Blacktail Deer Plateau you know everyone

the afternoon is painted a grey gloom, overcast skies that follow in the wake of a recent autumn rain storm that morning. ingram had bore the misting rains with a dutifulness expected of the dreadfather; patrolling and finding a rare moment of serenity in the chill that creeps along his spine.

it lingers still; though much lessened as his fur dries from wet to damp to moderately dry.

his steps are with the methodic march of one with clear and decisive purpose; seeking @Ash Paw. he cannot place the determined sense in which he seeks her though he brushes any further thought of it away as that since basilica had taken flight the two of them had not had as much time to talk, both busy with their own devices.

Ash Paw moved between the trees of the plateau. Small body flitting between shadows and raindrops.
A chill had settled upon the grounds. Coating her tiny paws in wetness and grime, but she continued. Fur placed along branches. Urine at tree bases.

A sound nearby and she lifted head to peer into the gloom. Soon he stepped from the gray like a ghost. Silvers and greys carribean blues.

She tilted downy head. A small tail wag.

Hello dreadfather.

their paths cross; finally.

ash paw, the dreadfather murmurs in greeting, offering a tilt of his head that could be described as gentlemanly...would it have came from any other but him.

the flit of his seaglass gaze is sharp; lingering before it is drawn away. a rustle of underbrush just outside the plateau's claim, lingering in what ingram has come to think of as no man's land. when assured it was just a small woodland critter scuttling it's way from roots to bark of the tree, his attention goes back to ash paw.

how are you settling into life as a druid? he asks first, giving a small pause. have you met the others?

Ash Waved her tail behind her and then continued on her journey. Marking the borders, finding the small littles niches that made up their home.

He stared at her for a moment in sharpness, though she didn't quite understand what he wanted here. But he quickly moved his attention else where, and she moved on. Eyes on the area ahead.

I like it here. And I Like my place, mostly. I of course want to rise up, but that can come with time. It does not good to rush things. Quicker to fall. I have met Laire, and death bring, yes. The latter, i'm not sure of. But the former has helped me gather herbs and plants. I find his company..mm satisfactory.

he does not recognize the name, at first, only for realization to dawn upon him moments later. syrax, the threadbones had rennamed the knight. a noncommital noise lingers in ingram's throat, following the soft, sage nod. at the term 'satisfactory' ingram offers a small, birdlike cant of his head borne of curiousity. how interesting, he thinks, to call someone's presence satisfactoy.

professional, almost. bizarre, definitely.

an interesting choice of words. ingram murmurs, but does not intend to pry further. it wasn't his business, truly.

i digress, he says in a lofty breath, eager to move onto why he'd sought her. as you were the first basilica recruit, you shall be the first to recieve your task to complete to move higher than the druid rank ...if you are ready for it.

Ash was not privy to the name change yet, but she'd be soon enough.

Ash Paw frowned. Is it? I dont consider friends easily. I like his presence nice enough. Would i call him a friend. Not yet.

She blinked and then nodded. Very well what is the task?

She wondered would he give her something that played to her strengths ofr forced her out of her comfort zone. It would be nice for it to be something, she could enjoy.

she brings up a valid point, one that has, admittedly, slipped ingram's mind. he had almost forgotten that their first meeting had been less than amicable and that both she and he bore the scars to remember it. he had almost been fooled by the easy sort of ...friendship... the two of them harbored now, hesitant as he was to call it that with any sort of certianty.

i suppose you must fight him first, a wily grin is given; smoky timbre teasing as it leaves his lips.

she gives him the impression that she is ready for her task and he takes a contemplative moment, thinking it best to play to her strengths. that was the goal, beyond proving they were ready for it: to hone their skills until they were sharpened blades — whatever skills those may be. find a flower that blooms in the autumn season and use it to decorate the alters. i should like to hold a festival soon. the flower petals will add color...but each flower must represent the god(s) whose alter you place it at.

for her gods, he assumes this might be an easy task. the challange, he hopes, might come from what flower and color best represents the multifaceted daedra. he is intrigued with what she might come up with.

Ash Paw forgot that on occasion as well. That they were not friends, but almost enemies at one time. She would not trade the way they had met, simply because it showed each how the other was. A closer look to their souls if you will. But she was glad that they were past that.

She chuckled. I only save the fighting for my best of friends. And when I want the measure of a wolf. A grin lit up her features.

She tilted calico downy head and listened. A flower for each god. She was trying to think of all the gods. There were so many. Atka and Sos would do well, She wasn't sure of all the facets of the daedra gods. 

Remind me which daedric gods/goddesses you have altars for and their line of divinity mm what they are the all supreme of?

She briefly thought she would also attempt to get flowers for Mars or Ares both gods who seemed to light a fire in the belly of Death Bringer. 

I also may have found a religion for Death Bringer, or at least brought him around to gods. You may want to speak with him. He seems interested mostly in gods of war, battle and courage.

so i see. murmurs the dreadfather; a rumbling noise that lingers in his throat for the barest of moments before it dissapates. for now, there are two altars, mine, though it goes unsaid, content to linger in the voidthoughts that consume him. a subtle shift of his weight. one for sithis and the unholy matron, the nightmother. for now, they are the main ones that ingram felt should be the forefront of worship. the other, lesser gods were of minor consequence, though that wasn't to say he wouldn't construct smaller altars for them in the future.

ingram does not tell her there is no wrong answer; that it is a task presented to play to her knowledge of flora and how she percieves each god in the form of a flower. telling her there was no wrong answer felt a bit like cheating.

all noble pursuits, murmurs the dreadfather; contemplative. i will speak with him. i believe i have just the gods. though 'gods' was a loose term; not entirely befitting of the commanders as he had stolen the lifeblood of one himself. his own mother.

edit. you get my 400th post! <3

Ash Paw smiled and the tweaked ears forward to listen to his words of daedra.

The night mother. She tried to recall that one and grasped miniscule amounts of information he had given her since the first meeting she would have to see if she could find the right way.

Ash Paw smiled. He asked me to trade knowledge he will teach me to defend myself. I realize I need to know more of that.

YAY! <3

the nightmother —

mis-matched gaze: lanterngold and starblue haunt him, flashing behind his closed eyelids. his nightwife. a yearning burns within him but he stifles it, chasing it away as his eyes open and his gaze re-focuses upon ash paw.

knowledge of gods? or knowledge of flora? ingram inquires, though in truth it does not much matter to him. that the deathbringer was taking any sort of interest was a good sign, as far as the dreadfather cared to see it.

there is no shortage of warriors to show you. or, if the deeds of the men he'd managed to corral ( his son not withstanding perhaps ) were not exaggerated. time would tell on that matter for soon they would be sought with their own tasks.

Ash Paw wondered at his silence and his eye close, but she said nothing. Realizing there was much she didn't know about her leader, and friend. But it was how he liked it. Mysterious, of the void. There was no need to ruminate on things she didn't' understand, or want to know.

Gods. Not many like flora as I do. She smiled, though it was slightly sharp edged. They also didn't know what she could do with her florals either.

Ash Paw smiled. I realized recently that I maybe the smallest as of right now. And I need to make up for that in someway other than healing. So, I should learn to defend myself so the others are not watching out for me. Not that they would. I don't know, but you understand yes.

She frowned remembering Meadow. A healer came to our borders, not realizing we are here. She and I got to speaking of plants. She has some that I Don't have, that i would like and vice versa. We agreed to a trade of sorts. Her pack is Epoch, a pack of knowledge and learning.

i feel as if the knowledge to cultivate and harvest flora is a talent awarded to few. though he might've been interested in the posionous of plants it was true his approach towards his enemies tended to be much more direct. he didn't need to hide behind poisons. not when his teeth could do the job just fine.

she speaks of being the smallest, of not wanting the stronger, bigger wolves of basilica to 'look out' for her. though not looking out for her went against ingram's idea of community and though the desire to tell her that small isn't always a weakness, he does not.

he would not dampen her desire to learn more than what she knows. knowledge was, after all, power.

i see, hums ingram. though he is more interested in favors being owed to them than an even trade of sorts...he does not chide her. there was no harm in her trading medicines with a neighboring healer. a darker side of him wonders how she can be a healer if she is so nose blind that she did not smell their borders until she was on top of them ( at least, this is what he assumes with no context to tell him otherwise, imagination left to run wild ) but he does not say this either. as long as you are benefiting from the trade.

Ash Paw dipped her head. There was no denying that. A part of her wanted to deny it, but it was foolish to do so. When she also knew the truth of it. Many healers, their knowledge was passed down through years of trial and error, and it would be a great injustice to mistakenly not make that known. To deny the truth of what you were and your family was.

Ash Paw was aware that her size was not a weakness in some senses. She could slip in and out of places that other's could not. She was also easily looked upon as not dangerous or not intimidating. When she could use that against others, but she didn't normally like to think that way.

She nodded. Thus far I am. She does not seem to know as much as I. Not that this is a bad thing. Everyone starts somewhere.

while i do not disagree with that, ingram begins, thinking through his words carefully; approaching her as nightking now and less of a friend, less of a confidant. it is important to not give more than you receive. i do not want wolves, loners or from packs, to think we are a charity. because they would be in for a rude reckoning when ingram came knocking to collect. he wasn't shy about adding interest, either.

while i might find it thrilling to be the bearer of bad news upon neighbors doorstep by demanding adequate payment for your skills, it is not a good look for such a fledging pack. nevertheless, the name epoch is tucked away.

perhaps, soon, he might pay them a visit.

Ash Paw listened closely to him. Her blue eyes upon his face, reading his expressions, though she quickly remembered her place and turned her eyes away. She needed to remember they were not of equal standing they were no a leader and a subordinate.

Ash Paw gave a chuckle at her words. Eyes dancing for a moment. Though that  would be amusing. You are correct. Probably not the best way to make friends or show ourselves. I will get proper compensation. She has access to plants i do not and vice versa. She also needs my  expertise on motherhood and suppressing heat. So in this there is an unbalance of power, with it being in my favor.

She felt a little guilty talking in such a way, but she meant nothing by it. It was simply the truth.

indeed not, murmurs the dreadfather, a ghosting smile of amusement tugging playfully at the corners of his scarred lips. still, it painted an interesting picture nonetheless. a part of him — a large part — was morbidly tempted but the diplomat within ingram ( a funny thing, that! ) tells him to stay this. trouble was not what they needed, nor truly what he desires for basilica.

good. he is pleased to know that she holds more over the epochian woman than the other holds over her. i shall make a trip to visit our neighbors, soon. he informs her, letting her in on the secret before the others, of whom would come to know in time. he would dream of leaving the borders without informing his wolves of his trip. perhaps, even, he might take syrax or the deathbringer with him as one of their tasks.

well, i shall not keep you. he drawls, sure that she has things to get back to. he has his own things to tend to, though is always willing to spare time for those beneath his rule.