That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari had taken to traveling by himself now that the fear of being on his own had finally left him.  For awhile he'd been afraid of letting his family out of his sight for fear he might never find them again but as day after day passed he re-found his confidence and began to journey farther and farther away from the Orchard where the family had been making camp.  It was in his travels that he was finding himself growing impatient with their lack of progress.  How long had they been in this land and still they had yet to hunt down the Xanilov's… well, except for Kassander but that wasn't quite the reunion Dómari had been expecting.  He was hoping to come to Boreas to find a small kingdom of Xanilov's thriving not a lone heir… and as for the pack Kassander was a part of…. well, he just wasn't sure.

So Dómari continued his explorations, traveling into the west.  The puppyish game of make believe was mostly behind him but he still couldn't help but daydream of the adventures of the Dread Pirate Isakov!  This misty mire was certainly playing with his imagination.  Slogging through the bog and the fog Dómari stayed his course until he encountered a pack border.  Sniffing at it he wrinkled his brow.  Oh rats!  Go figure…  His eyes gazed out into the rich terra the pack had claimed and wondered for a moment what it would be like to be returning from a long journey and seeing the sun coming up over the horizion and illuminating a place called 'home'.

He lingered at the border for awhile longer, his mind turning. He was an adult now, wasn't this the age when young males started breaking off and going out on their own. It seemed many of his other siblings had done just that so what was taking him so long. Throwing caution to the winds he tipped back his head and howled for an audience with the alpha. He may as well see what they were like and from there he could decide.
   

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He’d decided to make a patrol before setting out to explore beyond the borders to the north a bit. He was dropping the last of a bag of stones he’d carried along when a howl up ahead broke upon his ears. Admittedly, the abrupt song made him jump a little, having been deep in thought over pack affairs. It wasn’t a voice he knew, so he gave the border a last squirt and trotted forward, ears perking. He slowed as he drew nearer, letting the mist mask his approach and peering ahead, trying to catch sight of the other wolf and assess the stranger. He never could resist playing with the mist and practicing his approach in the moor. So, he lowered himself a bit deeper into the fog, gliding forward until he felt he could stride out of it in front of the young male that had called out. Fathomless sapphires gazed down at the young fellow as he straightened to his full height and approached, looking every bit the regal king with the mist swirling around him. A smile crossed his features as he took in the well-built frame that spoke of strength. If this fellow was looking to join as a fighter, he certainly had the heft and size to make a good fighter. He was an inch taller than what seemed to be the natural average of the two continents, with simple if pleasant markings. Finally, Regulus spoke, greeting the fellow with warm neutrality. “Welcome to the borders of Celestial. I’m Regulus Adravendi, Archangel – or leader – of the pack. How can I help you?” His overall posture was friendly, despite the regal grandeur of his arrival. There even glinted a hint of amusement in those eyes, at his own expense as he ran over his approach in his mind and wondered if it actually looked as interesting as he’d hoped, or if the young fellow had just watched a grown male sneaking through the fog like a pup creeping up on their mentors. Outwardly, he had pulled off the regal, stately approach, but the mental image was hilarious.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari waited patiently, trying to calm his nerves. He didn't know why he was so nervous… well, ok, he did. He'd never really just gone up and talked to a bunch of strangers without knowing his family was within earshot and the times that he had had usually ended badly. What could he expect from this meeting? Squinting into the fog Dómari took a step back as a large red man emerged before him. He was a strange looking creature to say the least though nowhere near as brilliant as the star-pelted wolf he'd seen at the Fall Festival of Crew. The man introduced himself as Regulus, the pack leader.

"Hello, sir! I'm Dómari Xanilov and I was just… I was wondering what pack was here and what sort of wolves you find fit for your pack." He stumbled just a bit but mostly from uncertainty. Was this a thing that other wolves did? Was it polite to just howl at the border and ask questions like this? He wasn't sure. Maybe he should've said he was interested in joining but if they were of a cruel nature then he definitely planned on leaving. Granted he didn't get any creeper vibes from Regulus and he seemed friendly enough without being overly friendly.
   

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Archangel smiled gently as Domari Introduced himself, and went into his slightly stumbled explanation. Those fathomless eyes were ever attentive, patiently listening. His haunches lowered as the young male finished, nodding easily. “Those are all good things to wonder, especially for one who might be seeking a home. It wouldn’t do to find a place, only to find you had nothing in common with the rest, mm?” He smiled, then began, flicking his tail to tuck about his hips and paws, “Celestial is, in general, a Neutral pack. We don’t generally start trouble, but you can rest assured that we’ll give trouble-seekers hell should they come-a-calling. I’d like to ensure this place is a haven of safety for the young and old alike, and as long as everyone here works hard together to ensure this pack is strong, successful, and safe, most anyone may find a place here. In short, we strive to make this as close to a family as one can get.” He paused, grinning at the young male as his head cocked, brow point lifting, waiting for him to soak in the information before he continued. “Wolves are expected to learn to fight, and defend themselves, and to learn healing, even if they lean more toward fighting, so that they will be able to help themselves with mild injuries when a trained healer isn’t within howling distance. Does this help your curiosity, thus far? Or would you like me to continue?” His easy going attitude spoke that he would be willing to sit here all day, telling the young male about his home.

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Dómari's tail gave him away.  It started twitching at first when Regulus mentioned a Neutral pack.  A pack that didn't go look for trouble but could certain put an end to it when it arrived on their doorstep.  He liked the sound of that.  His tail started to wag lazily at the mention of a close-knit group, a group like family and finally he just let it loose at the mention of fighting and healing combined.  He was studying both!   "Yes, this helps tremendously!  This is exactly the kind of pack I would hope to join and as it happens I'm studying both healing and fighting though… I have a long way to go toward learning healing but I'm a decent fighter.  How large is your pack?  Would you have room for me?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He had to force himself to bite back a chuckle at the growing excitement his explanations sparked in the fellow. Clearly, young Dómari liked what he was hearing and the boy confirmed it at Regulus’ prompting query. He listened as Dómari spoke, smiling. A possible Paladin or Cleric in the making. Finally, he answered the queries thrown at him. Good questions, too. “We number at around nineteen, by now. I’ll have to take a full head count once we track down those who’re missing. We have room for anyone willing to work hard and learn. Now, we’re going through changes in the ranks; I decided we could use more paths where those who specialize in more than one skill can still do both, and not have to choose between healing or fighting, or hunting. “For instance, we’ve added a few ranks that encompass wolves who both fight and heal. Paladins would be the wolves who lean most toward fighting, but still wish to become healers and rise through the ranks in both skills. Clerics would be the opposite. We also have the generic Healer’s rank for those who only wish to heal.” He paused here, to allow the wolf to absorb the information, grinning as he added, “I’d imagine you might be interested in either of those three? What else would you like to know?” He was happy to sit here a while, explaining the ranks, customs, and laws of the pack. He’d invested his life into this pack, almost from birth, and he enjoyed teaching others about it.

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Whoa! Nineteen wolves! That seemed like an awful lot to Dómari after traveling with his tight-knit family group for so long. His head cocked to the side at the mention of those who were missing. He wanted to ask more about it but opted not to for now. That would be an awfully nosey question for a strange loner. Dómari's tail started to wag when Regulus mentioned that the ranks were being restricted so that the members could pursue two disciplines. That was great news for Dómari who wanted to excel in both though if he was perfectly honest his gift for physicality and late start to healing meant he by far excelled as a fighter.

"Oh definitely! That is a wonderful idea and I see myself fitting in well as a Paladin. You see, I've only recently started to study the healing arts and honestly…. well… I'm not very good, but I want to learn more. I want to be able to help people when their hurting. However, I've been practicing battle since I was very small and I've been told I have a gift for it. Regulus, would you accept me as a Paladin for Celestial? If not that rank then what must I do to obtain it?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He had to grin at the boy’s enthusiasm. He nodded agreeably to Dom’s statement. He would have to test him later on that fighting skills, or, better yet… He, with his intentions to venture north and explore a bit before going back to pack business, felt it may be prudent to avoid any injury to himself that may make the venture uncomfortable, and he was intending on completing his patrol beforepaw. He listened to the eager words, grin still bright on his vibrant face. At Domari’s final question, he smiled. “Normally, I would both spar you to see how well your skills hold up to your words, and ask you a healer related question to see if you know your stuff—ideally one of my healers would be called to test you on that. Since you admit that you aren’t the best healer yet, I can just ask you something basic. As for the spar, well, I’m willing to test you later, since I have plans that require me to be less bruised than normal.” And there he paused to wink at the male, before straightening and grinning at him. “Since you say you are well versed in fighting, I will ask you thus—When you are taller than your opponent, and it is a fight for the death, where would you best place your bites to disable them to enable your killing blow and end a fight quickly? Name three that would be best used if you’re facing your opponent with your left shoulder to theirs.” He paused to see if the boy had the question down, then added, “And for your healing related question, what plant is best used to sooth a pup who cannot sleep?” Ironically, they were surrounded by various stands of the very plant Regulus was thinking about among the heather. As for the quiz regarding the fighting, he knew of three that would do a wolf best in a fight against a shorter opponent in that position; the spine, only guarded by hackles around mid back, if he came from the top, would be the most appealing target. The soft part of the side of the belly was another, should he be willing to go low and forward with a slashing attack of the flesh to hopefully spill entrails to the ground. And a hind leg would be easily maimed and made useless by a low forward lunge and savage grip above the hock. Give it a hard-enough twist, and the opponent could end up with a broken leg, or even a severed Achilles tendon if ones’ canines severed the precious tendon, and would render the leg useless. He smiled patiently, sitting and waiting for the boy’s responses.

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Dómari tried not to show his relief in knowing that he'd be asked a basic question in healing and that he wouldn't have to spar the alpha.  The young man was a formidable fighter in his own right but something about fighting an alpha made him terribly nervous and there was also the matter of him not knowing how 'spars' worked in Celestial.  "Thank you sir, I appreciate that.  I'd like to learn and see how spars are conducted in Celestial first before participating in one.  I do not know if some of my instructors methods might be considered um… unacceptable in training matches."  His mother was a wild one.  She didn't believe much in rules and a fight was a fight though he'd learned over time from various opponents that there were some things you just didn't try to do in a spar.  Or at least that's what they said.  He'd often ignored them though, his mother was the best fighter ever!   However, he really wanted to make this pack thing work and would swiftly abide by Celestial's rules regarding spars.

Dómari sat back and pondered the alpha's words. "Let me think for a minute.  My instructor emphasized muscle-memory and it is quite different to imagine out a fight rather than battling in the moment with all the factors at hand.  One move that I might go for using my height as an advantage is to step in to angle my head down and aim to pierce both the eyes of my opponent.  With my neck curved I can protect my throat and a full-blinding will pretty much end the battle."  Killing.  Dómari honestly did not like to think about it.  He had no idea what he'd do in a situation where he was required to take another's life. "Another option would be to twist my neck to my left and aim for the throat just behind the corner of the jaw where the protection around the throat is thinnest.  I'd look to place my lower jaw under the windpipe where I could possibly get a strong enough grip to strangle them.  The same maneuver could also be used but with the target being the carotid artery which I believe is closer to the surface and just as important as the jugular.  There will also be less protection in that area of the throat though the jaws will have to moved slightly and the windpipe given up."

The next question had to do with healing and Dómari thought hard on it.  Two herbs rose quickly to the surface of his thoughts.  Lavender and Camomile.  But which one was best for a pup?
"Umm…. well… I guess I'd go with either lavender or camomile but if I had to choose one I'd go for the camomile since it should be milder."

Dómari fidgeted, hoping he'd done well enough to at least be accepted.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus smiled, nodding at Domari’s words. ” Always a good idea. In Celestial, and in general, I do encourage not holding blows so much that you don’t learn from mistakes because you couldn’t feel the results. However, spars among pack members shouldn’t result in lasting scarring or injuries. And each spar should have a witness that can vouch for the winner. That way, we know we’re getting wolves who are rising through the ranks honestly.” He listened with growing approval to Domari’s answers to his first quiz, and by the time he answered the healing question, Regulus was contented. “All are correct answers in their own way. I was thinking of the spine, the side of the stomach, and the hind leg, but your answers are also very correct. There is a plus side to learning healing; you know where the most damage can be dealt to end a fight and get away quickly, and you know how to heal those same wounds on your friends and pack mates.” He smiled, rising and turning away to angle along the border, though his posture was invitational toward the young male. “Welcome to Celestial, Domari. You’ve passed my initial test. I’ll see how you do in sparring at a later date, but I have a feeling I’ll come away pleased.” He took a few strides before adding, “We have no high ranking wolves. I hope you’ll strive to help change that.” He grinned at the fellow.