Spring had arrived, and with it, new life. Avalon had left her new pups under the care of Dragon so she could go and get out. Stretch her legs again. Except this time, instead of sticking closer to her lands, she absentmindedly ventured further. Her legs pumped beneath her, paws drumming the earth as she ran, and ran, and just kept running. She forgot how free she felt when she was running, and she was really enjoying it. While the worries of running a pack were always on her mind, especially with a new dilemma that decided to surface. The pack had grown very quickly, and soon they would be reaching more numbers then the territories could handle. But what could she do? Deny future pack seekers a place among her own? It was frustrating to think about, so perhaps that was why she ran. She had started around dawn, and now it was some time just after sun high that she finally came to a stop. Panting heavily, she realized she had ran all the way to her former packs territory. Amber gaze watched the goats and their kids as they bounced around the barn. Her thoughts wandered to valentine then. Was he still sick? Last she saw him, he had gotten very ill from the sickness and had left in a delirious state. His son following after him, probably to make sure his father didn't hurt himself. She wondered if he had recovered...or if the illness had taken him like many others who were unfortunate enough to get it. "Talk" "You" Think

A much changed Valentine lay atop his beloved tractor as he had almost every day since he'd claimed the land for Imperium. The King was slowly recovering; he no longer wobbled when he walked and much of his strength had returned to him, although he still lacked a few key qualities that would have added a certain visual robustness. His fur was still rather lackluster and his sides were a touch too hollow, but all in all he couldn't complain. Well, he could, but...

A familiar form pulled his gaze away from the horizon. Avalon? He hadn't seen her in seasons, but he had heard she was doing well for herself. Seemed she finally got the pack she'd been wanting. That was good for her, he supposed, but time would tell. Boreas wasn't particularly kind to wolf packs.

As she grew nearer to the barn Valentine found his gaze drifting to what he could see of her sides. There was a certain floppiness to the bellies of new moms that just kind of...captured the attention. So she'd gotten a pack and babies, eh? For her sake Valentine hoped the father was someone other than that ditsy boob she'd brought to Imperium. The last thing the world needed was more idiots.

It appeared that he hadn't been spotted, so the King decided to announce his presence. His tone teasing, he said loudly, "So you ran off and got knocked up again, eh?" He tsked and pretended to shake his head in reproach.

Her ears flicked back at the sound of a familiar voice, a smile slowly creeping up as she rolled her eyes in a playful fashion before turning around. "Nice to see you too, Valentine." She chuckled, fluffy plume wagging behind her. While he didn't look like he had before, she was sure he was recovering from the sickness and would surely get back to his handsome self. She wasn't sure how long he'd been here or what he'd heard since he'd been back, but there was plenty of time for that. Amber gaze looked him over, as if gauging his health. He looked a bit gaunt, was he getting the nutrition he needed? Hopefully, he wasn't having any trouble hunting for himself. But if it came up, she wouldn't be opposed to going on a hunt with him. "How long have you been back? You're looking better then before, I was getting worried about you." "Speech"

Avalon turned to look up at him with a smile on her lips. She looked pleased to see him which did the vain King's heart some good. It was also nice that she didn't recoil the moment she laid eyes on him; so he didn't look as bad as he felt, huh? Good to know. That was also a nice boost for vanity. It was hard to pretend to be dashing and suave when you were fairly sure you looked like death warmed over.

"How long have you been back? You're looking better then before, I was getting worried about you." Valentine's expression turned coquettish; browspots rising is faux surprise. His tone teasing, he queried back, "Worried about me, huh?" The question was rhetorical, really. He was feeling awfully spry for a sick guy. It was no fun to the part of a sickly old man all the time and he was getting a bit bored with it. "Just a couple of weeks." He shrugged dismissively, not really wanting to linger on the sickness that had ruined everything he'd worked so hard for.

Hoping to change the topic he made a show of eying Avalon. "I heard you're doing well. Got your pack and all that good stuff."

Yes, she was worried. Though she didn't answer his rhetorical question, instead she rolled her eyes again as that smile graced her lips again. She had to admit, she missed her friends sense of humor. More importantly, she was glad to see he was back and feeling better, at least to some degree. She didn't like that he'd lost everything he had worked for, and in a way she could relate. She had lost everything before, her family, her life, herself. But she worked hard and achieved what she so desired, and in the process, she had made a family and even her siblings were coming back into her life after so long.

Needless to say, she was content for now. She was more confident, though she felt she still lacked in it. And often wished she had the confidence and drive that Valentine did. At his mention of her pack, she nodded. So he'd heard? "Yes. Ivalice. We're settled in the north, and the pack has grown rapidly. I feel that soon, we may need to expand our borders, but I don't know how we'll do that." Indeed, it was a dilemma that plagued her for the last couple weeks since her pups were born and they were steadily getting new members. Anyway, she figured she shouldn't start with her packs problems. It would make her seem weak, wouldn't it? "Anyway, you're welcome to stop for a visit. And if you need a place to stay, you're always welcome for however long you want." He was a friend, after all.

An amused grin quirked up the corners of Valentine's mouth as Avalon spoke of expanding. He knew very well how to expand a pack. A pack needed numbers and it needed skill, and as it acquired those things it quickly outgrew the land that enabled it to grow in numbers. To keep growing in numbers, at least, required more land. After awhile there was only one good way to claim new land: steal it. And what enabled them to steal it? Skill and numbers. Presumably, if the pack did well enough to fill its lands it had the numbers and, if the leadership was any good at all, the skill necessary to best another pack. Of course if you didn't want to siege, it was always possible to simply stop taking new members, but that was no fun at all.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Want my advise? And remember, if you choose to accept it, this is the advice of an asshole." The King paused for a second, his lips lifting higher in a self-deprecating smile, "A once very successful asshole, but an asshole nonetheless." Valentine was well aware that softer (kinder, really) individuals would balk at the suggests he was prepared to give Avalon, and while it was perfectly reasonable to be kind in many cases, if you really wanted to succeed you had to be willing to embrace harsher ideas for the good of the collective.

A brow raised as Valentine spoke. She knew what he might suggest, and it was an idea that had crossed her mind, but at the same time she felt like she shouldn't think about it. Ivalice was allies with three of the packs in Ardent, so that left two others. Both of which she really had no ties to, except for a couple family members in one of them but...that was it. She was hesitant. She didn't want to be the one to start trouble, but the more Valentine spoke, she was inclined to listen. Ivalice was growing rapidly, and it had done so at a faster rate then she had expected and not even a year had passed. Finally, she decided that his advice would be worth a listen. He was a lot more experienced then she was after all. "I'm listening." Perhaps her voice held a bit more interest then she thought. "Talk" "You" Think

Alright, here it came. The opinion of a once successful asshole. "I'm sure you're familiar with sieges, right?" Who wasn't? "That should be your last resort." Why exactly was the guy who threw himself willy-nilly into fights suggesting Avalon not go that route? Because if he had his guess, Avalon hadn't surrounded herself with fighters like he had. She'd taken in whatever sorry, puppy-eyed creature had flopped itself down on her doorstep and filled her pack full of super soft critters. And that was her prerogative, really. She was neither Valentine nor an asshole. And yet here he was, about to suggest she pull a dick move.

"Your pack is close to full, right? Let me ask you this: when you were accepting any of your members, were there any that you took because you felt sorry for them? Any that you looked at and thought 'now there...THAT right there is a sad sack'?" He paused to let her think, then said, "Ditch them like they're rabid, because they may as well be. They'll eat your food, fill up your space and breed equally useless critters and they will bring you down. They'll stunt the growth of your pack. Each space taken by someone who can't fight, hunt, heal or provide you with something useful is space that you could have filled with someone who could do one or more of those things. Same with anyone who might have talked a big game at the border, but since joining you've noticed all they do is sit around on their ass all day, eating your food and fouling your air."

Valentine wasn't quite done yet. "Say you're lucky and you've made nothing but perfect recruit choices since starting your pack. Every member of your pack provides just as much as they take." If that were true and no cuts could be made elsewhere, she only really had two choices left. "You can do one of two things, you can close your borders and forbid your members from growing their families, or you can siege. And Avalon," How did he say this without being rude? "If you go that route you better be prepared for the consequences." Namely those super soft, squishy critters getting their pretty faces mangled, although it was entirely possible those same squishy critters would find themselves homeless if they lost, or worse, force claimed.

He shrugged. "Got kinda preachy, but there you have it. The advice of a once successful asshole." That's all he had. Of course there were things he didn't know about her pack; little details that might make measurable differences, but he felt like what he said was pretty solid advice. Rude, yeah. Mean too, but alphas (at least not his kind) weren't in the niceness business. An entire pack of wolves depended on them more or less and it was their job to make sure they not only survived, but thrived. The needs of the many, or some such nonsense.

"I'm sure you're familiar with sieges, right?" She nodded. Maybe...not as an active participant. The first and last time she'd ever been in a siege was when she had been a slave to Amenti during the war between Glaciem and Valhalla. But that was years ago, things were different now. She was a fighter, a warrior, not as good as Valentine but she was getting better. She felt like maybe she was holding her breath, until he said it should be her last resort. She was confused for a moment. What....else was she supposed to do? "Then what?" And there it was. She listened quietly, nodding her answer to his first question. Her pack was nearly full. And maybe she felt sorry for some of them. Not all. But some. Some had joined on the promise they would pull their weight and remain loyal, but she had yet to see anyone commit to that and actually do it. Her family was different, but the others? Yes, they were friends...but they weren't family, and in the end, wouldn't her friends also follow whoever was stronger or had more if Ivalice ever fell? Amachi had followed different leaders, or at least...whoever she thought was stronger. She wasn't sure about the others. Everything that he was saying made her think. Alot. And while she hated the thought of kicking out those who sought a home, he was right. If they weren't productive, they had to go. Every member of her father's pack had done their part to earn their stay. All she saw of her members was the occasional run in with whoever happened to wander by at the time. But nobody had initiated training, or pack hunts, or anything. Well...Vereux did once for medicine training, but that was it. Everyone else she figured, felt like they didn't have to do anything because she wasn't as strict as she should be. But it was time to change all that. "I hate to admit it, but you know me better then I thought. Or maybe even more then I know myself." Her words were a little bitter, but he had presented to her an alternate option. And a shit ton of truth. "I do know the consequences of a siege. I was in one once upon a time, and if I'm not wrong, you were part of the siege against Hellstrom as well. But I don't think the rest of the pack understands what will happen if they aren't prepared." By this point, the smile had faded from her muzzle and her demeanor had turned more...serious. Perhaps it was time to make some changes. Not only with her pack, but herself as well. "I see why Imperium has been so successful under your rule. I'm a bit jealous, Ivalice hasn't exactly turned out the way I wanted it too...I've let it turn into a place that probably wouldn't succeed if it keeps going on like this." Her tail lashed a bit, fur beginning to bristle. But she wasn't about to get her panties in a knot. "I'll take your advice. Ivalice will be seeing some changes, and those who continue to refuse to comply can find somewhere else to live." She was upset, growing angrier the more she thought about it, because she knew he was right. The pack would not thrive this way, and it was time for a meeting to make this known. "Talk" "You" Think

Valentine shrugged at the mention of his supposed success. "I wouldn't be jealous of me, if I were you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you and I go about wolves differently. I've made few friends in this business and I don't think you'd be quite so content to have so many dislike you so thoroughly," he said wryly, a faint smile on his lips. He was quiet a moment and then said, "But you don't have to be a dick to be successful. In all decisions you make as a leader I think you must be sure and you must be firm, but that doesn't mean you have to be an ass. And I wouldn't expect your pack to be perfect from the start. Give it some time. It's a new pack and you are a new leader. You and your members might just need time to settle in and figure things out. I do think that now more than ever you need to be firm so your members get used to seeing you - and treating you - as a leader and not just a friend."

His tail flicked restlessly at his heels as he mulled over whether or not he should beat her over the head with another round of advise. Really, he wasn't even sure if there was more to be said. Avalon wasn't a fool. He was sure she got all the common sense parts of ruling. Valentine couldn't really comment on whether or not Avalon's pack would succeed. He could offer advise and he could make assessments, but that, really, was the extent of what he could do.

Or was it? "If you ever need help cutting some dead weight, I'm your man," he teased. "I offer lazy-ass removal free of charge."

She looked at the former king for a moment as he told her that she shouldn't be jealous pretty much. But honestly, she was envious somewhat of his success. He was a respected man, but then again...they both found different kinds of company. He was a more rough around the edges type of crowd, and she was the opposite. Or so she felt, anyway. She would shrug though. She kinda did wish she was a little more...well, less of a pushover. She felt that there were a lot of wolves who took advantage of her kindness, and the last thing she wanted to be was a door mat. Especially within her own pack.

"I don't know, I suppose I expected something different when I first started. Come fall, it'll be a year since our foundation. Some of the members have been there since day one. The only thing I guess I worry about, is what if they see all these sudden changes as a negative thing and begin to question my judgment? Going from the kind and lenient me to a more...firm and...strict. I guess that's sort of what I'm trying to say..." She shook her head a bit, a frown creasing her features. "I have a feeling they'll start to judge me if and when I start making changes and doing things that I normally wouldn't. It's my first time as an alpha, wouldn't it be normal for someone to change some with that kind of role? I know at some points I'll have decisions to make, to put my foot down against trespassers and those who choose to defy. What do I do then?" She had so many things running through her mind. And there were very few wolves if any, that she would ever seek this kind of advice from. Valentine and Bass had the most experience from what she knew, and while it might be odd for an older wolf to be asking advice from others, she didn't care. She wanted to learn both by doing and what she could learn to improve.

At his last remark, she chuckled. "I do hope that isn't a joke, because I just might take you up on that offer someday." Hopefully she could do it on her own, but if she really needed it, then she had the feeling that she'd ask him to come by and assess them and see who needed to be cut. While she wasn't too bad at judging character, she felt that some were just telling her what she wanted to hear so they could stay...it was frustrating, but she wasn't sure how to go weeding them out.