During his time in the North, Ace learned that there was a new pack residing here. He had no idea if Shaye knew or not, but regardless, he figured he ought to check them out. He had done his fair share of diplomacy in the past, and while he wasn't an alpha now, it wouldn't hurt to get a feel for this pack to determine whether or not they might pose a threat...right? Mostly he wanted to check them out thanks to his curiosity more than anything, especially with his niece and nephew in mind. If he felt like this pack turned out to be a threat, then he would immediately return to Abaven and inform Shaye and Rhyme. But hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. He neared the borders and inspected it, though quickly came to the realization that there seemed to be very few wolves in this pack. Even if they did turn out to be the marauding type, they would not be able to hit Abaven very hard, if at all. Stepping back a respectful distance, he called for the alpha or whoever was in charge. "Speak"

He was reasonably happy with how things were going. Which - at least when life frequently tried to absolutely screw you over - probably meant he needed to get things into significantly better shape. Like, much better. So far they had plenty of food, and he wasn't concerned on that front but they didn't really have much extra stored and that did bother Ignatius. He'd probably get a grey muzzle early with the was he fretted and went over the pack's rescources with a fine tooth comb every other day, but he preferred to simply chalk this habit up to being responsible. Any good leader ought to keep a detailed account of that they had at all times in order to effectively distribute their packmates, right?

He'd been busy checking one small den of stores herbs that he'd personally added to a little after settling in. There were enough of the basics, so long as no one sustained massive injuries or suddenly had a major ailment. That wasn't good enough. He wanted a surplus, so that unexpected incidents would not be the end of the world. Ig was about to go visit Drífa and chat more with her about what was in season if anything and where they ought to focus when Winter finally passed when a call came from the border. Curious, Ignatius promptly dropped what he was doing and made his way to answer the call.

Even before he approached Ignatius could see between the massive redwoods that an ivory man with grey markings and a few prominent scars waited for him across the border line. Going to meet the man, Ig walked calmly up, scenting the air as he strode over to stand a few feet away. The scent was familiar, though it took him a bit to place why exactly. "Greetings, I am Ignatius Agnivo, Konungr of Fýri. What brings you to my borders?"

After a pause, the familiarity clicked and he added, "You are from Abaven, correct?" He'd gotten busy again tending to the pack after his last interaction with Shaye. This was a good reminder that he ought to speak with her again, and probably the Alpha of Celestial too. Alliances didn't just maintain themselves after all.

It didn't take too long before he spotted something moving through the trees inside the pack lands. He had to do a double take, however, because the moment he saw something coming towards him, he swore it was fire. But the lack of smoke and the absence of a burning smell told him that it wasn't fire. The closer it came, he realized it wasn't fire but a wolf that looked like it. Never before had he seen a wolf look like this, save for maybe the young Aerndis, but her pelt was more like stars as opposed to smoldering embers. As the male approached, Ace tried not to stare too much, though just enough so that it was still considered polite. He introduced himself as Ignatius Agnivo. He couldn't help the slight smirk that played on his lips for a moment. The name was similar to his nephew's, but he would keep that remark to himself for the moment. Before he could respond to why he was here, Ignatius asked if he was from Abaven. Aahh, so he had already visited before? Or perhaps had run into another Abaven wolf? Whatever the case, he saw it as a good thing that the man had recognized Abaven's own. "Yes, I am from Abaven, my name is Acere Praetor. You've been there before, I take it?" That or he had just met a member or two, he wasn't sure. Clearing his throat, he proceeded to why he was here. "Anyway, I was up here for a few days and came across a pack scent. The last pack I knew of that was here had been one of my nephew's, so I came by to see what pack now resided here." speech action

Smiling faintly as the man confirmed he was from the Eastern pack, Ignatius rolled the name Acere through his mind a couple times. "Yes, I have. Well, near there, anyway. I've met your alpha, Shaye. We discussed an alliance but I haven't had to time to speak with her again and reaffirm agreements just yet." Hmm... perhaps he could use this interaction as a means to send Shaye a follow-up message. Ignatius didn't want to squander any opportunities for lasting friendships by letting his focus remain solely inward.

"I see. Not many seem all that keen to live in the north, I've noticed our only close neighbor seems to have moved on," he mused, referring to the pack that he'd more or less shared a border with for a very short time. Whether they'd disbanded or simply relocated he did not know, but hopefully at some point he would be sending someone to get a better grasp of the current status of the packs of Boreas. Knowledge was power, after all. "If you would like to know more about my pack I am happy to answer any and all questions. All I ask in return is that you relay a message to Shaye for me since I hate to leave a new ally without communication too long."

Aah, so he had been there. He supposed it wasn't surprising, Abaven had been around for years and no doubt every wolf in the lands knew of its existence. He didn't really know anything about them until he joined, but he knew they were there. "I see. Truth be told, I haven't known Shaye long but it doesn't surprise me that she's gone around striking alliances with everyone," He chuckled lightheartedly. She was the friendly sort after all, and while he didn't know much about her yet, he did know that she had a big heart and was probably easy for her to make friends and strike deals. He didn't know that for sure, but that was his assumption. Ignatius mentioned that the other pack (which he didn't know about) had moved out of the North. Huh, well that was interesting. Maybe they found the northern region was too harsh for them, unless there were different reasons to leave than the freezing nights. He thought on it for a moment before Ignatius diverted his attention. The intricately colored male offered information about the pack in exchange for his relaying a message to Shaye. He nodded, accepting the offer of course. "Of course I can. As Abaven's Firethorn, I believe it is part of my duties to inform Shaye of potential alliances. And since the pair of you have already started it, I'm sure she would love the idea of finishing it." speech action

Nodding in agreement, Ig chuckled, "She does seem like the sociable type. I'm sure it would be well worth other alpha's time to work out agreements with her." It was certainly something Ignatius was keen to solidify. While the cultures of the two packs were likely quite different, Ignatius felt that Shaye shared some of his personal feelings and motivations. He could only hope that all of Fyri's future alliances would benefit them even beyond the potential he saw.

"Fantastic!" He paused a moment, studying Ace for a a beat before continuing, "This might prove to be of interest to you if, as I suspect, fighting is one of your interests. I am planning to hopefully be prepared to hold out first festival by summer, and I would love for Abaven to participate, especially in our gladiatorial events. Of course trade and other things will be going on as well, but that's never the fun part for me."

"I also wanted to set a time with Shaye for a joint pack hunt. I think we could both benefit from having a larger hunting group gathered." Canting his head, Ig considered whether or not he'd forgotten anything. That felt sufficient for now. Might be best not to burden Acere with too much to relay. "That's all  I'd want to discuss for now. Now, I'm never certain what might be of interest to others. I have a sneaking suspicion that a number of customs from the culture I bring with me might be different from those here in Boreas but, I don't know for certain. The origins of the importance of fire to us might be a good starting point..."

"Perhaps," He supposed it depended on which packs were trying to do that. Especially considering Abaven was more of a lighter pack. Ignatius seemed to like the idea of completing their alliance with Shaye, and he knew Shaye would love the idea as well. He would be sure to tell her when he returned, that was for certain. Then Ignatius continued, "This might prove to be of interest to you if, as I suspect, fighting is one of your interests." Oh? One dark brow point rose a little as the intricately marked male continued. Gladitorial events, eh? That certainly got Ace's interest and full attention. Trade wasn't something he was familiar with, but fighting? Definitely. "Well, I am certainly interested in your gladiator festival. While Abaven's trying to focus on warriors...I'm afraid some may be inexeperienced still. Though I would think them ready by this coming summer. As for Trade, I am sure there would be more interest in that. Perhaps we can discuss it more as summer draws closer, hm?" Then there was mention of a joint pack hunt, and some other concerns of Ig's. Ace nodded along, a thoughtful look in his eye. "I will inform Shaye upon my return to Abaven. As for what may be of interest, you could start with those customs. The worst that can happen is that others choose not to use them, but at least the knowledge would be there. Fire would be interesting as well...I find myself wandering to the volcano from time to time when it gets much too cold, but the fumes make it hard to stay for long. Who knows, fire might be ones saving grace during the harsh winter months." speech action

None too surprised that the prospect of the gladiatorial combat had peaked the other warrior's interest, Ignatius smiled. "It does seem to be a favorite. It almost makes me wonder if Boreas has been a little starved for conflict with the way other seem to take to that idea. The event would be a time for my pack and our allies to... show our strength, I suppose. I plan to have prizes, too. We'll need to time to train too, though, and I'd welcome any join trainings between Abaven and Fyri in the meantime." For a moment he wondered if the wolves of Abaven might be brave enough for the coal walks. Actually, he still needed to test his own members' comfort levels with that. It would certainly be an interesting day when he made the time for it.

Nodding as Acere confirmed that he would relay everything to Shaye, Ignatius considered his words. "Very true. Whether others choose to take something from the information or discard it entirely matters little. Growing up I learned that our use of fire wasn't just a practical thing - although it has many more uses than just keeping warm, I assure you - but also had some religious elements. Something about gods of fire and the like. That, and it embodied the spirit of the wolves there." The wolves back 'home', for all their great flaws, did have a certain fierce and indomitable quality about them that he always hoped he acquired.