The stables were relatively quiet this cool morning, the animals either not yet awake or not interested in moving about much. The chill in the air had little to no affect on Wisteria, her nearly double-thick coat a perfect source of warmth no matter the time of year- and one of the reasons she tended to dislike the summer and southern locales. Too hot, too hot! Salsola, being a Northern pack, however, was nicely situated in just the sort of area she was well-suited for. Similar in climate to that mountain pack in Khalif she had left, but free from the terrors of the dark god. The place where Tak himself resided, the chain of caves and caverns, the dark well of power within their stony depths- so far away now, so much safer for any dark-pelted pups she might spawn or see spawned.
Silently she sat, jack-o-lantern gaze settled lightly upon her once horse. Misty, her stolen bargaining chip, her get away partner, her escape from a life that didn't believe in chances... and in her daughter. How wrong he had been, her Khalif, to call for the death of the young girl without giving her time to redeem herself to Ankh, for her blessedness to show. And now, Odessa was as many shades of the hide as colors in the sky- and one of them was just as brilliantly white as the climbing flower herself was. The peppered mare tossed her creamy mane, eying her once rider with one large, dark eye. Her exile, her ex-mate, her continuous attempts to thwart the births of her children... her failure and the wonderful gift that had come of it. So many memories, and so easily recalled with the mere sight of such a beautiful equine.
Wisteria shook her head, lost in thought, as she considered the animal before her, now property of the entire pack. It was almost amusing how the horse had so quickly lost favor with their fickle leader- as soon as he had acquired a new steed, his black stallion taken by another member so the narcissistic mix could have but one riding animal, he no longer had wish or a want for the mare. Sirius Revlis, the Boss he called himself, was really little more than a glorified spoiled brat- not that she'd ever say that to his face. He was a handsome brat, though, she supposed, and easy enough to flirt with. Brilliant ivory mane fell in thick waves about her slender face, shifting slightly as she raised her head to consider her surroundings.
For all she wasn't fond of the Boss's personality, she was fond of his choice of land.
The cool crisp air slid tentative fingers through the man's dark, tangled mane, and walked in chills down his spine. He walked with purpose, but none saw him walk, for he was born of the shadows of the trees - A Hunter, a businessman, a dark creature cloaked by his own vanity.
It was too early for much life, but the forest was always alive - The chattering of a squirrel cut short as he passed, the rustling of a bird in her nest stilled as his shadow glided past. These small critters knew the passing of the King, and they respected him with their silence, and their fear.
The sharp olive hue of his eyes was stirred by purpose, and by ambition. There was a madness that lingered in the depths of acidic green - A sheer kind of genius that often bordered on instability. There was not a fool who had met Sirius that had not seen the light to his gaze, and known it for the power that it was. He was not the largest, the strongest, nor the fastest of brutes - But men fell to his silver tongue, knelt to his feet, and fed his voracious ego with their wise submission.
Feeling particularly self-divulgent this day, the Revlis man allowed such thoughts to whirl through the narrow channels of his mind, and pleased by his own arrogance, allowed a mirthless and dangerous smile to twitch at the corners of black lips. It was not long before he came upon his intended destination - He had taken quite a liking to the stables, of late, especially considering his newest toy, the silvery mare Chairo de Luna. The area smelt somewhat of Larkspur, but not even the Arbiter's dusky scent could fully cloak that of the intruder. Lightless pupils narrowed, canny and suspicious, as he came upon the visage of his Ganadero's sister.
Wisteria was beautiful, there was no denying such a thing. Not flawless, no, but still beholden of the kind of sharp beauty that could temporarily steal a weaker man's breath away. Aware that he was still unseen, still cloaked in the shadows out of the woman's piercing gaze, Sirius allowed a ravenous yellow-toothed sneer to temporarily grace his wickedly handsome features.
When he emerged from the trees, it was with an unreadable, blank expression. "My my, if it isn't the lovely Lady Wisteria," His voice, molten candy that oozed with dark promises, lingered deliciously on the cool morning air. Volatile olive eyes graced her curiously, but he halted his approach, waiting instead for her to rise and greet him in the respectful manner to which he had become accustomed.
