide over the verdant terra, deciding now would be as a good time as any to explore this place further. The noisy bird appeared again, gliding a few feet over her head. Mercury gaze would lift toward its smooth form, taking a moment to appreciate the smooth way it moved through the air. Birds were quite beautiful creatures, and she envied them somewhat. Being able to fly would be a spectacular thing indeed. Neutral expression would be tinged with content, hardened features softening with the barest hint of a smile.

It wasn't until another came into her view that the pallid dancer paused. He was a little smaller than herself, but it was her understanding that most were. His ebony pelt hinted at cobalt undertones, in the dappled light of the grove in midmorning. She regarded him curiously, though not a word escaped her. Ivory audits would twitch toward the male, moonstone orbs fixed upon his features. He was relatively handsome. "Good morning." Gentle lyrics would offer in greeting, thick with the burr of a Russian accent. A facade of cold neutrality was worn by the towering femme, waiting for some sort of response.

"There is one, over there!" Well, perhaps the bird was good for something. Once alerted, Kyarst adjusted his path ever so slightly, bringing his form in the direction of the 'one' Bryn had mentioned. Her alabaster form came into view almost immediately, and emerald eyes would drift over it with interest. His cobalt figure slowed a comfortable distance away, his tail twitching behind him with interest. "Hello," he offered in greeting, for he had no proof yet that the morning would be good. It had been, so far, but it was best not to chance it, right? "Beautiful trees," he found himself saying for lack of anything better. Bryn had fixated herself on a sprawling limb four or five feet above his head, it seemed he might never be alone again. "Is this your home?" he queried, head tilting to the right ever so slightly. There was no pack scent here, so he was confident that the land wasn't claimed - but that didn't mean she didn't reside here. He paced forward, adjusting his path so that he ended up a few feet to the right of her. He lifted his front paws and braced them on a particularly thick trunk, examining the lowest branch for signs of illness. There were none, and so he propelled himself upward with his back legs, landing neatly on the thickened branch. He pivoted like a jungle cat, twisting 'round to face her again and cast his emerald gaze in her direction. He wondered, as a smirk tugged in the corner of his lips, if she had ever seen a wolf climb a tree before. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

The male didn't show all that much reaction, simply offering a greeting of his own. He made an absentminded comment on the trees around them, and the pallid femme nodded her agreement, gaze drifting toward the scenery all around them. He posed an idle query, as to whether or not this place had been claimed as her own. A small chuckle would trickle past inky lips, curved into a lupine smile. She would shake her head, attention falling upon the bird again. "No, I'm just exploring." Accented melodies would reply casually, narrow shoulders shrugging lightly. Her mercury gaze remained upon the form of the bird. It had alighted upon a branch, which had been just above the males head. Brows would fall, eyes narrowing at the avian. How strange. Was it following her? Or him? A low huff escaped her, head tilting to one side somewhat. It was an interesting little bird, but other than that it didn't show much merit. Maybe it was like her mothers friend Corvusi, remembered briefly in the moment. Her mother had a small feline that followed her around, a companion. Maybe this bird was the same way?

Gaze was torn away at the sound of a branch creaking, moonstone optics landing upon the form of the male. He was perched upon a branch, just over her head. Eyes would widen, brows arching in mild surprise. She wouldn't have known wolves to climb trees, at all. "Now, how did you manage that one?" She enquired softly, mirth in her tone. One brow would rise in question, a tiny smile playing at her lips. Ebony toes would glide smoothly over the terra, neck craning to keep her gaze upon the man. That definitely wasn't something to be seen every day.

Bryn remained where she was, keeping a golden eye upon the she-wolf. Kyarst now settled himself in the tree, pleased to know that the woman did not claim this place to be her own. Wolves could get so touchy about their homes. He let loose an airy chuckle as she seemed astounded and amused that he'd managed to climb the tree. Oh, so she hadn't seen it done before. "This one climbs trees," chirped Bryn, reaffirming that Kyarst was indeed in a tree. Kyarst flashed her a green eyed gaze to silence her rambling and then focused upon the woman. "I learned as a child. It's not so hard." His uncle had taught him, and for a moment he found himself fondly thinking of Ortzi and the fateful day he'd learned that trees were excellent vantage points. It had taken him a while to learn which trees were for climbing and which were best left alone. The moment he'd seen these oaks, though, he'd known he was in the right sort of place for a climb. He angled his gaze down, standing like a great jungle cat among the leaves and branches. "Although, I wouldn't say it was easy, either." It wasn't. Oftentimes he fell and injured himself. It was a small miracle he'd managed to look like a pro on this particular occasion. He flashed a simplistic smile and relaxed onto the branch, allowing his midsection to lay down while his paws curled up close to him to avoid hanging off of the tree. His tail, however, did hang down like a serpent - waving in the breeze idly. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

The male seemed heartily amused by her reaction, filling the air with light laughter. A set of odd vocals filled the air, dragging her attention back to the avian. It had stated the obvious, but that was quite interesting. Talking birds were quite uncommon to the pallid darling. It was silent then, but she frowned. "Is it common for your species to speak, or are you an oddity?" She enquired, tail tip twitching as she gazed at the intriguing avian over her shoulder. Before she could find herself with an answer, the male spoke again. Moonstone orbs locked upon his form once more. He informed her that this was a learned skill, acquired as a child. She hummed quietly in response, nodding her head a few times. He met her gaze from his place above her, making an idle comment about the skill and it's ease. She snorted audibly, smirking. "You mean wolves aren't meant to live in the trees?" She retorted in a tone of false shock, eyes widening in naive surprise.

The alabaster furred dame decided this male was quite an interesting character, and that she rather enjoyed his presence. He settled slowly upon the branch, tail hanging freely over the side. Slowly would the giantess approach, dark paws kissing the ground smoothly as she strode forward. Coal dipped forepaws would find themselves braced upon the trunk as her lean form stretched to bring her level with the man. Ethereal orbs would find his features once more, one paw dropping so she could twist her middle better. A small smirk would play upon her inky lips. "I never caught your name." Accented lyrics would croon, nonchalant. Tail would sweep across her heels absently, as she blinked at him.

The she-wolf seemed both interested in he and his talking bird. As Kyarst lounged in the tree he noted that she would go as far as to question Bryn directly. His ears tipped forward amusedly, wondering if Bryn would honor her with an answer. "Bryn knows other birds that can talk," the grackle prattled on aimlessly. "Bryn likes this one, so she talks to him." she added on, gesturing with her beak toward the cobalt man in the tree. Kyarst merely shrugged in case the she-wolf was looking his way. He had learned quickly that there was no explaining Bryn. He watched the woman move toward him, raising herself up to see him more closely. He had lost some of his advantage, given she was so tall and the branch was unusually low. "Hello there," he crooned in reaction to her proximity. "Kyarst Armada," he introduced himself with an extra ounce of pride in his lineage. He stretched his muzzle and head down lower, closer to where the woman's was. Deep bass notes rolled of of his tongue like sweet wine, "And who might you be?" "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

The bird did reply, though it wasn't much of an explanation. The pale femme turned her attention back to the avian, cranium tilting to one side as she listened. This was an interesting little bird indeed. "I can't imagine why others would not want to talk to you, Bryn." She replied, accented tone genuine. Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to speak with a creature that was of another species? The possibility for learning would be vast, and anyone in their right mind should feel that intrigue, right? To hear the stories of a bird, and know of their traditions or habits. That would be fantastic!

The male introduced himself as Kyarst Armada. Armada. Now that sparked a hint of recognition in the woman. She'd heard of them, very briefly. When she'd been in Ludicael with her brother, and neither Aurora or Magnus had been anywhere to be found, there had been mentions of the name. Passing ones, with idle comments and things. They had been a formidable family, last she'd heard. How interesting, that they'd come all the way from the northern kingdom to these southern regions. Spreading quickly, it seemed. He turned her query back on her, and the ivory dame blinked once, returning to the land of the living. "Lirika Lunashka-Bane." Came her soft reply, accompanied by a small, habitual dip of her head. "I was born here, but I went off to find my family in the northeast." She murmured, shrugging at the simple words. His face was quite close to her own, she noted. Kyarst had eyes heavily saturated with emerald hues, and they were quite stunning, to be honest. They looked very nice against the cobalt tint of his ebony coat.

He watched with mild interest as Bryn puffed her feathers proudly when the woman complimented her. She certainly had good manners, didn't she? Honestly, half of the time Kyarst found Bryn to be an annoyance, but it seemed like the she-wolf knew how to speak with sugar instead of spice. That was a talent one was born with, and was almost never a learned trick. He had been born with an eloquent tongue thanks to his father, had she been lucky in the same way? Or perhaps hers came from her mother. His own mother had been a fairly decent speaker as well. Curiosity brimmed behind emerald pools as he took in her name, complete with hyphenated surname. There was something to that, though he couldn't claim to know anything of her family personally. "I was born of the North," would be the information he would supply her with after she spoke of finding her family in the Northeast. They had practically been neighbors. His gaze scanned over her facial features before departing from there and sliding down to her single forepaw bracing her against the branch he lay upon. Her paw was stained, as if someone had dipped it in soot. The other three were as well, accenting her limber physique. "Would you like to come up?" The question was innocent enough, though he imagined it would make things easier - surely she couldn't stand there all day. Another option was for him to get down, but where was the fun in that? "Bryn thinks that one might fall." He let loose an airy chuckle, for the reality was - she very well might. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

The male informed her that he'd been born in the north. It was a good place to be, with all the cool air and snow. She offered another considerate hum of acknowledgement, nodding her head a few times. What else was there to say, to such a statement? She noted his gaze drifting from her features, but it wasn't really something that concerned her. Such things rolled off her back fairly easily, so she simply let her attention shift to the bird. Bryn seemed quite proud of herself, which brought a gentle smile to the features of the pallid woman. A simple question from the cobalt hued man caught her attention once more, and she blinked at him. Brow would quirk, soft smirk playing upon inky lips. "You sure about that?" She would retort, but didn't bother waiting for a reply. Her other paw would brace itself upon the trunk, before her rear talons would aim to catch upon the bark of the tree. There was a definite set of pros to being as tall as she was. With a frown, she would note that this was not the way to be getting in a tree.

Paws would strike the ground once more, a frown playing upon her features. "Remember what I said about wolves not belonging in trees?" Accented melodies would enquire sarcastically, rhetorical query followed by a quirk of her brow in the males direction. Forepaws would stretch toward the branch, finding purchase easily. Corded muscles would push upward, lifting her lower half from the ground. Leaves would rustle quietly in protest, and then her hind talons would scrabble for purchase on the branch. Eventually she would find herself standing precariously upon the branch. "You make it look so easy." She cooed, grinning at the male. Dark paws splayed across the rough bark beneath her, balance subject to change should a strong breeze blow by. Slowly, haunches would lower to the surface of the branch beneath her until she was comfortably seated. A harsh breath would punctuate the silence, mercury gaze seeking to take in the surroundings from her new vantage point.

"This is much more pleasant than I expected." Soft lyrics offered, audits twitching. This was a good way to spend the morning, sitting in a tree. It was a new experience, but she rather liked the feeling of the dappled light upon her shoulders, even though the branch above her was looking rather suspicious. It looked rather ready to smack her in the face, if it found itself in a temper. Snorting at the thought, she directed her moonstone gaze upon the male beside her. Wolves in trees, who would have thought?

She wouldn't hesitate long, posing a rhetorical question back at him before prepping to join him in the tree. He took a moment to move over so that she would have room and could brace against the tree trunk if she did make it into the tree. 'Remember what I said about wolves not belonging in trees?' "I remember," he chided, "And yet here I am, in a tree." He watched her struggle, wondering how long it might take before she either made it or asked him for assistance. He wouldn't offer his advice right away, finding it more amusing to see the methods she chose to attempt. 'You make it look so easy.' A smile crept across his features, for she had made it. "I've had two years to practice," he noted as she settled herself alongside him. They were a foot or two apart, but still rather close. He remarked at how brave she was to put herself in a vulnerable position only two feet from a strange male tree-wolf. 'This is much more pleasant than I expected.' The smile tugged at his lips as he nodded. "I thought the same the first time I successfully climbed. If you get a good enough tree you can go even higher and use it to scout around you for prey or enemies." It seemed he never stopped thinking about knowing what and who was around him. The grackle fluttered toward them, landing on the precarious branch above their heads. She looked down upon the she-wolf. "That one didn't fall." She sounded almost.. disappointed, and again the cobalt man felt himself laugh. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"

ooc. sorry this is so pooey!

The cobalt tinted male was quick in his own reply, pointing out the difference in their experience. Indeed, two years to practice getting one's own furry ass into a tree would make quite the difference. She smiled lightly. He noted the usefulness of such a talent, which hadn't occurred to the pallid female quite yet. "Well, all the more reason to practice, right?" She hummed, glancing over at him. That would be very helpful, especially in forested areas. Couldn't cover all that ground on your own while hunting, but having a high vantage point would make it a whole lot easier to locate your next meal. The dark avian fluttered onto the branch just above her head, inspecting the female with beady eyes before making a comment. A low chuckle would escape the femme, brow raising as she looked to the bird. "If I didn't know any better, Bryn, I'd say you wanted me to land on my ass." She purred, shooting the bird a mocking look.

A soft peal of laughter would escape Kyarst, and she would grin lightly. Mercury gaze would fall upon his form, giving him a quick once over. He looked rather charming, in the soft light offered by the oaks canopy. Her mid would drift to his scent, bearing more than just his own musk. A pack wolf, she guessed. "I take it you're on leave from your responsibilities?" She enquired gently, shoulders folding into a rather unbecoming slouch, however minute. She was quite comfortable up here right now, with this good company.

Perhaps it was the trees, or perhaps it was the mystery of a woman at his side, but whatever it was - he found himself feeling particularly aloof. 'Well, all the more reason to practice, right?' He nodded in the affirmative, offering forth a simple "Indeed." His ears twitched back as if pushed by the quick burst of wind that buffeted his face. An eye shot to her to see if she'd managed to hold on. Wind could be tricky to deal with in trees as they tended to move in order to keep from snapping. He chuckled as Lirika quipped back at Bryn, still seeming more amused by the bird than annoyed. "Bryn has seen this one do it before." Emerald eyes lifted upward, gazing at his supposed feathered friend. "Hey," he barked in partially feigned anger. He thought to comment further to the bird, but it seemed Lirika had a different line of conversation in mind. "Yes, I thought it was time I had a little break." He'd been ever so diligent for weeks now, surely that warranted a small leave of absence. It was doubtful anyone would notice, anyway. "Kyarst talks," "Bryn talks,"