Water splashed and splattered down the rocks as the river continued on its merry way. Ashiel bent his head to take a drink near the base of the falls as he eyed the rivers width and depth, calculating how well it was doing with the dry season rolling in. Lately, though, the dry season had been unusually mild. Ashiel made note to check the river often. If he was to make a kingdom down here it needed to be near a supply of fresh water. He'd already settled on the canyon… well, mostly. There was always the pull north to foreign lands but there was something about the canyon that felt like it out to belong to the Abraxas. He and his sister were born there, as were Amon and Naamah's litter. The first Abraxas litters in this new strange land being born there some how made it seem special to him. Ashiel stepped back from the river to continue his journey. He hoped to make it to the Wraith's Woods by sundown and so far he was making pretty good time. "Talk" "You" Think

Back in Auster once again! The red woman trotted through the trees as cheery and carefree - or was it careless? - as ever. She'd been all over the place lately, to the point where she was pretty sure she knew what ever grain of sand at the bifrost looked like, all that was left was to map that shit. Honestly it was getting boring though. Having her fun little race with the golden woman had been pretty great, but all good things come to an end, leaving the wanderer to her wandering.

When she came upon the river, Iskra smirked and leapt into the water, proceeding to race through the shallows as fast as she could manage, spraying water every which way as she ran through the water and sent every fish in ten miles swimming to safer waters. She didn't even stop when she noticed someone up ahead, just kept running, like a star-littered speeding bullet towards him as frothy white waves sprayed over the shore in her wake. Blue eyes held fast to their characteristic mischievous look as she bounded along, grinning and wagging her tail. Would he run? Or risk being caught in the splashing?

"SPEAK"

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A loud splash caught Ashiel's attention as he wandered farther along the creek where he was shocked to see a fire spirit racing through the creek. Ashiel was stunned and his mouth fell open slightly in shock. A real spirit! Right? The color of her coat made him think of flames but he'd never heard of a fire spirit actually touching the water, at least not without turning everything into a rush of steam. Perhaps this woman was something else. His eyes locked with hers and he knew she saw him but rather than slowing or dissipating she kept racing right toward him. Crap! Should he move? Dive for cover? There was something about this that felt like a challenge and so Ashiel squared off against her, rooting himself like a stubborn boulder. He was a god after all, surely he'd prevail against a spirit. "Greetings, spirit! What brings you h-" splash Ashiel shook the water from his head. Did…. did she just splash him? He turned to stare at her with a withering look that all but demanded an explanation. "Talk" "You" Think

He sure didn't seem like he was gunna move. Surely the smokey male knew he was in the splash zone? Oh well! His fault if he got drenched! Iskra was having waaay too much fun splashing like a lunatic to stop just cause someone was gunna get soaked. He started talking but that only elicited a wild, evil grin from the woman as she splashed closer, closer, and then bam!

The poor guy was kinda soaked now. Okay, pretty drenched. Probably more so than he'd like to be. Gracefully hopping to safety on the shore farthest from him, she gave the guy a sheepish grin. "Ah, lighten up there, buddy. It's just a little water." Her tone was playful but she was beginning to cautiously consider the best route for escape in case he decided to seek revenge.

"SPEAK"

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Ashiel shook the water from his coat. Now that was deliberate! It had to be, knowing his luck he'd managed to happen upon some sort of trickster and who knew what that meant. His mother warned him about tricksters… which was ironic in some ways since he rather considered her to be one. He sighed as he watched the spirit scamper onto the opposite shore. He really wanted to be angry but there was something about dealing with a full grown spirit that made him wary. "I suppose… though I do not know what possessed you to do such a thing. Why would one go racing down a stream like that? Do you have a name, spirit?" Maybe her name would give him a clue to her role within the workings of the world. "Talk" "You" Think

He looked annoyed, but so far his hostility at her actions seemed to have been kept in check. Good, she wouldn't have to do too much running today! Then he went on to ask why she would do such a thing and Iskra quickly straightened up and offered him a wild grin, purring, "Why? Need there even be a why? " Prancing closer now, till the toes of her front paw curled over the edge of the stream and she could feel water running over them, "It was fun! I like having fun, so I decioded, 'I'm going to splash around in the water cause it sure seems like the thing to do' and I did it." Leaning forward towards Ashiel with a smirk, she asked, "Why would you not wanna play in the water, hm?"

Settling back into a sitting position, she eyed the boy and ignored his question a minute as she asked absently, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to some... Abraxas, would ya? Malleus? Uhm, oh, and Pyralis." They all managed to have a sort of familial resemblance that was surprisingly easy to pick out the more of these wolves she met. Malleus had been fun, so here's hoping this kid could lighten up in the same way. Of course there were the ones Arwen ran into... But Iskra was more than happy to forget. "I'm Iskra Aeris."

"SPEAK"

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A long suffering sigh slipped past Ashiel's lips. Why did he bother trying to get a straight answer out of a spirit? Her answer to his question pretty firmly marked her as some sort of trickster in his mind. To do things without reason. Pyralis certainly seemed sporadic but to his mind she always had a reason for what she did even if it wasn't immediately obvious. The spirit offered up some small answer but Ashiel found it dissatisfying. For fun? Randomly splashing wolves for fun? He felt a stab in his chest and looked away. Ok, so she sort of had him there. He and Asharya certainly got into that sort of trouble when they were younger but he was no longer a child. He was going to be a great and mighty leader. She leaned toward him and asked why he wouldn't want to play in the water. He scoffed. "Because I am not a child obviously. Play and silliness is for children and I have a great task laid before me that needs tending to but you needn't worry about that." He smirked then froze as she asked him if he were related to Malleus and Pyralis. He stared at her for a moment taken aback. "Yea… Malleus is my cousin, Pyralis is my mother. How do you know them?" She introduced herself as Iskra Aeris. Aeris? Why did he feel like he knew that name? "I'm Ashiel Abraxas." "Talk" "You" Think

She rolled her eyes in the most dramatic way possible when he gave that stuffy, boring answer. Blah blah blah, childish, humbug. Yeah, whatever, grump butt. "I strongly disagree. I think having fun makes life worth living. Who cares if one accomplishes great things if it makes them miserable? A life that's not fun is not a life worth living." Perhaps she was a bit over the top in her apparent need to have fun, but really, could she be blamed? Iskra could think of nothing more horrifying than to lead a boring life.

The red woman grinned a toothy grin and offered only a sideways glance, head held high as she answered, "I do a lot of traveling..." her words were vague and she liked the air of mystery they gave her so she didn't bother to add any more yet. A thought hit her and she eyed him carefully as she went on to change the subject, "You wouldn't happen to have seen a little blue girl, would you? Hm... Never mind, I'll find her I'm sure."

Padding along the shore a few steps, Iskra hummed to herself. Stopping and turning abruptly she fixed him with what may have been her most mischievous yet. She started top sink into a crouch, but not enough for it to be easily apparent what she was doing as she said, "Well, Ashiel, I'm going to do you a favor. Let Iskra, the spirit of fun, show you how to loosen up a little." As soon as the last word left her lips she'd finished her crouch and sprang into the water near him, sending up a spray that would probably drench him, and both sides of the shore. She herself would stand up, dripping from nose to tail and still looking rather pleased with herself as she shook out her coat and bounded downstream a short ways, tail wagging.

"SPEAK"

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Ashiel snorted. "I will be quite content when I achieve my goals, thank you very much." He gazed at her a moment before a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Or maybe conquering kingdoms and making a name for myself is my idea of fun?" He really doubted ruling would make him miserable though he was sure there would be times where he'd hate it but over all what could be more fulfilling than succeeding in such a lofty goal? The spirit said she did a lot of traveling then asked if he'd happen to see a little blue girl. His ears perked up. "Would she uh… happen to seem like she's glowing? Blue eyes, can't speak? I met a girl like that at the Shimmering Shore not that long ago." His thoughts drifted back to his swim with the little mute spirit. The spirit stepped a little ways away and introduced herself as Iskra the spirit of fun. Ashiel blinked in stunned silence. He'd actually managed to run into a spirit of fun? What? Well now he felt stupid! And it only got worse. He was too stunned to even move as she leapt toward him sending a spray of water crashing over his body. Ashiel spluttered and shook his head, glaring at the spirit for a moment before a cock-eyed grin spread across his face, his own tail just starting to wag. "Oh, you are going to regret that." With a yell he leapt toward her, seeking to throw his arms around the base of her neck so he could let himself fall into the water and drag her under with him. "Talk" "You" Think

Iskra shrugged dismissively, head held at a loft angle as she sighed, "I mean, if you say so." her tone remained thoroughly unconvinced, gaze casted skyward as she hummed softly, "That's all well and good, until you do it. What then does a conqueror do, when his conquest is complete, I ask? When there is no goal left to attain, the goal-oriented grow bored." She'd sneak a glance at him to see what type of reaction she got before shaking her head a bit. He'd turned out to be surprisingly amusing to talk to, if for no other reason than she liked messing with serious types until she got some kind of interesting reaction out of 'em.

White-tipped ears shot up, facing Ashiel as he described Arwen. So he had seen her! Oh good, at least someone knew where the child ran off to. Or rather, where she ended up after Iskra ran off... Minor details!  "Fantastic! Her name's Arwen. I guess I'm kind of her parent? I don't know, I found her," the red woman paused and eyed the green eyed wolf a moment, as though realizing her explaination sounded weird as hell and wondering if she cared. Let's see... Nope! "I'm just glad she's doing allright. She's picking up my penchant for mischief, I really ought to make sure she learns a bit more tact..." Getting lost in her own head worrying about when she might have a chance to ensure Arwen learned the basics of fighting so she'd be able to take good care of herself, and also wondering if the girl would enjoy a nice rabbit when Iskra caught her again, she eventually wondered if this was what parenthood might be. Constant worrying and thinking about the little rascals you were looking out for since they couldn't very well take care of themselves.

He looked funny all drenched like that! Not that Iskra was looking a whole lot more dry, but still! He looked half drowned. She laughed, a cheerful sound that rang through the trees and filled the space around them. She stopped when he seemed to take stock of what happened and began to speak. FINALLY a good response! "I highly doubt that," she challenged with a snarky edge to her tone. When he leapt at her it was somewhat unexpected and though she stumbled away a half a step it wasn't enough for her to get away.

"Ahhh, no no no!" she screamed, half terrified, half thrilled to have gotten a lively reaction from the younger male. They hit the water and Iskra was glad she had the presence of mind to take in a big breath before she was dragged down. Turning and nipping at his legs as they went under, Iskra could feel herself grinning as the water enveloped her and she sank a bit under the surface, still attempting to wrestle with him under the water as they went down and she felt her back hit the stream bed. Sticking her tongue out at the earthy grey boy, Iskra eyed him, surprised she could see allright under water. This was kind of awesome! Oh, but breathing was important! Kicking off the rocky bottom she sought the surface, taking in a big breath of air when she reached it and beaming in the direction of Ashiel. "So you CAN have fun! Who knew?"

Glancing down at the water, Iskra gave him a smirk and asked, "Wanna go see what's down there? I bet there's like, treasure or something."

"SPEAK"

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Ashiel chuckled and shook his head with a sigh. He wouldn't expect a mortal to understand and perhaps he should not have expected such of a spirit either. "The challenge of rule of course, of maintaining the status quo and then shifting it in the favor of one's family. I do not do this for myself you realize. I will do what needs to be done for my family and this world. But don't worry, such grand schemes are not truly your concern." There would be many Abraxas empires that would blossom until hopefully they achieved their goal and their ascension. Ashiel dimly wondered if the goal would be reached in his lifetime. He was pleased to learn the girls name, Arwen. So that was the odd little blue creature but he had to tilt his head and stare as Iskra stated she was the girls parent in a way but she clarified saying she'd found her. He'd never really considered spirits procreating but perhaps that shouldn't have been so strange to him. After all he was the son of a fire spirit. Ashiel's heart raced as he tackled her, ok so this was fun! The hit the water with a mighty splash, both thoroughly and completely soaked. Ashiel quickly let go of her, taking a moment to marvel at the underwater domain and the beauty of it before he kicked his way to the surface. "Well, it helps if you have a spirit of fun with you." He moved to the shallows and shook out his coat. "I suppose I ought to be going though. I imagine you'll want to be looking for Arwen soon?" "Talk" "You" Think

Eyeing him skeptically, Iskra took in his words with a mixture of amusement and mild... What was that? Concern. Yes, his words were oddly enough a bit troubling and Iskra wondered for a moment if she ought to share these odd ambitions with Dragon when she reconnected with him at last. He wasn't the first to mention it. Perhaps if he had been she'd think him mad and move on, but Malleus also spoke of conquering and the recurrence of this theme was at best unsettling, though she succeeded in keeping a neutral expression as he went on before at last simply shrugging and responding with a dismissive sigh. "To each their own, I suppose. Although... Playing favorites isn't a good way to get the rest to like you," she mused with a curious glance his way. "Just make sure you still have someone left to rule after a while," her words were spoken with a more playful tone, though the warning still remained. The sense of superiority she got from him didn't bode well. Iskra for one wasn't a fan of those sorts of attitudes. He'd better hope any potential followers could stomach that kind of thing or he'd be king of nothing.

It felt like a shame to have to surface. If only she didn't need air. Chuckling at his response, Iskra shot back, "Is that all it takes? Hopefully you'll be able to make your own fun in the future." After all, Iskra wasn't entirely convinced he was capable of it without continuous goading and prodding. Someone else would have to take up the job of unwinding that overly serious boy, lest this be the last time he did something silly for the heck of it. Frowning, Iskra looked after him as he moved away. "So soon? That's unfortunate." Despite her misgivings about the boy, she had hoped to have someone around to goof off with for a while longer. Shrugging one sshoulder in a noncommital gesture, Iskra replied, "I think she's a yearling now, so she's pretty independant. I'll check on her after I reach my destination." It was still her plan to go to Talis soon. Juuust as soon as she dove under the water several more times and looked around for treasures cause that sounded exciting. "Take care of yourself, ambitious young Abraxas. And don't forget to enjoy life in creative ways once in a while. Even leaders need to unwind once in a while lest they die from unreleased tension." With that, she turned and jumped back into the water, taking a great big gasp of air before she went under, so she could swim and look for pretty, shiny things along the river bed.

-exit Iskra?-