She sloughed through the moor with her head held low, her once glossy fur now a tattered mess covered in briars and mud. She waited, first in her home, then on the new island for her mother to join her, but she never came. Months of searching for the older woman had yielded no results and her hope began to dwindle each day. Eventually she simply realized she had to come to terms with the loss of her home, her mother, and her life and hope that she could start afresh in this new land. Hestia had never lived without her mother, she had been a constant in her life, her closest friend, and someone she could cry to. Now she was gone, and it was far too soon for the spear maker, and too much against her wishes. She stopped at the border of the first pack she came across, debating what her next move before she tipped her head back and summoned the leader to greet her. She feared that her life would be nothing but heart ache and misery, now that she was fully and completely alone, but her mother would never allow her to lie down and accept death. She persisted. Speaking   Thinking

Gwenevere had been making her slow way to one of the sentry points along the wall. She couldn't make it through a patrol anymore, but she was good for that much, at least, another pair of eyes above one of the openings in the wall. It was purely luck that when the call came for an alpha, it came from the part of the wall she had been walking towards, so she had very little distance to cover to answer. When she appeared through the mist, Gwen glanced over the dark-coated wolf who'd called, and pity stirred in her. The wolf was unkempt and had what felt like an almost palpable aura of sadness. Gwen suppressed a cough, and paced forward to meet the female at the wall's opening. "Welcome to Celestial," she rasped quietly. "You look as though you've come a long way. Can I help you?"

She was almost startled by the withered state of the woman that approached her and felt an instant and burning pang of sorrow in her heart. The woman couldn’t have been older than her mother was and the way the woman carried herself was remarkably close to the woman who had known Hestia her whole life. “I- yes…I think.” She said, her voice a noticeably unfeminine and deep pitch that made the ebony woman look away self-consciously. She cleared her throat and attempted to  speak more clearly. “I wanted to join a- your pack, you know, if I could.” She said, attempting to hide that Celestial had been the first pack she had chosen to latch onto and that the decision itself had come with little knowledge about the pack itself. Speaking   Thinking

Gwen smiled warmly, if tiredly, at the woman as she spoke of wishing to join Celestial. It wasn't often that people came to join the pack - though the wall made the pack lands more defensible, she was starting to see that they also made them more unapproachable as well, and it seemed like it was a mental barrier that kept wolves in as well as out for Celestial's wolves ventured out to find new members far less often than they needed to.

She gave the woman a more searching glance, noting the strong body beneath that unkempt coat, a woman clearly more used to work than leisure. "We could always use more good wolves here in Celestial," she noted noncommittally though she was already inclined towards the woman. Even if she'd been a pampered, spoiled princess Gwen would have been inclined towards her - the pack couldn't afford to be as choosy as some would wish, not anymore. "Though we do offer a home to those who need one, we all must provide for the pack in whatever way we are capable of. Are you trained in anything, or is there a profession you have interest in training in?"

She shifted slightly under the woman’s kind gaze. Would the woman still look at her that way if she knew what Hestia had done? How she plotted to have a prince overthrown and exiled because she disagreed with his parentage, how she was a traitor and untrustworthy to anyone she disagreed with. She blinked slowly, forcing the thoughts away as she returned her attention to the female. “I was a speak maker in my homeland.” She said hoarsely, still biting back the insistent whispers that she was a monster and a villain. “I can craft other things, mostly from wood, but spears were what I made most of the time.” She explained. Speaking   Thinking

Gwen's ears pricked up in interest at the woman's profession. "Do you know how to use the spears efficiently as well?" she queried, and gave a wry smile. "I made rather crude wooden spears myself to use against a bear this autumn, but I'm afraid none of us had any experience in using them and it resulted in injuries." Specifically, her own injuries, which had led to the weakness and sickness that now plagued her. "If the pack had training in using them, it could be a boon. Either way, we would certainly welcome a craftsman in our ranks." Even if they couldn't be trained to use the spears effectively enough for them to be safer than not using them at all, having trade goods to offer their allies would be a great asset for the pack's future, though she trusted Aurielle would be careful not to include the spears as trade goods for any pack that wasn't closely allied with them. "I am Gwenevere. The primary alpha is Aurielle Adravendi, though I'm afraid she is occupied elsewhere at the moment. May I ask your name, crafter?"

Her head lifted at the matron’s interest in her skill and found herself standing straighter with confidence. “I couldn’t make the best spears if I didn’t know how to use them.” She said with a slight smirk then her heart leapt as the older woman told her how welcome her skills would be in the pack. She could hardly believe her good fortune that the first pack she chose would have use for her craft. She could go back to doing what she loved and be valued by others again, this time without the threat of ice wolves encroaching on her home. “My name is Hestia, it’s a pleasure to meet you Gwenevere.” She said and gave a polite tip of her head. Speaking   Thinking

The woman stood straighter at Gwen's words, and Gwen was pleased to see it. A crafter who took pride in her work was far better than one who went to it sullenly, and the woman clearly put in the work to make her goods the best that could be procured. "I am very glad to hear that," she said softly. "We will make certain you have whatever you need for your craft. You have only to ask. I look forward to seeing your work. I'm only sorry I won't be able to learn from you how to use it. Age, I am afraid, is rapidly catching up to me, though I'm certain our younger alpha Aurielle will be very happy to do so." She smiled at the woman - Hestia. "I am glad to welcome you to Celestial, Hestia."