Rhyme showed their newest member all of the landmarks he was going to need to know. Where the kill pile was, the usual meeting place. They went around the borders, if he were to be a magnolid hed need to know where to go on patrol. They walked all morning, and around noon the tour finally concluded. Rhyme felt like he had gained quite the appetite, and it was definitely time for some lunch. He led Leonce back towards the kill pile.

”So, any questions?” He asked as his tail wagged lazily behind him. Solitude had made his way back to the maple tree, and the two of them were now alone besides the ferret. ”We’re headed back to the kill pile, we can grab a meal and I’ll call for Shaye to come talk to us. Likely she’s already scented you and is already on our tail.” He mused amusedly as he led the way deeper into Abaven territory.

Location: serpent plains As Rhyme and Leonce walked around the territory Leonce couldn't help but be fascinated by every little thing. He hadn't seen these particular slices of land before and he was eager to take it all in. From the budding flowers on the ground to the occasional glimpses of the bird he could only assume were Rhymes' ravens. When they finished their walk Leonce was starting to feel hungry, after all he had gotten distracted while trying to catch breakfast. Not having any questions he could think of he continued towards the kill pile and started eyeing what it had to offer. Meanwhile Colin had been enjoying his trip around the territory, he had taken it as a chance to nap while the boisterous wolf was being forced to walk slowly via social convention. He made sure to take his chances when he could get them. As he noticed the trip coming to a stop he caught the words of the alpha yet heard no call. Knowing that Leonce would never howl in a place like this he took the liberty on placing a firm bite on the wolf's right ear. Stopping the wolf in his tracks as he heard the ensueing howl. It wasn't a strong one, nor was it very loud, but feeling that he had done his job the ferret went back to his place on Leonce's back to lazily watch the future encounter. Leonce Colin action

She caught the scent of Rhyme and a stranger not far from the borders, and turned to follow it. She was sure that Rhyme had things underhand, but would still turn to follow their path. She wanted to introduce herself and see what was up. She didn’t recognise the scent of the other wolf at all, and would know nothing about him. She would however hear the sudden, soft howl that sounded a little like a wolf in distress. Uncertain what was going on, she picked up her pass and trotted quickly into view. Her eyes surveyed the area, glancing off Rhyme, who looked as though he was about to take a meal, and then Leonce, and the animal attachment on his back. She raised a brow and looked between her Alpha partner and the stranger. “Everything alright here?” she wondered. "Speech"

Leonce didn’t offer any questions as Rhyme slowly concluded their time around the territory. He supposed that was a good thing, it meant Rhyme had done a decent job. He looked towards Abaven’s newest member, wondering if it was hunger in his eye that he saw. Not that there was time to explore that thought as he watched the mischievous ferret emerge from the thick wolf fur to chomp at Leonce’s ear. Rhyme managed to stifle an amused chuckle as the black and white man howled out in pain. He was reminded of the pain in his shoulders the raven’s had been when they first started to perch upon him.

”Well, she knows where we are now.” He offered a sympathetic chuckle that time. The two of them didn’t have to wait long for Shaye to appear beside them. Obviously confused and a little worried about the call she had just heard. ”Speak of the devil.” He teased Shaye slightly, it seemed good to be around the young Leonce, he felt much more carefree than he had in seasons. He had pup like qualities, but Rhyme didn’t have to worry about making a mistake in parenting around him. Leonce’s carefree attitude was rubbing off on Rhyme in a good way. ”Everyone is in one piece at least. Shaye, this is Leonce. Our newest member, though I thought to defer to you to rank him.” He’d tried to hide how far his confidence had fell from Shaye, but his caution was obvious in this decision.

Leonce did his best to eye the ferret "what was that for?". The young man felt like he had just been betrayed by the very thing that was around him almost 24/7. With obvious hurt in his eyes he forcibly sat down forcing the ferret to slide off his back to the ground below. Hearing the voice of another wolf he turned his head to look at them. It was a female with a couple of feathers attached to the fur next to one of her ears. Rhyme talked to her for a bit and introduced Leonce in the process, so this was Shaye. Noting that Rhyme seemed to treat her as a higher authority he took it that she must be the alpha then. Rhyme must be second in command since Leonce had no concept of two alphas at once. Standing up to great the Alphess he dipped his head to her. Manners were the one thing his parents had managed to drill into him. "Nice to meet you Shaye." he said in his normal peppy voice. Eyes slowly looking back towards the kill pile he struggled to remain focused. This was an important meeting he couldn't let his stomach get in the way of things. Leonce Colin action

She glanced to Rhyme, hearing a hint of something in his voice. She doubted anyone who didn’t know him as well as she did would hear it - but it was there. She didn’t comment, instead she turned her attention to the newcomer. “Leonce, welcome to Abaven” She said easily, glancing at the ferret as the creature slid to the ground off the wolf's back. Strange company, but she was hardly one to judge. She noticed the man’s eyes drifting to the kill pile, and she offered him a friendly chuckle. “Here” she said, chucking the man a rabbit. The pile had been kept well stocked every since Brandr and his family had entered her lands, all of them capable hunters. She was glad it was no longer just about only Allegro struggling to keep it fill. “You can talk between bites - where do you hope to see yourself in Abaven?” she asked him. "Speech"

unless any questions are directed at rhyme feel free to skip him next round

Leonce was just as polite to Shaye as he had been for himself at the border, though as he eyed up the kill pile Rhyme felt a similar pang. Shaye didn’t comment on his teasing, instead gave her full attention to young Leonce. She welcomed him warmly and quickly offered him a bite to eat. Rhyme shifted himself closer and chose a plump pheasant. Or maybe it was a wild chicken? He couldn’t really tell, but it was some kind of fowl and he could enjoy that.

He settled himself down, lowering his haunches and shuffling his paws so he could hold onto the carcass and pluck the feathers. His least favorite part, but if you did it right it wasn’t any worse than being covered in deer hair. He watched the two of them as he tucked in to his own breakfast. He could focus on that while Shaye decided where Leonce belonged.

So he was officially a part of the pack, Leonce could feel that this would be the start of a new life for him. Less wandering aimlessly and more pointedly exploring. He also might meet other wolves to do it with and make it not as lonely. Catching the rabbit that Shaye tossed his way he began to eat as he had seen Rhyme start doing the same. Where did he hope to see himself in Abaven? Well he couldn't actually see himself now could he. It seemed like a rather silly question to ask if you asked him. Finishing a bite of the rabbit he swallowed and replied "Well nobody can really see themselves. But if I could it would be nice if I could see myself healing and exploring a lot." Leonce Colin action

She gave Rhyme another glance, and knew she would need to speak to the man soon. There something subdued about him, and she had an inkling as to why. But, with everything that had been going on, she hadn’t had much of a moment to spare for a serious heart to heart with him. Or at least… that was what she was telling herself. Turning her attention back to Leonce, as he gave a quib back at her. She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t bother responding, instead she put her mind to the second half of his words. “We have a wondering specific rank called a Magnoliid, or also known as a Ranked Navigator. Patrolling borders and neighboring lands, keeping an eye on herd movements, and scents around the pack - like how many wonders pass near our territory, ect, are part of the duties. If you wish to take this rank, and also extend your knowledge in healing, you are welcome to” she explained, she had no problem with people branching out to more then one rank - so long as they specialised in one. As she fell silent, the sound of tearing flesh could be heard from both males, and she would hold her silence, letting Leonce think over the rank and see if it suited him. "Speech"

Leonce ate while Shaye explained the possible things he could do. The rank name was Magnolid, it was a nice sounding name. It sounded like the flower magnolia, Leonce liked magnolias, they were pretty. He wasn’t quite sure what he thought about the rank, patrolling the borders being listed as a duty seemed rather restrictive as well as neighboring lands. What qualified as a neighboring land? Did that mean he couldn’t go exploring a certain distance away? Being a ranked navigator seemed appealing by name but the given explanation felt more restrictive than he would have hoped. He also knew he didn’t have the best of memories and might not be as useful in that department. Mulling it over in his mind as he finished the rabbit he looked at Shaye preparing to give his answer. “I like the idea of it. But does that mean I won’t be able to wander that far away? At some point in my life I would like to explore everywhere.” Leonce Colin action

Leonce didn’t seem to keen on the rank, which was the only one that would provide him the freedom he seemed to seek. She surveyed him carefully, curious why he wanted to join a pack at all if wondering was all he wanted from life. “Of course, I encourage wolves to explore the entirety of Boreas and Auster. I only ask that they return periodically to check in and give updates” she explained to him, having already given him info on what she expected those in the rank to achieve. “What exactly are you hoping to gain from Abaven, why did you seek to join?” she would ask him next, feeling his reluctance to fulfill the duties she had mentioned. It was possible that Leonce might not be the right fit for Abaven, but that was okay, she had offered him a fresh kill, and if he did decide Abaven wasn’t for him now, they could always reevaluate later in life when he had done the exploring he wished to. "Speech"

As Leonce heard Shaye’s words his heart was stricken with panic. He may have just ruined his chances at being in the pack and that was more than panic worthy. Of course he would return from time to time, why wouldn’t he? He liked the way the lands looked and he loved the idea of a place to call home. He couldn’t just lie down and say this place wasn’t for him, he had to say something! Leonce began to fumble over his words and ideas as his mind began running a million miles per hour. His tongue began to feel as if no place in his mouth was right, he couldn’t afford to mess this up. Willing his throat to make some sound, anything, what came out was “home, friends, stability, uuuhhh learning”  His wide eyes flitted around looking in the vicinity of Shaye unsure what he should be looking for or at. He really wanted this, he did, even if it meant that he would have to do the walking around in circles thing. Colin seeing his slowly sinking wolf companion decided to stop chewing on a mouse that had run by and step in to help. When Leonce got like this things tended to go down hill. Bolting up to sit between Leonce's ears the ferret began speaking the words that would hopefully rescue the situation. "Sorry, he doesn't do well with pressure. A translation would be that he wants a place to call home and make friends. Also learn, he seems to like learning a lot." With his piece said hopefully this encounter wouldn't go as south as it seemed to be going. Leonce Colin action

At her words, perhaps Leonce could sense her reluctance, for he was quick to respond in a jumbling of words, telling her he really did want to join Abaven - the idea wasn’t a passing fancy. “No problem” she told his companion, who translated the jumble. “These are things we pride ourselves on in Abaven” she agreed easily, reevaluating him once more. “I do believe our wondering rank would be the one best suited to you.” she would continue, having no wish to stifle his curious nature. If he wanted to explore the world, she wouldn’t hold him back. She only asked that he contributed to Abaven in the process, and in return he would have a home, protection, a warm den, healing and food that he could always return to if he needed them.

“Do you still wish to take the rank of Magnoliid?” she would ask of him. She hadn’t looked to Rhyme in a while, her Alpha partner had somewhat faded to the background, eating slowly and likely listening to the conversation. She would speak to him as soon as she could, she couldn’t keep putting it off, it was hurting their working relationship.

He had saved it he still had a chance. Leonce took a moment to collect his thoughts it seemed to be worth it to have some responsibilities if it meant he could have all of those things that a pack could offer him. He wanted this and if that meant he would have to lessen the time he spent exploring then so be it. He had been given another chance at joining the pack and he wasn't going to waste it. She asked if he would still like the role of magnolid and Leonce wasted no time "Yes, of course." he wasn't going to spend time bartering or asking questions. This was what he was going to get and he would have to be fine with it. Leonce Colin action

He was quick this time to agree to the role, and she was certain it was the only one that would suit his wondering nature, if he was set on Abaven. She wasn’t one to turn a wolf aay without good reason. “Then the rank is yours” she said gently. “Feel free to settle in and pick a den in one of Abaven’s lands, one of the few empty ones or build your own - that’s up to you” she explained.

Abaven still wasn’t the size it had been back in Bass’s time, so there were still pre-dug dens lying around for her to welcome wolves to. She didn’t need to show him where the kill pile was, as Rhyme had already done so. “Would you like me to show you around?” she offered