Interesting.

Katja sat quietly in aftermath of a battle, slowly piecing together what had likely happened there. All the pack scents were familiar to her, which certainly helped. It was clearly a siege, there was no doubt of that. It was the details she wished to know. The pack that had ruled here for such a short time, the one that her pack wolves had reported had overturned Threar, that scent was all over these lands.

Imperium and Abaven, trespassers in these lands, working together it seemed - a distinct possibility that made her extremely wary considering how far apart in creed her pack and Bass' had drifted. What grudge could Imperium have held for this Hellstrom pack? It was far more likely that Bass Destruction, who had ample reason to dislike the pack considering that it had once been led by Destructions as well, had led the two packs here rather than a case of Imperium having hired the would-be mercenaries. She herself had no doubt that even as well trained as Yfir was, the much smaller pack would fall if Bass were able to command two packs into battle against her, should they disagree. She welcomed battle and a glorious death, but the Finnvi were too few to risk sending them into a certain disaster. She would avoid antagonizing Abaven for now if she could so help it, until she had a better grasp on what relationship the two packs shared.

There was blood spilled here. A great deal of blood, so it seemed Hellstrom had attempted to defend themselves. But against Imperium's trained soldiers they could never have held much hope. Even Yfir would have a time of it holding their own against them, let alone a new ragtag band just recently pulled together, and though most of the battle-sweat, the blood, was Imperium's there were Abaven wolves who had joined in as well.

Deep in thought, the alpha remained in the center of the circle of destruction wrought by the war, and considered what might come of this new change in the power structure of these southern packs.

Surreal Adravendi

It was time they reclaimed their home once more, now that the border marks were fading. Still, she wanted to scout the Plains to ensure no fools from the fallen Hellstrom were hanging around. Her first order of business was to check out the site ofthe battle. None had died in this war, unlike in the one she had fought in. From what she had gleaned, there were plenty of maims, and she had seen two of those who had been maimed and fled. The emotions from that encounter were mixed. She was both proud of her son for his kind heart, and very upset with him for disobeying a command that had not just been voiced as his mother, but as his leader. For now, she would allow a bit of time to pass so that she could address this calmly. The smells of blood and battle fever caught her nose, and she picked up her pace, curious to see the place Hellstrom had stood its last. It seemed she wasn't alone in her interest. As she came into sight of the site, a familiar form caught her eyes, and she slowed, surveying the Yfir alpha curiously before dipping her head in greeting. "Katja." Her voice was pleasant, with no hostility. She had interest in talking with Katja, in any case. It would have been one of her first trips to the other packs upon setting Celestial's standard in its rightful place. Her mismatched eyes swept the blood stained earth around them, mildly impressed by the amount of Hellstrom blood she could smell. Abaven and Imperium were nothing to sneeze at when it came to fighting, that was for certain. "A pity I missed out on the fighting. I was hoping to deal a few blows myself." It was more a thought voiced aloud than a conversation starter, but one could run with it... Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Her ears flicked toward the sound of pawsteps, her gaze following a scarce moment later to focus on the approach of a semi-familiar form. Surreal Adravendi, who had lived here before Hellstrom's rise. She raised a questioning brow, tilting her head in return. They had certainly wasted no time in returning. "Adravendi." Katja fell back into a long moment of silence at Surreal's words, silver gaze probing as she watched the younger female. Her words implied she had known of the siege - Katja was not one for wild speculation but she made a note of it, and it begged the question, how much precisely did Surreal have to do with the siege? Politics was a tangled, frustrating web but it was one that all the packs in the south played. Even if she refused to play by their rules, she would need to watch the game to protect her pack. If Surreal had manipulated the situation to send Bass and Valentine both after Hellstrom... but why a siege, when any number of solutions less dangerous to her allies could have sufficed? Alacratia wolves did not seem to have the fortitude to risk the lives of others for their own gain. An unlikely scenario then, but Katja did not reject it out of hand. Her mind continued to pick at the scattered threads of possibilities, but her face did not betray it, nor her voice as she neutrally replied, "I am certain your chance will come soon enough. There are many packs yet on this continent." "

Surreal Adravendi

The Yfir leader's greeting was simple, to the point, as befitted the wolf who stood before Surreal. Though gtheir last meeting had been brief, Surreal had gathered a bit of a general impression of the woman's personality; blunt, and taking no nonsense. As her mismatched eyes swept the bloodstained earth again, she wondered what was going on in the other's moind regarding all of this. Katja's answer brought a grin to Surreal's jaws. "Ah, there are, but none of them are ones I wish to make war with. Fiori is under rule of my nephew, Sonticus also holds my family. Abaven is led by Bass, who I count as an ally and friend, and I'm no fool to think I would stand in a fight against Imperium." She indicated the scene around them with an ironic look. "The outcome would no doubt be as bloody as Hellstrom's end." Her haunches lowered to the ground as she regarded the viking. "As for Yfir... Well, I have been meaning to visit the north. I have a few propositions. I have heard that you dally in trading. I would like in on that. I intend to raise a pack on these lands. These are good hunting grounds, and I know the north isn't precisely bursting with wildlife." She trailed off, letting the other absorb the words, before she continued briskly. "I would like to make a trade. We can provide herbs and hunting privilages in return for being unmolested by your raiding parties." Her head cocked as she fell silent, letting Katja have time to think it over and give an answer. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Katja held back judgement, maintaining her neutral poise as the woman chattered. She did not return the loner's smile, just continued to regard her with cool appraisal. "Your family seems to be quite... prolific," she said instead to Surreal's words. There was little else that could be said about them without giving offense, after all. She had seen little to impress her in what she had observed of Sonticus and Fiori. Her eyes drifted shut as Surreal awkwardly segued into an at a trade. "We manage well enough," she murmured neutrally, a faint distaste in the back of her throat that the woman would think Yfir so weak as to struggle in the north. There was much to be found there, moose and caribou and the mighty musk oxen there to be feasted upon for a wolf strong enough to take them, and a clever wolf could find smaller game anywhere. Still, she held her peace until Surreal ceased to speak, eyes slowly opening once again to fix icy silver upon her. "No," she said simply, calmly. But perhaps she would need elaboration to understand, as she seemed to understand so little about who Katja was. For a wolf to be so frightened of spilling blood to seek to bribe a pack to not attack them? She was as foolish as her kin Arian. "Even were you a legitimate pack, no. We do not barter over raids. Refraining from battle is not a trade good, nor a service, it is dishonest and dishonorable. No, if we have need of your hunting or your herbs we will take for ourselves." Soft-bellied Alacratian wolves - did they really think a trade agreement would mean peace? That letting wolves have their way with a pack's resources would convince them to not take more, and more, and more until the pack had fallen apart in sickness and starvation? Fools to think that showing how weak you were would convince someone to leave you alone. "Why did you seek Hellstrom's destruction, Adravendi?" she added with studied disinterest. A shot in the dark, in a voice cold as steel being drawn from a sheath. Free of direct hostility, but a pointed query none the less. "Why seek to risk the lives of your allies in a battle you did not take part in? Did Hellstrom not take your trade of peace? Or did you not extend it to them at all?" She did not care about Hellstrom; Hellstrom was foolish and weak, but more foolish to be so arrogant as to think they could take with no consequence. No, she did not care about Hellstrom. But Surreal Adravendi cared about Hellstrom, and it would do her well to know why. "