ooc;// continuing from the meeting Archelaus had never expected that the rank of Knight would be handed to him so quickly. When the words left the new Queen's lips, Archelaus felt a sense of vertigo wash over him briefly. He had mentioned before to her a need for some sort of training before he was handed the role, as he didn't have a good understanding of all the responsibilities expected of him. Judging from how quick everything changed, Archie assumed Heather was not joking when she had told him they needed the help. Archelaus was quiet for some time, but did nod his head and bow to the Queen in thanks as she continued with her speech. He felt very honored to wear the same rank that his mother had for all this time, though he found his ruby eyes set on her nearly immediately as if pleading for help. He was an adult, sure.. he did not need his mother for much anymore, but even if the woman had not been his very own mother in this instance- he would be looking to her for help just the same. No one knew this rank better than she did. Once the Queen dismissed them, his wide paws shuffled until he had turned to face Athena fully while his head lifted and he gave her a slight chuckle. "Who would have thought?" His glance would cast back toward his brother briefly before he canted his head, the gray man then refocusing on his mother as he spoke certainly. "Do you think I could speak with you after this, mother? I could not imagine attempting to do half as well as you without a little guidance, I.. hope you don't mind?"

Athena was surprised and excited for her son all at once when she heard Heather's announcement of his new rank. It lifted her spirits quite a bit and her chest swelled with pride to know that her son would be taking her place. Once the meeting was over her attention turned to Archelus as he spoke. She chuckled a bit and replied, "I had a feeling Heather would choose one of you boys. I'm happy for you, Archie." At his request she nodded, giving him a grateful smile. For a while now she had been feeling a bit out of place... like she had lost direction and purpose. But moments like this when she could offer advice and help where the times she really cherished. "You never need to ask, darling. I'm more than happy to help." She leaned over to Tiburtius briefly to give his cheek a parting lick before she got up and turned to walk down the hill toward the mangroves so that she and Archelus could speak away from the group. She kept a leisurely pace and stopped again once they were a comfortable distance away. "Being Knight isn't as hard as you might believe it to be," she said as she walked, glancing toward him with a small smile. "Really it's only as much work as you want to put into it. We're fortunate that Fiori's history has been incredibly peaceful. I think that fact has made some of the wolves here very resistant to learning how to fight. They don't see the purpose or the need. The last time I tried to hold a training for the whole pack I received so much pushback that I never did it again. I only held training sessions for the pups and the fighters after that. Healers hardly ever want to fight... especially Amalia." Her gaze drifted off for a moment as she spoke of the healers, her expression growing nostalgic and sad. It was hard not to think of her missing mate every waking moment, but she didn't want that to interrupt this moment with her son with her own lonely worry. She gave her head a shake and lifted her eyes back to Archie's. "What are you uncertain about? Is there anything in particular you'd like advice on?" "Talk" "You" Think

It had been a very long time that he'd been able to see his mother without the company of anyone else, in fact.. he wasn't sure if he'd ever managed to get her just by herself. The opportunity was bittersweet, but he was thankful to be able to have some confidence with Athena none-the-less. He listened to her words very carefully, his ears twitching every now and then with thought. He himself couldn't even recall being interested enough to attend fight training, so he was not surprised in the least. He was quiet for a moment, his lips serene as he seemed unabashed by these truths, but after awhile those ruby eyes lifted back up to his mother as he pondered. "How often though has Fiori been right next door to another pack? Or how often have we experienced the level of intruders that we have lately? I have always enjoyed the freedom that we have here in Fiori, though.. I can't help but wonder if some fear might motivate them into learning their basics in battle..."

She was impressed with her sons questions once he asked them. They were deeper questions than she had expected and she could tell from them that he was taking this role seriously. "We have almost always had a pack or two near our borders," she replied after a moment of thought. "Especially after our territory moved from the hot springs to the falls. Abaven has been in place for as long, if not longer, than Fiori so we have been neighbors for a very long time. Other packs have been in and out over time. Rivaxorus, Leo's nephew, had a pack for a good while near where Dragoste is now. I can only remember one time when we've had a pack on that side of us that wasn't tied to us in some way and they were very short lived." She paused for a moment to think about the second portion of his question. "This is the first time that I can remember that we've ever really had this level intruders. I can't say for sure what is causing it. It seems to me that Fiori has always kept a low profile and now all of the sudden others are starting to take notice. I've always appreciated the peace and quiet that I was able to raise you boys and your sisters in, but now it seems to be causing us problems." "Talk" "You" Think