Leora never thought this day would come, but some things required sacrifices. She had thought long and hard about how to achieve the great future that she envisioned for Felis, and it always came down to give and take between the planets in the Alpha Draconis system. It was an undeniable fact that Felis did not have a lot of resources, and Canis in particular had precious metal that they desperately needed in order to continue to build. This would help put them years ahead in terms of development and she couldn’t just forget that.

Surprisingly enough, the Canis people had not immediately turned down the request either, given the animosity the two planets had for each other. She supposed the key was in offering something equally valuable in return. Perhaps the Canidines weren’t as stupid as she expected either.

Today was the designated meeting time, where the delegates from Canis would be coming to Felis. It seemed they were curious to see the planet, either that or they didn’t want to do the meeting on their own planet for reasons that Leora didn’t care to ask. She felt safer here anyway, in her home turf, and stronger. Not because she had the support of everyone. Oh, no. The moment she announced that she wanted to work with Canis, it was like she was right back when she started, where it seemed as if a rebellion would break out at any moment. She had expected a riot and a coup to happen right then and there, but apparently enough of them still respected the chain of command and the proper ways to do things to simply grumble and protest but did not revolt.

It was a precarious peace, but then again, wasn’t it always?

It was exhausting to be a person in a leader position.

Leora inspected the chamber they were meant to use at the Alpha House. As far as buildings went, like most in Felis, this was pretty drab and simple, but it was the biggest in the capital. It was where she had resided ever since she became the Primus Alpha. It was by no means a palace, but it was functional. Like everything else in the planet, beauty and design were pretty much nonexistent considering the leaders used to change too much for anyone to bother to decorate, and everyone was more concerned with staying in power anyway.

The Alpha House was more like a fortress, meant to be the last line of defense should they ever be invaded. It was supposed to be the safest place in the city. Tall steel walls surrounded it on all sides, and there was only one gate that allowed access to the outside. In a way, this was also meant to be a display of power to the Canidines; an emphasis that they had been invited in as guests and that they’d better respect it without trying anything funny. The amount of guards were overwhelming and would surely outnumber the Canis entourage’s numbers.

Leora glanced at the time and knew the meeting was due to start soon. She could only hope the Canidines would not stand her up and embarrass her in front of all of her people.

Sailor Canis- Falchion Loupkönig

Just outside the gates of the Alpha House, the air began to shimmer a strange indigo color. An instant later, a group of 5 Canidines materialized into existence. As the blue glow around them faded, it was easier to see their lupine features and foreign clothing. They looked like upright wolves, with thick teeth, fur, and piercing eyes. Four of them were dressed in dark blue and grey uniforms, covered in buttons and badges. Their arms were protected by plates of mail, and weapons hung off their belts and backs. Gleaming metal helmets were strapped onto their heads, the visors lifted to show their faces.  

The fifth one in the middle was slightly shorter and slimmer, wearing a long blue and silver jacket with the collar raised. The fur was a thick, pitch black coat, with silver only marking the "paws" and muzzle area. The Canidine's pants were a darker grey, and a beautifully forged ceremonial blade was strapped to a belt. What made this one stand out the most, however, was the silver tiara studded with sapphires she wore. Orange eyes looked up at the gate, and then the fortress behind it.

So this was the Felis meeting place. It looked more like a military installment than a castle, but she was not in the position to be picky. Not when her mother had selected her to handle this issue. Lady Excalibur Loupkönig was not someone to fail, and Falchion had no intent to do so. They would make a trade deal.

"Princess, what are your orders?" one of her knights asked. They were all on high alert, fully aware of how surrounded by a potential enemy they were, but the less weakness they showed, the better.

"We wait to be invited in," she said, standing up straighter. "Like proper guests." Her hands folded behind her back, giving off a relaxed, but confident air. If anyone tried to sneak up on her, she could sense them coming anyway. The knights and diplomats nodded and followed her example, still at attention, but with less growling and teeth shown than before.

“Alpha, the… guests have arrived outside the gate,” one of the guards entered the room and told her, his distaste at the word obvious. Felisians really weren’t known for hiding their emotions.

“Thank you,” she said briskly, before moving toward the front of the building. “Open the gate,” she commanded to the guards standing beside it. They complied, and Leora took a deep breath, mentally preparing for this momentous occasion. The first time in hundreds of years her planet would offer an olive branch to Canis, or any other planet for that matter.

As the party behind the door was revealed, her gaze immediately fell on its obvious leader, the one wearing the tiara. The crown princess of Canis. She had to admit, it seemed to bode well for their relationship that Canis had sent such an important representative over, with only four other people no less. She supposed they were powerful in their own way, but she didn’t know if it was confidence or trust in the Felisians that had brought about the decision.

She doubted it was the latter.

“Your Highness. Welcome to Felis,” she said, her voice calm and pleasant as she strode forward to greet them. Her own guards visibly moved away, not wanting to be too close with the foreign creatures, though the fact that they weren’t openly growling and hissing was already something to be grateful for, so she wasn’t going to call attention to it.

“I am Leora of the clan Panthera, the Primus Alpha of Felis. I am very glad you can make it to this meeting. Please, come in and follow me.”

She was never one for pleasantries or empty words; she couldn’t find it in her to lie about how it was nice to see them or ask about their journey when in reality she couldn’t care less. As a leader, she believed only in the kind of respect that was based on honesty, and she hoped they wouldn’t hold it against her.

Sailor Canis- Falchion Loupkönig

Falchion gave a curt nod, sharp blue eyes observing every inch of this Primus Alpha. Leora was unexpectedly young for a ruler, yet she did not visibly struggle to appear in control of the situation. There was confidence in the way she held herself. 

Good. There wasn't much enjoyment to be had when speaking with a spineless ruler that bowed at the first sign of teeth. Unlike these Felis guards...

Like Leora, Falchion didn't care for fluff or small talk either. It wasted everyone's time, and they all had better things to do after this deal was finally over.

"I am Falchion Loupkönig," she said, introducing herself as well. "Our Queen, Lady Excalibur of the Loupkönig family, regrets being unable to join us, but has allowed me to speak in her interests." She and her small guard trailed Leora into the fortress after a moment of hesitation to mentally probe the area one more time. Satisfied with their security, they passed through the gates.

“I am honored to meet her daughter nonetheless,” Leora said sincerely, even if she had wished to meet the queen herself. But she didn’t see it as a snub; after all, if that was the intention, they would have sent someone even less important than the princess.

She led the group to the meeting chamber, equipped with a long rounded desk surrounded by chairs. She waited until everyone who wished to remain in the room entered, telling her own guards to stay outside. Leora had no advisor or confidante as she believed only in herself, not yet able to trust that whoever she let into the inner circle would not try to usurp and backstab her. It was safer this way. Even if it meant she would be alone in a roomful of Canidines.

“Please, sit. I shall order for some refreshments to be brought in shortly.”

Sailor Canis- Falchion Loupkönig

Falchion did not verbally respond to Leora, uninterested in what she considered flattery and posturing. Honor was not something one could speak with, it was shown. She'd wait to judge her actions before deciding anything about this woman personally.

When they reached the meeting chamber's entrance, Falchion motioned with a hand, and three of her guards broke off to wait by the doors with Leora's. A leader did not need to speak aloud to give orders, and Falchion did enjoy showing off a bit in front of strangers. Besides, there was no honor in packing what was supposed to be a room for peace talks with soldiers, and Falchion was not afraid of being overpowered. The oldest Canidine stayed by her side, as he was one of her mother's advisers. If any of the guards outside raised the alarm, he could be contacted by telepathy and warn her in turn. 

Falchion pulled out her own chair and sat down at Leora's prompting, though she did wonder what kind of refreshments would even be brought. Her adviser neglected to sit at all, standing behind Falchion instead.

"...You wish to negotiate for our ore suppliers, is that correct?" she asked, jumping directly into the task at hand.

She waited until Falchion sat down before taking her own seat. It seemed she felt perfectly safe to keep only one other Canidine with her. She wasn’t going to lie; she felt better about it. The last thing she needed was for there to be too much tension in the room with all these trigger-happy guards. All they needed was the slightest twitch and a war could break out. She suspected most was looking for the smallest reason to do that, too.

“Yes, the ores,” she replied, Falchion’s question pulling her back to the matter at hand. It was good that she wanted to deal with their business quickly, since Leora also wanted nothing more than for this meeting to be done as fast as possible with as little drama as necessary. If Falchion wasn’t interested in their planets’ conflict, then all the better for them.

“I was wondering if we could offer you something in return, something native to our planet that you can’t get elsewhere. If there is anything you would like, we’d be happy to provide it for you so that this could be a mutually beneficial agreement.”

A servant entered with steaming cups filled with one of their most delicious local beverages. She nodded at him as he put the cups in front of them, including one for the other Canidine, and left without another word.

Sailor Canis- Falchion Loupkönig

Leora was willing to offer them anything in exchange for the ore? Then this would be a fairly simple deal. Canis was in desperate need of better medicine. Injuries and sicknesses could be healed, but they were sometimes forced to suffer the entire way through, as their pain numbing herbs were not strong enough for certain wounds and diseases to be handled. If they ever went to war again, it would be devastating. 

Falchion paid no attention to the Felis servant who had delivered tea, though it had a peculiar scent to it.

"In researching this planet beforehand, we've come across a certain plant with powerful anesthetic properties. I believe it was called...Lamiaceae Nepeta. If you are willing to trade us that herb in return, we will make a deal."

 The guard beside her met Falchion's eyes for a moment, and then took a sip of the tea he'd been given. It was a subtle hint that he was testing it for her, but after he gave the mental signal that it was not poisoned, she too picked up the cup with more dexterity than her claws looked like they allowed, and drank some.

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Lamiaceae Nepeta?

"Ah, the catnip," she mused, nodding slightly. "I can see how it may be useful to you. We have it in abundance here, and as far as I know they only grow here, so we can be your sole supplier. I would be happy to offer a sizeable amount so long as it's reasonable."

She picked up her own cup and sipped the liquid inside. At first she thought there was the faintest hint of something unfamiliar, but the taste quickly dissolved into what she was more accustomed to. Had she simply imagined it? She didn't have a poison taster because she never wanted to subject someone to that kind of fate, but now she wondered if that foolish. After all, a lot of people here wanted her dead. But then again, the Felisians didn't believe in backstabbing or plotted killings. You can only rise to the top through honest battles in front of witnesses.

They wouldn't...

But as the seconds passed and she felt the lightheadedness setting in, she realized she was wrong. And as she opened her mouth to shout a warning, knowing it was far too late, the cup clattered back to the table. Everything went dark and her body hit the ground hard, her last thought being...

They would.

Sailor Canis- Falchion Loupkönig

Did they really have to call the plant "catnip"? It was so... odd. But the people of Felis could use whatever nicknames they wanted as long as they were open to trade. Falchion could care less about the minor details at this point. 

"That sounds fair. I'm sure we can work out what amount of ore would be equal in value to"- Falchion paused as Leora visibly seemed to struggle in her seat for a moment, and she was about to ask what was wrong when she hit the floor. Falchion stood up to look at Leora. "Hey, what's..." Her own vision was blurry, and she nearly stumbled backwards. Beside her, her adviser growled.

"Princess, we've been... d-drugged..." he managed to say, holding his head as he fought to stay awake. "I'm warning the others now..." Falchion cursed as he fell over too, her own knees weakening as the effects overwhelmed her. Why was everything going numb? 

"I won't... forget this..." Falchion growled before she passed out, making a third impact on the floor.

______________________________________________________________________

She woke up in the dark, her body finally starting to regain feeling again. Falchion blinked a few times to try and readjust, but all she saw was... the inside of a brown sack? It was hard to concentrate enough to try and identify any smells, but as far as she could understand, there were no fellow Canidines around. She was by herself, and some stranger was carrying her off somewhere! 

With a snarl, she thrashed in the unseen person's grip, and her kidnapper yelped and dropped her.

"I thought it was supposed to last longer than that!" one voice said. 

"Nevermind, let's just drop them here and go!" a different person answered, dropping a smaller object on the ground next to her. Huh? Who else could be here? Falchion listened as the two ran off through what sounded like bushes and grass. Where was she? Her hands weren't bound very well, and she maneuvered her claws into a position to cut her bonds after a minute of hard work. 

Falchion tore the annoying bag off her head and squinted as the setting sun hit her face. Nothing around here felt familiar, even if the forest she was standing in was similar to the ones on her own planet. She spotted the second body with a sack over their head, and she bent down to release them as well. When she took the sack off, she recognized Leora and backed away a few feet, a growl building in her throat.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, already reaching for the sabre at her belt.

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This RP has been inactive for over 45 days. If you are still interested in continuing your storyline, please post within the next 7 days or this thread will be moved to the Graveyard section. All RPs that are moved to the Graveyard can be retrieved by Sailor Saturn using the Storyline Revival Requests thread.