quiet the pace, dark fur blending along the mountain trails, dust coating paws tender and sore, old injury of torn claw acting up, each step agony to the beast. cobwebs of white along dark rosettes of ebony and deep void, sapphire eyes keeping a steady watch and guard. upon hip carried a bag of goods, to trade and to gift. weary the traveler, aching for home and a warm nest to sink into, children to pile on top of them with requests of a story. finally at the end of their journey, mindful of their young ward at their side, stopping now and then to rest the damned paw leaving bloody prints in the dirt and dust. pelts carrying a scent far off and foreign, they looked about the land in which they had long ago found the body of their mate, twisted and torn, the fur of his murderer caught in his claws. closing their eyes, they shuddered with longing for the long dead, rejoicing in the knowledge of the justice they had enacted for him. long they wished to join him in eternal rest, kept to this world by the affairs of the living.

exhaling, they sat down to pull from their bag a bundle of herbs, digging out a root of burdock, chewing upon it and applying to their paw, wrapping in old linens from times before, discovered in a trunk in the longship and cliffside houses of their territory. getting up after a brief break and catching a mouse for their young ward, wuyi, the jaguar resumed their path and journey, slowing as they neared the scent marker. "wuyi, eat now, before we come too close to the border.", they murmured to their companion, grateful to have taken the child with them on this journey. they should wish to do this with the other children, perhaps guided visits would be beneficial though, depending on how they were received here. they knew the lands here, they were comfortable with these lands. when the food had been eaten, they approached the border before taking a deep breath and roaring, "members of elysium! I'm here to speak with your leader!", they were sure that wuyi, if given the chance, would love to explore xyr mother's forgotten forge if it still stood down upon the beach, closer to the river. they remembered visiting it, and if it should help xyr feel closer to xyr mother, who were they to deny their ward? mayhaps they could find something of hers that she had forgotten when she went traveling so long ago.

head turning to aker, they smiled, "greetings to you, aker. did you follow us?", he must have, for the journey itself had been harsh and they had stopped many times, giving more than enough time for the two children to catch up. looking back to the border, they nodded to the small morsel of food, "go ahead aker, you must be hungry", they murmured warmly, eyes tired as they took in the siblings with an exhale. how wonderful it would feel to sink into their nest when they got home. numb their paw, pain pulsing up their leg in jolts, weight leaning to the other side of their body, paw light against the ground, throbbing with agony they did their best to hide from the young ones. ears catching the sound of claw upon stone and a new scent, the jaguar returned their attention to the border.

before them stood two beings within one, surprise momentarily flitting across their face before they dipped their head in greeting, "greetings, alani and hani. my name is lin bai, but please call me bai shi. the two cubs here with me are my wards, wuyi and aker. their mothers used to belong to this group a long time ago, as well as my fallen mate. i come here with a request on their behalf, and on behalf of myself. i am the kingpin of a group called alithis evgenis, a group near on the other side of the land.", they spoke as they shrugged their shoulder to access their bag. turning their head back, they pulled it from their shoulders, lifting their sore paw through the loop. "and i bring with me, goods to give in goodwill.", they rumbled softly as they put the bag down.

looking to aker and wuyi, they let their face show warmth, blue eyes looking between the two heads, "i bring herbs from my land, maps and some of our specialty foods. the last i was here, tena had newly taken lead. it does well to meet you, and i wish you success in your leadership. the names of their mothers are playerone and kade, otherwise known as ariside. ariside once had a forge upon the beach, closest to the river, likely destroyed in any storms since. yet i ask your permission to let them search for something of hers. she's taken a very long journey and they are sure to miss her, she left nothing with their other mother when she left." they would speak carefully, in a way that any other adult would understand that the one they spoke of would not return from this 'journey'. "i would also like to speak with you on the possibility of setting up a trade route. i would love to learn more of your group, as it has been a long time since i was here, merely to bury the dead and collect belongings that belonged to my bloodline." they murmured, a ghost of pain showing in their gaze before it was blinked away.

dipping their head, the jaguar would give a warm sigh at wuyi's excited reaction, the lack of annoyance clear as day upon their face. watching the siblings interact, they gave a warm smile, "alright you two, behave, please.", they chuckled, the kingpin looking back to hani and alani with a somber dip of their head. these two brothers were of interest to them, they should like to get to know them more. agreeing with a dip of their head, "that would be wonderful, and it would certainly bring them some peace.", they would murmur with a gesture to the cubs beside them. pausing for a moment, they considered something, "if it's alright with you, i should like to shed this body. my fur is far too warm ...", they would murmur quietly as they stepped back from the small group of bodies gathered.

their body twisted for a moment, their bag set upon the ground, the long and sinuous draconic body they favored appearing, golden scales decorating their body, darker around the silver metallic scars. huffing softly, they looked down to the foot that ached, clicking their tongue at the sight of the cracked talon. wonderful, they would get their practitioner to later look at it. gaze returning to hani and alani they gave a sheepish smile as they picked their bag back up, "apologies, this form is much more comfortable.", they murmured quietly, tail end twitching as they moved closer to the group, content to continue along the path. they knew the air here was a bit colder than elsewhere, but their fur had grown in too thickly too quickly and left them suffering the heat. that and they may or may not have had a cold not too long ago. gaze flicking to wuyi and aker, they looked back to hani and alani, "it would be wonderful to speak of trade routes and our groups with you two.", they spoke in agreement.