SKILL : VAGABOND ( 1 / 5 )

It was not often that Conor encountered the borders of packs, but this particular evening was one of those times.

The anomaly intrigued him, the scent of various wolves and other creatures drawing him closer than was perhaps safe. Outside of Ichorwood's confines, he lingered at the border, craning his head in an attempt to gain a better vantage point of what lay further inside the forest. Curiosity burned within him as he caught flashes of red clinging to the branches overhead - how strange it was that red-leafed trees would exist within the crypt of winter. They defied the seasons, heralding the crimson growth of autumn rather than the typical green of spring.

How delightful!

Conor canted his head back to admire the budding red leaves, wondering if this pocket of Mythris was owed to some type of magic. The only thing that kept him from delving into the claimed territory was the present borders - not even he, who had once been man, could deny what the marked perimeter meant. This land belonged to others, and he would likely find himself in a dangerous situation if he were to traipse in unannounced and he was no fighter by any means despite his height.

Instead, he settled the antlers he carried with him at his paws and loosed a short howl to request audience with the homestead's owner - perhaps the ones who owned this land would indulge a curious mind.

It wasn't every day Seiiki had a visitor, Raisa thought, but it never ended up being a dull affair. Wandering felines, fossa's joining wolf packs, missing mothers, things were always popping off; when a call went up, just a simple howl, it almost seemed.... too easy. Just a wolf, with no scent of any packs on the wind at all, calling at the borders? That seemed so benign, the Sovereign started questioning whether or not he might've had some sort of bad news to share with her people.

It was never simple, and it was rarely good.

Though the sapphire tigress had always felt well at home here, where she'd spent every waking moment of her life to memory, even she didn't blend so well as the man before her. He was not so red as the fresh spring blooms of the Ichorwood, but his striking, flame-colored coat was pleasing to the eye. As tall as she was, but slimmer, with what looked like nearly curly fur; a pair of antlers laid at his paws, and she was glad to see he looked... friendly, open, certainly not a harbinger of doom or a herald with bad news.

There was still time.

Raisa pulled herself from the woods with cautious steps herself, ears on a swivel but a smile twisting her maw.

Hello, she greeted breezily, glancing around as if he might not be alone, I'm Sovereign Raisa.

Maybe he was another loner looking for a home, support, like Stream had been. She offered a wag of her curled tail and a curt, Can I help you?

SKILL : --- ( 2 / 5 )

Patiently, he remained rooted to his spot as he waited for whomever would answer his call. He briefly wondered if anyone would do so at all, given he hadn't requested audience with anyone before, but this was as close as he could get to knocking upon a door, was it not?

Surely someone would answer - and they did.

A streaked figure materialized and Conor's ears cupped forward, his frame straightening self-consciously from the relaxed slouch he had settled into over the course of his wait. His tail waved amicably behind his haunches as the girl drew near, his countenance marked with a polite smile.

She spoke, introducing herself as a sovereign - of the forest, he presumed. In recognition of what he understood was likely a title worthy of respect, he bowed his head briefly; it seemed like the right thing to do, all things considered.

When his frame righted once more, he met her gaze evenly - in acknowledgement rather than challenge.

Hullo, Raisa, Conor greeted her, the curve of his lips deepening a hair. I hope I have nae disturbed ye - yer forest caught my eye.

He motioned toward the emergence of red foliage over their heads with a short tip of his muzzle. Reminds me o' my home - have nae seen anything like it since I got here, the faun elaborated. I dinnae ken much about fate an' all that, but I hoped tae visit with ye, if it is no trouble.

He realized his request might be strange; most did not wish to open their homes to strangers, and he suspected they might be even less inclined to do so in a land of beasts. Conor's tail offered another hopeful wag, hazel eyes benign, if a tinge pleading.

His accent was thick, and his manners were sweet. The stranger, so he said, merely wanted to enjoy the forest and visit a place that so reminded him of his own home. Raisa, personally, brightened with surprise as he mentioned he'd seen --assumedly-- the bloody red leaves before.

No trouble at all, Raisa beamed, glad that everything seemed so... normal. Just a guy, hanging out, who just saw something that made him think of his own home and wanted to soak it all in. Besides, if this turned out to be dangerous she wasn't just confident in her own abilities, but the fact that somewhere undoubtedly nearby was Carnifex. The feline that'd given his life to escort her to the frozen north and had still come back to finish his task to protect her was sound and reliable as they came, in her eyes. She idly wondered if felines partook in other carnivores.

Raisa beamed.

I'll give you a full tour, on the conditions you give up your own name and tell me all about wherever else there are red trees; I've traveled a distance, and I've never seen anything like them.

Though, she didn't know how limited her idea of distance might be. There was a lot about this gentleman that she'd never seen before, so maybe Mythris wasn't as large as she thought.

She waved him in with a motion of her jaw and turned to lead the way further in, assuming he followed.