Navigation: Fenrir's Maw Artemis wasted no time diving into her exploration of the lands Chaos held, the lands she now held a partial claim to. The idea of belonging to something was oddly exhilarating, giving the fae a new purpose. It was something she didn't realize she had been lacking. Their lands were comprised of a fearsome range of mountains, which then broke away into a beautiful stone steppe, which Artemis deemed prime hunting territory. Yeah, she figured she'd do just fine here. For this day's adventures she chose to delve into the craggy peaks and valleys which made up the Maw. She was hoping to find a den site all her own, and focused her efforts on the Maw's eastern border, near where the mountains broke away into the rolling, rocky plains. Evergreens and hardy cedars gave the air a crisp, fresh scent which she was quickly coming to enjoy, and the ground beneath the trees was littered with boulders of all shapes and sizes, worn from the mountain by eons of time. There was a dramatic, inspiring beauty to the landscape; as glorious to behold as it was dangerous. Artemis was quickly growing to love it. In a moment of impulse, Artemis tipped her head back and sent out a howl for other members of the Crew. Why the hell not, right? She wanted to get to know her new allies, and she doubted Chaos would mind her organizing an impromptu scouting mission. Her mind flickered back to Memphis and Valdis, both young and somewhat unseasoned. Artemis could think of worse ways for them to spend their days then learning the lay of the land. As for her other packmates, she wondered where their dens were located and if it might make more sense to find somewhere more central to the others then central to their lands, but she had hardly made up her mind yet. Feeling stubborn, she refused to settle for anything less than perfection. "Talk" "You" Think

YOU'RE NOT AS BRAVE He heard the call but at first didn’t answer. The man was covered in dirt and shale dust from moving rocks and digging out a den on the edge of a cliff. Ruthgar had no interest in making friends but deep down he knew the pack would only carry him for so long if he didn’t participate in some way. He gave a disgruntled sneeze and flicked his tail before making his way down the mountain to the caller. He was awkward in his movements his badly proportioned body with large paws and long legs. He bumbled toward the unusually colored girl with his head low, a thick frown on his features as he came closer. “Wut?” He gruffly demanded. His aloof persona was important to maintain because it kept anyone from knowing how self-conscious he truly was. As if his mangled face and gawky body weren’t enough, he had come to realize that the way he spoke was vastly different from the way everyone else in Boreas did. It had never been a problem in his old home but here it was simply another factor that made him an outcast. AS YOU WERE AT THE START Walk this way Talk this way

Artemis spent a few moments longer scouting amongst the tree trunks. Several were ancient and gnarled, with complex root structures that she may be able to excavate. Most were young, and of little interest. Undergrowth was sparse in this part of the forest, a thick blanket of fallen needles obscuring any sunlight that might have penetrated through the canopy above, discouraging new growth. In the west, the mountains climbed into the sky and clawed at it's base, but she did her best to stick to the lowlands. Before long, she was joined by a wolf she recognized from Chaos' first calling. The grizzled old male had a gruff greeting to offer, and little else. Artemis was immediately perturbed. She scoffed, though truthfully it was more from amusement than irritation. "Good morning to you too," she said through a toothy grin. "Ruthgar, right? I'm going to scout the mountain's edge. Would you care to patrol with me?" she gave the offer as cordially as she could, which for Artemis meant only the slightest hint of laughter laced it's way into her words. There was simply no helping some things. Still, the offer was genuine and she was truly curious about what might lay beneath the brute's gruff exterior. Hopefully something other than just more prickles, she thought to herself, awaiting any sort of reply he might deign to give her. "Talk" "You" Think

YOU'RE NOT AS BRAVE He gave a small gruff wheeze in response before muttering a short “Awrite.” And lifting his paw to gesture for her to lead. He was still adjusting to the pack borders and just where the territory ended and began was something of a mystery to him. “Af-after ye.” He muttered, starting to feel self-conscious, although gods be damned if he let anyone know it. What he liked about Crew was that most of them seemed to be misfits, or he thought so anyway. Chaos had his teeth, Artemis had her….blue and…well it didn’t have to apply to everyone did it? Artemis was blue and Chaos had his teeth and he spoke funny and had a messed-up face. He hadn’t even met everyone in Crew yet so for all he knew there were other misfits in the pack running around the territory. He cautioned a glance at Artemis with his good eye and sighed internally, blue or not, he doubted she had any trouble fitting in, she was after all very pretty, and Chaos’s fangs were nothing short of intimidating. His scars made him seem tough but it still hurt when he caught people staring. He wondered if she had ever felt the same way or if she, like a few too many females reveled in the awkward looks and shy glances. AS YOU WERE AT THE START Talk

So this was a man of few words, hmm? Artemis gave him an appreciative once over. His earthen coat was typical of the region, and his features relatively handsome, as far as she was concerned. Her curiosity burned as to the nature of his scars, but she knew better than to ask. She pined for younger years when she wouldn't have hesitated to blurt out the question. Instead, she took his invitation to lead with a smile, turning with a dramatic flick of her tail. He could grump around all he liked, it wouldn't save him. "So Ruthgar," she began, turning the words over in her mouth before she went on, debating. "How are you liking our new home?" Normally she wasn't one for small talk, but neither was she going to call any man like this 'ally' if he wasn't willing to at least attempt some ghost of a partnership. The fact that he was willing to come along at all was surprising, but... good! Artemis was surprised to find herself pleased by his acquiescence to follow at all. As for herself, she felt immediately and immensely infatuated with the wild lands Chaos held claim to. The mountains were savage, but beautiful. The steppe was a fertile land but wild as well, endless tracts of moorland and grassland and stone fields. Artemis was finding herself greeting each misty morning with a deep breath of crisp, fresh air. Currently they moved through a forest of pine and cedar, the signature flaking bark of their trunks releasing a sharp, sweet scent. Artemis reveled in it, embracing the situations she had somehow found herself in. She hoped Ruthgar felt the same enthusiasm, but something about his dour persona made her doubt that. "Still haven't dug out a den of my own," she confessed as they went. "Nothing less than perfect will do," she quipped with a sing-song bit of laughter. After all, if this was to be her home from now on, why should she put up with anything else? All she could do was hope that Ruthgar would put up with her subtle househunting as they went along their way. "Talk" "You" Think

YOU'RE NOT AS BRAVE He gave a low grunt as he followed behind her “av ad worse” He grumbled, although that wasn’t necessarily true, he’d had a mate before, the promise of pups, he had even named one of them; Blackfish would have been his firstborn, regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl… And then one day she just disappeared along with her brother’s pack. Or maybe they had abandoned him. He was inclined to believe the latter. He let the girl babble on; he was distracted by the terrain and his own weighted thoughts. “Isis woulda liked it er” he thought dismally and pressed on, although he knew that wasn’t necessarily true. Isis liked wherever her brother was, and her brother was, as he described it “a rite shite”, then again maybe that was why she left. The girl in front of him mentioned that she was still searching for a den “Nothing less than perfect” he caught and it snapped him from his troubled thoughts. He needed to pick up and move on, like he always had for the past four years. He shook out his neck and sneezed to clear his head, the girl didn’t seem too put off by his accent, assuming she had noticed it at all from their brief exchanges, and he felt comfortable enough to speak freely. Worst case scenario: he would leave and find a nice hole to die in and pass away a miserable old coot.“Aye? N what’s perfect tae ya?”he asked, attempting to be engaging but unable to shake the bitterness in his heart from his tone. This is talking AS YOU WERE AT THE START

Artemis was frankly enjoying the male's less-than-talkative personality. She had had some colorful travelling companions in her day, and in her experience, those who never shut up were infinitely more annoying than those who carefully chose their words. Thus far, she had found no complaints. Ruthgar agreed that there were certainly worse places to live, and while a bit more blase than she herself would have used to describe such natural splendor, she nodded. She had seen worse as well. She rewarded his attempt to further the conversation with a thoughtful hum, and a pause as she stopped to sniff a rotting stump, deciding to mark where the scent of their border had grown faint. They were continuing their trek along the edge of the mountains foothills, and she knew from previous exploration that soon they would mount a sizable ridge, and much of the Stone Steppe would be visible in the distance, on the edge of the horizon. She smiled. "Well, a beautiful view would be nice," she said as they pressed on. "Near water, of course, but not too near." She chased away memories of the flood in her youth, how her father had tried his hardest to rally the pack together. "And close to the rest of the pack. Can't be running leagues upon leagues every time Chaos calls us for something or other, can I?" All in all, Artemis thought her requirements for perfection were rather reasonable. She really wasn't asking for much, right? Perhaps Ruthgar would have some ideas for her. "Talk" "You" Think

YOU'RE NOT AS BRAVE He gave a small, non-committal hum in response, his good eye on the ground as he followed behind her. He wasn’t terribly observant but he thought back to what he had found when he searched for his own den. Close to water but not too close, and close to the pack. Well where the hell was the rest of the pack? He let out a small grunt of frustration as the wheels turned in his mind. One of the caves he supposed. Since there was snow on the mountain there would be water filtering through the stalactites, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough. It would have to be a stream. His own den was high on the mountain, further than the average wolf was willing to travel, mostly because he didn’t want to be bothered, but to an extent because he wanted an excuse not to include himself in the pack as much as possible. Deep down he wasn’t ready to rejoin life and be social, the scars in his heart were too deep and too fresh for that. He was silent while his thoughts buzzed restlessly, his line of sight off in the distance, his expression vacant, as if he wasn’t even paying attention to her. This is talking AS YOU WERE AT THE START

OOC: Phone post, please pardon any and all errors D:

Artemis knew that she'd lost the male's attention when the only response he had for her were an assortment of sounds, none of which seemed to form words. Thankfully, with her walking in the front, she supposed he could not see her roll her eyes. Small blessings, she mused. Still, Artemis would take antisocial over murderous or insane any day. She was convinced that there must be a way past Ruthgar's prickly exterior, but it likely would not be reached through conversation. That was fine! She was nothing if not adaptable. (Stubborn would be another fitting descriptor.) She decided to change tactics. "Somewhere fertile, where the prey runs," she added on the her original train of thought, making it clear that he wouldn't get away that easy. "I want to meet to rest of the packs hunters and see how I match up," she said, tossing a toothy grin over her shoulder. She never passed up a chance to show off, after all. She wondered what all he brought to the pack, and what he might be proud of, if anything at all. "Talk" "You" Think

He looked up at her abruptly, the final pieces clicking together all at once. “Ano thars prey on the Steppe.” He said abruptly. “Moar clean water as well.” He said, his voice still a rough grumble despite it’s helpful nature. “A keen imagine moar a the pack’ll be thar .” It had officially been the most he had spoken to a single person since arriving, and still he had more to say. “Lard nos the hunting her is shite. Naeone ‘ll be wantin tae be her.” He finished with a small hint of a smile tugging at his torn lips. He couldn’t be mad at her, she had at least tried to bond with him, and had to some extent called him out of his hiding place and didn’t seem to want to call attention to his ghastly appearance or strange tongue. Whether she understood a word he said on the other hand was an entirely different matter This is him talking

Artemis considered it a small victory that Ruthgar seemed to be pushed far enough out of his comfort zone that he was beginning to give in to her constant badgering. She smiled to herself, restraining a cackle. Progress! His accent was a little difficult, sure, but Mithras had made sure he and his sister's could speak both this common tongue and the language of their homeland too, so she knew what it was like to have difficulty assimilating into a new environment. Mithras had told her tales of trying to communicate after he had first swam to these shores, and she wasn't about to point out that Ruthgar was anything less than normal. Come on, as if she had any room to speak. He spoke well of the Steppe, and Artemis would admit that she had spent the majority of her efforts focused on the maw. He probably had a point, and the comparatively flat ground would be much easier to hunt on, but this harsher landscape called to her. She was already enraptured with the intensity of it's beauty, and it's danger. She was resilient, and she had faith in herself that she would be able to find a meal here, she'd just have to be a bit more clever about it. There were fearsome horned sheep and smaller mountain goats as well. Elk preferred the lowlands and conifer forests to bed down in, and the valley's were sure to offer her at least something. Brisk mountain streams promised her trout and other fish as well. She could not restrain a cackle. "Why Ruthgar, I do believe you've just laid a challenge down for me. I have no choice but to accept!" She laughed again, taking in a deep breath of cold mountain air. She paused then, and turned back to him and an ever-widening smile. "Unless of course you're trying to horde this beautiful range all for yourself?" "Talk" "You" Think

“No am no.” He muttered, just a bit embarrassed by the lightness of her tone. His immediate reaction was to think she was making a joke at his expense and it took some mental coaxing to accept that the girl, ‘Abacus’ or something, was being sincerely nice to him. The wolves back in Resia had been nice to him, but he had known them for less than a year, for the majority of his life he had been used to underhanded wolves who played nice to your face and then mocked you behind your back. He rolled Abacus’s words over in his head; “This beautiful range” she had called it, and as bitter as his heart was he was inclined to agree. He forced himself to believe he could be comfortable around her and shuffled a fraction of an inch closer behind her. He attempted to follow her lead and mark one of the narrow trees they passed as they made their way down the Cliffside even though it wasn’t necessary. He remained silent and eyed a small outcropping beside them, wondering if he could manage to keep his balance on it in an attempt to be impressive. He gave her a quick glance and huffed. He could do it, it was just some dumb path of stone. Silently he leaped onto the outcropping and carefully placed one leg in front of the other, watching his large paws as he moved, his long legs trembling from the effort. He looked up for an instant to see if Abacus was paying attention and instantly slipped, falling onto his side with a dull thud. He scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could manage and resumed following her, silent, and acting as though absolutely nothing had happened. This is him talking