Well this sucked. The heat didn't seem to be getting any better and the water sources seemed to be getting lower and lower and he wasn't keen on the idea of fighting over it either. Both predators and prey were flocking to areas that hadn't dried up. On one hand it made hunting a little easier but on the other hand it seemed like every other animal was getting testy and defensive. It needed to rain ... and soon. He knew Dragon was trying to figure out what pack to raid and what resources for and already Kharnage had a few ideas in mind. He'd noticed that the plains had wilted and turned brown of the course of the winter and, while he didn't know much about herbs, he imagined the mages of the pack's herb stores were suffering. That was always an idea - though raiding another pack for water wasn't a bad one either. The fact that it was only a temporary fix to their problem was the only issue. Until the raiding party finally left Kharnage was doing whatever he could to keep cool. His fluffy coat hadn't shed much over the course of the dry season so he felt like he was baking. The crumbling castle at least provided some relief from the sun and at the same time offered entertainment. Whatever wasn't crumbling was rather interesting to look at between the dusty rooms with inexplicable objects and old furniture. Today found him in a strange room with stones missing from the walls. Daylight filtered in through cracks, crevices, and gaping holes. A strange object sat at the far end of the massive room (a throne) and various other objects decorated the room. Ever since moving here Kharnage hadn't been able to make heads or tails of them and so far he still wasn't having any more luck than he had when he'd first discovered the room. Everything he was just as unnatural as the walls surrounding him. Walk, "Talk" Think

The heat, it was throwing Faine off. Normally during the summer season, Faine was entering her heat cycle and this definitely felt like it was summer, but alas it was winter instead. She wasn’t sure if she was taking a liking to the backward seasons, but then again she had never bothered to venture anywhere out of Boreas yet. Mainly because she was unsure of the dangers and if she were to venture, she didn’t want to go and do it alone. With all the talk of a raid, she was sure that perhaps enemies were going to be made. Her pelt was naturally dark and therefore the sun was not favoring towards her. It was a dark brown color, russet tones could be seen in the sunlight and therefore her fur soaked up all the heat. She tried her best to find solace in the shaded areas nearby but even sometimes it was still hot. She had to snap a few times at a few creatures to get her share of water, and she was truly being tested. No, this was not fun, and every day she was tempted more and more to go to that other region, Boreas was it? She wanted to experience the true winter. She had just had a good chase after a hare but was unsuccessful, but who said she was an exceptional hunter? No, she was a healer. So she accepted the loss and simply moved towards the castle to find a cool spot and possibly nap for awhile. With the fact that she was a healer on her mind, she still technically wasn’t considered an official mage to Talis and she wondered when she would. She noticed that the herbs were pretty much dried up by now and even if there was some supply for the pack, it would be hard trying to keep them alive and fresh with these conditions. Her head hung low, panting slightly as she walked into a random area of the castle. Obviously defeated from the hunt, she laid down in a dark spot and rested her head on her paws. She was oblivious and didn’t even notice that Kharnage was in the same room until she almost closed her eyes. Suddenly they opened up again, crimson gaze locking onto his form. “Hello, Kharnage,” she greeted. Walk, "Talk" Think

It was easy for him to get lost in the tapestries and other wonders this particular room of the castle offered. His head wandered towards the clouds as he tried to picture what they might have been used for, but his imagination didn't make it very far. Whoever had built this place was just as mysterious as the day they'd first arrived and he'd discovered this part of the castle. The structure was obviously not natural and yet there were no indications of any clues that would help him discover who, or what, had created such a massive thing. He doubted he'd ever know either, but it was a fun way to pass the day out of the blazing hot sun. “Hello, Kharnage,” At the sound of his name the male whirled with his hackles bristling in alarm. He hadn't even noticed anyone come in and he hated the idea of being sneaked up on. His muscles relaxed as soon as he realized it was Faine and his fur lay flat again as his expression turned into a more welcome one. He hadn't really seen much of her except for at pack meetings and he felt slightly guilty for it. That added with the sheepish feeling of being crept up on without him noticing had him feeling rather confused. Still, he'd meant to see more of her since inviting her to Talis. He felt like he kind of owed it to her as the only wolf she knew upon joining. That and he couldn't pass up on the opportunity to learn what kind of wolf he'd invited into his home. "Faine." He greeted her. "Other than the heat, how are you liking Talis?" Walk, "Talk" Think

It seemed she had alarmed him, accidentally taken him by surprise. She sucked in a deep breath and clenched her jaws as she watched his hackles raise, but just as quick as he had been alarmed he almost immediately calmed down. She was too worn out to really react to it though but she smiled anyways just to be polite. He greeted her and simply asked how she was like Talis, other than the terrible heat of course. “You know, other than the confusing weather it’s pretty nice so far… Peaceful so far..” she admitted. Oh how the summer weather was throwing her off, she was still expecting some rain and some snow but she guessed that was not coming to Auster anytime soon. “The sun doesn’t take too kindly to my dark pelt though,” she noted, slowly she would sit up so it wasn’t like she was trying to be lazy or something. “What about you?” she asked, “I’ve kind of been itching to explore more but this heat is killer.” she admitted. She liked the castle and the plains, but part of her wanted to go romping around Auster to see what else was out there. She wanted to visit that glowing beach again to see if it still glowed or if it was just some strange phenomena that Kharnage and herself had witnessed. She did wonder however, how the brute was doing considering he had invited her to his home, well, now their home. She hadn’t seen him around too much but she vaguely remembered that Dragon had told him to scout out other region for a possible pack to raid, so she simply guessed that perhaps he had been busy with that. So she wouldn’t hold his scarcity against him, she would instead take this time as an opportunity to perhaps bond with him more. Walk, "Talk" Think

Kharn studied her face for a reaction to his rather embarrassing display. Other than the slight change of her nostrils as she inhaled (he was fairly certain he saw the muscles of her jaw clench too) she didn't react much which was a relief. He wasn't too keen on scaring her off. Dragon would probably find the situation half funny and yet half disappointing. She was a healer after all and even though they'd gotten a few more he imagined that having her around would still be important. After all you could never have too many mages around. He listened as she explained she seemed to be doing well. He inwardly cringed about the weather topic - that was probably a bad topic to start off with, but it wasn't often he found himself in the company of females. Actually now that he thought about it, he didn't often find himself in the company of anyone really unless it was required of him. Pack meetings and the occasional run in with someone else and that was it. Other than that he kept to himself. "Well the season should be changing soon. Hopefully we'll get some cooler weather." Now her itch to explore was something he could relate to. He was grateful for the topic change to something easier. He'd recently gotten to go back to Boreas for a time to tail Sterling and had even gotten to explore a bit past the territories they'd traveled through. He'd ran into someone unexpected, but it'd been a nice change from Auster's arid lands. "Well if you ever want to get out of Talis for a while I'd be happy to explore with you. There's still a lot of Auster that I haven't gotten to see yet." Walk, "Talk" Think

“Cooler weather seems delightful,” she admitted, and then something unexpected happened. He offered to go explore with her if she ever wanted to leave Talis. Her ears moved slightly, a smile appearing on her lips and she eagerly nodded. “That’d be great,” she said. She wondered slightly though how the male had lived here for a while now and had not bothered to explore the rest of the region. Then again she remembered, perhaps Dragon was keeping him busy with various tasks and therefore he simply didn’t have the time to do so. “With the heat drying all the herbs up, I don’t have a lot to do in Talis territory.” she slowly began, “So I’m free whenever you are, maybe we can multitask and attempt to scout of some resources along the way?” she suggested, either way she didn’t mind and if Kharn didn’t want to make the exploring seem like a job they didn’t have to. So, she shrugged, “Or not, I don’t want it to seem like some sort of job either.” she added, because maybe Kharn really just wanted to relax and get away from the pack. She didn’t know, but in some oblivious way she had just showed a tiny bit of intelligence to him. Unknowingly she had showed that she could be useful without even trying, like she would probably do towards Dragon if he was here instead. No, she was just proposing an idea that didn’t even have to go through. Walk, "Talk" Think

Well she seemed to have forgotten his slip up with the mention of traveling with her to see new lands - that was beyond helpful. The awkwardness died away with the simple topic change and he offered a soft smirk as she smiled. She accepted easily enough which wasn't a surprise to him. He probably wasn't the best traveling companion, maybe a little anti social and rough around the edges, but he was still company nonetheless. It would give them a chance to get to know one another better. He had a good idea of what she was like, but he knew better than to trust the exterior of a wolf. A lot could be hidden within the confines of their mind. He was certain there was a lot more to learn about her. And then she brought up the dying herbs. He frowned at the mention of this as he thought about it. Talis was suffering and they'd be lucky if they made it through the winter without getting sick. He could easily remember half his childhood being spent sick and in the den most of the time with Gryphon while his other two siblings got to run around. He remembered Dragon going off on an adventure and getting grounded and then the sibling he refused to even think of had gotten buddy buddy with Imperium's bitch. His nose wrinkled at the thought of them. Speaking of the bastard where on earth was the little fucker? He hadn't seen him since the pack had moved to Auster. A soft huff escaped him as he thought about it. Maybe it was time to talk to Dragon about it and see if his cinnamon colored sibling had seen him. Kharn didn't mind the idea of getting to go beat their traitor brother up and if they were lucky they'd get to beat Mercy up too. Now that sounded like fun. His brain was once again pulled out of the clouds as she suggested scouting out for valuable resources before she contradicted herself. Honestly if it was for the pack he didn't mind the idea, especially if they were going to be out looking around anyways. They'd kill two birds with one stone and enjoy it while they were at it. "If you have a good idea you should stand behind it." He offered the advice in a kind tone, not trying to make it seem as though he were scolding her. "Looking for resources while we explore sounds like it'll help Talis. Plus there will be both of us so it should be fun." Walk, "Talk" Think

For a moment it seemed as if the brute had forgotten she was even there, as if he got lost in thought or something. She could completely tell that he was thinking about something else, but she didn’t want to make it awkward or anything so she let him think about it for a minute. Taking in a deep breath, she noticed how his nose would wrinkle and a huff escaped his lips. Whatever he was thinking about, he wasn’t too happy about it and part of her wondered if it was because she said something. But just as whatever trance he was in came, he seemed to snap out of it and she just decided maybe she wouldn’t mention it. He seemed to act like nothing happened anyways because his tone of voice was rather friendly. He advised that if she had a good idea to stand by it, and she nodded. He made note that it would be a good idea to look for resources anyways, as it would definitely help Talis out. He also said that it should be fun anyways because it was both of them, so it’s not like they were going out alone and such. “Okay,” she said, slowly she would get to her paws and look around the room. “We can start later in the day, maybe when the sun is setting so it’s at least cooler or something?” she suggested, because she really didn’t want to go blundering around in the heat with her dark coat. Not to mention that he seemed to have a rather thick coat and he probably wouldn’t prefer it either. It seems like so far what she had suggested he was agreeing with, and she was pretty happy about that. Sure, it seemed like the brute may get a little distant at times but she didn’t really feel uncomfortable around him or anything. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, friendly, easy going, just… Got lost in his own thoughts perhaps? He did seem a little surprised when she had arrived, then again she didn’t even notice him either until she was just about to take a nap. She wondered though, she just wondered how their little trip would go. She was sure that since they would kill two birds with one stone that it would be worth the while. Sure they would be gone from Talis territory but it was for a good cause, to try to help out and look for resources. She would just guess that those resources would be herbs, maybe a place where there was a staple amount of water, or maybe even a hideout to where prey have been seeking solace from the heat. It’s not like they were trying to just get up and go on a vacation, so there was no need for her to worry about it. Why worry about it? Kharnage was nice so far, she didn’t think there would be much to go wrong between them or with this little trip they were planning. Walk, "Talk" Think

He didn't think anything of his space out. Maybe it Faine had mentioned something about it he might have been more self conscious, but as it was the thoughts had already faded and his mind was on the next train of thought. Their current topic was far more entertaining and enjoyable than the thought of being around the taint of their family. Granted some blood shed still sounded like fun, but Faine's company on an adventure seemed far more pleasant for everyone at the time. He could focus on other things later after the raid. He listened to her suggestion of leaving when it was cooler out. He glanced towards one of the holes in the walls towards the sunlight and his nose wrinkled again. Yeahhhhh ... too hot. It was why he'd come in here in the first place. His coat was just too damn thick to be wandering around in broad daylight. He doubted the sights would be as enjoyable in the dark, but they could always stick around in an area until morning before they moved on. They'd figure it out on the way. "That's a good idea. I'll let Dragon know we're going scouting before we leave." It was only a matter of time before they left for the raid, so at least his brother would know where they were. In the mean time they had a good portion of the day to waste away. He glanced towards the surroundings again before grinning and padding over towards the throne. While he'd never pictured himself as an alpha the chair at the back of the room offered great elevation. It was easy to imagine the rest of the pack at the base of the stairs. Of course Dragon wasn't an evil dictator or anything so he doubted his sibling would ever sit up here like some king, but it was an entertaining thought. He hopped up on the chair and stood on it before turning to Faine with the grin still on his face. "Can you imagine Dragon sitting here?" He chuckled. Walk, "Talk" Think

Once again, the brute agreed with her idea and she nodded. He told her that he would let Dragon know they were going to go scout before they would go leave. “Alright,” she responded. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea if they just sort of disappeared for a day or two and not say anything about it. She thought for a moment and realized that the raid was probably going to happen soon. If she had to be honest she had mixed feelings about it. Faine wasn’t naturally a violent woman, and she had a dark past when it came to attacks. She was too young to remember but she remembered what her mother had told her. How her small family had been attacked by vicious rogues, and it scared her mother so bad that they never found a true home. Her mother was rather paranoid that they were being followed and was always on the move, and Faine got sick of it. A small feeling of dread washed over her, how she left her mother alone to fend for herself. She took a deep breath though, looking as Kharnage moved away from her. Maybe Dragon wouldn’t assign her to do the violent part of the raid, because she really hadn’t been in a fight before. She wondered if maybe Kharnage would be doing that part. He seemed able bodied, large, and she personally wouldn’t want to get him angry enough to see if he even did get aggressive. No, Faine tried her best to stay on the good side of other individuals. Slowly she would follow him to see what he was doing, but it seemed like he was approaching the elevated surface near the end of the room. Watching as he pounced upon the surface and asking if she could imagine Dragon sitting up there. She smirked and laughed softly, “Not too sure,” she said, “Part of me sort of does, but another part of me doesn’t.” she admitted. She was sort of glad Dragon wasn’t some egotistical regal King, instead she could sort of relate to him in some way as she did with Kharnage. But maybe that was just because they were basically the same age. Walk, "Talk" Think

The longer he stood on the thing the more he realized how uncomfortable it would be in one spot. Whatever this thing was for he highly doubted it could be used for sitting. Ears flicked towards Faine as she followed him over and he smirked at her comment. No, he couldn't see Dragon calling pack meetings from here. It just didn't seem like his sibling at all. "I can't either. I'm sure if he did he'd feel awkward about it." He chuckled. Kharnage made a move to hop down before glancing around the room again. There was so much about this castle that was left to explore. His eyes traveled towards Faine again as a thought popped into his head. They wouldn't be leaving until later - there was always the option to explore more of the building while they waited. Unless she was hoping to sleep before they left which was, in his opinion, a rather boring idea. "You wanna look around with me while we wait?" He figured it was also a good excuse to spend some more time with her. He was curious about where she came from and questions were inevitable. Plus her company seemed a hell of a lot better than looking around by himself. Walk, "Talk" Think

The male said that if his brother did sit up there that he would probably feel awkward up it, she nodded and smiled. Watching him move down from the structure and flicking her tail. He offered to look around the castle while they would wait for the sun to go down, “Sure!” she said, and smiled. She had explored the castle slightly and by herself which kind of got boring and even a little lonely. She had seen little treasures that had caught her eye here and there. So maybe it would be more interesting if they would explore the place together, “I think I found something pretty cool in one of the rooms awhile ago, but I don’t know what it was,” she said, maybe Kharnage would know? Or maybe he would be clueless about it, either way, she thought it would be a good start for them to go investigate. “I think it was over here,” she said and turned away from him. She swiftly moved out of the large room, the sound of her claws clicking against the stone was louder than usual because of how large the room was. As she exited out of the large opening, which was some sort of doorway, she looked around. Trying to remember which room it was, she looked back to see if Kharnage was following her and then she turned to the left to enter what seemed to be the courtyard or whatever it had been called. Walk, "Talk" Think

His tail waved softly as Faine agreed to explore with him through the castle. Ears flicked as she explained she'd found something another time and curiosity took hold. There were so many useless and explainable items throughout the castle that it could have been a number of things. He padded after her as she left the large room. He spared one last look at it, ideas rolling around in his head, before watching the tail end of Faine go around a corner. Had he been interested in such a thing Kharn might have enjoyed the view, but as it wasn't he'd never given much thought to women. He followed after her as she turned a corner and it led back to an enclosed area outside. Walls surrounded them on either side and the courtyard was overgrown in areas. Cracked stone was the first thing he noticed with dried grass struggling to make themselves seen wherever they could. He spared the weeds only a glance before looking around. There were a few trees and dried flowers that had run rampant through the garden areas throughout the years. Overall it was beautiful and yet nothing suggested that it was the thing Faine had seen. He stopped walking and turned back to look at her with curiosity written all over his face. "Was this where you saw the thing?" He said, motioning with his head to the entire courtyard. Walk, "Talk" Think

Faine continued to move until Kharnage spoke once again, she stopped and looked around the courtyard. “Mmmmm,” she hummed thoughtfully and finally shook her head. “No, it’s somewhere over here,” she said and smirked. She was slowly beginning to remember where it was and she walked across the courtyard over to the other side of the castle. Flicking her tail as a signal for the brute to follow her and then taking a left, entering an entirely different room. This one was not as large or magnificent as the other one, but held many items and she stood for a moment to wait for her companion to arrive. As she did she made note of the room, looking around and seeing images on the wall. She did not know they were paintings, but they held similar depictions of the world she had seen before like the plains. She didn’t really understand how they had gotten like that or how they were created, but she thought it was fascinating and it piqued her curiosity. But as she looked around she moved towards the side of the room, there was a pile of metal (armor) and then right next to it was something sharp and shiny (a sword). It was tall and skinny, large, and she felt like if she touched some parts of it, it would probably injure her. But that’s what made her more curious about it. As the fae had merely seen sharp rocks and twigs before that could possibly be used at weapons, but this was something entirely alien and different. Walk, "Talk" Think

Well Faine now had his full attention. His curiosity was piqued as he trailed after Faine and his ears flicked back and forth as he glanced around the courtyard. It was nothing he hadn't seen before so if it wasn't here then what was it? Her smirk only led him to believe that she was enjoying making him impatient so he quickened his steps to keep up with her. They headed past the courtyard and into a smaller room than the first. His gaze wandered over the weird mini landscapes that decorated the wall. His gaze lingered on them for a moment before his attention moved back towards Faine as she approached some weird bits of metal. He padded next to her and observed the suit of armor first before standing on his hind legs and letting his front paws rest against the chest piece. He stared into the helmet for a good moment as he sniffed it before going back on to all fours. Then it was the sword that really caught his attention. It looked like something that was sharp and could be used as a weapon, but judging from the handle it didn't look very comfortable to hold in his mouth. He moved closer so his face was inches from it before running the top of his snout lightly down the underside of the sharp end of the blade. He couldn't help the involuntary yip that left him and he immediately drew back. Blue eyes went cross as he stared down the bridge of his nose to see the tiny line of blood that popped up before his tongue snaked out to lick it away. "What do you think all this stuff is?" Walk, "Talk" Think

The mage would watch him as he curiously entered the room, watching as he even sniffed a few pieces of the metal and then cut himself on the sharp object. Her tail flicked, taking a step closer to see how he had hurt himself and she could see the small line of blood forming. Before she could even say anything though he quickly licked the blood away. "I have no idea," she said, "But it's... Fascinating to say the least." she finally told him, she then looked at the sword. "Hopefully, nobody takes that to keep. It's obviously dangerous," she mumbled, but she would move towards the walls to look back at the pictures. If she had to be honest, she was in complete awe on how the images of the outside were now represented upon the stone. She couldn't understand it, but she wished to know. She then turned to look back at the brute near her, "You've never seen this room before?" she asked him. Walk, "Talk" Think