He was closer to Kirsi now, but he couldn’t help the lingering guilt he felt about making an attempt to take Ignatius’s place. He respected the man, and held him in high esteem. He’d been gone for so long now that it was only natural that Song and Kirsi grew close.. He shook off the feeling internally, she told him how she felt about Fyri’s alpha when they’d agreed to keep each other company. She was a grown woman and would make her own choices. Song wanted to hope that she might choose him.

With no outward revelation of his thoughts within the gold marked wolf led the pair towards Winterfell’s border. Their ultimate goal was now standing before them. He wanted to return the purpose to his life, to have a greater goal to work towards than his own self gratification. Not that he would have a desire to neglect that part of his life, but he wasn’t so selfish to raise his individual self up. He had no huge ambition, he just wanted to have a job and do well at it.

His tall form came to a halt at the well marked border, a soft sigh falling from his pale lips as bright blue eyes looked back to the stunning woman he was allowed to call companion. ”We’re finally here.” How long ago had Fyri been tossed into non existence? How long had the two of them dallied in the frozen north before appearing here? ”Ready?”

The crater of hurt that Ignatius had carved out in her chest had slowly begun to lessen. Part of her, she knew, would always belong to him - though whether or not she ever cared to admit it, let alone act on it if their paths crossed again, remained to be seen. He was her first true love, the father of her children whose lives had been tragically cut short - which was why his abandonment had hurt so deeply, and why that hurt had shifted rapidly into something far more distasteful. Song was not a replacement for him, at least not in her eyes.. but she had grown fond of his companionship and imagining losing him, too, was an unpleasant thought. Existing on her own was something she knew she was capable of, but - much like Song - Kirsi preferred to have something to work toward. Her ambitions were far too lofty to not find somewhere to settle down.. regardless of what her goals were, she needed to always find at least one. Hopefully Winterfell would give her some much needed direction. She sighed, almost contentedly, as they slowed near the border. "Indeed we are," she replied softly, gazing out across their borders into the expanse of pine trees that lay ahead of them. It'd been awhile since they'd discussed joining Winterfell, but now she felt the time was right and that this decision was a profitable one. Without waiting for Song to initiate the call, she grinned slightly and tipped her head toward the sky, letting loose a call for Acere.

Tyranis had disappeared. And a few other members had gone unaccounted for since the eruption, though their presence in the pack before that event had been scarce to begin with...he wasn't sure what happened to them or where they were. His Hand was the one he was most worried for. When his nephew became absent, a couple of his children had gone missing, too. He had tried to track his scent but came up short, and with the blizzards that had come and gone he had lost his scent completely. It was possible that his nephews kids had followed him, and he could only hope that was the case. While he wanted to go out and search, he was needed in Winterfell and he was well aware that his nephew could take care of himself and whoever had gone with him. With a heavy sigh, he continued on his routine border patrol with the hopes that he'd come across any of their scents...but instead, the sound of a strangers howl caught his attention. It wasn't someone he recognized, that much was clear. So the Northern King would push the bit of hope he had down deep inside for the time being as he put on a neutral mask to hide the worry he had for those missing. Some he knew, had left of their own accord to go aid other packs who might need it. And he wondered if these might be newcomers waiting to take their place. It wasn't an uncommon thought for him. Usually anyone that came to the borders were looking to join. Sometimes not. There was only one way to find out. Approaching the border, crimson gaze fell on a pair of strangers waiting for him. The striking blue pelt of the she-wolf looked somewhat familiar...and he squinted a bit as he tried to recall where he had seen her. Eyes widened slightly with recognition as it came to him. He had seen her briefly at the challenge he had called for Fyri's missing alpha. He assumed she had been a part of the former leaders pack...perhaps they had come with news that the once Northern leader was alive and well? As he approached the pair, he dipped his head in greeting. "Welcome to Winterfell. I am Acere, the Alpha here. What can I do for you?" "Speech"

He smiled as his features were turned towards her for a moment before the pair of them stopped on the border. In answer to his second question Kirsi didn’t hesitate to offer up a summons to the northern alpha. He chuckled amusedly instead of trying to add his own hurried voice with her. Song was happy to follow after the icy hued she wolf’s lead.

He took a chance to watch her with admiration before turning to look towards the titan figure that ruled Winterfell. Song felt himself straighten from his relaxed pose he took when in Kirsi’s presence. Acere, the leader who finally made clear Ignatius abandonment. He seemed to recognize Kirsi at least.

”Song Destruction, former member of Fyri.” He started, offering Kirsi a moment to introduce herself and speak if she wished. ”We’ve taken a bit longer, but is your offer for previous members to join Winterfell still valid?”

The pair didn't have to wait long at all before Winterfell's leader arrived, and she regarded him silently for a moment. Was he a wolf who's rule she could bear to live under? She supposed only time would tell. Either way, she offered him a faint smile and a polite dip of her head, before rising to look at him properly as he spoke. He introduced himself and asked what he could do for them. Song was quick to introduce himself, but not her - something that greatly pleased. Kirsi wasn't the type to allow herself to be overshadowed by anyone, especially someone she was growing to view as a partner of sorts. "Kirsi, former member of Fyri as well," she introduced herself simply. Mentioning her relation to Ignatius seemed fruitless - Acere likely only knew of him what he'd been told, that he'd abandoned the pack he'd built in the north - so she decided against it. Song was succinct in getting to the point, asking if his offer for former Fyri members still stood. "We've survived this long in the north on our own, so I have no doubt we will prove valuable to you." They knew how to survive and she had no doubt under Winterfell's protection they would flourish - the relationship would be profitable to both the two of them as well a the pack, and hopefully Acere saw it that way too.

Both of them made clear their former allegiance with Fyri, and he nodded slowly as they introduced themselves. "I thought you looked familiar," He murmured as he looked at Kirsi and then Song. It was a shame that Ignatius had disappeared...he had hoped his call to challenge would have pulled the former alpha out from wherever he might be, but...it hadn't worked. But...that was the past now. Surely these two were looking to move on from that as well.

"Yes, my offer still stands. And I agree that the pair of you would prove valuable to the pack." He looked them over for a moment, noting their good health and strength despite the hardships of the past season. But he figured they too, didn't have much trouble surviving the eruption considering it didn't quite reach the North lands. "Now, I don't know how Ignatius did things, but before you decide to join Winterfell I must inform you that there are certain things the pack may do that aren't traditional to others." He looked at each of them before continuing.

"The biggest one, is raiding. Be they friend, foe, or in between...but I'll make it clear that any raids are for resources should we need them, or as tests, and they will be nothing more than dominance fights unless the adversary decides to go for something more, then of course, you are free to retaliate as you see fit." He wanted to make the possibility of raids known to any who came to join so that it didn't come as a surprise to them later. "Be aware that other packs depending on their alignment may look down on us or see us as tyrants..but we are not. It's simply a way of life that many have done to survive, and we are not the only ones to do this. That is the main thing I'd like you to know, and if you have doubts about joining then that's alright. If there's anything you'd like to know or wish to discuss, feel free to speak." He let them have the floor. Did they have an issue with what he said so far? He wanted to tell them that first before proceeding with anything else and wasting their time.

"Acere"||Winter

Kirsi introduced herself as well, and gave Acere another reason to offer them a place in his pack besides an earlier offer. They were proficient and self reliant, they could only bring prosperity with them. Song nodded along with her words, adding in his agreement with them before Acere answered them. His off was still valid, and they would indeed be an asset to the pack. He went on to warn them however.

Ignatius had some odd traditions that Song wished he had been able to see played out. Acere’s words were not where Song thought he saw them going. His first mention was about raiding. Song had no issue with the practice, but he wasn’t one to advocate for them either. He was about self sufficiency, and taking from other packs wasn’t really included in that. ”I don’t much care about what the other packs feel about us. He chuckled, that was the last thing honestly.

What he cared about was Acere’s opinion, and what his decisions would be. That he would raid smart and keep his people safe. ”I’ve never really thought myself very maim happy either.” His voice was oddly cheerful, the new start was bringing him cheer he hadn’t expected. ”What do you think, Kirsi. Shall we pledge our services?”

Saying she wanted to move on was an understatement, and this seemed a reasonable next step. Kirsi had no interest in finding a ruler like Ignatius, nor a man to take his place in her den; she truly wanted to move on, to conquer whatever came next, and she hoped that pursuit would help lessen the pool of anger he'd left simmering in her heart. Life was too short to spend wallowing, and she'd spent far too long getting herself snagged on up something that was clearly fleeting. Kirsi was receptive to what he had to say, explaining that he intended to raid for resources needed. Perhaps it was her upbringing that had introduced her to a harsher life, but nothing about what he said seemed extreme. Kirsi had, after all, always found a way to get precisely what she wanted, and she found it admirable Acere had it in him to do the same. "I have no issues with it either." She was strong and capable and could hold her own in her fight, despite her size, and she'd see to it that everyone knew that. "I think that this will be a wonderful fit for us all," she leaned toward Song to flash him a grin, feeling similarly hopeful about what Winterfell had in store for them.

Neither of them seemed to have any objections to what he said. And part of him was relieved. He knew there were others out there who saw raiding as a hostile act and perhaps even as something that they'd consider enemy worthy, but Ace didn't think so. A pack had to put themselves first, not always wonder and worry how other packs saw another. If another pack were to raid him, he'd likely see it as competition and nothing more. Assuming of course, it was done out of necessity or survival or maybe even training purposes. But if it were simply out of hostility or maliciousness, well...that was another story. "I'm not one to maim others just for the hell of it, either," He chuckled before taking a deep breath and straightening himself out.

Alright...well they seemed sure about their decision then. "In that case, I'd love to welcome the both of you into the pack. And if you don't mind me asking, what are your preferred fields of interest? Winterfell has many, from trackers and hunters to fighters in both offensive and defensive fields, healers, blacksmiths, and more. There are many opportunities to be had, plenty of room for growth...especially for high ranks since they've recently been left unoccupied." He'd wait to hear where their interests lied before they moved on.

"Acere"||Winter

Song figured the titan alpha would mention his own opinion on maims, and he did. Not one to maim without reason and the Destruction could respect that at least. Kirsi held no protest, and seemed optimistic about their future benefits. Song cocked a smile at her before returning his attentions to Acere. He welcomed them into his pack with open arms, but he needed to know a bit more about them before he placed them in correct ranks. Understandable.

”I’ve always been a fighter, but I’m a decent crafter as well.” He was okay when it came to advisory roles, but he preferred to make things. Having known Ignatius the Destruction had even more ideas in his head. He’d been too busy surviving to experiment though.