When Manea had decided she wanted to have a pack and wanted him to be her second in command alpha, Alastor had been ready to accept in a heartbeat. As with Lurid before her, Alastor knew he would have duties and responsibilities to elevate his queen to reach her ambitions, and he was prepared to start work on that right away. Their first stop had been with Ashen. Manea had expressed a deep desire to form an alliance with the renowned empire, and after an enlightening meeting with the proud (and somewhat stuffy) monarchs, Alastor knew what his next step would be. Manea wanted to be friends with the empire? Might as well be friends with the friends of the empire too!

A little snooping around revealed that a pack close to the empire, Habari, was not only an ally, but a sister pack to Ashen. Well well well, can't get closer than that! Alastor had decided then and there to meet with Habari's leader, a wolf he'd heard through rumor was unnaturally beautiful. If anything, that made his desire to seek the woman out even greater! What could be more fun than seeing if the gossips spoke truth? While Manea scouted out the nearby lands to find somewhere suitable for their pack to set up, Alastor made his way to the scent markers that formed the boundaries of Habari. His paws took him to a grove of green trees, a kind he had never seen before, and to the volcano looming just beyond.

The massive shadow brute with fur kissed by flame gazed across the lush land with appraising black eyes. His large paw dug at the dirt, feeling the silty texture it had, more akin to ash than earth. Fascinating... The lands were quiet, but the scents were fresh. Habari was still here. Raising his muzzle, Alastor let out a call for Recluse, his smooth and husky voice carrying over the copse of young trees to find the she-wolf he sought.


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Recluse was taking some time to just enjoy the heat that the volcano exuded. Her head was tipped back when she heard the call for her ring out. The woman blinked and cocked her head, curious just who it was calling for her specifically. A small smirk pulled across her lips and the woman untangled her limbs, allowing Lilith to slither up her mistress' limbs to take her usual place draped along Recluse's shoulders like a dark scaley boa. Galho would join them later, having left to hunt on his own. The trek down the mountainside was leisurely. She wouldn't leave her caller waiting too long but she also wasn't going to rush to the border just because she'd been called, but as she drew closer, paws carrying her around the trees now she couldn't help the curiosity that rose up in her, especially when she saw who had made the call. Cherry gaze roved over his dark form and her smirk widened. "I am Recluse Seraphim of Habari, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" She looked him over again, sizing him up, clearly confident in her position. "Speech" Think

Art by Ulfeid3

Alastor had wondered what the first appearance of Habari's reigning monarch would be like. The Empress of Ashen had appeared with her entourage of family, a dour Shogun and two small children. Would the reclusive Recluse present herself in much the same manner? Or perhaps she'd be flanked by a battalion of soldiers, all ready to burn the world at her command. Only time would tell. Alastor glanced out westward toward the setting sun as twilight began to creep over the land, bathing the world in a realm somewhere between day and night, his favorite hour of the day. He didn't have to wait long before his ears caught the sound of another approaching, and when he turned his obsidian eyes to find the wolf, he realized that none of his predictions had come close to reality.

She approached him with poise and confidence, pristine ivory fur almost glistening in the fading light of day, moving like a beautiful phantom across the earth. Streaks of darker fur clung to her features like painted shadows, and her cherry red eyes made no effort to hide her appraising gaze of him. The rumors were true, it seemed, and Recluse seemed more like a goddess given corporeal flesh than a mortal being. Though she was smaller than he and looked as if he could sling her over his back with minimal effort, the power that exuded from her posture and demeanor left little doubt that she didn't need physical strength to reign supreme here. A lesser wolf might have found the woman intimidating. Alastor simply smiled, a flash of pearly white teeth against an endless sea of black shadow.

The behemoth of a wolf turned to face Recluse when she introduced herself, greeting her with a dip of his head, though abyssal black eyes never strayed from the amaranthine gaze of the Seraphim. "Alastor, and the pleasure is mine as well, my lady. I cannot think of a more fitting title." Though she was obviously sizing him up, Alastor was as cool and at ease as ever. It was almost comical, he thought, that they appeared so perfectly the other's opposite. Her, an alluring and svelte creature swathed in white, and he, a monstrous being of solid muscle and living shadow. He grinned all the while he spoke in his smooth baritone vocals, "I heard your name spoken during an audience with Ashen. I'm attempting diplomacy on behalf of my queen's future pack and you were mentioned to be Ashen's ally. I was hoping you could grace me with a moment of your time, tell me about your empire, perhaps start some mutually beneficial connections between our packs."

That last part was left vague intentionally, open to interpretation by the alabastrine woman. He had come with his intentions, but she could set the tone for their meeting. Alastor was all too happy to play whatever game this turned out to be. His grin, ever present yet not out of place on his face, held steady as he awaited her response. He'd served the first volley. Would Recluse play ball?


"Alastor"

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________