Gwen was wandering for the moment, having left the pups with Princess to watch them with Justice there to back up the cat with more muscle. She'd needed the break - feeling burnt out from the constant grind of work and caring for a family alone. Sighing, she stretched her tired body as she took a break from wandering. She'd found herself back towards the range again. Memories assailed her of her childhood here, and she couldn't help but recall that her mother was buried here as well. Her eyes traveled over the ruined farmhouse foundation she'd used to play in as a pup, the barn, even the rusted tractor that she'd once clambered over. She smiled at the bittersweet memories. She'd probably never again see any of the family she'd played with here. She couldn't help but wonder, if she hadn't run away, would things have turned out differently for the Adravendis here? Would her family still be a prominent part of the world, still powerful, instead of reduced to just having their name borrowed to bring another family recognition?

Carefully lowering herself into the shade cast by a large stone, she dropped her head to her paws to stare out over the range and let the memories play.

The young male wandered through the plane, his nose working ceaselessly as he approached the strange and unnatural structures. His grandfather had taken him to a place not quite like this one but similar enough; littered with what he called dragons, long dead and fossilized. Odysseus had forbidden him from venturing closer to investigate the strange remains, telling him the lands where dragons rested were cursed. This of course was little deterrent for Pegasus as he paced cautiously toward the tractor with his head at level with his body. First he inspected the dull gray strips of hide placed underneath the dragon’s undercarriage. He sniffed at them and found the pungent scent repulsive; unlike any natural thing he had ever known, then tested them with his fangs and found their taste to be unreasonably bitter. With a sharp cry he bounced back from the dragon, a creature he now understood to be so tainted with evil that even in death it could not be safely touched. He backed away from the thankfully dead creature, scraping his tongue against his teeth and shaking his fur muttering low curses at the creature’s expense as he did. He was so distracted by the offensive creature that the woman all but escaped his notice and it wasn’t until he caught a glimpse of her white fur juxtaposed against the green grass that he realized he was not alone. He raised his head, ears turned alertly toward the woman and regarded her silently. She was beautiful in the same way his mother was beautiful or a woman of the high court; not attractive but graceful, like a crane. “Pleasant evenings to you ma’am.” He greeted genteelly and tipped his head slightly in a small but respectful bow. "Talk"  "Thought"   "You"

Gwenevere had been caught up in memories and nearly dozing, the shade and the quiet pleasantly boring after the months of too much responsibility and not enough of a break. She could almost remember running through here with her siblings all those years ago. Could almost picture her own children here, their high voices giggling and arguing...

The sharp cry was so perfectly timed that she was startled completely awake, half expecting to see that one of her children had somehow managed to follow her all the way here. Confusion arrested an abortive moment towards leaping to her feet, so she was still frozen in a recline when she realized that the voice belonged to a tall young man backing away from the rusted tractor nearby. She relaxed at that realization, shaking her head wryly. It had been only too believable that one of her little imps had managed to escape Princess' watchful eyes to follow her, but luckily that was not the case.

The young man finally took note of her presence, and greeted her with courtly politeness. Gwen in turn rose gracefully to her paws. Perhaps a touch less gracefully than might have been so not so very long ago, but a very late motherhood and long hours put towards the pack were taking their toll on her, after all. She tipped her head in reply, a faint smile on her muzzle at the gesture. "It is, isn't it? And such polite company to enjoy it with." Her eyes slid past him to the tractor he had recently become acquainted with, and her smile turned gently teasing. "I see you have met with one of the range's more unique features."

He felt a flush rise to his cheeks that was thankfully hidden by his plush fur. He turned his head partially to hide his embarrassment and partially to look over the dragon again.  “I’ve never seen a dragon like that one before.” He said quietly. “The ones I’ve seen were three legged, but they had wings.”He commented, remembering his grandfather standing beside him as they stood several feet away from a strange cave made of neither earth nor stone that housed the fossils of dragons. He shook the thought away then returned his attention to the woman. “Forgive me, my mind tends to wander.” He said graciously.  “I am Pegasus Beaufort, prince of  Aytepios.” Sine arriving, he had gotten more used to giving his full and formal title around strangers. No one he had met so far had even hear of his grandfather’s kingdom, making his title as a prince all but meaningless. It was reliving in a sense, not to have people treat him like a frail exotic flower, but he would never fully abandon the formalities of court. speaking Thinking

"Dragons," she said with no small surprise, tilting her head to regard the tractor. "I can't say I've ever heard them called that. I was always told they were called tractors, and that humans used to be able to make them move around and do things for them." She gave a brief smile and shook her head. "I don't know if that's entirely believable. Wolves attribute the strangest things to humans sometimes."

He gave his name, and she dipped her head in a quick greeting. She'd been used to the sort of formality he spoke with when she was a child and a princess of Serecia, but it had been many years and she didn't feel that necessity. She wouldn't be impolite, however. "A pleasure to meet you, Pegasus. I am Gwenevere Adravendi, alpha secondary in Celestial over in the west. You can call me Gwen, I'm not much for formality these days." Another teasing smile. "At my age I can't afford to waste the time. Who knows when I might finally keel over?"

He gave a small polite laugh, obviously unsure if it was the right thing to do or not. She didn’t appear to be much older than his father, and to hear her speak so plainly of her own age gave way to more unwelcome thoughts. “I’ve heard of Celestial.” He said with a kind smile. “I’m from their sister pack Lirium, for the time being anyway.” Pegasus still had no way of knowing who he could trust with the full details of his mission and who he needed to be wary of, although truth be told he hadn’t met a single wolf that claimed to be from the Abraxas line. “May I ask; what kind of pack is Celestial?” The concept of individual packs was still foreign to him and it had taken some adjustment just to learn that Lirium and Celestial, although allied with each other, had two entirely different motives with two entirely different laws and customs. speaking Thinking

The young man seemed a little uncomfortable with her words, though whether it was the morbid subject matter or he was just a particularly serious boy wasn't clear. Gwen just smiled as he hurried the conversation past it. What was Celestial like? Hm, a rather open ended question there. She tilted her head slightly, considering it. "Well, probably not terribly different from Lirim, since Faite and Regulus were both raised with the same values, and their children were likely fairly similar in that regard. Aurielle is fairly new as an alpha so she hasn't yet changed anything from her father's methods, so I can't say exactly how it's going to end up, but we put a lot of emphasis on work ethic and skills, and providing a safe shelter to those in need. We prefer to work together with other packs rather than isolationism, and peace over war, but we are willing and able to act as protectors and guardians when the situation calls for it." She thought it over and gave a little shrug. "It's difficult to truly sum up a pack, I'm afraid."

“Guardians from what?”He asked, his manners temporarily forgotten in lieu of an answer. Lirium had many wolves that seemed to accept him, but it was hardly a pack he could call to action to avenge his father’s honor. If Celestial would not only listen to him but aid him he would seek them out instead. His heart clenched momentarily as his thoughts touched on Célestin. If he left Lirium could he convince him to come with him? Did he honestly expect he could convince him to leave his family behind and join him on a doomed mission? He felt his features darken slightly at the prospect then shook himself out and returned his attention to the woman. “Forgive me, I forget myself sometimes.” He said quietly. “I came to Boreas because…” He stopped himself, suddenly unsure if it was wise to tell the woman about his father and what had befallen him in his time on the continent. “Because my father suffered here at the paws of a pack.” He said at last feeling a chill clench at his heart as he anxiously awaited an answer from the woman. Speaking  Thinking    You

Gwen quietly studied the young man a moment, curious at the feeling behind his question. "Whatever we must," she answered, but felt compelled to continue when he spoke of his father's experience. Her voice was quiet and low, laden with her own host of memories she wished never to have gained at all. "Guardians - protectors. Not judge, jury, nor executioner. There is much evil in the world," she added sadly, "but we cannot rectify evil by becoming what we hate." She shook her head, then shook her whole self as though shedding water. "Walk with me a while?" she asked him. "I can show you more of these lands, if you like, and if you feel comfortable with it, perhaps you could tell me your father's story." It might help the youth come to terms with a family trauma, if he could talk through it.