It was hot today. Humid even, and the woman was in a weird mood today. When she left her den earlier, she caught sight of her...son, heading towards her. And without so much as a word, Ashelia found herself quickly turning away and loped off into the trees. Her throat grew tight...would she ever feel anything for the boy? It wasn't his fault, but still...he was a reminder. A painful one at that. She couldn't take care of him, she wasn't ready. And yet...when she looked back and saw him staring after her, she couldn't help but feel her heart grow heavy. She felt bad...but she couldn't find it in herself to feel anything for him. She remembered the day when he was born...the Healer and her friend Ashmedai had told her she would be a great mom! But she was everything but that...she hadn't seen either of them since. What would ash think of her? "He was wrong..." She muttered. Tears threatened to choke her as she stopped in the shade of a gnarled tree. She was knowingly abandoning the child...and she knew in her heart of hearts, her parents would be ashamed of her for doing so. "Listen to me talk" 'and know my thoughts.'

He felt sticky. The air was hot, and thick with moisture. His dense coat, which was designed for cooler climates, clung to him uncomfortably, causing him to grumble as he made his way around the mangroves. His pace was considerably slower than usual. He'd have to change to change his routine to become a night owl at this rate. If anything could beat him down, it was humidity. The dry heat of the west hadn't bothered him the same way - yes, hot weather was uncomfortable, but it was bearable when it didn't cling to you and drag you down. This... this was just insufferable. "Too hot," he muttered to himself irritably, staring at the ground as his paws carried him, "There's got to be somewhere cooler..." Distracted from his overly warm self-pitying by a soft noise, he paused and lifted his head, catching sight of a wolf disappearing into shaded cover. Deciding this would be a good opportunity to hide from the sun, as well as get to know a pack mate, Xephyris headed over to the same gnarled tree that Ashelia had taken cover under. He instantly regretted approaching the lone woman, for as soon as he could see her face, he realized that she was very upset. On the verge of tears, it seemed. He scowled slightly, trying not to look at her directly - he didn't know what to say. "Mind if I... share your shade?" he asked with a raised brow, trying not to acknowledge her emotional condition, "Have you been in Fiori long?" His tone was casual, yet he couldn't help but to be uncomfortably aware of her mood. He had to wonder, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know, what on earth could put a wolf into such an upset state. Then again, she was a woman, so it wasn't exactly unheard of. "Talk" "You" Think

She sighed. Hating the mood she was in and hating herself for doing what she was doing. It was wrong, and she hadn't the nerve to talk to Leo about it. He would be disappointed in her too she was sure. As she was about to slide onto her belly, she then noticed the approach of someone else, and a male at that. Almost instantly, the girl would straighten up when he asked if he could sit with her in the shade, and when she wasn't too sure, she simply nodded and backed closer to the tree. She eyed him warily, her body tensed as her tail tucked tightly beneath her. The only male she'd talked to since that night was Odysseus and Leo, and she had stayed away from all other males since. "S-sure.." He was a packmate, but still...she wasn't too sure. When he asked if she'd been in Fiori long, her ears twitched nervously. "Um...no..barely a season I think..what about y-you?" Despite her potentially obvious body language, she still tried to be polite...and felt like she was failing. "Listen to me talk" 'and know my thoughts.'

It would appear that his presence only served to worsen her mood, which was clearly seen in her body language. Now, on top of being upset from whatever it was that was bothering her, she was also tense and uncomfortable. Xephyris knew he had options here. He could make it easier by bidding her adieu and leaving her alone. But... he really wanted her shade, as there just wasn't much suitable shelter around here. And a dip in the hot springs was surely not going to help on a day like this. So, as she hesitantly acquiesced to his request, he dipped his head. "Thanks," he murmured as he stepped in close - she'd backed up and made just enough room for him, so he would squeeze himself into the shade beside her. He sighed with some relief, as the sun could no longer reach his thick pelt. Now he glanced at her sideways, noticing her nervous flick of ears. Why was she so nervous? She was from Fiori, right? He hadn't noticed anything off about her scent, so it couldn't be that she was in the wrong place. Was he just that intimidating? Ah, he didn't mind. It had been a while since he'd been in the presence of anyone who was afraid of him; it was kind of nice. Being around such soft wolves all the time made him wonder if he himself was becoming soft as well. "Only been here since the change in season, myself," he replied, muttering, "Haven't even found a decent place to rest." He turned his head so that he could face her, shifting his silver eyes upon her curious violet eyes. "So, do you have a name, miss?" he asked in a rather gruff tone, eyeing her, still wondering what was up with her. "Talk" "You" Think

She eyed him warily as he sat, body shifting to fight or flight mode. Not that she needed to, but it was just her mind messing her up from that one encounter. She felt like she'd been holding her breath, her body tensed without her realizing it. He seemed nice...and Leo said Fiori was a safe place...but she hadn't been in a pack since she was a young child, and being around so many wolves made her all the more nervous. At his comment about not finding a decent place to rest, she slowly nodded in confirmation. "It's definitely...different...I um..haven't been in a p-pack since I was a pup.." Gods she hated this nervousness. She was never like this before. She was always so upbeat and excited, now she found it hard to not be nervous around males. She looked shyly up at him as he turned to look at her. He inquired about her name, and for a moment she debated telling him, but why wouldn't she? If he tried to do anything to her, she was sure Leo would do something about it. But she tried not to think like that, she was in a pack...pack was safe. "Um...Ashelia Adravendi..what's your name?" "Listen to me talk" 'and know my thoughts.'

As he eyed her, he noticed that she was eyeing him too, but not out of curiosity. Her body had become rigid when he'd placed himself right next to her, and it looked like she was weighing her options. Was she preparing to run? He couldn't help but to feel his pride being stroked a little. His presence was really freaking her out. This was just what he needed. At her expense, unfortunately, but he wouldn't make this too unbearable for her - beneath it all, he truly was harmless, at least toward his own pack mates. He'd keep things just tense and awkward enough to keep her squirming. He had to keep himself entertained somehow, right? Rather intensely, he focused his gaze on her as she spoke, leaning annoyingly close as though he didn't understand the concept of personal space. His ears perked toward her as she explained that she hadn't been in a pack for a long time, since she was a pup. Then she would offer her name. He waited in silence for a moment or two, then sat back into his own personal bubble. "Ashelia Adravendi," he murmured - it seemed that this was a very widespread family name, "Haven't been in a pack since you were a pup, eh? What brings you to a pack now?" Curious indeed - the shift in lifestyle from the freedom and independence of a loner to life with a pack was significant. What had drawn her to Fiori? Was it family? Or something else? He supposed now he ought to also give her his name, since she'd asked. He'd already spent enough time making her shift nervously. "My name is Xephyris," he told her, glancing at her sideways again as he looked out the landscape, "I've been in a couple packs here, and found that Adravendi's a pretty common name. I used to be with the pack Sonticus when Arian was its leader, before I parted ways to become part of the foundation of a new empire, by the name of Hellstrom. But alas, it was struck down much too soon - guess we had some haters. Now here I am in Fiori, fancy that, ha ha!" Would any of that be familiar to her? Sometimes loners paid attention to pack affairs, and other times they altogether avoided it - what was her experience, he wondered? "Talk" "You" Think

This man was...weird. And she'd been around some weird characters. As he leaned in closer, she found herself trying to lean away. Were she anyone else, she probably would have snapped at his face as a warning shot, but she had never been hostile towards anyone before. And she didn't think she had it in her to start now. She seemed to hold her breath when he was leaning in towards her, and when he returned to his own space, the breath she'd been holding released quietly from her. She was definitely on edge.

After he repeated her name, he asked why she was in Fiori. She hasn't really thought about it before, and before certain events she hadn't even really considered joining a pack...but she was here now. And it was because of the shadow cat and his...friend, she supposed. "Well I..." She wasn't about to tell this stranger why she was here. She was here because a pack meant protection. Not only that, but eventually it got lonely out there on your own too. But she missed her freedom, missed being able to go wherever she wanted without consequences. Or so she thought. It was a cruel world out there, loners could only go so long before something bad happened if you were lucky. "Because I have...family here...and I was getting lonely by myself." That was a decent enough answer, right?

He finally gave her his name. And it was a name she'd never heard before. Xephyris huh? It was interesting, but she didn't dwell on it for too long right now. He told her...pretty much more than she had asked. And she didn't know what on earth he was talking about. She'd never heard about sonticus, or even Hellstrom for that matter. She was curious about them, what they were like mostly. "Why did you leave? And why was...your other pack um..struck down? I've never heard of those packs. I guess I didn't really pay attention to any of them while I was a rogue." She nervously twitched her tail, but she wasn't as nervous as she was the more she talked. Not right now, anyway.

He smirked in amusement as she tried to lean away from him as he got obnoxiously close to her. She relaxed a bit, it would seem, as he finally backed off and gave her back her personal space. Though he'd been amused bothering her, he also preferred his own space, and it felt better when he pulled away from her. Her perked towards her, tilting his head in her direction, although he didn't face her head-on as she spoke hesitantly. She answered his question as to why she had been drawn here after a life spent alone. It made sense that she would come here because of family. He'd have done the same, if he knew he had family within a pack, he'd probably pursue it as well. As far as things went in this continent, his only family included the wolves he decided were his family. He had no blood relatives here, none that he knew of. Rivaxorus had become much like a brother to him. There were few others, if any, that Xephyris considered family, so anyone that made it into that category was very important to him. "Family is a good reason to join pack life," he said in agreement with her statement, "I have no real family in Alacritia, so I have to create my own." There was the slightest tinge of loneliness heard in his voice, although he tried not to show it. He preferred to maintain his independent, tough exterior, to portray himself as someone that didn't need anyone to survive. He could get along on his own if he needed to, and he had. But... having others to rely on was important, too. Then she would ask him some questions that he found somewhat difficult. Why had he left? Why was his other pack struck down? He sighed, glancing her over as he noticed her nervousness again, although she seemed to be getting more comfortable as the time passed. "I left... because I wanted more," he said, the tone in his voice revealing his desire for more power, "Sonticus was a good pack for family. But sometimes, it just didn't seem like enough for me... I am drawn more to strength than sentimental values. But Hellstrom was struck down, perhaps because it sought too much power before it was ready. Our leader, Sin, was eager to make his mark on history, but I suppose our enemies did not want to see him gain power too quickly. So, we were eliminated in a siege, though we fought our hardest." Probably these names meant nothing to her. But, she had asked, and so, he had given her an answer from his perspective. Back then he'd hoped that Hellstrom would make a name for itself, to gain a serious hold on power, but somehow they'd been overthrown so quickly. Their loss in the siege had really thrown him off, but he was recovering his sense of purpose, and he'd make a name for himself in Fiori now, until the next opportunity for greater power arose. And he would always, always seek greater powers. "Talk" "You" Think