Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Tue Nov 29, 2022 11:12 pm**

4 Ash, Year 122

[Closed - Rickter]

Forests, trees. Green lands, as far as the eyes could see. It was a rarity, something described for her, not something that the Vastiana was used to seeing or experiencing. The closest to a forest she could think of was a few of the largest oases centered around the basins of the Vasta. Or even the walk-through aviary that her father had paid considerable amounts of money for elementalists to grow and maintain an assortment of trees and foliage for the exotic birds on his estate in order to impress guests, local and foreign alike. But forests like this? No. These were northern forests from far across the sea, and the plants that she was looking at were those she only saw in books or greenhouses.

But there were plants she recognized quickly, from samples at Sweet Remedies or from her Great-Aunt’s apothecary in Tertium. She was able to recall the pictures in the pages, linking them with the names of the plants, books that her mentors had collected, and books that Hilana had paid that came from overseas. What she considered a worthy investment was what others felt was a strange obsession, being fascinated by plant life that was so very far from home. But Hilana knew that there were many valuable plants beyond the borders of the Kingdom, and if they could benefit her people, then what was the harm in learning about them? Of importing and making use of them? There weren't any, and yet there were so many benefits.

The sun was fading slowly, disappearing beyond the trees. There was a twilight that the canopy made darker still, but in the meantime, the onyx-haired young woman found the creeping snowberry, crouching down to touch it, deft fingers feeling the vine-like plant. There were no blossoms on it, not at this time of the year, but the little white berries with the strong scent of mint... She didn’t harvest any, not in a dream. But she inhaled its fragrance before getting up and carrying on, passing through the boreal forest at a steady pace, dark eyes wide, but bright with delight. Maybe one day, she would get to see it for herself. To really feel it and experience it, to harvest these plants and bring them home.

In the distance, she heard something that made her blood run cold, and at the same time, made her heart race. At home in the sands, that was a familiar sound. She’d grown up with it, heard it from her own found family, a way to communicate over distances and check in, though with the actual golden-furred dire wolves, however difficult they were to find, that was a real danger. But they were an inspiration for a family that was brought together by bonds that were not born of blood. She listened, hearing the howls, trying to identify how many there were. It was tough to call, but Hilana moved quickly, boosting herself up into the tree and climbing from limb to limb with ease despite her sandals until she was out of reach for even one of the giant wolves of home. And from the safety of the branches, the young woman brought a hand to her mouth, and howled back.

Pack song, and it had been so long since she’d heard it. If there was one place the wolves didn’t come close to, it was the great golden capital city, and the only howls that she heard in the night were the jackals. As she listened, the source seemed to be coming closer, and Hilana repeated the call of the pack, feeling her energy surge and rush. She’d always wondered what the woodland wolves were like, and perhaps she would find out. There was a coolness to the air here that was beyond what what she felt in the sands, especially in Ash, and her normal day-to-day felt somehow inadequate for these lands. The long, tiered cotton skirts that hung off of her hips were a deep, rich green, which she supposed helped hide her with where she was, but her linen halter shirt showed off most of her abdomen, and left her arms exposed as well. The light of the two moons peeked through the treetops, and the girl was content to watch the ground below to see what, if anything, came.

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:02 pm**

Waking the Woods
Ash 7th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

He had wandered for what felt like miles now through the wood as the trees were less oaken and birch, and more cypress and alpine now that he had entered a deeper and cooler part of the forest. Rickter had never really ventured this far out into the stretch of unknown, though to be honest, he had never really explored the foundation that connected him to this aspect of the dream like he had the others either. Regardless of what it represented he felt something calling to him here, a resonance that he didn't expect to feel nor really understood either.

It had been somebody knew that had come to meet with him in the Land of Nod, and while Rickter often dreamed lucidly to discover what he could of the Echo... this felt different. It was a resonance he had never felt, therefore somebody he'd never met, and though talking with strangers had never been his strong suit; the howling of wolves in the air seemed received with the calling of the stranger in their midst.

This was their territory after all, and if the furry beasts were on the hunt, then maybe Rickter needed to be there in the event they found their query. Innately he couldn't help but feel it in his core, a welling of sound that steadily came out as it would any other day, when the wolf himself needed to let out a cry in the night just to be heard. Howling wasn't something he always did often but when it happened, it usually signaled his mates wherever they were; and it was usually a good sign when others communicated back on the same wavelength.

After the sound died from his lips Rickter walked the forest floor at a steady pace, as a few large black wolves already scoured the area near him. Yet the didn't bother him in the slightest, instead, they sought out the stranger within their forest. Curiosity rooted deep in the pack that scoured the woodland floor, their noses sleuthing for the scent as he walked along after them. The pack leader as he felt himself to be was dressed in just his fur padded vest over the leather trousers he'd normally wear. The crisp air here felt refreshing compared to the chilling winds of the Astralar, something he didn't expect as the wolf tread after his fellow hounds.

They were gathering near a tree.

Howls soon filled the air once more as they made their presence known, and alerted their leader that the mark had been found hiding above. No sooner did the three wolves howl did another breeze waft through, a much cooler breeze than the initial one which greeted the stranger hiding above. Initially when he walked through the thickets and into the clearing near the tree, a much larger looking wolf than the rest came forward. Though coated with fur as black as night a faint blue mist rimmed his form, and the unmistakable brush of the northern winds receded once the image of this mystical creature faded away as well.

Rickter stood where the mist faded away entirely, though the gentle fog that filled the wood lingered as he too looked up to the tree with curious intent.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

Posted: **Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:41 pm**

As the wolves sang, Hilana’s blood chilled and surged in equal measures. There was a danger, a very real danger, to these beasts, especially if they were anything like the golden direwolves of her home. While she had thought she was safe in the heights, as the wolves came into view, she made sure that she was well tucked up and hopefully out of reach. The packsong made her wistful in a way for her own pack that she had left behind, the people that she had grown up with and found comfort and companionship in. While she knew she would meet new people where she was, they weren’t replacements for her old friends.

But this pack was together, and she envied them that as she looked down from her perch in the tree, her long, colourful skirts not quite blending with the canopy to the discerning eye, but the girl was fascinated to see the sizes of the woodland wolves. Smaller than her own from home, but they were still substantial. Far bigger than the jackals and foxes; they were closer to the livestock guardian dogs that they had employed with the herds and were common amongst the nomadic tribes. About on par, really, with some of the biggest of the breeds. Hilana listened to them, watching them, wondering how long it would take for them to carry on. It wasn’t such a concern to her; she was not uncomfortable and provided they weren’t going to somehow climb the big tree... well, she had a feeling they weighed more than she did, so if she had to go higher up, she at least had that safety with which to do so.

The breeze was cool, but the next one that came through was colder still, and it raised goosebumps on her arms. If this was just the wind, she wondered how cold it really got in the far north. Certainly far colder than she would be comfortable in, most likely, but that was also something she probably would never do. The desert was her home, and while the capital granted her some freedom, the freedom to go beyond the kingdom’s borders? Unlikely. But this new wolf, the fourth one... bigger still, formidable even, and in the lesser lights of the forest, that faint blue mist that highlighted him and made him seem so much larger than the others. Perhaps this was the alpha, the head wolf. And with his size and height, Hilana moved up to the next branch for a bit more safety, a little more height. He was far closer to the size of the dire wolves back home, but as he looked at her, she looked back.

There were faint traces of concern in her expression, but considering that there were four considerable wolves around her, it was understandable. But there was also awe and delight there, like this was very much a new experience for her. The figure in the tree didn’t look to be very old, perhaps a teenager or just past there. Her style of dress was unusual and perhaps wholly inappropriate for the chill of the air that moved through the trees around them, even if there was a surreal amount of fabric composing the deep green skirts. Sandals peeked out from under the hems, laced as they were around her ankles. But when he stood there, Hilana’s head tilted, and her eyes widened. A person? “Good evening,” she tried in Common, then, smiling down at him. There was a very faint accent there which indicated she wasn’t from the northern lands, at least, but the Vastiana was solid in her Common and its pronunciation from years and years of experience in speaking with Peregrini, those people who were not citizens of her homeland. “Are you their head wolf? Did you sing the packsong?”

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:03 am**

There existed a curiosity in Rickter as he noted the coloration of fabric among the branches, the green pines hardly a camouflage as the one hiding within them also stood out. Rickter could not recognize any sort of scent on her, though, he reckoned he just couldn't gauge with a sense of smell right now also.

A greeting? She seemed intelligible enough to speak to him with the Common Tongue, and there was no denying that her dialect wasn't northern either. So far as he could tell, Rickter stumbled upon an outlander. "Good evening." He responded back calmly with a hint of intrigue in his tone, his firm expression somewhat pressed with amusement. Such a curious girl indeed. She inquired of him and this 'pack song' that the wolves shared, and for a moment he pondered the significance implied by these questions.

"Well, I suppose so, since they did bring me to you." He admitted with a bit further amusement, his tone near jovial as he rested his hands over his hips. The hounds near him all circled the tree before one of them returned at his side, while the other two went about watching the girl as she remained seated within the tree. One of the two wolves looked intrigued and playful, even nearly using the tree itself to prop her form steady up on the stem.

The other wolf looked as though he wasn't eager to interact with the lady, and instead took to sit and watch with a tilt of his head; while his ears were perked forward. "I don't really know much about singing, but the 'song' you mentioned is a way of communication between us." After all Rickter couldn't count the many times he'd heard a peer or friend of his whistle when they needed him, just as he'd used his own howls to locate his companions after being separated for a season.

"From where do you hail, exactly? And what brings you so far out this way?" He humbly inquired as he pondered if she felt frightened any, having climbed so high that the fellow canines couldn't reach her.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:51 am**

As Hilana watched him from her perch, she made the decision to start making her way down from her position of safety in the trees. It was just a dream, just a dream. The worst that could happen was that she woke up if something bad occurred. He seemed friendly enough, and now that the wolves were calmer, perhaps influenced by their head wolf, who himself seemed somewhat amused by her, she deemed it safe. Despite the seeming ungainliness of the vast amounts of fabric she wore as a skirt on her hips, she deftly started her descent, moving easily between the branches of the tree as she worked her way back down. She was apparently used to climbing with the fullness of the cotton skirt because it presented no problems for her as she slipped down from limb to bough, always moving the garment with her. He could see that she, for whatever Godsforsaken reason in this sort of environment, was wearing sandals. Definitely an outlander; her attire was hardly situated in such a cool environment.

She listened to him as he talked, her dark brown eyes huge and intent on him, and they made her seem younger still. As he explained that it wasn’t necessarily singing, not as such, she nodded in understanding. “Where I am from, we call it a packsong,” she explained. “Every voice in the pack adds to the harmony of the melody.” It may not have been an actual song, but it sounded like one to her... and one that she was apparently wild enough to appreciate. She moved lithely enough until she was on the bottom branch, her legs swinging briefly for a moment. The girl gauged her landing so that she wasn’t about to accidentally trod on Rickter or the three wolves around him, and pushed herself off of the branch. Her tiered cotton skirts went everywhere as she landed on her feet, and she smoothed them down on her hips, looking up at him.

He had a full head on her, and probably her and half again of her weight too, if she had to guess. He was a large man, built differently than most of her people were. Some of the northerners were mountainous like he was that she had seen in Port Tertium, and perhaps from his attire, this was his territory. Now that she was out of the pine, he could pick up a scent on her. It wasn’t strong, so she apparently didn’t choose to drench herself on it, but it was present; some sort of a blend of fruit and flower... lilac and gooseberries. Her thick onyx hair was bound up in a messy bun atop her head, tied with a few ribbons of white and gold. Some curls had slipped free of it, and she tucked those behind her ear. She didn’t wear much by means of cosmetics; just light touches here and there on her eyes. Aside from her myriad of silver and copper earrings in her ears, she wore no other jewelry, and she smiled brightly at him.

“I am from Solunarium. Far to the south from here, beyond the Crystal Sea below Atinaw, Auris, and Cathena,” Hilana explained. “There is a continent there called Ecith, and we are of the northeastern desert.” A desert. That explained an awful lot about her clothes and sandals, and that faint accent, but it opened up new questions. She was dreaming of a place that was very far from her homeland. “Truly told, I’m not sure why exactly I am here, I was studying plants of these regions today... so perhaps that is part of it,” the Vastiana perked up. “See this one, this is sweetfern,” she crouched down so that she was now eye-level with a rather bushy plant that had gotten a bit flattened by the wolves’ circling of the pine tree. “Pardon me,” she said politely to the female wolf who had been so interested in her that she had been standing against the trunk. She spoke to her as if she was speaking to another person, funnily enough. Her hands cupped one of the branches, and she looked up at Rickter. “You can use the leaves,” her fingers brushed the rounded triangles that made up the leaves of the fern, “roots, fruits, and bark of this one to make tea. And that tea can be used to treat all kinds of infections and boost your energy. There’s no fruits of it right now, too late in the season, but the flowers are a reddish-green in Glade,” she offered.

Posted: **Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:53 pm**

The wolf found it difficult to place just where exactly the girl might be originally from, not because of her choice in clothing but the style also. Sure she moved with practice ease during her gradual descent in the tree, but to his knowledge, Atinorans weren't ones who usually wore simple footwear even for climbing ventures. Then again they were within the Land of Nod, a fact not lost on Rickter even as he briefly surveyed their environment.

The forest very much looked reminiscent of the Northlands of Karnor, but there were no distinct landmarks or locations that stood out to him. None other than the distant mountains, which he surmised might've mimicked the Astralar Peaks. Nothing more beyond that, however. Hearing how she described the howls as a packsong, led him to wonder more about where she came from. It was fairly obvious that they lived within entirely separate cultures, likely an entire world apart from one another too no less.

At her arrival on the ground the other wolves accompanying him stirred, the eager one earlier nuzzling Hilana's hand as she and the other two sniffed around her curiously. In close proximity, the lady would be able to see the differences in each wolf's eye color. The eager one bore rich earthly brown eyes, while the quiet one that sniffed her had gentle steel blue eyes, and the overtly curious one between them possessed a combination of hazel and green eyes. "I suppose in a way, we do create a song with the harmony." He gradually agreed in retrospect of thought, the behavior of his pack mates sparking genuine interest in the woman.

Up close he could trace other scents off her but just barely, there was the obvious warmth in humidity that clung to her, but there were now subtler undertones that reminded him of herbs and spices. A cook perhaps? The blue-eyed wolf sat down next to Hilana, her gaze attentively drifting between her and Rickter, while the other two finished their investigating and moved to lounge about near the base of the tree. Fruit and flowers also stood out to him as well, and Rickter found himself beholden to a complete stranger in the middle of the forest. Not that he wasn't used to seeing foreigners in his homeland, though, none wore the lighter clothing that the woman before him chose. Regardless, her warm and vibrant smile was enough to garner a soft-hearted grin in return.

Solunarium was the name of her home apparently, a name he had never head before, yet pondered its existence all the same. For a stranger he just met she was gradually starting to remind him of someone, which was probably while the wolf that sat next to her took to the woman so fondly. So she lived on another continent perhaps. Or island? It was hard for Rickter to imagine life beyond the North as it were, and as one can imagine, the culture shock he'd experienced in visiting other places such as the Imperium felt surreal. "Oh?" He murmured when she expressed uncertainty for being here, the reasoning behind it shared when the lady expressed what she'd been last doing.

So she was a herbologist? Or gardener? He eyed her curiously as the other wolves watched with vivid curiosity, the blue-eyed wolf following along with Hilana and even sniffing at the plant she ruminated on. "Sweetfern, huh?" Rickter genuinely tilted his head in response to the curiosity he felt, a bit of a mental note taken from what he heard, bearing in mind his beloved healer who loved tea. "I know someone who might appreciate that knowledge." He admitted as a token of silent gratitude, softly smiling toward the wolf that reminded him of her.

"She works hard every day, and does her best to make life better." For her and those around her admittedly, having spent as much time with her as he had over the past few years. In a roundabout way, the insightfulness of this woman reminded him of that special lady. "Forgive me, we've only started talking and I've forgotten to introduce myself." He remarked with a brief aversion to his gaze, before his expression shifted to one of genuine calm when he looked to the woman.

"I go by Rickter, though sometimes my peers call me Rick." Or several other things but that was going to generate a list, and he would've rather kept things simple between them. Especially if this woman was from way further south than he could anticipate, the wolf only wonder if there would ever come a day when he would actually ever consider visiting such a place.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

Posted: **Thu Mar 09, 2023 1:46 pm**

“Hello, beauty,” Hilana smiled at the wolf that nudged her hand. Deft fingers were kept still for the wolf to investigate her, her palm open for her to smell as much as she liked. The Vastiana had a feeling she was a strange source of new aromas. Snake, camel, cat, cooked meat and spices, eggs and bread and other foods... Now she added earth, plants, pine. If it seemed she didn’t give the magnificent creature offense, then she would try scratching her gently behind her ears, using her thumb to skillfully help massage the inside at the same time. The hunting dogs had always liked that, and hopefully, this northern wolf wouldn’t be much different. With the wolves calm, the girl was much calmer. It was easy to see that she had no weapons, and he couldn’t see anything resembling a Rune on what skin of hers was exposed. While she had a lithe, light-footed way about her, she had been smart enough to move to higher ground for safety when she had heard the packsong, rather than stand her ground or try to start something. And it seemed to her in hindsight that it had been a smart decision.

Truthfully told, Hilana wasn’t used to connecting with strangers in dreams. She wasn’t entirely sure how or why fates had collided to bring the two of them to this meeting, but the Vastiana was a friendly girl, and learning about others and their cultures was always fascinating to her. And this tall, grizzled veteran of the wilds who led wolves was interesting indeed. Perhaps another aspect of it it was due to her Wildness and the everpresent wanderlust that sang in her bones. Maybe it was that she had been in the city too long, and this was a sign that she needed to get back into the expanse, and explore and see something new. Maybe it was the learning. Either way, whatever it was, Hilana was glad of it.

She nodded in agreement when he repeated the name of the plant. Sweetfern. “That is all that any of us can do. Work hard and try to make life better. Life is what we make of it, for better or for worse. But I am glad, truly, if the knowledge shared is helpful. Herbalism is valuable, even if not all see it that way. It can be a bit of a dying art,” she used the tip of the fragrant fern to carefully, and playfully, brush against the blue-eyed wolf’s muzzle, pleased with that little pun. That did give him some more information about her. A herbalist, apparently, a doctor of sorts that worked with plants. She rose to her feet easily, and she was perfectly happy to let the wolf continue to investigate her and the plant if she so chose.

“Hello Rickter. Which name do you prefer?” She smiled up at him. “Forgive my manners, please. My name is Hilana. Matsi Chenzira Hilana,” she introduced herself with a bow, sweeping out her tiered skirts with her hands in the same gesture, almost like a curtsy. There was enough fabric that the garment didn’t reveal her sandals again from that gesture, even though they were drawn up. Apparently where she was from, the given name was at the end. Once she straightened, she released the skirts and the colourful cotton folds settled back down over her hips and legs, the sheer amount of cotton straightening itself out. “How about you? From where do you hail from? Are these woods your home? May I ask the names of your companions?”

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:37 pm**

Though he certainly hid it away with a gentle smile and watchful eye, Rickter found himself fascinated by this individual before him. Hilana was a complete stranger and yet her adventurous spirit naturally shone through, and her own fascination with the world around her moved something in him long forgotten. With the way the wolves acted around her within this realm, he could only wonder what the lady was like in the waking world. The real world. Given they also lived on opposite sides of it at the moment, there was really nothing he could do to satiate this wonder. Not outright.

Her knowledgeable outlook was also what reminded him of the beloved wolf that greeted her, as the inquiry of their names not long came up soon after. It was a curious question for Rickter to process, for he had never outright pondered that until now. Though this pack resembled much of what his actual pack was in the waking world, here, they felt as though they each had their own different name. Different meanings which translated into something more, something he himself didn't realize was rather beautiful until now. He answered before briefly eyeing his surroundings, admittedly, a little amused at the prospect of the woods being his home. "Not quite. These woods do resemble the northlands of my home, but where I hail from is the city-state of Kalzasi. Referred to as the Jewel of Karnor where I come from."

"You'd actually have to visit my homeland, or at least learn Synskrit to really grasp the meaning behind their names." He offered before giving the woman a hearty grin, as the blue-eyed wolf eagerly licked at Hilana's hands and wrist during her petting. "But then again they're also personal compared to their counterparts in the waking world. That one there," he nodded toward the one currently interacting with Hilana, "her name is Aijin. And the other two," his eyes drifted to the other pair that cocked their heads with regard, "Ikari is the brown-eyed one. Kaminari for the other male in my little group."

He wondered what they would've thought if he'd actually called them these names, though, didn't linger on that thought for very long since Hilana was the main focus of his curiosity. "Together they make up my pack, my Shinzo as I call them, along with a couple of others who aren't present right now." There lingered a bit of residual sadness in his tone when he admitted that, however, the wolf didn't allow it to linger as he focused on the girl before him. "Call me Rick, Hilana, it's been a pleasure to meet you." Thus far. He hardly met people who naturally brought the socialite out of him. He could tell just from the scents and the way she acted, that Hilana was a good sort to consider company one day.

Though, that led to the dilemma of how he might actually see that come to fruition. While he'd certainly not attempted anything like this during the night he'd lost his other two members, Rickter pondered the ideal of forging a different sort of link with this individual. A connection that could, maybe someday, bring them together in an unexpected sort of way. After all, Rickter had found and felt himself connected to the others that joined him that fateful night, therefore, who was to argue whether or not this attempt would turnout for the better or worse? "Say, a brave and intrepid soul such as yours likely comes across trouble every now and then, no?" He inquired curiously but out of respect for her personal life, after all, she had no reason to share such information from the waking world.

Regardless, the protectiveness within him stirred as he considered the possibility, and perhaps the off chance his idea might actually help her out should she ever face a dangerous situation. He waited to hear her answer though, before creating this offer for her as an opportunity. "What if, that is if I actually found a way, to grant you a bit of protection before then? Would you possibly feel inclined to accept that protection, even if we're practically a world apart?"

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2023 12:22 am**

Kalzasi... so far to the north. She only knew about it from the stories and books, but what she knew about it, with all the plants... she knew she would like to see it for herself one day. “Kalzasi,” Hilana nodded. Perhaps Vasilei would take her up there at some point if they needed a resupply of something special that was native to the area. One could but hope. In the summer, it was beautiful, her mentor had told her. But the winter... well, if she ever wanted to actually see snow, that was going to be the time to do it. Frost she was familiar with, if only because it did happen in the desert in the season of Frost. But actual snow and ice, Hilana had never seen before.

“I would like to learn one day,” the girl nodded as he told her that to understand the names properly, she would need to travel or learn the tongue where he was from. Synskrit, he called it. She chuckled at the way the wolf’s rough tongue licked her palm and wrist, and she gently massaged her powerful jaws along with her ear, her eyes going from her to Rickter. “Aijin, Ikari, Kaminari,” she repeated, looking up at him to make sure that her pronunciation was proper. She had mouthed their names when he was saying them to help commit them to memory. She didn’t know if she would ever see them again, but it could happen. Especially if she might one day make her way up to the northern world. ‘Shinzo’ meant pack, apparently. But she thought she might have heard a little sadness there compared to how he had spoken earlier. Maybe he lost some of his Shinzo at some point, too. Hilana understood that feeling of wistful longing well. “They are beautiful.” Their fur was like nothing she was used to - the herding and livestock dogs didn’t have fur this thick, not even the jackals did. She had never laid hands on a golden wolf, considering the nomads preferred not to hunt them and to let their numbers come back. Of course, if they were after the herds, that was one thing... but outright hunting them?

She knew that she missed hers. She had met Khyan and Raithen, and she saw some of her old group every now and then... but their absence stung. She had no doubt that she would make more friends as she got used to being in this city, but the closeness of a pack was something that she deeply missed. “The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the wolf is the strength of the pack,” she remarked, smiling up at him. She’d heard it often enough from Asher, and she thought that the tall, sturdy head wolf in front of her would resonate with it. “Did some get separated?” she asked him, her brown eyes searching the bright blue of his own. “You will find them, or they will find you. Listen to the packsong... it will tell you the way,” she was prone to sticking her foot in her mouth in her efforts to cheer people up, and this might well be one of these times, but it didn’t hurt to try.

“The pleasure is mine, Rick” she beamed at him. When he asked her if she came across trouble, the girl flushed a bit. “Am I that obvious?” she asked him, tilting her head as she looked up at the alpha wolf of the pack. With all of her travel, even though she and Hayima’el were adept at getting through the desert, trouble still came and it came on the regular. Generally she was smart enough to see the signs, and she knew that it was betShe ter not to trouble trouble until trouble troubled you, but there were times when it was unavoidable. In that case, it was better to either have a way of dealing with it, or those with you who had a way of dealing with it. The girl needed more practice with the weapons that she had started with as a child, and in Tertium over the last few years, she had definitely gotten rusty when her family had insisted on skills that had nothing to do with survival in the wild, and everything to do with survival in society. “It does happen,” Hilana admitted. “I like to leave the cities a lot and go riding out into the sands, and that can be a dangerous endeavour if you are not properly prepared.” She considered his offer. That was strange, but fascinating, and she had no idea just how he would manage that. Perhaps something to do with Traversion? Hilana wasn’t quite sure. The fact that this was a dream, and they were on opposite ends of the world...

Well, what harm could it do?

“I would, yes,” she nodded her head. “One never knows when you might need a helping hand, surely. But how? Are you able to open portals so far away?” She understood that one needed to know where they were going, so perhaps there was some way to make her the other end of the portal? But perhaps she was thinking of something else entirely.

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2023 4:19 pm**

The wolf humbly smiled in turn when Hilana expressed the intent to learn, knowing well by the tone in her voice that she really wanted to. It was interesting to think they came from two completely different walks of culture, and yet somehow, could only want to learn more about one another from a single simple dream. "Aijin is the representation of a lover," he shared with her with a nod to the blue-eyed wolf, "in the waking world she is but part of my Shinzo, my heart." Rickter figured that if given context, the lady would learn what words to associate with these names better.

It did help him build a better understanding after all, and somehow, he felt an easy connection with Hilana just from merely talking with her. "Ikari there is the representation of wrath," he then nodded to the brown-eyed wolf as she perked her eyes toward him, "Hers is a bit of an attitude but she's playful when you get to know her. And him," the third wolf with the hazel eyes was next, "Kaminari for the fact he's loud and energetic, and that he reminds me of a thunderstorm when pushed far enough."

To ruminate on these three brought a sense of utter fondness out of Rickter, each and every one of them a special part of him that he oft did not account for. Yet no matter how strained or distanced he may have felt at times, there was no amount of lengths he would not go to see them all happy. "Thank you." He then remarked when Hilana offered the compliment, seeing a shared sense of beauty on his own terms at the moment. When she inquired about the separation of a couple members, a residual heaviness stemmed from deep in his chest, but the wolf however vacantly smiled it off with a sense of hope.

"In a way... They were taken from me, only because we were already separate to begin with." The amount of hurt he experienced from their broken bond lingered, even so, the bitter sting he once felt seemed nearly a lifetime ago now. "After doing everything I hoped was right to bring them back, now I can only wait to see if it was enough to really bring them home." Both of them to say the least, now that one had already been returned back to Kalzasi. Yet of course, Hilana generated optimism through the ideal of their shared packsong, a suggestion that while initially silly to him, brought out a rather genuine smirk from the wolf himself.

Rickter obviously found a fondness for Hilana now, a fondness that was faintly similar to another girl seasons ago. Though he'd not really heard from her since, there were oft times he wondered how she'd been. And it seemed his gut was onto something, when he remarked about the possibility of Hilana finding trouble easy. It wasn't difficult to miss given her adventurous spirit, mixed with the positive candor that the lady possessed herself. "Not necessarily." He remarked with a soft-hearted chuckle in turn. "You simply remind me of someone, and, there were times when I would do anything to help her out. It's been difficult feeling that way again for some time, but, you seem like someone who needs that sort of protection."

Thus she seemed to accept his offer, willing to entertain his notion even if he himself wasn't sure about it entirely. "Well," he then took a moment to look into the sky in thought, "I do have some credible knowledge with portals and Traversion, but I don't think I'd be able to warp to your side right away..." No what he had in mind was something far different, something that would hopefully help Hilana out in the long run, or if they ever did eventually drew closer to one another for him to respond. "It sort of requires you to being open, spiritually I would think, to the type of power this can give."

When his eyes fell back down on Hilana, the three wolves had gathered around her, each sitting or laying about as he still smiled genuinely. "It doesn't allow me to find you directly, but there'll be something of a tether or connection between us. Just close your eyes, take in deep breaths, and focus on my presence for a moment." Rickter then started to do the same when he breathed in deeply through his nose, the scent of Hilana filling his nostrils once more as he focused on her. He then reached down, mentally, into his spirit where he knew this power resided. As risky as it had been keeping it, let alone use it, he felt the risk itself worth the chance in the long run.

Matsi Chenzira Hilana, the words were a resounding Echo in his thoughts when he mentally reached out to her, I extend this favor upon you, so that whether you or I might need to, we may one day hear each other's call. A resonance soon vibrated deep in Rickter's core as he felt something similar vibrate off Hilana, the air between them sharing a steady breeze when he exhaled from the subtle connection that had been born. "I think... that ought to do it." He remarked softly with another warm smile cast toward her. "Whenever you're in danger, all you should need to do now, is just whistle for me as loud as you can."

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"

Legend of Ransera

Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]

Re: Waking the Woods [Rickter]