[p] cities encircled in iron
#1
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(800)



Draugr is by Haley!

The drab-furred wolfdog was in a sour mood, though she knew she ought not to be. Though the wagon ride hadn't been comfortable in the least, it had been educational. Draugr was learning -- and quite quickly -- how to drive a wagon. She was not so expert a rider it came easily and naturally to her, but nearly three days riding south with Miqui had educated her quickly -- not only in how to drive, but how to survive a long, boring ride. At present, she walked beside the cart, occasionally jogging ahead to remove debris from the road. Their travels had taken them over both unbroken ground as well as along the old human routes, dilapidated and unkempt as the roads were.

Miqui sat in the driver's seat, reins in hand. He looked half-asleep. Though he outranked her, Draugr would be the one to speak to the AniWayans. Miqui had made this clear to her -- in no way did he intend to represent Salsola. Though the Associate found such an attitude strange, she supposed she understood -- Miqui had come to help load and unload the wagon, as well as keep after the livestock. A mottled herd trailed after the wagon, sheep roped to one another and the leader, a tall llama, roped to the wagon. It was at least interesting to have traveled quite so far from Salsola -- this was as far south as Draugr had ever been, and she took in her surroundings with bright purple eyes, curious to see just where they were headed.

Draugr looked toward the wagon, calculating, and scrambled up when the timing was good, plunking herself down next to Miqui quickly, lest he snap at her about not rocking the wagon. Dra looked over the backs of the horses -- Trader, implacable and calm beyond calm, and Blanche, the taller and far paler of the pair. Where will we stay tonight? the youth asked, glancing toward Miqui to see if he really was asleep. He stirred and looked at her, brilliant red eyes almost derisive -- almost, but not quite.

Not in AniWaya, the coyote grunted. We'll get whatever trade there is, turn around, and leave. Sleep on the road, same as last. You want to stay with these outsiders? There was dangerous scorn in his voice.

Dra scoffed herself, tossing her hair as she looked quickly away from Miqui. No, she said, trying her hardest to mimic his indifferent, flat tone. But it would be nice to sleep anywhere but the back of a wagon. Miqui only snorted in response to that and called for the horses to stop with a word, handing the reins over to Draugr and murmuring something about a nap regardless of its location. Dra took the rains and called for the horses to start again. When they didn't move, she flicked the reins and called again. Trader and Blanche both started forward again, and the bleating from the rear told her the sheep were moving as well.

It was some hours until they came across the border, and by then, the sun was dipping lower in the sky -- almost late afternoon, but still plenty of sun left. Dra smelled the border long before they reached it and called to the horses when they'd gotten close enough. They stopped where they were and Dra threw the brake. Miqui clambered up front and grunted, stretching and shaking sleep from his body. Ah, we're here. Well, get to it, he prompted, taking the reins from her hand and wrapping them about the post. I'm just here to take care of them, the dust-colored hybrid said, moving to unhitch the horses and allow them some time to graze. He brought Trader and then Blanche away, leaving the wagon where it was.

Dra first went and checked on the sheep and the llama, whose name she did not know and did not care to know. He was the bigger and stronger of the pair taken from Ichika, and besides -- he couldn't birth a cria. The sheep huddled close to the brown llama, gazing toward Dra with dull eyes. She looked over each of them, checked the wagon stores, and finally moved to the front of the wagon, tossing up her muzzle and baying in the deep hound's tones an offer for trade. When she lowered her muzzle, she hopped up into the wagon seat, uncertain of what else she ought to do.

Eris had told her to come here, having experienced good trade with this pack previously. Draugr thought she'd traveled awfully far for some sheep and a llama to be traded off, and was somewhat annoyed -- albeit secretly -- with the Auxiliary. Miqui, on the other hand, seemed entirely unperturbed by the journey.

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#2
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tis quite short, but i have to scamper off soon Smile

She'd chosen to ride Strawberry that day. There was no true reason behind it aside from the fact that Io was not used to riding upon anything other than Neo. And, as an Elan Soquili, Io assumed that diversity in her steeds as well as a basic bond at least with the majority of the horses was core. But, then again, Neo was the dominant male and while she was not best of friends with him they had an understanding and she was sure he'd keep everyone in place. So far Strawberry had proven not to be too difficult. Her trot was quicker, naturally, as Neo's strides were wider to match his impressive height. It was a shame his height didn't not match his mass, as he did appear quite thin and stretched out. Disproportionate even.


Io had arrived at the borders with a scent at the tip of her snout. She'd followed it for a while before finding a pair, with a cart pulled by two steeds and tailed by two ewes and a strange, foreign creature. Her voice was not gentle, but nor was it harsh as she looked upon the pair, 'What bring you to Aniwaya?' Perhaps it was for a trade, she'd heard of the past Elan Soquili making a trade and little did she know this was the exact same pack. Silver eyes travelled to the strange brown creature, 'May I ask what that is?'



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#3
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(305)



Draugr is by Wander!

Dra was not certain of her own abilities, and this lent to a certain amount of apprehension as she awaited the attentions of a packmember. The road hadn't been kindly, but she was a naturally pretty creature (though she did not know it as of yet). Still, she preened and groomed herself, running fingers through the tick mop of dark hair atop her head until the silvery ends fluffed outwards. She straightened her necklaces, untwisting the thick leather string of the cordierite necklace. She brushed her hands over her thighs and straightened in the seat, hoping she looked presentable. Miqui laughed, apparently amused by her primping and preparing, and it was all Draugr could do not to reach behind her for a projectile to pitch at his head.

The dark-furred hybrid waited, and before long, the sounds of an approaching horse caught her ears. Blanche snorted, and in the distance Draugr saw a pretty red figure. As horse and rider swept closer, Dra was able to distinguish them. Both were red in coloration, the rider possessing the more crimson hue. The horse, however, was what caught the drab Associate's attention more immediately. A leggy beast, it swept over the ground with perfect confidence, surely a wonderful specimen of horse. Dra remained in the wagon, but she stood up, not offering a smile to the woman. Her response was prompt, however.

Eris Eternity bids me come here and trade with AniWaya. She said she had good experiences with one named Liliana, and also told me we'd get good trade value for our livestock. That is a llama, fair trader. She paused to inhale, still smiling. They can guard sheep, goats, and other herd animals. We had two, but they work best alone. A rarity, the wolfdog declared, parrotting her Auxiliary's words.

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#4
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They wanted a trade. Fair enough. Io knew fully well that it was likely Aniwaya possessed such things that Salsola did not and, of course, vice versa. Taking her eyes from the strange earthy creature, Io too spoke. 'I do not know either name' her accented voice rung out, 'But if you come here looking for fair trade I can only accept'. Behind her, her white tipped tail flicked with a mix of want and curiosity. The woman was a hoarder at heart, stilling holding claim over her old mateship brace and her father's pocket watch (which she would wind every morning out of habit). Io's lips fell downwards briefly as her mind crossed the degradation of her relationship with Aeron. All over her loosing her temper with her own son. Oh, how she could kick herself for her stupidity.


'A llama?' she echoed, moving closer, but keeping Draugr in her sights in case there was some problem with her moving closer to the llama. 'I must say... I am... Unfamiliar with this sort of creature...' Io said with some kind of wonder in her voice. She turned around slowly and smiled plainly, 'And the sheep, tak?' she questioned. 'What is your price for all three?' Aniwaya needed another pair of ewes as the elder pair had been slaughtered due to their lack of use. And with two here it was not an offer to be turned down. And while there would usually be reason to doubt this... Llama. She wanted it so. 'Do they have other uses?' she questioned, petting the creature fondly. She was not going to purchase the creature on a whim.



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#5
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(386)



Draugr is by me!

Miqui made no motion to join them, which was just as well. Draugr didn't have to speak loudly enough so he could hear, and perhaps he would tune them out anyway. The drab wolfdog's ears twitched at the richs ounds of the mottled canine's voice, lavender eyes following the woman's motions. Though she professed no knowledge of Eris or Liliana, she agreed to consider trade -- so far so good. Draugr did not know Liliana, either, and she hadn't even known AniWaya before undertaking this journey -- they were all strangers, then, for Miqui had flatly told her he cared not a whit for the trivialities of the outsider packs.

Thank you, Dra said, this time offering the woman a smile. The Associate wondered if she ought to introduce herself, but figured it didn't matter much -- she was simply a vessel for the Colotl ranks, which was just fine by her. Though the drab wolfdog was not extremely knowledgeable with this llama creature, she'd had many long hours to talk it over with Miqui on their way here, and she knew what to say. Sheep were common enough, and the ewes they offered were younger ones. That horse is very fine, but we can talk price later, the wolf said, shrugging her broad shoulders. No rush -- I am going nowhere, she said, grinning and gesturing to the empty traces before her. It would take Miqui some time to hitch the horses back up, and Dra didn't intend to leave until her business was completed -- successfully or unsuccessfully.

The llama -- it makes wool, like a sheep, and can be sheared. It's very, very soft. Umm, she paused, thinking a moment. They live much longer than sheep -- like a horse. They can be trained kind of like a horse, too -- useful for carrying things here and there, like a pack animal. Dra hopped down from the wagon's seat and stood, watching the red woman interact with the creature. Their best use, though, is as a guard animal -- they bond closely with sheep, cows, and other sorts of herds, and protect them quite well. This male -- Rory -- is very well-tempered, and already guarded sheep before. We haven't trained him to carry things, but I think it can be done.

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#6
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short again >.<

Io had settled it in her mind. She would procure this, llama creature from Salsola for Aniwaya's benefit. In fact she'd settled in mentally a while ago, somewhere in the middle of being wildly fascinated by the earthy creature and being grounded enough to query it's worthiness. Her snowy digits traced the animal's back timidly, finding it a sheepish fabric, just like how Draugr described. It seemed friendly enough, it made no attempted to eat Io and for that it only solidified her intense want to have this creature in Aniwaya's possession. She turned around slowly, and inspected the ewes. They were younger than the slaughtered pair, and looked strong. Their coats lay in tight off white curls on their bodies and their eyes were bright. The hybrid woman nodded to herself and walked up along side the Salsolans.


'I'll take all three' Io said, her voice devoid of any true emotion, aside from a small, passing smirk. 'Your price? You mentioned the horse?' She knew the horse was strong, much like every other horse in the tribal herd, and so she considered it a fair price. But, of course, she was sure there would be more to it than a horse. 'If it is not enough to convince you to let it go for the mare then perhaps I could offer something beside her?'



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#7
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(--)



Draugr is by me!

Draugr knew the llama creatures were a rarity. Sheep were commonplace, chickens and cows and horses -- these were all animals easily procured, but the drab wolfdog had never seen a wild llama before, and Miqui told her they weren't from around here, either. Draugr had decided not to stress these points, however -- it was easier to sell something on its practicality than its rarity, for the latter might often indicate a complete lack of usefulness.

She awaited the bicolored woman's decision, lacking in any sort of anxiety regarding the matter. This was of no personal consequence to Draugr -- she'd been sent here at the behest of the leadership, that was all. When the AniWayan spoke, Dra's tail wagged a few times and she nodded, happy she'd done well. This was a success, and perhaps a step toward promotion.

Good, she said, clearly pleased. The horse is lovely, but -- well, we brought a wagon hoping to haul off goods, too. I was told to look for any things that alter the the mind, and useful stuff -- bowls, jugs, furniture, she said, shrugging a shoulder and looking almost shyly toward the ground. Do you have anything like that?

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#8
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bad post :|

Rarity was a jewel in itself. But the lack of a creature in one specific area sometimes pointed to a lack of use. Though Io saw potential in the strange animal. Draugr had explained it's uses well and had pushed Io in the right direction when she considered the animal. Already she was fond of it. It wasn't a good looking creature by any means, but it's uses seemed useful to the hybrid either way. Behind Io her tailed flickered steadily, she enjoyed good trade and enjoyed the prospect of promotion perhaps even more. And she assumed a prospect of promotion would be on the table for her also, one way or another in the future, soon or later. Because Io couldn't see why someone would go all the way across a region just for fun, without any hopes of a rise in rank.


Io nodded, walking back over to the horse. 'Understandable' she mused, petting Strawberry. 'We have tobacco, weaved items, mats mainly, and clay items. Bowls, jugs, plates, i tak dalej...' The list reeled off steadily as she looked into the distance and thought hard as she conjured up the items that may be of interest to the Salsolan pair.



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#9
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(--)



Draugr is by Haley!

Draugr knew little about training a llama or what happened when a llama went bad, but she thought this one was rather nice. The female was friendly, but she could become irritable on occasion, treating Luperci as she did her fellow llamas -- that is, with spitting and attempts at wrestling. The brown one was easier to handle, and perhaps it was for that reason he'd been chosen to accompany Draugr and Miqui south. The drab-colored wolfdog walked toward the back of the wagon and began the task of untying the rope from the rear. The knot was tightly tied and had swollen thanks to the drizzling rain on the first day of their journey, but after a moment, the wolfdog had gotten it untied.

Tobacco is good. Bowls and jugs, too. What is "i tak dalej," though? the woman asked, cocking her head to one side and peering at Io with queerly pale eyes. She remembered the rope and handed it over -- perhaps a trusting move for a Salsolian, but it was not as if they didn't know where this pack was if they were cheated, anyway. The Associate glanced toward the chestnut horse, roving over it with appreciative eyes. She was not very experienced with livestock, but even she knew a nice-looking animal when she saw one. Trader was not worthy of being compared to this creature physically, and while the chestnut mare was not quite so big as Blanche, she was leggier and looked positively sleek.

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#10
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Io's thin, white gloved digits clasped around the rope that Draugr passed her gently, leaving her other hand free to pet the brown animal absently. She was inexperienced with the caring of common and familiar animals, never mind something as absent from the wilds of Nova Scotia as a llama. But she was sure that between the tribes members they get something out of the creature. Of course, she would work with this creature closely in order to document it (albeit mentally) and it's in and outs. Her mind skirted over the fact that she still needed to collect the tobacco and jugs. 'One moment' she turned to Draugr to say, offering up a bland smile before letting out a coyote esque howl into the distance. Turning to Dra again she smiled, 'It means etcetera, back home'.


And it was for one hybrid in particular, Jaroslaw. He'd arrived some few days ago. Since apparently when Jan had been up Magda had expressed her wished to go back to her birthplace to life out her old age. And at a similar time Jaro had come from home with Rafal and then joined Aniwaya. Io was old friends with Jaroslaw and of course, had no qualms about in automatically assuming her home was now his. Especially considering their history. Jaro arrive a quarter of an hour later, saddle bags attached to Gda, his own horse. 'Tobacco, pots, jugs. All here' He said, passing the bag to the younger, Salsolan female.



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#11
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(373)



Draugr is by Haley!

Rory seemed to like Io well enough, which was good -- if the llama had, for whatever reason, decided he disliked his new owners, things might not have gone so well. But the creatures were well-socialized; whoever had raised them in Ichika had certainly taken care to establish the proper dominance roles between beast of burden and Luperci. The wolfdog listened to the silvery tones of the woman's howl, smiling -- they were lighter and higher of pitch than her own deep bass, baying hound's cry. You have a nice voice, the wolfdog complimented, the silver tip of her tail wavering as she wagged her tail.

With the explanation of the phrase, the wolfdog nodded, curious as to just where "back home" was, but not wishing to press the mottled woman. She was certain she'd return here for trade -- whether at the behest of her leadership or as a solo adventurer -- and perhaps then she might learn more about this woman and the pack behind it. Draugr realized the rest of Salsola might not approve of such thoughts, but all her experiences with outsiders thus far had taught her they weren't useless -- after all, many of these outsiders joined Salsola.

Oh, she said suddenly, scrambling into the back of the wagon. Here, she said, handing over a few sheets of leathery parchment. It was pale yellow and poorly bleached, but well-made. On it, a small, impeccably neat Luperci hand had scribed all there was to know about the llamas. One of ours wrote down all of this. It's all we know about the llama creatures. Not much, but enough.

When the second canine arrived, Miqui drifted over with the horses, too, and began the process of rehitching them. They probably wouldn't travel far from AniWaya in order to give their equines a good rest, but they would make a show of doing so, anyway. Draugr smiled at the newcomer and thanked him, turning back toward the red woman. This has been a good trade. I thank you, and so do my leaders. We'll come to these southern lands again, she suggested. Thank you, she said, making ready to depart if there was nothing further to accomplish.

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#12
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short and bad bad post, also if you want to wrap up with your post, or you can just close?

Io turned around and smiled at the compliment, 'Thank you'. Her tail made one swift arch, before stopping to flicker at the end happily. Behind her Jaroslaw grinned, he'd told her such a thing so, so many times and only been greeted with the aside, 'Yes, I know' and the odd cheeky kiss on the cheek. But either way it made him happy to see she was getting compliments on just from him. Io took the sheets of information from Draugr, silvery orbs flickering over them quickly, before the edges of her mouth twitched into a smile. Of course, she'd read those properly later on. 'Again, thank you'.


'I agree. And if I required anything I shall seek your lands out of course, assuming we are welcome to trade? My name is Io Berlin' she said, before turning around with the llama in hand. Jaroslaw joined her side with the ewes and they made their escape back into Aniwaya territory. Io would of course speak with Ulilohi about this, and the other animals carers. But she assumed that trading for the greater good was fine. They had many strong horses like the chestnut she had just traded, so she felt comfortable about her work.



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#13
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(--) And close! ♥



Draugr is by me!

The drab-hued wolfdog nodded, still smiling faintly. Her lavender eyes were glancing toward the chestnut thoroughbred now and again -- Draugr knew she'd ride this horse back, at least part of the way. Miqui couldn't stop her. Well, he could, but she'd do as she pleased anyway. At the red woman's question, however, she hesitated, uncertain as to whether it was welcome to invite these AniWayans to Salsola. She looked at Miqui, who gave a slight shake of his head. Dra's ears and tail drooped, and she frowned.

Maybe it would be better not to come north, she said, hesitating. But if you want to find me in the northern lands, I think that would be okay. She glared back at Miqui proudly -- no Salsolian could tell her what she could do in her spare time, and if she established a trading connection outside of the scope of her leaders -- well, that was all the better for her, right? Thanks again, the woman said, heading toward the tall chestnut mare. The creature's brown eyes appraised her new owner, and for a moment it seemed the horse might shy away. Dra offered out the flat of her hand and let the horse sniff her, and extended her other hand to stroke the equine's gently arched neck. Smiling, she took the animal's reins in hand and began leading the horse away from the pack's territory.

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