Altering his course from the volcanic mountain, he trekked further east to see if a ghost from his past still existed. He remembered faintly the pack he had gone to after Tortuga's fall, and wondered if this pack had disappeared as well. It seemed everything he once cared for was gone, would this be any different? His toned body walked with a stiff gait, steeling himself for what he might potentially find. He wasn't sure what he would do if it turned out that the pack still existed, but he wouldn't be disappointed if it no longer stood. As he neared where the territory last stood, he could catch the faint scent of Abaven on the wind. With a raised brow, he was somewhat pleased that they were still around, and by the scent of the territory he was nearing, had also expanded. He didn't stop at the borders, didn't call for anyone. Instead, he would continue his path forward, crossing the scent markers and delving into the territory to see for himself. Perhaps it wasn't a wise idea, especially if the young male he once knew no longer ran the pack. But he didn't care if someone spotted him or tried to jump him, his mind was pulling him forth as if led by invisible ropes. He needed to know. Speech

He had been working hard on getting the scent markers strong on their new land, it wasn't like the plains and the rapids, which had housed the pack for so long. Every cranny smelled of Abaven, but here there were still scents of loners and others on his newest addition. So as he brushed himself against a tree near the border, it wasn't hard for him to pick up the smell of a fresh loner, and an intruder. Lips curled back automatically, even though something in his mind clicked at the smell of the trespasser. Without giving it much thought he stalked towards the wolf, a loud growl coming from his maw as he neared the smaller grey man. But then he stopped, pausing as his golden eyes opened wider. "Hansel?" he asked, almost choking on the name. Blinking several times he couldn't help but let out a stunned chuckle, his head shaking back and forth slightly. "I see you still have balls of steel for such a tiny old man." he teased, a touch of fondness in his voice.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

The man stalked across the thickets, cold blue eyes peeled for whoever might rush at him. The veteran tracker could smell many scents, all of them new except for...one. A smirk curled his lips long before the man sounded his name. And the moment it was said, Hansel slowly turned around and her let his gaze fall on the larger male. "You look like you've seen a ghost." And for the first time since the death of his sister, and the death of his family as a whole...he smiled a little. Though his gaze betrayed a hint of relief, his gaze would always be tainted with what had been lost. He moved a little closer to Bass, the joke not missed. "And it looks like you finally grew a pair." He teased back as he looked up at him, their positions a couple feet from each other, as Hansel chose to give Bass his personal space. He looked him over as he remained quiet for a bit, silently assessing how this guy had grown from kid to adult. "Damn...time flies...you're not the kid that I remember." Speech Thought Others

He liked to see that hint of a smile on his face, but after all he had still trespassed. "You should be careful just walking into my territory though, if it had been someone else they would have been within their right to attack you on the spot." He warned, ears tugging back towards his skull slightly. He adored seeing his old friends turn up, but he didn't like it very much when they just marched in on his territory. But then again... it was pretty much within Hansel's personality, he had never had many shits to give.

Bass snorted at Hansel's retort, head shaking back and forth slowly. "With seven pups that call me father I would sure hope so." He said with a low rumble, lifting a paw to try and slug the older man playfully on his left shoulder. His comment about time made him nod his head slowly, his golden gaze also traveling over the man. It was true that he had aged, a lot. If he remembered correctly Hansel was close to Allen's age, if not older. Now that Bass was nearing that stage of getting older as well it made him feel like these men were ancient. "A lot has changed since you've been gone." He said softly, head hanging slightly. A lot of wolves had come and gone in his life, and it would seem that they were leaving more so than coming as of late.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

His demeanor didn't change much when Bass warned him about trespassing, in a way he was right. His ears pulled back a little as he looked off to the side, frowning. He supposed he didn't quite care what happened, especially after everything that had happened in his life. "Sorry. Normally I wouldn't have but...I had to know if you were still here. I guess I didn't really care at the moment about what happened to me.." He looked back at his old friend, untold stories hidden in his eyes. Now that he was sure Bass was here, he relaxed a bit. His gaze brightened a little when Bass told him how many kids he had, several? Was he serious?  He chuckled a bit at the thought. A grin peeking as he looked at the taller male when he allowed the contact. "That's quite a handful." His expression then grew serious, somber even. Thoughts crowding his mind. "Take care of them. Cherish them. Please." It was more of a hinted threat then a request, though it was a good kind of threat. If there was such a thing. He had lost his son...and his heart still ached for everyone he had lost in the past. He breathed in deeply, looking around for a moment when Bass told him alot had changed. He looked back at him with curiosity, he shouldn't be surprised that alot had changed in the years he was gone. He himself had changed, and he was sure Bass had as well. "Indeed it has. Enlighten me a little, alot has happened to me too but..." Not much of it was good. In all honesty, he was mildly happy that he had found someone that was still here. That he still had s connection to. He sat down, shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world sat on him. How things had changed indeed. Talk like this

His shoulders shrugged at Hansel's words, he knew that he couldn't do anything about it now that he was already here. It was obvious that a lot had happened since the older man had left Abaven, he could tell from the very look in his eyes that there was a lot that he wasn't telling him. "I'll forgive you this time." he said teasingly, allowing it to pass for now.

His stern words surprised him, and all he could do was nod quickly as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I do, with all my heart. The younger two are quite the bundle of energy, Tordo is always full of questions and Sandpiper as so much energy in her that it makes me feel old." He said with a laugh, pulling himself down to his rump to curl his tail around him. "The older five are two now, which makes me feel even older. Lark is shaping up to be a great leader and an even better fighter, he's more stubborn than I ever was and is always looking out for his siblings. Finch is... very shy, she hardly gets out. Shrike has energy too, and is such an eager learner. Starling is already as high ranking as Harmony, he's so devoted to his studies as a healer. Sparrow is following quickly behind him, and is quite the sweetheart." Bass realized that he was rambling on about his kids, and he shook his head with another laugh. "Sorry, I could go on all day about my kids, I didn't mean to bore you. I love them all so much, and I can't believe how quickly they are growing up." He sighed, but that smile stayed on his mouth.

He heard the hesitation in Hansel's voice when it came to explaining what had happened to him while he was gone, so Bass quickly picked up the conversation for him. "Well as you can see we expanded. We sieged against another pack and won. I've started to kick more butts here, hopefully seeing Abaven finally get to the place where I wanted it to be when I created it. More focus on fighting others, and even setting up training with other packs." He shrugged, is tail twitching beside him. "But don't let me bore you, honestly. I doubt you want to hear all about the politics."

"Speech"
'thoughts'