Welcome to Gaia! ::

Senka made her way up the rocky hillside, amused at how well she blended into the scenery - not that it came as any surprise; with her shadowy coat, she could easily hide in the mountains at home, too. Her ears swiveled around as a twig snapped loudly behind her. She turned to verify the source, to see if there was any danger, but it was only a little bird, probably nesting. The thought briefly crossed her mind to snatch it up and eat it, but she decided that it was not worth the effort. Too many feathers, too little meat.

The dense forest below drew her eye and memories of her time spent there surged to the forefront of her mind. Yes. Her sojourn in the Reign of Terror’s territory her been…interesting, to say the least, and she was not certain that she would be returning anytime soon. But that was behind her, now, and she had the rest of her journey to look forward to. She continued on.

Brilliant orange and watery blue assaulted her eyes as she rounded a boulder. Curious, she moved closer. Senka grinned to herself: they were wolves. The first one, the brilliant sun-streak of color, seemed to be in a foul temper. The other one seemed to be quite exhausted. What was their story? Cocking her head, she wondered if they had noticed her yet. Deciding that there was no point in idle conjecture, she approached them, her lithe body moving soundlessly over the rocky terrain.

Senka heard the snarl in the orange wolf’s voice as she addressed her, and decided to make herself as unthreatening as possible. Though she could handle herself, it was better to avoid fights wherever possible, especially when she was roaming alone and was outnumbered. Thus, she purposely kicked a small rock to let the bristling wolf know where she was before she appeared and sat down several feet away from the pair, her tail softly brushing the ground.

“Greetings,” she said cordially. “My name is Senka. I mean you no harm.” Her ruby eyes traveled over the vibrantly colored wolves, noting the details. The rusty, orange markings and amber eyes of the male. The scars on his haunches. She wondered where they came from, then looked at the female. Her curious black spots and brown pads. Most especially, she noticed the way that the female stood so protectively before the male, despite her rather petite frame. Senka was no giant, but even her, lean, travel-hardened frame made the other female appear small. However, that did nothing to diminish from the aggressiveness that the orange wolf exuded. As a warrior, Senka could appreciate that.

“I am a storyteller,” she elaborated, as if producing evidence of her harmlessness.

Senka did not so much as flick an ear at the orange wolf’s hostility. However, she was most amused by the interaction between the two, and the sharp contrast between their personalities. Though she managed not to voice it, she could not manage to keep the laughter out of her eyes when Kailani - call me Kai - chastised his companion. He appeared to be the one in charge and he certainly spoke with authority, but at the same time, he did not seem nearly as aggressive as his companion. What was their relationship, then?

All in due time.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Kai,” she returned, equally polite. “I would be happy to spend some time speaking with you. At the moment, I am journeying to collect stories; however, if you truly have none to tell,” her voice was mild as she glanced at Kamiya, “then I have many I could share with you.”

Inwardly, Senka chided herself. She knew that she should not even consider poking at the orange wolf. It would be not only rude, but rather stupid, even if she was quite small…but still, the she-wolf was so responsive and snarly, and it seemed so easy to rile her, that Senka would have a hard time resisting the urge. She was rather surprised at herself, really. She did not normally stoop to antagonizing other wolves. In fact, she normally did her best to avoid it. Perhaps her time with the Reign of Terror had left her with more than mere memories. Perhaps it had unleashed a more impish side of her nature.

Senka grinned, half at Kai’s words and half at Kamiya’s reaction. Oh, yes. She would be fun to rile.

“Far enough,” she replied. “I am over a month’s journey from my pack lands, though I intend to go farther.” She swept another considering gaze over Kai’s body. The pain that his haunches caused him had not escaped her notice. “But tell me, Kai: surely a wolf carrying such scars as yours has a story to tell. You cannot really expect me to believe that it is a dull one.” Alright. Perhaps that was not the most tactful approach, but then, Senka had never claimed to be anything other than straightforward. Kamiya drew her gaze again.

She shouldn’t. She really shouldn’t, but…

“And how is it that your companion managed to escape unscathed?” It was too much to resist. Besides, it might help shed some light on their relationship.

Not exactly the reaction Senka was hoping for from the orange wolf, even if her attempt at a civilized tone was rather amusing. At least it explained why Kai seemed to be in charge even while Kamiya seemed to be more dominant. Kai’s explanation, however, was rather sketchy. She felt that there was much more to it than he was letting on. Nonetheless, even his brief story made Senka grateful once more that she had managed to pass through the Reign of Terror’s territory relatively peaceably.

“I am sorry to hear that,” she said sincerely. “I know that they can be a rather…aggressive pack.” She paused, considering her next question. Which path would yield the greater reward? Which story would be more interesting? Which was she more likely to acquire? If they were from the same pack, Kai might be reluctant to share his woes in front of his guard. By the same token, however, he might be unwilling to recount what had clearly been an unfavorable battle to a stranger, especially in front of a subordinate. Hmm…

“Kamiya says that you are a prince. That is quite rare in a pack. What could possibly entice you to leave such a comfortable lifestyle?”

Senka’s eyes gleamed with interest. Pups were…what? What could Kamiya possibly want to hide? She cast a slitted gaze at the wolf in question, the wolf who was proving to be more of a hindrance than a help. Senka flicked an ear back, then forward again in annoyance. Clearly, the orange wolf had no intention of allowing Kai to speak of anything interesting, so long as she could allow it. Once more a choice presented itself: keep trying to question Kai and see if he would exercise his authority and speak despite Kamiya’s protests, or change targets. Perhaps the testy she-wolf would let something interesting slip. Kai did not seem particularly inclined to speak of his secrets, anyway. Not yet, at least.

That settled, Senka focused more fully on the she-wolf.

“Then what is it that you believe in?”

Senka found Kamiya’s hesitation to be most entertaining. Was she really such a cause for concern? Was she really so threatening? Interesting. Senka was beginning to understand Ulfhildr, a thought which should give Senka some concern of her own. But that was neither here nor there.

So. The orange wolf would go for the impersonal approach. She would try to throw Senka off the scent with a nice, juicy myth. That was fine. Senka would bite; she could always strike later. Allowing her to speak of her pack, rather than herself, might loll the orange wolf into a false sense of security. The shadowy wolf had patience. Now, as for their pack mythology… Fire, she could understand. It was what her pack worshipped, but the ocean? It was most peculiar. She said as much.

“My pack honors fire above all. It is a gift from the gods. What sort of pack worships the ocean?” Truly. It was such a strange concept for the mountain-dwelling wolf to consider.