While he knew some of his wolves were less than enthusiastic about the changes he had made to the family's pack, Eligos had been unmoved. This was the way he had decided upon, the Path if you will, and while he would willingly coax those wolves to accept the changes, in the end his mind was set. Pyrrhic had been Malleus' heir, and he had gladly given the pack to Eligos. The line of their succession was unbroken - he had not seized the pack by force. He was the leader of the Abraxas by their traditions, and his was the right to change what he felt needed changing.

Eligos didn't say any of that out loud, of course, merely observed and would seek to rectify their discontent with words rather than teeth as their ancestors might have resorted to.

And so they had moved.

The journey hadn't been particularly arduous, not like when his father had taken over the pack and moved them to the castle. This time they no longer had any elderly wolves, nor young pups. Except that, along the way, he had found a pair of rolly-poly little dog pups, barely weaned, and hadn't quite had the heart to leave them behind. They had been fierce for being tiny pups, despite ancestory that was inferior to a wolf, and he told himself that he would make them useful someday. He had piled the pair onto his travois and they had mercifully fallen asleep, and they had already been close enough to their destination that they didn't wake until the pack had crossed the new border in the laye afternoon.

He had them make a temporary camp in one of the larger caves in the walls of the canyon - it was large enough for them to spread out and have some privacy, but the pack would undoubtedly want to find their own dens. For now, he asked that they sleep there together until they mapped out the area and knew which caverns would be dangerous, occupied by predators, or likely to flood in the rain. He encouraged them to explore in pairs or groups if they didn't have companions to send for help in an emergency, and passed among them all bits of chalky rock to mark the caverns to keep from getting lost. He imagined most of them would want to explore the canyon with all its fascinating nooks and crannies, or sleep to rest after their journey. Tired as he was too, though, Wligos doubted those pups would let him sleep after the nap they'd had, and he didn't particularly want them wandering the canyon aline until he had instilled some discipline in them.

Besides, he had an errand of his own that needed doing.

The lake-land butted up against another pack territory, one he recognozed the scent of though he had never seen these lands. While it didn't particularly bother him to have close neighbors, he was glad they had part of the lake plains between them as a buffer between the other pack and the caves that would be a fall-back. He would need to encourage his wolves to make their homes in the canyon as much as possible for their protection, though with the caves as ready-made dens he couldn't imagine too many would try to dig their own in the wetter land around the lake.

The closeness of his new neighbors made it imperative he make the initial move to approach them and soothe any ruffled feathers Aerie's proximity might cause, now, right after they'd arrived, before anyone realized they'd staked their claim and could get aggressive over it.

With the two pups tumbling around his paws and playing games of Chase and killing chunks of grass with their fierce little teeth, he made his way to the not-yet-marked border. He stopped to study the wall that marked the other border for a brief moment before dismissing it. He raised his leg and marked his own border, just one spot as a declaration, then stepped closer to the wall, between the two territories.

Ah.... an opening. He positioned himself in front of it, not crossing but immediately there, then lifted his muzzle to give a short, polite call for the pack's alpha. Unless the pack had changed leaders, he knew this alpha, though they had never met or spoken. He had been one in the crowd at her festival.

Aurielle Adravendi

Although she had not spoken to the man, she had made note of him when he’d attended the festival last Autumn. However, she didn’t know yet that she would recognize the wolf that called her away from her lesson with Cairo. She sent the young male to practice as she turned to slip through the heavy shroud of mist to meet the wolf at the wall. The first visual indication of her present used to be that she simply stepped from the mist like an apparition. Now, a subtle blue-white light grew brighter until the Spirit stepped from the miasma, eyes curious as she spotted the male. Recognition glinted in her eyes as she approached, moving to stand on her side of the wall with a nod. “I remember your face from the festival, though we didn’t get a chance to interact directly. What brings you to the wall of Valhalla?” Her eyes caught on the tumbling pups, a brief amusement flickering there before they turned to the male again, taking in the markings and scent with subtle interest. Mottled, almost brindled in horizontal patterns of gold on darkness. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Eligos' eyes narrowed in curiosity at the glow that suddenly touched the mists, following it's progress towards him. Some sort of lantern, perhaps? Bioluminescent fungus or cave worms in a glass container? But why use a lantern in the middle of the afternoon? Surely the mists were not so thick as to block the sun.

His eyes narrowed further when Aurielle stepped out from the swirling fog to reveal that he was the source of the glow. Having met her before she started displaying bioluminescence, his first assumption was that that she had painted herself with something. He studied her, wondering what purpose it could serve. Perhaps to trick visitors into believing her a spirit. Religious awe could cloud a wolf's judgement. A smart wolf could use that to her advantage. Eligos thought it foolish to court the anger of gods and spirits by trying to impersonate them, but he didn't much care if They chose to punish a foolish mortal for her impertinence or not - it was none of his concern.

He dipped his head to her in a carefully measured greeting. "I apologize for not having approached you to introduce myself at that time," though he'd had no such intention, "I knew it was a busy time for you and had no wish to take up your time."

He scooped the little female pup back before she could sprint across the border, but nearly missed the male who shot past him like a rocket aiming for Aurielle's sweeping tail and had to smoosh him down with one paw, dragging him back and corralling them both in front of him with a paw on either tail to pin them in place. He sighed internally, and turned cool eyes back to the other alpha.

"As my wolves and I have claimed the lands adjacent to your own, I felt it polite to introduce myself and give you fair warning before you were alarmed by our presence." He inclined his head again, a regal enough gesture despite the lack of practice, his voice and his manner both quietly polite. "I am Eligos Abraxas, Tiercel of Aerie. It is a pleasure to officially meet you, Aurielle."

Aurielle Adravendi

The male’s words were met with a neutral smile as she answered, “I would have made time. After all, as the hostess, it would be good manners to entertain conversations with the guests. It’s also good politics.” She paused as both his dog pups bolted for her and the man stopped both of them. There was a nearly-sad amusement in her eyes when he returned his attention to her, but she made no comment on the little moment. The amusement faded into a blank neutrality as he officially introduced himself with his surname. Abraxas wolves. As neighbors. It was either something to worry about, or an opportunity, and at the moment she was sure which. Quietly, but with surety, she stated, “I thank you for the forewarning. Might I ask what kind of neighbors Aerie will be?” For now, she didn’t shed light on her misgivings regarding his family name. Depending on his actions, and how this talk went… they would just have to see. Perhaps this wolf would be the one to change opinions on the Abraxas name and what it meant – whether they would become something to be truly obliterated from the land, or welcomed. As yet, her knowledge of the Abraxas was from the viewpoint of those affected by their actions. The victims. She knew well that they viewed wolves outside their family as mortals. That they seemed to have a penchant for conquest and conversion. And she knew there were many that would likely be glad to see the Abraxas name wiped from the world for good. But even if this family was wiped out, there would be others believing themselves to be deities, or related to deities, with the intent to dominate and take over the world. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Despite the trouble, Eligos found himself pleased he had brought the pups with him, because he was able to watch as the other alpha's eyes went from soft puppy-fever to a neutrality that was damning by itself as soon as she heard his surname - if it had been a more subtle change it might have gone unnoticed.

Eligos wasn't willing to let it go unremarked.

Still holding the pups, Eligos matched her neutral stare with a calm, equally neutral regard of his own. He didn't even twitch an ear when the little female chomped down on his ankle and settled in for a chew at it. "That depends," he said softly, "on you." It didn't, really. How he would treat the packs in Boreas was not predicated upon this initial meeting, or any of his initial meetings. Every pack would be be given the same neutrality as far as he was concerned, regardless of their previous interactions. But it wouldn't hurt for her to think so, if it kept things cordial.

He tilted his head slightly to study her. "I have no doubt that your knowledge of my family is... extremely biased." The last part was said flatly, and he continued with a frank honesty. "I do not feel the need to prove myself to you, Aurielle. I am sure we will not grow to be friends, or allies. I honestly do not care. I am indifferent to you, your pack, and your allies. I do not dislike you. I just do not care one way or another about you." Blood-red eyes peered into sapphire without expression for a long moment to let that resonate, and then he moved in a faint shrug.

"That said... If you think I have moved here with the intention of taking over your pack, or sacrificing your children, or whatever other nonsense you believe it is that we do, you are incorrect. I have no interest in conquering as my grandfather did. I have no interest in forcing anyone to acknowledge our beliefs, or oppressing anyone else's. All we intend is to go about our lives here and engage in trade with whoever has the interest and the tradegoods to do so."

His muzzle twisted in a faint, humorless smile that didn't reach his eyes, but he kept his tone carefully polite. "And what kind of neighbor can we expect you to be, Aurielle?"

Aurielle Adravendi

She hid an internal wince as Eligos became a chew toy for one of the dog-pups. Admirably, he didn’t even wince, himself, but she knew those teeth were like needles. It did spark a possible idea, but she sat through his next words, keeping easy eye contact as he spoke. To be honest, she preferred this path. While he’d chosen land she had been hoping to take someday, she was willing to wait to see if Aerie remained or left for other lands someday. She did cough out an incredulous laugh at his words about sacrificing children. Of all the worries she’d had for Abraxas wolves being nearby, that one hadn’t crossed her mind. But his words did settle the other worries, if only about him. She knew well that regardless of a leader’s desire, his subjects would likely test those boundaries. Her features mirrored his smile as he turned the question back upon herself. “To be honest, a neutrality agreement is perfect. You and yours leave us be, and we will do the same. Trade, however, does interest me. Whether it be goods or knowledge. I do have a proposal for a first trade, though it’s a very small one and I don’t expect anything in return other than the words you’ve given. It may even come across as paltry.” Her eyes flicked back to the gnawing pup. “We have plenty of marshmallow roots, which make very good teething toys for pups, aside from fresh bones. They have some other uses, but the most direct one at the moment would probably save you from having your legs chewed off and keep them entertained while you attend to your leadership. The choice is yours.” Aurielle’s head cocked as she added with some interest, “If Valhalla were to hold another Festival in the future, and I hope to, would you be interested in attending again?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Eligos studied her expressionlessly for a long moment before giving her a slow nod. "Your advice is appreciated. I do not have a great deal of experience with children of any species and had not planned on raising any at this point. I cannot make that agreement, however, not as you wish it. Regretfully, I cannot promise that Aerie's trade will not bring us into conflict with you for one reason or another. We are warriors, and our ability in that arena is of great value as in barter. I will not make agreements that jeopardize that. However," he continued slowly, "I have no interest in an enemy at my gates if I can avoid it. I can agree to this - I will agree to neutrality as much as possible, and in the event that we find ourselves on the opposite sides in battle, I will ensure that my wolves will seek to minimize harm to your pack. I cannot agree to more than that without risking my pack's wellbeing against my word, on a future I cannot predict." They were, after all, to be mercenaries at the heart of it all, and if he agreed to leave Valhalla alone he could not accept any contract against them at all without breaking his word. He could, however, keep his wolves from seeking unnecessary maims and destruction if they were contracted against Valhalla in some way, and keep them from harassing Valhalla when there was no contract against them. "If Valhalla holds a festival in the future, you may be sure we would wish to attend, if possible. Likewise, you are welcome to attend our trade fair coming soon. The safety of all attendees will be assured, and violence will be strictly forbidden by all."