Perhaps he had been languishing for too long in the peace and quiet that came with sedentism. The titan sought to stretch his muscles in the wee hours of the morning with a brisk trot along the coastline, taking special care to mind the fringes of the land bridge as the tide began to seep back in to swallow up the path to the mainland. There were lingering scents of strangers all over lately, but his cousin seemed to have a proclivity for allowing a few special cases roam freely for short periods within the boundaries. The amethyst dappled fae who'd led their great rhino hunt came to mind. Evidently it would simply be something to get used to, and he would have to make some type of effort to keep up to date on who was being welcomed as a guest nowadays. Chilly pre-dawn surf lapped at his ash cloaked paws, slinking up the beach as he patrolled the southern edge of the island. Already the bruise-dark sky was beginning to betray the rising sun. Wispy clouds overhead were warm grey now, the moonlit silver leeched from their ephemeral tendrils as the first tentative rays of sunlight reached up to caress them. Dark form stood out in stark contrast to the sands as he splashed his way through the shallows, unbothered by the steady inwards trajectory of the minute waves that were soaking his ankles already. It was doing the important work of keeping him awake- too many morning had been wasted lounging in the cool damp of his cave. The day promised clear skies, pinpricks of light winked in and out of sight overhead for as far as his brimstone gaze could follow them. Even those thin clouds couldn't block their delicate forms above. Good, soon enough the gloom and chill of winter would leave him longing for a cloudless sky and a tepid early morning patrol. Damp sands gave way to a rocky shoreline, and he picked his way along its edge with sure steps. Ruby marked coat began to feel the barest traces of sunlight against his flank, drawing his attention to the sun as it crested the horizon. A few scant rays stretching up towards the heavens turned the waves to molten gold. The titan paused. There were no figures on the water that threatened to reach their shores and invade the island. He could stop to watch the sunrise for a while. Crimson dipped banner swept idly over his hocks, heavy skull tipped ever so slightly in consideration as the eastern skies lightened. From the southernmost point, his view was unobstructed by the mountains and trees that created the imposing silhouette of the island.

As always, Ikigai was awake before the sun. She hadn't slept terribly well as this place was foreign to her so she was up long before anyone else in her group. Since everyone was still asleep, the pale girl was left to her own devices. No one had said that she was confined to her rooms, so dark gloved paws took the slender young woman out of her room and down to the beach where she and her family had first entered Elysium lands. From there, she proceeded down the shoreline, enjoying the sensations of the slowly waking world.

A sweet and salty breeze ruffled the girl's alabaster pelt and, as she moved across the sandy and rocky shore, her long, ink brush of a tail snaked along behind her. The birds had been awake first, but as the morning progressed, they became more and more vocal. Their songs stretched across the land as they spoke to one another and Iki stopped, listening to their calls for a time before she continued on. The birds that lived here sounded different from the birds of home and it was rather interesting to note that difference. Many things here contrasted to the warm, island territory that her mother claimed. Still an island, Elysium was a much colder place. The land felt less hospitable to the tropically born fae.

Ikigai's timing was perfect. The sky had begun to lighten as she loped quietly along and, by the time that she reached the southern tip of the island, the first warm rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. Orange, reds, purples, peaches and pinks... the sun painted the land like some great canvas. The snow and obsidian girl was cast in a golden light as she closed her marbled eyes against the brightness. Ikigai welcomed the warmth of the sunlight as it seeped into her chilled frame. Chilled or no, she made no move to return to the stronghold. A little hardship might do her well. So distracted was she by the beauty of the morning that she hadn't even realized that she was sharing that beauty with someone else.

"Ikigai"

Soft steps approached as he stood idle, tracking the gradual climb of the sun into the sky. Once the day started, the island would be far noisier. Manea's first litter were old enough not to be too raucous, but they certainly weren't inclined to silence either. It felt nice to sit and soak up the peace and quiet for a while, take stock of the gentle ambiance before it was gone. Even the early morning birds weren't quite up to their usual volume at this hour, sleepy chirping and trilling came in intermittent bursts from the trees behind him. With a heaving sigh that shuddered its way from his ribcage, the titan turned to the mysterious wolf who had joined him for the sunrise. Her pale form came as a shock, most of the inhabitants of the island were rather dark hued amidst the riotous colours. The beast blinked at her for a moment, taking note of the dainty horns atop her crown and the eerie eyes, matched with a luxurious coat. She was young, but she would soon blossom into a stunning creature. "You must be one of Manea's guests." he grunted, pivoting on a heel to turn towards her. Blessed Ancients, she was tiny. A waifish young thing, all slender limbs and sweeping lines. "What's your name?" the harsh rumble of his vocals was partly from disuse, partly from the sheer depth of timbre. The scents that clung to her alabaster pelt were unfamiliar, but the number of mingling musks spoke of a pack wolf. A visiting dignitary brought along their child, perhaps? These were hardly matters that he spent any time thinking about, so really he couldn't do much aside from guess.

A soft gasp of surprise pulled from the young fae as she turned to see a giant man standing nearby. She'd been so caught up in the moment and her joy at having the world to herself that she hadn't even realized that it hadn't been hers alone. The black and red man made an observation and the pale lady wasted no time in confirming his suspicions. "Yes," she spoke in clear, but somewhat soft tones. When he asked her name, she gave it easily. "Ikigai or Ashen. And you?" Tall, obsidian ears flicked forward to catch the mans gruff lyrics as he gave his name in kind.

"I didn't expect anyone else to be out this early," the girl admitted, turning her face back towards the warmth of the sun for a moment. She then fixed her marbled gaze upon the man again, noting his own odd pupils. "At home, I'm usually the only one awake at this hour." A fair few of the Ashen wolves were almost nocturnal with their living schedules. Ikigai liked to wake and sleep with the sun, though she wasn't adverse to spending some time with the moon as well.

They'd made their greetings but Ikigai wasn't quite ready to end this encounter just yet. There was something about the brutes brusque nature that piqued her curiosity. "My mother, the Empress of Ashen, and I are here to forge an alliance with Elysium." There was no reason to hide their purpose. "Are you happy here? Is there anything that you believe Elysium is lacking?" Perhaps it was wrong of her to ask such things, but if you wanted to truly learn about an organization, you asked the people, not the leaders.

"Ikigai"

The confirmation was welcome, but unnecessary. Despite his more reclusive habits, he knew his own cohorts well enough. She introduced herself with a name as unique as she appeared to be, from a pack he was only vaguely aware of. He knew they were important to Manea, and that was about all he really needed to know about their allies. When she asked his name in kind, he dipped his muzzle quickly in a brusque nod "Poe Mendacium, of Elysium." he replied, matching her word for word and title for title. Perhaps he was being an ass, returning the formality with a deadpan aloofness that didn't match with the polite reservation of her own speech. Regardless, the young fae moved on to admit that she hadn't been expecting to run into anyone in the early hours of the morning. A brief quirk of a dark brow, and the flash of pale teeth against dark gums as he fought to subdue amusement. "I'm finishing my patrol, so I'm just about the only one you might have run into out here." he assured her with an unshakeable bemusement, flicking the tip of his ash and ruby cloaked tail. "Lucky you," he added with dry wit, flashing a quick glance to her features as he shot a lopsided smirk her way. No sooner had he been prepared to write off the encounter and continue with his journey along the borders than the pallid fae spoke up again, with the kind of dagger-sharp intrigue in her eyes that he recognized from many of the powerful women in his family. With a few short words, Ikigai of Ashen marked herself as a member of the royal family, and brought to light the nature of her visit to the island. An alliance? Well, those were usually hard won for the Mendacium clan, given their rather loose morals and propensity for conquest. A few hard hitting questions, seeking to dig deep into the nature of the pack itself and the state of their ties. Once more, a dark brow lifted curiously. Well, at least she was upfront. "Why wouldn't I be?" he returned wryly, dropping heavily onto burly haunches with a notable thud. "Manea has proven herself a capable matriarch. She went to all of the trouble to secure this territory for us, and she upholds our traditions. Our children thrive, and our ranks are strong. I don't know what else we could honestly need- unless you have some ideas of your own, Ikigai of Ashen." he trailed off with a pointed look and a grin that spoke to a kind of vicious delight that Poe was well known for. Would she be so bold as to voice her observations to one of the members of the family she sought alliance with? Or would she shrink away, beg pardons like so many courtiers often did, and abandon the line of questioning? The beast wanted to see if the dainty fae would prove herself worthy of his time and approval when faced with uncertainty, or earn his disdain. It was the little things in life that one ought to find joy in, right?

The man gave his name in turn and the sharp young fae noted that he'd copied the manner of speech that she'd used. Of course he was of Elysium, but he hadn't known where she was from. She assumed he was just being snarky, but it wasn't a great offense and she she paid it no mind. There was no reason to get upset over small things. Poe went on to say that he'd just finished his patrol and the snow and soot fae nodded in acceptance. Many in her family were more attuned to nighttime hours. That was why Ikigai made herself rise before the sun; to take up where the others left off. Dutiful, as always.

Upfront was indeed a term that could be used when speaking of the young woman. Though she was more than capable of verbal jousting, she personally preferred to keep things simple and to the point. She found court intrigue to be bothersome and so she avoided it whenever possible. Though royalty, Ikigai was very much a wolf of the people. She never let her position go to her head, though she wasn't afraid to use that position when necessary.

After she questioned the man, he thumped to a seated position and began to answer. Iki couldn't help but think that he was a little uncouth, but she couldn't expect everyone to have the same sense of manners as herself. Especially since this wasn't her pack. She was the foreigner here, so she would think nothing of his brusque tone and rough demeanor.

Poe answered her question with a question of his own and one black marked brow rose, the corner of the girl's marbled eye lifting. He continued, speaking of Manea and her aptitude for leadership and all of the good that she'd done for the pack. He mentioned children thriving and traditions being upheld. All of this was met with a nod from the pallid princess. He then flashed a bit of snark again, asking if she thought any different, once more using the full introduction that she'd given. Ikigai saw it as a challenge. Did he think she would back down just because she was young? Because she was a woman?

Truthfully, Ikigai saw nothing lacking in Manea's kingdom so far. Granted, she'd only been here a day. "So far I've seen nothing lacking in Elysium." The fae turned her full attention to the man, staring straight into his odd, golden eyes. "Knowing Manea as I do, I would expect nothing less." She knew Manea to be strong, determined and loving of her family. "Anyone would work hard to provide for and to protect that which they love, but Manea more than most." The girl's long, inkbrush of a tail slithered over the ground to wrap around her hip. "That is why I suggested we discuss such an alliance." Pupils pinned as she continued staring the man down. "Discuss, mind you. Being a new pack, an alliance with Ashen will offer Elysium much, but I need to know if it will be worth our time as well. Though friends Manea and I may be, even friendship doesn't outweigh the good of my family's Empire." And so Ikigai was here, searching for truth from those that didn't lead. Those that had a different perspective on the workings of their home. She wasn't sure what more she could get from this one, but if he wished to reply, she was all delicate, silken ears.

"Ikigai"