Eyes trailed around the forest floor, feeling at piece with familiar greenery, watching as Carlys hopped from branch to branch above her, resting her wings for just a moment. Muscles propelled her at a steady trot, content with simply making her way through the woods. She and Car had been fortunate enough to hunt earlier in the day, bellies full for the time being. It reminded her of the forests back home, how she and her siblings used to play before she was whisked away for a morning strategic meeting with her parents, or fight training, hunting training, the basic healing training she received.

Yeah, her childhood hadn’t really been much of a childhood, now had it? It was a question she did not ponder for long, spotting a small pool of water up ahead, likely a stream that would run through the forest, providing essential water for wildlife in the area. Her ears perked, surveying the movements of the branches around her to see if she could pinpoint which creatures were heading to quench their thirst. She opened her maw, breathing in the scents of the forest floor as eyes snapped to a squirrel. Her tail lashed from side to side, contemplating going after it.

Extra food never hurt, especially when one was living the life of a loner. She knew if her parents were still around, they would scold her for even considering not going after it. A smirk lither features, Carlys letting out a piercing cry as it took off, scaring the squirrel away. Rhae turned her head, narrowing her eyes at her friend, who simply gave her an apologetic stare. "Don't look at me like that, Carlys, you scared away perfectly good prey!"

The first time he'd set foot in these woods the snow had been deep, higher than his shins and a royal pain to push through. But now the Selwyn moved with relative ease, loping along beside fallen trees and upturned roots as he remembered the wolves he'd met back then. So much had changed and yet so little, he'd managed to trek back and forth all over Boreas and yet it still didn't feel like home. He wasn't sure what he wanted or what he'd expected to happen but it all felt so anticlimactic, like he should've been hit by a big wave of realisation by now or something. Instead he just felt annoyed, as always.

Askan slowed to a walk as sound of a hushed conversation met his ears. Whatever, he thought nothing of it. Or at least that was until he noticed that there was only one wolf in sight, standing there with her gaze sky bound. His brows furrowed as he drew closer and followed her line of sight, there was a bird soaring above, wings spread wide as it drifted on the breeze. He then looked to the wolf again, she was a normal, tawny thing and he regarded her with a quizzical, if not judgemental stare.

"Why are you talking to a bird?" Askan asked, none too politely.

As Carlys went to open her beak to retort, the pair were interrupted by a rude voice booming across the length of the forest, both her head and Car’s snapping to see a dark looming figure, about her size and build who was perhaps slightly older than her. She opened her maw to speak, but her friend beat her too it. “Because I’m her friend, that’s why.” The response was rude back and Rhaegara let out a sigh; it was difficult to remember that her friend had not been raised as she had, and that she tended to attack situations with retorts rather than logic.

It was another way that both Rhae and Car fell into perfect compliment. “Forget her and her rudeness please. She’s behaves abhorrently when she knows she’s in trouble.” She said as her glare hardened back on Carlys. “This is Carlys, my friend and companion from the ancients.” She explained, keeping her own name to herself as the bird landed on her back, sitting there with her head turned.

She loved her friend dearly, but she could be a brat sometimes, and irresponsible at other times. “And who are you?” Her words were polite but clipped, eyes intently gazing at the rude figure in front of them.

Askan's ears flicked back in alarm. What? Since when could birds speak too? It shouldn't have been a big deal, after all he'd met a horse- a creature he'd never seen before- and she could speak too, so was it so outlandish that a bird could do the same? He was definitely making a mountain out of molehill here, especially when he remembered that he'd seen a snake talk too but it was just...It didn't seem right or at least it didn't suit his idea of normal anyway. Or maybe he was just being difficult for the sake of it.

His eyes narrowed as he glared up at the bird, finally realising that she'd gotten a bit lippy with him. He'd been about to give her a piece or two of his mind but then the wolf spoke, quickly smoothing things over with an apology, all proper and polite like she'd been raised amongst nobility. His ears tilted a little in acknowledgement, a little taken back at how familiar her mannerisms were. If he hadn't known better he would have assumed that she was a brown-noser from the Emirate, here to grovel and beg him to return home. But instead she introduced the bird and stated that she was her companion and something something about ancients. Either way he didn't care enough to ask.

"Askan Selwyn." Askan told her, a little reluctant. "And you?" It only seemed fair to ask, since he'd so graciously offered up his own name.

He glared up at the bird once more, what was her name again? Carlys? He wondered for a moment what had gotten her feathers all ruffled but he quickly decided that it didn't matter, that he wasn't going to let a bird get to him again. Not like that damn goose, moody bastard.

The alarm on his face brought some amusement, though Rhae fought to keep it from showing on her features. That would be rude! She was hardly in the mood for some fight with a random stranger and he seemed testy enough that she didn’t want to risk him retaliating to any rude behavior despite his own. Carlys huffed and flew, likely to go scout out the surrounding area to get away from the brute, while Rhaegara took a seat, not approaching the man any further. She knew this game, this danger in dealing with strangers. It’d been engrained in her since she was a little girl.

Then there was a name. He requested her own, seemed reluctant to give his own which made her head cock ever so slightly to the side out of curiosity. She supposed that in mentioning Carlys by name and seeing his lack of violent response, that meant he hadn’t been sent by Rhen. She let out a sigh, reluctance of her own dripping on her maw. “Rhaegara.” It felt so bland, naked and bare without her title to follow it. The truth was she was nothing now, just as the loner in front of her. In the grand scheme of things, they simply did not matter.

“You travel around here often?” She asked, figuring she could use this to her advantage. She could get information, perhaps directions or some more information on the lands that she now roamed – tribes to avoid and other things that could get her in trouble if she lacked the knowledge necessary. “I’m new to the area, still trying to find my bearings…” She explained afterwards, giving some insight behind her request.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Rhaegara? Hmm, it was a bit of an odd name but he supposed the same could be said for his own. Besides, it was hard to judge a person for their name when-for the most part- they were chosen by someone else. It'd be like yelling at someone for the colour of their fur, or any other fact they couldn't help. He noticed that she didn't offer her surname, but that in itself wasn't overly suspicious to him. He didn't trust strangers very much but he wasn't flinching at shadows either, he lingered in the grey area, careful but not too wary.

She then asked him if he travelled much, that was an understatement.

"I do but I'm not from these parts." Just in case she thought he was one of the locals.

It was a bit frustrating,that he'd travelled so far but it felt like he'd gotten nowhere. That really he'd just walked in a really long, wide circle before looping back north. But whatever, at least it meant he was somewhat familiar with the land, that he knew enough to give some advice in situations like this. He understood where she was coming from, he'd been just as lost in these woods all those weeks ago so it seemed almost fitting that he'd run into another wolf who was in the same predicament he'd been in. At least Rhaegara had a bird as a companion though, surely that had to make both travelling and hunting easier.

Askan rolled his shoulders. "Well, what do you wanna know?

He made it clear he was also a stranger in these strange lands and she nodded. “Everything here is so strange, isn’t it?” She asked, trying to gauge if he felt the same as she had since first stepping foot in the lands… granted he had also thought that her speaking to a bird was weird, so perhaps he was not the best judge to begin with. He then asked what she wanted to know, and she pondered which question to ask first, going through her mental checklist of the questions she had formulated.

“Do you know of any wolves or lands to steer clear of?” She’d hate to be caught in the middle of something that she wasn’t involved in, and it was fair knowledge to keep herself safe. She often used Carlys to scout ahead, even having her fly into pack lands to get the scope of a pack and their interactions before she even considered approaching the borders herself. It was useful information to say the least, just as her knowledge on prey in the area and herd movements thanks to her faithful companion.

“I met a woman not too long ago scared out of her own fur, but she wouldn’t talk about why and I’m trying to avoid whatever interactions had made her so petrified.” She explained.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

For some reason or another her question disarmed Askan, stripping away his frosty facade as he nodded eagerly in agreement. Finally someone else had put it into words. When he said it no doubt it seemed as though he was being pretentious and maybe even a little judgemental, but when she spoke it sounded as reasonable as could be. Like she was just stating facts.

"I know, right? I met a wolf the other day, glowing as white as the moon and with...long flowing hair. Something about this place, wolves are just different here. He shrugged, as it was all rather beyond him. But really he looked like an old lady, getting all giddy over exchanging gossip.

And then she asked another question, one that required a bit more thought. His lips smushed into a thin line as mulled it over, he'd met a lot of wolves during his time on Boreas but he doubted that she needed to know about them all. But of course, Askan couldn't help himself from spitting his biases, she should have expected as much when asking such a question.

"A few." His ear flicked, his annoyance obvious."If you go to the east watch out for the Ashen Armada, or the Ashen. Whichever. Bunch of haughty pricks if you ask me." A confusing bunch for sure.

Rhaegara then went onto give a story of her own, a little anecdote about a woman she'd met.

"It was probably nothing, some people get worked up over nothing. Or at least he hadn't run into anything that had rattled him to his core.

It seemed to put him at ease, his expression changing before her very eyes as he started to agree, describing how own experiences with strange encounters. He mentioned a wolf whose hair flowed long, glowing like the moon and her first thought was he’d been graced by the very presence of an Ancient. Perhaps she had actually died, and was looming in the afterlife where the Ancients battled for the rule and love of their subjects. It was a thought that she would dwell upon later. “Glowing white fur?” She asked in disbelief. She knew she wasn’t dead; she still felt pain.

Despite a frosty start, she found herself enjoying the company of Askan, watching as he carefully mulled over his words. He was going to give her the tea. Ashen Armada, or Ashen, haughty pricks. She kept a straight face, though amusement was evident. Why did she get the feeling he wasn’t the most social of all the wolves in these strange lands. He went on to dismiss Motif’s fear as nothing, and Rhae considered that he may be right… still, a strange gut feeling pulled; she didn’t think it was nothing, not when she’d seen such genuine fear in the woman’s eyes.

She wasn’t about to argue, simply offering a nod. “You’re right. Strange land probably means strange fears we won’t understand as well.” She offered insightfully. “What did they do to earn the title of haughty pricks?” She couldn’t help but let the question fall off her maw.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Askan nodded with an "mm hmm." For once he wasn't offended by her disbelief, if he hadn't seen Aurielle with his own two eyes he wouldn't have believed it either. But she was as real as the snow beneath his paws, as the wind rustling the trees. The Selwyn was convinced that these mutations had something to do with Boreas, that the land somehow had the ability to twist and shape wolves into the likes he'd never see elsewhere. It was on this line of thought that he couldn't help but get a little worried, what if he was turned into something he wasn't? What if he woke up one morning and he had grown horns, or another set of eyes? Askan grimaced at the thought.

Rhaegara then went onto agree with him, assuming that the strange wolf's fears were unfounded. It didn't matter much to Askan either way, he hadn't met this scaredy cat and he doubted that he would. Her next question had him frowning once again, his expression tight as he tried to articulate his thoughts. Usually he didn't have much trouble but by then his distaste for the Armada felt almost intangible. That he hated them just cause that's how he was supposed to feel. Insisting that he didn't like them...just because really didn't sit right with him, he had plenty of reasons, he just needed a moment to drag them to the surface is all.

"Bad attitudes, mostly. And if you don't do as they say or act how they want suddenly you ain't worth the mud under their paws." He explained, hoping she'd see where he was coming from."But I suppose a lot of packs are like that, love nothing more than looking down on loners and all that." He said with a dismissive flick of his tail. The Emirate was very much that sort of pack, all holier than thou up on their heavenly pedestal.

"You want some advice? Don't let anyone bully you into thinking you can't survive alone. Successful packs take full advantage of loners that way, making them feel like they need help, that they're indebted for life and all that bullshit." It was clear he was speaking from experience and not really talking about the Armada anymore.

She listened attentively, noting the way that he spoke about the pack that had rubbed his fur the wrong way, saving notes about bad attitudes and egotistical pricks to mind as a pack to avoid. She nodded, a soft hum of agreement with his words. She had never met the wolves, but she could understand fully how they would leave a sour taste in a loner’s mouth. She offered a shrug at his words. “I think it depends on the pack; I’ve met some where loners are nothing more than outcasts and stragglers, others who were accepting, and some who were just outright rude.” She offered her two pieces of kill, even if he hadn’t asked for them.

In her opinion, the wolves in the pack mattered more than the pack itself; if there were a bad seed, then a bad tree would grow and soon there would be an infestation. Personality mattered. He went on to offer advice, and she was quickly getting the idea that he was the perpetual loner type. She herself agreed with his mindset. She found herself getting along quite well with him, though it was difficult for her to get a read as to how he felt about her in return. It was clear that he felt comfortable enough to offer her advice, so she supposed it was something.

“It’s a popular tactic; I’ve found I have… issues… with authority.” She offered, firmly planting her in the loner-centric side of the scale. After being raised to rule a tribe, it was difficult for her to give up her freedom and follow another, so she simply didn’t. “I was always raised that a pack should be built on respect rather than a fear of death or a game of survival.” She once again offered her opinion, pleased to be able to have such a conversation.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

It was food for thought. Askan found himself wondering if he'd ever find a pack that worked for him, sure he could just settle and make do but his pride just wouldn't allow that. It felt as though he was reaching for something just out of his grasp, that no matter how much he stretched and strained he just couldn't get there. But like Rhaegara said, he wasn't so desperate to stoop so low that he'd accept any rank or role that was thrown at him. He was no outcast or straggler, anyone who saw him as such was a fucking idiot. She went on and Askan was surprised to learn that she had problems with authority, she seemed pretty calm and mellow, not the typical punky sort who didn't like being told what to do. But then again, what did he know? He'd only just met the woman and if he thought he'd gotten her all figured out then...well, he was wrong. Clearly.

Askan couldn't help but get the sense she'd had it rough. Father issues aside, his life in the Emirate had been pretty comfy and he'd never been left wanting for anything. The thought of having being pushed to the brink by a pack that was supposed to support you sounded like a pretty shitty situation to be in, he couldn't blame her for being so bitter and twisted over it. Had he come from that sort of background who knows what sort of monster it would've made him into.

"Mmm." Askan grunted in acknowledgement. He didn't really know how to respond, he'd given her a piece of his mind but beyond that he didn't what he could do to help her. Or if she even needed it. "It's easier to serve your own goals when you don't have an alpha calling the shots. Do what you want I guess, enjoy the freedom. If there's a decent pack around here then...I haven't found it yet." He shrugged.