Introduction

maybe someone from empyrean?

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It had been some time since the shadow left the confines of the reddened forest. After their talk, it seemed that it was @Sybil who left first...which left the dragon conflicted. Something bitter sat in her core like her very presence had tainted what she sought to give herself, but at the same time, she knew that she had no case to be mad. Her sister was gone...and so were her problems.

Even now she still kept to herself, why she couldn't say. She was still working out the truth over the weeks and it was starting to stink within the woods she had deemed home. So once again she found herself wandering. Darkened paws led her to the eastern woods that wrapped around the mountain bend.

The rolling hills and tangled trees made for a different pace in woods where she could properly stretch her muscles, climbing the rocky footholds while strolling through the shadows of the canopies. Compared to the Ichorwood, these trees seemed to follow the seasons, green leaves rooted to the stems that bore them. They were healthy and full, just as the trees of Ichor despite their coloring.

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There had once been a strange river rock upon a mountain. In ages past, the object had stood out against its grey and icy counterparts, for the surface of it was smooth and its colour of a lush and wonderful place. How it had gotten to the mountain, no one knew. 

How the object had been kicked down, demoted to the lowly foothills of the once magnificent skyline, no one knew either. Or perhaps the ones who knew refused to admit their flagrant disrespect to the land, and thus refused to allow the semblance of the idea that those that shone steady, even, everlasting, and unbroken upon this earth any such dignity.

However it may have happened, it was upon a hill that the rock was sitting when a shift of the wind, by chance alone, brought it teetering beyond the edge. Through the woods it fell, smashing against the trunk of a mossed over tree. It bounced and jangled, fell upon the woodland creatures, who scattered with innocent thoughts of a predator in their midst. Yet in the mountainous jungles of wolfkind it rammed through the brush, evidently unstoppable as it rolled casually downhill toward the true monsters in its path.

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The dragon traveled silently, ears twitching to the light sounds of chatter between smaller creatures. Birds sang alerts of the predator that roamed and the scurrying of squirrels shook bushes and darted the trunks of the trees. With how lively things seemed to be, Kei expected to run into another or perhaps another pack wolf hunting, but it seemed the woods were void of wolves aside from herself. Truly, she had no idea how close the next pack was. Event Horizon had been the first when she arrived and she never bothered wandering far since.

Then there was a shift from the mountainside. The light thunks and clamoring of rocks shifting down disturbed by something or someone drawing the shadow's attention only to turn in time to feel the force of a rock slap against her cheek and fall to the ground rolling a few feet away. Apparently, luck was just not on her side given she turned just in time for the rock to bounce off a tree root and shoot airborne just at face height. The dark woman yelped at the contact, hissing as the pain bloomed in her cheek.

“あなたは私を排便していますか — Are you shitting me— FUCK!” Kei raised the back of her paw to apply some pressure, wincing again at the pain it caused. It was clear that her cheek was wet, likely nicked by an edge, but at least any nasty bruising would be hidden beneath her dark fur. “愚かなクソ岩 — Stupid fucking rock”

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this just in on kei doesn't get a break pt 2

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The area was endless mountains and hills, a change from the desert, to the plains, and now to Vendrussel's new location. She was somewhat familiar with the terrain, though it still wasn't true familiar like northern waters. Nonetheless, more welcomed within a hiddens of these endless hills, coated in the delicacy of trees. It smelled sweet, a flower she did not know but a delicacy to the dragons nose, she momentarily closed her eyes on intaking a deep smell of the place.

That was, until she heard an all-too familiar language. The words may be broken, as often the blue woman slacked off on her languages, she vaguely could understand so. What was particular she thought, was how it sounded someone familiar. Vendrussel had not come across even one wolf that seemed vaguely familiar to her homeland, and at the point, wasn't expecting it. Some part of her was alright with that, though friendly, she didn't feel truly close to anyone enough to even gain a 'path of the dragons' way. True trust was a rather difficult thought to take - and she never was sure why that was.

Upon the hill she stood, a squinting eye looking upon the all-too familiar black figure..

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The shadow sniffed, rubbing her snout along her arm before finally shaking off the event and returned her glance to where the rock had come. What she was going to do before she was so rudely interrupted. Golden eyes blinked up the hill rather neutrally until...she spotted a woman. Kei squinted making out the colors of her coat. She was dark like herself, though ocean touched with the spray of mist across her chest and neck.

It couldn't be...

Could it?

Even with the distance between there was no mistaking the piercing blues that bore down on her, though they held no hostility. “Venny?” Even speaking her name felt silly. Sure Sybil had found her way here, but why would Vendrussel leave the dragons? She never seemed unhappy all those times before.

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Her ear twitched, the all too familiar nickname that couldn't pinpoint if she detested it or enjoyed it. Always introduced herself as Vendrussel, but the occasional 'bout who knew her would call her so. She had to inhale for a moment, remembering this was not neither the orders land, nor' the dragons empire ; they were in an unknown land. The thought of the mere' possibility of finding someone familiar seemingly was unrealistic, and yet, here was the black dragon of the order - the heiress of the jade rose.

"I'm surprised you are here too, Kei." A smile of friendly faces, a tail that gently swayed behind in a gait of a wag as she descended upon the bill, her shadow casting longley as the sun blessed the two.

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For perhaps the first time since she arrived on strange lands, the dragon smiled back. “I feel like that's less of a surprise than you all the way out here. Why aren't cha back home?” Then again, maybe news hadn't spread beyond pack borders about her mother's public display. It wouldn't exactly shock her for them to keep such private affairs to themselves. There were too many threats wandering the mountains for rumors and scandals to degrade The Order.

“Let me take a guess. You don't know.” The dragon had been around long enough now to know that was a common occurrence here. Actually, now that she thought about it she wasn't sure if she had ever run into a local, but she didn't stray from Ichorwood often. Even so, those who weren't from around here usually didn't know how they got here. As much as she had accused Sybill of the opposite, she couldn't say herself that she remembered falling asleep in those plains.

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Vendrussel let out a small chuckle, shaking her head, "I awoke up in the middle of the desert, wet and lost." Even then that situation was overall confusing, she wasn't near any body of water, and the sand around her had been charred, like lightning had struck the very ground she was ontop. Almost as if, the thunder delivered her to the area, but the memories she did hold on why she arrived, had then disappeared. Vaguely so, she could remember a face as the northern dragon was drowning into the homelands sea. 

Though enough was missing that she did not remember the Orders stance as well. The past few months before arriving in this strange land was but missing, but her general understanding of who she was, her culture, and even Kei's culture, still stood firm at least. It was strange for someone who was a heiress to be here, but it seemed that together - they were lost.

"Though I held a dream a few days back, telling me to head west."

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Eh, well surprise surprise, it was just like she thought. Another wolf who woke up with no memory as to how or why. That marked three to come from their homelands though so perhaps there was more to everything than random dumb luck. “I woke up in the plains, but I had been traveling for a long time before that.” Traveling away with no plans to return. The shadow would raise a brow though as Vendrussel spoke of her dream.

“To the west?” Seemed kinda strange but she had heard of premonition and spiritual dreams before. Such things were often spoken of by the elders. “Not much out here. I've been hanging around a pack just over the mountain. You have nothin' else to go off of?” It's not like she was well-traveled here, but she had done some wandering in the neighboring territories.

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"I had passed by there, it's a bit empty, isn't it?" It brought on another slight chuckle at the mention of them perhaps nearly catching each other - though in reality they were months apart from really meeting each other. By coincidence though, both wavered to the coastline in some way. To her own it was like a calling, a true summons by whatever beast was within her dreams, and the wolf that came out of the sky itself. Though for Kei, it seemed pure coincidence..

The ancients were brewing some mysteries, forming a destiny for the northern dragoness.

"A beasts roar, amongst great waves and rocks of it's shadow. It called to me Kei, I will find it." She stomped her paw, ocean eyes glistening past the jade rose dragon, in the mere' thought something was there. Though prophecies at times were but just an illusion to others, she felt it was too real to pass up - especially with the one that returned to the sky, Vendrussel could not easily pass this sign.

"You're in a pack?" though surprisingly so, she turned back toward Kei.

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“Well, I didn't exactly stay to find out.” But as far as she had seen, the plains were empty. Plain... yeah. The dragon listened with her tongue in cheek. Seemed kinda strange to her. Of course, she had heard of the beasts Vendrussel's pack worshiped and had a vague idea of what they supposedly looked like based on stories, but she never could fully picture it. “I could help if ya want?” She was already wandering past the pack's borders. It would be fine right?

“Ahah, yeah kinda. In all bare minimum ways, I stopped for the night once and just never really left. The guy who leads said it was fine and I could leave whenever.” Whenever just hadn't come. The woods were pretty, not like her home, but it was neat. “They're in a forest near the coast though. I've been meaning to do some more exploring so I can probably walk around with ya if you want.”

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"Doesn't sound like a stable place." Within the dragons homeland, once you became one of them, it was considered a great dishonor to simply wander off without appropriate measures, at least a notice of sorts was needed. Often times if someone would leave, they were assumed to be dead from the pack itself ; valued themselves in trust and unity, how could one put their faith in a wolf who left as they please? She doubted the packs integrity that Kei was roaming within - but at least Vendrussel wouldn't interact with them too much most likely, depending on where the 'visions' would take them.

She'd place her judgement aside, for that would mean at least then Kei was also not truly loyal to them in that sense.

"Yeah? That would be great if you could. I'm assuming the place is somewhere near the coast," her tail held a slow gait on thinking she was closer then assumed previously. Vendrussel didn't know where the coast was, but since Kei explained her temporary pack was near the ocean.. Then surely so, maybe the beast was closer then she thought.

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Maybe it wasn't sound for a pack, but it had worked so far and it's not like Kei abused her free status. She aided with borders and caches, though she couldn't be certain if Crux would do anything had she just bummed around for the past few months. A roof was a roof though and when she had run into no other packs to even consider, the deal wasn't bad. Especially given the freedom when she was still figuring out what to do without The Order.

“Better than scavenging on my own.” Not that she couldn't take care of herself but...her goal at the end of the day was a new home to dedicate herself. When an opportunity chanced her why wouldn't she at least try it? She was rash, not stupid. When Venny accepted her help she'd gesture towards where she had come. “This way then, I've wandered to the south already along the shore so we probably need to go north.”

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exit with your post?

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"That's fair," though she didn't do the same. There was thought to possibly join a pack, but it didn't settle rightly for Vendrussel to simply settle into something she didn't belong into. Though at the same time, the thought of creating that hadn't really settle into either, she couldn't see herself in that imagine, an Alpha amongst the dragons, like her father, and her fathers father. One day she would've inheritaed the stone throne, but it had yet to even come through.. But, she knew if the said-place in her dreams existed, the northern dragon would need to protect it.

Though the thought of staying alone was a dreary moment, she survived on a unity of others. A warrior not amongst the loners of the world, but together to protect their peaceful realm, and against those who stand in the way of their home. It was something she would have to create, as so the Ancients have guided her to. Vendrussel nodded to Kei, a paw lifted and saying, 'show the way.'

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+1 Formation point

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