A New Beginning?

Sovereign is looking to join Empyrean! AW to Empyrean members esp. @Hydra <3

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Anger had swelled in Sovereign's chest over several days with the absence of her mother, who never returned for her.
The yearling left the reaches of Highvalley soon after Nyra left anyway, but the hurt and the wrath never left.
And, winter was coming along quickly...

It was time to find a home. 
She could easily go back to Warcrest, but the girl was too angry with her mother to act rationally upon seeing her.

So, she travelled until she came upon the strong, bold borders of Empyrean, though she knew not the name of the pack just yet. 
The yearling stood a few yards back from the borders and let out a call for whoever was available preferably a leader if one was available to come.
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<3!

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Empyrean's matriarch was upon the scene swiftly. Protecting the borders was something the matriarch oft did. Even now, she worked at it; Hydra continued to mark her lands to ensure that none could miss their claim. With the help of other Paladins who she scented, the work was relatively simple. As for this moment, Hydra had been close to this leg of the borders, The Dragonsteeth, where one could easily break a leg should they misstep. The environment was one Hydra had ensured was a part of their borderlands in that it was difficult to move beyond, should one not know the path. And by now Hydra could walk all of it blindly and not suffer a fall. It helped that this was an area she frequented the most.

Upon the border was a white behemoth of a wolf. Familiar, everything about her. Hydra's ears pricked as she strode toward her with an authority she had been both born with, and worked for. The other was wisely far enough from the borders that Hydra was far from irate to see her there... only curious as to why she lingered.

All that would be found out soon enough. The matriarch drew nearer, her eyes hard upon the wolf at her door. Before questions were asked and answered, she would see how this one behaved. There was interest, but it would only last so long as the other did not test the matriarch of Empyrean's patience. For now, she remained silent.

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Sovereign's ears perked with alertness as she saw a shadow move quickly to the scene, but even quicker did the yearling's tail fall flat, almost tucking itself some between her legs with small wags, as her ears slanted and she averted her amber gaze from the face of who was clearly The Big BossTM.
It was instinctive, the way Sovereign showed her submission to the Queen, and she knew to her marrow no show of dominance in any form from herself would be tolerated here, on claimed lands especially.

Sovereign fought the urge to crouch and further her submissive display, but if Hydra pressed, the girl would most definitely do so, to show she knew without a doubt who was in charge.
The yearling took a slow breath to try and stabilize the adrenaline in her veins.
She wasn't certain, yet, if she should speak now, or wait until she was spoken to. 

The uncertainty was visible on her young features.
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Hydra, unbothered by the drizzle and the cold, watched the stranger who responded promptly.

This pleased her, and the matriarch licked her chops as she drew nearer. Behaving the warden that she was, Hydra knew she would fight to kill any who threatened her home. Here and now, this did not seem to be the case—but things could change, and Hydra was all too aware of this. And so her defenses remained in place, muzzle draped neatly over her throat in a manner that might look prim to any without the eye of a warrior. Hydra was no fool, and would not deign to act as one any day. Her weight was square, prepared at any given moment to throw herself where she must.

“You stand before my borders,” she drawled, supplying no useful information but for what the stranger already knew. Empyrean had no enemies that she was aware of here, but that did not mean they never would. “Why?” she asked, ears cupping toward the other. Perhaps this one was just passing by... in which event, Hydra would see she found her way, and kept it beyond her claim.

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Sovereign's head lowered as the Mountain Queen came closer, closer, closer...

She eventually asked why the yearling was here, to which Sovereign took another breath to steady herself before she answered.
The girl's voice was steady, surprisingly, despite the submission she showed. 
She knew why she was here, and would say so with honesty.
"My name is Sovereign, and I'm looking to join your pack, if you have room. I can pull my own weight, both in a fight and during a hunt." Sovereign stated. 
She could very much do both these things, but she was not a master at either, not yet. 
"Though I am no expert at either, I seek also to hone my skills so that I will be of much greater use." Perhaps the honesty, the humility, was her damnation, but maybe it wouldn't be...

The yearling nearly held her breath waiting for the Queen to speak again, especially on whether or not the girl would be welcomed.
She was also expecting, more or less, a question as to why her name was Sovereign when the word itself was commonly a synonym for other titles eluding to being in charge.
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Hydra listened to the other, who was wise to list their skill set as to waste no time. Hydra could appreciate this, and did—she noted, too, that their voice did not waver. This was also a good thing; Hydra did not want subordinates that feared her, and needing to pay respect was no cause for such a reaction. A stable she-wolf, it seemed... who also appeared hale. Her humility would work in her favor. That she was willing to grow, and learn, was a good thing.

“This pack is as a family to one another, and we value loyalty alongside the ability to fight, to hunt. We are loyal, first and foremost, to one another. Tell me, do your own loyalties lie elsewhere? Will you come to sate your hunger, only to leave when it suits you?” she inquired, voice cool as she observed the features of the girl called Sovereign. A lofty name, and one that Hydra wore too this day. Whether it was a name given after birth or one provided by herself mattered little to the matriarch. It was who this wolf was, what she could do, that did.

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Sovereign listened to the dark woman speak, and the question that came made young Sov shake her head before she answered Hydra.
"I did have loyalty for my mother, but after she told me she would come back for me some month or so ago, she never did. So, I will forge my own path regardless of her presence or lack thereof in my life." She held some bitterness as she spoke of her mother, but the underlying emotion in her voice was hurt and feelings of betrayal.
Sovereign meant to express her willingness to give Hydra her full loyalty, by saying what she did, but she was not sure the Mountain Queen would catch it.
"If you'll have me, I give my loyalty to you and your pack, and nobody else." Sovereign's tone now was determined and almost cold, but hopefully it was obvious the iciness of her voice was not aimed for the Queen.
The yearling truly wanted to belong somewhere, even if that somewhere wasn't with her mom.
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Hydra listened on.

It seemed there was some sort of controversy that had occurred in this yearlings life. Whatever the road was, it led the yearling here. If her mother had taught her to hunt, and to defend herself, she had done her job. What else was owed? Though Hydra could understand the vexation of a broken promise. Hydra never made one she herself could not keep. What was the point?

“I trust that when you make your pledges, and your promises,” she drawled, “that you will be different than your own mother.” Hydra's words were spoken in earnest. She responded poorly to false oaths. But Hydra elected to trust this young woman. Trusted that she understood what may come if she caused Hydra to regret it.

Hydra turned, gesturing to the path alongside her. “Welcome to Empyrean, Sovereign. Have you the energy to patrol with me?” she inquired, eyes brighter now.

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Sovereign listened as Hydra spoke.
I trust that when you make your pledges, and your promises, that you will be different than your own mother.
The girl nodded firmly, once, before the Queen said her next words - 
Welcome to Empyrean, Sovereign. Have you the energy to patrol with me?

The yearling was admittedly surprised to be deemed worthy of a chance here.
But when Hydra turned and beckoned her to follow with the invitation, Sovereign followed at the Queen's flank and answered "Even if I did not, I would do so anyway." 
This was the truth; Sovereign was always active in some manner or another, for she was not lazy and had been raised prior to this world to push herself past the point of exhaustion as much as possible.
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The matriarchs eyes were dark, her voice deadpan as she shook her head and hummed, “that is the wrong thing to do.” Here she paused, looking to the tall she-wolf that seemed prepared to do just that. “You are useless to all if you injure yourself due to exhaustion. Exhaustion disallows one to think, or act, clearly. It is important to listen to what ones body is telling them. There are limits you grow past, and limits you respect,” she hummed. “We are animals. Animals require rest. When we hunt, we target the weak. The sick. The old. The ones ridden with fatigue.”

Hydra was a warrior, and a defender. She would defend her own, which Sovereign had become. Even in this way of taking care of oneself, which Hydra knew to be essential. “There will be times I do test your limits. Push your thresholds. But there is little point in doing so after your travels, if you truly are tired from your journey.” There was no dishonor in that; the life of a lone wolf was one Hydra would never desire for herself. Beyond the loneliness, the hunger she could not imagine... nor living life without a safe place to rest her head.

The matriarch did not know how long Sovereign had been without such things. But she would not blame her, should she wish to rest.

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The yearling was visibly surprised when Hydra said that pushing like that was the wrong thing to do.
She flattened her ears as the Queen continued on, making valid points as she spoke further.
The easiest targets were the weak, the sick...

"My mother always taught me to push myself, especially in battle...I suppose I always took her teachings to mean to push as far as I can possibly go in all areas, even beyond exhaustion..." She mumbled, sheepishly at that.
Shaking her head sharply, trying not to think of her mother, even though Nyra was all she had ever known for most of her life.
"I apologize for bringing her up again...She was a constant in my life for as long as I can remember until..." Sov's voice quivered with emotion as she apologized.
Tears threatened to roll down her face, hot and full of all her hurt. 

The young lady probably needed a hug, but she tried her best to bite back the urges to cry.
"Honestly, I think some rest would be nice for today, if...if that's okay..." She took a deep breath in then, to try and steady herself and her feelings.
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Hydra hummed, “you should push yourself. But not at the risk of killing yourself,” she hummed, educating today in the art of fighting with words “you are no good to anyone dead. What can you do, beyond exhaustion?” she drawled, “you become an obstacle to those you fight with, and a sure kill to those you fight against. Exhaustion can turn us into cornered beasts, make you forget all common sense,” the Paladin explained. As Hydra had iterated earlier, it would be easy to note when any came to that point. They were hunters.

And Hydra was an efficient one.

Sovereign apologized again, and Hydra blinked to her. “Do not apologize, if you intend to speak of her again. Know what sorry means. But also know that in this, there is no for such words. It cannot be helped that she is all you knew; understand this, it is likely that she taught you all she knew.” It was not a defense of the woman, but a simple truth. For Sovereign to move on from her, to grow, she would need to understand this.

And by the next bout of honesty spoken with a trembling voice, Hydra felt she intended to do just this. Hydra, an unempathetic woman, knew not how to console her. The truth was a cold and brutal thing, and so too was she—though in this, not because she wanted to be. Better for it to hurt like hell now so that the healing would begin. These words might bring Sovereign her antibodies.

The matriarch nodded, doing Sovereign the favor of excusing her in silence so that she need say no more, and get some rest at last. Had it not been acceptable, Hydra would not have offered such.

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itty bitty post from me to wrap this up! ;w; <3

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Sovereign knew in her heart that Hydra spoke the truth.
It hurt to hear, in a way, but it also made a lot of sense.

Such was the way of life, it seemed. Not everything was fair, and things that were are few and far between.

So, when the Mountain Queen gave her a nod of approval and dismissal at her request, the yearling gave a couple nods and turned away to go find somewhere to sleep.
She figured upon getting to know the territory the following morning, but that was tomorrow's problem, and not the present's.
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