P. Shaw

Anann hadn't always been such a home body. Since she had come to live in Cour des Miracles Anann had rarely left the pack lands and even when she did she never travelled further than their closest neighbors. It was time for that to change. The morning air was cool and crisp, perfect for a long morning ride. Anann had meant to learn about the surrounding packs long before now. There were several in the area and the only one she had any knowledge of was their neighbors, Crimson Dreams. She knew of the others out there, but only the names and general locations of them. Her lack pc knowledge was no longer acceptable and there was no good reason for her to delay any longer. Before it had been building her home and getting settled in that had delayed her but there was no sense in putting it off any longer.

The morning air was cool and crisp. The fall provided such wonderful riding weather. Cool enough to travel long distances at speed without the horse frothing and not so cold that she had to worry about the large steed catching a chill. It took little time for the pair to cross the open, rolling hills. The trek through the wooded Ethereal Eclipse would take much longer with its winding game trails and obstacles. It took a bit of searching for Anann to find the newly established borders. Dismounting, Anann tilted her back letting loose a short howl calling for the new packs alpha or at least someone of authority.

Anann waited patiently for someone to answer her call. There had been no urgency in it so she expected it would be a few minutes at the very least, if not longer. Rem stayed close by, not giving her the ample space he typically would have had they been on home turf. As she waited she looked around the borders a bit, wondering if the pack lands themselves varied much from the ancient forest that surrounded them and what the goals of the pack might be. She choose not to speculate too much, as there was little point in trying to formulate an opinion about that which she knew nothing at all about. And so dark brown eyes and honey colored eyes surveyed the area with a blank and open mind.

Rem was the first to notice the approach of the large, axe toting male. Angular ears stood at attention, his head held high and alert he gave a snort. Ever the guardian that he was he came to stand directly behind Anann at the sight of the weapon-like tool in the others hands. Though he seemed friendly enough in his demeanor, Rem was not one to leave such things to chance.

Anann only smiled, giving a wave as he approached. "Hello, Shawchert, it's nice to meet you. I'm Countess Anann Kelevra, from Cour des Miracles," she extended a hand as she spoke, hand shaking had been comin in Tosawi, though Anann knew it wasn't so everywhere. Still it seemed only proper. "I'd heard rumor of a new pack in the area, so I thought that Rem," she jutted her thumb over her shoulder at the long, black face behind her, "and I should come see what it's all about."

Shawchert took the hand she had offered, giving it a firm squeeze. She couldn't help bit give her own chuckle as he brought to mention the nature of the unicorn. "He is," she said matter-of-factly, but so long as you are not a threat neither is he. Rem kept a constant eye on the leader, as well as keeping at least one ear trained on their conversation. The fem's own posture was relaxed, though not without its normal sense of pride. Eventually he would become satisfied that the brutish looking male was no threat and give them space. For now though, he stayed just a step behind Anann. "You're the alpha here? The borders smelled of the pack as a whole, but his scent seemed particularly strong. Here as he stood, as well as at the border markings.

Anann had once though of trying to create her own pack, but when Keese had refused to leave Tosawi with her the idea had been abandoned. She held a respect for this Shawchert for what he had been able to accomplish in establishing a new pack and lands to call there own. Anann knew pack life well and briefly the life of a loner during her travels. Though both packs she had belonged to had been well established. Tosawi was generations old at the time of her birth and the Miracles pack had experienced its founding anniversary shortly after her joining its ranks. Starting from the ground up would have its challenges, of that she was sure. It was not something any wolf was capable of.

She couldn't help but find the goal of the pack interesting, if not slightly odd. Most wolves of the entertaining profession, at least those that Anann had meet prior, seemed to prefer a nomadic life style. "Quite unique. So what caused you to settle here?" She was merely curious. "Are you from this area originally?" Anann had met those that had been born here and those that had traveled nearly half the world. Her own native lands were a good deal west of the Hogwarts territories, the lush and fertile Midwest.

"Oh, really? Who was that?" It didn't come as a surprise really. So many different scents had come and gone in the last few months. She didn't even have a face to go with most of them.

Rem understood high speech, though he did not always leave one with that impression. Nor had he ever spoken a word, if such a thing was even possible. With Anann at least, there was no language barrier between horse and wolf. One look at his face was typically all Anann needed to know what was going on inside that skull of his. Despite that, the friesian stallion did not even seem to acknowledge that the wolf had been speaking to him. Even casting a casual glance to the side as if to say, 'who, me?'. Anann, herself, could not say how much the stallion truly understood. Often pondering if he took everything from tone and body language or if he truly grasped the meaning of the words. If he did understand, which he did, then he had no quarms with playing stupid from time to time.

Anann dipped her head slightly, ears falling back on her head for a brief moment as she bowed her head to the alpha as yer confirmed her thoughts and provided her with the title he used. She did not say much, listening intently as he answered her questions. Smiling and nodding as the information was stored away just in case might become useful in the future. As he mentioned the trees providing them with various resources Anann's drifted back to the axe he was using to prop himself up. She wanted to ask what she had called him from and if could use any assistance. She refrained but made note to let the topic fall from her mind. Which was easy enough as he spoke of the great lakes that Anann had also passed on her way to the 'Souls territory causing her ears to perk. "Oh really, I came from southwest of the lakes myself. Just the other side of the great river, the Mississippi." Many packs had their own name for the river, though a few still knew the name that the prior civilization had used for it.

Anann had become lax in concealing her emotions. Surprise that typically would not have shown was clear to read on her face at the mention of Niro's sister. Though the surprise was not in the fact that she now called this new pack home, but more that she had still called the Cours pack home. Anann had not seen her since spring and rarely even scented the fem. Anann had assumed she had simply been visiting her brother and had already made yet home elsewhere. "I had only met her briefly early this spring, though her brother, Niro, is a friend of mine." She couldn't help but wonder if Niro knew of this. Surely he must she had come to collect her things already.

Anann's eyes drifted to the axe again, wondering if it was a luperci creation or one of human origin. Size was the only real difference and she really couldn't tell from where she stood."If you were in the middle of something I don't want to keep you from it." Winter was fast approaching and every minute before it took hold of the land was precious. Food typically was not a problem in the colder months, as mice was much harder for prey than predator in the icy realm, at least for those built for it. Shelter was another story, and Anann had know way of knowing what shelter they had. Allowing her mind to jump to conclusions, Anann assumed shelter was exactly what the large alpha had been working on. "If you'd like, I can give a hand for a few hours before I head back." Whatever task he had needed the axe for, Anann was willing to help out and perhaps see what else she could learn.

Anann had made the mistake of traveling during the last winter. It had been a harsh winter. Making a long trip even longer, but it couldn't be helped. "I can't be sure, but I think Rem and I crossed over part of the lakes on our way to this region." It was a trip she had no desire to repeat. Ice crossings had been nerve racking with hoofed beast. Despite his assurances that she had not needed to worry about him.

"Brother's never are too fond of the men that take their sisters away," she said with understanding and a bit of a laugh. Anann had yet to see any other reason that Niro might not like this Shawchert fellow. He seemed a nice enough wolf, but men were blind it seemed when it came to there sisters.

Anann was all to familiar with the short comings of human constructions. "I know all too well what you mean. I built my own home as well, not without the help of some of my pack though." Anann might not have been quite as tall as Shaw, but she too found the low ceilings and even lower and narrow doorways a pain. "Human dwellings are just too crowded." That was what really bothered her, the close walls making it difficult to move freely and quickly. "Yeah, sure. I've helped build a few log constructions. Do you need many more logs or are you about to start framing it up?" There was more than one way to build a house and it was impossible to know what method this male planned on using, but she would help out any way she could. It was a shame she did not have one of her axes with her, though was was she to know that would have found the need for one today.

As Shawchert turned to move deeper into his territory the pair followed. Having stripped every log of her home of it's bark she was quite familiar with the tasked the male mentioned. Reminding her of the time when she had not yet had a home to call her own. So much had changed in the months since then. In that time the Cour des Miracles pack had truly become a home to the golden woman. "Any chance you've got some extra tools I might be able to use?" She hoped he would have an extra hatchet or axe or she wouldn't be much help at all stripping the long. There was only so much that could be done with hand and claw.

There were many reasons Anann had preferred to build her own home. Many had thought her crazy for her it, even the Russian that now lived with her had found the idea a bit odd to start. Even though he could relate just as easily as Shawchert that the low ceilings and closed in walls of the old abandoned dwellings. Though perhaps some preferred the den like quality they had do to that fact. As it was Anann had little care for human things at all, except for few things. Their knowledge namely. Study of the written word and the knowledge left behind in the books of libraries and universities was a wonder, yet terrible thing.

Though as far as the hotel was concerned, it really was a spacious thing. At least on the main floor. Anann had not really spent much time in the rooms in the floors above. Only once when she had been under the care of the Healer that lived there. During that time she had been mostly sleeping thanks to a strong draft and what little time she had been awake was a haze. "I grew up in a rather tight knit place, much different than living in Cour des Miracles. Few actually stay in the hotel, the pack is scattered out over the pack lands quite a bit actually." It had it's advantages and disadvantages; personally and tactically. "I've grown to like the privacy." Her life before had been center stage, though not in an entertainer's sense. There were things she missed, but that wasn't one of them.

Once they got the fallen log she followed his lead, just as she had since they had left the borders.

Anann felt rather useless as she watched Shawchert strip down the tree enough so they could carry it out. Wishing that there was something she could do to busy her hands rather than just watching the other work. She had a hard enough time being idle anyway, but having nothing to do while watching someone else do all the work only added to it. Thankfully, it went quick and as the male hoisted up one end of the log, Anann hurried in to pick up her own end. She had expected that they would drag the log, but the weight really wasn't bad. Though getting her grip on it was a bit awkward until she was able to find a good hold. She was glad to hear that he had more tools were he was building the home and so there would be plenty for her to do once they got that far.

"I'm sure things will settle down eventually. Though I'm sure as a leader, there was always be some demand on your time." Anann was once accustom to the feeling of leadership and the demands it put on one's time. Privacy had been a rare thing in those times. When she had first come to Cour des Miracles, she had found more of that than she had known what to do with. Following Shawchert's lead she mostly paid attention to her feet and not tripping over anything while they carried the log. "Have you meant many others from the surrounding packs?" Anann couldn't help but ask. She had not yet taken the time to get to know all her neighbors as perhaps she should have by now. "I have a few friends in Crimson Dreams, but otherwise I have pretty much stuck to the Cour des Miracles borders," she explained.

Anann was ashamed of her own lack of knowledge concerning the various packs in the area. For as long as she had been in the area was a bit ridiculous how little she actually knew about what went on outside of the Cours pack. She had always liked to keep herself well informed, though she had been slacking at it something terrible since she had slipped into the routine of her new life. There was little reason for her to venture beyond the borders of her home most days. Having found that there was enough within the Cour des Miracles lands to keep her occupied. It was the very desire to expand her meager knowledge that had brought her this far from her home to learn about the new pack and perhaps a little of the other packs out there.

She had not personally met anyone from outside her own pack and Crimson Dreams, so it seemed the Shawchert's scope was at least a little wider in the respect. It was as she had expected, he had a met a few here and there. Anann wasn't surprised in the least to hear it had been a pup he had met from Crimson Dreams. She had not yet known the pack to be lacking in young litters running about. She supposed that was why Rem liked to visit so often since puppies were something that Cour des Miracles had lacked. "I would like to make a trip to Aniwaya at some point. I've heard they keep horses there as well." She commented. "Inferni, now that's the coyote clan?" She was familiar with the names of the packs that were out there, but beyond hearsay and rumor she really knew little else. Inferni sounded to be the worst of them, but perhaps that was just the reputation of coyotes.

The clearing for his home was obvious as they approached and Anann looked over the start he had made with an approving eye. "Looks like you've been busy." Getting set up for the building of her own home had taken weeks. She had done as much as she could on her own so that once she had gathered the help things could and did go smoothly. "So what's the plan?" There was more than one way to build a house and Anann was not about to shove her own methods off on someone else. Not without at least finding out what he had in mind, though if the idea seemed flawed she would have no qualms about pointing it out. But mostly she just needed to know what he wanted done so she knew how to be of help and not just a hindrance.