These woods seemed so beautiful considering the spring, but then again Verias could consider it all beautiful as it was his first time seeing it. He was new to these lands entirely, there was nothing more he knew other than kesali and the battlegrounds. Though Verias knew with time and age that would change. As the dark wolf pressed his paws against the soil, he noticed a cluster of graves. There seemed to be two on one side of the weeping tree. Stones marked them and a few other things making it clear that the dead were buried. He respectfully moved away, he didn't know who they were but it was best to let the dead rest.

Lifting his head he let the wind carry the many scents of the land over him. The scents of the kesali wolves littered the land, as did that of spring flowers and birds that were flying about. The male's golden eyes looked for some sort of companionship now. He wanted to get to know the culture of these wolves as much as possible. At least for him, he certainly hoped his morals did not get in the way of his work. The strong survived, the weak did not, but it was their duty as the strong to protect the weak so they could live long and fulfilling lives.

The small boy was growing stronger, his limbs regained their vigor and his silver eyes grew brighter. Erystotle had gained a bit of weight and height since being dragged to Kesali, though his heart still hurt from the loss he suffered. The question of being not good enough. His own mother had sent him away, how could he really be wanted here? Though everyone had been nothing but kind to him the young horned boy felt lonely. He was the only wolf of his age, though he enjoyed Branch, Clementine, and Lydia they were not his brothers.

He had energy and some to spare, and though he still didn’t much feel like playing the boy took to walking. Erys walked all day some days, just pacing the borders of the territory but also exploring. He had seem almost everything by now, but he loved to look around the willows the most.

Mismatched paws carried him over the textured bark of the willows as he skirted the fast moving spring water. The trees were fully leaved at this point, and seeing past the tree you were in was difficult. And though Erystole was slow going he still became surprised when the stranger materialized on the bank. The boy stared open mouthed, curious about who this was but too shy to say anything as he stared.

What Verias did not expect was for his company to be that of the youth. This strange looking pup had horns growing from its head. He didn't want to seem rude but his eyes widened and he blinked in disbelief. Did these strange lands sport more than huge wolves twice his size? He approached with caution at first and then reminded himself, this was a pup no harm could be done to him and he certainly knew that if this was one of Kesali's pups than it was his duty to protect him.

"Why hello there young one, what's your name?" Verias would lay down on his stomach. Trying to make himself a bit less threatening. "My name is Verias. I come from strange lands and I've never seen a magnificent pup such as yourself." he smiled charmingly. The end of his tail twitched, he loved pups. The man hoped one day to have his own and settle down with a partner. Yet he let the thought pass, he had a lot of life ahead of him to be thinking about that.

Erys watched with wide liquid mercury eyes as the stranger lowered himself to be more of the pup’s size. The boy was somewhat stunted in growth because if the condition he’d been allowed to get into before being found and brought back here to Kesali. "Why hello there young one, what's your name?" The horned boy couldn’t help his galactic tail from swaying at his heels with the gentle words. "My name is Verias. I come from strange lands and I've never seen a magnificent pup such as yourself." If the boy were a bit older he might have blushed but instead felt his ears fall to his skull as he stared back bashfully.

”I’m Erystotle.” He offered quietly from alabaster lips. He was told by the adults in his life not to be rude so he continued, ”it’s nice to meet you, Verias. Thank you for the compliment.” Everyone had been so friendly to him so far, but he still wished he had someone his own age. The brightly marked boy trailed a claw through the moist earth as he looked back up innocently at this newfound friend. However shy he still felt in front of him.

Verias felt his fur rustle on end at the shy nature of the boy. He knew of himself to be kind, but shyness was taught when he was young that it was a weakness. He feared this pup would not make it, and thus did his protective nature kick in. As long as Erystotle was within Kesali than he could be as weak as he wanted. Shoving the thoughts down Verias smiled, "It's no problem, I am learning new things every day in these lands... where are your parents?" Verias found himself looking around. Expecting some angry parents to come his way but there were none.

"How long have you been in Kesali for, son?" Verias than asked, though he knew these were close-ended questions that would normally lead to nowhere. Well, he had asked for companionship and this is what he had received. In the end, it was better than the bitter loneliness that could have consumed him. "The alpha, Branch he accepted me a week ago or so." Verias would explain, as he looked at the weeping willows letting the wind carry into his fur.

This new stranger smiled down at Erys easy enough, which helped the boy to feel more at ease. He let his mixed hue hips fall to the ground as he was given more questions. Where were his parents? The young boy looked away, not out of bashfulness but because it still hurt to think about his parents. They had abandoned him, though he would never understand why. "Over the water, he said sadly and softly while looking away from the dark adult. He failed to explain how Lydia had found him on a beach, close to death. She saved him and brought him back here.

"I dunno," the boys sense of time was more than skewed. "Since it was cold." He had been incredibly cold when his savior found him. Thankfully he evenyually recovered, and now he barely bat an eye at the cold nights. "Branch is nice." He went on to comment, the alpha had seen to him personally after he had settled in. He had also promised learning and lessons for when he got older. "What rank did he give you?: Erystotle offered his own question now that his liquid silver eyes returned to Verias as he tried to make friends with the galactic pup.

When Verias heard the boy say over the water grief struck Verias. He didn't know the story but he could assume that it meant the boy's parents were no longer around him. So in Kesali he was alone, been here since winter. Verias could tell that the pup was getting older, muscles filling in but he still seemed to have a ways to go before he reached adulthood. "Mine too are across the water." As far as Verias knew his parents had not been thrown into the water like he and his siblings had that faithful night. The male decided not to press further on it, now he partially felt a duty to Erystotle.

"A fighter, not sure what the name for the rank is yet. Title's such complicated at this pack confuse me. Where I come from there is an alpha, a beta, the base of the pack and the omega's." Verias stood on his paws then and smiled to Erystotle. "Why don't we take a walk, tell me young one what are you hoping to do when you're older? Hunt, Fight, heal?" while he knew barely how to hunt for survival. His mother and sister had been the healing kind.

Erys perked his blue tipped ears and his eyes widened unexpectedly at the words, "Mine too are across the water." The boy felt incredibly comforted to know that he was not the only one separated by a great body of water. There was no hope of the young wolf ever finding his way back to the lands that birthed him, a sense of finality in the ending of the relationship between pup and parent. Erys was alone save for those who chose to be in his life. He may have been lonely at times, but he had a great support system behind him. The young Atlas boy would grow into adulthood unlike his siblings.

Verias was a fighter, though he didn’t know the real title given to him. Not that Erys knew either. He was slowly learning about how to be a wolf and how to be a wolf in Kesali. "Why don't we take a walk,” Suddenly his new friend was standing, and he asked nicely about what Erys wished to do when he grew up.

The boy’s white paws carried him eagerly beside Verias, he was more than happy to continue his walk. Flashing silver eyes shifted from the path back to the dark adult he spoke to, and back again. ”I like plants,” he mused as his eyes lingered on the path. ”and fighting would be fun.” He continued, basing his opinion on that fact solely on how he played as a tiny pup with his brothers. Most wolves didn’t have horns either, and he thought they might be useful in battle. Erys was a gentle boy though, and likely would find he didn’t really have what it takes to be a warrior.

As they walked Verias took a careful look at the boy. He didn't seem all that weak, strong, what with a pair of horns on his head and those odd colorations. Then again who was he to judge when Branch was possibly the biggest wolf Verias had EVER seen. Listening to him talk though, Verias didn't think Erystotle would make such a good fighter. Plants though.... healing was another thing. "There's more ways to help than fighting young one. Everyone has their own strengths, my brother was a hunter the best I ever knew! My sister, well she liked plants much like you." Verias smiled towards the young boy.

"My mother was a healer, and so my sister learned the craft from her. You take these plants, some of them nasty mind me, and you smother them on wounds and do other things to keep injured wolves from dying." For someone who didn't know anything about healing that was it. He knew that there were plants you stuck on your wounds and they'd help it get better. He also hated the ones that he had to eat. "Though there's nothing wrong with learning a bit of self-defense. I could teach you if you'd like sometimes. I'm sure there's a healer in the pack too who could teach you all that plant stuff." Verias didn't know if he was doing all that great but it certainly felt right to be trying to help the pup.

Erys continued to totter alone, keeping up fairly well with Verias. His colorful tail wagged in pleasure behind him as his pink toed paws carried him over the trail. The man told him about his siblings, how his brother hunted and his sister had liked plants and that his mother had been a healer. The talk of family brought thoughts of his own lost blood to his mind. He felt the cold hole in his heart where his brothers should have been.

The young pup had hardly been listening to Verias as the thoughts of his lost family filtered through his head, but he did perk up at the mention of being taught self-defense. Erystotle nodded, simultaneously trying to rid his mind of memories of his foggy past.

”I would like to learn from you, Verias.” He answered politely as he navigated over a thick fallen log. ”Self-defense in basically the same as fighting right? Just protecting yourself instead of attacking?” He questioned, again having no experience outside wrestling with his littermates. Of course, he’d always been discouraged from playing. Whenever they laughed too hard their mother always got such a sad look in her eye.