There were certain things she'd been putting off for too long that she'd intended to do, but it was always something she'd figured on doing later, or hoping that Aurielle would do them. She'd had so much else to do, that they kept getting put off more and more, and now that there wasn't much more time left to put things off she was forced to re-prioritize and try to do them when she was nearly at the end of her strength. She regretted that she'd never ended up being able to set up a fight training as she and Amos had discussed. She hoped the young man would take the initiative and do it himself. But there was one male that hadn't taken the initiative, however long she'd waited and hoped he'd do so, and so now it was upon her to do something about it.

It was one of her good days, which was becoming rarer and rarer as winter ground on. Which was to say, that she wasn't feverish, and she had enough energy to leave the den site and walk carefully and slowly through the territory and stretch what was left of her muscle despite the ache between her protruding ribcage. But a good day could do little to improve the dull harshness of her coat, or the skeletal form that was all that was left of the once-vigorous warrior. She made it as far as stepping over into the plains, stopping to rest often, before she admitted she was too worn to go further. There she lifted her head and called for Laisren, the young alpha's uncle. She and he needed to have words.

He had just finished a hunt, bringing back a fairly young doe who had been injured by something else. She hadn't been that difficult to bring down, but dragging her all the way to the drop off point was a decent work out for him, especially since he had taken her out of the pack territory. He had just gotten the dead deer to the Alcove when Gwen's call for him sounded not far off. His ears would perk in interest wondering what she needed from him? Was he in trouble for something? Dropping the kill he swiftly took off to answer her call. He was swift, to get there in good timing and not wanting to keep Gwen waiting long. When he arrived he was in a bit of shock at her form. When had she gotten so thin? He tried to hide his concern and focus on the reason she had called. Taking a seat before her while his eyes looked to her face. "Afternoon Gwen, you called." he greeted. "Talk" "You" Think

Laisren was relatively swift in answering her call, and he appeared smelling of deer blood, a fact that merely solidified Gwen's belief her path today was the correct one. "Good afternoon, Laisren," she returned his greeting. "Please, won't you join me? I have something important I wish to speak to you about."

She paused a moment to give him a chance to do so, and for her to gather her thoughts, then said slowly, "Please keep in mind that I do not mean this as a criticism of your skill, but rather as an expression of the pack's need and my own faith in you. I am dying, Laisren. I do not know how much time I have left in the world and I would not want my pack and my children left without the best care I can give them, so forgive me for being blunt." She let out a slow sigh, then continued. "You've hidden in your brother's shadow long enough," she said gravely. "You are not just Regulus' brother, or Aurielle's uncle. You are just as much Surreal Adravendi's son as Regulus is. She may have chosen Regulus as her heir, but that does not in any way diminish who you are, and I believe that is a fact many have forgotten. It's time for you to stop being Regulus' little brother, Laisren, and be your own man. You need to step forward out of their shadows, stop hiding as just another warrior in the pack, and give the pack your all. And I feel that means not being a warrior, for you. You excel at something no one else in the pack does - you are a skilled hunter, Laisren, and Celestial has not had a huntmaster all winter and it shows." She shook her head. "Laisren, you are not meant to be a nameless warrior in an army of nameless warriors. When my grandfather adopted your mother, he gave her a proud name, one that was gave a wolf respect and power. Whether I agree with that action or not, you are now heir to that name, and all the respect, and power, and responsibility that conveys. You need to step forward and take charge of something that the pack desperately needs your skills in, rather than hiding in a low rank that does not need you. Take pride in your hunting skill, Lais, claim your due as an Adravendi, and help me give my children a future here instead of letting the pack drift away."

Once he was settled and joined her she began to speak, and she didn't hold back. She had warned him that it was not a criticism of his skill. With her saying that he kept an open mind about what she was going to say. Trying to not take anything personally. She also started by confirming the fear pushed to the back of his mind. With how she looked he had a bit of fear that this would lead to death, whatever she was dealing with. The pack and her kids were of concern and he understood why. What he didn't expect was her to hit the nail square on the head and bring him to the realization of his path. He had tried to be a skilled fighter like his brother to be able to fearlessly go headfirst into battle and protect the pack like Reg would. When it came to the raid and his failure at fighting, he was thrown for a loop and instinctively withdrawn into a shell. He had let excuses such as not having someone to 'witness' battles in the field to help him advance his knowledge in fighting. Although fighting was never what he excelled in. He had always considered hunting to be his secondhand talent, but in reality this whole time it had been at his forefront. He had the patience and the ability to observe and remain quiet. He never got tired of observing his prey, learning new things, and perfecting his technique. He also got so much satisfaction in bringing home kills and knowing that no body in the pack would go hungry if he could help it. Her encouragement and her words of wisdom helped him to realize what he needed to do, that he needed to show the world himself, be proud in himself, and stop living within the shadow of his family who led this pack. He would listen as she explained about the name given to his mother, telling him that he was now the heir to that name. It made him determined to prove how proud he was. Encouraging him to be proud of his hunting skill and to claim his due. To step forward and raise up. She even added to help her children have a future here, something that hit home for him. Like himself her kids would loose their parent at a young age and really Lais never thought he knew how to get over that. He had even at one point felt jealous that Regulus had so much more time with their parents then he did. His green eyes looked to her and for once someone in this pack gave him a much needed push, much needed true that he needed to hear and he would be forever grateful to Gwen for this. "I promise to you Gwen I will do my absolute best." he had determination within his eyes. "And thank you, no one has ever been this upfront and honest with me." "Talk" "You" Think