he was pushing it, going near pack lands. curious now that he had met another pure-blood from some community that he couldn't remember the name of, Thad wandered close. his thin fur was spiked with uneasy as he walked along the cliffside but at least he was looking better than he used to be. the wounds would leave scars but the Olympia man and his strange monkey-thing had fixed him to the best of their apparent ability. he was able to walk around, but his fate in the pack was up in the air. whether he'd be allowed to remain when he was better... he didn't know. Thad had conflicting thoughts on both wanting to stay and going on his way. he'd only seen winter briefly as a child, and now that he was reaching adult age it had completely faded from his troubled mind. he remembered it being very white and very cold. so maybe it was best he integrates into a pack as soon as possible, then ditches them come spring. he could... play nice for a bit, surely. he could latch onto Chrysanthos and pretend to be grateful if only to secure a place in Olympia. but it never hurt to look at other options. so that's why he was here. he didn't know the name of this pack - only that it was close by Olympia. he'd sniff the air, piss-colored eyes looking around anxiously before he continued on walking. he wasn't bold enough in his young age to go to the border and call for someone. no, he was a sneaky little asshole and decided to scout from afar. ""

Poem liked to patrol, it was one of the only normal activities she could enjoy. Everything else made her think of Motif, and even on half of her patrols she usually thought of her sister. She asked herself why she hadn’t told her where she was going. She hoped that was only it, her aunt Vail had just died, and while her mother had just lost her sister Poem didn’t want to say the same thing about hers. She tried to hold herself with confidence like the heir to Abaven shoulder, but her head was low and her ivory tail barely flicked at her pale hips.

She walked along Abaven’s borders, half sulking and half patrolling. Edgar played the part of lookout as they went, and he’d call at when he saw the form of another. Poem’s blue and lavender gaze was lifted and she was faced with the stranger, he didn’t look like any wolf she had ever seen. His fur was long and flowing, and his markings handsome upon his unique form. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do, he wasn’t threatening the border. She both wanted to talk to him and wanted him to go on his way. She stood silently, piebald raven on her back flexing his wings nervously.

the scent of another pure-blood hit his nostrils and Thad turned sharply. it was stupid to not think someone else was here; it was close to this pack and he was openly walking along. spotting the girl a few paces away, he'd raise a brow and scrunch his face. she was like the sky's blue and deep shades of color. pretty, he supposed, but even pretty things could beat the shit out of him. he may be a bit away from the girl but he knew she was a large beast. much larger than his tall and skinny frame. he lacked the bulk of these pure-bloods. but he had yet to meet a pure-blood that looked as different as this girl. "wha?" she was... staring at him. it was making him flustered. though he should be used to it by now, she didn't openly ask what the fuck he was. a blessing, that. he didn't feel like explaining again. there was a bird... on her back too. that was messed up. he'd swing his body toward the girl, now furrowing his brow. "uh. ya got some seeds on yer back? there's some... bird..." his eyes were on the avian completely before looking down at the girl's face. Thad was struck by the blue-lilac of her eyes, furthering his consideration she was unnatural. not that there was anything wrong with that though. he gave a shake. "neva'mind." he felt stupid just asking after the bird. it was like that lemur and Chrysanthos. they had some bond or some shit. ""

Poem’s presence caught his attention, his glinting golden eyes were brought to her own blue and lavender stare. He seemed confused, she couldn’t understand why. Most of the wolves in her immediate family had at least one raven as their companion. Almost all of the ravens in Abaven were related as well. She tilted her head as he made a note of Edgar, but seemed to dismiss himself before she could even react. Poem smiled with uncertainty, she wasn’t sure what to make of the stranger.

”Um, hello.” She offered as he was caught on the brilliance of her eyes. ”This,” she motioned to her companion. ”Is Edgar, he’s a raven.” Her voice held little of her usually bright demeanor, but he was at least distracting her from her missing sister. ”I’m Poem Destruction, who are you?” She hadn’t quite lost her puppy curiosity even though her first birthday loomed with the coming of winter.

a floppy ear piqued as he looked back at the bird. this was his first time seeing a raven as a pet. hell, any sort of 'pet' that wolves kept... it was all a new experience for him. Chrysanthos had his lemur and soon he'd come to understand some other wolves had companions too. but Thad didn't care to have his own. he couldn't seem to take care of himself, much less another being. maybe it was because the girl was a child that he tried to relax more. though his shoulder fur still bristled with some uneasy. "er... Thaddeus" he said awkwardly, introducing himself even more awkwardly. she didn't seem to be outwardly hostile but you never knew. especially with a size like that. all the wolves here were big, and he wasn't sure what to make of that. turning to the girl again after looking away, he'd frown. "iz' there somethin' in the water here? makin' ya all tall-like?" his awe was apparently. maybe it was even envy. he'd only know his captors and Theodora, but they were simple sized. normal sized. "and yer coat... it's..." he struggled a bit before adding in; "pretty." the people of Olympia were simple designs. nothing like this sky-blue girl. honestly, she reminded him of the sky that he looked out at so often while incarcerated. one of hope. she was hope. ""

”It’s nice to meet you, Thaddeus.” She hadn’t met anyone quite like him before. He was different, but it was good. She liked his unusually long fur and soft ears. His question was a little awkward, but she could answer it pretty easily. She stumbled when he mentioned her coat was pretty. Poem felt a blush well up in her cheeks as she looked away for a moment. Edgar ruffled his feathers as the young Destruction returned her attention to Thaadeus.

”Thank you.” She offered humbly before answering him ”Both of my parents are really tall, but not everyone is like me.” There were plenty of average sized wolves in Abaven, but all but Verse in her own immediate family got their father’s height. She let herself focus on his odd accent, and tried to push down thoughts of her sister. ”Where are you from?” She piped up, curious where his origins were.

a more civilized person would probably correct himself, say 'my bad' or something like that. apologize to the girl. you don't just go and say someone was pretty, but Thad knew hardly any filter. he didn't think there was anything wrong with letting her know she was pretty. he assumed she thought that about herself anyway. if he looked like her, he'd find himself pretty. but he was just a scrappy looking mutt. not quite a wolf, not quite a dog. she didn't seem to point that out, and he was grateful for it. honestly, people were just too nosy sometimes. Thaddeus hesitated as Poem asked where he was from. he seemed to wince at her question before trying to bullshit an answer but re-considered it. "I dunno, but I uh, was born elsewhere" he answered the girl with a casual roll of his shoulders. he was still skin-and-bones so it was a bit awkward looking. he really didn't know where he had come from. all he knew was the cave. but he couldn't exactly tell her that. she'd pity him, and he didn't need her pity. "stayin' in Olympia right now." his head looked away to point in the direction of the strange shrine. Thad was much more interested in speaking about Poem. his eyes shot back. "parents? what're those?" his quiet blunt question revealed he didn't know a whole lot about shit. ""

He didn’t seem to take to her question very well, he winced as she asked and rolled his shoulders dismissively. Somewhere. He gave her a non answer but she was old enough now to know not to pry when someone was uncomfortable. She tried to let it go, but the curiosity was strong. Especially as he asked her what a parent was. Her blue and lavender eyes widened a bit, where did Thaddeus come from that didn’t have parents? She had kind of gotten the talk, but it was still all foreign to her young mind.

”I haven’t heard of Olympia.” She told him with a tilt of her head, curious about it but now she was kind of hesitant to ask him any more questions. He obviously wasn’t well informed or taken care of with his thin frame. ”Parents.” She reiterated, ”Like your mom and your dad. You came from your momma’s belly.” Not quite understanding her father’s role in the procreation process she wasn’t sure how to explain him as well. ”And your dad is there to protect you and watch over you.”

Thaddeus didn't really know how to explain his previous predicament. he wasn't sure if his captors had been his birthgivers - his mom and dad - or just some people who had taken him. all he knew is that he had to get away from them. he felt self-conscious and hung his head before adding in; "uh, didn't have that" realistically, none of the wolves that kept him and Theodora in the cave looked anything like them. so maybe they weren't his parents. maybe they were just... people. that made it even more confusing. he had nearly been conditioned to think it was normal. now Poem was telling him something else. "sounds nice though." he didn't know what to believe. "parents, I mean" Thaddeus looked up sheepishly before explaining a bit "just me n' my sis. fer a long time. she's gone now. ...does everyone have parents? 'cause I never met mine. maybe I don't have any." he frowned at the pretty girl, furrowing his brows. he too was young. too young to really understand reproduction and all that. the mutt didn't really want to bring down the conversation though. after a moment he considered himself before speaking again. he'd nod back to the direction of Olympia. "but the pack... Olympia. some guy named Pegasus owns it. I was beaten up, and one of their healers fixed me." so maybe he could say they were 'nice'. at least outwardly. ""

She wasn’t sure how to think of him not having parents. However, she knew that even her uncle Tapphy had been taken from his mom when he was really little. So much so that he barely remembered Rhythm. Still Poem couldn’t form any words besides, ”I’m sorry.” Because it was nice, and she enjoyed having both of her parents. Not that they were together, but they both loved and adored her and her siblings. Knowing she had both of them on her side was comforting. She let him change the subject easily. Olympia.

The pack was run by the man named Pegasus, and one of the pack’s healers aided the strange wolf hybrid back to health. Maybe they had similar values to Abaven? ”Are you going to join them?” She asked curiously, wondering how she would feel if she didn’t have Abaven. How would she choose which pack to go to? Would she even want to try and integrate herself into another pack? She’d seen it a few times now, with uncle Epitaph and aunt Eulogy mostly.

he made an uncertain face, looking at the ground again and hesitating. she asked an important question; one he didn't really have an answer to. Olympia was the only pack he knew aside from Abaven now. Chrysanthos had been nice to him, but he wasted herbs on a half-blood. he didn't know that's why he got suspicious, unfriendly looks from the others. he didn't know he probably wasn't wanted there. but he did notice the unfriendliness. usually a stranger in a pack's land meant some curiosity. nobody had come to visit him or ask questions. he'd only met the alpha, Pegasus. "it's more o' a question if they'd take me." he decided to be blunt about it. he had offered to pay them back until winter, but after that... Chrysanthos said so himself; it was up to Pegasus. and the healer made it clear that Thaddeus wasn't exactly welcomed. nobody was going to go to bat for him. the mutt couldn't think on what to do for winter. he had no formal training in providing for himself. he only knew how to fight a bit, and he knew a bit of herbs. but how much valarian root was used for, well... "but I don't know where else t' go." Thad admitted softly. he had nobody else to help him now that he was all healed up. he would just be a burden to Olympia. ""