Emer felt a little better after speaking with Erani, enough so that she couldn't deny the urge to venture a little further from her den. She'd been planning on returning to it straight away, though a scent caught her attention and for some reason she felt certain she recognised it. She couldn't place anyone to the scent directly, though for the first time in a while curiosity had gotten the better of her and although still cautious in her movements, she attempted to find this wolf that she possibly knew. It was certainly the furthest she had travelled into the lands now, since her venture through them to find herself a den of course and it seemed that with each step her confidence was starting to falter a little bit. What if she was mistaken? Or perhaps this scent wasn't actually someone nice? Aside from the black male in the crypt that she dared not think about though, all of the wolves she had met in Alacritia had been rather friendly and given how kindly Erani and the Valhallan's she'd actually met were, Emer doubted there would be anyone she really ought to fear living here. Though still tentative about her actions, that thought kept her slow progress going.

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He was trying to meet others, and get involved in pack life, though he had to admit that socializing wasn't his strong suit. After being alone with his siblings for so long, having to introduce himself to others seemed tedious and not high on his list of priorities but that left him alone in the pack lands and as a fairly social male, he needed to talk to someone. As he sat debating about where to go next a slightly familiar scent trickled in the air, a name he just couldn't place. He rose to his paws, his nose in the air as he followed the scent, not really paying attention to where he was going. As he walked, his foot caught a rock sending him flying up into the air, landing with a thump he groaned.

He glanced around hoping that no one had witnessed his idiotic moment. He cringed internally when his eyes landed on another but he was unaware as to whether she had been looking when he fell. Rolling over and pushing himself to his paws, he stood shaking himself slightly. Letting out a soft bark of greeting he spoke, "I know you... Ms.Emer... right?" He vaguely remembered meeting her at one point, though he couldn't remember her last name. Politely he would address her and wait.

Emer soon caught sight of the wolf she had been searching for. Where she had initially struggled to place the recognition of the male's scent, his appearance, although not particularly extraordinary had lingered in her mind and on sight she was able to recall who the other wolf was, even during his moment with a brief absence of grace. "Are you alright?" She questioned, stepping closer towards him. He certainly seemed to be, soon moving onto his feet once more and warmly greeting her in a manner as polite as she remembered for him. "I know you... Ms.Emer... right?" With a soft smile she gave a small nod of her head in response. "Yes, and I believe you are Valerius." There weren't many people she'd met in Alacritia that had stuck in her mind, though he had been rather new to the lands himself at the time of their meeting and had been quite the gentleman. "It's lovely to see you again." And it truly was, to see a familiar face even if she hadn't known him all that well at all was rather welcoming. It was a memory of simpler days as well, and though she couldn't forget her trauma and the growing pups, she deserved a pleasant reunion with an old acquaintance, something to help her ease her way into her new life here. "Have you joined Valhalla as well?" She questioned his scent certainly suggested that fact though it was something to comment on all the same.

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Of course she'd witnessed his briefly clumsy moment, a flush of embarrassment tinged his cheeks, and he chuckled in response to her question. "I'm fine. I've endured much worse than a rock." His tone was warm, amusement dancing at the edges of it. She spoke, agreeing that she was indeed Emer, and his tail wagged slightly, as he approached her. He would stop a few feet from her, giving her a respectful distance and he nodded as she questioned his name, and spoke. "Indeed I am." His baritone voice rumbled. He was glad to run into at least one wolf in Valhalla that he knew.

'It's lovely to see you again.' She said, and he smiled warmly at her. "It's lovely to see you as well. I hope you've been well since we last met?" He spoke again, this time leaving her with a question. What had Emer been up too since he had spoke with her last. She asked if he had joined Valhalla as well and he nodded again. "I have. I apparently have a bunch of family here that I didn't know about." He chuckled slightly, it was true- he was still meeting each of them. The Adravendi name was largely the base of Valhalla from what he could tell- it was very interesting to meet each of the wolves he shared blood with.

Emer fortunately wasn't one to mock, merely making sure he was ok was her main concern and as he gave a little chuckle she figured that he was and the concern eased as he replied to her. She smiled softly at the comment, finding that she was really unable to help such a response with his warm and friendly tones. It truly was nice to see a familiar face once more, and of all those she had met, Valerius had most certainly been one of the nicer. At his question however her cheerful demeanour would quickly falter. She had been far from fine recently. Left pregnant from a horrendous encounter with a rogue male, the memories still haunted her no matter how much better she seemed to have been doing just a few short moments ago. How on earth did she respond to such a question, she constantly tried her hardest to avoid the topic, a difficult enough task without having conversations about it. She would bring such an awful change of pace to their little meeting as well if she actually managed to find the words, and with how cheery Valerius seemed, she didn't really want to bring that upon him. Physically she remained frozen to the spot, though with memories and stress starting to cloud her mind again, the wall she'd attempted to rebuild time and time again to barricade away the trauma was collapsing. No words would leave her mouth and even if she could simply lie and say "I'm fine" from looking at her it would surely be clear to Valerius that she was far from it.

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He did not think about his words, what impact would they have on someone who hadn't been well? He often spoke to quickly, though his phrases would be in good intent. As he questioned her, he didn't miss how she froze, and he glanced about them. Had she seen something? He dismissed that idea as he looked around them. They weren't in immediate danger. He stepped towards her moving slowly, his blue eyes soft with concern. "Emer... You don't have to talk about it if you don't want too, but.. I can tell something's bothering you." He paused, "I know you don't know me very well, but I can be your friend if you want me too." He looked at her, his blue eyes seeking her amber-orange gaze. "You can talk to me if you want. I'm a good listener."

His voice was soft, as were his intents. He couldn't help but feel protective towards the female. Perhaps he was starting to attach himself to these Valhallan wolves? Maybe they could indeed become his family.

Emer couldn't help but flinch slightly as Valerius took a step closer. Somewhere she tried to remind herself that he wasn't the stranger she'd met in the crypt but the fear of it all had gripped her once more and she took a step back to avoid him stepping too close. She longed for distance now, her den to curl up away from the world but instead all she would find was Valerius' soft and worried gaze as he lowered his head to meet her own. A part of her longed to look away, though golden eyes remained ahead entire body freezing in place once more before finally her legs would give in and she'd crumble to the floor. Although he certainly hadn't meant to hurt her, memories and his movements had momentarily taken her back to that dreadful moment in her life she longed so hard to be able to forget. The world wasn't so kind though it seemed and would continue to torture her with it, his soft words would meet her ears and slowly bring her back. For a moment there was silence, and her eyes would glance to him once more, a pained look clear in her expression as she let out a soft whimper and looked away once more. "There was a male... he... I tried to get away... but." Hesitantly she would try to explain, somehow others had managed to make sense of her gibberish, but she still couldn't bring herself to say the words. She was upset, hurt and shamed. Rape. Four simple letters, one tiny word but the meaning struck Emer so much she could not explain. "I'm pregnant Valerius." It was the first time she'd voiced the fact aloud and though she had come to accept her fate, the words were still spoken so quietly, a small sob following as tears began to fall.

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He watched her closely, he didn't miss her flinch away and that stopped any movement he could make in its tracks. Gods, he was scaring her . How could be so daft?! His soft blue eyes didn't leave hers, he wasn't backing away now. As she collapsed to the ground he fought every instinct in him to run to her side, instead remaining where he was- he was simply terrified that she'd be more frightened by any movement. Instead, at his distance, he lowered himself to the ground slowly- shrinking his towering size to the earth to make himself appear less threatening, and he watched her, waiting for her to speak on her own time.

When she spoke, he felt his blood run cold. She didn't have to say the words for him to get a mental picture of what had happened, and he felt anger at the man who had hurt the poor lady in front of him. When she spoke and said she was pregnant, his soft blue gaze flicked to her stomach. Sure enough, there was something slightly different about her scent now- he wasn't sure why he hadn't picked up on that before. She sobbed, and he felt his heart shatter for her. There was nothing he could say or do to make it any better. He searched for words and could find none for the moment- instead he slowly extended his paw, closer to the dame, but not touching her- should she seek to make contact on her own for support. "I am so sorry, Emer." He whispered, his eyes shining with the sincerity of his words. He didn't know what else to say. What could he say to take away the sting of her attacker, when she would be left with such a permanent reminder of his presence?

He longed to move closer to her- even though he didn't know her well enough for any physical contact, seeing her sobbing and broken made him want to comfort her. He didn't want to frighten her though, and he feared any movement beside his extended paw- would terrify her. What could he do? He had to do something? He felt helpless, though it didn't show in his gaze- no, if the woman looked at him all she'd she is the unconditional support and care that a friend could offer. Now, he'd sit in silence, waiting to see if she wanted to talk further about it- giving her a chance to vent.

The fear had eased slightly now, Emer's mind at least more able to distinguish who was before her, though the girl was still far from fine. Valerius knew this too, the worry in which he stared at her with, the concern in his movements when unnoticed for a moment as the scared female tried to recover. It wasn't his fault, he hadn't known what the simple question would bring on for the traumatised girl, she'd likely regret this later but for now there was little she could do but feel sorry for herself. "I am so sorry, Emer." At his words she would lift her head once more to see him lying down before her, her golden eyes meeting his gaze though still barely acknowledging the paw he'd stretched towards him. The fear from him had left her now, though still in her crumpled heap, curled up so helplessly she wouldn't move any close to him. The strength, the support that he offered was partially noted by her, though she could find little comfort in it given the awful way she felt right now and perhaps that guilt for bringing this upon him was already sinking in, finding herself unable to stare for much longer and so she'd silently look away from him again. Talking about it and the feelings she felt wasn't an option in her mind. She was hardly one to vent at the best of times but now she wanted nothing more than to forget. Still though it haunted her in both sleeping and waking states, slipping back to her at unexpected moments causing moments like these to prevent her from moving on.

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Silence. No words or emotions, nothing spoken from either of the wolves for several moments. What did you say when you confessed something so obscene? What did you say to someone who had been so bitterly hurt? Chocolate lids fluttered over his blue eyes, and he lowered his head, resting it on the paw that remained close to him. He didn't know what to do? Could he really do anything to help her? Could he do anything to make it better? He laid on the dirt, taking steady breath's his eyes never wavering from her- the look in them: intense sympathy. His tail moved slightly in the leaves behind him, and then he grew still again. He wondered what the dame was thinking about.

Valerius had seen a lot of blood shed and horror in his lifetime, such were the memories and trauma, that any gladiator would witness in their lives. Though he had spent a lot of time with his mother before leaving, he still had learned to fight and thus had witnessed a lot of carnage. The silence between them seemed thick to him, he felt likes he needed to say something. His tan lined jaws parted, and closed quickly. What could he say to her? Giving up, on not saying the right thing he spoke, "Emer, I'll do whatever you need or want to help you. I'm so very sorry no one was there when this happened to you, but I'm here now." His voice was so soft, so kind. "What can I do? If it's help you hunt, guard your den day and night, just be here, just listen... anything. Just tell me what you need."

The silence stretched on. Typically it was something that Emer could deal with though right now with the attention focussed upon her and her sorry state the girl would have preferred there to be a different topic upon the table. That being said she had no words and nothing to pull her out of these feelings and the silence continued growing and surely becoming more painful and strained as it stretched on. The regret still wouldn't hit her yet, too caught up in her own emotions for the moment though she would surely feel guilty later for not finding a way to break this silence. At last Valerius would find a way to break it, his kind words hitting her hard. She had swiftly accepted the help of Jinxx knowing that she had no hope of surviving otherwise and now she had all of Valhalla around her to help, something that they had made clear in their respect of her space and offerings of meals. Now she was on the road to recovery, as doubtful as it may have seemed looking at her now, this offer somehow seemed like a much bigger deal. Perhaps it was because she already had protection from the pack as a whole, maybe because she simply hadn't wanted to break down like this in front of any of them but mostly for that guilt was starting to sink in. As she glanced to him once more, Emer could begin to see the sympathy and new weight that Valerius was starting to carry, she couldn't burden him anymore though it was rather too late to change that. The offer was wonderful, such care was after all what the defenceless woman currently needed and would likely need once the pups finally arrived and yet she couldn't bring herself to accept all the same. Although he'd been the one to offer she couldn't ask that much of him. "It's not your fault." Her voice, though hardly loud to begin with was quieter now and her expression, still pained though clearly grateful for the offer would lift to look at him again. "The pack needs you, some are already helping." There was no guard but then she wasn't sure how she really felt about such a thing, her den was her sanctuary after all and to have another so close to it felt so strange given that she barely knew anyone. The idea of it being Valerius to keep watch was slightly more comforting though, although she didn't quite understand why given that she didn't really know him either. Perhaps it was simply this moment, her so weak and fragile and this compassionate man doing all he could to help her. "Thank you."

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He'd slain warriors in war, been the reason that children were orphaned, as he slain their mothers and fathers- all in the name of job. Each kill had chipped away little pieces of him, but nothing had struck him quite like the open vulnerability in Emer's body and eyes. He was a solider, once he thought that he was immune to the horrors that life could bring, but this struck him to his very core. He had never been this personal with a victim of anything- always compartmentalizing this. The victim had never been family, and that was what Valhalla was becoming as a whole, the longer he spent here... family. He had broken the silence earlier, his words sliding through the growing silence. He wasn't a wolf of many words, never knowing what to say, and always saying the wrong thing- it seemed.

She finally spoke, and the growing tension melted in his body. He blinked slowly, his eyes never leaving her. His desire to protect her was new and over-whelming to him, but she needed him too. He'd never felt the need to protect another like this. Vriel and Vaziel, though his siblings could take care of themselves, though he'd always have their backs should they need it. He knew better than to hover- but the fragile state of Emer... it left him feeling the need to shadow her, protect her from whatever demons would plague her. Perhaps he felt a brotherly protection over her, unlike any he had ever felt before?

Her words, brought a light chuckle to his jaws, though he still the noise quickly. His eyes were incredibly soft, as he looked at her and spoke, "Emer, you are a part of this pack- and I would be honored to do anything for you. If I can help you, I'm serving Valhalla and also helping a friend." He paused for a moment, letting his words hang in the air. A friend? Was he starting to view the woman as a friend, as his words made it seem. From his words, he meant to imply that, yes, the pack needed him but she was part of Valhalla- ergo, she was someone that he could choose to help too, and from her fragile state- she needed it. He only wondered how long she had carried this baggage? How long had she went through this alone? She wasn't overly pregnant, so the trauma and rape had to be recent. Stifling the solider and mercenary, he quieted his inner solider. He wouldn't hunt this monster unless that was what Emer needed from him. No, he'd remain by her side, whether or not she liked it.

Emer may have needed the protection and care, but now a little more concious of her actions once more and with the rest of the pack around her, she hardly felt right singling out one particular wolf to assign the job to, whether they offered or not. Valerius it seemed was swiftly becoming someone else she felt she could call a friend, but it was still wrong to try and place this sort of responsibility on him. She'd left that sort of care once before, walked out on her family, did she really deserve such treatment again? Though not one of her brothers and still barely a friend really for whatever reason it seemed that Valerius would not take no for an answer. Yes, there was no arguing that she was a part of the pack, now here in a safe environment once more, no matter how much she longed for her parents or brothers the Autumnal girl doubted she would ever leave this pack. It was her home, and though she knew not what the wolves of Valhalla thought of her, she could only hope they still viewed her as a member. Golden eyes would remain upon him, slightly confused initially by his soft chuckle though her own pained gaze soon relaxing a little more. No smile would cross her lips just yet, though it was clear that she was getting past her little meltdown. "You can't focus all of your attention on me though." Emer pointed out. "You have to spend time with your family after all." Surely he would much rather spend his time getting to know this new found family rather than babysitting her. "But fine, I will call or come find you if I need help." She sensed it was a losing battle and it was better to make that promise than continue to argue.

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He'd been struggling to make a friend, not that he'd tried really, but to find a niche in Valhalla. Of course he had his family, but really, the idea of having so much family was so new to him. He really didn't know what to do with them or how to approach them, so he just didn't. That wasn't perhaps the appropriate way to deal with everything, but it was what he was doing at the moment. Stumbling onto Emer, had been a welcome adventure- and though the conversation had taken a darker turn, a turn he hadn't imagined. He was glad that he could help her, even if she wasn't sure about accepting his help. When she finally agreed, his tail thumped on the ground behind him. He knew he had pack things he'd need to do- training sessions, and other things that were required, but he could make as much time as possible for Emer and her children. Surely, Erani would understand.

"I'll make time for my family as well." Sure he would, he had siblings to meet after all. "But I will also be there the second you call." He said sincerely, with a warm smile. "Plus I make a good pup sitter, if you ever need a break. They can climb the tower of Valerius!" He spoke with a good natured chuckle.

ooc: Maybe end this one soon?

The moment that the fear had gripped her again, Emer hadn't expected to smile again quite so soon. In his words of comfort though Valerius had banished those worries once more and brought her back again, she better resembled the woman that had met him at the rapids nearly a year ago. And whilst she may have worried that she would be taking up too much of his time, that he might have more important things to do somehow he'd brought that smile back with his words. It was softer at first, though grew with a small laugh at his comment of the tower of Valerius. "Thank you." She said gratefully, for the offer and for the comfort and understanding now. She was a mess, she knew it and whilst she appreciated the fact that most of the pack allowed her the space she needed, this was nice to.

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ooc: Say where she wants to go, if she wants to go xD and exit out? Idk, was trying to make it flow. don't judge me

His heart warmed as Emer smiled, her smile growing into a bubble of laughter. He chuckled himself, his tail thumping the ground behind him. He hadn't expected her to smile so soon, let alone laugh- but it warmed his heart. He was glad he had contributed to that. As she thanked him, he nodded, looking into her amber eyes seriously. "Always." He murmured to her. He would always be there for her, he made a mental pledge to himself now- she'd never go through something, like she had... again. Pushing himself to his paws slowly, he lowered his head. "May I escort you where ever you need to go, M'lady?" He offered with a polite smile. No matter what was to come- Emer would have at least one friend by her side, and her children would have at least one wolf to climb all over, after all he made one heck of a tower.

Emer didn't find much comfort in the world these days, so isolated in her den probably wasn't too good for her though she struggled to find the courage to face the world alone. A friend it seemed would certainly help though, banish those fears and slowly but surely maybe even bring the girl back to her usual self. Moving away from the topic the gentleman would offer politely to accompany her elsewhere and in response she would give a soft nod of her head. "I think I'd like to go back to my den for now." She responded, hoping that Valerius didn't think her rude for it, she had after all still accepted his company for a little while longer, she simply wasn't sure that she really wished to remain so far from her den for much longer, evidently she was wasn't as ready to face the world as she had previously thought or even hoped she was. "It's this way." She added, gesturing in the direction as she moved to rise as well and begin the walk back.

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