She was trotting along quite happily in the much cooler northern air when the scent of Sonticus' scent markers caught her attention. No doubt both Valentine and Birna had caught the warning scents as well, and she sent them a devilish look. "Some people think all they have to do is pee on a patch of grass and that makes them a pack," she murmured mockingly, keeping her voice low to avoid attracting unwanted attention. "Not much up here is there? What could they be hiding out there do you think?" Rubbing up against Valen teasingly, she moved to toe the border, tail waving at a jaunty angle. "So who wants to go first hmm?" ""

Cascade's words drew a low chuckle from the King. He'd thought something similar once and that thought and those words rang true for him. A pack was so much more than that. He still stood by his belief that Arian wasn't suited for her title. From the scent markers it was clear that she still held some semblance of power in these parts. That fact amused him. His gaze roved over the desolate scape. There wasn't much to see in these parts, so his gaze immediately locked on the one point of interest: the ship. Intrigue caused his ears to prick forward. What was this? The giant metal thing rose from the ground, its angular edges immediately reminding him of a large outcropping. His voice low, he murmured, "If there's anything of interest at all here, it will be there." Cascade brushed against his shoulder as she came beside him and her low voice caused one of his ears to flick back to better capture the sound. In respond he grinned. "Dibs."  Aiming to bump Cascade's shoulder with his as he passed her up, Valentine trotted into Sonticus territory. ""

Birna marched warily behind the ruling pair, senses geared to the world around her, keen for any sign of trouble. All too soon they reached border of the pack known as Sonticus, the northern pack who's alpha had traveled the vastness of Alacritis while pregnant to speak with the Imperium king. Strange behavior indeed. Birna took in the scents, memorizing them, analyzing them for later as Cascade spoke. Her keen eyes peered across the landscape but she saw mostly snow… and one strange rock in the distance. If it even was a rock, it looked quite wrong to her. Birna eyed the border. This was a bad idea… they were going to get into so much trouble. A soft smile, unbidden, lightly tugged at her lips. How odd to feel like a little girl again afraid to get caught breaking a rule… the smile quickly faded, setting into a hard frown. Of course her punishments as a girl would be much the same now if they were caught but then she had come leagues in her ability to fight since then. "This is going to be very dangerous." She spoke to no one in particular, just wishing to remind all parties of the seriousness of this venture. Since when had she become the wet blanket? Wasn't that more Bjorn's role? Birna looked to Valentine, seeking to assess his resolve and new that there was no going back. She steeled herself. "I'm ready whenever you two are." Despite herself she could feel excitement starting to bubble in her gut, especially relating to that strange object in the distance. She'd never seen anything like it. Valentine called dibs and with a jaunty swag he stepped across the border. Birna dipped her head to Cascade, offering to bring up the rear and when the other had passed she too would follow. Her hackles raised and her senses on pins and needles, waiting for an attack that could come from anywhere. She wondered how the other two could be so calm, even playful, when walking right over another packs borders. Perhaps this pack was smaller or weaker than she feared? Either way though she did not like the odds of three against an entire pack. "Speech"

"Of course it will be dangerous," she assured Birna - that was the point wasn't it? Oh wait no, the point was to scout the pack and find out more about them. Right, right. I'm ready when you are the pale warrior added, and Cascade grinned at her. "That's the spirit, Birna - " but Valentine was calling dibs and, bumping her shoulder, passed her by to cross the border. The adrenaline high of imminent danger mixed potently with her heat, and the brief contact was like an electric shock. She gave a shiver of delight and with no hesitation bounded across the border to join him. "Is it wrong that I want to fuck you so much right now?" she murmured as close to his ear as she could to hide the candid words from their companion. The brightness of her eyes and the crooked smile she sent him, the way her tongue tip stuck out as she sought to brush against his shoulder as they moved said pretty clearly that, wrong or not, she was enjoying the feeling. She aimed a nip for his shoulder, then dropped back to include Birna in the conversation. "So should we all head for that... thing or should we split up so we cover more ground?" ""

Nose to the wind, Valentine snuffed softly as he scented the breeze for a whiff of a patrol – if there even was one. He wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't. Arian struck him as the kind of person who wanted to be everyone's best friend and because of that, he didn't think she was capable of giving a firm command. It wouldn't surprise him if Sonticus was some kind of hippy dippy 'do whatevs you want' kind of pack. "Is it wrong that I want to fuck you so much right now?" All thought processes immediately ground to a screeching halt. He snuck a quick peek over his shoulder at Cascade. Was she serious? More importantly, was she crazy? They were trespassing on what he assumed was now enemy territory and now, now she wanted to what, sneak off for a tryst? The very thought of it was unwise! Not to mention crazy! What happened if someone found them while they were tied? They would be sitting ducks, open to attacks with limited ways to defend themselves. It was risky and downright dangerous. Unwise, unsafe, thorny, perilous. There were endless ways to describe just how chancy such an act would be. ...and that made it kind of hot. He was game. But how to get rid of the third wheel without putting her in harm's way? Cascade provided the idea and Valentine ran with it. "We'll split up," he said in a tone that left no room for questioning. "Cascade you will come inside and investigate with me. Birna, you will stay outside and serve as the lookout. If anyone comes alert us in whatever way you see fit.” He didn't want to box her into any one response. She was smart; she could assess the situation and come up with the best possible response available to her. ""

Birna ignored the pair as they pulled in close to one another, keeping her mind fixed solidly on the task at hand. To observe enemy territory and perhaps unearth whatever it was they were hiding, the key point of interest being the strange rock-thing in the distance. However, there could be other clues. She half wondered if they had some hidden form of weaponry? Cascade soon broke from Valen and Birna felt her frown deepen a little. Part of her really wanted to investigate the strange rock, she didn't want to be cast off to go look at a meadow. And there were other concerns with splitting up. It'd be a lot harder for them to defend themselves if one of them were caught. Thankfully, though they were almost at the rock and when Valentine chose to split them up she was to stand outside and serve as lookout. Fair enough. "Very well, sir. I'll do my best. You two should alert me as well to any suspicious activity. There may be more than one entrance into that thing." In the meantime she'd examine this unusual material and the build of the massive structure that was still encased in the never thawing ice of the far north. "Speech"

It was on silent paws that she crept into the structure with Valen. Her whole body tingled in anticipation, the excitement and danger of what they were doing and warmth kindled deep in her belly. They were, in essence, diving down the rabbit hole into a possible enemy's very den. And it was so deliciously fun. She sniffed at the odd surface beneath her feet, picking up the pack scent that ran thick through this area and deciphering individual scents. "Pups," she mouthed silently at him with a purely mental chuckle. Arian had indeed given birth and the pups were old enough to leave the den if they had gotten this far, but it also indicated they actually did use the structure as a den so she and Valen would need to be careful. In the dead air of the interior, with no wind, their scent would not carry very far to alert anyone of their presence but stumbling over one of the Sonticus wolves would. Scent revealed which route into the interior was less used, and she gestured with her head with a questioning look to Valen. That way? Then, unable to resist the urge despite the precariousness of the situation, she reached out in an attempt to caressingly nibble at his ear. Oh damn, this was hot enough to set her on fire. She needed him, needed... needed to focus so she could find them some out of the way hidden corner of the ship to fuck him in before someone figured out they were there, that's what she needed to do, and hope that the reason he had assigned Birna to guard duty was so they could have a particularly dangerous dalliance… ""

His senses afire, Valentine strode cautiously through the narrow metal cave. The cloying smell of pack wolves hung heavily in the air, but so far all was quiet. Perhaps the lot of them were snuggled up somewhere sleeping? Cascade turned to mouth the word “pups” at him and he nodded. Yeah, he smelled it too. Absentmindedly he wondered just how big her litter was. He shook his head to clear away the runaway thought. What did that matter? He was here to gather useful information and to- Cascade's teeth on his ear almost pushed him over the edge. The adrenaline from the sneaking alone had him wired. Valentine had to stifle an appreciative rumble as a trail of goosebumps blazed down his spine. Okay, they needed a room now. Seeking to place a needy kiss on her cheek, Valentine then aimed to get his lips as close to Cascade's ears as possible so he could whisper, "This way." Taking off at an almost too fast pace, the King ghosted down the nearest passageway in search of a secluded, rarely used place. Passage after passage, room after room was sniffed at and discarded. Pack scents wove through the maze of tunnels in varying degrees of strength but none yet stood out to him. ""

Cascade padded along with Valentine, every nerve afire with need and a shiver of electricity crackling down her spine. Over and over Valentine passed by perfectly good rooms, continuing ever onward into the depths of enemy territory. She began to grow nervous about how far they were leaving behind Birna, who was supposed to be their backup, but the tension somehow only added to the anticipation that lifted her pelt and lit a fire deep within her. Pressing her shoulder against his hip, she arched her neck to send heated nibbles down the front of his hip to his belly, laving her tongue against the warm skin between hip and stomach teasingly. A faint growl rumbled deep in her chest. She didn't want to wait any longer - the ache was growing to be nearly too much, growing too impatient. If he didn't pick a room she might push him into one herself and just have her way with him. To hell with it! As Valen sniffed at yet another room, Cascade sped up in an attempt to set her shoulder against his own shoulder and to shove him towards it. She snapped her jaws at his throat, though instead of seeking to damage she sought to alternatively nip and kiss beneath his jaw, half demand and half plea. ""

He was mid sniff when Cascade shoved against him. Alright, alright. Hint taken. Without resistance he allowed himself to be steered into a room. Her touches along the contours of his neck immediately set him on fire and sent wave after wave of shivers down his spine. A hushed growl slipped through his lips before he could stop it and the brute immediately sought to bury his face into Cascade's fur to stifle the noise. Starting there behind her ear he returned her affections with a desperation that failed to covey the just how white hot his need was. Trailing from her ear down Valentine nibbled and kissed along the slope of her neck. The further down he got the sharper his nips became, the touches becoming impassioned and just barely contained. Over her shoulders and down her back he left a patternless trail of rough love bites until he was standing behind her. Unable to stifle the fire that had taken up residence in his belly, Valentine draped himself over Cascade's back. He wrapped his forelegs around her waist, his forepaws sliding up the dip of her ribs to hook around her hips. A little bit of foresight caused him to roughly grip Cascade's scruff in the hopes of muffling whatever sounds might otherwise come from his lips. Rolling his hips in, Valentine drove them together and took their transgressions against Sonticus to a whole new level. -fade- ""

Hot kisses traced down her neck and shoulders, eliciting the faintest of murmurs and breathy sounds from Cascade. Only the barest of self control kept her from breaking the silence between them and alerting the occupants of the boat to their presence deep within the structure. The thought, the illicit nature of what they were doing... She arched her back, panting desperately. Oh yes, she had needed this, she'd needed Valentine, so much more than she'd realized. She pressed back against him as he rose over her, the warmth of his chest against her back. She gasped aloud in need as he grasped at her scruff, barely holding back a demanding snarl. This was what she wanted, yes. And as they joined as one, she could think of nowhere else she'd rather be... and no one else she'd rather be with. -fade-

There was a slight tremor to his hind legs as the last spasm shot through his body. Releasing Cascade's scruff, Valentine momentarily dropped his head so that the side of it rested on her shoulder. Between quiet pants his tongue rasped against his lips in an effort to rid his mouth of loose fur that had come free from Cas' scruff during their entanglement. After a few more heartbeats to recover he disengaged and moved to come alongside Cascade, and aimed an affectionate lick at her ear. All was quiet around them; the silence so thorough it rang in his ears. No one was around; no one was stirring. Neither sight, smell or sound indicated the presence or approach of another. Slowly he took in their surroundings, his eyes trailing over the long abandoned relics of a lost civilization. Row upon row of metal cylinders lined ones of the walls they were in and on the wall opposite was the same thing only in what looked like sculpted ice. The latter he recognized; there were similar (albeit mostly broken) ice containers in a gaping, rectangular cave in the Range. Not only that, but he knew from breaking one of those containers that food was inside. Interesting. Using his shoulder Valentine aimed to nudge Cascade's shoulder and direct her attention towards the walls of things. All of a sudden it occurred to him that Birna was still outside waiting. A ghost of a grin lifted the corners of his still panting maw and he leaned in close to Cascade to whisper, "We better go before Birna decides to come looking for us." Given their current situation there wasn't a whole lot of time to simply enjoy each other's company post-sex, but Valentine was having a hard time slipping back into an all business persona. The danger, the adrenaline rush, the sex; he was feeling pretty damn good. ""

As Valentine pulled away Cascade heaved a sigh of regret that they could not spend several more hours here playing. Valentine had sated the ache within her, but she couldn't help but wish for more time. Well, who's fault was that then, Cascade? Maybe she would jump him again when they were in a safer place more conducive to taking all the time in the world. For now, she leaned into his caress, and with a clearer mind was able to take in the strange objects he pointed out to her. What were they? She reached out to touch one with her nose, and the surface was cold but not wet like she would have thought for it's ice-like appearance. Huh. Well, this definitely had her attention. She wanted to ask what they were, if Valentine even knew either, but explanations were probably best saved for when it wouldn't matter if they were heard. With a wry smile, she sought to brush her cheek against his, then winked at him. Time to get back to the Super Serious Business of not dying down here then? She made the tactical decision to let the larger wolf take the rear in case anyone came upon them from behind as they left - though the "tactical" decision was made in large part because she was not above flaunting her tail at him teasingly as she padded back the way they'd come, to the exit where Birna waited for them. ""

OOC: Permission to powerplay Cascade given by Tea.

With a passing caress Cascade took the lead – a move that was both a blessing and a curse for the King. His eyes raked across the surroundings as they wove through the maze of metal tunnels. He peered into doorways and down passages...and occasionally his gaze fixed on the swinging hips in front of him. Her gait was unmistakably feminine; the rolling, confident swagger in her steps constantly trapping his gaze as he tried to keep a sharp lookout for trouble. When they paused at a junction and momentarily bunched up he was unable to resist to temptation to reach out and playfully nip at her rump. After that, with the stagnant air mingling with the freshness of the outdoors hinting at a close proximity to the surface, he was more contained. At last they reached the yawning mouth of the structure. Crossing the threshold and transitioning from the near absolute darkness of the metal caves into the gloom of the starless night was almost as startling on the eyes as transitioning from dark to daylight. He stood blinking for a moment as his eyes adjusted and then his gaze sought out the ever watchful Birna. By now he was all business. He stepped closer, taking long strides in the warrior's direction and leaving the metal structure behind. His voice a low whisper, he queried, "Any stirrings?" In more ways than one this mission was, in his book, a success. Now the only thing left to do was to make a break for the border. ""

Birna took up her position outside the ship, sense still on high alert and her heart pounding. She paced lightly outside the entrance, pausing only to sniff at the substance of the strange cave, a substance she believed was called metal. It was something associated with "humans" whatever those were and she honestly wasn't quite sure what to make of it when all she'd heard were stories. On top of that no one really knew what a human was. She'd heard everything from fire-breathing flightless birds to ghost like specters that could be heard but never seen. The thought didn't help to ease her nerves. Every second stretched by painfully slow and she urged those two to hurry up. What on earth were they doing in there? Birna was just about to go in looking for them when the pair emerged…smelling strongly of sex… Birna felt a stirring of dismay and irritation deep in her gut but she held it in check. Spirits help her if they came all this way just for these two idiots to have sex on enemy territory. Surely they gained some information as well? Despite being the youngest in the group Birna was feeling like an old lady who had become guardian to a pair of horny teenagers. She was never going to understand the breeding mentality of Imperium. Taking a deep breath she shook her head. "No, Rex, no sign of anyone. I trust you found the information you were seeking. Now lets go before our luck runs out." She'd ask what they found, if anything, later. The large woman had no desire to press their chances longer than needed and she took off in a dead sprint across the border. -exit- "Speech"

Valentine almost, almost managed to behave himself the whole journey back. Almost. The nip on her rump nearly drew a sound from her throat, but she just sent him a mock-chiding glare over her shoulder. Tsk tsk, what self control you have, Valentine Imperialis. They passed room after room once again and though she tried to peer into them to see what interesting treasures they might also hold, but she was moving too quickly to see. She wanted to get out of their with what information they already had, even if she didn't understand what they'd found, hopefully before Sonticus wolves figured out there were others among them. Then finally, fresh air, and a stone-faced Birna studying them. The pale warrior wasted little time in seeking to make tracks from the ship, and Cascade followed with a graceful lope. "I believe we did," she replied to Birna with equanimity, thinking back to the shiny, cool skinned things they'd seen. She wasn't sure what they'd found, exactly, but clearly there was something... right? She shot a questioning glance to Valentine as they moved toward the border. Did he know what it was they'd found? They'd have a lot to talk about if they made it back to Imperium in one piece. Either before or after she jumped him again was uncertain... -exit-

"No, Rex, no sign of anyone.   I trust you found the information you were seeking.  Now lets go before our luck runs out." He nodded firmly before Birna took off for the border. Content to take up the rear (with totally innocent reasoning), Valentine motioned for Cascade to go ahead of him. Adopting a predatory slink, he make quick work of the terrain that separated him from the land beyond Sonticus. His eyes and ears roved the terra as they sped along like ghosts. To be on the safe side Valentine had told Angelus where they were going and what they were doing. The young man had been more than happy to take over for the day and as the trio had headed for the north, Angelus had strutted off on his first solo patrol. While the King was confident in his son's ability to hold down the fort, he would breathe better when they finally crossed into home territory. The King had a lot to think about. -exit- ""

Arian had scented it before hand, the usual rounds obviously hadn't reached that piece of the border yet. They didn't just ignore it like most would think. As she came to the spot, inside the pack lands. Her head tilted back in grimace, what the fuck had Imperium been doing here. Let alone Valentine messing with one of his women. Did they think she was stupid, they must've. She was really getting tired of all this trouble that everyone was causing her. Tail twitching behind her, she would cover up their scents quickly with her own that of Sonticus. She let out a call for Amachi, standing near the border. It was about time she payed a visit to her brother, not for a family visit this time. She also had to speak with Allen about this. Perhaps for personal reasons however, it couldn't let stand that those wolves most blatantly pulled into their territory and desecrated their lands. Her pups, were in immediate danger. Her tail twitching irritably. There was no way she would win in a fight against Valentine. She knew that, but hell others could. "Talk"

Amachi would answer the call rather quickly, when she spotted Arian and scented the other wolves. She picked up her pace into a run stopping in front of the president. Helping the other cover up the scent. This was the area she was just about to check, it seemed like they had slipped past her. Gray eyes shining, the brute would look to Arian. What did the president need her to do at the moment? "Arian?" she asked with a bit of a shaky voice. Now Amachi was genuinely nervous. She hadn't been about Sin or anything else, but seeing as this was a huge problem. She was surprised Arian didn't order them to go kick their asses, not that most of them could anyway. "Is there something you need me to do?" Amachi asked as she obediently waited for orders. The time was now for Arian to actually put some trust into her members. For the future of their pack no doubt, her tail raised to behind her. Watching Arian search through her thoughts it seemed. The large woman was eager to help where she could. ""

Of course Amachi was quicker to come, she was the one on border patrols wasn't she. The president would look to the direction of Imperium territory. Narrowing her eyes, had they come to scope them out? To see if they were a threat? Not that Sonticus was much of a threat, but it meant that they could end up in a big heap of trouble. As Amachi said her name and then followed it by a question Arian would pull her body up. "I need to go speak to Abaven and Fiori our allies. For the time being let's talk elsewhere. I have important news and you need to speak to the pack about. Amachi.... I'll be gone so you call the next meeting. I know I'm the president but Leo and Allen of those two packs are my family I'd rather speak to them myself than anyone else." She told Amachi as she turned to her. Flicking her tail underneath the huge beasts chin. Leading her to the ramp of the ship. Arian would take one more glance behind her before growling to herself. It was a race against time, and she couldn't run at full speed like other wolves, but she had gotten used to running on her leg she could still get there in a meager amount of time. -exit with Amachi- "Talk"