Stone Circle clach-thalmhainn

Checking out the borders.

Wind swept, the shadowrunner gives pause at the freshly marked borders. Piercing eyes of champagne, he hums softly, the sound more a curious growl than anything else. The vale was important to him--that much he knew, as he found himself returning more often then not, despite the grumblings of his part-time travel companion, @Viinturuth. He was uncertain where the whitewalker had strayed to, but was assured it was likely with their charge, perhaps exploring other aspects of the valley.

The valley Akavir was determined to call home, in one fashion or another. Yet this... This claim posed a potential problem, and so the stocky male slowly reclined back to his haunches, the silver fur that patterned his nape the only movement in the warm summer wind.

The last thing the Mayfair sought was trouble, and so he waited. Neighbors didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Taktuq did her rounds.

Having stood sentry on the stones for the better half of the morning, she had descended and struck out towards Pando Clone Forest — Prisnalund, as her new companions called it. In her heart these lands would always hold the names her ancestors had given them, even if her tongue spake different.

She wove through the trees, thinking of many things. Sanja and her children. Ethan and the ones she would soon bear. Life came to Stone Circle again, but at what cost? Sanja clung to life by a thread as thin as a cobweb. Would Ethan be the same? And what about their numbers? Would they hold fast through winter, once children outnumbered the teeth to provide?

Taktuq spotted the man on the edge of the meadow, still rife with summer flowers. Strong, and dark, like Valette had been - only this one, handsomely so.

She made her way towards him, dispelling her worries. Fear still gripped her whenever she came here. The feeling of teeth at her hocks. The sound of them driving her from Easthollow.

Hello, he stood much different than her. Stoic, and perfectly still. She offered him a warm smile, her movements gracious, but seeking to speak authority. This was her land, and if he sought trouble, she would not stand idly by, you have an odd way of seeking audience, a quiet observation, more than a judgment, What leads you to Kvarsheim, taarujuttuk?

A woman draped in silver found him—his gaze skimming over her openly and without a hint to his thoughts. It seemed their borders were well maintained, and he felt a stir of relief at the friendly introduction. At least, friendly for the moment.

He considered her words, tempted to brush past them. Instead, Akavir shifted his weight, canting his muzzle lightly as he broke his still posture.

“Testing how well maintained your borders are,” he responded candidly, his shoulders lifting in a shrug before the ghost of a smile skirted across his features. “Not for unsavory intentions, promise,” he mused, head tipping down a notch to offer his respect. “Just getting an idea of what potential neighbors could be like.”

How candid, in his approach. His honesty unnerved her - and yet, she appreciated it. Better to know his intentions now, and to know him a wolf of no-nonsense, than to find out later he meant trouble for them.

You are bold, too, she mused aloud, a thin smile spreading over her lips. She still could not tell what his intentions were, even if he promised they were of no ill-intent. He seemed self-controlled and well composed. More words were needed to discern the heart behind his thoughts.

You are thinking of settling nearby? her gaze shifted to the space behind him, but she saw no others with him, nor did she feel their presence. Which land has your heart chosen? she knew these things could not be stopped. Had she not returned to Stone Circle because her own heart sang for these hills? But she could have a hand in the way they took to one another, as neighbours in this land.

Camping and phone post. Oof.

The smile on her pretty features didn’t necessarily indicate amusement, and he found the corner of his own muzzle quirk up. Bold or honest?

Her question was fair enough, but it elicited a shrug from the shadowrunner. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to reveal his hand, so to speak. Just that he hadn’t solidified plans. Rising Sun Valley, he offered knowing it was the place he longed for most. After all, his last fresh start hadn’t exactly gone to plan. 

Ibis dying had never been part of the plan. 

The rumble of his throat was more than careful thought, and he swallowed, smoothing the flash of grief with a more forced smile. But winter is coming. And… he allowed his champagne eyes to drift past her and to the terrain she had claimed. I’m keen to keep my siblings safe, if need be. Though who knew where they were in this very moment. Likely with Viinturuth, still exploring the nearby areas. 

Are you opposed to members who may eventually start a claim of their own elsewhere?

no worries!! haha I'm posting on a bus xD

She did smile at that. I appreciate both, she said, with a little huff of a laugh.

His answer was... less than satisfying, and perhaps this showed in the subtle pinch of her brow. Too vague an answer. There were many places around Stone Circle, but his presence here made her wonder... which place had really caught his eye?

This much he did not reveal. Only shrugged, and rumbled, in a peculiar manner, in a way that resonated with her - though she could not pinpoint why. She only knew it made her uncomfortable, and not because of anything he had done.

But he remained composed, and she did, too, even when his eyes drifted to survey the land behind her. Taktuq found herself shifting to put herself in the way of the landscape, as though even the rake of his eyes across the land was a means of intrusion.

Yet she understood his burden.

Winter is hard. If you intend for peace, Kvarsheim welcomes you as neighbours. Packmates, even, if you do not find refuge before the snows, or so she assumed - but Sanja was not here to say any different, I understand the want to protect and provide for kin. I give you blessing in finding land. Perhaps we might even find allies in each other, yours and us. But we have also had cruel packs settle in these Wilds. They are gone now, but if you intend to bring cruelty here, we will not stand by and watch, resolute, despite the kindness of her eyes. She did not wish to scare him - but she did intend for her message to deliver, and so protect the kin under her own care.

The pinch in her pretty countenance was not missed, but it was also not dwelled upon. He could not offer more detail only because his plans were not yet set in motion. While he took in the sight of the land behind her at first, his gaze darted to hers when she subtly shifted, her own eyes seeming to follow his with a grimness he found oddly endearing.

Endearing also was the veiled threat she placed upon him—and Akavir knew, then, that either as pack mates or neighbors, this pack was of great interest to him. “I’m getting older,” he offered her, the briefest flicker of amusement gracing his features. “I’ve no interest in cruelty, mischief or mayhem.”

And then, for the sake of revealing good intentions, his muzzle dipped lightly. “I’m Akavir Frostfur.” Because being on first name terms couldn't be a bad thing, could it?

He seemed honest in his words, his expressions, though subtle, in the ways he chose to hold himself. Being older did a great deal to soothe her fears. Boys were often reckless. Men could be smooth, but at least their unpredictability had often worn off.

Taktuq knew any mistrust she held against this one was still a repercussion of what the wolves of Ursus had done to her. But not every man who loved her valley was a man of Ursus. Not every stranger was meant to be one forever.

Taktuq Ateneq of Kvarsheim, she offered in return, Akavir Frostfur, she tried his name, letting her accent feel the words, it is different than ones I have heard. Where are you and yours from? He had spoken of siblings, after all. Is it long you have travelled?

Taktuq—a name that reminded him greatly of the stories his father would talk about when he discussed his days of Tartok. It held a certain distinction of tongue, but not one he was familiar with, despite with being fluent in a few other languages.

“My siblings are from outside Teekon,” he clarified, and with her question, it seemed she was inadvertently looking to pin down his interest in Rising Sun Valley. “I was born in Swiftcurrent Creek, though,” he finally offered, a ghost of a smile flickering across his lips. “My father and mother were both born in Teekon as well, but reside outside of it now, trying to keep a quiet reign over a small pack.”

He paused, deciding the question was worth returning. “And you?”

Oh! she perked at his mention of Swiftcurrent Creek, I have been there!

She felt a sense of commonality in his narrative. Both of a life she had and one she wondered if she might have had, if the cougar had not come and ended her family’s idyllic hopes.

Akavir had paused when he finished his tale, Taktuq paused before she began.

I too was born in these Wilds, she offered, here, actually, though we were called Easthollow then. She felt strange to be sharing these things with Akavir, though she reasoned he was like any other stranger she had shared these memories of her life with before. My father was not born here, but my mother was. She is buried beneath the stones at the heart of our land. I have only just returned, her face felt warm when she spoke of these things, and she quickly added, They sound a lovely family though — you and your own, I mean. I would one day like to be remembered for keeping quiet care of my family and kin.

“Easthollow sounds vaguely familiar,” he noted, consideration flickering in his gaze. He recalled them as neighbors—stemming, primarily, from a large party he had attended with his father for many of the packs nearby in the area. But he had never known or met them personally.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” he also offered, again, feeling a certain weight fall upon him in that moment. Durnehviir was up in the years, and yet she was still producing—Akavir certainly had his share of siblings and family. But it was her next words that pulled a sort of sad smile to his features—one he wished he could avoid. This topic always had a way of coming about—of hearth, and home.

His dead wife, and his failed children. All he could do now was ensure the Frostfur-Mayfair legacy had a safe harbor across the lands… and one in Teekon Wilds to reside, should any of them come. “Kvarsheim,” he repeated after her, now, steering the conversation away from family as best he could. “I'll be sure to keep you informed of the events of my possible claim,” he offered then, standing up once more. He had stolen enough of the woman's time, it seemed, and with careful pleasantries aside, Akavir was gone once more.