The Warlord rose almost before the sun. As the first rays of sunlight began to sprinkle across the sky, he was already on the move. Awake and ready to watch as the snow on the taller peeks lit up in reflection of the morning rays. He would get then his first true look at their new home - at least, the first time since he had claimed it.

He prepared some tea first over one of the campfires still burning from the night before. Once the water had boiled, he poured a steaming cup and placed it down on the ground near to Zee. But not close enough that she might accidently knock it over.

He leaned gently over Zee’s form then, and lightly touched her paw not wanting to startle her. “Zee?” He murmured softly.


"Speech"

Zee's sleep was not as restful as she'd been accustomed to in light of the circumstances. It was not the first nor even dozenth time she'd spent a night outside the Armada's familiar borders, but somehow every careful decision seemed to matter that much more while the pack slept in tight quarters between the mountain's teeth. It was her, as the Armada's most experienced navigator, who had declared the tunnels safe to use and live within; a decision that haunted her regardless of how careful and confident she had been in making it. Sirius' paw upon her own brought her to consciousness easier than it might have back in the plains. Zee's eyes blinked open, alert and focused with only a slight weight to her eyelids against the blinding snow-reflected sun. A quick roam of her gaze across the communal areas confirmed the continued health and security of their pack, some rising with the sun while others slept off the long journey. "Good morning." Her greeting was just as soft in tone as his own, perfected through necessity in raising nine puppies who were each once a sleeping, eating, tantrum-throwing potato. As she moved to stand, the tea cup to the side drew her eye. One raised brow acknowledged the gesture, her head shaking in faint amusement. There was a time for relaxing, and before-the-pack-wakes-up-and-wanders-potentially-dangerous-tunnels was not one of them. She grasped the cup gently in her teeth, replaced it beside the bonfire for the next waking wolf to enjoy, and returned to her husband to offer him a nuzzle below his chin. "You can make me a new one later." Zee assured him in the same soft tones, before motioning with her head for him to lead them into the system of tunnels. "Speech"

Zee was quick to rise and she regarded him with what seemed to be amusement as she picked up the tea cup and placed it back for another wolf to find. He mocked rolling his eyes, but didn’t say anything in protest. She knew him well enough to read the amusement behind his eyes as he got back to his own paws. “I will.” He promised, believing it his solemn duty to fatten her up. Even if he did eventually manage to get some meat on his bones, he didn’t know at what point he would stop. Would he not be happy until she was a pubble, like poor Ophelia, rolling down the mountain?

She indicated for him to take the lead, but he shook his head, and raised a paw, surveying the territory as a whole. “You pick your starting point. Where would you start?” he asked instead.


"Speech"

As surely as Zee motioned him to lead, the Warlord passed the responsibility back with a gesture of his paw. Zee's own eyes rolled in reply, a playful dripping of sarcasm on her tone. "Glad to see you've gotten past your aversion to letting me face danger, I promise to try and stay between you and any cave-ins." Making sure her tail came up to tickle his nose as she passed him, the aging Queen sauntered into the most central southern entrance. The adjustment from the gentle morning light took a moment and she paused, allowing the dim shapes of the tunnels to become clearer. A cursory sweep of the ceiling showed a few cracks and breaks, though nothing large enough to pose immediate danger. It would however offer a small amount of light, when the sun was in a favorable position. "This is going to be a massive pain in the ass." She sighed. "Any pack members you don't particularly like? Keeping the number of torches we will need fueled will be a job all in itself." "Speech"