Adventure Continued [Kastiel, Haishin member/s]

[Toiro]

Toiro padded quietly through the night, delighting at the feeling of the cool breeze ruffling his fur. He was glad that their decision to travel only at night had paid off; it was much cooler now, and therefore much easier to travel. It also helped that a cold front had just passed through – a reminder that summer was nearly over. Toiro was certainly not a wolf who enjoyed hot climates and he couldn’t wait to get back up into the cool mountains of Shyia. He wondered briefly how his pack was doing, with both their alpha and their beta away, but had faith that the members would guard the territory well.

That brought Toiro back to the reason he was out here so far away from his pack in the first place. He had howled upon entering the territory of the Haishin pack to let the alpha (or alphess, if that happened to be the case) know that he wished to speak. He wasn’t entirely sure of what he wanted to speak about but he knew that if he was allowed to stay for a while he would like to see how the pack functioned, learn a few tips about leadership, and possibly even form an alliance. And of course he would inform the pack of Airila’s creation, if the rumours hadn’t already been spread here.

Toiro came to a halt at a flat patch of ground free from the short stubby bushes that covered most of the surrounding terrain. He turned to make sure that Kastiel was still following, and when he saw that he was, sat down on the dusty ground.
“This seems like a nice spot to wait” he called out to his friend and beta as he looked around at the vast open prairie.
It would be difficult to sneak up on someone with so little cover, since the lack of trees meant that any approaching wolf could be spotted from miles away. Toiro marvelled at how wolves could even hunt in this kind of landscape – he knew they must be extraordinarily skilful to be able to live in what looked to him like a wasteland.


.

[akihra]

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[atrb=background,http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/3046/kiratablemid.png][atrb=width,450,true] Things had been much easier to sort out than Akihra had originally thought. After her conversation in the dens with the former alpha, Akihra was somewhat giddy to greet the howl of another wolf as the pack's alphess. While it seemed a tad immature to look forward to such a thing, this was a new realm for her. And so the femme trudged from the dens across the prairie, which was now starting to brown with the arrival of fall in the near future. There was so much preparation to be done, and not enough time to do it. But Akihra knew this was a cry she needed to answer. This was not just one of another loner seeking to pass through the territory, but that of another alpha. Hopefully he doesn't have the same ideas that dear Zethrox had, she thought dryly. She was still bitter about having to dig him out of trouble in the Occasus. While he had somewhat of a thought process, it was ridiculous for him to venture there in the first place. A timber wolf should not be wandering the desert, especially in the heat of the day. It was plain stupidity. Akihra raised her head to return the brute's howl briefly as she danced across the terra, running toward the wolf. She may have been new to this, but instincts were a large part of what she was doing now. There was room for error, but Akihra knew that, although she had dethroned Zethrox, he would still stay around to guide her in her dealings. She was slightly sickened at the thought of leaving Sariya in the dens; she had not left her daughter for long, and this was the furthest she had wandered from her daughter since her birth. However, it would be a good experience for the two of them. Sariya would eventually need to learn the workings of the pack, though, if she were to take over eventually. There are many years to come before that happens, she thought with a laugh, her dichromatic eyes twinkling with excitement. The dark femme spied two brutes on the horizon, and she was a bit perturbed that the alpha had not bothered to warn her of his companion. Akihra approached the pair, her posture clearly portraying dominance in her territory. She faced the alpha, which was obvious from his stance as well, and dipped her crown in greeting. "Greetings, brute. I am Akihra, Alphess of Haishin. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" she inquired kindly, though her eyes never left the two wolves. While she knew they would not have alerted her if their intent had been negative, she was always one to stay on guard. It was simply her nature, and that would be a hard habit to break, if she were ever to want to break it at all. ((OOC: Not perfect, but I'm trying to get posts up lol.))

[seadragoness]

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[bg=000000][atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff153/Lumarinam/kastiel-background.png] Kastiel followed his leader with a faithful dedication, he had always thought he would walk the earth if his leader asked it of him, and it seemed now that he could go a little way to proving them to himself. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was about the other wolf that called such dedication from Kastiel – maybe it was his honest spirit, his free nature and his kindness – maybe it was the potential he saw in the other. Maybe it was that Toiro was the first wolf in a long time, if not the first wolf period, to offer Kastiel a home, a life, and kindness. Did it really matter? The point was, he was behind Toiro now and that wasn’t about to change any time soon. Toiro had howled his greeting at the entrance to the wolf-lands, and he sat now near the border, waiting for a wolf to answer his call and come greet the strangers that waited at their door. The beta moved to take seat with his Alpha, eyes straying across the land, ever watchful to see what would happen next. A strong, female voice called through the night air now, an answer to Toiro’s own howl. Kastiel wanted to rise, to be in a better position to protect the other wolf, but knew it was more respectful to sit – this was other wolves territory after all and it would be disrespectful to show even the slightest hint of aggression on there land. Kastiel himself knew he wouldn’t take it from any wolf on Toiro’s land, after all. The wolfess that appeared through the night air – strong, elegant and in control slowed as she approached them. Her expression was guarded, but her words where warm. “It’s a pleasure, your highness. This is Torio, alpha of Airila, and I am Kastiel – his Beta” He murmured politely, feeling it was [art of his duty to introduce his alpha. With that done he would fall silent, leaving it to Torio to explain what he wished to explain – after all, Kastiel was here to guard and follow his leader more then anything else. His eyes instead studied the wolf before him. She had a politely guarded expression, and a stance that said she was ready for any fowl play. He liked that, seeing her ready and polite – his respect for the other grew as he watched.

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[Toiro]

The sound of a howl reached Toiro’s ears as he and Kastiel sat
patiently, waiting for the alpha to arrive. After a while, he caught sight of a dark-coated she-wolf making her way towards them. As she came to a halt before them, she eyed them warily, and Toiro bent his head to assure her that she was the most dominant of the three, and to show that it wasn’t his intention to challenge her. He knew that if another alpha came on to his lands, he would probably react similarly, so he did not hold her behaviour against her. In fact, he respected her for it.

Akihra introduced herself, and Toiro nodded his greetings, allowing Kastiel to speak the formal introduction out loud.
“Yes. We are on a… journey. A journey to inform the packs of Airila’s creation, if you hadn’t heard about it already” Toiro’s mouth twitched up in a smile as he spoke. He knew that their journey had been delayed for a very long time, and rumours had probably already spread across the continent. He felt a little self-conscious about the formal way in which he was speaking, but he couldn’t shake the habit.

“We are also here to meet our neighbours; to see how many other packs we share this island with, and perhaps make a few friendships, learn a few tips. After all, we are only a small pack and I… I do not have much experience in the matter of leadership”
Toiro felt quite vulnerable, admitting this to someone who was almost a total stranger, and he knew that Kastiel probably wouldn’t approve. But, he figured, Airila’s territory was a long way from here and telling her that they weren’t much of a threat might mean that they would be left in peace. And for some reason, he trusted this wolf, although that wasn’t saying much, since Toiro trusted most wolves he met. Although Toiro was huge, strong and muscular, and displayed a good physique for fighting, he was in reality a gentle, innocent young wolf.



((OOC: Sorry about the crappy post D8))

[akihra]

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[atrb=background,http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/3046/kiratablemid.png][atrb=width,450,true] A soft smile graced the femme's face as the beta wolf introduced himself and the alpha, Toiro. There had been rumors of a new pack on the continent, but this is the first solid evidence the femme had seen. And evidence it was; the alpha and the beta were both on her territory. But if they are both here, then who is defending their pack boundaries? she wondered absently, curious as to whether she would voice her statement or not. There had to be some explanation; perhaps the pack was actually quite large and had some higher ranking wolves that could be trusted to guard the boundaries. It was different with each pack, she supposed. "Welcome to Kamari, Toiro and Kastiel," she announced graciously, her tail wagging slightly in a friendly gesture. She wanted them to feel comfortable in her territory; this could be the beginning of a useful alliance. Now that Zahir was quite bitter with Haishin (after her grandfather's stupid stunt, the crusty old fool) it would be beneficial to have the support of another pack behind her. "Well, Toiro, I am glad you have decided to come here. Unfortunately, we have a problem," the femme chuckled softly. "I do not believe you are going to find any long-term alphas on the continent, at the moment. You see, I have been alpha of this pack for but a short time, and I have recently returned from a trip to visit Zahir, the only other pack in Anikira at the moment. Auden, the alpha there, has only recently taken control of his pack, as well. The two of us were both successors to the previous alphas, and the time had come for us both to take over our respective packs." Akihra smiled once more. She would leave out the dirty details of Zethrox's crazy antics and his attempts to siphon Zahir's lands in the middle of the day, in the desert, for a pack of winter-coated wolves. There was still absolutely no sense in his actions, and Akihra made sure to remind him of that on a regular basis. "We are a pack about eight strong; we lost a mother and her pups to an animal attack not even a month ago, which decimated our numbers. However, we are a long-standing pack. My grandfather, Zethrox, was the alpha before me. I'm sure he would speak with you if you can tolerate his crazy rantings," she laughed, an amused sparkle in her eyes. Akihra seated herself, content with the atmosphere between the three wolves. She was not concerned; in a heartbeat, she could call the members of her pack to defend her, as she was sure they would come. There was no threat in her own territory from a small, barely existing pack. Maybe this situation can mutually benefit us, she thought. "I do have one question for you. How many wolves call your pack lands home?" For some reason, the femme had the feeling that Toiro and Kastiel were either the only members of their pack, or two of maybe three to five members. Either way, their pack lands had to be suffering with them both away. If and when Toiro or Kastiel confirmed her suspicions, she would feel obligated to warn them of the dangers of leaving lands unoccupied for even the shortest periods of time. After all, with what Zethrox did, they were lucky he was not gallivanting across the countryside to steal their pack lands as she spoke. With him safely in the dens with his daughter, she knew that was not a possibility, thank goodness. The last thing we need is yet another angry neighbor.

[seadragoness]

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[bg=000000][atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff153/Lumarinam/kastiel-background.png] Kastiel stood by his idea of falling silent, as his Alpha took up the roll of speaking. Clearly he knew what he wanted to say and well he gave a little more than he should have Kastiel knew also that it wasn’t his place to protest. The female before them welcomed them to Kamari, and Kastiel let a soft smile cross his lips. It was hard not to feel a little edgy on the verge of another’s territory. They made the rules here and they could easily overpower himself and his leader with sheer numbers, of the pack had any more than two in it. Not to mention they had already been gone from their pack longer then he would have liked. There was no saying what may have become of their territory well they were gone. What if something happened and all this came to nothing? He had an urgency in his gut, to turn and race towards home, but he bit it down. For now – there was nothing they could do. Akihra had all of Kastiel’s attention once she began to speak about the packs around them – this was valuable information. There was not a great deal of packs on Anikira – very useful to know. She spoke about how many where on their land, and Kastiel’s eyes fell upon her, trying to read her. What did she want this information for? How many did she herself command? Kastiel breathed softly, and thought about how many there had been when they had left. Spirit, Hazel, Val, and another male – he couldn’t remember the name, whom he had accepted into the pack of the eve of their leaving. Include Kastiel and that was five. What that enough to hold up a resistance against any that came calling with victory in their minds? He turned to Torio, leaving to his alpha to decide if they should give away this information or now. Kastiel would have left – in truth their pack was really very small.

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[Toiro]

Toiro smiled warmly at the alphess, seeing that she seemed to be more relaxed about their presence in her lands. They really weren’t much of a threat – he didn’t know how much experience Kastiel had in fighting but Toiro was certainly not the best. The atmosphere was much calmer now, so they would be able to have a good chat.

After his little introductory speech, Kastiel had become silent and allowed Toiro to take over the talking. He was glad that his friend hadn’t reprimanded him for showing this stranger their weakness. Although the beta was sometimes a bit overprotective, Toiro knew that he was only doing what was best for the pack. Toiro needed his guidance, as he was still very young and inexperienced.

He dipped his head as he listened to Akihra’s explanation. It seemed that their journey would not take as long as he had anticipated. If there was only one more pack to visit, he and Kastiel would be back in no time. And it was good that the alphas were all fairly new to their job, although he suspected that Auden and Akihra had been trained to be alphas from a very young age.

Toiro’s eyebrows arched in admiration. Haishin must have been huge. He hoped that one day Airila would grow to be just as prosperous.
When the alphess began to speak about Zethrox, the corner of Toiro’s mouth twitched up in a wry smile. “Oh, I’m sure I could manage. After all, I have to put up with Kastiel here all the time. Surely your grandfather couldn’t be much worse!” He nudged his friend playfully, the twinkle in his eyes showing that his words were nothing more than a silly joke.

Akihra’s next words turned his attention back to her. So she wanted to know more about their pack’s situation? Well, he supposed that was fair enough, considering she’d just told them about hers. “When we left, there were six members including myself and Kastiel. Most of them had only recently been accepted so I’m not sure if they’re all going to stick around. New members often break away if the pack isn’t what they expected. However, I have faith in the wolves of Airila. I trust them to keep our territory safe while we are away.”

He smiled nervously as he tried to build up courage for what he was about to say.
“As you can see, Airila is quite small and not the strongest pack. We… we need support to be sucessful. To survive. If we did get our pack up and running, I’m sure we would be able to find a way to pay you back some day, but right now… we need help. Perhaps you would consider forming an alliance with us?”


.

[akihra]

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[atrb=background,http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/3046/kiratablemid.png][atrb=width,450,true] Akihra listened as the alpha brute spoke jokingly about his beta, then went on to tell her that she must have been trained to be an alphess from a young age. The femme could not bring herself to explain the true situation; many of the wolves in Anikira were familiar with Ardemu's name and would be for quite some time. To be linked to him in any way would be detrimental to her position as an alpha and possibly ruin prospective friendships between the pack. The blood ties were worse than just having some association with him; she was forever carrying a little bit of him around with her. She wished she had been raised in her grandfather's pack. It would have been so much easier to know that this was the direction her life would go at a young age, and to have learned from Zethrox just how a pack was supposed to be run. But she was just as new to this, if not newer than Toiro, as she has simply taken the pack while her grandfather was down. It was so difficult for her to understand exactly what needed to be done and how, but she was doing her best to pick up where Zethrox had been starting to fail. "I only inquire as to your numbers to make sure your pack lands are well guarded. I would not want to keep you long if you are needed back home," she explained quickly, noticing how Kastiel had seemed uncomfortable with that question. While Toiro had proceeded to respond, she got the impression that his beta was a bit more acclimated to a position of leadership. This is so different... I hate being away from Sariya. I can't lose another daughter, she fretted. Aneysa's passing had been taxing on the female, and she was still recovering from the trauma. Now that she had had to leave Sariya behind to respond to the alpha and his beta, she could do nothing but worry. "An alliance would be beneficial for us. We have had a bit of a falling out with Zahir," she winced at the memory once more, "and I feel it would be to our benefit to align ourselves with Airila." She did not explain thoroughly what she was referring to; after all, it was the sole reason she was not in control of the pack. The issue with Zahir had been shameful to Haishin, and while Akihra was sure they would eventually hear about her grandfather's stupidity, she wanted to make sure that their first impression would not be soured by it. She intended to make this alliance be an asset to the pack, not to hinder it by having them look down on Haishin, all at Zethrox's expense.

[seadragoness]

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[bg=000000][atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff153/Lumarinam/kastiel-background.png] Kastiel knew that what ever decision Toiro made, he would stick by it. He had begun to believe it for so long now, and there had never been a moment of doubt. He would serve as Torio’s better until he was old and another was appointed, or so he hoped. The idea that he might fail Toiro in some way, or that something may happen to the pack was unbearable. His want to remain beta until he was old was less selfish then it sounded – he wanted to do the best by Airila and it’s Alpha. Kastiel was no ambitious, and he would have laughed at the idea he may be more use to leading. He had never lead in his life, but for leading his sister through her hardships. His sister... Remembering Dust left a bitter, sad taste in his mouth. Why had she not crossed his mind until now? It was almost as through he was getting along with his life, giving up hope that she might still be out there and that he may well find her one day. Of course he would find her! Of course he would... The alpha was quick to assure Toiro and Kastiel that she only inquired to there numbers to ensure the pack had at least a little bit of protection well their leaders where away. Kastiel was still reluctant to have left the pack and was eager to return to it and ensure that everyone was still okay. his eyes flicked to his Alpha, knowing the other would wish to approach the other pack before entertaining the idea of returning home. At least a part of there mission as coming off as success. The Alphena of this pack liked the idea of aligning the two packs in friendship. She was new to leadership, and making new allies to go with the changes was a wise idea – it seemed that he had Toiro had entered this pack at the right time. Certainly he liked the idea of this strong Alphena and her pack being on their side, rather then being against them.

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[Toiro]

Toiro bent his head, somewhat embarrassed by his open display of weakness. He was scared that the alphess would just laugh in his face and refuse to have any connection with the weak and useless pack. But when Akihra spoke, it almost sounded like she thought it was the other way around.
The shadow of a frown flickered at the corner of Toiro’s mouth as Akihra explained that they’d had a falling out with the pack of Zahir. Hopefully this didn’t mean that Zahir’s new alpha was looking to cause trouble. But Airila was a long way away – surely this new alpha wouldn’t bother travelling half way across the continent to steal their land for his pack. Anyway, he’d heard that the pack of Zahir resided in the Ocassus. The icy cold mountains of Shyia wouldn’t make a very hospitable environment for a pack used to the heat of the desert. It didn’t occur to him that Haishin might have been the pack that had started the trouble. Their leader seemed so nice.

Toiro’s eyes lifted up to meet Akihra’s.
“Thank you, Alphess Akihra. We really do appreciate it. But hopefully we won’t be helping each other too much in the future” He grinned jokingly. Neither of the packs were in any real danger at the moment, so he regarded this new alliance as more of a safety net than anything else. He hoped that it would stay that way.

He started pawed at the ground awkwardly in the long silence after his last words.
“Well then…” Toiro began reluctantly “I guess we should be heading on… Would you mind if we passed through your territory on our way to Zahir?”
After hearing about Haishin’s trouble with Zahir, he was a little nervous about entering their lands, but he still wanted to visit them. Then after that, if everything went smoothly, he and Kastiel would be able to head back home to Airila.


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[akihra]

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[atrb=background,http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/3046/kiratablemid.png][atrb=width,450,true] ((OOC: Totally sorry about this. It got buried in the board and I forgot x.x MY BAD.)) The alphess watched the brutes' mannerisms closely. They both seemed sincere in their dealings, and the femme had absolutely no reason to question their motives. Why would she reject their request to travel across Kamari? "I see no problem in that, Alpha Toiro," she reassured him with a smile. "So long as nothing is disturbed in my territory, we have no issues at all. I wish you luck in your travels and hope that you are successful in the remainder of your journey." The femme needed to get back to her family, but she was trying her darndest not to look too eager to get away from the males. She did not trust leaving Sariya alone for long stretches of time, even under her great grandfather's watchful eye. Zethrox had been slipping up more and more lately, and she was not going to sit around and let him cause harm to her daughter as a result. Sure enough, the howl of a young pup, which Akihra immediately identified as her daughter, cut across the terrain, and she felt her heart turn icy and her blood run cold. Shooting a frantic look at the pair, she stumbled hurriedly through her next words. "I apologize for taking off in such a manner, but that was my daughter. I do not know what sorts of trouble she has managed to get into, but I don't like that she is wandering by herself. Travel safely, brothers, and good luck." With that out, the femme darted across the territory, her paws flying across the earth with speeds that she might previously have considered unimaginable. Akihra disappeared from the brutes' view in a matter of seconds in a streaked blur of peppered fur. There was nothing that would stop her from getting to her daughter, and if even the slightest piece of fur was damaged on Sariya, there would be hell to pay back in the dens. I should have known better, she berated herself, her mind racing dangerously ahead of her as she struggled to reach her wandering daughter.

[seadragoness]

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[bg=000000][atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff153/Lumarinam/kastiel-background.png] Kastiel sat silent beside his Alpha, letting the two leaders do all the talking. He saw no reason to call his Alphena a threat, and so he found himself relaxing ever so slightly. His cautious ears listening to their surroundings, paying more attention to what was around them now that who was before them had been identified and assessed. It was strongly built into him, the urge to defend others and his own natural caution. The meeting seemed to be coming to a close now, and well Kastiel had found it interesting to meet his Alphena and learn the information she had bestowed upon them, he was grateful that they would be moving on now. He was weary about leaving there territory and pack mates for so long, and eager to return. He was afraid that something may happen to them, or they may simply fall apart and leave without Toiro there to watch over them. “Thank you for your kindness Akihra, and I promise you we will not hunt on your territory, or remain any longer then is necessary” Kastiel promised the other politely, even as he spoke however the howl of a youngin caught the air. He wouldn’t have necessarily called the sound panicked or in danger, but the female turned them, and he could see the agitation, the need to move within her eyes. She spoke quickly, her words giving him understanding to her hast, as her paws took the earth and she left them standing there. He admired her for that, maybe there was a streak of an over-protective nature shown here in a mother, but he admired how adamant she was – nothing would harm her daughter for as long as she lived, he did not doubt this. “After you, Toiro” Turning his attention back to his alpha, he indicated with his head that they should depart.

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