passing through nature to eternity.
#1
I've thrown in Simcha, but he won't be interacting with anyone for the thread, so feel free to ignore him! Set the date to whenever it fits in your timeline.
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[/html]Claudius had not ventured forth to Cour des Miracles since he'd received word of Terra's mateship. He had been busy and rather upset by the revelation, so he had kept to himself in AniWaya. Since the attack on Gemma by Liam, he and Ulilohi realized that it was time to re-instate their warrior ranks. They had no one they could rely on to bring justice to the tribe and Ulilohi was the only warrior among them. Jacinto, the new coyote from Inferni, seemed to Claudius to be a good candidate for the warrior rank, but aside from those two, they were vulnerable. Claudius didn't like it.

He approached the borders from the northwest and howled once he could smell the pack. He howled to ask for the leaders of the pack for a friendly chat. Simcha Fletcher had accompanied him on the journey, mostly for Claudius' own safety. Since he and Ulilohi had gone to Anathema, he'd also realized that approaching a foreign pack without any backup was a foolhardy idea.

The sun was bright and high in the sky, so Claudius took a seat under a tree. Simcha followed suite and they waited, both in their secui forms. It allowed them to travel to their neighbour quickly, but it also meant Claudius was terribly warm. He panted as he waited, looking forward to seeing Vigilante once more under better circumstances.[html]
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#2
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348

Genuinely, I don't know know what to say in this >> still gotta work out what kind of a leader Silvano will be but it's definitely no Strel

It seemed a little bit weird, being in this position when he had once always been a member first and foremost with no power behind him other than his mother's name. Now, he was a leader here in his own right, though it did not seem the change sat well with the Court at all. They did not know him, and they did not know what kind of a person he was. He was at a disadvantage; Strelein had been a member for two years before he had become their Dauphin, and Silvano had been here only months. He knew that he could not relax but make sure they all saw that he was capable and more. So he patrolled with a gusto, even taking his colt out for the exercise and to give him some training in the saddle, though he would only ever go ten or twenty minutes to spare the growing stallion's bones.


But today he had chosen to forgo the colt and let him frolic and play in the pasture with the other horses in the pack's herd. Not that Heritage minded one way or another; there would be food and attention, and that was all he cared about. Silvano patrolled, and then heard the call, which made him pause instantly. He was not sure but it sounded familiar. It was also strange for him to know he had to go figure out what was going on, to answer to call for a leader. He shook his head and jogged to where he had heard the call. The scent of AniWaya grew stronger and somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel his concern and anger growing. He remembered the war still.


He, however, did not expect Claudius, who had called the leaders to him. Silvano paused, eyeing the AniWayan he had in his youth attacked and captured. "What is it?" he asked, rather rudely despite knowing to speak well to everyone. "Er, welcome to the Court. What do you need?" he remedied instantly, looking almost sheepishly at Claudius.

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#3
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[/html] Although Claudius had called for Vigilante, he was not surprised that a scout had found him first. He was, however, surprised that Silvano was a scout; he pegged him more as the weak, simpering sort of trowl that would hide in a cave while others did the hard work or torture prisoners of war. Claudius tried not to let his spite show, but he was not trying very hard. He noticed Simcha pick up on his tense posture and immediately straightened up. Claudius' frown only served to deepen when the other wolf greeted him so flippantly that Claudius felt his fur stand on edge.

The other wolf quickly corrected himself, but the damage had been done. He was not interested in speaking with this emissary and would very much rather state his case before someone he knew had not tortured him. He especially did not want to grovel before his once-captor. There were many other options he would prefer and at this point, he was not sure if he could set his pride aside to do what was good for AniWaya.

"I-I-I a-am huh-e-e-eere t-t-to sp-u-he-eak w-with H... Vi...hi-igila-ante," he responded. He stated this with as much strength as he could summon, all the while wishing his stammer did not reduce the power of his words. "I ha-a-ave i-impor-r-r-tant... ma-a-atter...s... w-w-with which... t-t-to d-i-cuss."[html]
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#4
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264

It was obvious that Claudius had no love for the Sadira, but he had no such affection for him either, only because he had been a part of the machine that had waged war upon his family and splintered his home. Silvano was still guilty for what he had done, but he had done it all under the guise of defense with a war going on. How could he be blamed for that? But it was still clear that he was not the one expected, and it seemed that Vigilante had yet to arrive on the scene. What was he supposed to do with this man who had come to speak to the leaders when he himself was a leader now and worthy of being spoken to.


Silvano let his neutral look flutter over his face and peered at Claudius. He was stiff, but so was Silvano. He was not sure how to behave and he was sure that he had ruined a diplomatic moment for the King yet to arrive. "He'll be along; his mate was injured and is recovering from her wounds. You can speak to me for now, and if he doesn't show up, I can relay the message," he said carefully, watching his words as he gauged for the other's reaction. It was not quite yet clear to the Sadira that Claudius was a leader, but it seemed to be just the same for the other man. Silvano really was an unknown, it seemed, with his mother as his only tie. "What can we do for you?"

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#5
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[/html] Claudius nodded curtly in understanding when the other wolf accounted for Vigilante's lateness. If Claudius had a mate, he thought he might understand how her injuries might delay him. So, he was not upset at Vigilante. He still felt very uncomfortable around the other canine given that Vigilante had been at the front of an attack against AniWaya and then later one of the occupying forces, but since his actions had been against AniWaya as a whole, he could at least push it aside for a bit to look at the bigger picture.

"Nuh-nuh-no thuh-thank yuh-you," he replied slowly. "I-I a-a-am he-e-ere o-on ma-a-a-atters wuh-which ruh-require... the judgment o-o-of a luh-eader," he explained. "I wuh-would puh-prefer... not to ruh-relay... su-s-s-uh-hu-uch... ma-a-a-atters... th-thuh-huh-rough a.... me-e-e-essage." He tried to smile pleasantly after this, but he was afraid that it may have looked more menacing than sarcastic, as was his intention. [html]
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#6
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It was as if nothing mattered the the dog King, once glorious (if not misleadingly stoic) in his prime, now a fallen beast. Ayita's wounds had been etched into his mind, his body aching where hers did. More importantly, Vigilante's existence had become hardly more than that of a ghost, lingering by his mate's side for as long as he could stand before he had to move, had to clear his mind. She slept, and the dog King moved silently from their room, leaving the house with his head low and muscles tense.

Only moments later, he heard the call from the borders, recognizing it after a moment of foggy thought. It had been hard to push the fog away enough to acknowledge that it was the Aston leader of the tribe. He moved slowly—after all, did he not have a more willing Constable now, so willing he was to usurp the rank? With any luck, he would not be needed at all. It was part of his wish to turn now, to pretend he had not heard the call, but he pushed forward. He still had duties, however much he had grown to loathe them in the past two weeks.

Vigilante had missed most of the conversation, coming in at the very end of it. He looked to Claudius and the other tribal wolf, then to Silvano, his massive secui head held low to the ground. Words did not come to him, his voice too heavy to muster without need. The look he gave them was questioning, his eyes haunted, distant.

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#7
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218

Before Silvano could correct the other in his thinking, the familiar scent of the dog King brought his silence. He turned and gave a respectful nod of the head to the worn and weary leader, noting the sadness in him. His mind was not here and it was better that this meeting, or whatever it was, could be finished quickly if only for the benefit of the man with an ill mate. Silvano turned back to the AniWayan and sighed heavily at him, wishing he had a chance to properly explain the situation, though no more apologies would be spoken. What had happened happened, and everyone would have to get over it. Even if the Sadira had not truly gotten over it, nightmares still disturbing his night's sleep now and then.


"He is here, will you speak to us now?" he said carefully, his tone suggesting that it had to be done quickly, though with the man's stutter it was not going to be as fast as the Constable would have liked at all. "I am the Constable here, and will not leave," he added as an afterthought, cutting off any chance that Claudius could protest his presence in this meeting. He was a leader, he had the right, and he would take what he got.

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#8
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[/html]Claudius did not miss Vigilante's slow and weary entrance, nor the dog leader's lack of words. He knew that few suffered from speech problems like he did, so it was likely for some other reason. Perhaps Vigilante was wounded, tired, or sick. Claudius was curious, but not concerned; he respected the other canine enough to keep quiet and not question it, but he didn't know the leader personally, so he could only afford to concern himself if it ended up hindering his cause. He needed to focus and not let cowards, such as Silvano, distract him from what he was here to do.

He was quick to notice that when someone did speak, it was Silvano--and he said 'we.' Claudius frowned when Silvano named himself the Constable. This word held no meaning to Claudius and since he'd never heard it used before, he couldn't tell if it meant he was some sort of uppity scout or if he actually belonged here.

"A-a-a-aniwa-aya... has... not... ha-a-ad... any... trou-uh-hu-ble... wuh-with yuh-you, Cuh-Crimson Duh-dreams, or a-a-any pa-a-ack suh-since... Ma-a-aska... wa-a-as de-puh-posed. Huh-how-w-wever... we cuh-cannot... suh-survive... wuh-without our... wuh-warriors... if wuh-we wi-wi-wish to puh-protect... our huh-home. I ha-a-ave cuh-come here as... the Cuh-councilman... a-a-and suh-second-in-cuh-command... tuh-to U-luh-lilohi... E-Ehn... to nuh-negotiate... the ruh-return of our wuh-warriors. We duh-do nuh-not... want to... see... any muh-more... suh-suh-strife... between... our puh-packs." [html]
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#9
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265

He wanted his warriors back? Claudius had been part of the group that had attack his pack the first time around, and though it had been a mistaken encounter for them, it had left some strong bitter feelings. Silvano still regretted what he had done but he had done it for his home, for the safety of his family. Claudius seemed to hate him because of what he had done, though he had not been that cruel. Had he? He tightened his lips together as the other man stuttered his way through an explanation, focusing hard on understanding him. That gave his eyes a sharper edge than he had intended, but it was hard to decipher stuttering words.


To return their warriors? Silvano did not know what to say to that. He had been there in the fighting and he knew what a group could do. But Claudius had been helpful in ending the war, and the woman from their higher Tribe or whatever it was, had promised. She promised, and Silvano had to admit he had to trust her. "You want your warriors back?" he asked for confirmation. He gave Vigilante a quick glance, knowing that this was mostly going to be on his own shoulders. "I think it's time you have them back. The war is almost a year gone and it's time to move on." The last of the Dreamers knew it was time to forgive and forget. "We've muzzled you for too long. But if the same happens again.. I don't think we'll be forgiving, again."

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#10
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sorry for the wait - we can probably close this up? I just wanted to finally post again xD;

It seemed as if the war with AniWaya had been a million years past now, so much was he focused on everything going on in his own life. Had that really only been recently? His lips narrowed as he recalled the tough time that they had been subjected to due to the reign of Maska. This Ulilohi, from what he knew, was nothing like the former tyrant, and certainly Claudius was not. It was a shame to hear that they were having troubles keeping the peace as of late.

Jade eyes, once nearly omniscient but now hardly more lifelike than the stone they replicated, looked to Silvano to search for his response. Crimson Dreams, he knew, had been more directly involved than Cour des Miracles had been, and so while he thought it was fine, he worried that the former Dreamer would disagree. Thankfully, however, the young male vocalized the thoughts that the King repeated in his mind. "I certainly agree with Silvano, though I hope you do not come into enough unfortunate to need them."

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#11
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[/html]Claudius nodded when Silvano looked to him for confirmation. He did not want to try to push himself to speak more than was necessary, since he knew that if he spoke too much and too often, it only ended up stressing him out and made it more difficult to communicate. When Silvano said that they would 'give' them back their warriors, he had to restrain himself from saying more. He suspected that he must have looked quite cross--or perhaps constipated, since he was trying very hard not to look cross. It was so difficult because the other wolf's attitude was so paternalistic: yes, he had come to ask for their warriors back, but it would only be a move that would permit what was rightfully theirs. But 'allowing' them or 'permitting' them to have them struck Claudius as so laughable he had trouble keeping it all bottled up. He was here on a mission of peace and he couldn't ruin it. That was the whole point. And he couldn't let his personal emotions or his pride ruin this for the tribe.

"Nuh-not wuh-with yuh-you I duh-do huh-hope," he said in response to Vigilate. As he spoke, he glanced from the one male to the other because his response was for both of them. "Thuh-though, I duh-do wuh-warn you: Luh-liam Ruh-rhiann-nuh-non... is a ruh-rapist... and a suh-sadist. Our wuh-warriors a-a-are tuh-to puh-protect thuh-the innocent... from huh-his puh-perverted... cuh-claws. I-i-if yuh-you huh-hear of huh-him, yuh-you wuh-will be rewarded. Huh-he muh-must a-a-answer... to Ani-wuh-Wayan... juh-justice." He lowered his head slowly to gather his thoughts, but then shook it. They did not need to know more. He had gotten what AniWaya needed and now they could protect Gemma with a clean conscience. If that monster ever ventured near AniWaya again, he would deliver unto him the justice that he so deserved.[html]
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WC: 308


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