Ruthgar had seen very little of the back in the months since it had formed, Autumn seemed to arrive abruptly although the fading heat of a particularly warm Summer could hardly go unnoticed. For the mangled wolf reddening leaves only meant one thing, something he was slowly beginning to dread; He was getting older. He could already feel his fur whitening although admittedly that might have been stress. He had lost track of how long it had been since his mate left him but if he continued to live in solitude he would simply waste away with no one to carry on his memory. And so he made the long walk from the stony Maw to the Steppe searching for the rest of The Crew in the hopes that someone might stand him enough to carry on a conversation. He supposed he could find Abacus or whatever her name was, she seemed nice, or at least hadn’t mocked him…yet. Ruthgar seemed to live in various stages of not being mocked yet, but it was something he had grown accustomed to in the harsh land he had been born in. He wandered aimlessly, waiting to be intercepted by another member of the pack wondering just what he could talk about. He supposed there was the Coup he had attempted to collect although it had hardly gone per his plan and was, what he considered, unremarkable. He wondered if Chaos would feel the same way or would be delighted by his attempt simply because the pack he had turned his half-blind sights on had been the largest in the East. He couldn’t say really if anyone would give a damn or if he had in fact, attempted to collect a Coup from a pack that was already their ally and had simply wasted his time. This is him talking

black flowers blossom fearless on my breath

Autumn rolled in deceptive and sweet. While the days were shifting summer seemed to continue its hold. Valdís was antsy. Something about the shift in the weather was causing her to pace and though there was plenty to do she found herself uncertain where to start. After pacing a few more times she headed down to the Stone Steppe to begin her patrol. After she scouted the southern border she intended to head farther inland and investigate the ruins and if they could pose any strategic advantage should the Crew be attacked. She rather doubted there was a better place to dwell than high up in the Maw where the vast majority of the lowland wolves would be at a disadvantage and could likely fall to their own deaths but it never hurt to be prepared.

Good grief, she could use a spar or a work out or something. The silence was starting to drive her crazy! As Valdís dipped down into the steppe she spied a figure moving in the distance. One of the older members…. whose name she could not remember. Had they even been introduced? She wasn't sure. She trotted towards the man and called out.
"Hey! How's it going? You out on patrol?"

"Speech"

YOU'RE NOT AS BRAVE He turned his head to look at the girl, startled. “Just a weean” he thought and forced himself to regain his composure. She asked if he was on patrol and he cleared his throat before responding, hoping she could understand him through his thick accent. “Er…No am no.” He said calmly. It hadn’t occurred to him before but paroling might have been the smart thing to do, given his rank. He shook out his fur already starting on a mental barrage for not upholding his duties and sat. “Nae reason no tae start a suppose.” He mumbled, mostly to himself. “’N yersel?” He asked. He had wanted company and now that he’d gotten it he was at a loss for what exactly he should do. The end of his tail thumped the ground pensively as he awaited a response, mentally preparing himself for another round of “What the fuck are you saying?” although Artemis didn’t seem too bothered by it. This is talking AS YOU WERE AT THE START

Valdís titled her head to look at the man as he stated that he wasn't out on patrol. "Oh, whatcha doing then?" She supposed it was probably pretty nosey of her to ask but she didn't have any sort of specific route for her patrol so maybe it was something she could help with or occupy some of her time. She nodded in answer to his question but then shrugged. "I kind of am. I don't have much of a plan right now though. I thought I'd scout out the southern border then explore the ruins. You're welcome to join me if you want. My name is Valdís by the way, what is yours?" "Talk" "You" Think

“Awlright.” He mumbled and rose to his feet. She asked him his name and he felt a chill run through him, his name was just as foreign as his accent and in his experience youngsters were ruthless when it came to taunting elders. “Ruthgar Allantide.” He said, his voice a low rumble like distant thunder and started down the Steppe, unwilling to wait for her to respond, keeping his head at shoulder height and all but skulking away. The Steppe was vastly different from the cliffs he had made his home in and it was almost strange that they could be so close together. He brushed against one of the large, oddly smooth stones where the pack scent had faded slightly and took the opportunity to see if the ‘weean’ was still following him. She was welcome to talk to him of course but his scarred appearance was hardly welcoming, and his aloof nature meant he wouldn’t speak unless spoken to. This is him talking

black flowers blossom fearless on my breath

His accent was heavy but he kept his words short and brief so she didn't have to much trouble though she supposed her listening ability would be put to te test the longer she talked with him. He introduced himself as Ruthgar Allantide. "Nice to meet you Ruthgar." She did her best to say his name the way he had said it but the name was a bit garbled in her mouth. She continued on her walk, keeping pace with the man. "What is your role in the pack? I'm a warrior in training." She refused to use her official title. Runt? Like hell! She was no runt and she'd roll the head of anyone that thought other wise.

"Speech"

“Aye.” He responded to her pleasantries, unwilling to drive her mad with his accent. She hadn’t quite said his name right but he supposed that was fine, truth be told he’d probably just make a mess of things if he tried to say her name. He even practiced it in his head; v-AA-l-Dis, Vae-l-dees, Va-l-Daes – Nope, couldn’t be done. Even if he could somehow outdo her linguistically he wouldn’t have held it against her, she was after all still young and he had, even through his heartbreak, retained a small soft spot for the pups he knew he would most likely never meet. He rubbed himself against one of the unusually smooth stones of the steppe as she asked what his role was- after of course, carefully omitting the less than favorable rank name she had been given. He supposed he could have held it against her, maybe taunted her with it, but for all his ugly features he was far too kind to do that. “Lookout.” He murmured in response, the word sounding strange in his accent and he supposed he could have elaborated and just said he was a weather watcher, but he didn’t feel it was necessary This is him talking

black flowers blossom fearless on my breath

The man seemed to be of a serious sort, not to keen on conversation. He struggled to pronounce her name and she laughed. "v-Al-diss. Don't worry about it, that's close enough! You can call me Val for short if that is easier." He stated that he was a lookout. Ahhh… prestigious line of work that. "You content as a lookout or do you think you'll be trying to move up the ranks?" She continued trotting along unsure what else to really say. She wasn't exactly gifted in starting conversations herself. "Sooo…. where are you from?" He had to be from a good ways away, she wasn't familiar at all with his accent.

"Speech"