Now that he had made his ultimatum with Sirius and he could put his full attention on his family and their future, he could really begin to think about where they would officially make their stand. He had all the intent to make the mangroves the hub of his future pack, but eventually they might need to expand if he was successful in building the way he hoped. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would eventually make this wish into a reality - at this point it was just a matter or when and how he was going to get enough wolves together to actually call them a pack. He had begun to explore the lands that immediately surrounded the mangroves now that he was looking at them though the lens of potential places that he could turn into a home. His large paws carried him over the many smaller streams that wove their way out of the mangroves and out to the ocean, the waterways combining in places to form larger creeks and rivers. He didn't have too much trouble traversing them himself, but he could imagine a smaller wolf or a pup might have some issues. It was something that he would have to consider. He spotted the island that made up a large portion of land in the middle of the delta and he eyed it curiously for a moment. He knew this was a good place for fish at the very least, but if there was some more decent prey on the island then this might be worth claiming just as a food source... "Talk"

Káti worked his way through the delta until he found a nice place to work on some crafting. He had a piece of deer hide in his mouth that was filled with flint and stones. He was planning to make a few flint arrowheads. He didn't know for sure how to make arrows but he had a few ideas and if he couldn't make anything successful he figured he could always try trading the arrowheads or other supplies.

Káti set down his bundle near a rockier place and picked out a piece of flint. He examined it to find the ridges and decided where the point would be. Picking up a piece of granite he put a paw on the flint the struck at it with the granite. Oh boy this was going to be hard on his teeth. Definitely would be easier with a companions help.

Hearing movement he looked up to see an earthen colored man moving through the territory. Deciding it would be better to make his presence known Káti set down the piece of granite and called out to the man. "Hello there, exploring?"

The sharp sound of rock hitting against rock somewhere near by and it made him pause so he could listen. It wasn't like any noise he had heard before and his head tilted a bit as he tried to decipher what it was he was hearing. It sounded a bit like the fire starting tools he'd used with Skælingr, but it wasn't quite the same. It was enough to make him curious and he decided to head in that direction just to satisfy his own curiosity. Soon enough a tan and black male came into view and Ulric looked curiously at the supplies that he had laying near him. He'd personally never really considered crafting things to use until he crossed paths with his cousin Cairo and then eventually when he met Skælingr and Ragna. It had gotten him thinking and planning for his own pieces of armor and things that he could potentially make for himself, but he wasn't too familiar with whatever it was that this man was working on. When the stranger put down their work and called to him Ulric responded with an easy, lopsided grin as he padded a bit closer. "Something like that!" he agreed. He still left a comfortable space between them, but now they were at least within easy talking distance of each other. "I'm actually just out doing a bit of scouting for resources and prey - that sort of thing." He settled down onto his haunches, looking down again at the pieces of sharpened stone that the man had been working on, his pale gaze curious. "What are you working on there? If you don't mind my asking." He didn't want to assume that everyone was as friendly and willing to share as he was, but at the same time he couldn't help but ask. "Talk"

Káti listened as the man responded, stating that he was doing something akin to exploring. He was scouting for resources. The older man cocked his head to the side. "Ah, looking for a place to settle down?"

The man inquired about he was working on and he shrugged lightly. "I don't mind. If all goes well I hope to have an arrowhead, well, more like a spearhead actually." He still hadn't quite figured out how to launch arrows. Káti stretched his jaws for a moment and took a good look at the flint. Repositioning his paw he picked up the granite stone and began using calculated strikes to knock short flakes off the flint. He sculpted carefully, keeping in mind where the ridges were and where he hoped the tip would be. He set the rock down again to give himself another break.

"My name's Káti by the way."

When the stranger asked a question to clarify what it was he was searching for here, Ulric nodded to confirm the suspicion. Being more open with his plans and aspirations was something he was trying to work on since the conversation he had with Eir about his potential pack. He had always been a bit concerned for some reason about speaking about it too much - perhaps out of a fear that if he didn't actually bring his dream to life then there would be more wolves than just his family that knew about his failure. However, he knew that if he never told anyone then he'd never be able to find wolves that he could recruit. "You got it. The mangroves back that way have been my home for a long time, but I'm considering trying to form a pack there at some point int he future so I'm looking for places near by that might be good hunting grounds or have other resources we would want." Spear heads, huh? He looked at the rock curiously and started trying to imagine how someone might wield such a thing or how else it might be used. He'd been trying to figure out something to add to his bracers... this might be the sort of thing that he was looking for. He watched the man work for a while and in the mean time he was beginning to imagine how he could fashion something like that himself to add to his armor project. He'd been thinking of how Azure had used the spurs of bone at his elbows to slice his shoulder and had been trying to think of how he could do something similar with his bracers. He'd thought that the tips of the antlers he had collected would be too dull to do what he wanted, but maybe if he could do something like this with them to sharpen them... that might be something worth trying. The man's introduction broke his train of thought and he lifted his silver gaze up to his new acquaintance with a friendly grin, his smile pulling more to the right than the left due to the scar that crossed his face. "A pleasure to meet you, Káti! I'm Ulric." "Talk"

Káti adjusted the flint under his paw and instead of picking up the granite stone this time he grabbed a chunk of antler and hit the flint hard with the butt of the antler to break a large piece off. There, now it was starting to look more like an arrowhead. He didn't need anything fancy this time, just a rough piece to use as a test. Taking the granite up in his jaws again he carefully whittled at the flint until he had a serviceable arrowhead.

He set it down and stretched his jaws. He thought about the man's words. He was trying to start a pack? Káti eventually wanted to join a pack but was nervous about approaching any in case he picked a bad one and got enslaved. Maybe this would be a chance to start fresh. The man seemed really nice and he introduced himself as Ulric. "You're welcome to sit with me if you want a break. Why do you want to start a pack if you don't mind me asking?"

Káti reached in his bundle and pulled out a piece of hide he'd been working on. The trick was to tear it into strips to form a sturdier form of bandage. Reaching down he started a careful process of chewing into the hide, seeking to make indentations where he hoped to eventually tear it. In some ways it helped with his anxiety while in the presence of the sort-of stranger. It gave him an excuse to withdraw eye contact from time to time at any rate.

Ulric gave a grateful nod to the man's offer to rest with him for a while. He wasn't necessarily tired from his exploring or anything of the sort, but he always appreciated another wolf's company and he was quite enjoying watching him work on making his tools and weapons and such. Ulric had a real appreciation for anyone who was skilled in crafting - it was something that he hadn't quite gotten into enough to be any good at it. When Káti asked about why he wanted to start a pack, he paused for a moment to make sure that he had his thoughts together. Since he talked the possibility over with Eir it was something that he had tried to put into words a bit more eloquently. He knew that he would need to be able to sell his pack to others if he had any chance of getting it off the ground. "If I'm being honest... I just want somewhere that can be a safe home for my family and anyone who needs somewhere to call home. I have quite a few wolves living with me now - my mother, two nieces, the woman I love, and another woman that we've adopted into our family. I've had a hard time finding a pack that would be able to take in all of us and I refuse to leave any of them behind." When the idea of creating his own pack had crossed his mind years ago, it had mostly been out of a desire to forge his own legacy out of the memory of his father and to bring back the pack that his grandfather had spent his life working on, but his reasons had evolved as he got older. Now it felt like something that was more of a necessity than a desire, but he still wanted it just as badly. He'd have a safe place for them all to live and somewhere that he could keep all of the fractured pieces of his family together sooner or later - he just had to keep working for it. "Talk"

Káti continued to work on tearing bandages as Ulric answered his question. The young healer carefully chewed the strips of hide, chewing first to make some indentations before tearing so he'd get more even strips. He considered Ulric's words. What he said seemed to mirror Káti's own goals in finding a home for himself. He just wanted a place to be safe and a pack that was peaceful and hardworking. He didn't want to wind up in a more warrior-minded pack like the one he'd been raised in. It was one thing to fight predators and craft weapons but he didn't have a raiders heart and he did not like to engage in combat unless it was necessary.

"I understand, it can be hard to find a pack that you mesh with well. What do you think your pack will be like, Ulric? What sort of principles do you wish to foster?"

Ulric smiled and nodded in agreement when Káti mentioned that it could be hard to find a pack that they would mesh with. Besides the fact that he had a fairly large family to bring with him, there was the simple fact of having a pretty strong moral compass of his own that he didn't like to waver from. While most packs he had come across hadn't been too far off from what he was comfortable with, he knew his family didn't have a fighter's heart and he wasn't willing to make them fight the way he could. His mother wouldn't hurt a fly and Azariah was more of a healer than anything else. He couldn't subject them to fighting like that. Until he found a pack that wouldn't force them to fight or he was able to build his own pack then he didn't for see them living in a pack. When the question of how his pack would be came up, he replied with a bit more certainty than he had when the woman at the festival had asked. "The biggest belief I have for it is that anyone that wants to make something of themselves will be able to there. I don't care if they're fighters, healers, traders, crafters... whatever it is that they enjoy and they're skilled at can be helpful to the pack as far as I'm concerned. If they're willing to put in the work then I want to make sure I recognize and reward that. I don't expect everyone to be a hardened warrior or fighter - as long as they can protect themselves and help protect the pack then I'd be satisfied. Plus... I want the pack to be a family. I want everyone to feel like they can lean on each other." He wasn't a complicated man and he didn't want his vision for the pack to be a complicated one either. His pack would be a place for learning and growth and family... Whenever that pack finally came to be. "Talk"

Káti set the bandage aside and began to repeat the process on the remaining piece of hide. Slowly he started ripping again until he had another piece. He continued working as he listened until at last the hide had been ripped into bandages.

His ears took in Ulric's words and he thought about them. It sounded like a good basis for the start of a pack and it made him wonder about himself. He supposed his desire was to become an accomplished healer. He had the skills for battle but it wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. He smiled at Ulric as he packed up his bandages. "It sounds like a good foundation. I'll have to keep an ear out for your pack."

-end?-