Instead of heading towards the Cedarwood Forest, former home of the Cut Rock River pack, Karina had directed the One-Eyed Dragon northward to meet her family on the road.  He'd listened to the princess' advice thus far, he wasn't about to start arguing now.  Of course, he did pause before he started his journey – it behooved him to inform @Urotho of his plans.  They'd only just found each other weeks ago…but things had been terribly rough with the badger woman.  Half the time, he detected disgust in those dark eyes of hers.  What had happened once they were torn asunder?  She did not follow him, not immediately, and Kjors departed with the silent home that time would heal all wounds, and given enough space to deal with whatever demons haunted her mind, the large female might come around and seek his presence with more amicable intentions next time.

With his prize in tow, the healthy loner set off from the Ghastly Woods, picking his way through fallen trees and downed limbs.  It would take him time to get there, he knew, having traveled to the Secluded Springs once before.  This time, he was moving even further north, to a land he'd only briefly passed through on his first journey into the forests of Relic Lore.  The deer's hind quarter slowed him down considerably, but his consultant assured him it would please her parents – truth be told, he needed all the help he could get.

This time, he wanted to join a pack.  Slowly drawing to a halt when he could smell wolves in the distance, the loner set down the limb and lifted his muzzle to the sky, issuing a loud cry.  Hopefully, he could summon one alpha, if not both.  With a little help, he would be a river wolf soon enough.

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He issued his cry once, and after a moment of thought, Kjors issued another one, face in the opposite direction. The princess had instructed him they were moving 'to the northwest', and that covered a lot of territory. While he could smell the wolves nearby, he wasn't quite sure in what direction, or if the others could hear him. Planting his haunches in the dirt, he waited – who would be sent to investigate a stranger's call? As much as he wished to see Karina, he suspected her parents would not send their only daughter. Aleksei was a more likely chance – he was the heir (as far as the one-eyed wolf understood the matter) – perhaps they considered him old enough to handle such things. Or, perhaps they wished to shelter their prince, and had other, older males for such things. He'd little idea about the actual size of the pack. As far as he was aware, there were the two children he'd met, as well as an additional brother. There was Amisun and a second healer, as well as the leading pair (who were expecting a second litter of children).

Silently, he waited. His patience was not long strained – a wolf came loping out of the distance to investigate the interloper. Once she was close enough, he realized she looked rather having – expecting a litter soon. Unless there was a second breeding pair within the pack, Kjors made the assumption this was in fact the alpha female – the mother Karina loved, and feared losing her love with the arrival of more perfect daughters. Carefully, he dipped his head in acknowledgment, and made no move to get to his feet. He tail stay pressed against the ground, and hard as it was, he needed to stay not just respectful but…submissive.

Ignoring the swell of bile from his stomach, he leaned down and nudged the fresh haunch of deer towards the mother, but did not move from his spot. "'lo," he greeted her, ears swiveling wildly, seeking to detect if any of her packmates lurked in the shadows. "Ah suppose yer th' alpha in these parts? Me name is Kjors – Kjors Sørenson. Ah was hopin'…" A soft sigh, as he steadied himself. "Ah was hopin' t' join yer pack. Ah've met some of yer family, an' yer pack members, an' they speak highly a' th' home an' th' pack. Ah can hunt. Ah can guard." Ah'm still alive after five years, he didn't say, supposing his scars spoke for his own ability to survive. What else did he say? He'd been roaming on his own for so long, Kjors found himself wondering what Kisla actually wanted to hear from him – so instead of talking himself in a circle, he simply paused, and waited for what the woman had to say in return.

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As the lone wolf slowly began to explain himself, young @Karina made her appearance.  The princess was as graceful as ever, appearing from the shadows as she slid beside her mother.  Once they stood together, he could see some of the resemblance.  Their coats were similar in hue, and @Kisla held much of the elegance her daughter would one day possess.  He appreciated the truth the pup shared – she was true to her word, and the small doubt in the corner of his mind telling him that this was a trap was put to rest.  Slowly, his single eye shifted back to the alpha, and he gave a brief nod.  This question was much more simple to answer.

"Ah know Princess, here.  Ran into her when she, ah—"  And here the loner paused, not wishing to betray Karina's trust in return for upholding his.  "She was havin' a bad day.  We talked, she loves her family.  Ah met @Amisun near me den, she was lookin' fer plants.  She shared a thought with me – Ah liked her, an' her security.  An' Ah met @Aleksei, further south.  We killed a fawn t'gether.  He was a good hunter, and youth ain' born tha' way.  So someone taught him well. Tha' speaks fer yer pack."

Kjors rolled a shoulder, debating what he had to say next.  After a moment, he seemed to plow forward.  "Now, see, m' mum never did like me, an' earned me ire in return.  But m' da, Ah'd have followed him t' me death, if he hadn' have left me home.  So Ah know what loyalty is.  An' th' idea tha' both yer children possess such loyalty fer both parents is wha' brought me here.  Y' can't be terrible leaders, an' command such love from yer pack.  So here Ah am.  An' Ah ain't disappointed yet."

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What @Kisla was beginning to see was only the tip of the iceberg. Undersized as he was for a male of his subspecies, the dragon had long since learned the power of knowledge. It could cut as sharply as any tooth or claw if wielded correctly. He had not taken this situation lightly, gathering as much information as he could before choking down his pride and venturing forth to seek out the leaders of Cut Rock River. The war that had been forced upon the pack was not news to him. One ear swiveled backwards, and he offered a short nod.

"Aye," he agreed. "Tha' Ah am. Originally, Ah had no intent t' get meself involved in th' squabbles of others." They had more in common than the female realized. He'd been forced from his past den when two packs had taken an intense disliking to each other, and the unsettled territory he roamed in became the center of conflict. As distasteful as he found flight, sometimes it was best to flee and live to fight another day. "Bu', Ah like th' princess here. @Karina has been a fair friend. An' Ah always did like the underdog, bein' one meself."

The wolf winked (though it may have been impossible to tell, was one not reading the flicker of amusement across his features). It was a long story, the tale of his survival this far, but it was the honest truth, that. He never did care to throw his lot in with the biggest and the strongest, that nagging need to prove himself on his own worth driving him to do things the difficult way. "Bu' t' answer yer question, th' answer is no. Ah do naw associate with 'ny wolves from those packs. Jes' yers, packs naw mentioned, an' a few loners Ah've met hither and fro. Kept t' meself, mostly."

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