It was often easy to overlook Audra, who was quiet and kept to herself. Wren made it her personal business to talk to everyone in Menagerie. The time of forming was almost upon them all. She would claim the Gorge and see where it went from there if they swelled in numbers or not. But first, she invited Audra out for a little chat. Menagerie was full of men it seemed, except for quiet Sybil who kept to herself too.

She'd need to seek her out too.

"Thanks for coming" Wren said to Audra as she approached, wagging her tail "we haven't had the chance to really talk since the meet-and-greet. Well, one on one anyway" She admitted with a frown "hope it wasn't overwhelming for you?" She didn't want to scare their healer away. Voodoo's presence was void at best, and Wren wondered where the young woman was now. If she was safe... They were friends, right? She wanted her friends safe.

"I don't really want anything... I just thought if you were going to be in Menagerie, you and I could be friends. I'm always around guys - one of the perks of being a tomboy, I guess" she admits with a laugh "it helps to have a woman's opinion, right?"

"Speech"

_________________________________________________________________ While Audra could be described as timid, quiet, shy, and all things that were introverted, avoidant was not one of them. She had had other things to deal with after the Menagerie meet-and-greet so the lack of time spent with Wren hadn't entirely been the girl's fault. Audra tended to wander, especially if she had no tasks or friends to visit with. So when Wren called her out to have a chat in the forest, the russet girl was happy to oblige. Her own tail wagged between her legs as she gave Wren a friendly smile. "Of course, Wren," Audra's voice is a soft tinkle of bells as she follows along the path Wren is taking them. "One-on-ones c-can be overwhelming, b-but I manage," thankfully the stutter was starting to fade around her potential new Alphess. Keeping her eyes on their surroundings, she admired the tall trees and sweeping boughs. It was when Wren offered they be friends that Audra's ear tilted toward the girl. Lifting a brow out of surprise, she couldn't help but laugh herself. "Wren, you d-don't need to ask t-to be my friend," her tone is joyful and maybe a tad playful as she leans over to nudge the taller girl with her shoulder. "I'm a-always open to having more f-friends," Audra adds on, becoming slightly more hopeful now that joining Menagerie would actually be a good thing. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

"I don't?" Wren seemed baffled, chuckling as Audra leaned toward her to nudge "I admit, I'm terrible at socializing with girls..." She trailed off briefly, shaking her head "I'm used to, well, men. Not in an untoward way, mind" She adds with a smirk "I know some ladies, ahem, like to do that. Not me!" She laughed "almost all my close friends are men. That's all."

They walked and chatted as they went. Wren found Audra's nervousness endearing, even if the woman was trying to separate herself from it. It was easy to fake being confident, and she didn't want Audra to feel like she had to. People should like you for who you are. "I could stand to have more friends" she joked, even if it was true "even though I'm really awkward at times, one on one..." She smiles thinly, amused.

She side-glances at Audra. "Part of why I wanted to bring you out here is... Well, you're an experienced healer. One of our wolves, Tanelan. Big purple guy" Wren added "he... is suffering from episodes. He claims he falls asleep and wakes up somewhere else. We only recently discovered there's another personality taking over him. I wanted to ask your thoughts... I know there is little cure for the mind but... I had hoped." She trails off again.

"Speech"

_________________________________________________________________ She let Wren talk. It seemed her new Alpha liked to do that. Maybe it was a nervous thing? Or she just enjoyed the conversation. Wasn't really Audra's thing, but she was a great listener. As they strolled through the forest, chattering away, Audra glanced over with a raised brow. Her own sort of tinkling laughter spilled out as she gave her head a shake. "Wren, w-we're all a-awkward in our o-own way," she mused back thoughtfully as smiled up at the brunette. "We c-could all use s-some more f-friends," her voice is cheerful until there is a beat of silence and she notices Wren glance at her. Another raise of her brow as she looks inquisitively at the girl. It would only be a matter of seconds for the girl to spill the beans as some would say. Audra listened dutifully as she did while Wren began to detail a certain wolf who was of some concern. Tanelan. Experiencing black-out episodes? Curious. Audra was quiet for a few moments while she thought of how best to help the boy. Diseases of the mind were not easy fixes. There wasn't any one mixture of herbs, plants, or even drugs that could promise to fix him. "Has h-he mentioned if anything t-triggers him f-falling asleep? I u-understand th-the second p-personality, but usually th-that comes about be-because of past trauma," she glances over to Wren to see if there is a certain reaction from the girl. Really, without her going to see Tanelan herself, there was no real way for her to diagnose him. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

"He just said he was really tired and lay down to sleep" Wren sounded confused about the whole thing, willing there to be an easy fix but also knowing there wasn't one. She sighed when Audra mentioned trauma "honestly, I wouldn't know" She added in with more confusion about it "he really doesn't speak to me about much past-stuff..." She tried to will her legs to walk again, to make herself leave the conversation in the dirt. But she couldn't. She couldn't do that to a wolf in her pack. As much as this bugged her, about solutions and no easy fixes, she knew she'd stick it out for the pack and Tanelan himself. Pack or not, he was a friend. She would want to get answers for him. "Have you heard about second personalities? I have a bit, but I have not encountered wolves with them before" She turned to face Audra now, frowning "this personality seems a bit violent if it rattled one of our warriors-to-be... I wonder if it's safe to have Tanelan here." She finally voiced her concern about it. "she speaks"

_________________________________________________________________ Audra could hear the confusion and concern laced within Wren's words. Their paws would suddenly come to a stop as they turned to look at each other. The first part of what Wren spoke about made Audra question if the boy was telling the whole truth. Now, Audra couldn't say she had much experience firsthand with others who were inflicted with such diseases, but surely there was more behind it than him just falling asleep. Her brow would furrow as Wren continued, meeting the girl's blue gaze with her one glimmering golden and one dead gaze. Proof that she hadn't been good enough to save herself... The feelings of self-doubt would have to wait until later. Wren was requesting her help and she had to be strong for the newly made Alphess. Violence was indeed a concern that would need to be handled, but Audra wasn't ruthless. She would have to insist he stay until they figured it out... Letting out a sigh, she couldn't help but grimace. "Ultimately, i-it is up to you, Wren," her words felt harsh in her mouth. "I h-have heard of s-second personalities, and un-unfortunately th-they are u-usually violent," Audra hadn't wanted to disappoint Wren with this news, but it was true and had to be said. "W-we can t-try to give him r-remedies, but th-there is no cure. If y-you feel he is t-too violent to st-stay, we sh-should discuss with everyone," her words are soft as her vocals typically were, but also held a stern edge that meant Wren needed to take this seriously. While she would want to help the boy, this sort of thing was a disease and unless they had someone guarding him at all times, there was no telling what would happen. "If y-you would l-like, I c-can meet w-with him first to s-see if there's a-anything I can d-do," Audra tilts her head lightly to the side in question. Would Wren want that or would she want to banish the violence before it got worse? _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

She knew Audra was right. There was no cure, but they could at least try to ease him. The fact that Tanelan wanted help caused Wren to defend him somewhat. It wasn't like he was doing this all on purpose, but Audra didn't seem very convinced it was the whole story. "I promised him that a healer would inspect him" she told Audra truthfully "I'll wait to see that diagnosis before making a decision." A violent personality that could burst through aside, Wren knew Tanelan was harmless. He fought well and wanted to learn and help others. She could not kick him out based on potential harm. Beauregard was growing strong too, and she trusted him to keep an eye out on Tanelan. But she had to think of the pack. The entire pack. Not just her friends. "You are our most experienced healer" Wren addressed Audra again. I trust you. "I know you want to teach, so I want to offer you the rank of Cleric. You'd be our Lead Healer, and also train those who want to learn the trade. You'd also direct the experienced ones in all manners health." Wren knew she was placing a lot on Audra's plate, but she did trust the woman to do what was right. Not what always was a must. "she speaks"

_________________________________________________________________ Audra hummed under her breath as she addressed Wren's concern. There was no avoiding that the boy needed assistance of some sort. "W-well, whenever h-he is r-ready for me to t-take a look," she gave her a gentle smile in an attempt to reassure her. While there was a potential for unprovoked violence from Tanelen, Audra did not agree to fully banish him. While she had not met him, she could not see Wren agreeing to someone violent being in Menagerie in the first place if they present a danger to others. Before she could add another comment to the topic at hand, Wren changed the subject. Her eyes widened momentarily as she blinked up at Wren. It was no surprise to her that she was the most experienced healer. That comment, while it made her blush, did not put her off. It was the next statement that made her speechless. To be offered such a high title made her heart swell as she tried to hide her smile. "I am f-flattered," she returns as she has no doubt in her mind that she'll take the position. "Of c-course I accept," Audra adds quickly as she feels her legs shake a little. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than to help others. Whether it was through teaching or healing, it didn't matter as long as she was helping! _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

She grinned, having handed out her second promotion. Some would say, wait and get to know them... but Wren rewarded experience and effort. The Hallows had Audra before Menagerie, and they were allied with Armada... Which made them worthy judges of character. "Believe in yourself, okay?" she knew it was a hard thing to do, but change was not easy at times "you're a good person, as well as a good healer. If I step out of line, smack me back into it. Especially when it concerns the health of the guild." She chuckled, shaking her head at the jest and seriousness. Mercury would no doubt agree with her; finding a great physician early on was a boon to the health of the pack. "The only time someone is allowed to challenge for a high rank... is summer" Wren decided on this early on "but I doubt any of our healers would do such a thing. They aren't fighters and they'll respect you. I have every certainty of that anyway. If someone is rude, I'll be the one smacking them into place." She added seriously. "she speaks"

_________________________________________________________________ She listened to Wren's words with sincerity. The smile on her face never disappeared as she gave her head a little nod. "D-do not d-doubt me, Wren. I b-believe in my skills. S-socializing on th-the other hand," Audra let out a laugh as her eye crinkled at the corner. "I w-will always take a p-pack's health a-and s-safety seriously so d-don't think I w-won't have Mack s-smack you around f-for me," there is another light giggle as she winks at Wren. Joking aside, she was being serious. Nothing would come in the way of her duties as a healer. Whether others found her meek or shy was on them, she wasn't afraid to be bold when needed. Her expression turns slightly serious as Wren mentions that others may challenge for a rank during the summer. Curious, one of her brows lifts as she gives her shoulders a shrug. "S-since the l-long night, I h-have had some ch-changes that d-don't seem as obvious," she, of course, was mentioning her missing eye and for good measure, she stuck out her tongue that now always gave off a purplish-pink glow. What she chose to always keep a secret was that her paw pads were rough like course sandpaper and knocking her over wasn't as easy anymore. "Let's h-head back and w-we can g-get started with T-tanelan, hm?" Audra questions with another hesitant smile before moving into a slow walk. They could spend their time continuing their chat and getting to know each other better on the way back. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

She was glad to know Audra didn't doubt her skills. A part of her knew this, but she felt she had to say it anyway. Just in case Audra somehow doubted Wren's words. She chuckled, turning into a giggle at the thought of the soft healer woman turning on them all. "That would be pretty damn funny to see, I won't lie. Tempted to have it happen." Her smile slipped when the Long Night was mentioned. Understanding and shock came into Wren's blue eyes at Audra revealing her glowy tongue. "Ain't that something..." she murmured in wonder, shaking out of her funk when Audra said they'd head back. Wren nodded, following their gentle Cleric back. The two would chat like hens, no doubt. And the beginning of a sisterhood festered. /end "she speaks"