Strong steady paws move silently across the ground, muscles rippling under his sleek coat of gray, eyes of the mysterious depths of the sea shimmering under the light of the sunset. It was cloudy that day, but it didn't stop Apollo from making a grand show as he retires for the evening. Course the god had to make bright colors flash across Jupiter's domain, it was just like him. Raziel knew he shouldn't be away from packlands so early in his membership, it wasn't like he could help it though, the tug of wanderlust was as strong as ever, it was strong in ever wolf that had Angelus Mortis blood running through their veins, however little it was.
Little did he know, perhaps he could do a favor for his younger half brother, son of Aku and Diana and currently in a huge love problem. Raziel would take care of the four young pups if it would help Hadrian's state, but he didn't know about his relatives in Teekon Wilds yet, nor did he know about the history between his younger brother and his new home. The gods for once, wanted to help their kin, so they offered to send help, he just had to find it. Stop giving me freaking riddles for once, he grumbled in his head as he moved towards the lake.
She would bring back a good meal for herself and her packmates. Perhaps she should have asked Flash to join her, but again he had his own duties for himself.
A great big lake, though half-frozen, came into view. The trees were barren and were void of its leaves, and Crëyr was surprised at how much she felt she missed the greenery. The vivid, colorful flowers, the small, round dewdrops atop each and every speckled leaf.
It wasn't long before she spotted the wolf opposite her body, also moving towards the lake. She wasn't sure whether or not did this male want any company, but taking her chances, she began to move towards him, a greeting forming shortly on her tongue.
"Hello," he said in greeting, a light accent coating his words. The corner of his lips quirked upwards as he attempted a smile, wondering inside why the gods would ask him to talk with a pretty female. Surely they didn't make him come here to 'fulfil his desires' or some shit like that. No, it had to be something more important but it wouldn't make sense to ask her something like 'Yo, do you know why the gods sent me here to talk to you, eh?' in front of a girl nonetheless. How embarrassing would that be? Little did Raziel know, how much he looked like his half brother when he smiled.
Silver fur encased his strong, broad-shouldered figure, one she came to recognize as it had a resemblance to Shadow's pelt. A tiny burst of sudden pain coursed through her chest, as she was absolutely sure that this male actually had some sort of... relation to Shadow. Something. Just something was there. She couldn't just assume and barrel straight into it. He'd think she was insane and she would have to stand there awkwardly, embarrassed.
The brute smiled, his orbs the shade of the ocean under a storm with swirling dark clouds. Mysterious, she thought. Very much attractive. She let a tentative smile slip on her face herself and responded his lightly accented greeting with one of her own. "Merry meet, though I must say... I would have chosen to meet under better conditions."
She smiled back, "Merry meet, though I must say... I would have chosen to meet under better conditions." Raziel canted his head slightly in a questioning manner. "Better conditions? What do you mean, milady?". Could there be better conditions? The northern wind blew towards them, whipping around them, ruffling their fur. He didn't feel cold, though, his thick fur kept the feeling of ice out. The silver agouti smiled, like one would do when they were curious. She was pretty, with silvery graphite fur and her eyes, so blue they looked almost purple, like the sky on the edge of the night. He wondered if she had a mate yet, but it would be rude to just question someone like 'Hey, ya got a mate? If you haven't, I'll like to try to earn your paw in marriage.'
Eyes of the mysterious sea gleamed as an idea popped into his head, he smirked "D'ya think the water will be cold?". It was probably freezing to the summer wolves, but Raziel didn't really care if it was below zero degrees, he loved swimming, even if it was raining, snowing, even if hail was dropping out of the sky. It seemed that Neptune might be his patron god, despite the fact Romans didn't like water. Maybe its something to do with you as a product of incest. a part of his brain whispered spitefully to him. Maybe the gods are punishing you for what your parents did. As long as the gods weren't punishing Anselm or Azrael for what Aku and Cassia did, he was fine with bearing the burden, even if it was unfair.
She laughed lightly at that. "Well. I love all four seasons, though there are some exceptions. It's been... dreary the past couple of days and the weather or view has been no help. I just want something... cheerier, you know?" Crëyr rolled a slim shoulder, gesturing towards the half-frozen lake and the bare, jagged branches. "Though you may say the opposite."
She used the time to study him for a moment, while he stared right back. Tall and robust with broad shoulders and seemingly beautiful eyes made out of poison— he was definitely quite handsome, a feature Crëyr had to admit that the "relationally connected" Shadow possessed. Well...
"I'm Crëyr, by the way. Crëyr Awyseren."
There was a scar on his shoulder, a hardened, ancient injury. It was deep enough to have his sleek grey fur parted both ways to show the slash. Promptly she wondered where he'd gotten it from, though she did not think she would be in the right place to ask.
Later on did a seemingly mischievous smile appear on his features, and threw a question her way, asking if she herself thought the lake would be could. It looked frigid and chilling to the bone, though she'd swum through freezing waters back with the squad. She wasn't sure if her body was still in that strong Welsh condition, though she knew it wouldn't be quite a good idea if she barrelled into the water headfirst.
The slim she-wolf shrugged a shoulder, though she was grinning. "It may most definitely be cold. Why don't you take a dip? Test the waters a little?"
"I'm Crëyr, by the way." The corner of his lips tugged upwards into a faint smile. "Ah, how rude of me. I'm Raziel, Raziel Marius Altaer Angelus Mortis-Aequorbein at your service." Raz paused then continued. "You can call me Raz though, all my friends and family do." Could the gods perhaps send her a tip so he actually knew why Mercury told him to come here in first place? Surely it wasn't to get him a mate, that was Apollo's job, not for the god of travellers and thievery.
"Your pelt color reminds me of my relatives, my half siblings to be exact. I have this one younger half brother, his name is Hadrian or Shadow, he loved his nicknames, that boy." Raziel smiled wistfully. "We were told by others that we looked almost identical, Hadrian was a great fighter and warrior, extremely loyal and he would die for his friends and family if ever needed. He had a mask around him, though, he's been hurt too many times in his childhood." Raziel paused, wandering in his thoughts before shaking himself out of his reverie and into the present where he smiled at Crëyr. "You probably don't want to hear me ramble about my family,"
"It may most definitely be cold. Why don't you take a dip? Test the waters a little?" Raziel smirked, the Angelus Mortis glint in his eye gleaming with excitement at the challenge. "I'll show ya what an angel of death can do, we Northern wolves are way stronger than others." he boasted then turned and dove straight into the water like a dolphin. It was as if he switched in midair and changed into another animal. The water was cold but he liked it, the moment he surfaced, he flashed the welsh female a large smirk, the resemblance between his younger brother startling similar.
He had to be related to Shadow in some may. Angelus Mortis-Aequorbein.
Raziel began to speak again. As if he was reading her thoughts, he started to speak of her pelt and how it reminded him of a certain boy, as the color of her fur was similar to his. Apparently Shadow was his half-brother and had been a favorable one to him at that. Raziel did. He did look a lot like Shadow, and that was possibly why the petite Welsh was not at all surprised to have met him.
"I am fully aware of that," Crëyr said, half-amused. "Shadow is a friend of mine and happens to be the Alpha of the very pack I reside in. It is an honor to meet you, Raziel, Raz, half-brother of my leader." Without meaning to, she added something she was sure Raziel wouldn't take much thought into answering. "Have you seen him ever since he left home?"
The moon-pelted male allowed the signature Angelus Mortis smirk to fall upon his features, and proceeded to say a few words about how good the Northern Angelus Mortis wolves were at surviving.
"Oh, I know it all too well," She muttered absentmindedly. "A brother of Shadow. Interesting."
Well, Crëyr had actually seen what they could do, as it was fair to say that she had experienced a bad winter herself. After all, her country was situated North, though she guessed not far North as Shadow or Raziel had been in.
The brute dived into the icy waters, an impressive splash springing from the previously calm surface. The cold droplets fell upon Crëyr's coat. She didn't step backwards, but instead stepped forwards.
When Raziel resurfaced, he flashed her another smirk. A light smile had touched the girl's lips, her eyebrows raised, a silver-grey paw dipped into the edge of the water.
"Shadow is a friend of mine and happens to be the Alpha of the very pack I reside in. It is an honor to meet you, Raziel, Raz, half-brother of my leader." The Roman grinned, so now his little brother was an Alpha was he? Interesting. Hadrian always had the ability but never had time to pursue his ambitions, their father's looming shadow towering over his kids, his brother was trained to be the leader of a Legion in Aku's pack, until he decided to rebel and run away. A rather interesting, brutal, cruel history for any wolf to have.
Her next question puzzled him, "Have you seen him ever since he left home?". "No, Shadow was a master of stealth and shadows, sneaking around. If he didn't want to be found, nearly nobody could find him. Why'd you think he has the nickname 'Shadow' eh?" Raz remembered the time the two of them went hide and seeking, Hadrian was still very young but already excelling at his gift of blending and hiding into the darkness, something he inherited from his ancestor, Pluto. "Shadow is a great warrior and assassin, if he wanted to kill you secretly, you would be dead within a matter of seconds, poison, fangs, he uses anything he has at his disposal."
Raz watched as the silver girl smiled, dipping her paw into the edge of the water. The silver agouti Roman laughed softly and swam over to her, attempting to clamp his jaws gently around her paw, not enough to puncture her skin, and pull her into the freezing water. The lake's transparent liquid was weighing his fur down, but he would be fine. Constantine insisted him to learn all the essential survival skills, which obviously included swimming. Despite the fact Constantine was not his biological father, he tried to be a good one and Raziel knew if he didn't have the knowledge he was a product of incest, he would have fell for the idea that Constantine was his real dad.
"He is a good leader. He sticks to well, very firm Roman customs, though I'm not an expert at that." She agreed, spiralling into her thoughts. "The pack has been desolate without him, as he has temporarily left the Bypass and left myself and one other in his stead. We're doing our best to fulfil his wishes, though our packmates may say otherwise." The sterling-graphite girl lowered her petite crown sadly, wondering if her packmates were thriving and were working for the pack just as hard as herself and Flash were.
The strong, silver male came forwards then, using both his steely paws to tug on her limb, half-submerged in the water. Laughing slightly, she braced herself for what was to come— for Raziel to win this little tug-of-war (of course he would, it was inevitable) and have her fully topple into the icy bowl of water. It was actually fair to say that she was half relieved he had dragged her in, as it'd been such a long time.
Raziel looked so much like Shadow. His back looked like Shadow, reminding Crëyr so much of him that it allowed pain and yearning for the memories of him to blossom across the chest. That talk she'd had with him those days before he'd left— he seemed so raw, so genuine— it was so very hard to get the little tale he'd told her out of her mind now, as it seemed to have an iron grip to her brain.
She submerged into the water.
Maybe she did not even know him at all.
Crëyr fell into the water and Raz laughed softly, paddling towards her in a graceful manner. He was an expert at fishing, having survived on fish in the harsh winters in the north. Large prey was scarce there so they had to eat whatever they could find, sometimes carrion, sometimes tiny voles, birds, fish, whatever they could eat, they ate. Not a single piece of edible food was wasted. These southern lands didn't know how it felt, which was good, he didn't want to feel it again.
She wondered if that was why Paarthurnax had left him.
As she propelled herself upwards towards a surface with a strong push, she saw Raziel paddling towards her, laughing. Since laughing was contagious— to her, anyway, he joined into his laughing. The cold of the water was something she had strangely welcomed with open arms— it had given her body a shock, yes, but it was something that brought back memories of her life back in Wales. She hadn't been swimming in freezing waters so long, and was something that she didn't realize she'd missed.
"Don't worry, I've had a lot of swimming lessons." She said, laughing as she splashed on the surface, intending to have the miniature waterfall cascade onto his head. She didn't know what was fun, anyway, and Raziel probably didn't himself.
Quickly she went back into the water and made her way towards the shore before Raziel could do anything else. She rolled sideways and blinked the water out of her eyes, small, round, translucent beads stuck to her eyelashes. The winter sun was relatively warm on her fur, warm for winter, anyway. "What pack are you of now that you're in Teekon Wilds, Raziel? I realized that you've never mentioned that."
She laughed, splashing the surface and droplets of freezing water showered over him. "You are bold, eh?" he spoke, rather amused but there was nothing he could do to her with the water as she swam out immediately. Raz stayed in the water for a few more minutes before he too, moved towards the shore. Standing next to Crëyr, he shook his wet fur, spraying wet droplets all over the welsh female. Hopefully they landed on her, he moved away quickly, raising an eyebrow at her question. "You haven't either, care to enlighten me?"
Raziel should return to the Creek soon, to patrol their borders and fill their caches. Not much prey with winter coming, but he would have to do his best or they might kick him out, that was not what he needed right now. "I'm currently in Swiftcurrent Creek, that might change though." he winked at her and turned to leave. "Gotta go tend to my duties, see you." he flashed her a smile and slowly made his way back to the Creek.
Raziel lingered into the water, and Crëyr promptly turned her azure orbs away from him to watch the winter sun. It was about to rise fully over the branches before a few droplets of water seeped into her fur, though they felt like shards of sharp ice.
He returned her question with his answer, which was Swiftcurrent Creek— Swiftcurrent Creek. There were so many things she wanted to know about Swiftcurrent Creek, and this didn't help answer them.
"Noctisardor Bypass, Crëyr spoke, regarding Raziel with curious cerulean eyes. "Your half brother's pack. He will want to see you, I think. Come pay a visit sometime, when you're away from the Creek."
Later on did they say their goodbyes and parted ways, back to their respective packs. The grayscale girl trusted that she would meet him again, sooner or later.