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 After leaving Phoenix Valley, Anselm had headed south. Although he originally intended to blow straight through to Cour des Miracles, he'd gotten caught up in the old human city. Halifax had always been a favourite haunt for him; he liked tinkering with the human tools he found, lounging about in their sinfully comfortable furniture, and oh, was it a happy day when he found an intact bottle of firewater. He'd checked in on the abandoned building where he'd met Poe. It remained in its usual state: there was nobody to be found. Still, he'd crashed there for a couple of nights before moving on.
He wound his way down along the coast as Kaena had directed him, and by about two in the afternoon he happened upon the borders of Miracles. Briefly he took a dip in the salty seas to cleanse himself of any particular scents he'd accumulated, though this measure of protection probably wasn't necessary. Over three quarters wolf by blood, he looked the part--not to mention the most recent scent on his coat was that of the Valley. The two nights he'd spent in Inferni hardly mattered compared to the countless he'd spent on the open road recently, but it was in his nature to be careful. Fortunately, it was raining ( again).. so he didn't have to lounge about waiting for his fur to dry before pressing on.
Keeping his tail low and his ears back in a placid, submissive way, the caramel hybrid set upon his task. He inhaled deeply as he trotted along the borders, noting instantly that the male was definitely the leader and the teenage girl Gabriel had spoke of subordinate. Truthfully their numbers seemed quite manageable--perhaps even lower than Inferni's. This pleased him greatly and put him in a better mood at once. Still, he wished for a closer look. Unlike Svara, however, he damn well knew better than to go barging in and making himself at home. He let out a couple quiet, curious yaps as he moved along, pausing every so often to squint past the invisible line that defined where it was okay to be and where it was not. Sooner or later, somebody would find him.
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300+
PUMPKIN KNIGHT
Rain rain and more rain. The youthful hybrid was getting pretty damn sick of rain. He didn't mind it most of the time, but when it just continued on for days it got rather annoying. Whenever he went out for border patrols or to go hunt he always got drenched and then didn't want to go back into the house until he was dry and clean. There was no reason to get everything all wet and messed up inside. For only being ten months old Haven liked to keep his house pretty clean and orderly. It helped that Siobhan lived with him too, but he doubted his habits would have changed much without his favorite girl's presence.
Well, despite the rain and the unappetizing prospect of getting drenched yet again, the borders needed to be checked and it was his duty to do so. Of course it was technically everyone's duty, but being the Knight, he felt more obligated to keep an eye on them. He decided to go out in his lupus form today though. If he was going to get wet there was no reason to get his clothes and his sword wet as well. A soaked pelt would be quite enough for him. So he made sure the door was shut and then leisurely trotted out into the rain.
The pumpkin hued male had just started making his rounds when an odd yipping caught his ears. Those bi-colored ears strained forward to catch the noise and determine where it was coming from. Thinking he had a pretty good idea he increased his pace and soon jade eyes caught sight of a soggy brightly toned male at the borders. Haven kept his ears and tail up, though not so much for anyone to think he was the leader or anything. A subtle smile was on his face as he came up to the stranger. "Hey there, is there something I can help you with?" The youth's tone was pleasant, even though it was a little strange to catch someone else out in the rain.
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It was raining, again! The blind duchess of Cour des Miracles was becoming increasingly bored with each passing day that this rainstorm carried on. She had managed to make it back to the house, after an interesting encounter with a certain, Faler Cerber. The woman had been pleasant, but Ruri was still confused as to the meaning of some of the things that were said and done during their little meeting. Those questions, however, would have to wait for later. Today, Ruri was quietly, sitting on the porch in her petite lupus form, her senses focused out into the rain. She wasn't about to venture out into it unless there was something interesting, or another packmate to go visit with. Someone was bound to be checking the borders today, so perhaps she'd catch their scent and be able to have a conversation with them. She hadn't heard from Haven in awhile, not since the arrival of his friend Siobhan. Ruri smiled and shook her head, correcting herself. Siobhan was likely more than just a friend for Haven, and it was understandable that he should spend most of his time with her these days.
It was fun to think about all the people she knew in the packlands. The royal court were all friends of hers, at least somewhat. Granted she knew some better than others, but they all seemed to like her fairly enough and she certainly liked them. It was some of the newer pack members that she did not know as well. She would have to make a point to meet some of them once all of this rain stopped. Ruri's thoughts about her future tasks were quickly diverted when a sound reached her ears. It was a series of short yips, and it seemed far enough away that it could be at the borders. She didn't recognize the voice, but the merle and ivory female attributed that to the sound of the rain causing interference. Besides, the way she figured it, someone else in the pack was bound to have heard the calls and would be on their way as well so she wouldn't have to worry about being caught alone as she had been with Haku Soul.
The delicate female quickly made up her mind to go investigate, and in a matter of a few steps she was off, trotting through the rain along one of the path's she had memorized which led through the packlands. For a blind girl, she was able to move around fairly well, as long as she was in an area she knew. Put her on a plot of ground she was unfamiliar with and she might spend hours trying to touch, hear, or smell something that was familiar so that she could get her bearings. Fortunately, though, her recent excursions had given her a fair idea of the best paths to move through certain parts of the packlands and she was on one of those paths now. She would hopefully be in the vicinity of the calling individual within a few minutes. Hopefully they would loose a couple more calls so that she would be able to find them faster.
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His eyes widened in slight surprise as he caught sight of the wolf--no, hybrid--who answered his call. The bold bronze of Haven's coat seemed awfully familiar--maybe kind of similar to what he saw while staring at his own reflection. They certainly weren't related, far from spitting images of one another (Haven's coat had a redder hue; Anselm's was more gold mottled with brown), but Anselm knew at once this boy had at least something of a mixed background. He was also struck by the other's youth... what, was this whole pack just a gang of teenagers?
Though it felt odd submitting to one who scarcely looked a year old, his ears still fell back at once and he did his best to lower his posture further. Truthfully, he wouldn't even consider doing as much back home even if he were outranked. Anselm was a bit of a traditionalist--everyone always did well to respect their elders. Not only were they more wise, but they often had a handful of tricks up their sleeves that could only come from experience. But fine; if this was their game... he could still play it. For now, he simply focused on his trespasser status and this greatly simplified how easy it was to make his submission appear genuine. At least the other male seemed friendly, anyway.
Rather unaware that anything he said may carry through the rain to more than just one set of ears, he still considered his approach carefully, as always. As the boy's voice carried through the ever constant pitter-patter of raindrops, he nodded fluidly before speaking: yes, he could be helped. "My apologies for keeping you out in this weather," he offered first, which was actually half sincere. Poor kid--he was out getting wet all so he could answer a stranger's questions, divulging bits and pieces of information about his pack. "I've been trying to get a handle on what packs are in the area before I settle down," he explained, delighting in the fact that none of this statement was a lie. It made it so much easier to say evenly, yet it was still misguided enough to get him the results he wanted. Haven didn't need to know that he already knew where he would settle--for now it was just left ambiguous, with the obvious assumption being that he hadn't decided yet.
"Someone mentioned this place to me and it sounded intriguing--apparently royalty have settled here?" Most of the time, others loved to talk about themselves, their homes, and their own culture. Hopefully the seed he'd just planted would blossom into something awesome and informative, though he wasn't opposed to encouraging it with some fertiliser along the way. God only knew they already had enough rain...
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300+
PUMPKIN KNIGHT
Haven was a little surprised when the clearly older male lowered his posture to him even further. It was true, he was fairly high ranked on these lands and probably deserved it of an outsider, but it was far from something he was used to. There was really none of that stuff in the pack. Jac wanted everyone to consider themselves as more or less equals. That, and Haven had never really met anyone on the borders before, not even back in Crimson Dreams. Truth be told it all made him slightly uncomfortable. "Thanks...but you really don't need to do that. You can relax, it's obvious you're not here for ill intentions." At least no ill intentions of the violent sort, which was the kind he was most concerned about.
Bi-colored ears strained forward to make sure he caught everything the newcomer said. It could be hard to hear clearly in the rain and no doubt both of them wanted to get back to someplace dry as quick as possible. So if there was no need to clarify anything that had been said, that eventual goal would be met quicker. So he was surveying all the packs to see which would fit him best? No harm in that, everyone wanted to end up somewhere they belonged. "Oh I see. Well I'll answer your questions the best that I can." Like the male in front of him, he was oblivious to the close presence of one of his packmates. The rain made it much harder to pick out any scents and the thrum of the drop falling about his head made it nearly impossible to hear far off footsteps.
The young hybrid gave a good-hearted chuckle at the question about royalty. "Well, that's kind of what we call ourselves, though it's not the kind that people expect." It certainly hadn't been what Haven had expected when hearing the term. "Our leader calls himself King and we all follow him as such and he calls us his royal court. Though it's pretty laid back, we don't think of ourselves as above anyone else. We all have our separate duties we are assigned to though." He made no mention of himself being a Knight. He had learned that many scoffed at the idea, if not in front of him behind their backs. It was true he was inexperienced in combat, but he had been training nearly everyday.
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Her wispy, feathery pelt was already soaking wet, but Ruri wasn't cold yet, so she didn't care. Her careful, but quick, steps had carried her close to the borders and now she was simply walking along listening for sounds of other individuals. It was not long before she heard voices, albeit distorted as they were in the rain. One of them sounded familiar and distinctly masculine, narrowing down her choices of who it might be. The rain, combined with the dampness of the air greatly inhibited her ability to sniff out who it was, leaving her with only one solution. She'd have to keep going until she came to where they were.
Padding onward at a leisurely, slow trot, the petite border collie quickly arrived at the spot where she could now distinctly detect two scents through the rain. One was Haven, the other, she did not know. The situation was calm and friendly, however, as neither Haven nor the stranger seemed agitated in anyway, their speech told her that. She came closer until she believed she was within earshot of the males, the slate and ivory girl uttered a quick bark followed by, "Hello Haven," she was quite glad to see him, although she quickly realized that she had just interrupted their conversation, causing her half-folded ears to flatten apologetically. She'd wait until Haven acknowledged her before coming closer. She didn't want to intrude if he didn't want her to. He would likely be concerned as to why she was out in the rain; and he would probably tell her to go home for her own well-being. Despite this, however, the blind duchess continued to hope that he would let her join in on the conversation.
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------Anselm was somewhat perplexed by the sandy youth's pardon--it contradicted everything he thought he knew about these sorts of affairs. Maybe he'd judged a bit too hastily when it came to these packs; maybe they weren't as uptight as he'd originally anticipated. Gradually he eased himself out of his crouch, though his ears remained pinned decidedly back against his head. Regardless of what happened next, Haven had earned some points in Anselm's book for recognising how ridiculous the situation was. He nodded as the boy continued, ever patient, ever curious.
------Though their titles may have been different, their ranking structure seemed awfully similar to his back home. The coyotes were tasked with duties that suited their personalities best, and otherwise they operated as a unit. Gabriel was undoubtedly the leader, but beyond that they cooperated more than they bickered over their ranks. "That sounds.. rather civilised," he remarked appreciatively, though he was cut short by a sharp bark before he could continue.
------Again, he found himself lowering his body for the new arrival. Just because Haven was passive about it didn't mean this newcomer would be, though he soon realised she wasn't here to instigate trouble. This left him time to consider her heritage, which clearly included a strong influence of domestic dog. He recalled Kaena mentioning their leader being of similar origins, and his head tipped slightly to one side before he remembered his manners. Avoiding her cloudy gaze directly, he had yet to realise she was visually impaired, and he dipped his head in greeting.
------"Ma'am," he offered simply as his mind reeled, trying to decide whether he'd been outnumbered or gained an additional source of information. More questions burned at the back of his mind, but he knew it was best not to rush such things. He would wait for the two pack wolves to address each other first before pressing on--if he allowed Haven to introduce their topic of discussion, it would seem less suspicious than him proclaiming it and moving along with his interrogation. [/html]
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300+
PUMPKIN KNIGHT
He sensed a slight change in demeanor from the man in front of him. More relaxed, perhaps? Well that was good, Haven didn't want him to be uncomfortable. He simply wanted to know what Cour des Miracles was like, there was nothing wrong with that and therefore no reason for the golden male to be uncomfortable. Well, aside from the rain that drenched them both. In the back of his mind he was thankful it wasn't Svara who had come across the stranger. No doubt she would have been, well...herself. A larger smile was offered at the response to the way the rankings worked. It was civilized and Haven liked it. It made sense for people to do what they were best meant for.
At the sharp bark his head swiveled around to look behind him and his jade eyes lit up at the sight of Ruri. He was a little concerned that she was also out here in the rain, but the protective instinct was pushed aside. The collie didn't need to be babied, she wasn't a child. In fact she was older than he was! "Hello Ruri! Over here!" he said loud and clear so she would be able to pinpoint their location. Haven was glad to see the Duchess it had been a while. And now if there were any questions he couldn't answer perhaps Ruri could fill in the gaps.
Looking back to the newcomer Haven tried to motion with his head that he could relax again, though he did not want to say anything. It wasn't his place to say that Ruri was blind and therefore couldn't see his show of respect. No doubt it would be easily figured out soon enough. He was about to make the introductions when he realized that he and the stranger had not exchanged names. "I'm afraid we haven't swapped names. I'm Haven, as I'm sure you just heard, and this is Ruri. This fellow has come to ask us about the pack. He's trying to figure out where to settle down."
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Her slightly folded ears perked at the sound of Haven's voice calling out to her in reply. The loud, clear tone of his voice served its purpose, for she now knew how close she was and how far she had yet to go before reaching the two males. Her delicate pads carried her over the saturated ground until she was there only a few feet from the two males. Now, she could pick up their scents well enough to know where they were in respect to each other. She quietly took her place beside Haven.
As Haven introduced her, she nodded and smiled, but she waited until Haven had stated the male's purpose before responding. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I hope that we'll be able to help you with any questions you may have," she replied, nodding in another gesture of greeting to the strange male. Her pale blue, blind eyes wandered randomly, gradually sweeping across the area where the other male was. She would let Haven do most of the talking, after all he had been here first and should as such have first crack at any questions this stranger would ask. Not that this was a game or something that required taking turns or anything like that. She just didn't want to be rude by interrupting anymore than she already had. If there were any questions Haven could not answer, she would do her best to help him out. Yes, that seemed like the proper way of doing things.
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------What a motley crew, he mused to himself, though the thought was not without some degree of endearment. In several ways he was reminded of Inferni. They all came from different and muddied backgrounds, and that was what made them unique as a group. Perhaps Kaena's instinct had been right--this place really didn't seem half bad. Were it not for Svara's pesky meddling, he might even consider himself satisfied with what he'd seen already. The Miracles canines seemed laid back and... Woah! Well I'll be damned.
------His eyes widened imperceptibly as he caught a glimpse of Ruri's (his had been attracted to the movement of hers, and he'd finally caught the tell-tale milky hue). So she was blind, eh? Anselm felt a mixture of feelings in response to this realisation, first and foremost that he felt less vulnerable. It wasn't that he'd felt threatened before, exactly, but it was in his (opportunistic) nature to note any and all weaknesses in others (as they translated into advantages for himself). Moreover, he was struck again by the decency of the Kingdom--it was certainly "nice" of them to adopt those who were handicapped into their ranks, whatever that counted for. Hmm... perhaps it just meant that they were strong enough to defend, even with such a burden? Then again, who knew? The third thing he felt was some kind of deep, subconscious respect for the border collie mix. Life was tough enough to begin with, much less minus a sense. Anselm couldn't imagine how useless he'd be without his sight. The girl had pinpointed them easily enough, so that counted for something, right?
------All of these thoughts occurred to him more or less simultaneously, within a span of a few seconds. Thus, when prompted, the hybrid didn't miss a beat: "I'm Anselm. It's a pleasure, Ruri; Haven." Was it really? Close enough. Things could certainly be much worse. With that in mind, he decided to steer the conversation back on track. His purpose had been stated clearly and they both seemed willing to cooperate--excellent. Anselm hated pulling teeth, though he would if he had to. "Hmm, well.. what if members don't have any particular area in which they shine... just the basics. Do you offer training? How about for younger children?" he wondered aloud, working off of their previous topic of discussion. The working assumption was he had few skills--in reality, he was just trying to get a handle on their militant capabilities. "Things were very rough in my birth pack for pups not sired by the Alpha," he added solemnly, just for a bit of flavour. It wasn't even a stretch--it was damn true. It seemed his birth pack had been much more animalistic than any of the packs around here. "Are the youth here descendants of the Crown alone?" he wondered further, though the answer to this question had no bearing on anything. He had to throw in a few of those just for good measure. [/html]
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So sorry for the wait guys D: 300+
PUMPKIN KNIGHT
He smiled fondly at Ruri as she found their way to them and took a place next to him. Haven had a large soft sport for the collie girl in his heart (not that that was a particularly hard thing to gain for the gentle male). She was such a kind, gentle soul. It was partially because of her that he trusted Jac so much. The King was definitely rough on the outside, but if he had the kindness and patience to care for Ruri all this time it showed how big of a heart he had, even if he might never really admit it. Ruri was also one of the main members that he was intent on protecting. The young hybrid wouldn't hesitate for a second if he needed to give his life to protect her. She deserved to live to a ripe old age. The world needed more people like her in it.
But then things turned back to the conversation at hand. Haven nodded his head at the golden man as he introduced himself. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance Anselm." Despite the male's business-like manor, there was nothing abrasive about him. He was simply polite and to-the-point. "Everyone is pretty much accepted here. We're a bit of a band of misfits really. If someone can't find a place to fit in, they're welcome here. As far as training we're still fairly new and haven't established anything like that that I know of. I'm sure all of us would be willing to take on apprentices though." Haven was hardly more than apprentice himself, but he knew the basics and was learning more everyday.
He was surprised on hearing that in Anselm's birth pack that pups not sired by the alpha had a hard time. Of course...he had been the son of the alpha in Crimson Dreams and for a while there had been no other pups. But he knew that if there had been, they would have been treated no differently than he and his siblings. "There are no pups here, at least none that I'm aware of. But I'm sure that any would be welcome and treated fairly, offspring of the King or not." Haven turned to look at Ruri standing beside him. "Do you know more? You've been with Jac much longer than I have."
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Ruri smiled, dipping her head in slightly in Anselm's direction, "Yes, pleasure to meet you," she echoed Haven. The delicate female stood quietly next to her friend as he answered Anselm's questions. She was certainly relieved that she hadn't been asked anything directly yet. The slate and ivory border collie wasn't sure whether she would have been able to answer all of those questions as well as Haven had. However, it was not long before Haven turned to her for her input regarding the issue of pups. "Oh...ummm...well I don't think Jac would play favorites. He's not the kind to settle down with anyone long enough to father any pups I think. He'd probably be accepting of anyone's pups within the pack as long as they did not interfere in his personal affairs," she replied honestly. The only pup Ruri had ever known that Jac had cared about had been her and they were the best of friends. As such it seemed likely that Jac would be a fair king to any other pups in the pack.
Out of reflex the blind collie shook her fur, although it didn't do much good out in the rain. Her long, thin coat would only re-soak itself in a few moments. One could only hope that her pelt would get thicker the longer she lived in these lands. At the moment, it wasn't at all suited to the harsh weather. However, she would endure it long enough to complete this conversation with Anselm. Then she would make haste to get back to her cabin to warm up and dry off.
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Thought we could wrap up here... Anselm isn't completely an asshole, really 's cool if ya'll reply again or close it (:
@&#&$A band of misfits. Something odd was happening to Anselm; a wave of understanding and acceptance suddenly washed over him, and with it subsequent guilt. His life had been too chaotic and completely riddled with sin--the hybrid couldn't feel regret for he would promptly and absolutely go insane. Though he hardly had a heart of gold, he had no heart of cold, indifferent iron, either. Perhaps it was best described as brass--with wear and time, the shine could be dulled. It was simply strong, hard, and indifferent. Every so often, though, little things would strike a chord and polish bits of the brass, affording him a bit of lustre and allowing true compassion to be felt. As Ruri shook out her coat, blinking out raindrops from eyes that could not see, Anselm's ears dropped back placidly and a soft sigh escaped him.
@&#&$The duty he was performing was important for Inferni's livelihood, but he had already gathered enough. They were all young; they were strong enough to afford housing the disabled; their leader was named Jac; most importantly, they were peaceful, pleasant, and highly unlikely to start any trouble with the coyote clan in the north. Though Anselm still wasn't sure about Svara's trespassing, he now tended to think they were idealistic and thought all groups were as welcoming as their own, and not that she necessarily had malicious intent. Although it would be nice to get confirmation on foreign policies, he had a good feeling that his assessment was correct--asking similar questions back at Phoenix Valley had blown his cover, anyway.
@&#&$A smile came to his face, small yet genuine--it shone in his eyes, rather than merely being a contorted smirk across his lips. "This sounds like a really cool place, guys," he offered. "I don't want to keep you folks out in this weather any longer." His tone was no more or less sincere than it had been throughout this encounter--the difference now was in what he felt. "I reckon I'd feel like a grandpa here, though," he mused with a small laugh; he was scarcely middle-aged, but everybody here was substantially younger than he was. In this statement were a couple more implications--maybe the traditional wolf didn't deserve or understand their optimism and idealism. He could certainly respect it from afar, though.
@&#&$"I'd like to visit and see more in the future, though, maybe when the weather is better." Next time, it wouldn't just be for business; their lifestyle really did intrigue him. He was tempted to think it slightly naive, but he could appreciate the beauty of innocence. "Thank you for your time--Ruri, Haven." One foreleg extended and he dropped into a deep bow of farewell. "Take care..." With another smile, he turned and was off. [/html]
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