It had been quite some time since he'd spent any measurable amount of time in this particular territory. Valentine had been a yearling then. He'd found a stranded wolverine cub sitting atop a dead something or other in the middle of a tar pit. Much to Valentine's annoyance the cub had followed him around for awhile, but eventually the critter had grown brazen enough to go it alone. The cub's ventures away had gradually increased until one day he simply hadn't returned. By that time the brute had (begrudgingly) grown attached to him and while he'd never mentioned it to anyone, he'd missed the scrappy little guy. After pausing beside one of the pits Valentine's gaze lifted to rove around him. Perhaps the creatures that frequented this place were getting wiser. There were a lot less dead and dying things floundering around in the pits than the last time he was here. The territory was still dotted here and there with carcasses and the air was as feted as he remembered, but there were no, as far as he could see, baleful eyes staring up at him from any of the nearby pits. Valentine wandered a few steps away to pick up a stick. He then wandered back and poked the end of the stick into the tar. After stirring it around a bit he lifted it free, the action taking a surprising amount of effort, and absentmindedly watched the thick substance dribble back into the pit. "Talk" "You" Think

Liviana's paws carried her carefully around the edge of one of these odd pools, her pale purple gaze fixed on one of the carcasses stuck near the center of it. She wasn't sure what this place was or why it existed, but it didn't take an idiot to figure out that this stuff was bad news. The animal that clearly hadn't had the cognitive function to figure that out itself finally passed out of her view and her gaze came back to the ground in front of her. Her tail swayed from side to side as she walked. At least this place was more interesting than that last forest she had lingered in. There was something to look at and ponder over if nothing else. She couldn't give this place much more complements than that, but it was better than nothing. Her ear twitched as a faint touch of another wolf's scent made it over the scent of these sticky pools and caught her attention, lifting her gaze to the slate-blue hued male in question. Her brow quirked with curiosity as she paused to watch him pick up a stick and then proceed to stick one end of it into the black goo. She changed directions to make her way over to him, watching all the while as he pulled the stick back and the blackness dribbled slowly off the end of the stick. "What is that stuff?" she asked as she came to a stop several feet away. Her eyes lingered on the black sludge for a moment longer before coming up to the male's face, her gaze equally curious about the tar and the man across from her. "Talk" "You" Think

With delight befitting someone a third his age Valentine lifted the stick higher and watched the gummy trail of tar thin out before he dropped the end of the stick back into the pit. He stretched forward on tip toes to drive the stick in deeper in search of things the tar had claimed. With tar alone the stick had been burdened considerably so he didn't have much confidence in its ability to fish something out, but why not try? Perhaps he'd get lucky. Just as he pulled the empty stick free a second time Valentine spied the woman across the pit. Naturally her gaze was drawn to the tar that dribbled back into the pit. "What is that stuff?" Being careful not to slop any of the smelly substance on himself, Valentine slowly lowered the stick to the ground so he could speak. He might have been able to speak around it, but he didn't want to chance accidentally flicking the stuff on himself. With vivid clarity he remembered just how much of a pain removing that stuff from fur could be. "It's called tar," he said simply. "Don't get too close. The edges crumble easily and once you're in, you're in." "Talk" "You" Think

Her eyes were trained in on him, watching his movements as he placed his stick on the ground before he would reply. She didn't have a reason really for watching him so closely, it was simply out of the habit of being wary of strangers. At his warning about the edges of the pool of this "tar" stuff she took a half step back with a glance down at her paws. "Note taken," she replied simply. She had seen how sticky this stuff was, she didn't need to be told twice. She didn't want to end up like that creature she had seen back there in another of these tar pools. She had to wonder why this stuff was here and what had caused it, but she didn't voice her curiosity. This man probably didn't know anyway and even if he did she was sure he didn't want to be bothered by her questions. Her tail flicked as she brought her gaze back up, vibrant eyes quickly sizing up the man. He was a good bit larger than she was, but she wasn't surprised. She had been one of the smaller wolves among her siblings. She didn't wonder if he was taller than her father, but she shoved the thought aside. "What is your name?" she asked with a slight tip of her head while her periwinkle gaze finally came back to rest on his face once again. Her tone was smooth with the slightest hint of an accent, loud enough for her voice to carry to him, but no more than that. "If you don't mind me asking, of course." Not that she was particularly worried over if he cared, but she figured she should at least probably try to be polite. "Talk" "You" Think

With mild amusement Valentine watched as the woman took a step back. She was right to be cautious. The tar was no joke. Sure, he was playing with it, but he had his neck out and was stretched forward on tip toes for a reason. One foot was all it took. In the process of trying to get it free it was likely he'd manage to somehow work himself further in and get stuck. Thankfully he had yet to dip so much as a toe in the tar, and while he was content to poke at it with a stick, the dire possibilities were never far from his mind. With a stretch Valentine straightened to his full height. For the moment the stick at his paws was forgotten and the beautiful woman with the odd eye markings had his attention. "Not at all," he assured her. "My name is Valentine." It was his turn to size her up. He noted with some interest that her voice was cute and suited to her appearance; he was a sucker for earthy tones. "And you? What might I call you besides 'lovely'?" "Talk" "You" Think

Livi watched as he stood to his full height and his pale blue gaze settled fully on her. Yes, he was definitely larger than her father. Though not by much. A small smirk pulled at her lips when he asked her name, tagging on a small compliment at the end. She chuckled softly, her tail flicking behind her. She wasn't easily won over, but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy small flirtations or flattery. She was confident with an ego to match. "Liviana," she replied as she settled carefully on her haunches, her tail curling around her to ensure it didn't end up in a tar pool behind her. "Though I suppose you could call me Livi if it suits you better." That was what she was used to being called by her friends, but she supposed she would have to get used to others calling her by her full name from time to time. It was quite the change from being somewhere that everyone knew her. Even some wolves from neighboring packs back home knew her by name. It simply came with the territory of being the alpha's daughter. She could smell the scent of a pack heavily on his coat and it made her curious. "Tell me, what are the packs like here?" she asked, her head tipping to the side a bit once again. "You're the first wolf I've run into in these lands that is a part of one. I've been curious to see how different they are from what I am used to." "Talk" "You" Think

"Liviana," he murmured as the corners of his lips lifted slightly in good humor. The brute canted his head slightly in greeting. "It's certainly a pleasure to meet you." And it truly was. She hadn't outright rebuffed him for his choice of words and while he was simply testing the waters her lack of a dismissal certainly added to his intrigue. Unless she made it known somehow that she was made uncomfortable by his interest or disinterested herself he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to flirt with a beautiful woman. Ah, the packs. He seemed to be a magnet for such questions. Valentine didn't mind, although a part of him did pity those who had the misfortune to ask certain questions as it was possible they'd get an earful from him. He didn't have a problem with giving brutally honest assessments of his rivals and their shortcomings which were, in his opinion, many. "Weak, mostly. Many are too concerned with tiptoeing around - and hiding from - one another to do anything noteworthy." It was one thing to be smart in your dealings and another to be cowardly. "But," he added with a hint of a smirk. "It's worth mentioning that I'm biased. I lead a pack in the South." "Talk" "You" Think

Liviana wasn't entirely surprised when Valentine spoke of the cowardly packs in these lands. It had been much the same with the packs around her own back home. It seemed that the faint of heart were everywhere. She appreciated this man's honestly, though she had to wonder how much of it was just talk and how much of it was truth. She wasn't one that could be easily won over with words. She had no reason to doubt him for now though. After all, only the ignorant had his kind of confidence without some kind of substance to back it up. "It seems that everywhere has its cowards," she commented with a chuckle. He mentioned the pack that he lead and her ears perked with interest. "Is that so?" She smiled and assessed him once again. Tall, dark, and handsome with a pack behind him to boot. Interesting. It didn't change how she interacted with him much though. She had never taken much stock in titles. Her respect grew straight from skills on the battlefield, it always had. She had a feeling he had some bite to back up his words, but she'd believe it when she saw it. "Well, how lucky of your pack to have someone so confident in its strength leading it. A pack is only as strong as its leader." "Talk" "You" Think