While she would have really preferred to stay curled up in her den for the rest of the summer the girl found herself too restless for that. Ballad spent a lot of time pacing the border of Legion to release some of her frustrated energy, but even that had not been enough. She allowed herself to go out into the world, to follow her brother’s example. The young Pyre girl sought to commune with the Volcano. She held its markings on her soft fur, surely she would find some answers if she looked there.

She huffed heavily, feeling the effects of her season weigh on her after the length of her journey. At this point the girl was half way up the mountain, and had found no answers at all. Fiery paws brought her to a ledge that looked out over the vast lands below. Her silvery gaze passed over different landmarks as she felt small when compared to everything she looked out over. Ballad was forced to feel overwhelmed again, her whole life was gone overnight, she was lost.

She always felt on edge, a tingling feeling helped none by the changes her body undertook with summer’s arrival. Her ember marked tail lashed out behind her as she lowered her dark haunches to the rocky earth. Erratic emotions bubbled up beneath her so she never knew if she wanted to cry or scream or hide. She wished desperately her memories would return to her, surely everything would be better if she could just remember.

It was rare that Corvus wandered far from home at all, and though Mount Volkan bordered Abaven's lands on their western edge, it wasn't often he came out this way. He remembered coming out this way before, patrolling with Acere, who had tentatively warned him about a pack that had laid claim to these lands. Now, though? He wasn't sure what had happened, but no pack markers could be found here, so Corvus could only assume they had come and gone. It was strange to imagine packs being so temporal - as far as he knew, Abaven had been a constant for many years, even before his father was born. He couldn't help but wonder what had transpired here as he slowly began to traverse the cliffside. Speculating about things that didn't concern him was a welcome change from his own more somber thoughts. Corvus knew deep down he shouldn't complain, yet.. he still found himself occasionally sulking over various aspects of his life. Truthfully he wasn't good with change, and the strange happenings of the last year were beginning to weigh on him - and so was the fact that he hadn't seen his parents in ages. He wasn't much of a wanderer, but he hoped a quick trip outside of packlands might distract him for a short while. The summer's heat had set in quickly and the rather temperate spring had shifted into something far hotter and dryer than he was used to. Oh well, though; Abaven had survived worse weather, he doubted a slight drought would spell disaster for his family or pack. Still, it wasn't entirely comfortable - even now as he trekked up the steep cliffside he'd decided to climb, the dry air seemed to ravage his lungs. Briefly he paused to lick his dry lips and catch his breath, his chest heaving from the journey. It was only when he paused that he saw something that caught his eye. From the corner of his vision he could've sworn it was something on fire - the air here was brimming with a strange sulfuric odor, like nothing he'd ever experienced before - but upon further inspection he realized it was a wolf. Not just any wolf, but a rather pretty female, at least from what he could tell from a distance. Cautiously he observed her for short while, noting her slight stature, though his attention was quite captured by the way her flame-colored markings licked her jet black coat. As if mesmerized, he only snapped back to reality when he thought he saw her move. Shit, had she noticed him staring? Pushing off, he hesitantly veered to close the distance between them... though casually, avoiding walking straight towards her. When he got within earshot he tilted his head and offered her a casual nod, and let a faint smile tug at his lips. "Oh, hey," he feigned surprise - and probably did a really shitty job of it - as he glanced her direction.

Like the rest of those raised up in her culture Ballad’s emotions remained carefully hidden away in the gentle signing of her paws. Sculpted features remained blank despite the turmoil that lingered beneath the surface. She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of loss and confusion that lingered in the dark cloud above her. Even in the heat of the summer sun she felt like she was in the pouring rain.

The heat had begun to affect her, however. The bright sun beat down on her black coat and made her retreat. Ballad turned to seek out a bit of shade until high noon settled into evening when she was confronted with another wolf. He was huge, towering above her and challenging even Chaos’ massive form. He had to have been about her own age, and his face was much more innocent than the fanged alpha’s as well.

She knew she was trained as a warrior, she had the skills even if she didn’t know it. She had no reason to be afraid but she couldn’t help herself as she curled inwardly. She wanted Lament to be here to protect her. Still her features remained blank, but her paws fidgeted beneath her as she expressed her emotion Uncertainty, fear, curiosity. She watched him carefully from beneath her silver gaze.

”Hello,” the girl answered back politely. Her safety was likely not in danger, if he had wished her ill he would have been able to take her by surprise if he saw fit. ”Can I… help you?” She didn’t want to seem rude, and he looked like he might have had something important to tell her.

The thought of Corvus seeming intimidating to anyone was almost laughable. The only wolves who risked being harmed by him in any way whatsoever were ones that wished harm upon his family and pack - to strangers he posed no threat, and so he had a hard time anticipating that he might come across as the least bit imposing. That was why he didn't hesitate to approach her, though he moved slowly and his posture was far from threatening, at least in his mind. If she was the least bit uncertain of his presence, he couldn't tell, though he silently noted the way her paws fidgeted unusually. Her plain greeting earned a faint smile. Corvus's interactions with non-Abaven wolves had been limited, and this was a good reminder that he wasn't completely hopeless at socializing. Her next words, though, made him suddenly doubt that he was doing good at all. Uh.. what? Corvus realized he'd cocked his head to the side, trying to formulate a proper response. "Uh, no," he started, though quickly shook his head. "I mean - it' not that you can't help me -" Shit. Corvus was fumbling over his own words, and any semblance of confidence he'd initially displayed all but crumbled as he realized maybe he was more hopeless at this than he thought. "I was just, uh, trying to say hi," he finished weakly, shrugging his shoulders and hoping he didn't sound like a total idiot.

He seemed confident..ish as he walked towards her, his head tilted curiously as she asked her question. Hesitation obvious as he formulated his response, Ballad managed to keep her expression neutral. Her paws shifted in the signs that could be read by only Lament and other Ademre. ”Uh, no.” He answered and stumbled over his words, Ballad’s liquid silver eyes wouldn’t leave him. If she didn’t feel kind of sorry for him she might have let a chuckle escape her, but he wasn’t meaning to be her entertainment.

She wasn’t sure if he had uttered a full sentence when he finally just quit while he was mostly ahead. ”Oh,” she replied, unsure how to respond. She had said hello, and so had he. ”Hello again.” She decided to say as she continued to watch him with her blank stare. The more she watched the more she learned about the way his muscles moved beneath his pelt or how he shrugged off the nervousness that seemed to take him.

Before the summer started she might not have understood the nervousness, but she felt oddly shy in his presence as well. Ballad couldn’t argue he seemed innocent enough, and having his attention made her feel.. good. Good, she decided, unable to come up with another word to describe the fluttery butterflies in her belly.

All at once the confidence he'd managed to built up seemed to falter, and Corvus felt speechless, stumbling over the most simple words and trying to find something normal to say. It didn't help that she was so pretty - her markings far more unusual than anyone he'd seen, anyone in Abaven - and he suddenly felt like his tongue had gotten heavier. Hopefully he hadn't sounded rude, or too brash? Words had never been his strongest strength, but since when had he gotten so fucking awful with them? She hardly responded to his stammering. He wondered, for a moment, if he wouldn't prefer a negative reaction to.. well, not much reaction at all. At least if he knew he'd offended her somehow he could apologize and be on his way, but be confronted with such unreadable seriousness was unnerving to him. She hardly blinked when he spoke, which only made his discomfort heighten. When she finally spoke, she only uttered a few short, succinct words, which made everything worse. Did she want him gone? There was a hint of interest in her stare - or maybe it was hesitance, he couldn't really tell - and it was that reason alone that Corvus didn't instantly turn around and go back the way he'd came.  "My name's Corvus, by the way," he offered weakly, trying to keep a tone of optimism in his voice despite the lingering feeling that he was completely socially inept.  "Do you live around here?"

His awkward exterior didn’t lessen as she replied to him, but the girl didn’t know how to respond anyway. She wasn’t practiced in talking to those outside of Lament, and with her dejected state she didn’t have much topic for conversation anyway. Ballad was a mess, not that she could remember how she was before. She just knew that this was not how she was supposed to be. Uncertainty, curiosity, interest. She signed softly, knowing this stranger likely couldn’t understand her fidgeting like signals.

He gave her a name, Corvus, as he asked of her origins. He seemed optimistic despite how their conversation had gone so far. ”I’m Ballad Pyre.” She offered, her tones silky if not tinged with a sadness she couldn’t quite rid. ”I.. don’t think so.” She was prepared to explain her situation to him, he seemed interested enough. ”I’m staying in Legion with my brother right now,” Now that he’d asked the right question she was a fountain of information comparatively. ”We lost our memories, and I couldn’t tell you where we are really from.” Her paws signed absently of loss and pain but her voice remained almost neutral.

He wasn't sure whether to be more uncomfortable or relieved that the girl he was talking to seemed just as uncomfortable as he was. Maybe he was just projecting, but she didn't seem like the best conversationalist... or maybe she was already hoping he'd go away. But the interest in her gaze was hard to completely ignore, even if her expression was more neutral than he would've liked. Testing the waters, he loped a bit closer, still keep a very safe distance, but hoping she realized he was friendly and interested in a conversation - without seeming like he was about to jump her. Ballad Pyre. The name was unfamiliar to him, just as her scent was, though he really hadn't expected any spark of familiarity. He didn't leave Abaven that much, especially since obtaining his new rank - though he knew patrolling neighboring territories for changes was always important, too. Calling what he was doing currently a patrol - trying desperately to talk to a pretty girl - suddenly sounded like a stretch, and he nearly grinned at the thought. She admitted she was staying in Legion with her brother, and he nodded absently. He admittedly had no clue what sort of pack Legion was, or even where they were situated.. and he was tempted to ask, at least until she admitted something even more peculiar. She'd lost her memories? "Do you not remember... anything at all?" It sounded like she'd only ended up here recently, and he wondered when her memories had been lost.. or what that even meant. He was so curious that he spoke up without thinking, backtracking when he realized how abrasive his question could've come across. "Ah, I'm sorry if that's not really.. cool to ask. I've just never heard of anything like that," he admitted gently. He couldn't imagine a life without memories - he was perpetually comforted by thoughts of his parents and siblings, even when they weren't around, and of how easy his childhood had been. Perhaps if hers hadn't been quite as easy, not remembering might not be such a misfortune...

She couldn’t help but watch him approach with her intent silver gaze. His large form towered above her own small frame but Ballad didn’t flinch. She felt herself become a little shy at how close he was, the butterflies in her belly growing stronger. Ballad shifted with her own internal discomfort, both wanting him closer and farther away for different reasons. She explained herself and he followed up with a question as a look of disbelief fell over him. "Do you not remember... anything at all?" Had she allowed herself to show emotions in her face Ballad might have looked ashamed. Corvus apologized as soon as he said it though, as though he could tell her feelings.

Ballad took a deep breath, he seemed interested and she wanted to explain herself. ”Well, not everything.” She started, signing nervously with her left paw. ”I knew my name, and my brothers name. I know how to fight… but everything before the moment i woke up is gone.” Words for mourning and sadness were signed as her gaze fell to the ground. ”Not knowing who I am has been… Terrifying.” The girl’s words were a soft whisper as her toes trailed in the dirt at her paws. She didn’t know why she was being so upfront with him, but he’d been polite and seemed to care about what she said.

What had initially seemed more like fear emanating from Ballad was less palpable now, and as he moved closer she didn't seem like she wanted him to necessarily leave.. which was a good sign, right? Corvus was acutely aware of his own social awkwardness suddenly, and making sure he wasn't freaking her out seemed of utmost importance. He'd always been a little too blunt when it came to interacting with others, a habit he'd probably gotten from his father, and almost instantly he regretted his question. What an idiot, he couldn't help but think, grimacing at her blank expression. Maybe it'd be better if she looked annoyed with him and told him just what a fool he really was for speaking before thinking, but instead she simply paused before gathering her thoughts and explaining what she meant. She'd forgotten almost everything.. just not her name, or her brother's name, or how to fight. The way she averted her gaze made it clear she wasn't happy about any of that, and she even admitted it'd been terrifying. His gaze softened, and he nodded somberly. "I could imagine.." As confusing and sometimes terrifying as life could be, at least he had his memories to ground him... the knowledge of who he was and where he belonged was something he often found himself grasping on to. It was easy to see just how terrifying it would be to lose all of that, to be drifting through the world without a tether to keep him tied down. He wondered briefly if Ballad ever worried she might float away completely. "At least you have your brother?" He chimed in after a moment of thought, his mind briefly drifting to Aiden and Rhea, and he felt a pang of sadness at the absence of both of them. "That must help you, at least a little bit."

Being able to talk to someone other than Lament or Rhythm about what she was experiencing felt oddly freeing. Corvus seemed like he could be categorized in the nice guy corner, he was respectful of her space, though quite focused on his words. He offered her sympathy as well as looking at a bright side. At least she had Lament. Corvus was right, it hurt to think how lost she would be had he not been there when she awoke. She nodded softly,not wanting to vocalize how much he supported her.

”He’s my rock.” Her voice was softer now that the distance between them had closed. His large earthen form feeling more like a comfort as the moments together passed. She studied him with quicksilver gaze for just a moment before she spoke, acutely aware of how one sided the conversation had been. ”Do you live around here, Corvus?” She liked the way his name felt on her tongue as she repeated his question to her.

If anything, Corvus was a halfway decent listener.. even to someone that might not be terribly good at talking to others about much of anything. That was what he hoped, at least. Sometimes he could talk without thinking about what he was saying, but he could empathize with her pain, even if she wasn't being very forthcoming with it - he could tell that not knowing who she was and where she'd came from, not really, would be hard. But she had her brother, and that was something, right? He could relate to that, even if nothing else. His family meant everything to him.. even when they were gone. He nodded in understanding, letting a faint smile touch his lips at her words. A question followed, and before he answered her hesitantly took a step forward and found a patch of solid ground to recline upon, rocking on his haunches. His head tilted to the side as his face found the eastern side of the mountain - he could see Abaven's lands from this height, a sharp winding river that interspersed a fertile plain and more heavily wooded thicket just beyond. "I live to the east, just down that way," he gestured a little more obviously to the lands that Abaven claimed. "In a pack called Abaven. I was born there, and so was my father," he explained lightly. It was just home, and it was hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Ballad was desperate to fill in the blank of her memory, already flashes of different times teased her right before bed or when she was waking up. Nothing definitive came back though. Lament was her whole world, the majority of her memories. He was comfort and support, two things she felt she needed as much as her memories with everything being so unstable. She was so uncertain, and that made her afraid.

Corvus nodded in comisery and gave her a soft smile as his huge form shifted and found a seat just a little closer. Ballad took in a deep breath and summoned he bravery. So far she liked Corvus, and the fluttery feeling he gave her. He seemed like he was a sweet guy, and wasn’t as intimidating as trying to talk to the wolves of Legion. Ballad’s flame colored paws carried her next to the Abaven boy’s side. She coiled her legs as she sat herself beside him and pulled her ember fleckecked tail around her paws and looked in the direction he faced.

Though from here she couldn’t make up the wolf made borders she couldn’t deny that Abaven seemed very green. She might have liked the area, and one day she might explore there. As soon as she got her memories back. ”That sounds like me and, Heart.” She gasped at the name that slipped from her lips. Where and what was Heart? ”Does that place sound familiar to you?” She asked with too much eagerness on her voice. She had a memory, but no way to use it. What did it mean?

It was difficult for Corvus to imagine a life without his memories. The pictures he had stored in his mind of his childhood - of his parents, and his siblings, and how Abaven had once been - were things that kept him grounded. When their absence was too much to bear, at least he had his memories to lean back on, but it seemed like Ballad had... nothing? Besides her brother. He could only hope that if her memories might be traumatic, maybe there was a good reason they'd been locked away. But still, he frowned somewhat sympathetically, hoping that talking about his own life wasn't something that'd be seen as insensitive to her, and luckily... it didn't seem to be. If anything, she seemed to grow more comfortable around him, and he tilted his head in her direction for a moment as he saw her walking closer, moving to sit beside him. He offered her a faint smile, though his attention shifted back to Abaven's lands in the distance. Corvus shook his head slowly at her question though, wishing he had an answer for her. "No, it doesn't sound familiar to me," he replied softly. "Do you think it's where you were born?" He added curiously.

Ballad was forced into a state of timidness by the loss of her memory. She couldn’t know how confident a she wolf she had been because of her loss. She couldn’t picture her homeland or her mother. None of her fellow apprentices appeared. She was lost and she felt very alone. Only Lament understood, however much sympathy Corvus was able to offer her. She managed to pull a subtle smile from his lips as she moved closer, and Ballad felt herself becoming more comfortable with him.

His green eyes shifted from her and back to the direction of the land that he called home and Balled felt herself sigh internally. She wished she could know the direction of home. Legion wouldn’t ever have the same feeling even with Chaos’s kindness. ”I think it could be. I don’t know what other significance it might have. Maybe.. Maybe Lament might recognize it when I say it. He didn’t know my name until it fell from my lips.” She told him as her paws spelled out her uncertain emotions. ”I still can’t shake the feeling someone did this to us on purpose.” She admitted quietly.

Corvus still found himself clinging to the hope that maybe her memory loss had been a good thing, rather than some great tragedy. Perhaps she wasn't meant to remember who she'd been, or where she'd been from - maybe a fresh start was a good thing? Sometimes he wondered what it'd be like if he got such a chance, to start fresh somewhere new, but he knew the fleeting thought was a foolish one. Leaving Abaven, and his family, wasn't an option for him, even if sometimes he liked to spend time on his own. It was always temporary at best. He couldn't help but sympathize with her, even if he couldn't truly understand how she was feeling. For a moment he felt the urge to embrace her, or even simply touch his nose to her shoulder in a show of comfort, but he resisted - and then he felt the moment was gone as soon as it had arrived, replaced by a slight frown and a furrow of his brows. "I hope that's not the case, but maybe if you talk to Lament about it you might get some answers." Maybe not, but if answers were what she was seeking, she'd have to press every avenue she could. He let out a sigh after a moment, fidgeting slightly where he stood. "I should.. probably be getting back home. But it was nice meeting you," he said, his words genuine as he turned to face her. "Don't forget, I live over that way," he explained for a second time, gesturing vaguely toward Abaven's lands. "If you ever need anything, or just want to.. hang out.. I'm not far," he added awkwardly, forcing a slight smile as he dipped his head toward her. "Hopefully I'll see you around," he concluded, before turning to head back the way he'd came, though wishing he didn't have to. -exit Corvus-

Corvus was as helpful as he could be as she started to admit more deeply what she felt and memories she had supressed. Her gaze grew distant as so many thoughts ran through her head. She was sure there were scenes from her past but no context and no meaning. She sighed softly, her face oddly blank as her paws signed out emotions of confusion and defeat. Their conversation came to a close as Corvus mentioned his need to return to his pack. Her attention was brought back to him as he motioned towards Abaven once more and invited her there for.. anything. She cheered a little, her ears perked and the corners of her lips pulled up into a quick smile. ”Hopefully,” she offered back honestly. ”Safe travels, Corvus.” Ballad remained sitting as he disappeared into the scenery. The Ademre girl returned her gaze to her paws, only having more questions as she was to leave the mountain.