Finding his footing with this sudden shift of power hadn't been easy. He felt like he was torn in fifty different directions between trying to support Tamsyn and her children in anyway he could, trying to keep up the usual patrols and day to day tasks of the pack, keeping an eye on Resin and figure out what they were going to do to help - even though she was refusing it... Plus still trying to be a father on top of it all. He tried to take the small blessings where he could find them and was thankful that Lillth's condition continued to improve and his relationship with Ezra had smoothed out drastically. He still didn't know how to connect with Emile, but at least Jane still seemed to be doing well.

Sirius' arrival at the castle hadn't exactly been a surprise since Tamsyn had warned him that she would be summoning the Armada alpha to the castle to get his help, but the speed with which he came had caught him off guard slightly. As the days passed though, he was ultimately grateful for the man's presence. Having someone else that he trusted to be in the dungeons with Resin was a relief. He couldn't physically be everywhere at once and was more than willing to allow him to stay down there with Resin when he requested it. Knowing that she wasn't completely alone eased some of Ulric's worries - and it was another barrier to keep anyone else from the pack away.

He knew Sirius had been leading the Armada for some time now and was a father himself - twice over, if he remembered correctly - and Ulric couldn't think of a better wolf to turn to for advice. As he finished up his morning patrols, he went to find Sirius, hoping that he might be able to help him work through his thoughts. He caught sight of the equally large brute and gave him a bark to get his attention from across the courtyard, walking toward him with a dip of his head. "Do you mind if I steal you away for a moment? I want to get your opinion on things."

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It was a strange twist of fate that left Ulric the wolf that would take charge of the Hallows with Resin and Tamsyn in the situation they were in. he knew the spotted, tawny wolf from the short time he had been a part of the Armada. His leaving had been conditional, but Sirius had no intention of cashing in just yet. Let the shifting grounds settle, and see where this path with Tamsyn and Resin led them. At least the man was wise enough not to bar him from his mothers side. He was stretching in the castle courtyards when the man's voice summoned him. The Warlord preferred the open spaces. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but he would always choose open spaces. A part of it was his size. He was so large, he often found places other wolves were comfortable in were too cramped for himself. Shaking out his limbs, he pulled himself into an at ease stance and turned his attention to Ulric. “Of course, what do you need?” he ased "Seer"

Ulric gave Sirius a faint smile when he agreed, asking what he needed. "A miracle perhaps?" he joked with a little shake of his head. "Just... some advice I suppose." He nodded for Sirius to follow him and he led the way out of the castle walls, walking around the grounds along the wall at an easy pace to give them a bit of privacy while he tried to figure out where to even begin. A little background perhaps? "Resin asked that I take over the pack from her over a season ago if anything were to happen to her, at least until her children are ready to lead... I agreed, but I honestly never really expected to need to follow through with that promise and... especially not like this." He kept his eyes on the path ahead of them for the most part, but would occasionally glance over at Sirius as he spoke.

"I'm trying to figure out where the balance is.. between alpha and father. When I joined The Hallows and began dedicating all of my time and energy into helping Resin build the pack, my family began to slip to the wayside... Now one of my daughters is gone and my mate along with her." He wouldn't just share these details with anyone, but he respected and trusted Sirius. Even beyond his experience with the man, he knew how much Tamsyn and Resin trusted him as well and that was enough for him. He looked over at Sirius again with a soft frown. "I can't lose any more of them."

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Sirius didn’t believe in any higher beings, but he would take a miracle if one was offered. Resin wasn’t supposed to fall to darkness like this. She was a beacon, a strength in the night. He had leaned on her, and now Tamsyn and the Hallows leaned on her. She had, it seemed, nothing left to give. He nodded wordlessly to encourage Ulric to continue as the man spoke of agreeing to lead. He hadn’t known of this bargain, but it was a good failsafe if her kids hadn’t been old enough to lead, and Tamsyn wasn’t in a position to do so. When he mentioned his mate leaving, along with a daughter, Sirius came to a halt. Forcing Ulric to stop also, or continue on without him. “If you aren’t doing this for them, then what's the point? I created the Armada to give my wife freedom and position above that which she could hold in another pack. I did it to create a strength to guard my children, and be a force to be reckoned with. To protect those that are mine. Family has been the one driving force behind me from day one. If you want to be an alpha, a leader, then you need to figure out what it's worth for you, and who you're doing it for. Or your loyalties and attention will always be divided. And divided, an alpha can not lead.” "Seer"

If he was being fair to himself, he wouldn't put the blame on himself for Azariah and Everlyse's disappearance. They had gone without a trace and he had no way of knowing if it was his own fault or not, but being the self deprecating man he was he couldn't help but turn that blame onto himself. He continued to wonder what things could have been if he had just been a better father, a better mate. He couldn't see how well he was doing out of thinking that he was doing poorly in those regards. Now there was no one to share the duties of parenthood with and he could only attempt to do better for his four remaining children.

When Sirius suddenly stopped Ulric would as well, turning to face the Fatalis man with a curious gaze. He listened to every word that was spoken and it reminded him of the things that he had lost sight of - the reasons why he had wanted to build his own pack once upon a time. He had wanted a place to keep his family safe, to keep them together instead of letting them continue to slip through his paws. Even though these were tenants that he had known all along, it took Sirius telling him to use family as the drive behind his leadership to remind him and help straighten out his wayward thoughts.

He was quiet for a moment as Sirius finished and he nodded, his expression serious and thoughtful. "I know you're right," he replied with a soft sigh. "Ever since my mate disappeared I've just..." he struggled to find the right words, giving a small shake of his head. "It's been... difficult. To say the least. Not just on me, but probably more so on our children." He lifted his gaze, looking back toward the castle looming above them. "I've lost most of my family at this point. My mother, sister, and nieces have all disappeared or passed away. I suppose I'm just overly cautious about losing any more of them."

With a sigh he turned his attention back to Sirius again. "But I want to make them proud. I want to keep The Hallows going for them... keep their home in tact." He only hoped that he would have it in him to do it all. As it was the confidence in his own ability to do so was lacking, but he hoped that perhaps that would come in time.

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Sirius couldn’t imagine a worse fate than watching your family slip through your paws. It had been hard - terribly so - to let Indigo leave. He had known it was best for his son, but a part of him always hoped he would return home to them. At least with Indigo, he knew exactly where he was. If Zee went missing, what would Sirius do? He didn’t think he could sit at home and wait for the love of his life to return. He would go out there and find her, and kill whatever bastard had been responsible for her vanishing. But, he wasn’t Ulric, and Ulric, it seemed, would be a far more responsible father than he was in the face of his mates vanishing. “Then my advice? Form this pack as a united front. Share the burden of raising and teaching your kids, so that they can learn from all. If your mate has left you, and you aren’t going to drop all to find her, then let her go completely. My offer of friendship to the Hallows would remain with you as Alpha - especially with Tamsyn and her family residing here. I would do much to keep them safe.” "Seer"

He listened to Sirius' advice and took it to heart, knowing that he would be a fool to turn down the wealth of knowledge that this seasoned alpha could be for him. Ultimately he was going to have to let go of the need to handle everything himself. He didn't enjoy having to ask for help - especially with his own children - but it was going to have to happen to keep himself and all of the things that depended on him from falling apart. The idea of letting Azariah go completely hurt the most, but he supposed it was time to do so. It had been almost two full seasons since he last saw her or Everlyse and none of his hunting had turned up any clues. His children and pack deserved more than for him to be constantly preoccupied with mourning a woman who very well could have left on her own volition.

He smiled softly and gave Sirius a grateful smile when he offered to continue the friendship between the Armada and the Hallows, nodding in agreement. "Thank you - for the advice and for the friendship... I hope that I do Resin and Tamsyn justice. They have been exceedingly kind to my family and I since Resin took me in and offered to mentor me. I owe them a lot... And I suppose I also owe you some thanks for allowing me to leave the Armada when I did." He chuckled quietly, feeling in slightly better spirits now that he had gotten a few of his worries out into the open and at least got another perspective on them. "I met Resin a few months after that and was able to help her build the Hallows and now... here we are. It's funny how small it all feels sometimes."

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