It had been some time since she had lost Yfir to Virgil Olympus, and so some time since she had seen any reason to acquaint herself with the packs that resided on this continent. She still didn't in general care about any of the others anyway, but she found it... useful to know who led them and where they claimed land. Useful to know if they were warriors or cowards, many or few, useful or... not. So leaving her pack to settle within their new snowy home she set out on a trek south, seeking out the closest pack to Yfir's newly claimed territory. Her nostrils flared slightly as she drew in the scent upon the border. Not much had changed here, it seemed. Cataleya's son still ruled this pack, though it seemed his territory had greatly expanded since she'd last come this way, though she knew that Cataleya herself and all her other children had been driven out of the lands, two of this alpha's own siblings having been blinded in the war Kassander had begun. She didn't know if he knew what had happened, but she knew that either way it was best to keep that close to her chest and not overplay her hand. Stalking the border of the territory, remaining hidden on the outside of the border, she ghosted along its circumference to gauge the size of the land they laid claim to, and to learn more of the pack. Reaching her starting point once more she seated herself just outside the border, staring into the pack lands silently and just... waiting. Waiting to see when, or if, a border guard would come along to challenge her presence there. Waiting to see if her presence might attract the alpha himself. Testing their vigilance and their responsiveness, because after all... Yfir would be set free upon these soft southerners on spring's birth, and knowing these things she would know where to direct her raids, and where to avoid. With this pack so close to her own it would be unwise to provoke them if they were a powerful pack, but if they were not their proximity would be a great convenience for the vikings. "Talk" "You" Think

Ashmedai was hunting! Okay, he and his mom were hunting. Okay, his mom was hunting and he had just tagged along. He had the food now though! Just as his mom almost killed the rabbit, Ash grabbed it and took off. He heard his momma behind him telling him to drop it but he didn't. He was sure he was gonna get in trouble later, but maybe if he told her he was really sorry, she'd let him off the hook. She usually did. Though his momma looked tough, she was a big softy soft when it came to him, a fact he was beginning to use to his advantage. Large puppy paws slammed on the ground as the pup dashed and darted to avoid his mother. It was hard, because she was big, but it was a little less hard because he could duck under things and she couldn't. The boy kept running, a snow hare hanging from his maw, not quite dead yet. It flopped with every step and was honestly a little hard to run with. Maybe if he dropped it, he would run faster and his momma would find the food and eat it and be less grumpy and not punish him! Dropping his catch, Ash sped onward. He ran a good couple of steps before he realized his mom was right in front of him. Ash skidded in the snow, flopping onto his back and tucking his tail in submission. He closed his eyes as he slid closer, waiting for the punishment. The punishment wouldn't come in that moment and Ash's eyes would flutter open, realizing his momma wasn't his momma at all, but an entirely new woman! She didn't even smell like this pack! Springing up, Ashmedai sprung into action. His tail wagged behind him as he looked to the new woman, keeping his ears back and a slight distance between them. He wasn't scared, it was just his instinct. He looked at the woman, panting lightly from his run, "Hi! I'm Ash! That's short for Ashmedai! Are you new here? You smell new! You should probably see my dad- oh wait- are you one of his girlfriends? Vana says he has a lot! My mom is one of them, but she says she isn't. That makes me kind of a leader because I have a leader daddy! I... think he would be mad if I let you in, so maybe stay right there." Ash sat, his rump hitting the ground with a solid thud as his tail began to throw snow behind him, "What's you're name, anyway?" ""

A frenzied din of a body crashing through brush and grass from the other side of the border heralded the approach of either a pack wolf or a loner less cautious than her being chased off. She turned her head to follow the sound, outwardly - and inwardly - unruffled by the racket. A gray-blue body burst out to slide to a stop before her, and immediately dropped into a submissive posture. For a long moment Katja was able to study the wolf who'd flailed up to her, and this closer inspection quickly dispelled the first impression she'd drawn about the wolf. From his size she'd thought he might be a small adult, but the drawn-out, gangly body and over-large paws spoke of a growing pup rather than even an adolescent. His scent was overlaid with the pack's scent, so he was no intruder but rather a pack wolf. His eyes blinked open, filled with confusion as they met hers, and then suddenly something seemed to click with the boy and he sprang up and unleashed a torrent of words that laid back Katja's ears. But one thing caught her attention in particular. His father was a leader? A leader, or the leader? Was this boy the alpha's son or just the spawn of some lead warrior or healer? Her eyes were cool as she arched her neck to stare at him a moment before replying. "I am Katja Finnvi," she spoke simply, withholding the knowledge of her rank and pack from the boy who seemed too young or too sheltered to recognize her scent as belonging to another pack, and curious about how long it would take for someone to realize the boy was alone on the borders with a stranger. "I am no one's woman. Who is your father?" Her words were meager in comparison to the boy's. It was strange, but she had not been around pups since she had taken Olympus and remade it as Yfir. Had Hypnos, and Natalya Olympus' other pups, been this young when she'd taken their pack? Younger? Older? She couldn't recall exactly, and this young wolf, this Ashmedai's unusually large size made it difficult to judge exactly how old he actually was. It made her strangely... saddened... a reminder that her family dwindled, rather than grew as it should. Her line of Finnvis would end with her - even if Kapra or Laufey chose to father children to continue Svanerna's line, without Auora to carry it on Anvarr's branch of the Finnvi family would end within Alacritis. And even Kapra and Laufey seemed to be reluctant to find a compatible female to bear Finnvi pups, so it was equally likely Svanerna's branch would end with them as well. To think that pups, who were useless for so long, could be so important to a pack's survival... "Talk" "You" Think

This woman wasn't very talkative at all! That was boring! Ashmedai made a solid pout as she spoke, his ears drooping to the sides of his head. Technically she had answered all of his questions, though, so he guessed he shouldn't be too sad. She even asked a question back! That was nice of her! Ash's tail went back to thumping on the ground, his ears springing back to life as his eyes widened with excitement. She wanted to know who his daddy was? Well, he'd tell her! "My dad is Valentine Imperialis! He's the strongest wolf in the world! He fought a bunch of everyone back to back and he's still okay! He's super big and tall like momma, but not as big as Angelus. Angelus is so big! If he wasn't my brother, I'd think he was a monster!" Ashmedai smiled, about to ask her another question when a very angry momma broke through the brush and pulled him back from the woman, which would have earned another pout if his momma wasn't being so serious and scary looking. ""

To put it simply, he hurt. A lot. In hindsight the whole 'take on the world' thing with the spars had been a terrible idea, but he was too stubborn to regret it. The king's lack of remorse for the damage he'd taken (and inflicted) didn't lessen the pain any. Valentine ached and the skin around his wounds was tight and itchy. After the spars he'd felt exhausted but pretty good for the rest of the day. The day after had been a whole different story. Pretty much since then he'd been in a constantly agitated state. He couldn't get comfortable and he couldn't sleep, and this combination led to a short fuse and a perpetual scowl. Seeing Ashmedai with the stranger -whose smell from a distance screamed 'alpha'- didn't help his mood any. Immediately his irritation rose. Great. Just great. While he loved his son, right now was not a time for his antics. He'd probably spewed all kinds of nonsense and that would be this woman's introduction to Imperium. Valentine was unamused. As he approached Esti rushed up and pulled the boy away. Dipping his head in a polite greeting to the unknown fae, he rumbled, "Welcome to Imperium. My name is Valentine Imperialis and I am the alpha here." Speaking over his shoulder to Esti, he commanded in a tone that made it clear their exit better be quick, quiet and without complaint, "Esti, please take Ashmedai back to the den." His expression carefully nonplussed as he regarded Katja, the King queried, "What brings you to Imperium today?" It was unlikely that this ruler had come simply to shoot the breeze, so what was her business in Imperium? ""

M(?) for swearing.

Damn it, Ashmedai! Esti ran after the pup. She knew he had a lot of energy, but, by the gods or whatever, did he HAVE to always do things like this? He followed her hunting then snatched her kill. He always was quick to apologize and Esti didn't want to be too harsh on him, so most of the time he got away with it, but one of these days he was going to be in big troub- "My dad is Valentine Imperialis! He's the strongest wolf in the world! He fought a bunch of everyone back to back and he's still okay! He's super big and tall like momma, but not as big as Angelus. Angelus is so big! If he wasn't my brother, I'd think he was a monster!" What. The. Fuck. "ASHMEDAI IMPERIALIS!" Esti barreled through the brush. They were close to the border, she knew, and that type of wording was not the type one used with someone they knew. Esti entered to see the darker woman sitting across from Ashmedai. While she didn't look harmful, Esti knew wolves could turn in an instant. She rushed forward and pulled Ash back by his scruff, meaning to be rough enough to startle him back, but not rough enough to hurt him. She have him a sharp look and her hackles raised as she growled at him. Oh, he'd get it later, "What. Did. I. Say. About. Strangers?" She bit each word, and Ashmedai tumbled into something of a submissive stance, fumbling an answer about how he was just talking to her, but she cut him off, "Not now, think about it first. You don't know her." She smelled of a different pack, and probably wasn't a threat, but Ashmedai had to learn. Not everyone would want to be friends and not everyone would play nice. Esti's heart thudded in her chest thinking about all that could of happened because of his carelessness. It scared her. It really did scare her. Esti turned back to the woman, lowering her hackles, but not her guard. She stood between the woman and Ashmedai now, ready to defend him just in case, though she didn't think there would be much of a need for that, "I have to... apologize for Ashmedai. He's every bit of his father's son- social butterfly. I'm Esti Kigu. This is Imperium. I'm sorry, while I'm sure you were already asked, what is your name? Should I call for the alpha, or are you just passing through, maybe getting a bit... distracted by, you know." Esti shot a look to Ashmedai who had righted himself by now. Man he was gonna get it later. As if summoned, Valentine showed up. He wasn't amused either. Lucky for her, she felt like she'd get an earful about that later. She shot him a look that clearly said, "come by later" and not in the 'I want to fuck you' way, but the more serious way that made a shiver run up Ash's spine. Grabbing Ash by the scruff, Esti hauled her son off his feet and snapped at his rump to get going, her dinner completely forgotten in the snow. ""

The child rambled on about his father and how big he was and how his brother was mostrously large, and Katja watched him impassively as he chattered. Valentine Imperialis, hm? She was saved from any reply by the sudden, angry appearance of a rather large female who jerked the pup back from her and bawled him out before babbling about the child. Katja simply regarded her skeptically. One would certainly hope the father wasn't so talkative as his child, or any future interactions would certainly be... unpleasant for Katja. "Children will be children," she instead murmured politely, though she passed no judgement on the boy's actions. It seemed everyone in this land either spoiled their children or felt the need to constantly apologize for their behavior - she saw nothing wrong with his bold investigation of her. At his age a viking child would have been expected to be equally bold, though perhaps not so very garrulous. Besides, her attention had been drawn by the approach of a tall adult male of a similar coloration as the young boy. The father, presumably? His words confirmed it. "Welcome to Imperium. My name is Valentine Imperialis and I am the alpha here." Well now, the leader himself come to investigate the border, though perhaps with his own child having appeared here there was the possibility he'd simply come to find the missing boy. "It was a pleasure, Ashmedai Imperialis," she said, inclining her head solemnly to the child as his mother sought to herd him away. Turning her attention to Valentine she nodded to him, alpha to alpha. "I am Katja Finnvi, alpha of Yfir in the north. I have only recently come into possession of it - you would perhaps have known it as Ebony, under Kassander Xanilov." She left off there, not explaining whether she'd challenged for the pack or been given it, as she had no idea what he knew of Ebony's war or how he stood with Kassander, holding that knowledge close for now until she could see his reaction. "I have come simply to acquaint myself with the few packs and their alphas. The boy is your son?" "Talk" "You" Think

Oh, of course something interesting happens after he decides to back off! Quickening his pace, the boy raced towards the scene. His dad was being kind of a jerk at the moment and while he was supposed to be following him and learning or whatever, after a while Angel had finally gotten the hint and given him more space. Angelus' pace slowed as he came into view and he attempted to adopt what he thought was a princely bearing. Of course he was familiar with how his dad presented himself and so it with that in mind that he moved towards the pair. He kept his head up and his shoulders back, but out of respect for the unknown woman and his father Angel let his tail hang at a half curl behind him. To alert the King to his presence, the boy said, "Dad." A split second later his eyes sought the stranger's and he dipped his head politely before greeting her with, "Ma'am." Coming to halt at his father's side, the boy let his gaze casually wander between the stranger and his father. If only he'd been faster; he didn't know what was happening! What had he missed? Who was this woman? She smelled like an alpha, but the alpha of who? Where was she from? What did she want? He had so many questions, but he knew better than to ask.

With his agitation stifled by Katja's presence, Valentine's inner anger latched onto an unwitting target: Esti. How hard was it to watch one fucking kid? Ash's legs were shorter and he was easily as loud as a herd of bison, so really, how hard could it possibly be? She only had the one, it wasn't like her attention was being pulled in more than one direction by a litter of Ashmedais. One. One kid. Carefully the King hid his annoyance beneath a smooth and diplomatic facade. Yfir. He'd heard that name before, hadn't he? And the name Katja, but it was a vague familiarity and he couldn't quite place where the knowledge came from. So she'd gotten the pack from Kassander? Hm. Unaware of the details and facing an unknown, Valentine's answer was equally reserved, "I was familiar with Ebony under Kassander's rule." There his familiarity ended. He couldn't name the former king's predecessors and he really didn't care to. Only the current one mattered. That is, politically. The brute made a mental note to find out what happened to Kassander when he wasn't faced with the Xanilov's successor. Katja spoke of familiarizing herself with her neighbors before parting with the question, "The boy is your son?" Valentine inclined his head slightly before replying, "Indeed he is- the youngest." Somewhere nearby lurked Angelus. The boy was supposed to be shadowing his father, but he'd been snapped at enough to force him to shadow from a distance. At some point he was bound to show up. This was just the sort of thing he needed to -quietly- sit in on. Ah, speak of the devil. The boy approached slowly and after a polite greeting, stopped and stood just to the side of his father's left hip. "And this is Angelus. If you don't mind he will be observing this meeting; a lesson in diplomacy, if you will." Turning to the boy who was blessedly quiet, he said, "Angelus, this is Katja Finnvi, alpha of Yfir." From the...where had Ebony been? The East? Fishing, he stated, "From the East, I believe." ""

His reply about Ebony gave away no hint of his standing with the previous alpha, but she would take the lack of aggression as a positive and move past it. Yfir was not Ebony, and though Kassander still resided there he was not alpha. Though it was something to always keep in the back of her mind in the future, it need not have bearing on the conversation currently. The boy was his own, though there was little doubt of it from the boy's words and the similarity in coloring. It was good to see that the alpha was not so talkative as his young son. Youngest child, it seemed, with an unknown number of older children. That unknown factor was troubling, just enough to make her wary. The gregarious behavior of his youngest not-with-standing, the forward nature of the boy suggested not a spoiled child so much as a bold one, the sort of personality a viking would look to encourage and train into a warrior. There was no telling if this male thought similarly and had trained his elder children in battle. Silver eyes slid over the alpha evaluatingly, noting scars and hard muscle - no, surely he would be the kind to train his children similarly. A rustling announced the approach of another, this a yearling even taller than the alpha though the similar coloring and markings around the eyes marked him as likely another of these unknown children. Interestingly, the boy's color seemed to... shift slightly in the bright sunlight as it played over his pelt, highlights of violet appearing and disappearing as the hairs moved, much as the silver ticking in her own coat did. The boy was polite, though his head was held proudly. She'd have been proud to have a son like him or - her mind wandering back to her sister in sadness - a nephew to raise in her ways. She nodded solemnly to him as the other alpha introduced him as Angelus, and spoke of him sitting in as a lesson, but when he testingly went on to explain that Yfir was in the east, she shook her head once sharply. "Nein, no longer. Yfir makes its home in the north. We claim the mountain there as well as a forest of great red trees and a round gorge." She saw no reason not to tell him where her pack was. It was perhaps better for her lands to be known to discourage those who would trespass there not knowing who they were challenging. "I circled your territory before I stopped here," she spoke again abruptly, blunt and honest in a matter of fact tone rather than mockingly. "I was unchallenged until your son Ashmedai approached me and his mother found him, until you found me. I commend you your personal diligence in patrolling as an alpha but do your warriors not patrol your borders?" She watched him as she spoke, gaze sharp though she was indifferent to the actual answer to her questions so much as the alpha's reaction to this line of inquiry. Shifting subjects as abruptly as she had begun, she questioned, "Is Angelus your son as well? You are all of you remarkably tall. I would almost believe you to be a pack of jötnar." Not a one of them, save the child who's current size suggested he'd grow much larger, was any smaller than Laufey, and this Angelus stood even taller. It would make them formidable adversaries, though she did not fear the idea. To die in battle was the ultimate glory, after all, and to die in battle with giants would be no small boost. That would come when it did and not before, for it was not for her to see where the winding path would lead her beforehand. "Talk" "You" Think

Ah, so she'd moved it to the north. Valentine quietly filed the information away for later use. The choice was interesting, and, looking at the frosty woman, oddly fitting. If there was anyone who might thrive in the harsh northern climate it had to be this stern woman. Katja went on to state that she'd managed to circle the pack without anyone stopping her, which didn't surprise him all that much. He was not alarmed by her statement or even the slightest bit worried. "They do," he confirmed, "But what happens beyond our borders doesn't often concern me or mine. Rest assured, if you had crossed you would have been aware of their presence soon enough." The borders were laden with the scents of his warriors. If she didn't believe him she was welcome to come back later and test its validity. Next she asked about Angelus. The King was well aware of the nature of Katja's questions. They were by no means innocent. She was digging for information about Imperium, searching for strengths and weaknesses. Even knowing this Valentine was unperturbed. Imperium was strong and if she was looking for weaknesses to exploit she would leave disappointed. "Indeed he is," came his answer. "All of my children seem to have inherited my height, although exceptional stature isn't uncommon here in Imperium." Several of his pack members reached similar heights, but he would leave it vague and let her imagination conjure up the numbers. "Jötnar? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that term." ""

This encounter was complicated, he gathered that much, but how exactly it was complicated and how things were being said without being said was beyond him. He couldn't subtly work a conversation in his favor if he tried. All he knew was that the lady was serious and his dad was using his Alpha Voice and they were both really cool. In silence he soaked it up like a sponge. One day he wanted to be just like them. He wanted to sit up tall and all regal-like, and fearlessly look leaders in the eye. He wanted to be chill in situations like this one.

The tall alpha was unphased by her questioning, and answered her questions with a neutral air. "It is good to hear that your warriors take such fierce interest in guarding their lands. The world is too dangerous a place for complacency," she observed in return. The back and forth riposte was, in it's odd way, a bit like sparring. Circling, testing for weaknesses, seeking that opening to press an attack or to melt away in retreat. It left a sour taste in her mouth - politics - but negotiation and trade were as much a part of viking culture as battle. She would consider it simply... reconnaissance rather than politics. "The jötnar are giants," she explained, casting a glance at his form and that of his son. "You have an uncanny resemblance to the hrímþursar, the frost giants, as I pictured them in my youth." Her calm, pale gaze centered on the younger of the two, the son, who watched so attentively. "It must be a great comfort to know that you have children to pass your knowledge on to, to carry on your family name and support you when you reach your declining years." There was no hint of wistfulness in her tone - it was the same level, cool tone she'd used throughout the conversation - but she noted to herself that she would have to discuss with Kapra or Laufey the need for them to find a mate and continue the bloodline. Perhaps she would arrange a marriage for Laufey - perhaps even with this pack. "Have you only sons?" she continued, faintly curious. The alpha himself did not look much older than Laufey so undoubtedly his children were all unlikely to be over a year old, but Laufey was still young and so the age range would not be prohibitively wide even with waiting for a daughter to reach maturity... Though perhaps her mind was racing ahead of itself. Arranged marriages were not unusual amongst her culture since a marriage was in many ways a business arrangement, but if her time in Alacratia had taught her anything it was that few wolves here followed the same logical principals, and she was not ready to bind her pack to another in even a simple negotiation such as a marriage, not yet, and she knew very little of this particular pack. But the thought was there. "Talk" "You" Think

"...The world is too dangerous a place for complacency." Valentine dipped his head in agreement. "Indeed it is," he offered, although in all honesty he feared little from any of his neighbors. They were all far too concerned with making friends and playing nice. This woman was, perhaps, an exception. He made a note to scout north at the next opportunity. If Yfir was going to be a problem then, he reasoned, Imperium might need to strike first and make an impression. Frost giants, eh? That sounded badass. "Hm," he rumbled appreciatively. Maybe he could start a rumor with that. Build a legend around the idea that the Imperialis line descended from frost giants. "So I see." She spoke of his children being a comfort to him and he nodded again. They were. His children were the closest he could get to immortality. Through them he would live on by passing down his name, his beliefs, his ideals; the meat of who he was. Valentine was under no illusion that he'd reach his "declining years" as Katja had put it. It was all too likely that he'd go out as he'd come into the world: screaming and covered in someone else's blood. That made it all the more important to cherish the time he had with his family. "It really is." He had to wonder why exactly it mattered if he had only sons. The King didn't voice the question, but he did wonder. In any case he didn't see the harm in answering and it did present him with an opening to ask questions of his own. "I have one daughter. What of you, Katja? Have you any children?" ""

Angelus continued to observe quietly. His gaze darted from grown up to grown up as they spoke. When Katja's gaze locked on him he had to fight the urge to squirm. Her cold, silver gaze seemed to drill right into him. He didn't like it, didn't like the way she seemed to stare right at his flaws, but as long as her eyes were on him, he made himself gaze back. If his dad could do it without flinching then so could he. Her gaze soon left him and the conversation carried on. The young Imperialis was pleased with himself. This alpha business was easy. If all he had to do was talk nice and look cool then he'd have it down in no time and he'd be the best alpha there ever was.