guide me, o' wise one

@Calhoun

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 There was a story Kaius grew up on, a tale of blessed wolves being chosen for a future they could only dream of. A place with a purpose, a goal to achieve. They were stolen in the night and praised in the morn by their families, blessed again with celebrations to begin their new journey. A new life.

 Like many others, Kaius was preened by his shamans for the day he'd be chosen—if it ever came. His faith was assured, steadfast. His heart and mind were set on the power that would one day take him away and give him something that would make his life complete. Opposite him, his littermates never did feel the same way. They ridiculed his faith, rejected their own, and were shunned. The very fact brought him more joy than he could've imagined—seeing the demise that the spirits brought forth to make his siblings pay. His outward display of that combined with his unwavering faith encroached on the path his dam and sire had set out for their other children. Instead of valuing the beliefs of their clan, they held love above all—love for their family, their children. Kaius, himself, was the one to weed out the stench of unfaithfulness from his family, parents and all.

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Kaius' nose twitched as tendrils of gold tickled, oscillating back and forth with freedom he could only imagine having. The hard stone beneath him felt warm, comfortable even. But it wasn't stone. He slowly began to realize this as his body shifted closer together, appendages pulled inward to crush his chest with a warmth he'd been craving. A wisp of a smile slipped across his maw while a slow breath of relief blew the grass in front of him forward marginally. He was home at last. His work had paid off. The calm Kaius felt at that moment overpowered any motive to move drastically just yet, so he'd simply rolled to his stomach and settled. It was surreal more than anything else, but he didn't dwell on anything but the fact that now he'd have to find his purpose. For now, with fields of gold and the earthy smell of wheat traveling in the wind, he'd bask in the fields of a new home and watch golds blur into blues. 
This was the start he was waiting for. 

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It hadn't been his plan to stray so far from the Crown so soon, but his paws took to wandering as if it was for a purpose. Perhaps it was? Calhoun had traveled beyond his home before to see the world. See what kind of wolves lived out there, and if the High Elk might bless land elsewhere alongside his own. He had found his answer once, but back then he believed to bring about His vision, he would have to sacrifice the home he grew up in.

Funny how things worked out. Funny how, even after the High Elk spared his home, Calhoun would find this place again. The sun lit the fields in a holy glow, and though he couldn't see them, the smell of his apostles lingered the scattered trees. It was almost a shame it lay a few days away, though realistically they couldn't house all the elk in the world. Perhaps if he did well and their numbers grew to the size of his original family, they would need to spread out. Then these golden fields would have some use being a short journey away.

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It hadn't been long before his view had turned into a mixture of blues and flecks of white, the air taking a drop in temperature that even despite his sensitivity, he didn't mind. For once, he didn't feel troubled. There was no need for his focus to be on the meticulous side of things, no hum in the back of his mind that gave him doubt. It was as if the glade itself had taken his pain, and swapped his pessimistic attitude for something akin to optimism? Not completely, anyway. He'd throw himself to the cannibals given something optimistic ever left his mouth. Kaius chuffed and shook his head, his paws grasping the air as he stretched the rest of his body. Dusk was never the time to explore, he knew that, but there was something here.

A calling, it had to be. He was sure that whoever had brought him here surely wouldn't off him so quickly. The thought was enough to make his steps falter. Right? A brief look cast over his shoulder was enough to convince him his thoughts were foolish. Nothing would kill him here that wouldn't do the same at home. All he needed was a little vigilance, maybe a dash of caution, but as the brush of grass against another body distracted him, he forgot it all. It was faint, but there nonetheless. Then, again, the sound came accompanied by the pungent smell of cherries that he wasn't sure he favored, himself.

It wasn't until after those few loud beats of his heart settled that the view of another came forth. A male. The way he held himself screamed elegance, and it made Kaius straighten his back if only marginally to make himself taller. The newcomer walked with the poise of an elk, strong and carefully directed steps guiding him closer. Kaius hadn't even considered how his sudden presence would affect the inhabitants. Hell, he hadn't even considered that there were inhabitants, to begin with. It was his mistake, but he remedied it quickly by mutedly ducking his head past his shoulder, gaze lingering on the golden, flattened straws beneath his feet.

After a respectable amount of time on Kaius' part, he lifted his head and mustered the slyest grin he could manage all the while trying his best to keep respect heavy in his tones. With a breath, he began first, “And to what do I owe this pleasure?”

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The glade was just as he remembered, even uninhabited despite the beauty. There were scents that passed through, some more fresh than others, but none that seemed to stay. It wasn't until he heard a voice that he realized there was still at least one who lingered in the area. Calhoun's head swiveled looking for the source until he found a man around his age with colored paled in comparison to He, but blessed nonetheless. His eyes were perhaps most striking, a wave of green that broke the dull creams.

“Does my reputation precede me?” Calhoun had only recently taken the title of King. It would make no sense for others to know of him beyond what few he had gathered to stay and follow His path...unless...this was actually the work of the High Elk himself. “I'm only passing through, though if you know of me, then I'm curious about you. Do you travel or are you a man who hears many things?” Maybe he knew one of his brothers, or perhaps Godbrand...wherever he had gone. “Unless...I misunderstood, and I'm intruding.” He hadn't smelled any scent markers, but that was easy to miss if you live alone or with so little.

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Kaius watched the cogs turn in the elk man's head, grin lifting ever so slightly with mirth. The traces of it fell, however, at his question. The male thought carefully. Now, he could lie and speak knowledgably about a subject he knew absolutely nothing about, or he could go with the truth—he was simply nobody to everyone. No connections, no knowledge, no home. After a moment's pause, Kaius chose the latter. He needed every bit of loyalty he could find, especially if he was meant to meet this male who'd walked upon him.

At his final decision, the male allowed himself a slow perusal of the other, green chasms flitting across the golden pelt. The deep browns and golden hues he was sure would've matched with the glow of sunset had this man found him any sooner. ...hears many things. The words registered in his head a slow minute after they were said, his posture shifting underneath the weight of his sudden nerves. “Neither, I'm afraid.” His voice rasped with the slow words, an almost southern drawl licking at his die-offs with each word. “In truth, I was taken, dropped here by a power I've been believing in since my youth.” He'd realized after he'd spoken that his personal beliefs might've meant nothing to this man, perhaps it was his manners falling short that caused his sudden need to overshare, or maybe it was that his very presence made him feel different—worthy in a weird sense.

His final question Kaius had answered before, but still, he began anyways. “Intruding? I assure you, despite how beautiful this glade is, my claims lie beyond this world. And anyways-” He glanced around him with awe. “It's far too enrapturing in view to keep to oneself, don't you think?” After another lazy perusal of the fields he'd been dropped in, Kaius turned his attention back to the other. His first words to Kaius urged his next question, intrigue guiding his intentions—pure but nosy in sense. “Enlighten me, would you? What is this reputation you commend yourself on?”

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Dropped by a higher power...in other words, another to awaken abruptly somewhere new. He made the fourth Calhoun would meet, all in the span of seven days or so. The elken man would almost find it strange had this one woken somewhere closer to the Crown, but even so, their paths still crossed. That was no mistake...by this...higher power. There was only one who could claim that privilege in his mind, but Cal couldn't help but be mildly curious as to what power this man meant. He seemed unbothered for someone waking far from home, almost as if he expected this to happen, or it was common where he came from.

“Perhaps...” His response grounded him momentarily as Calhoun let his eyes wander again. It was silly to think one wolf could claim so much, but it only took one wolf to plant the idea in the heads of others. After all, he had just done the same. “I am a king.” A new one with few followers, but the numbers weren't what mattered. They had enough to hold their ground and that would suffice for now so long as their worship was strong. “Though admittedly, I haven't been one for long. Though, my parents once led packs of their own with numbers commendable.” 'Led'. He spoke as if they were dead and gone, but it mattered little to him if they were. Neither had really been family. “If someone was to know of me, it likely wouldn't be for my own deeds.” Not yet.

“I can see that doesn't matter though. You're...new?” This world was the only one he knew of. The only one he knew in general. Some came from other places, sure, but he had been birthed here. Any oddities were his norm and Calhoun had yet to see where this world ends and another begins. If another laid out there, then there was no doubt in his mind that it was the High Elk's too. Meaning, He had brought this man here for a reason of His own. “And a man of worship...tell me, do you still believe in whatever god you pray to now? Even after they may have taken you from your home and abandoned you in a strange land?”

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The title spoken came as no surprise to Kaius. In fact, he'd expected it or something similar to that sort of hierarchy—though he was sure things were different here. Back home he was by no means high up on the ladder, but he'd worked hard to be recognized at all, that drive didn't change now that he was someplace new. He'd be lying if this newfound kingdom didn't pique his interest in more ways than one, made his chest bloom with the spark of a new challenge. He'd use that same drive he had to make some kind of mark for this..King. It was decided. But, he let the other continue if not only for his own curiosity.

“I'd allow you some measly sense of understanding, but I'm afraid most packs I've seen fail to meet the requirements of commendable, themselves. A shame, really, but the harmony was their main goal, I suppose.” He spoke with a gentle shrug, encouraging the man with an imploring gaze while his ears perked to further demonstrate his interest and attention was on him. New? New..in the sense of what? Had there been others before him? The idea brought another question to his lips, but he quieted the moment the other began speaking again. Even still, his mind drifted to the thoughts of those who'd been blessed and taken before him. Did they all wind up here? Or were there different worlds, different parts of the world they were instead dropped into? While the urge to travel and uncover them all tugged at the tight strings of his heart, it wasn't his business. Their story had included him once upon a time, but that had ended—the pages ripped and burned. He didn't need to care anymore. The burn of pride for himself brought him back to the man's words again.

A man of worship. The description was something he prided himself on. He was, most profoundly. “The situation is a rather strange one, I'll admit. In my home, we were raised to be plucked from the colony. Those who were blessed were the only ones chosen and brought here, I presume, to start anew. Being taken, as you so put it, is a reward. Being chosen is something everyone wanted. So, yes, I do still believe. I believe whatever took me is here, now. And if I assume right, I was meant to run into you.” The man's eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if he was waiting for the other to shun the beliefs he held so closely. “What do you believe?”

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Calhoun only tilted his head at the man's words. Most packs failed to be commendable? Maybe that was so...it was hard to say for someone like him. The few he had met or been a part of were foreign to his upbringing. He and his family would always be strangers amongst normal wolves, shamed or laughed at for worshiping prey as a savior. Few understood the power of the High Elk, and even less were willing to listen.

“Interesting...” In the elken man's eyes, there was only one religion, but he wouldn't deny that this man's interested him. Born and raised to serve a purpose beyond what he knew...it seemed ridiculous, but perhaps it truly was the High Elk's will. This man was blessed, after all. Maybe he was recognized for his potential to be devout.

“My family lives in the heart of a forest amongst elk. If the notion makes you laugh, then I see no point wasting my breath. Our ways aren't for the common wolf. We have one faith and we are at peace. I will say though... I'm curious. If you believe you are meant to serve a purpose elsewhere, with me— potentially. Where would your faith lay? Are you willing to abandon what you know to serve that purpose?”

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Kaius knew just as well of the details the elken man spoke of. At least, he'd assumed what with the heady scent of elk both young and old clinging to the ends of his pelt. The smell itself was overwhelming, but it eased his nerves around the other. Perhaps that in itself was a sign for him to gauge, or maybe Kaius was simply grasping at straws now. Nevertheless, the idea of glorifying species of elk was of no harm to him, he always fancied the large creatures anyway.

Now Kaius knew his religion was of no normalcy, but it seemed the longer he listened, neither was this man's. To that, he could feel himself relating to, and as such..his body relaxed. The tenseness in his shoulders eased as the words of the other drew on until they halted with the repeated question he'd been mulling over since it'd been pressed on briefly beforehand. Could he truly give up his faith entirely? Would he even want to?

His gaze seemed to drift away from the man's, an answer heavy on the tip of his tongue yet refusing to leave the parted space of his maw. The idea of relinquishing his faith and adopting something entirely new was foolish, was it not? What then of his honor? His duty? Would it all dissipate the moment he decided to take the branch this man was offering? The questions ran rampant in his head, but it was ultimately the truth that turned his gaze back to the stranger.

“I fear any answer to your question would be the wrong one. If I were to say yes, and as such relinquish the faithfulness I've held since I could comprehend faith itself, what would that say of my loyalty? Of my duty to faith at all?” He took a moment's pause before beginning again, words rasped as his throat dried. “And if I were to say no, declining your offer to throw away my faith, I'd lose the very opportunity being offered to me.” His languid gaze rolled from the man back to the golden view ahead of him. “While it is a purpose that brought me here, either answer I give you would leave us more disappointed than we came. But it is my firm belief that the power I believe in is also yours. Whether you too choose to believe it is entirely your own counter.” The beat of his heart seemed to quicken the longer he stood at the judgment of the other, limbs beginning to weaken underneath the strain of his nerves. “A home, a family is what I desire. But the answer to your question, following my answer, is this: Because of what I so believe, the faith I hold in my heart matches the one you pride yourself on. With that, I will spend the rest of my life learning the details and the passion that comes with being a part of your family and faith, if you so choose.” His head dipped a second and final time to conclude himself.

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In Calhoun's head, there was but one answer he would accept. Undying loyalty to the High Elk... but this man had a point. If he so easily gave up the teachings he grew up on, what would that say of his loyalty to Him? If he did it once, would he be willing to do it again? The elken man let his eyes wander briefly as he fell into his thoughts. He would agree, in the end, this encounter was fated in some way. The lessons this one grew up on might not be his own, but that did not mean that their gods differed...

Maybe his family was not the only one the High Elk watched.

Maybe others were gauged before finding those blessed.

It made sense in his head. As Calhoun stated before, their way of life was not for the common wolf. If another pack became aggressive or disgusted with Trieweborne's practices, they could try to overpower them and destroy all that is cherished in His light. They would lose the herd. His blessing. His protection... but if their potential and loyalty was proven beforehand... it lessened the damage a newcomer might bring should they fall from His path.

“What is your name?” His eyes settled again on the man as he waited for an answer. “I see your point. If these teachings of yours are meant to feed into my own, then I have no reason to press you for an answer, so long as your loyalty is to the High Elk. In the end, it is His judgement you must pass, not my own. Just know, Trieweborne only has one religion. I won't let another compete with our own. I don't want to catch word of yours passing through the lips of His followers.”

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“Kaius Devaux.” Kaius would answer quickly, eyes taking in the opposite man's with more respect than he thought himself capable upon meeting a stranger. He listened though, intently and with interest. The man had already sold his soul, but he'd listen for the sake of getting to know this High Elk Calhoun spoke of.

“Consider my lips closed.” He'd promise with a low chuff. Now that he'd gained a spot in this family, he wasn't going to do anything that would jeopardize his position. If he were being honest, the idea of sharing his own religion never occurred to him. He was simply more interested in the one Calhoun spoke of, the one people woke from a slumber for. Whether he'd ever wanted it or not, he was chosen for this, he knew that much.

“So..King, do you too have a name or must I refer to you as King?” He was joking. Mildly. He didn't really care for titles, but he'd learn this man's for the sake of place and peace in his home. “I fear you know much too much about my past to leave without also sharing your name, no?” That much Kaius knew to be true. He'd poured out his past home's religion, mindset, and his own loyalties all because he wanted to prove himself to someone he'd just met. Someone who could provide him with a home, a purpose. It was insanity, but that's what seemed to be him. In the most sane of ways, Kaius was insane. Unrealistic in the worst possible times, it seemed.

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Kaius...his last name mattered little if he truly wished to follow His path. Soon enough, he would be a Deoradhán...High Elk guiding, of course. It felt like an unneeded risk to accept other cultures into his own, but this case felt different from someone so unwilling to part with their roots. If Kaius really was raised to adopt the ways of another, then he had the potential to be the most devout of any Grazer.

“No, no, that is not required. I care little for the crown I bear, so long as His way is spread. I apologize for not sharing sooner, but I'd rather strangers not running off with my name in their mouth...it is for the protection of Trieweborne. Calhoun will do.”

Speaking of home, it was no simple walk back to Apostles Gate. They had days of walking ahead of them...“I can share more along the way, but it's best we be moving while we still have light.” He'd gesture with a wave of his head for Kaius to follow as his paws turned east for home.

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