@Arashi here's our patrol thread! Maybe they can meet
@Jaganatha? *eyes* any joiners, please allow Arashi to post first! <3
Like Sakari, Arashi had returned empty-handed.
This made Fury worry further about her children, though she did her best to hide the stress for the sake of the pack.
Calling for Arashi, she would ask him upon his arrival
"Will you patrol with me?"
He came swift, a curt declination of his muzzle eagerly presented before the Warchief. This was the first he'd seen of the pale maiden since the departure for the whelp hunt.
I follow where you lead.
The hound answered, not a second of hesitation to be detected.
This would allow them both a chance to see the growth of their territory, as well as time to catch up.
A call rang out across the Hinterlands - unfamiliar, and yet haunting in its familiarity... Jaganatha had always been an early riser, so it was no shock to him to hear such banshee cries in the night... but something about this one in particular stuck out to him. As he moved through the darkness, his form was almost serpentine, though there was the tell-tale hitch of age within the otherwise slinking formation of his body across the landscape
By the time he arrived at the apparent intended rendezvous, there were already a pair of wolves waiting there. A smug sneer spread across his face as he stepped, proud and wholly unapologetic, into their limelight and appraised each of them with his grotesquely yellow gaze. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything... important," Jaganatha practically purred as he looked between the two strangers. "Where does the shepherd intend to lead this little lamb?"
Fury nodded to Arashi, intending to lead the way between them both as he accepted her invitation.
But, the duo quickly became a trio.
Fury's immediate response to the aged man was a raise of her hackles and bared teeth in warning, but a quick sniff of the ir wafting from him told her he was of Vex's pack.
Ally, not enemy.
The teeth she readily unsheathed were put away and her hackles smoothed as she looked over the older man.
"You smell of Vex. We are allies, then. My name is Fury, I am the Queen and Warchief of The Saints. This is Arashi, one of my soldiers." She analyzed and then introduced with a brief dip of her muzzle, to be polite.
Her tail remained high over her hips.
With a loose gesture, she would invite the older wolf to walk with them, taking a few strides forward before looking back to the greying man, firegold eyes further extending the offer by doing so.
They walked on, alone — but only for a few short minutes.
A grayed wolf joined them, one Fury claimed to show familiarity. Nonetheless, Arashi was tense as ever, just as he had been when they found Kynareth. Scathing, cautious, and full of doubt. None would see him at ease until the stranger was better known.
At the time that the pale woman introduced them both, the hound offered only a small, deep grunt by means of a "hello". Surely, that would suffice.
Fury had already begun to assume continuation of their patrol, barely allowing an opportunity for Arashi to get a good view of their "ally". There would be later time, he hoped. But for now, he was here to look out for his Warchief and aid in the patrol.
Jaganatha met the woman's initial seething fury with an air of cockytail calm, standing tall and unwavering in the face of her snarl. Quickly, however, she seemed to relax and she spoke of his daughter. Briefly, surprise colored his scarred features, before they finally settled into a proud yet vile grin.
"I should hope I smell of her - she is my daughter... I have only recently come to find her, but I am glad to see she has been busy making... allies," he chuckled, obliging her request for him to join their patrol.
He took up a place at the heavily scarred dame's right shoulder, acknowledging the man called Arashi with only a passing glance at first.
"I am called Jaganatha. My time for ruling in the forefront has long since passed - and Vex proves more and more that she is worthy of bearing the mantle of my heir apparent... Tell me of your Saints, @Fury - you have piqued my curiosity, admittedly, and I find myself itching to learn who my daughter has allied her Dominion with."
Fury prowled forward once they were all ready, sniffing the trees and underbrush while listening to Jaganatha, before the graying man wanted to know more of The Saints.
The Warqueen looked to Arashi for a moment to gauge her soldier's reactions before she spoke.
"We are militaristic, based around skill in combat. However, at the moment my goal is to raise my children and provide them with a safe home before I focus more actively upon gaining numbers." She explained, though she was ready for more questions, should Vex's father want more information than that.
Unless specifically addressed, or if I randomly decide to add something in, feel free to skip over Arashi from here on. I have been a bit slow to reply lately and I don't want to hold things up too much.
Arashi was skimmed over.
It was an often occurance, but not one he minded in the least. Silence suited him best. He was a soldier — a samurai. It was his way.
Following close by Fury's flank, he listened to the ongoing conversation. There was little interest, save a few mentions of alliance and pack details.
Occasionally, the dark hound parted a short distance, finding some old markings to make fresh.
Then, on they walked.
Fury spoke with an impressive sense of self-assuredness, and Jaganatha found himself nodding appreciatively as she spoke of her pack and her plans. He could understand her position - though growing the pack was important, it was more important to ensure your broods position.
"One must have good soil to plant roots - I can appreciate that, most surely... There's no sense in building your empire if the foundation is destined to crumble," he chuckled, rolling his shoulders as if to shrug off old memories.
"It seems my daughter has chosen a wise ally."
(So sorry for the hold up
@Fury!)
(No worries! <3)
The Warchief nodded in agreement with Jaganatha's words. It was true, the foundation needed to be strong for building an empire, otherwise it was all for naught.
"I believe Vex and I have similar mindsets. She herself is strategic, wise in her own right, from my point of view." Fury responded. It was the truth, in her mind, and not simple flattery.
"She and I sparred not too long ago. As a visual lesson for my daughter. It allowed me to see at least some of her wit." She explained. Who had won that spar wasn't important at the moment, though she would give that information if asked.