The Alpha moved through the festival participates, head sniffing the air in curiosity, catching a whiff of wolves from all walks in life. Her own children where at home, tucked into bed on the chilled winter night. She would have loved to drag them all to this, but they had been exhausted by the time she had caught wind of what was going on.
Perhaps next time, if such a thing ever happened again.

She made her way to the lake, seeing the fishing contestants at its shores. With the river that ran through her pack lands, Shaye had become rather adept at fishing. She would definitely be giving this one a go.

She saw the male wolf so far alone, and took a seat beside him. A sniff of the air told her that he belonged to Winterfell, and she offered him a friendly smile. ‘Your one of Aceres Squires?” she would venture a guess. He didn’t give off the vibe of a healer, but she supposed he could have been a hunter. Regardless, with a friendly grin she ducked closer to the surface, and snapped her jaws at the water in an attempt to snag a fish.

Fracture looked upon the water carefully, staring intently for any flash of color that might be a fish swimming by. A voice called out from behind, and the black male nearly fell in when his concentration was broken. He whirled around, giving a tense exhale. "Oh hello." Even startled he had to be polite, he was representing Winterfell after all. "Yes, I'm from Winterfell. Under the command of King Acere." His dark head bowed in greeting for a moment, and when he rose he looked her back in the eye. "And who might you be?"

A gentle bubbling from the lake caught his attention then, and he pulled his gaze from the woman to quickly move back to the shore to make an attempt. His jaws parted and he threw his face into the water, feeling the salt stinging at his eyes.

The polite man dipped his head at her as he introduced his position but not his name. The older wolf couldn’t help but smile, remembering what it was like to be caught up in the novelty of a good rank in a new pack. “I’m Shaye, Alpha of Abaven, Acere lived in my pack for a time” she introduced herself and explained to him. Her respect for the white man was clear in her voice.

Fracture moved towards the water then and Shaye turned her attention back to it. She gave her coat a shake, and followed suit, dipping her head in the water for another attempt at fishing. It wasn’t quite the same as the Monument Rapids, but she had confidence that she would get the hang of it.

Fracture gave her a thoughtful look as she mentioned his king residing in her pack for a time. So this was Shaye, the alpha Brandr spoke of. And Acere was indeed the same wolf he'd remembered living with him. Fracture's head was swarming with questions suddenly, focused around the king's motivations and why he might have left. "I see." He responded softly, turning his head to the water to observe the movement beneath. Striking quickly, he moved to grab another fish.

After a moment his head withdrew from the lake and he shook the water from his fur. "Acere never mentioned to me that he lived in Abaven. Do you know why he left?" He supposed it could have been as simple as just wanting a higher rank, but it was always good to ask just in case there were other motivations.

She felt her muzzle move into a smile, a fond, sad, sort of thing. yes she knew why Acere had left, and to tell it in fill was something of a long windy story, and she didn’t entirely believe either of them where in the right or wrong. They just.. where

“We had different views as leaders, but I believe he would have aspired to be a leader regardless. He left because of those differences we had” she said, leaving it at that. At least they had found there way back to a friendship. She didn’t think they would, for a time.

She grinned then, thinking of happier thinks then her disagreement with a man she respected. “I trained his niece, Actaea, and my second trained Ignis” she said. “How is Actaea doing these days, do you know?” she would lvoe to get news from her apprentice, who was like a daughter to her.

She paused the conversation to take her own turn fishing, ducking her head in the water as she attempted to strike at a fish moving by.

"At least it was amiable." Fracture offered, seeing the alpha's gentle smile. "I know of Ignis and Actaea, though not well." His head dipped in some form of shame, and he glanced up at her carefully. She seemed polite enough, and Fracture hadn't had many to talk to of his troubles in Winterfell.

"It only affirms what I'd thought - Winterfell was made up of a family who knew each other before they formed. Sometimes it feels like I'm an outsider, looking at all of these wolves who were born together or raised together and only the small few of us who joined after the fact." A quiet sigh. "It makes it hard to get to know people, it feels kind of cliquey. So I'm afraid I can't tell you much of your apprentice other then that she lives. I don't think we've ever had a conversation."

He gave a small smile to her, and then turned back to the water to once more push his face under the surface to latch onto another fish.

She was surprised to see his awkward head dip as he said he did not know Ignis and Actaea well. He would go on to explain what he was feeling, and she let out a soft “Ahh” as she understood him a little better. He thought he did not belong, because Winterfell was a pack made of family members. She waited until he finished again, before speaking herself.

“If it makes you feel any better, I left the pack I now lead when I was only a child, and I returned to it the day it was going to disperse. I took over it because I wanted to hold on to what it had been. For a long time those members that had stayed after I left, or had been new in that time, where weary of me, it took months, a year, perhaps, before Abaven started to be a family to more than those that had lived there before my return. Winterfell is new, its a pack still learning who it’s going to be. My advice? Give it time, see if it will become something you can be proud of” she suggested. She paused as she reached down to attempt another snag at the fish.

Fracture listened to her words carefully, ears twitching. She was wise in her age, and Fracture felt for the first time in a long time like a pup during lessons with the elders. "I suppose you're right." He relinquished softly. "I only hope I can find my place there in time."

He dipped his head towards the lake once more, fishing once again. With all these wolves fishing in the lake, he was amazed there was still prey to catch at all. Pulling his wet head back he looked to her once more. "So, if you and Acere have different leadership styles then Abaven must be a much different pack then Winterfell." He waited quietly, to see what further information she might offer.

Shaye had to admit, there was a tiny touch of temptation to win Fracture to her pack, but she wasn’t about to try and steal one of Acere’s members out from under him. He had worked hard to get enough support to launch his pack, and he wasn’t about to take any of that away from him. Even if Fracture did look like a capable, strong and young warrior.

“We do” she agreed, through she hadn’t seen Winterfell since its creation, and couldn’t guarantee large differences in them now. “Abaven is a pack made more out of refugees then warriors. Wolves that cant or wont fight, have been injured or hurt in some way in their past. They all find a home here. Myself and my second, and a few other warriors, defend and look after them.” she explained, as she tried to paint a picture of the heart of Abaven. They didn’t always get it right, Tana sure knew how wrong they had gotten it. Still, she had to try, and she would always try, to give a home to those that needed it.

She shook her head, knowing she was letting herself get lost in her thoughts, and returned to the challenge at hand. She dipped her head back into the water as she attempted to catch another fish.

Shaye's version of a pack was the farthest thing Fracture could think of from his version of one. Wolves unable to fight? The weakest and most cowardly of the bunch? The dark male could see why Acere decided he could do better and left to form his own. "I was raised in a pack of warriors, during times of war. The weakest would be culled, it's odd to see a pack who accepts them and risks their own lives to defend them when they're not useful." He shook his head incredulously.

Another part of the conversation, another fish. The rhythm came easily, and finished his thoughts he moved back to the shore to strike once more at the creatures swarming under the water. While he hunted, he thought on Shaye's pack structure and how glad he was to find Winterfell - regardless of his feelings living there.

Her smile was old and sad at his words. “As happens so often, worlds over” she agreed as he described a harsh life of wolves that got culled if they were not useful. “My wolves don’t sit idly in the pack, they do what they can, they hunt, or heal, or grow.” she said, a protectiveness slipping into her voice. Yes, she would fight for them, she had, and always would, defend them.

The point was, anybody that didn’t have ill intentions could find a home in Abaven, no matter what walk of life they came from. They were family, each and every one of them.

The old Alpha took her next turn fishing, waiting patiently by the water until she saw one swim by, then lashing out in an attempt to snag it.

Fracture resisted the want to roll his eyes at her response, but instead made sure his voice was polite as he responded. She seemed protective of them, and he didn't want to chase his fishing partner away. "We had hunters and healers and such as well, but that didn't excuse them from defending their pack. Our healers could fight as well as our warriors, and everyone took turns on patrol."

He nodded as if nothing else could top his response, turning back to the water to dip once more into the frigid lake in search of a new fish. He couldn't imagine the life she described. It would be so boring to just be a hunter or a gatherer. What did they do when the food stores were full and there was no one to heal? "I'm surprised then if your pack is so full of healers and hunters that not more of them came with Acere. Winterfell I think has only one healer in our midst. Most of the wolves I've met there are warriors."

She almost grinned as she realised she and Fracture also had a difference in opinions. Not because he thought ‘lesser’ wolves didn’t deserve a chance at life, but because it reminded her of Acere and his differences in thought to her. Also at the fact that Acere had approved of this part in Abaven. She wondered if Fracture would leave if Ace ended up going down that path.

“Abaven is the largest pack in the land, no one has been foolish enough to mess with it yet.” she said, trying to keep her grin to a smile. She wasn’t offended by the man's attitude. If he ever thought of harming her wolves, it would be a different story. She might be old, but she knew she could take him.

“I gave them the choice, but I guess they already felt at home in Abaven” she explained, taking another term at fishing as she swiped at the water.

Fracture nodded at her words, face serious as she mentioned striking down any who would try to harm her pack. That much he could respect, though it was funny that she mentioned the size of it. Who cares if there were 50 wolves in a pack if only a small amount of them could actually fight? Fracture imagined the majority of her subjects would be hiding in dens if ever put under siege. "I assume with your relationship to the Winterfell wolves that our packs are allied. If so, you can rest easy knowing that we have your back as well. If harm would come to your kin I guarantee Acere would send us to war, too."

He turned back to the water, this time not wanting to put his whole face inside and lazily fishing instead with a paw.

She wasn’t entirely sure what Fractures opinion was, and well it would be nice to form a friendship with the warrior, she had a feeling their opinions would always be very different. Shaye would stand up for the weak with her dying breath. It seemed almost a turn-about when he said that his pack would defend hers, considering his opinion.

Instead, she just smiled, and gave her head another nod. “And i’ll always have Acere’s back” she agreed. Him, Actaea, and Ignis. They had become family to her, and that would never change. Fracture might think there weren't too many warriors in Abaven, but he would be surprised, pleasantly, perhaps, if he ever met her warriors.

She laughed at his lazy attempt at fishing, and stuck her head back in again. She knew they were getting close to their limit, but wasn’t too fussed about how much longer there was to go. This was almost a holiday after her Alpha responsibilites.

Fracture gave a quiet 'harumph' as he looked back down at the water. He was getting very, very tired of this fishing business. The dark male let his head turn to regard the alpha - who seemed to be enjoying the activity -and then fall back down to the water. He slumped down to the ground and pulled himself closer to the stream of water with his paws, letting them dangle in the cool water as he watched for more fish. "This is hunter's work." He muttered with annoyance. "How are you not bored out of your mind?"

Another fish swam past his paws, and he slapped his pawpads against the water deep to hit the fish's side. He intended to slam the thing against the shoreline with his paw, and then drag it up to his maw while it was stunned.

She eyed the man, who seemed to be getting grumpier and grumpier as they went, she couldn’t help but give him a smile and a shake of her head. “You just need to see the bright things in life, warrior” he had never given her his name, but she could make do. “Not so long ago, my pack was dealing with a fire, now a bunch of my members are wondering about this festival, and I have heard their laughter. They needed this, and therefore I needed this. If that means sticking my head in a lack a hundred times, so be it” she said with a gentle smile.

Fracture’s fishing style was changing again, and Shaye decided to mimic his attempt at slapping down a fish, it looked interesting, and she was always keen to learn.

Fracture peered carefully at the woman as she told her story, ears flattening slightly as she spoke of a fire in her home. "You're right." He agreed quietly, eyes still upon her face. "Perhaps this festival is a much better thing to some then it seems." It was true, Fracture was grumpy. The main reason for his mood however was loneliness. He'd met one friend in Heloise at Winterfell last season, and otherwise nothing more then acquaintances. "I'm Fracture." He offered finally, willing to give her his name at last. "Thank you for spending this time fishing with me when you could be with your pack-mates."

His head finally swung away from her then and back towards the water, continuing his method of slapping the fish into the dirt wall as he had prior - and seeing the alpha give his way a try too.

She gave him a fond, almost motherly smile at his words. She was feeling her age a little as she spoke of the trouble her pack had gone through, and how much they needed this. She refrained from adding in that he was lucky to have the chance to be bored, knowing young people never liked to hear such things. She still remembered what it was like to be just out of the age of a yearling.

“Fracture, well it’s a pleasure to meet you” she said warmly “and a pleasure to fish with you. You know, if you ever need help, you can find it in Abaven” she promised him, doubting the young warrior would need the offer, but feeling compelled to give it anyway. She gave him directions to her pack from Winterfell, for she already knew where his pack was. She tried to slap a fish again, seeing a challenge in it, and wanting to perfect it.

Shaye was a sweet wolf, and as she gave him a smile that reminded him of his mother, he let himself return one with just as much warmth. She offered him help in Abaven and he responded with a kind nod of his head, though he never intended on taking her up in the offer. While Acere might have enjoyed the life of a pack where the warriors duty was to guard the weak, Fracture couldn't see himself in that sort of place. He enjoyed sparring with his pack-mates, doing border runs and competing with the other dozens of wolves for the rank of top warrior. A relaxed pack life was not for him.

"Likewise." He returned, dipping his head once more to her. There were still fish left to catch although his pile was growing fast, and so the dark male - for hopefully the last time - dipped his paw into the water to hopefully snag a big one to end the contest with.