Home. And Yet... -Open-

[Adurnak]

Vyrn sighed as he looked out over the Toai Ruins, where he had denned before and during the war. Time didn't seem to have done much to this place, at least at first glance. Sure, some of the structures had finished collapsing, and the place was a bit more overgrown, but he could still find his was around without any difficulty.

"Of course, it isn't called Toai anymore, is it?" He rumbled to himself. He didn't get why everyone had decided to rename all the territories. What was wrong with the names they already had? Changing them would just confuse people, wouldn't it? Ah, well... Maybe that's what he got for leaving for so long. He wasn't even sure why he left in the first place, other than simple restlessness. Whatever. He couldn't change the past, and he was here now.

Taking a deep breath, he tilted his head back and let loose a long, piercing howl.

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

The night air was never quiet. But neither was it loud. It merely had the soft sounds of what creatures were awake, and depending on the night, the wind whispering through the undergrowth or the tall grasses. Tonight was such a night. This peaceable sort of quiet was suddenly pierced by the call of a wolf's howl.

Pale ears twitched in the direction of the call. She sat upon a particularly large pile of ruble some ways off, her fur as white as the brilliant moon above. She had chosen to take wolf form at this moment... perhaps because it raised less attention. The only difference about the ever-ivory was the silvery swirls that marked her entire body. Yet the oddest part of this wolfess was the silver mirror hanging about her neck. It was surrounded in an array of curls and it veiled the pale violet moon embedded in the fur of her chest. The mark of her species. Or at least half... Though even without the mark her breeding was evident in the lithe graceful features of her body.

Edreiah made no movement to alter her position, but she did turn her head now in the direction of the other wolf. She was not far from him... and from where she sat she would be perfectly visible against the night sky. "'Tis a beautiful moon to howl to tonight, isn't it?" she called.

[Adurnak]

Vyrn's muzzle twitched as he allowed himself a small smile. He'd thought he had smelled another wolf nearby, earlier, but then the wind had shifted, and he had lost the scent. In his younger years he would have tracked them down, and possibly confronted them. Never had they been the one to find him. Turning, he padded towards the newcomer, not wanting to have to raise his voice much. It was only when he reached the base of the rubble pile that he spoke.
"It is indeed, stranger, although to be honest I thought I was doing so alone. Who are you, if I may ask, and what brings you Toai?"
Others could call it what they wanted. To him, Drackeep would always be the Toai Ruins.

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

Her gaze was as pale as her fur. She turned it skyward as he questioned her in turn. Toai. That was what this place used to be called. It had been a while since she had heard it. This wolf was certainly not unfamiliar with with this place then.

She still needed to answer his question. "Perhaps the need for familiarity in these lands," she said. The answer was true enough. "Or perhaps for the view of the sky from the top of these ruins," she said, turning her gaze toward him once more worth a faint smile.

[Adurnak]

Vyrn shook his head with a sigh. Why, in Fate's own Name, couldn't anyone give him a straight answer nowadays? He had enough silver fur already without everyone sidestepping questions or answering with half-truths. Still, if this was who he thought it was, then at least he would know that it was how they normally acted.

"You only answered half of my question. Although..." Gathering himself, he jumped, bounding easily up the pile of rubble to sit beside the pale wolf. "That's quite normal for you, isn't it?"

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

She made no movement as he suddenly was sitting beside her. However, she did tilt her head slightly and she smiled. "Mmm... yes, it is." There was no way this wolf was as old as herself... though maybe he was. He did indeed look older. But she didn't look her age at all. Either way, he was insightful. Though perhaps she should've also guessed he would be. "To be honest, I don't have a particular reason for being here. I wander here and there freely and often end up where I end up."

She wondered if her answer would satisfy him, or if he would still feel as though she left something out. It was not often she was entirely honest with another... but then again, every now and then she was. This wolf intrigued her already. Perhaps that was not such a good thing for him. Or perhaps it wouldn't matter.

"What about you?" she asked, intending to return his question.

[Adurnak]

Vyrn gave a soft 'chuff' of a laugh, a wisp of black flame escaping his muzzle. He couldn't remember everyone being this evasive. Then again, he had been gone for... what was it? Five years? Or was it six? It was hard to tell, sometimes, having lived through so many of them.

"This is my home, although I left for a time, after the Great War ended. And you still have not answered to first part of my question; what is your name?"

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

She quirked a slight brow as the wisp of black flame escaped him and he seemed to laugh... at least in the slightest of ways. He was intriguing her more and more... He spoke of this place as his home... even if he was gone for a long absence. He then turned it back on her. She smiled, the gesture itself seemingly graceful. "Oh, forgive me my manners. Edreiah..." she said, "What, dear fellow, is yours?" she asked, dipping her head slightly.

She swished her long tail, letting it curl about herself though the tufts at the end draped over the side of the ruble they sat on.


OoC: Soo yea I totally forgot he even asked her name <<;;;; my bad XD

[Adurnak]

Vyrn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Edreiah's tone and movements. Was she... flirting with him? Surely not! He dismissed the idea with the flick of an ear, responding instead to her query as to his own name.

"I am known as Vyrn." There had been a time when he would have replied with his full title, Vyrn tsyr Ny'Caltas, Guardian of the Toai Ruins, but those days were long past. Names held power, and the Great War had served as a savage and brutal wake-up call. Besides, he could hardly claim to be the guardian of a place he hadn't resided in, or even near, for over five years?

There was one question that was nagging at him, though...
"Did you fight in the Great War? I seem to remember one of my compatriots telling me about a female that looked similar to you."

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

"Mmm..." she responded slowly. "A pleasure to meet you, then, Vyrn," she said simply. It seemed silent a moment with only the sounds of the night. Then he asked a most unexpected question. At least for herself. She watched him a moment, then glanced toward the sky. "Yes. A dear friend of mine was in need of my assistance. I daresay she can't get along without me." She laughed at this statement, though only for a moment. "I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Those affairs aren't really my concern. Though I'm curious who this friend of yours might be."

[Adurnak]

This time Vyrn grinned outright. "You remember Navanic Firewing, yes? He was a winged wolf with glowing red markings and severe thrill issues."

His smiled faded a bit as he thought about his old friend. He hadn't seen the winged Elemental Wolf since the War, and had no idea where he was. Still, he knew Navanic was still alive; Jakkun had said she had run in to him on her journey here, and that had been less than a tenday ago.

"Who was your friend?"

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

As he named who it was that had told him of her... she couldn't help a slight smile and a shake of her head. "Yes, I suppose." Perhaps it had been a good thing they had interacted during the war as opposed to otherwise... At least for Navanic. She pushed the thought aside. At Vryn's question, Edreiah debated whether she should tell him. Moriâ was precious to her... and she knew that while the younger wolfess could take care of herself... she certainly didn't want to throw any potential harm her way. At last she decided perhaps she needn't worry about this lone figure.

"Her name is Moriâ... I suppose she is like family to me, you could say." Moriâ was best known now for her once alliance with Endymion, being the mother of the Empress of Giaku, and finally being an older figure from those who were once the noble of the great rival pack of what was once Shinkou.

"So then, what became of your friend?" she asked.

[Adurnak]

Moriâ... He knew that name. She was the mother of the former Empress of Giaku, Lacrimosa, and of the former Princess Mascamora. He mentally filed that bit of info away; it was often useful to know who had connections where.
"He survived the War, if that's what you're asking." Vyrn shrugged, then continued, "Navanic took off wandering around the same time I did, and I haven't seen him since. A... close friend of mine met him several days ago, so I know he still lives."

He was silent for a moment, and then...

"What does your amulet do?"

[Relairah]

(design by Kikuyoshi)

Edreiah merely shrugged and gave a slight nod as Vryn explained what he knew of his friend. Then silence resumed. Her ear twitched as he asked her about her amulet... or rather, the mirror about her chest. She glanced down to where it gleamed in the moonlight. She glanced toward him, a slight smile growing on her lips. This wolf was perceptive. Not that she would have expected any less. He would probably know if she hid the truth. But at the same time, she wasn't sure she wanted him to know it. She hadn't actually tapped into her element with him yet. She hadn't tried to take a glimpse at his soul.

Now that he asked, though... she felt herself wanting to answer his question in a particular fashion. "Would you like me to show you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Perhaps he would insist she explain. She wondered...

[Adurnak]

Vyrn growls, a low, rumbling sound emanating from deep in his chest. His eyes narrow threateningly, and more wisps of black fire escape his jaws as he rounds on Edreiah, his long claws grating against the rubble. White fangs glint for an instant, and then the black male vanishes into thin air. His voice, when he speaks, comes from no discernable direction, and carries no small threat of violence.
"What sort of fool do you take me for, Edreiah?"