Welcome to Gaia! ::

[OoC: So is her last name AsakAUr or AsakUAr?]

Stardust strolled through the grass casually, enjoying the spring-like weather that had bestowed itself upon them after a month of nonstop snow. No doubt the warmth would not last long and the winter cold would return shortly, but that wasn't a reason not to enjoy the pleasant day. That and she had been so busy keeping her human's mind on track that she hadn't had the time to interact with the pack as much. There were some new faces that she had yet to acquaint herself with, as did Riya.

Riya walked alongside her wolf, taking long strides to keep up with the Alpha who was already stepping slower than usual. But the pace was familiar as they often walked side-by-side - riding was only necessary if they need to reach their destination quickly, or if they were sent to New Eve to deliver one of Shizuka's strange packages. The memory of the acidic green gloop brought a shiver to the young Lieutenant, deciding she wouldn't be visiting the former Captain any time soon. One nightmare was enough.

"Who did you say we're going to see?"

Feathermist and her Chehero Asakuar. A delicate sniff of the air informed Stardust that she was heading in the right direction, that the pair were nearby. Finding the pup had been easy since she always knew where her wolves were, but it was nice to know the human was with her.

"Asakuar," Riya mumbled to herself, trying to recall what bio had been attached to that name. One of the girl's parents had been a wolfrider here, if she recalled correctly, the girl had practiced medicine for a short awhile, and now the apprentice of Vala and Feathershroud. Beyond that, nothing of interest had captured Riya's attention - her performance review from the Drill Sergeant had been like anyone else's.

There they are, the Alpha announced as the apprentice pair came into sight. Stardust watched with amusement as the pup pounced onto her human, remembering her own rambunctious ways when was she was younger.

"Hm..." came the thoughtful response from Riya as they continued to make their way to Chehero and Feathermist.

[OoC: Lol, no worries. I just wanted to make sure I certed her correctly. =P]

Riya knew the pair had seen them, not only because wolves were naturally in tune with their environment but the girl had looked this way, so she was slightly surprised that they hadn't jumped to their feet in greeting of some sort. The fact didn't bother her so much as it amused her, since having been raised by the (in)famous Captain Shizuka, she had been drilled the ways of the military since a young age (thankfully not as harshly as what Damien had suffered). Vaguely, Riya wondered if the girl's lack of reaction was attributed to uncertainty in her new rank or simply a shy nature.

Only one way to find out, the wolf responded as they neared the young pair. Stardust approached with a relaxed form as she had never been very aggressive or domineering towards the pups, though she never lost the usual straight ears and lifted tail that accompanied her every move. The white scarf was wrapped around her neck and the end thrown over her shoulders in a royal fashion, as per usual. Feathermist, she called in a pleasant tone once they were near, tail swaying in a slightly playful manner.

"Chehero Asakaur," came Riya's greeting, a question though it sounded more like a commanding statement. They had come to a stop a mere few feet away from the relaxed pair, and the young Lieutenant quietly awaited the formalities that would (and should) pass. But she also took the opportunity to look over the young wolf, noting with interest the shoulder accessory, leg wrapping, and especially the laurel headdress - the pup looked rather cute.

I'm much cuter.

Of course you are.

[OoC: Trust me, you're nowhere near half as bad as Shikai. XD]

Riya had to hide the smile that threatened to spread over her face at Chehero's expression changes. She personally wasn't very good at reading people - which she also found to be a waste of effort since she'd simply ask if she really wanted to know what another person was thinking or feeling - so it was always amusing to watch the more obvious facial features when they did open up. That and she respected anyone who was quick to follow protocol, especially an apprentice.

Taking the time to look the new apprentice over, Riya noted that the girl was rather short - she was usually one or two inches taller than the average woman already, but Chehero was unusually short in her eyes. Trivial details though since the skill of a wolfrider wasn't determined by physical appearance. However, Riya couldn't help but admire the odd hair coloring, deciding that the pink on white looked girly but cute. The thought had her thinking back on to whether or not she had brushed her hair properly this morning...

Nodding in acknowledgement at the apprentice's salute and greeting, Riya offered a friendly smile. "About time we met," she responded, and then extended a hand to Chehero for the girl to shake - also to signify that any strict formalities could be dropped. She'd always found that when you wanted to acquaint yourself with someone, peer level allowed a better glimpse into the person's true personality; acting as a superior officer usually only made the other nervous or formal, neither of which was very interesting.

Stardust ignored the human interaction as they never interested her. The wolf bounded forward in a short leap, playfully nuzzling her nose into the pup's cheek. A soft growl rumbled through her throat, but there was no aggression in the noise, only an invitation to romp. Nipping Feathermist's ear softly, Stardust then jumped back and flicked her tail in a frolicsome manner.

Given recent events, Stardust had had little time to no time for play, so it was a nice change for her to relax and let loose. With a soft bark, the large wolf circled the pup coyishly as if stalking a prey and waited to see how Feathermist would react. Playing like this was as much a good way for the young ones to learn and train, as it was a method for the Alpha to determine a wolf's nature.

((OOC: hope you don't mind me jumping in the other rp seem a little to daunting. Thanks for the great starter to work with.))

Dave pulled the book off the shelf and scowled in concentration as he leafed through it. On the one hand, he wondered if he weren’t being a little short-sighted in thinking that finding some kind of answer as to why Sandra couldn’t carry a baby to term might help. On the other hand, it might exacerbate the situation, too, given that there wouldn’t be any way of reversing whatever caused it. Still maybe it would be comforting for his sister just to know that she wasn’t the only woman with the problem. Dave only wished he could do more.

His first thought this morning when he awoke in his bed was that he ought to go back right away. Sandra would be saying goodbye to Hideaki at sunset. His next thought had been that RapidCloud hadn’t come after him in the night, and with that realization had come a feeling of complete melancholy. He sighed. How selfish was he, to think of something as silly as that when his dear sister was suffering so much?

Shaking his head with irritation he stuffed the book back into the shelf and turned to leave. Grabbing his white uniform off the rack by the door he pulled it on using one hand to button up the shirt while the other one opened the door. "You headed back to see your sister?" The all to familiar voice of Rapidcloud echoed in his mind forcing a sigh.

"And what of it cloud?" Those very words seemed to bring the wolf out of the tree lines towards the older man.

"Well I can't let you leave, spring has come. We need to be busy defending the forts and the main city from the centipedes not to mention you and I both know we wont survive the travel alone with their threat so close." To Dave it the words sounded more like a lecture to anyone else standing nearby the words would be a growl.

What did he care of the centipieds? He and Rapidcloud had been fighting them for years, "then you can stay here." The older wolf growled snapping at the human.

Feathermist lowered her head and kicking off with her hind feet burst forward to keep up with the alpha. Her whole body seemed to move like a ribbon being trailed behind in the air. Being a small pup it was hard for her to keep up with Stardust as she wasn't as big and thus her legs didn't quite span the length, the alpha could. Speed wasn't her best area, as quick thinking and stamina were starting to develop into her strong points. She was so busy keeping up a game of tag with the alpha she hadn't even noticed they were headed right for another wolf she had yet to meet.

Finding herself caught in the trance of the playful wolves Chehero could only smile. The game and rate at which the wolves played with one another only made her wish she were one of them. Forgetting she was standing in front of Riya when the wolves eventually moved out of sight she jumped once the tall girl caught her eye. She had completely not heard a thing the lieutenant said and, figuring it best she not let her know Chehero merely nodded.

It would be a long time before Chehero would be able to ride, being a fresh apprentice in the white shadow fort. Not to mention Feathermist was only three months old and still had so much growing in front of her to complete.

{OoC: Your welcome Gymn, at any rate im sorry for the short post I ran out of time. If no one has posted upon my return I shall try to make it longer}

Stardust raised her head and tail as they neared Rapidcloud, eyes taking on a dominant spark as her body stiffened instinctively. She was extremely strict and unforgiving when it came to rank, expecting a complete show of submission from all the wolves below her as soon as she approached. But Rapidcloud failed to keep his body low enough for her, instead sitting down carefreely.

Lips curled up as she released a dark growl, white fangs showing as she broke into a sprint. Stardust was on Rapidcloud in two strides, her slightly larger frame towering over his as she snapped her jaws close to his right ear. Her icey blue eyes starded down at his orange orbs, rumbling deep in her throat as she threatened to sink her teeth into his head if he didn't submit to her right then and there.

Riya simply raised an eyebrow when Chehero only nodded in response, noting that the girl wasn't a very talkative one. Neither was she, most of the time, unless she was being informative or if she was in one of her moods - and it was really hard to shut her up if during the latter. But the Lieutenant shrugged casually as she too glanced over at the wolves, noting with little interest that Stardust was peeved at the other male.

"So how is your training?" she asked curiously, wanting to know what Vala had been asking the apprentice to do. That and people's responses to different types of work showed what they were like, both mentally and physically. It would help Riya to know what position to assign Chehero in the future, though she was probably getting ahead of herself. But she couldn't help it, she had a habit of planning way too far ahead.

A whining whimper resounded between the two adult wolves, ears pressing back against his head as his tail pulled up against him. He was more shocked by the sudden attack from Stardust than anything, sure that he had properly greated her a few moments ago. Making sure to keep all four paws close to his body he attempted to wiggle out from beneath the large female wolf, attempting to keep himself from wetting his fur. Keeping his large glowing eyes on her, he wanted to say something teasing but given current cirrcumstances he didn't really want to gamble it. Reaching his nose up he licked the underside of the alpha's snout looking over to the collapsed pup over by the tree.

Entering the clearing where he believed the blasted wolf to be, Dave stumbled upon two girls hidden away under one of the trees. At first glance uncalled images raced through his mind. Stiffling a blush, running a finger under his nose as he sniffed he realized the taller to be Riya. The second, he assumed, must have been the new arrival Chehero. Eye's washing over the rather feminin pair he continued forward. Mine as well see if either one of them would help him out of this blasted fort.