Ankyra Sound engine of chaos

He had been unable to locate his sister's attacker, nor the screeching man-child Hydra had requested he hunt down. Eventually, he had simply wandered off without the intent to locate either and had stayed on that course, dabbling here and there in various immoral activity whilst on "vacation". The lack of obligation was freeing, until boredom set in and picking fights with men (and women) much wiser than him became more of a consequence than an enjoyment. As a result, the brutish two-year-old appeared significantly aged, marred with dozens of imperfections that revealed just how bored he had been. Vaati soon came to the conclusion that it was not his own lack of direction he suffered from but from the lack of orders, and more specifically, the lack of someone to keep him in line. When left to manage his own self, his achilles heel lied in the fact that he had a penchant for losing his way when not kept tight on a leash. However, he would not settle for a commander below his class. In the right hands, he was a weapon of mass destruction, for his lack of basic morals liberated him from ever having a conscious. If his capabilities were to be utilized, it would be at the behest of someone worthy of his tooth and claw, and the blood he would spill in return.

In his jowls dangled a plump hare in which to drop at the border of the pack he aimed to gain favour with. Vaati's presence was a particularly ominous one that rarely earned him many allies, though he made it a point to seek out only settlements that were foreign to him.  Anyone who had more recently made the wilds their home had less of a chance of knowing of him, or anything he had ever done. Planted rigidly before the territory line, he awaited company from inside.

Tunerk was the first to arrive, young and full of naivety that would benefit Vaati. As she came across him, the guiless girl paused long enough to ascertain his injuries were not recently earned. Her only hesitance in greeting him was in knowing that they had an apparent enemy, but he brought with him a gift. Surely that meant he was here on good terms? It looked plump, and Tunerk licked her chops. She did not even think that it might not be meant for her; she was a food-motivated girl, and that was the best way to earn her favor.

His scars did not intimidate her, if only because Tunerk had yet to understand the meaning of why wolves bore them. Caiaphas had some, and she was not bad. His stature was similar to that of her own, too, and his furs looked to be as white. She scarcely paid attention to the other details; perhaps he was a Northerner! The idea excited her, and her (second-long) hesitance ended as she approached him with a wagging tail. [color=navy blue]Hello,[/color] she tried first, in her most natural tongue (Inuktitut), wondering if he might be sent here by her family.

caiaphas was not the first to meet vaati; in her careful gait, she was superceded by tunerk's chipper energies, and she watched warily as the young girl brightly greeted the stranger. there was something about the male that seemed alarmingly familiar --- as caiaphas drew closer, she realized he had been the male to rule in meldresi's stead.

her lips pursed, for she had no love of blackfeather any longer. their lack of aid in spite of their pact had lead to kevlyn's death, ankyra sound's demise, and a whole host of sorrowful troubles caiaphas cared little to recall -- worse yet, when she had given them a chance at redemption by offering them safe passage to the sound in exchange for a little vermin extermination, they had squandered her assistance and instead elected to hole up like moles in the mountainside.

she was surprised to see them alive -- but then again, given she had witnessed drageda in full force, perhaps it was not so surprising after all. it made her wonder just what circumstances brought him here -- and even though he came as a supplicant, it would take more than a hare for caiaphas to unburden the grudge she had placed against blackfeather.

"what are you doing here?" the crone queried, coming to stand besides tunerk in a wary, nearly protective stance.

His eyes followed the small figure moving towards him, unsurprised to discover it that was a child to be the first to greet him. The pale teen chirped in an unknown language that scratched at the back of his conscious as if he had heard it before. However, there remained no time to entertain the flicker of familiarity before his senses picked up on the fact they were no longer alone.

The kill dropped from his teeth as Caiaphas drew forth, though whether or not he had intended it to do so was debatable. She was unmistakable, and his memory was impeccable… yet that concerned him. The stench of the dark woods had long since disappeared from his pelt, and any allegiance he had to it died the moment they had allowed him to be usurped. But the two-toned woman knew nothing of that. The version of him that existed in her cognizance was a mere boy, foolish and reckless. The impulsivity was something he had never lost, but learned to work in his favour. It was simply a matter of convincing her of what he already knew. Sensing her wary, he takes a step back.

“I was curious,” he paused, glancing to the child briefly before returning to meet the woman's ember lit optics. “But I think I’d like to stay ... if you should allow.” He dips his head respectfully in her direction, playing it safe. Vaati knew her to be a particularly cunning individual, recalling how she had once offered him the opportunity to lay waste to an enemy and evade another. It had been unattainable at the time, but it was that warmongering mindset that he thirsted dearly for. Docility was not in his nature, and therefore he could not submit himself to a pack that demanded that of him. He had a feeling she would not.

Skip me / Do not factor Raleska into the post order. I just wanted to take advantage of the open/group thread theme RUS has. <3 Raleska can be PP'd by any of the RUS wolves that pop in.

Raleska was not so far behind her mother, having stalked the Sound's matriarch with an unusually surly dedication. Truth be told, Raleska had noticed her mother's indifference to her as of late, and was now vying hard to regain her favor. It was as if all of the love Caiaphas could afford was being eeked out to all of her stray children, doled and rationed out bit by bit until nothing at all was left for her only Eyjolfur girl.

Or at least, that's how it felt to Raleska.. and young girls certainly had a penchant for being dramatic.

She wasn't in favor of following her mother all day, and was about to pull off to do more exciting things when a howl called through the woods and her dam went bustling after it. Curious to see how this would play out, Raleska too turned for the borders. She was surprised to find not only her mother, but Tunerk there: the girl spared her a snippy glance, but nothing more.

In the most clinical way she could, Raleska set to studying this strange figure at their doorstep. He was quite big -- she remembered her father vividly, and Vaati might have rivaled his height. He was white, and heavily scarred -- but what Raleska thought most curious about him was the way his mother addressed him.

Hungrily her gaze raked Caiaphas' features, extracting any visual clues she could about their history. For a young girl, she was intrepid - but her mother's face showed little besides a light contempt (usual) and perhaps, a hidden shade of pain (a little unusual). Raleska's lips pursed in displeasure, unknowingly imitating the very expression her mother was prone to make.

There was something about Vaati that compelled Raleska to be careful around him. It wasn't that he was a stranger, or even that he was big - tons of strangers had come through Rusalka's doors, and the girl had only spared them a customary glance. But this man, to Raleska, held an air of danger -- as a teen it was both titillating and terrifying to her.

Raleska found she was almost too curiously staring at the empyrean figure; carefully, she looked away and practiced casually glancing from her mother to the stranger. All the while ignoring Tunerk, of course - for no reason other than that she was a frosty, spoiled bitch that was mad her mother paid attention to girls other than her.

her daughter came to stand besides her; caiaphas spared her blood the briefest of glances before turning back to vaati. the hare had tumbled from his jaws -- but the siren was far more interested in what came out of his mouth next.

curious? it was a hell of a long trip from here to blackfeather; she could not recall if he had been so heavily scarred their last meeting. a flicker of disbelief echoed in her gaze, and she sniffed carefully. the sylph had no qualms with welcoming vaati to her ranks -- but first.... "did you lose?"

“did you lose?”

He releases a grumbled breath; the question he had asked himself continuously once, before coming to same conclusion he would retell to her.  “I’m still alive, am I not?” Perhaps they had been driven from their territory, but still they had survived. The fact that they - he - had prevailed was hardly a sign of defeat. No doubt they had faltered, but any loss they suffered had been fleeting and non-consequential. Even his subsequent dethronement had proved beneficial rather than a loss, for truly, the woods had been a burden. His best work had been done without the restraint of Blackfeather tethered to his neck lurching him back every time to take what it needed from him. And so, his identity as an individual belonging to the dark woods was shed, burned away irreparably. He faces her judgement with a ready gaze, wondering if his answer was well enough for her liking.

caiaphas found little useful information in his reply. she pursed her lips, glancing to the cliffs above them. she guessed in hindsight it was obvious who the victor of that particular war was -- but, that didn't mean she wasn't surprised given she had seen drageda in full force and had been... underwhelmed.

perhaps their best fighters had been downed in the war with blackfeather -- perhaps it was caiaphas that owed vaati appreciation. she quelled any further questions by sliding her tongue across her teeth, her expression critical. "i guess you are."

she stepped back, glancing to her daughter besides her before lifting her attention back to the male. "welcome to rusalka."

just gonna post again n maybe wrap this up? :)

She accepts his rather vague answer, and he wonders silently if he had been entirely truthful -- not that he would have said otherwise if he could turn back time. Vaati dips his head once more in appreciation, "thanks," before nudging the offering from its place at his feet to over the border. Rusalka. It was nothing he had ever heard of before -- but yet he could admit to feeling the slightest hint of ownership as the word tumbled from the sea wench's mouth. It was strange to feel as if he belonged to something other than his family, or his own self. He could no longer act on account of his own recognizance or blood, but as a part of the Rusalkan tribe, which placed a heavier form of responsibility on his shoulders than he realized just yet.