Got my shine lookin' pretty
Valentine was on the prowl. With the battlefield being so close to home he'd begun to make regular trips around it. He wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, trying to put a claim on it. Rather, he was scouting. For what exactly varied. Some days he only had eyes for fights. Others he was a bit more practical, running a calculating eye over those already tangling in an effort to gauge their eligibility as potential packmates. Slinking along the outskirts, the King's gaze raked the field in search of opportunities. He could find potential in just about anyone. Capable wolves were highly sought after in Imperium. Valentine wanted to fill his ranks with the best of the best. Strong, fearless fights. Unshakable, solid healers. And yes, able-bodied slaves. He didn't know what, if any, he'd get, but it didn't hurt to sniff around, did it? |
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
She didn't really know why she was here. She had left the comfort of Fiori's walls just to explore a little, and now she was here, at the Battlefield. Had she just ended up here by coincidence? Or maybe she had a purpose here? Either way, it didn't matter. She was here and she wasn't going to turn tail and run. It was cowardly, despite the possible dangers that lingered here. The young girl slowly crossed over the neutral borders, the smell of dried blood and death invading her nostrils and making her gasp. No matter how much she visited this place, the smell and the looks shocked her every time. Just the thought of possibly standing on someone's death bed frightened her. Arivae glanced downward for a quick second, before swallowing and trotting deeper into the dusty area. A steady breeze ruffled her fur when she slowed to a complete stop. She was now on the other side of the Battlefield, ready to leave. But the aroma of another caught her attention before her legs could carry her away. She turned and lifted her head, her wide blue eyes catching a glimpse of dark blue fur in the shadows. He was massive, like Tiburtius. But she was convinced he was no threat. "Hello." She said quietly, resting her innocent gaze upon him. She flashed him an easy smile, her little tail swaying back an forth. |
A small, innocent voice brought his head around. Turning, the King rested his gaze on the tiny form of a young woman. At first glance he was reminded of Rhythm. This girl's coat was darker and she lacked the two toned gaze, but Valentine was willing to beat he was looking at a Destruction. "Greetings," he rumbled as he casually ran a calculating gaze over the stranger. The man wasn't particularly fond of Destructions. In his opinion they rarely excelled at anything. He adored Rhythm and he admired Mercy, but they were exceptions. Looking at this woman he tried to not let his hunch cloud his judgement. If she showed promise he was willing to overlook her parentage. With a lazy swing in his step, Valentine trotted closer. "Name's Valentine," he began, "If I may ask, what brings you to these parts?" Her wide-eyed gaze led him to believe that she was out of place here in the battlefield. He may have been wrong, looks were often deceiving, but she didn't look like she belonged. Joking, he asked, "Take a wrong turn?" |
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
He returned the greeting, though his voice boomed with more power than she had thought. But she tried not to let it frighten her. Instead, she lowered down onto her haunches and tucked her tail over her tiny paws, watching the massive brute with wide eyes. She has never met anyone with similar markings and coat patterns, so she made no guess as to which family he may have came from. Only that his mother and father were probably very strong and had large builds. Arivae took a moment to let her eyes roam his body, before locking her eyes with his once more and letting out a sly puff of air. Valentine. It was a pretty name. But she wouldn't tell that to his face, absolutely not. That'd be more of an insult than anything else. Arivae bit her lower lip and forced another smile, her ears flicking back for a brief instant. He asked what she was doing around here after trotting a little closer, but before she could answer, he added a little joke. And she was glad he did, too. He seemed a little intimidating. The girl straightened up and continued to look straight at him, readying herself as she began to speak. "Er, something like that." She semi-chuckled, a nervousness in her voice that was more than obvious. "I'm Arivae. It's nice to meet you, Valentine." She finished with a polite dip of her head, but right after, straightened up and continued to look over him casually. |
As he approached she took the opportunity to seat herself with cat-like grace, her tail curling around her to rest over toes. Her naivety didn't go unnoticed. Few wolves who were accustomed to darker dealings would make such a move in front of an unknown. Those that did were often very confident in their abilities and feared little when it came to surprise attacks. Valentine was certain this young woman was not one of those people. If he had to guess, she was unaware of the potential danger that came with such a move. That wasn't to say he intended her harm, merely that he noted her inexperience. Her answer was vague, but he gathered that she hadn't intended to come to the battlefield. From this he made the assumption that she probably wasn't looking to be recruited. That assumption didn't halt his evaluation. It may not have been her intention to end up here, but she was here now and if he found value in her it was quite likely that he'd do his best to bring her to Imperium. But what could this wide-eyed young woman do for him? It would be a challenge to shape her into a warrior, and while he enjoyed a good challenge, there were certainly easier young wolves of promise out there. If he were the type of ruler that wished to overrun Alacritia with his offspring then her demeanor would probably work in his favor and it stood to reason she'd slip into the role of Consocia without too much resistance. But, while he adored his children, he wasn't that type and while he certainly was the type to horde beauty, he didn't know if that was a route he wanted to take. It was decided. He needed more information. With an easy smile and a polite dip of his head, he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Arivae." Her nerves halted him a short distance away. While he wished to step closer he didn't want to frighten her off or scare her into clamming up. "Something like a wrong turn, eh? So are you looking for something? Perhaps I can be of assistance," he offered casually. |
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
So far, despite him being a little frightening and intimidating, he was respectful and polite. Which she appreciated greatly. Even though she was trying to be as respectful as possible, she may have been showing accidental signs of threat. Maybe she was acting too confident, sitting up too high? Either way, he seemed fine with it. He didn't give her any weird looks, didn't even emit a single growl or word about it. Was it possible he knew that she was inexperienced when it came to strict packs and respect? She has been a loner for several months now, after being forced out of Sawtooth by Jupiter as a little girl. Ever since, she has been wandering around. She planned to join Tiburtius in Fiori, but that was only when she felt comfortable enough. For now, she was still a skinny loner. In danger of force claiming, maiming...etc.. The world was a frightening place when you didn't have someone there beside you. Tiburtius was that someone in her little world. He dipped his head as well, mirroring her, but seeming more relaxed when he recovered. He stopped a short distance away, and she exhaled slowly, feeling a part of her loosen up just slightly with relief. Thank goodness...she was afraid he'd enter her personal space somehow. "Perhaps I can be of assistance," He offered after reviewing the things she had said. Arivae tilted her head slowly. She wasn't exactly sure why she was here. Maybe to work on her studies, or maybe just to explore...? She wasn't sure. But she went with the most normal sounding answer. "Well, I left home to study, actually. But my paws brought me here for some reason. Maybe to get a better view of the stars?" She glanced up and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess being a navigator is harder than it seems." The girl looked back down at Valentine and frowned. How could he help her with this? |
His ears pricked forward with interest as she gave her answer. A navigator, eh? That gave him a bit more to work with although he wasn't entirely sure what a navigator did. "A navigator, huh?" he queried as he sank back onto his haunches. Hopefully seating himself would further convey his interest. His gaze went heavenward for a second, noting the unobstructed view of the sky. "Yeah, I guess the view is pretty good." Deciding he still needed more information, he went on to say, "I have to admit that I don't know a whole lot about navigators. What exactly do you...do?" |
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
"A navigator, eh?" He slowly seated himself, signaling to her that he was particularly interested in what she had to say. And she was happy to be there for him, to explain what it meant so needed. Ironically enough it had been. The man seemed confused as to what she meant by navigator, so she cleared her throat quietly and began to explain it to him. "We chart the stars, study weather patterns, and familiarize ourselves with the land." She began, gazing up to the sky once more. She rolled her shoulders forward and sighed loudly. "It's a lot of fun to travel, to study, and to gaze over the stars and use them for travel...but it can get a little tricky and confusing when you don't have a mentor." Right now she did not have a mentor. She had only gathered the information she had from neighboring packs, friends, etc. |