Aerndis trotted along the pack borders. A new pack had sprung up recently but she wasn't overly concerned about it. From what she understood the alpha was family. He was her uncle, an uncle she'd never met but blood was no guarantee she'd be accepted and so she'd kept to herself, staying mostly outside the packs borders. Aerndis had spent so much time as a loner she wasn't sure how she'd fare being in a pack. However, the lands where the pack now lay had become important to her. She was sure her grand dad was still living where he always had, pack or no pack, so why not her?

Steeling herself she howled for the alpha, summoning him to the border. She didn't believe in free rides and was prepared to do her best to impress her uncle and prove she was worthy of joining the pack. If she failed she'd train harder and try again and again and again until she was finally accepted. She'd finally found her family and there was no way she was going to let herself be locked out without a fight.

The call that came for him pricked up his ears, faintly familiar as it was. If he'd heard it before, it was only in passing, because he couldn't bring to mind any particular moment he'd have heard the voice. Or maybe it was familiar only in that it resembled another voice, which was hardly unusual.

Chaos had been perched, or rather, sprawled, atop a rock foundation, all that remained of a farmhouse long ago. He was letting the weak winter sun warm his dark coat, and as he rose from the rocks to answer the howl sunlight sent blue and purple shimmers of highlights rippling down his black fur like the sheen of oil. He yawned briefly and stretched before trotting out to meet whoever it was.

'Whoever it was' didn't take much of a guess, he realized as he got within eyesight, and he grinned as his gaze traveled over the youth. He couldn't imagine anyone but an Aeris having a coat with that particular somethin'-somethin' to it, and his gaze lingered speculatively on the markings beneath her eyes. Artemis had had feathery markings beneath her eyes as well, but this girl's markings had a different feel to them, something that put him in mind of the white markings beneath his own eyes, the dots that proclaimed his own bloodline. He caught the tip of his tongue thoughtfully between his front teeth. Another of Artemis and Angelus' get, maybe?

Finally he grinned and threw himself down onto his haunches to sit lazily regarding her. "What brings you to Legion's borders today?" he asked, his voice informal and relaxed.

Aerndis fidgeted, waiting with trepidation. She wanted to make a good impression on the alpha and she found herself running through what she wanted to say in her head. She'd never tried to join a pack before. She knew the alpha was family, her uncle, but that was no guarantee she'd be granted entry.

A large, dark-pelted man with long ivory fangs sauntered over the horizon. That had to be him! Valentine had briefly described her uncle Chaos, curious choice for a name, and she was certain this was him. How many fanged Imperialis could there be after all? She did feel a tinge of jealousy. His fangs looked really cool.

What brings you to Legion's borders today?

"Hey there. My names Aerndis Aeris-Imperialis, grandaughter of Valentine Imperialis." Pride swelled in her chest as she introduced herself as well as comfort. It was wonderful to belong to a family again and to be able to name more than just her brothers. "I'm interested in joining your pack and staying with my family. From what I understand you're my uncle but don't worry. I don't expect any free passes. I'm a skilled hunter and I'm ready to prove myself."

The colorful youngling spoke up in a manner that, while the greeting was informal, gave the impression of a respectful and earnest sort of child. Her name confirmed his guess that she was another one of Angelus and Artemis' litter, and she was aware of their own familial relationship though she was quick to add that she had no intention of looking to take advantage of it and would work hard.

Her words wound down, and Chaos let silence reign for the moment as he regarded her with lazily narrowed eyes, clearly looking her up and down as though measuring the strength in her smaller frame. He kept his casual grin but he had to hide a moment of surprised approval behind it lest it spoil the suspense. For a yearling, she had surprisingly good muscle tone. Definitely the physique he would expect from a highly experienced hunter, and not one he'd have expected to see on a mere yearling. It made him wistfully recall hunting mountain goats alongside her mother years ago in Crew and regretted that he'd never made a serious move on Artemis before Angel had barged in and, as far as Chaos was concerned away because bro code and all that, laid claim to her. Well, Angel and Art's genes had certainly mixed in a satisfactory manner and he had his own litter from Artemis' sister so he wasn't complaining. Leto had given him children he could be proud of and, at this first measuring glance, he came to the conclusion that Angelus and Artemis had definitely given him a niece he could be proud of, too.

He judged he'd kept the girl in suspense fully as long as a yearling could be expected to be held in that state for without bursting, so he let his judgey little smirk widen into a pleased and welcoming expression. "I'm glad to hear you aren't here looking for a free pass, because there are none in Legion. Just as glad to have another hunter around," he added, thoughtfully. There were only a handful of them in the pack who had the more specialized hunt skills. Sure, just about every wolf could reasonably catch themselves a meal, but not everyone knew just the right way to stalk and kill, or to work together with another skilled hunter to bring down prey efficiently. It had been a while since he'd gotten to really push his own boundaries in hunting. "We'll have to have ourselves a nice little hunt one of these days to test your skills - I'll bring you out myself, since I've got a good amount of hunt experience and I've owl companions who can keep an eye on things from above - but until then..." He tilted his heavy head towards pack lands in a beckoning gesture, and grinned. "Welcome to Legion, Aerndis."

He gave it a moment of thought, then gestured for the young wolf to follow him and set out along the border. Might as well get her knowledgeable about where everything was while they were both here, and get to know his niece a bit while he was at it. "So, niece," he said casually, enjoying the way that sounded. Made him understand a little better why his dad kept all his kids around him, despite whatever friction it might have caused with his mate. Family was too important to let go of without regret. "Tell me about yourself."

Silence fell as she finished speaking. She felt nervousness boiling in her gut but she didn't show it, she just stared confidently back at the man. If he didn't accept her fine, she'd figure something out or she'd just try harder to prove herself. Chaos looked her up and down and she wrinkled her nose. She wasn't fond of being looked up and down so intently and it sure felt like he was taking his sweet time.

Finally, the man smiled and spoke, stating that he was glad to have another hunter. Aerndis wasn't sure how much to read into that statement. Were they in short supply of hunters in general? If so she'd be able to put herself to good use right away. She hoped to learn more of the techniques associated with pack hunting. While she'd had a few experiences with a motley crew of loners here and there she mostly worked solo.

Aerndis nodded eagerly, grinning herself as Chaos talked of holding a hunt to test her skills. "I'd appreciate that. It would also give me a chance to get a feel for how the rest of your hunters operate." She felt relieved to be welcomed and her tail wagged lightly at being accepted. She was rather interested in his owl companions. "I'd be curious to learn more about them. I have a companion as well, Rudolph, a serpent eagle." She'd left the bird back at her makeshift den until she knew what the turn out of her joining attempt would be.

Aerndis followed Chaos into the territory as she debated about how to answer his question. "Well, I've been on my own for most of my life. My mother disappeared when I was about six months and I got separated from my brothers. I learned hunting from loners and from a lot of trial and error. I only recently found out Valentine was my grandfather and that's why I want to know more about the Imperialis side of my family. Perhaps you can tell me a bit about yourself and the Imperialis as a whole?"