He had been reunited with majority of his siblings and it felt magnificent. He felt a new spring in his step now that he knew where he was going, where his family was, and where he must go. Although the male was saddened to learn of his mother's death, it killed him inside. He had told riv that he needed a few days before meeting the pack that they now lived in. He didn't even know if he had the guts to go see his father. Some reason it made the boy ill to think about how it would go if he went to see his father. He felt as if he would be blamed because he hadn't been there to help. He whined lowering himself to the ground as his stomach churned thinking about it. He tried to push the thoughts to the back of his mind, sighing in frustration. He needed some comfort, he needed his siblings.

As he lay there on the ground his eyes stared 50 yards in front of him where the marking of the pack's borders lay. He still wasn't sure of this and didn't know how he should approach the pack. He desired to see Riv, Éponine, and Razor. To just curl up with them and sleep his worries away. He was weary from travel and of course hungry. The boy still wasn't the best at hunting, but he had managed up until this point. Though he was warned, ranks were getting full and he hoped that there would be room for him. He was told that Leo was a relative, an uncle. Riv had told him Leo had ruled the pack. He was also told there was some other relative's that should welcome him, but if the ranks were getting full, would they still welcome him. The boy sighed again before getting up, moving about 30 yards closer, and taking a seat. Tilting his head back he let out a howl summoning the alpha of the lands, and silently praying for a miracle.

Leo's mismatched ears perked curiously when he heard a howl from the border of the pack. It was only a couple of days after his challenge with Bacchus and it was hard for him to remember sometimes that life still went on as normal even when he wasn't in tip top shape. He chuckled softly at the thought as he pulled himself to his paws to go answer the call. He was a little greatful that his legs hadn't sustained any of the injuries so his movement wasn't impaired too badly. He just had a bruised shoulder to deal with. It took him a short time to get to where he was called and when he got there he spotted a young man a little ways away from the actual border. He didn't recognize him at first, but his scent reminded him so much of Arian's that it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. His brows raised in surprise and he blinked as he came to sit at the edge of the border. It was obvious this was one of his nephews, but certainly he hadn't seen him since the time he had gone to visit Arian shortly after she had given birth to them. "It's alright, come closer!" he called with a smile and a wave of his ivory dipped paw. "Save me from a few extra steps if you don't mind. I'm still on the mend." He waited for his nephew to come closer before he continued. "I can't believe it! It's... Jackson, right? I haven't seen you since before your eyes were open." "Talk" "You" Think

He felt more anxiety build in his chest as he waited, even if it wasn't long. He remained in his spot giving the boarder proper distance so that he wouldn't be thought of as trespassing. His ears heard the approach of the male, his eyes watching as the orange figure appeared from the brush to sit at the border. Jackson didn't know of his uncle, he had never met him in his life and since his call was aimed to the alpha he could only assume this orange male was his uncle. Ears perked as he spoke calling Jack closer. He obeyed the older male, getting up and quickly moving closer. Taking a seat before him the male listened as Leo spoke. To his surprise his uncle had seen him before, recognized him, and called him by name. This relieved him and made his tail wag enthusiastically and his chest swell with pride.

"Uncle! I'm so happy and relieved to finally meet you!" Relief turned to happiness.

Leo's welcoming and kind attitude made him feel more at home and made him feel more relaxed. Perhaps he would be blessed again today and things were beginning to look up for him.

"Riv told me we had family here and I'm so glad I finally made it, it's been a long trek from the North," he said with a smile.

Leo smiled as Jackson immediately brightened and grew much more excited once he correctly remembered his name. It had been so long, Leo was surprised he had actually remembered, but he had been so careful to remember each of his nieces and nephews back then. He was grateful he had now, since his role in most of their lives became so much more than he had ever imagined it would be back in the day. So much had happened between then and now... Jackson went on to explain how he had ended up here and Leo wasn't at all surprised that Riv was the one to direct him here. Riv had proven himself to be very dependable to his family and siblings, much in the same way he himself hoped he was. "Well, I'm glad you finally made it as well! This is a very happy surprise. I'm always happy to see any of my nieces and nephews." He noticed there wasn't any traces of Borealis or Cypress on his scent and he tipped his head slightly to the side as he looked at him curiously. "Have you been to see your father?" "Talk" "You" Think

He smiled, wagging his tail as Leo spoke. This was up until he mentioned his father. The boy shifted uncomfortably before glancing to the ground. He was filled with both fear and guilt. She was afraid to go see his father, fearful of his reaction towards his disappearance and of course all the events that have happened recently. Maybe Leo could help him feel better and convince him that everything would be okay. Maybe he even knew of his father's current state of mind and if it would be the right time to go visit. Jackson couldn't fully explain why he felt fearful about visiting his father.

"No......" he replied before shifting around again. "Honestly I'm afraid to go see him, I'm afraid of what his state of mind is."

He had never dealt with death before let alone how it effected others. For all he know he could be going through fits of rage over Arian's death, Jackson had already learned about the death match. He assumed his father had survived since Leo was asking about visiting.

"Is he hurt real bad?" the boy asked looking up to his uncle's eyes. He did hope his father was okay.

He saw the visible shift in his nephew's expression when he mentioned the boy's father. He knew the answer before Jackson even spoke, but he was surprised to hear why he hadn't gone to see Cypress yet. Well, not all that surprised once he really considered it. How stable could the state of mind of a man that lost his mate and challenged someone to a death match in such a short span of time be? He frowned thoughtfully when Jackson asked about Cypress being hurt. "I'm not sure, to be honest... I wasn't able to make it over to the challenge so I haven't seen him recently. I can only assume he came out of it pretty beat up though, just from seeing how Sin fought Arian..." His frown deepened slightly and his ears flicked at the thought. "I hate that all of this has happened... It all spiraled out of control so quickly." Leo sighed softly and tried to pull a little bit of a smile onto his lips. "Well, anyway. Were you wanting to live here with Riv and all of them? Or were you just visiting?" "Talk" "You" Think

Uncle Leo didn't know either which didn't make the boy feel any better. He would have to just buckle down and make the trip, besides he needed to see Holly again too and make sure she was doing alright. He was also curious why she hadn't fallowed with Riv. He hoped it wasn't because his father was in an ill state. His Uncle's words brought back the emotions over loosing his mother and he shifted again suppressing them until a later time. This was why he needed his family so badly right now and he was hoping for a spot in the pack. Looking back to his uncle as he spoke again the male agreed with a shake of his head.

"I still don't understand what drove that male into killing mom and I don't blame dad for being so upset," he said with a soft shake of his head. "I would love to if you still have room for one more."

Leo smiled a little more when Jackson agreed that he wanted to join the pack. He knew the pack lands were getting stretched to their limits at this point, but he just didn't have it in his heart to turn a family member away. He just had to hope that Riv would be ready to start his own pack soon. Not that he wanted any of them to leave, he just had to do what was best for the pack at some point. He wouldn't worry Jackson with any of that though. That was all things he had to deal with on his own. "I'm sure we can find room for one more," he replied with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood a bit after their depressing talk about his father. "You'll be in the student rank until you turn two so make sure you're coming to all of the training sessions and figuring out what rank you might like when the time comes alright?" "Talk" "You" Think

His smile grew larger and his tail wagged more as his Uncle spoke again. He was so relieved that he was accepted into the pack and glad that there was room left. He felt like he needed this and that it would be good for him. He needed family to help him catch up on what he missed as far as training and figuring out what his skills were. Plus he never got to meet his mother's side of the family and it would nice to get to know them all. Jackson shifted in his spot feeling ready to get to know the pack members. Part of him was also nervous about meeting the others and he didn't know if he could ever remember all the names. He listened to his Uncle's instructions and mentally repeated it to himself so he can remember what he needed to do to be an active member in the pack. He didn't want to let his uncle down.

"Not a problem! Do you have time to show me where I can find an area to get a den made and settled in?" He asked. He didn't want to keep Leo to long, knowing he had things to do and he also needed to get himself settled in by nightfall so he could actually get a good sleep.

"I'm talking"

Leo was glad to see that he could make his nephew so happy with something that seemed so simple to him. He sometimes forgot that he wasn't just giving wolves a place in a pack, he was giving them a home. He enjoyed being able to give them something significant like this. His ears perked as Jackson asked about Leo showing him around a bit and he smiled. "I'd be happy to! As long as you don't mind walking a bit slower with me." He chuckled softly and got to his paws so he could lead Jackson over the border and further into the pack territory. He wasn't incredibly slow moving or sluggish by any means, but he certainly wasn't able to move at the pace he usually would. He led them through the territory, heading toward the center of the mangroves where the majority of them had their dens. "Fiori was challenged for recently," he explained, realizing Jackson might not know why he was injured the way he was. "I still have a bit of healing to do still. But Amalia has been keeping close tabs on me so I'm sure I'll be healed in no time." "Talk" "You" Think

Jackson was delighted that Leo was happy to show him around. He was looking forward to spending a little more time with his uncle, he just hoped he wouldn't be a bother.

"Any pace you want to take we will take. I have no problem at all going a little slower." he replied with a smile before standing and waiting for his uncle to lead the way.

Jackson matched Leo's pace, walking by his side and looking around. His ears were intently listening to his uncle. His attention drew back to his uncle as he mentioned about the challenge, slight worry glazing over his eyes. Briefly looking over his uncle he noticed that there was no major damage from the battle and he relaxed.

"I'm glad the damage wasn't major, you look to be fairing well so far and Amalia must be a great healer" he said with a slight nod.

With Leo speaking of her Jackson made a mental note that he should meet Amalia and get to know her. It also made him curious, was she related to him also? There was so much he would need to learn about this pack, so many faces to meet. How many of them were actually related to him? Would they all like him?

"I'm talking"

Leo nodded in agreement as Jackson spoke, replying, "It definitely could have been worse. Amalia is a very good healer though, I'm lucky to have her around. Sometimes it's handy to have a sister that's trained in healing." He chuckled softly, glancing from Jackson to the area around them as they walked. He felt so blessed to have so much of his family living with him now. Fiori had swelled with members recently and he had Riv to thank for that. With all of his Alpha duties keeping him tied to one place for the most part it was almost impossible to go out and search for his family. He was grateful that Riv had pulled in his siblings at the very least. When they got close to where his den was he motioned in the direction of it with his head. "My den is over in that direction a little ways. A lot of the wolves here have their dens somewhere in the Mangroves. Our other territory is the Hot Springs, which is great for relaxing in, but not so good for dens." He chuckled again and added, "So anywhere in Fiori lands is open for the taking as long as someone hasn't already claimed it. Everyone is very friendly here so don't be too worried about sniffing around other's dens while you look for one. They'll probably just make friends instead of snap at you." "Talk" "You" Think