Ankyra Sound my sensible heart

All welcome. For her Outrider trader.

Before setting out toward Duskfire Glacier, Kaskara wanted to visit Junior and see how she was doing. Last she had heard from Blue Willow, the girl was living with a band of women on Sequoia Coast, and that was where she headed first. Instead of going south around the mountains, she traveled north and west of them in search of the coast. It took three days to reach the coast, which was much shorter than last time, and she was glad for trying this new way. It meant a shorter return trip, too.

Kaskara could smell the scent of a pack as she came upon the giant sequoia trees along the cliffs, and stopped well short of it. She didn't want to trespass or create any tension between this new pack and her own, especially considering Scimitar's heart was set upon leaving the creek and they needed all avenues open at the moment. Kas seated herself a few yards from the border and called for someone to come speak with her, not knowing the name of the pack or its leaders, and settled down to wait.

My Sensible Heart - City and Colour

Since Caiaphas and Greyjoy had been made aware of a coyote's intrusion, Caiaphas had been twice as vigilant. With Psamathe departed and the bulk of Aktaie's time consumed by rituals, Caiaphas felt it was her duty to expend as much energy as possible securing the borders. She felt slightly, if not doubly, guilty about her excursions outside of the Sound -- it seemed almost wrong of her to leave given their recent Sister's return to Themiscyra.

It was then as she was squatting over a large sequoia root that she first heard the call -- and immediately she straightened form and struck off towards the source of the sound. She emerged between two large boughs of fallen sequoia in time to see a dark female figure -- and somewhat assertively she closed the distance between them. Her muzzle, held much higher than her normal posture, was wrought with a slight scowl. "Speak of your intentions, stranger -- before others intercept you." Her tone was soft despite the thickness of her voice -- and while she was not aggressive, her defensive posture had yet to relent.

She didn't wait long for another to arrive. Kaskara lowered her stance, making sure her ears and tail were relaxed, as the other approached. Conflict was the farthest thing from her mind right now. "I came looking for a member of your pack," she replied, glancing at the wolf before averting her eyes again. She wanted no issues today. "Her name is Junior. Her aunt told me she lived here, on the coast, and I believe she must be with you. I can smell her, though it's faint."

Kas wondered if Junior was alright, or if she had just gone off for a few days. She was known to be fickle; Kas just hoped that tendency wouldn't get her hurt one day. "My name is Kaskara, from the pack near Swiftcurrent Creek. I'm her friend." Whether or not the woman chose to believe her was another matter, but Kas hoped that her neutral yet submissive stance and honest words would break the ice.

Caiaphas' posture remained stonily vigilant, despite the drop in posture in Kaskara's own. She watched with feigned indifference as the female drew herself up to speak -- and there was no flicker of recognition in her gaze as the female spoke of Junior.

It was ironic - Caiaphas had only visited the youth a few days prior. Their exchange had been short and there was no trace of Junior on her pelt, nor trace of her along the strand any longer. Caiaphas wondered exactly what compelled the female to venture from her home to find the dark furred female -- and it was then she noticed that Kaskara possessed two different eye colors, a trait she had observed in Junior as well. Kaskara mentioned she was her friend -- and wondered if the relation went any deeper than that.

"Are you not a relative?" She inquired lowly, a wave of her tail given. She did not have any outstanding loyalty for the barely-known female -- but she was not about to give information so freely. Certainly not without some sort of barter involved.

"Not by blood," she confessed. Though she had never said it aloud or truly ever thought of it Junior was like a little sister to her, and she felt protective of the girl even after no longer living in the same pack. "I see her as a younger sister and a trainee. I've been helping her with her Outrider skills for some time." Not that they had much chance to work on it, but it was easier before. This trip would be hard, but if Junior no longer lived here,.

"Like I said, I visited her aunt and she told me Junior was here, living with a group of women along the coast. I know Stavanger Bay, so I followed the scents here." It was an honest and innocent enough explanation, though perhaps not the entire truth behind her visit. "I also came, as an Outrider for my own pack, to learn general information about your pack." Kaskara didn't want the woman to think she was spying, which was not her intention, so followed that up with a quick question. "What is the pack called? Nobody could seem to tell me."

Caiaphas listened with a blank expression, though her eyes seemed strained as if she were just barely enduring the female's verbose reply. She canted her muzzle to the side, as she was often wont to do -- and it lent her a most uncanny and bird-like aspect.

"That's fascinating." She replied curly, her voice suggesting it was anything but. "But she doesn't live with us." She leaned forward, uncomfortably close -- with her eyes wide and calculating. "Likely a shark got her, or she drowned." She shrugged her shoulders as if uncaring, and swiftly changed the subject as if it were of little concern to her.

"Nobody could tell you because only the privileged know it. We are the Nereides." Her voice was cold now, almost monotonous -- for she did not wish to expose her pack blindly to any wolf that came asking. She knew the power of words and even more-so knew how quickly news traveled. "There is a large fleet of us settled in the Sound. We do not wish to be bothered and intruders will be killed." The way she spoke made it sound as if the fleet was massive -- a slight lie. She did not want wolves to know their congregation was small, nor did she wish for them to believe the Nereides weak. "Anything else?" Her final question seemed almost cordial, were it not for the sharpness behind her astringent gaze.

Kaskara watched the female carefully, sure she was lying. Junior wouldn't be stupid enough to let anything kill her, be it a shark - whatever that was - or water. The river had tried to drown her before and the girl had bested it then. Why would now be any different? Kas had a feeling the two-toned wolf was simply toying with her, trying to get her to leave. Well, she probably would soon, if this bitch was going to continue acting like she had better things to do with her time.

Nereides. The Sound. Kaskara narrowed her own eyes at the woman, wondering which was the true name of the group. "This place is called just 'the sound'?" she asked, disbelief barely concealed behind her neutrally polite words. Intruders will be killed and they didn't want to be bothered. Got it. Kaskara looked at the female, wondering if she was crazy or just delusional, and then asked simply, "What is your alpha's name?"

Caiaphas could tell Kaskara did not believe her -- nor trust her. It was there in her eyes, shielded and steeled by skepticism. It bled in her posture -- and Caiaphas, for a moment, almost thought she could taste it thick and heavy on her sharp tongue. She did not believe her, but Junior was gone and that much was the truth.

She smiled sweetly. A bizarre smile. Her blackened gums moist and flecked with detritus, filth, the teeth yellowed and savage. The female did not trust Caiaphas and Caiaphas did not trust her -- it was a most amusing situation.

"This is Ankyra Sound." She said simply, a sweep of a paw given to elucidate the claim the Nereides had staked over the strand. "And that .. that is not a question you are entitled an answer to." Her jaws clicked shut and the smile remained. Her eyes dark and hardened. She was not being forthright for a reason. It delighted her to be difficult -- and it just so happened Kaskara was unlucky enough to be at the receiving end of just another one of Caiaphas' disoriented and bizarre games.

Ankyra Sound. Good. At least she now had the name of the pack, plus the presumed name of the group living there, the Nereides. Kaskara watched the female carefully, eyes roving over her as respectfully as possible, though she could detect a hint of the woman's own distrust of her as she smiled and clicked her teeth together. Kas didn't care what she thought of her: she had received what she had come for, which as information about Junior and the pack that lived here.

However, the words that spilled forth form the woman's mouth when she asked what the alpha's name was brought forth a laugh in Kaskara. How could she be so stupid as to think that any wolf with half a brain would be satisfied with that answer? "So you'll reveal not only the name of this pack, but also the group that lives here, and presumably how 'large a fleet' you have, and yet not tell me your alpha's name?" Kaskara clucked her tongue as if chiding a child.

"You do not know much about diplomacy. I ask for the simple reason of giving that name to my alpha, so that she, Bazi of Swiftcurrent Creek, can decide what to do with the information." Kaskara deliberately chose to overlook the fact that the Creek was now led by her brother, and instead chose to pretend Bazi was the alpha. It wasn't far from the truth, at least. "Though you have bad manners, I hope your alpha does not. Hostile packs do not last long here, I assure you."

It was apparent Caiaphas had struck a chord with the female -- and this excited her. As Kaskara's words began to fill with scorn and derision, Caiaphas' countenance seemed to brighten -- and she leaned forwards with a crooked grin plastered across her ugly muzzle.

She waited for Kaskara's tirade to cease and the moment Kaskara fell silent she pulled herself upward, wrapping herself sinuously around Kaskara in a slippery circle -- her eyes prowling and her visage stormed with delight. "On the contrary, friend -- I know a great deal about diplomacy." Her ugly grin widened and she pulled closer with a hushed voice. "After all, diplomacy is just the continuation of war by other means." She cackled, aligning herself so that they were within kiss-or-kill distance. She could feel Kaskara's breath hot against her skull.

"Your alpha does not get to decide what to do with that information. Your alpha has few choices. We are here. She is there. Our names and our territory names do not matter -- what matters is that we are wolves, with teeth and claws and we will fight to defend it. Kill for it." The wicked smile disappeared and her expression morphed into one of darkened brutality. "Do you have any other questions, friend? Perhaps you want to test the limits of my diplomacy?"

Kaskara bit back the laughter that threatened to bubble up. This girl was ludicrous. She knew nothing about the ways of the world, it was obvious, and truly nothing about how diplomats and Outriders were supposed to operate. Kaskara didn't mind that this woman didn't want to divulge her alpha's name. At this point it didn't matter, since the woman seemed hell-bent on fighting her. Kas watched as the small hybrid moved closer, that nasty smile still stuck on her face, and waited for the right moment to make her move.

"Perhaps," she said noncommittally, purposefully not answering any of the girl's inane and frankly rhetorical questions. Then, with the graceful and fluid motion of a warrior, Kaskara stood to tower over the smaller wolf before her. There were times when she downplayed her strength and size, times when she shrunk into herself to appear normal. Having remained seated during their encounter, Kaskara had looked quite average for awhile. But as soon as she stood, Kaskara's dark body stood at least a head, if not two, taller than the wolf before her.

She did not move forward or make any other move except to simply stand. Her muscles rippled beneath her dark pelt. It was a display of power without showing force, a move her own father had taught her from a very young age. Kas blinked slowly, as if bored, and bowed her head to the other. "I thank you for your time," she said, her voice deep and calm. She was not afraid or nervous; Kaskara was simply finished here, and any other attempts at talking with this woman would only serve to test her patience, which didn't need testing at the moment.

"Enjoy your stay in the sound." With that she turned and began her trek across the sand, her ears forward yet trained upon the wolf behind her. If she made any move, she would be prepared.

Caiaphas was well accustomed to wolves towering over her -- so when Kaskara rose to her full height she was met with an impetuous and careless stare. Caiaphas was not, by nature, a physical being -- her strengths lied elsewhere. But this did not mean for a moment she was daunted by the black female's obvious physical prowess. If anything, the average-sized wolf's sudden shift of posture seemed to embolden Caiaphas.

Kaskara's subtle display of physical vigor was met with Caiaphas' own outlandish display of devious backbone -- her tail rose fluidly over her backside and she lifted her muzzle in a sovereign gesture of superiority. But Kaskara did nothing to elevate the tension -- and Caiaphas watched her shrewdly.

"Oh, bless your heart." She replied with a falsely cordial tone, rosy laughter just scarcely tinging her voice. Kaskara could try to play the passive-polite card, but Caiaphas was a master of connivance. "Do send Bazi and Swiftcurrent Creek our warmest wishes." She fluttered her eyelashes deceptively and watched as Kaskara strode to make her leave.

In a way, Caiaphas had gleaned more from the situation than Kaskara had -- and to this game, Caiaphas felt herself the victor.