After the events that transpired — from the time the woman had met the Aegis, learned of the pack’s values, history, and culture, and then officially joined The Hallows — Lae was completely wiped of energy. The moment after Artorias had left her be to settle into her new home, the femme promptly climbed into the king-sized bed of her room, curled into the blankets, and fell asleep. The slumber was nothing she’d ever experienced. There was no interruption from harsh winds, or swaying trees, or the burst of frosty chill that had always threatened to snap off her toes back in Boreas. No, it was a calm, peaceful slumber — four years overdue. Laeta slept in her chamber for nearly two days straight, wholly uninterrupted by a single soul. Perhaps it was the assumption that, as a new member, she was not well known, or maybe it was the fact that she was obligated a chance to settle in. And so, she did just that, settled deep into a nest atop the softes bed she’d ever had the fortune of laying in. No nightmares or sudden awakenings by her over-stressed survival mechanisms ever occurred during those near forty-eight hours. Her brain, her body, her soul were given a chance to relax and completely reset themselves. After this period of utter silence, the monochromatic woman’s eyes drowsily flickered open. Bright light poured in in even rows from the tall window, which she’d left partially closed so as to make the room quieter. For a split second, her heart skipped a beat, and she didn’t recognize the room she was in. She shot up from her nested position abruptly, and when she allowed her rational, non instinct-ridden brain to see where she was, she calmed down, forcing herself to inhale and exhale in long, slow breaths. It’s okay, She repeated inside her mind, allowing her own free will to take a grasp on her body. She repeated it over and over until her breaths finally stilled her rapid pulse into an even, calm rhythm. She was frustrated that her body couldn’t unwind, even after that rest – she was offered kindness and reassurance that she was safe. She could have purpose, work, and live here without fear of dying alone, due to starvation or a lethal fight with a loner. She wasn’t in those cold, barren lands anymore. Yet, it still felt as if she was mentally wandering there, trapped in aimless circles. Her two minds, the rational and the one in survival mode, fought like two enemies, ripping at each other for full control of her being. With a drawn-out sigh, Lae gently creeped off her bed, her bones cracking in autonomous symphony from her spine, hips, and shoulders, all the way to each of her toes. She bowed in a long stretch to ease herself into motion again, releasing a soft groan as her still-worn joints creaked and ached. She was still a ways away from being considered an elder, but her skeleton was aged tenfold from the stress of fighting for her life all those years. Once she’d gotten her cracks and stretches out, she padded over to her window, nudging it open with her muzzle. Artorias had offered her a bedroom with a seaside view, which she had gladly accepted. The ocean was the bluest, richest tone she’d ever seen. In fact, she hadn’t seen much of the ocean at all back in Boreas — most days she stared at the ground to avoid being seen or acknowledged by others, and it made her oblivious to nature’s true beauty. Her ruby eyes watched every whitecap emerge upon the topaz surface, the sunlight peppering the waters with a bright sparkling glow. The scent of the salty waves reached her nose, and as she inhaled deeply, she felt the freshness of the air cleanse her lungs. Maybe Boreas was a bit stagnant, too, she wondered, because the atmosphere here had some kind of healing porperties. The soreness of her chest from seasons of colds and coughs and came and went also did their damage on her organs to some extent, so the fresh air was much appreciated. Although Laeta could sit and watch the waves all day, she knew she had to begin getting herself back into action. Although she was unfamiliar with the territory of Auster, having essentially trekked to the Hallows’ borders in an almost linear path, she considered herself a bit of an adventurer. Once she surveyed a plot of land, wherever she was, it never took her long to understand its ins and outs; the safest spots, dangerous sections to avoid, what areas were plentiful with prey, water sources, and more. Call it a part of her survival instinct, but in this case, it could be honed for the good of the pack, and exercise her natural abilities as well. The woman trapised down the staircase until she reached the main floor, trotting past the rooms in the corridor and then descending the main spiraling staircase. She paused for a second, attempting to memorize the layout from what Artorias had explained to her. The entrance to the castle wasn’t far, and she’d recalled quickly how to find it without needing to dwell. Although she wasn’t the most confident in her own abilities, she clearly had a strong sense of direction and a sharp memory to match. Exiting the mervelous stone behemoth, Lae apprached the courtyard and, again, paused and gained an awareness of her surroundings. Little did she know that what she was doing was beneficial, and therapeutic for her recovery. By ascertaining a knowledge of her surroundings, she became more aware. By focusing her energy on being aware, her extreme survival mechanism couldn’t drag her back into her mind and leave her blank and confused. With this focus, the woman proceeded forward to explore more of the area. Perhaps there were more passages that led in and out of the castle she could find. Of course, upon this land, she’d likely meet more of her packmates as well, if they weren’t busy with other tasks. "Speech"

Jane was on her own quest of feeding the alpacas, as she recently had taken that responsibility over her shoulders. It would give her a thing to do apart from the greenhouse. The grey coated wolf rushed out in order to find a nice feeding ground of bringing in the alpacas to feed them. But first she hopped to find the right place to do so, with a huge smile pasted on her lips. She couldnt recall when was the last time she actually smiled, or at least genuinely. Eska became her inspiration to be better, to stand and get over the sadness that carves into her chest, and hopefully she would be able to help her brother Emile to find the way out of his depression. As she went ahead, her eyes found someone, a wolf. But a wolf she was actually seeing for the first time. Smiling more and with a friendly demeanor she approached. "Hello! I am Jane!" She greeted as her tail wagged behind her. Meeting new faces were always a reason to be happy. "Are you new? Need any help?" The interrogation began as she was eager to help the new wolf as much as she could. "Speak"

Laeta's own investigation halted at the voice of another wolf. The woman stiffened at first, not of her own volition. Her mind and body were attempting to warn her of upcoming danger. Still, this was irrational. There was no danger. The familiar scent of the pack lingered more strongly in her nostrils now as she forced herself to take a deep breath and turn around to face the young woman beside her. She was bound to come across her pack mates eventually, something that she hoped wouldn't kick her instinct to freeze or run at the mere sound of one's voice. Relaxing her shoulders, Lae's ruby gaze scanned the yearling with a glimmer of curiosity. She was an interesting patterning of grey colorpoint and flecks that dotted her coat, something she hadn't come across much in her brief encounters as a loner. Many of them were like Laeta; solid with maybe a few unimpressive markings here and there. This lady, and Artorias, had intriguing fur colors that she considered a rarity where she had come from in Boreas. Still, she had yet to see a whole pallet of colors, bright to dark, on the wolves here. It was all so interesting, and each one of them unique in their own way. "Hello! I am Jane!" The grey femme said, and Lae noticed her tail was wagging in a relaxed but joyful manner. That was a good sign -- she was clearly happy to see her, even if she was but a stranger. Lae didn't think people could be so welcoming to somebody they didn't know, but the Aegis who welcomed her to the pack had taught her otherwise. Still, her hardened exterior needed a bit more chipping at before she could fully relax in front of everyone. ""Are you new? Need any help?" Jane continued, clearly wanting to know more about her. Although unaccustomed to talking about herself -- or rather, talking much at all -- Lae still held an emotionless exterior as she softly responded, "I'm Laeta. And yes, I am new here." As to whether she needed help, the monochromatic woman glanced towards the rest of the castle's stone walls, curiosity lighting her eyes even if she held no expression upon her lips or brows. "I guess I don't need help, but I was about to explore the territory a bit. Get a lay of the land, I suppose." If she had more confidence in herself, the woman could've even said she had a knack for finding important parts of a territory after short period of time but she needed a bit of time to survey the place first. "Speech"

Tail kept wagging as her ears pinned but not in fear but in happiness to meet this new wolf, and even more with the chance to help her, to aid her in anything she needed. She enjoyed helping and supporting everyone, family and strangers alike. And the older female's cold expression didn't change Jane's joyful expression. The other was of a mix of black and white, with lilac eyes. A pretty combination she had to say. "Welcome Laeta to the Hallows! Happy to meet you! I hope we can be friends!" Yes, Jane's signature question she gave to every single wolf she met. Pups, adults, elders all were on her eyes potential friends. And she hopped she could be friends with Laeta. "I could accompany you if you wanted." She offered without removing the smile from her face. She wanted to make her feel welcomed, as part of their big family, the family of The Hallows. "Speak"

” Welcome Laeta to the Hallows! Happy to meet you! I hope we can be friends!" Jane replied in a cheerful manner, in response to Lae’s brief introduction. The older woman blinked. She could say she was taken aback by the younger wolf’s eager introduction, but at the same time, it proved to be a great relief to feel welcomed and accepted. Loners didn’t really emphasize happy greetings, if any. The monochromatic creature was still unaccustomed to this amount of kindness she had been given, both from Jane and Artorias, her mind and body were attempting to process it any way they could. She had to make a conscious effort all the while to prove to her own self that nobody would harm her here. She had a home and a place to belong and be with others — something she sorely needed. When Jane offered to accompany her, Lae figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a companion with her. Especially someone who knew the lay of the land better than she. "Sure, I’d appreciate some company," The woman said, voice calm but indiscernable of any particular emotion. She stood quietly, as if letting the younger wolf show her some of the best spots to go. "Speech"

She smiled at the older wolf's acceptance for having her company, a company she hopped to make comfortable for the new wolf. She was aeger to please the new friend but keeping things in a respectful range, respecting Laeta's space and boundaries. So she kept a decent space from the black and grey female. And of course she would be happy to serve as a guide for her, and thinking where to lead first what came to mind first was the greenhouse. "Okay! Let's go to the Greenhouse! We aren't too far from it!"

And with that not before giving a sign for Lae to follow, she began to to walk toward one of the external walls of the castle.


""

Lae was relieved that Jane was so understanding. She still had a ways to go before the close quarters of her packmates wouldn’t make her twitch or recoil in an instinctive reaction. She knew she’d heal eventually..it’d just be a process. Taking things a day at a time, little by little. That’s all there was to it. And yet, the heaviness she carried still settled upon her aching shoulders, only serving to remind her of how far she had yet to go. ”Okay, let’s go to the greenhouse! We aren’t too far from it!” Jane called out, motioning for the woman to follow her. Needless to say, the eagerness the young wolf had was a refreshing sight, and as little as the woman expressed herself, she certainly didn’t mind have a companion. With a nod in agreement, the black and white wolf trotted briskly after Jane, headed towards this “Greenhouse” place. "Speech"