This was not how an alliance would ideally be made. It would be better if Aindreas did not currently need anything… but he did. It would even be better if both packs were to concurrently need something, jointly. But no. Aindreas needed something that Uyaraut had - a healer capable of teaching Mai that very craft. For the first time in years, Dierne Hrof was left without a healer at all. And so, it put Aindreas on a lower foot step, and he knew that it put him at a disadvantage. He would have to offer something of worth for Kershov to agree to an alliance that would allow Mai entrance into Uyaraut. And Kershov was not known for being overly reasonable. He drove a hard bargain, and Aindreas could only hope that he would be capable of paying whatever fee was demanded of him. After talking to Mai, back when he had originally gotten the idea of reaching out to Kershov, he had gone to his half-brother, Vladimir, and brought it up. Within the next year, Vladimir would be stepping up to take the throne, and with it all of the responsibility that came with in. And although Vladimir had been loathe to agree, he finally had. After all, each of Vladimir‘s children were Tempests. It did not matter if they were Oferwederen or Haeld - and that meant that they only had one soulmate meant for them. A single one. For this plan to work, it would not be by chance, but by fate alone. It could not be forced, an alliance between the two packs by marriage. For no errors could be made save by destiny. Either one of Kershov’s offspring would happen to be the soulmate of one of the Dierne Hrof heirs, or they wouldn’t be. There was no gray area.

The idea was simple really - parade all of Vladimir‘s children in front of all of Kershov‘s children, and see if any of them bonded. He knew that perhaps the pups would not understand, especially if it ended up being Qiturah who bonded, considering she already hated her bloodline and resented the fact that she had no choice in who she could truly love. But it would be good for the future of the pack. Especially considering that Dierne Hrof currently had no healer. It would make it all worth it if Mai could fill that void, but she had to be trained first. And really, was there anything that Aindreas wouldn’t do for Mai? And as soon as she was trained, either Aindreas or Vladimir, depending on who was in power at that point, would then have her train whoever else was interested. They could never again be left like this, weak and without a healer. For as long as Aindreas could remember, which essentially was as long as he had been a member of this pack, or even before that, back when he had first blown up on Kalgalath for his poor fathering choices, the healer had been Hellene or one of her bloodlines. But now that Khaleesi had left, gone to visit her mother for an indescript amount of time, they had no one. And Aindreas was doing everything he could to change that, but it was the start of a new era nonetheless.

As said, Aindreas knew he was at a disadvantage, and so he was planning on doing everything he could to minimize just how horrid the disadvantage was. Instead of meeting Kershov at the border of his pack, Aindreas’s plan was to meet him just outside of it, down by the ocean. Aindreas had always loved the ocean - or rather, had always loved water. It had not been until the magical transformation of Blossom Forest that he had actually seen an ocean – a body of water so vast that he could not see the other side of it. He did not love it for the food it provided - like most of those in his line, he had an odd aversion toward fish, but he loved the gentle ebb and flow of the waves. How, even after past all of the days of time, it still stood, largely the same. And so, it would be the perfect place. Along with him, he had brought Vladimir’s horde of offspring. It would seem odd to Kershov at first, perhaps, for the Alpha of Dierne Hrof to arrive with so many little ones in tow, but it would make sense soon enough. He meant to parade each of these pups in front of Kershov‘s many kin and see if any of them had the soulmate bond. And if they did… Aindreas was hoping for a betrothal, thus tying the two packs together. He dug his claws into the soft silt of the land, feeling the sand slip its way between his toes, between his paw pads. He was at one of the tributaries, exactly where a river from the lake of his land emptied out into the ocean. It was here that there was a mixing of freshwater and saltwater, and, he hoped, it would be the perfect place for there to be a mixing of their two packs. Tilting his head back, he howled for the Alpha of Uyaraut, for Kershov, the Ice King.

WC: 885