The air was still cold as ever, causing his warm breath to cloud from his muzzle with each exhale as he walked along the border of Valhalla. Certainly spring was around the corner, right? Or did the winter here last much longer than his homeland? The male thought about the differences here and his homeland, a small frown pulling on his tan lips as he remarked the fading scent markers as he went. He had finally figured out the star patterns here, somehow the constellations here were flipped than in the sky in compare to his homeland. Perhaps he had floated much, much further on that raft of driftwood than he originally thought. It the end though, didn't matter how far away he was from his original home, he did not miss it nor did he have any desire to return to it. His tan tipped tail flicked as he reared on his back paws to use his front to scratch deep into the bark of a tree, using both a visual and scent marker. He had finally become used to the idea of wolves having armor and using tools, something they did not have back home and it was something he thought was absolutely brilliant and still fascinated him.

His paws crunched in the snow as he continued on his way, stopping for a moment in a beam of sunlight and allowing him a few minutes to allow his black pelt to soak up the warmth. Slowly his frown faded and a small smile pulled at his tan lips. He was happy here, much happier than he had ever been back there. His dark face tilted up to the sun with closed eyes as he sighed a breath. Even if winter lasted eternity and my debt to Aurielle was never ending..... I think I could still be happy here... he found himself thinking. His thoughts were quickly shoved aside as his sensitive ears caught the sound of faint movement in the grass, sounding different than the hoof steps of the local deer. His head lowered as his oceanic blue eyes scanned the area around him while his earthen nose twitched as he drew in the air looking for scents. Ah. There. his eyes narrowed slightly as he picked up the scent of a stranger. Enzi's screech in the trees above directed him towards the source of the disturbance, still on the other side of the border. Would they trespass or would they scent his fresh markers and stop? Drachen remained silent as he stood in plain view as a deterrent, his body tense and ready to move should they step across the border. A small flick of his tail was enough to send Enzi to the sky and circle above, ready to fly and rally the pack should this come to a fight.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

Satisfied that the lands she'd stumbled upon belonged to a relatively safe pack, some of whose members she happened to have already met, Karine moved through the frozen brush with ease, gliding effortlessly over snow and between dead weeds and branches on her way from its border. The likelihood of running into less favorable groups was still at the back of her mind, of course, but at least in these parts, she could rest assured that she'd at least left a good enough first impression on some of the Valhallans to be deemed nonthreatening. And in her quest to find where she belonged, such assurances were precious to her.

A velvet ear flicked at the sound of a shrill caw from above, not unlike that of the hawk that had led her and its presumed owner to viable prey. Yet, as Karine's gaze scanned the sparse trees above and landed upon the source of the sound, she discovered that it was trained on her. Instinctively, her nape tickled with the urge to prickle, and her upper lip yearned to bear defensive teeth, but for now the woman maintained her composure, instead looking around for anyone who might have been tracking her. Whoever it was, they too belonged to Valhalla, for the scents in the air hadn't changed.

That was when she spotted him there, still as stone, observing her from what her nose could tell was another section of the Valhallan border. A guard. Karine came to a complete halt, now, but remained with her side to him, knowing that facing such a tense wolf at his post could potentially trigger something she very much didn't want at the moment. "You and your bird can stand down," she said, tone neutral but firm along with her posture. "I've no interest in causing mischief."

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

The stranger was quick to spot him as he intended, coming quickly to a halt as she stared at him, her posture composed and neutral but obviously ready to move if he made a move towards her. His oceanic blue eyes scanned over her white and black frame before his eyes returned to her purple gaze as she told him to stand down and that she was not here to cause trouble. His tan lip wanted to twitch and reveal his fangs at her words but her neutral tone and posture kept him in check... for now. Maybe this was just another wolf who was seeking a home with Valhalla, the possibility made the tension in his muscular shoulders release slightly. His earthen nose twitched visibly as he drew in her scent again, catching the faint scent of other Valhallans upon her pelt. Seems like she had already had a run in with another patrol group. he thought, though that did not release his suspicions. But as long as she remained on the other side of the border he saw no reason to get violent, especially with Enzi circling above and ready to call others to them.

Slowly his tail lowered to a more neutral zone, his deep blue gaze giving a quick scan of the area to make sure she was indeed alone before returning to her. "What brings you to the border of Valhalla." his soft spoken voice rumbled, his tone just as composed and neutral as hers. His body turned to face her fully, his movements more graceful than one of his size would have thought. He did not smell a pack on her so maybe this was just some loner looking for a pack to join. Even still, that did not mean he could let his guard down. Drachen was one of those men that did not trust easily, especially ones words. He knew better than most how empty words could be. His dark ears rolled forward as he waited for her response.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

The air had briefly fallen stagnant with their combined tension, amplifying what few words passed between them despite their respectively collected tones. Yet, by the moment, Karine could sense the breath returning to both their chests. His tail lowered slowly, and as he turned to face her, his movements were as fluid as her own. There was still a sort of apprehension in his eyes, but so long as the rest of him indicated docility, then she could tolerate what didn't.

Skull tilted downward at his question, though her eyes remained on him. "Chance," she said, warily but a little more amiably now that she'd made her point clear. Karine pondered her next words as she, too, turned to face the male completely, bearing before him scars and all. They were nearly identical in size, she noted. At least if it came down to it, she could be sure of her ability to hold her own, but as of now, she didn't see things moving in that direction. "I'm a stranger to this region...as well as those within it who hold land. In fact...I've only just learned of Valhalla through one of your own. Taliesyn, I believe was his name?"

She offered the name with a light tongue in hopes of convincing the male of her alibi. Karine allowed this information to sit with him for a moment before continuing, allowing herself to soften further into more of her usual warm stoicism--though, as of late, it also seemed to come tinged with exhaustion. "Please," she invited genuinely, nodding once more, "my name is Karine. Truly, there's much I'm seeking, but violence is not one of those things....I've already seen more than enough of it for a lifetime."

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

"Chance." the woman answered him, her tone now a bit more friendly and warm. Drachen watched as the female turned to face him, his blue eyes flicking briefly to the scars that decorated the left side of her face and shoulder before returning to her purple eyes. He remained silent as she continued on, listening intently as she spoke, his gaze dropping briefly as she mentioned the name of the Valhallan she had met before. The Stallion. he thought to himself, his nose drifting a little closer to the female as he took in her scent once more. Indeed, she was telling the truth, he could pick up the fading scent of the glowing stallion in the air. His tail lowered a little more at that point, a little more at ease that he could confirm at least one thing she had said. He remained silent as he watched her make an effort into relaxing the tension from her body again, his ears shifting backwards slightly as his mind ran with what he should do. In his birth pack, he would have been expected to attack, to discourage any loner from the borders, but he knew Valhalla was different, that they were a little more welcoming. "Please.." his dark ears perked forward again, catching the exhaustion in her voice as she went on to explain that she was a stranger to Boreas and still did not know who owned what land.

He observed her face for a moment longer before his oceanic blue eyes closed and a deep sigh left his lungs as he relaxed his posture, his tail falling to hang neutrally at his hocks. He knew just how daunting it was to arrive in a new land, he himself not even a season in from when he first washed up on the shores. "Alright then." his hushed tones rumbled just under his breath as he opened his eyes and returned them to the woman, who named herself as Karine. "A pleasure, Karine.... My name is Drachen." he replied, this time his soft voice was loud enough to be easily heard by her. "I know how confusing it can be in a new land. I have only just arrived myself." he offered the small amount of information, nothing that could hurt the pack by some stranger knowing. His pink tongue swiped once over his lips, smoothing out his whiskers, before he lowered his haunches to the ground and curled his tan tipped tail around his dark paws in an effort to ease any remaining tension in the air. While he was not averse to violence, he was glad that it did not come to it this time around.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

Karine wasn't above expressing humility to a stranger. One of her brother's biggest weaknesses had been his inability to admit to anything--that he'd done wrong, that he'd needed help, that he couldn't handle everything the fates threw his way. But the priestess understood that not everybody would give into someone so hard-headed...and rightfully so. It made such wolves seem untrustworthy. She was anything but, and she wished to make that clear before history caught up with her, if it ever did.

Fortunately, the male seemed to take her words to heart, relaxing completely now and even lowering himself to the ground. Karine was almost puzzled by this, but then she realized he probably just didn't want her out of his sight while in such close proximity to claimed land. She couldn't blame him for that. At least he trusted her now, if only a little. Before the pale woman could think to mosey on her way, however--"The pleasure is mine, Drachen," she uttered with obvious relief and a polite nod--he said something that revived her small sense of wonder. He was new to these parts as well, it turned out, which, to her, meant he potentially could've fled from the same place as she.

"So you have," she hummed thoughtfully, brow rising as she took her turn to sit down from her position on the safe side of the border. Karine took her turn at skepticism, tilting her head slightly, though her demeanor and tone remained at ease. "And where did you arrive from...if I may?" If he was as much of a stranger to her as he was letting on, then she needed not worry about a potential threat, only wondered if by chance she wasn't alone in the things she'd seen and managed to escape.

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

A dark ear flicked once as he heard the relief in her voice when she responded with niceties, his sharp eyes not missing the subtle puzzlement flashing over her face as he sat on his side of the border. He was curious to see if she would stay or if she would take this time to turn and leave. It didn't matter to him which she chose, he would trail her on his side of the border to make sure she didn't cross over like she insisted she wasn't here to do. However the woman before him seemed to take some sort of curiosity to the fact that he was new to these parts as well, his tan lips dancing into a brief small smile as the white and black woman reclined to her haunches as well. Tan brows curled together slightly as she asked him where he was originally from but he saw no harm in releasing such information. No one would care about some wayward bastard son of a King, not when the true heir was still tucked safely in those lands.

"Enterra." his hushed tones finally rumbled after a moment, the name of the land he had been born on felt strange on his tongue now. Separated by a sea and with no direction to guide him, there was no way he would be able to return even if he wanted to. "I washed up on shore here a some weeks ago, dragged out to sea during a storm in my homeland." he added. Perhaps it provided more questions than answers, especially when he did not add the part where he had jumped off a cliff into the sea to escape his deranged half brother but that part was not really important. It was in the past now and Drachen had already put that part of his life behind him. He was in a new land now, found a home in a new pack and he was determined to make the most of his life now. Even if come spring and his debt to Valhalla was paid and he set out on his own, he would make his own life here. "And you? Where do you come from?" he asked her, curious to know at least some part of her story. Where those scars on her face and shoulder some valiant war story or was she a victim of some horrific violence? Whether or not she chose to give out that information or not was completely up to her, he was curious but he would not ask about it.

high in the halls of the kings who are gone
the priestess would dance with her ghosts

She, too, remained observant, noting as his own gaze followed her movements how his demeanor seemed to change at her question. A natural response, to be sure, coming from someone else whom had come here from another place; she wasn't even entirely sure what she'd do in his position, with such curiosity thrown her way. His brow creased, and for a moment he appeared to ponder what to do with it, but eventually he relaxed again, a small smile crossing his features. No harm in speaking of what was lost, right? Not if there was no chance of getting it back.

Roughened vocals let slip a name, Enterra, a similar title to what the wolves she used to know had called their home--her home--but one that was still unfamiliar. Karine sat there quietly while he maneuvered his thoughts, blinking once, her gaze soft with attention as he revealed to her the circumstances of his change of path. Drachen hadn't chosen to come here; the fates had forced him, ripped him away from what was comfortable to him. Lip twitched upward in a small, fleeting smile of gratitude for what he was willing to tell her, though she received his short story with an empathetic, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

He asked her, then, about her own origins, to which she responded with a deep inhalation and a thoughtful shift of weight between her forelimbs. When she was finally able to bring herself to relive the idea of her old home, the name rolled warmly, fondly, off her tongue. "Ethereal." She let it hang there in the air for a moment, the nostalgia giving her strength to continue onto memories both sweet and bitter. "It gave me everything--not without its trials, of course, but...I had a home, a crown, a family. Until a plague ripped through the continent and forced every known pack and healthy creature to scatter." Of course, that hadn't been how she'd gotten her scars--she'd have gone mad with sickness if she'd allowed any of the rogues to touch her--but it had hurt her in other ways. The chaos had taken everything from her that she'd held dear, much in the same way Enterra's great storm had done to Drachen. Her world had been upturned, forcing her to learn how to navigate it all over again. And she would, but she wasn't prepared for how long that might take.

"I've yet to find where else I belong since then," she went on after a moment, "but I must say, it's comforting meeting someone else who has." Or at least seemed to have done. Drachen surely seemed comfortable here. Karine was eager for the day she felt the same.

"

the ones she had lost and the ones she had found
and the ones who had loved her the most

table by Lowin art/character concept by Electra song by G.R.R.M.

A dark muscular shoulder shrugged casually when the woman replied to his story with empathy, not as a slight to her, but merely just him giving a silent indication that it was not needed. He was no sad about bring ripped from his previous situation, of being nothing more than his father's executioner and doing the work his royal highness could not be bothered to sully his paws with. Drachen was better off now, even if he wasn't here in Valhalla repaying his debt. "Trust me... it's for the better." he rumbled softly, a small huff of a chuckle that was damn well near contempt. His gaze flicked away for a moment as a brief flash of anger ignited in his blue eyes before he pushed it away. I hope you rot in hell brother he thought before Karine's voice brought him back to the present. He was slightly surprised when she told him where she was from, for some reason assuming that she would not answer him. "Ethereal." he rumbled, trying the name out on his tongue. He had never heard of it before and glad he hadn't. He did not want to meet a wolf that his family caused pain to with his father's conquests.

The reason she left her homeland was much worse than his and he was not sure how he would have felt if his situation was like her's. To have everything ripped from you by disease, that was terrible. At least his father and brother were just raging murderous ass holes and it was easy for him to brush them aside. Had his mother been taken by disease, well... he would be in a much different mental state. "I'm sorry." his words almost the exact same as her's but it seemed to fall flat on his tongue. It seemed like such an inadequate response to him but he did not know what else to say. His ears shifted forwards once more when she told him she still had yet to find a place for her to belong, and that she found comfort that she had met someone who did. "I have been extremely lucky this past season. I am grateful for the Spirit of Vahalla to have taken me in after being here for such a short time. He replied, his feelings on the matter genuine and shown brightly in his eyes. He had rarely experienced such kindness and he was not about to brush it off like he did so many other things. "I hope you can find a place to belong too. You seem like a strong individual, I am sure you will find your place soon.... Maybe even here in Valhalla..." He rumbled, his hushed tones more personable as they talked and he became a little more comfortable around her. He still didn't completely trust her, just like everyone else he met but he did enjoy her company so far. He would have been ok with calling the Spirit here should Karine express an interest in joining the pack.