Continuing on his loop Kass moved hesitantly toward the northern side of the continent. The only other southern pack belonged to the intimidating male he'd met not long ago - Rune - so he hadn't bothered to visit it. He'd avoided the western side of the continent as well... this was, he knew, the place the Olympians had settled their new pack as well as the lands of the pack Valen had advised him to steer clear of, and he was wary of running into any of them. But, his caution paid off for he found himself at the border of another pack far to the north. His nose twitched, breathing in the scent as he paced nervously for the moment. He should have been called right away... he needed to just call. His paws scraped restlessly at the ground, he swallowed hard, and then let out a weak howl for the alpha of the pack. He needed to get this over with - there were still a lot of packs to visit before he could go home again. Conviction, Kass. You need to keep conviction. See this through. It will get better. ""

A summons?  Drashiel lifted his head to peer out over the terra. It wasn't a terribly convincing call but either way Drashiel wasn't about to let a stranger linger on Regium's borders.  Not with new borns to worry about.  Striding elegantly to the answer the call he took in the young man who was loitering nervously near the border.  Hmm…. a new member perhaps?  Although, honestly, Drashiel wasn't sure they could take in any more members with the sudden influx of pups.  In fact that was something that was worrying him… Regium had grown rapidly and was in need of more land, if not that then a sister pack they could share members with.  What to do, what to do…. "Greetings, I'm Drashiel Armada, King of Regium.  What do you need?" "Speech"

Were all the other alphas in Alacratia good looking young males or was it just his luck? Kassander shoved the disconcerting and way too personal thought away and took a deep breath. Focus. Conviction. Get your shit together, Kassander. "My name is Kassander Xanilov. King of Ebony." Now he felt weird saying king, even though Drashiel had already said it. "I've been uh... I've been journeying to the other packs to get to know them better, since I never really met a whole lot of wolves outside Ebony and Olympus growing up..." Wait, no, that sounded way too pathetic. And childish. Stupid Kass! "I mean to say, I'm... I'm just kind of getting to know the other alphas. You know?" Better - still so very pathetic. ""

An amused smile tugged at his maw as he watched the young male try to speak.  He introduced himself as Kassander Xanilov of Ebony.  Drashiel was familiar with neither the name nor the pack and it was quite clear to him that this young male was not used to his throne.  The Regium King couldn't say he was impressed.  The young man came across as weak and scared.  Not of a warriors heart.  Drashiel let out a laugh that twisted just a little with a hint of cruelty at the thought of grinding his lesser into the dust but there was something about the situation that did pull on his heart strings.  Clearly the older generations were falling away that the young men of their packs would face the burden of heavy crowns.

"I know.  Now when you speak to me do not stutter.  Keep silent til you find your words then speak them with confidence and authority.  Are you not a King?"  Drashiel moved to sit, to show he didn't mean any physical harm towards the other.  "I do not believe in making alliances on first meetings.  I will talk with you and if we have similar interests I recommend we tour each others packs and get a feel for if an alliance can be solidified on more than just words."  It was a simply thing to promise an alliance then turn your back on it.  Ideals, values, these needed to be in sync before Drashiel would chance an alliance with another pack.  "Regium is a pack that general keeps to itself but we are fond of battle and we do not take trespassers or betrayal lightly.  We also do not shy from violence.  We value loyalty and ambition as well as family.  What of you King of Ebony?"

"Speech"