Noctisardor Bypass Let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised.

The afternoon sun beamed from its pinnacle in the center of the sky, not a cloud in sight. A warm wind blustered across the valley. He felt the sun on his back and the wind against his cheeks as he ran, thrilled by the rush of it all. There was no reason for him to be out this far from the claim - except he was bored, and this landscape was not known to him. Revui was not often curious, but he knew to value landmarks and that studying the landscape would be beneficial, so he tried.

The gaps between the forests seemed thinner the further north he went. Sparse tree growth peppered the dry fields, casting irregular shadows across him as he veered beneath the shade of one copse or another, but he was always off again within moments. When he finally slowed to a crawl it was to catch his breath alongside a muddy river, the silt darkening the water to something slick brown and disgusting - but still, he dipped his snout and drank his fill. A line of algae stained his chin green, not that he noticed.

He carried on from there. The river was winding, and he wondered if there was an alpine lake somewhere that fed it. The further north he went, the more apparent it became that Revui was not alone - and as he crossed in to the grove, ducking among the trees, his fur bristled. This was unproven territory to the leviathan, so it was best he stay guarded.

Patrolling the borders had been a mostly uneventful task so far. He had never come across anything troubling really. The only time he could remember a stranger being on the borders was that strange kid, Charles, and he had seemed mostly harmless, really more confusing than dangerous. He and Arbiter had seen him home with no incidence, thankfully, and then returned here to go about their lives. He hadn't really thought much about it except a sporadic thought occasionally when he was patrolling because the job sometimes reminded him of it. 

So he was fairly relaxed as he made his way along the edge of the bypass; he was expecting no trouble, and so he had no reason to he tense or suspicious, which probably didn't make him a very good guardian. He did always have to learn things the hard way it seemed. 

The unfamiliar scent made him freeze where he was, his legs pausung mid step. His heart sped up in his chest, and he looked around to find the source but saw nothing. He stood there for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do but then his time was up. The stranger was ahead of him in the distance now, making his way towards the golden boy. He swallowed and waited and once the man was close enough, Pheiros called out: Do you need something? Maybe he just needed directions or something; Pheiros could definitely help with that. This land is claimed, he told him, remembering just then that he should probably mention that.

Having only gotten his wounds briefly looked at by Evien, Revui's body wasn't in its prime. He should have known better than to venture this close to another rival territory, especially after his failed fight with the warrior of Easthollow, but it was with wounded pride that he sought further violence. He needed something to pass the time; he did not want to waste away within the valley, waiting for his body to recover while he dulled with each passing day. Thus the roaming. The slime-heavy water probably wasn't the best thing for his facial wounds but the chill of it against his skin was like a balm, sharper where the wounds were deeper, and reminded him of the tawny guardian that had wounded him.

He was lost in thought - a rare occurrence - when a golden shape emerged near to him. He bristled, jarred from the replay of the battle in his mind, as he fantasized about all the things he wanted to do to West. He glared at the shape as it became a face, and while Revui did not recognize the voice, he knew the defensive tone well enough, and huffed in response to the information. The land being claimed would not dissuade him from anything, as he'd proven to himself and the universe previously.

No, he answers, and continues to stride along as if the golden wolf was not even there. They did not impress him as West had, and so Revui flat-out ignored him, mostly to see what sort of reaction he would get.

In returning from a brief trip to scout past the Bypass, a trail of such an unfamiliar scent was not what she had come expecting. But, since it was fresh, and suspiciously along the way into their territory (where she was heading on her way in), she picked up the pace of her trot and followed without any hesitation. The lands beyond had been quiet, but evidently, the interest lie at home today.

Pressing her ears forward and skimming through the trees, she found the source before long. An unfamiliar, silvery beast was at the end of the path, smelling like southern reaches of the valley, and it seemed Pheiros had come to run the first interception. Although she had missed any exchange between them, she saw the mystery wolf moving on his way, deeper into their claim. Jomyo, approaching from behind, tried to shoot the hybrid a pointed glance before the last of her quiet strides brought her closer to the pair. Hopefully he might appreciate the backup because she was about to provide at least that much, for whatever it may be worth.

What are you doing here? she asked suddenly, a little clipped, but swift to close that last bit of distance between them all to find herself near the stranger's side--eyes very much on him, whoever he was, and whatever had brought him here.