The hunt for her new den had started far earlier than she originally planned. Her sleep had been few and far between, coming in fitful busts and turning into a night of short naps rather than a full night of sleep. Most of it was spent dissecting her own thoughts and emotions that had been stirred up during her conversation with Resin. Many different subjects came up during her musing and pondering throughout the night, most of it more confused or excited than anything which was a welcome change of pace from the nightmares that typically plagued her. However, as the night wore on her mind started to wander down that path and her last attempt at sleep was abruptly ended by a dream of her fighting with her father. The imaginary image of blood running down his throat in the same way it had hers the last night she saw him implanted itself into her mind and ruined any remaining attempts at sleep.

She finally gave up on it entirely when the sun had just began to peak over the horizon and cast enough light for her to see well by. Tam set out to explore more of the territory and see where she might be able to set more permanently. She thought the decision would have been a more difficult one to make, but when she found an area was was largely unoccupied near the river it felt just felt right. It didn’t seem like many others had picked this immediate area, but she wasn’t too far from everyone else either. She liked the sound of the flowing river and once she saw the sunrise coming over the river she decided this was as good a place as any. A small den that had clearly been home to another kind of animal in the past was enough for her to get started with and she spent most of the morning digging out a bit more space for herself. Tamsyn probably could have left it at that and been content, but she liked having a project to put her mind to. She spent some time stabilizing the den’s entrance and finding some long grasses and softer brush to line the floor of her den. By the time late morning rolled around, Tam had a den that she was more than happy with for herself.

She stood back and admired it for a moment with a small smile. It wasn’t much to look at really and it was still fairly small, but it was enough for her to be comfortable and to be able to move out of the dens near the common area so that was enough for now. Satisfied with her work, Tamsyn went over to the river’s edge to start washing the dirt off her paws. Maybe she wouldn’t have bothered to clean them off right away normally, but... she was going to try and find Resin next and that was enough to put a nervous flutter in her chest as it was. She couldn’t go looking for the warrior without looking her best. Her mind kept insisting that she was just nervous to begin training to fight and that doing this was all just a way to delay it, but her heart wasn’t convinced.

As was her way, Resin had risen long before the sun. Scarred paws carried her around the perimeter of the Armada territories. She marked, inspected anything suspicious, and made sure that the home of her daughter was safe for another day. The behemoth did this so often that she'd beaten a track into the ground from the constant movement of paws. That served as its own border and warning. She had never been one to sit still, and so patrolling the borders suited her just fine.

While she carried out her work, the sound of action pulled her attention off of the beaten trail. Peering through the long grass, the woman's lone eye rested upon the working form of Tamsyn. It seemed as though the small woman had decided to craft her own den. Resin found herself grinning slightly. The thought that the small, dark fae was taking the time to set down roots seemed to ease something in the maned woman's mind. She liked the idea that she would be able to see Tamsyn every day if she so wished. There was work to be done, however, and so Resin didn't make her presence known. She did have an idea for later. Something that she imagined might make the small woman smile.

Once her morning patrols were done, Resin stopped at her own den. One that she share with her sister, Meadow and her charge, Dunkan. Moving about the spacious abode, she collected various things. Once satisfied with her gatherings, Resin took them between her jaws and made her way to Tamsyn's freshly dug den. When she arrived, the woman wasn't even within that den. From the splashing, she surmised that the obsidian fae was in the river cleaning up. With a shrug, the giantess ducked inside of the small den and deposited her bundle in the center of it. Backing out, she gave her ashen pelt a shake before seating herself to wait for Tamsyn's return.

Once Tamsyn was satisfied with the cleanliness of her paws and was sure all the dirt was washed out from between her toes, she shook off as much of the water as she could and backed away from the river. She turned around to head back toward her den and within just a few steps she was surprised to see Resin sitting right outside of her den, seemingly waiting for her to return. Tam blinked with surprise and tried her best to keep her composure as her stomach fluttered with an unexpected burst of nerves and excitement. A smile tugged at her lips as she hurried back to meet the scarred warrior with her tail wagging gently behind her. There was a nagging reminder in the back of her mind that they had only just met and she needed to keep herself in check, but it felt like the first time she had ever felt this happy around someone before and it was hard not to be intoxicated by it.

”Resin! Hello!” she called in greeting when she got close enough to do so, wanting so badly to keep her cool and look put together in front of the much stronger woman, but she couldn’t help the excited wag of her tail. Her ears flicked back shyly as she trotted over to stop in front of Resin, her mint green gaze looking up to her single golden eye happily. ”I wasn’t expecting to see you here! I guess you know where I’ll be living now.” She wondered to herself where Resin’s den was and wanted to ask if it was close by, but she kept the wondering to herself for now. Any attempt she could make to not come on too strong was something she was holding on to dearly since she obviously couldn’t seem to keep a hold on any of her other reactions. ”What brings you out this way?”

Tamsyn approached and while Resin didn't smile, her features still seemed to soften. Perhaps she smiled with her eye rather than her maw. The younger fae was wet and had obviously been bathing in the river as Resin suspected. It seemed as though they were excited to see one another. Tamsyn's dark tail wagged to and fro behind her and the maned woman's own tail began to swish ever so gently in the grass.

As she was greeted, she returned the sentiment with a soft, growling, "Tamsyn." She was happy to have the smaller woman in her presence again. There was just something about Tamsyn that... calmed her? Resin couldn't quite put her paw on it just yet. She did know that being near to the obsidian wolf made her feel less alone. It was something that she'd been missing and hadn't really realized it.

Now the freshly ripped corner of the woman's maw lifted slightly as Tam spoke of her new living space. "We actually don't like too far from one another. I set up my den to guard the border between our territory and the Weeping Woods." With a pull of her blocky skull, she motioned to the side. "Just over that way." She then motioned to the mouth of Tamsyn's freshly dug den. "As for why I'm here, I brought you a few housewarming gifts." Inside would be a large roll of various furs the the woman might sleep upon. There were also a few small dishes and a bundle of dried meat that Iolaire had prepared.

Tamsyn was quickly picking up on Resin’s subtle expressions and reactions. If anything, it just meant that Tamsyn needed to pay closer attention to catch how her friend’s expression softened and the happy gleam in her eye. It didn’t matter to her if she didn’t get a smile or enthusiastic greeting in return, it was more than enough to know that Resin had sought her out and seemed to be pleased to see her.

Her ears perked with interest when she heard that their dens were fairly close to each other and she smiled as she glanced in the direction that Resin motioned to. She tried to not look too overly happy or relieved by this fact, but she wasn’t sure how successful she was at doing so. With as stoic as the larger, scarred woman was, it made her feel like a lot of her reactions and emotions were over the top in contrast, but that didn’t seem to bother Resin so Tam tried not to think about it too much.

When the attention was turned to the gifts that Resin had brought, Tam looked to her with genuine surprise before looking into the shadowy interior of her small den. Her mint green eyes landed on the roll of fur Resin had left there and it immediately sent her tail into another enthusiastically happy wag. ”Oh, thank you!” she replied as she hopped to her feet and slipped inside to inspect the generous gifts with a huge smile on her face. She unrolled the wonderfully soft furs till they were spread across the floor of her den, very nearly covering the entire small space. She looked over the dishes as well and took a little nibble of the delicious dried meat while emotion welled up in her chest.

It was the first time she had ever had someone give her a gift like this. Maybe it seemed like a small thing to Resin, but it spoke volumes to Tam. The housewarming gifts immediately transformed her space from a hole she had dug out for herself into what felt like a real home. For once in her life it felt like someone cared and it took all of her will power to not let the lump in her throat overwhelm her. She stepped back out into the sunlight and looked up at Resin with a joyful smile, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. ”Thank you so much. This is so kind of you,” she said as she reached up to press her nose to Resin’s cheek.

Tamsyn seemed to be an emotional sort. Not overly emotional, but she showed a great deal more emotion with her expressions and actions than Resin believed she was even capable of. All of this paled in comparison to the boundless enthusiasm and emotion that her sister, Meadow, showed. Sometimes Meadow was over the top, but the scarred lady didn't mind Tamsyn's range of emotions one bit.

Upon being told that there were gifts waiting inside, the small, dark dame jumped into the den, her eyes lighting up in a way that brought another lip quirk to the giantess. Resin found that she rather enjoyed making Tamsyn smile. She pushed the thought aside though, for a moment later the woman came back out of the den, her mint eyes brimming with tears. Tears... she hadn't expected. If she hadn't expected those, she expected the gentle touch of affection even less.

Standing on tiptoe, Tamsyn pressed her small cheek into Resin's scarred visage. The grey woman's pelt bristled slightly and her initial reaction was to bare her teeth in dominance, but she bit that urge back. It had been so very long since another wolf had given her an affectionate touch. She was a warrior. Hell, she didn't even embrace her own daughter. So, when the little, dark newcomer placed her cheek against Resin's in a gesture of thanks, for a moment, she honestly didn't know what to do.

After regaining the mental composure that Tamsyn had stolen away, the scarred woman cleared her throat and nodded at the gratitude. "You're welcome," she growled. There was a bit of heat beneath her cheeks and a strange bit of slithering in her stomach and chest. Odd. There was no reason for that to be there. To change the subject and distract herself from this awkward, although not unwelcome, situation, she spoke further. "Would you like to walk the border with me?" Dark ears flicked forward as she waited for an answer.

She could tell she had made Resin uncomfortable, with her touch or reaction she wasn’t sure, but either way she had noticed the awkward way the far larger wolfess cleared her throat. It was incredibly endearing and it made Tamsyn’s expression soften with a sweet adoration and perhaps a bit of humor. It seemed funny to her that something as simple as a small sign of grateful affection could make such an imposing warrior so flustered. Tamsyn kept the thought to herself though, not wanting to make Resin feel any more uncomfortable than she already was.

There was no hesitation when Tam nodded in agreement to Resin’s offer to have her walk the border with her. ”Of course! Lead the way!” It was easy to fall into step along side Resin as they began to do the patrol that she was confident Resin could do in her sleep. Tamsyn would be very surprised if anything at all could get though the border without the warrior at her side knowing about it. She let the comfortable silence linger between them for a while, lightly trotting along and taking in the scenery as they went. If nothing else this was letting her learn where exactly their pack’s border was.

”What made you decide to live here?” she asked curiously, shifting her gaze to glance at Resin when she decided to try learning a bit more about her friend. They had plenty of time to pass after all.

Resin did notice the subtle grin and twist of eye from Tamsyn, but she paid it no mind. There was no animosity in the woman. No gloating. That was all that the giant woman cared about. She supposed that, if she was in Tam's place, she might enjoy making another feel something. Feelings weren't her strong suit though, obviously. She understood the vast range of emotions, she just chose not to employ them.

Tam jumped at the offer to patrol with her and Resin was glad for it. An active mind couldn't wander. If she kept moving, she wouldn't think about the strange feeling that she'd stomped down earlier. Rising from her place, the maned woman nodded and began their trek. It would be a long walk and she hoped that Tamsyn would be able to make the rounds.

As she figured would be the case, Tamsyn kept the conversation going, asking why Resin chose this place. One black ear flicked absently; a tick of hers. "My daughter, Iolaire, is the Armada's healer. We were separated by tragedy a long time ago. After killing her father, I happened to find her. She asked me to stay." That was the only reason that the old warrior was here. Otherwise, she wouldn't subject herself to the rule of another. Though she didn't follow any particular set of rules, having someone govern her always left a sour taste in her mouth.

It never crossed Resin's mind that the nonchalant speaking of killing another wolf might bother Tamsyn. It was just a part of her life. She had killed. She was a killer. There was always a very good reason and she could justify the death of each ghost that followed her. The father of her children had deserved to die more than the rest of the ghosts combined. If she could, she would kill him again.

Tamsyn remembered hearing about some of the history with the man that had fathered Resin’s children when they first met, but hearing that her friend had killed him was new information. It made her eyes widen in surprise before she glanced away to look at the path ahead of them again. She didn’t comment on this new fact right away, instead mulling it over quietly for a moment.

It wasn’t that she didn’t see a reason for him to be killed. The way he had injured Resin and attempted to murder their children more than explained her reasoning. The only thing that made her pause was the laws that had been firmly planted within her mind from the day she was born. Murder or killing of wolves of any kind for any reason was one of the few commandments that they all strictly followed. Even suicide was highly frowned upon and whenever they would find a wolf that had done such a thing there was always rumbles through the pack of how their soul was now forever damned. It might be one of the reasons she had kept herself from it for so long.

The fact that killing was not the sin and taboo that she had grown up believing it to be was something that was going to take time for her to fully accept, but it wasn’t something that made her view Resin any differently. When she glanced back up at her scarred face she was just as happy to be there with her and in the end that’s all she really cared about. ”I’m glad you got to reconnect with your daughter,” she mentioned with a smile. She didn’t quite know what it was like to have a strong bond with a family member, but she could guess that Resin really cared for her and Tam just wanted Resin to be happy.

"I'm glad as well. It was a little surprising to know that she even wanted me in her life. I wouldn't have held it against her had she never wished to see me again." She had never been mother material. Had she not suffered that one surprise pregnancy, Resin never would have reproduced at all. Having Tamsyn on her right, she cast that singular gaze toward the little dark woman. "Have you met her yet? She's surpassed anything that I could have hoped for her." Truthfully... when Iolaire had been born, Resin had considered killing her out of mercy. Life was hard for the largest of them. It would be exceptionally difficult for a runt.

"What do you hope to gain from the Armada? Are you just looking for a place to belong? Do you wish to hone a skill?" On her own, she would have been moving along at a fair clip. With the two of them together, she kept her pace at a comfortable walk. There was no need to rush, after all. With the whole day ahead of them and another doing the rounds as well, the pair of women could take their time.

Resin hoped that Tamsyn's reasons for joining the Armada were reasons that would make her stay. Some joined packs to learn, and then they left. Others joined on a sort of trial basis. The scarred woman found that she wanted Tamsyn to stay with the Armada. This was only their second meeting, but there was something about the little fae that intrigued her. It brought out the protective nature in her. Made her feel... softer.

The pride Resin showed toward her daughter brought a smile to her lips. A wistful sadness deep in her chest surprised her and she did her best to brush it off, but it was difficult to do. She wondered what her own mother would say about her if she could see her now. Would she be proud that she had made it out and was trying to make something of herself? Or would she condemn her the way her father had for going against their way of life? ”No, I haven’t met her yet, unfortunately. I’ll have to keep an eye out, I’d love to meet her.”

When Resin posed the question of what she hoped to get from living with the Armada, it made Tamsyn pause. An answer didn’t come to her immediately and when she did begin to speak it was with a little bit of hesitance. ”I never really expected to be a part of a pack again and honestly, joining this one had been a sudden choice. I’m still figuring out what I want, but this is the first place I have felt wanted and cared for so... I’m happy to stay here as long as they want me here.” It was as good of an answer as she could come up with so she hoped it made sense.

”Zee found me near the edge of a cliff,” she added, realizing that Resin probably didn’t know how she had come to live here. “She talked me down and brought me here just to make sure I ate something and calmed down. She saved my life so when she offered me a place here... I took it.”

Tam had not met Iolaire yet and had said she would look out for her. Resin chuckled and shot a glance at the small wolf. "She's the one that looks nothing like me." It was like some great joke. The black and grey warrior was huge. Iolaire's father had been larger still. And yet, Io was smaller than Tamsyn. Most found it terribly comical.

The explanation that Tamsyn gave was a little shocking, to say the least. The woman seemed so positive; so cheery. Had she not told Resin directly that she had considered killing herself, she would have trouble believing it. The woman found herself feeling... angry. Suicide was so easy. It was so final. Giving up wasn't an option. Not in her world.

Anger gave way to something else. Relief, maybe? She shot a golden glance towards her companion and when she spoke, her voice was low and tinged with... something. "I'm glad Zee found you when she did." That was all she would say on the matter. She would keep her judgements to herself, but she was glad that Tamsyn's plan had failed.

As they curled around the edge of the Weeping Wood and neared the coast, a little bit of thunder began to rumble in the sky. Soon the sky split and a cold rain began to hammer down upon the pair. Normally, she would continue on through the rain, but she didn't want to subject Tamsyn and possibly have her fall ill. With a pull of her shoulder, the big fae motioned for her companion to follow. The hollow of a big willow would serve as a temporary rain shield. Squeezing her body inside, she settled, facing the exit. They would be forced to lay against one another, but it was better than getting soaked, she supposed.

As perceptive as she was, she couldn’t decipher the emotion in Resin’s voice when she said that she was  happy that Zee had found her. She gave her a slightly curious glance. ”I am too,” she replied, though she was still trying to decipher how Resin had reacted. She was grateful every day that she spent in the Armada that Zee had found her and had convinced her to come here. Tamsyn still wasn’t convinced that she would have actually gone through with it, but if time had worn on her psyche any more than it already had... Even if she hadn’t killed herself that night, she might have in the days or weeks following. Her coming here completely reframed her perspective and altered the course of her life forever.

When the rain began to fall she looked toward the sky with a disappointed frown. She didn’t want the weather to interrupt her time with Resin. She was willing to stick it out through the rain storm if the warrior was, but Resin led them off their path and toward a large willow tree. Well, Tamsyn was happy that they weren’t parting ways just yet despite the change in weather.

The smaller woman was quick to slip into the hollow next to Resin, thankful to be out of the downpour. However, she quickly realized how small the space was in comparison to Resin’s large size and how tightly she was pressed against her. Her side was completely against Resin’s and that closeness kicked up the annoying butterflies in her stomach again, making her face flush under her fur. She was admittedly thankful for the warmth since the rain had quickly drenched her, but she had a hard time meeting Resin’s gaze out of fear that her friend might notice the flustered embarrassment on her features.

Pressed into the hollow in such close proximity, Resin felt the fluttering too. Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Rain was coming down at a quick pace. The area might soon be flooded unless the storm tired itself out soon. Just as Tamsyn was avoiding looking at Resin, the scarred woman found herself doing the same. Normally, she was cool, calm and collected. It seemed that, for some reason, the mint-eyed dame as able to kick her out of her norm.

Clearing her throat once more, the ash and onyx woman lowered her blocky skull to rest it upon one extended foreleg. She tried not to focus upon the heat of Tamsyn's body as they were pressed together. She was doing a decent job of it too until a very cold gust of wind blew straight into her face. Icy rain spattered the scarred woman's face and she grimaced. Winter was definitely on its way. "I'm sorry," she said before curling her body around Tamsyn. She placed her back to the entrance so that she could keep her face out of the wind. "Hopefully the rain stops soon. This must be uncomfortable for you." Now that her face was out of the wind, Resin was surprisingly comfortable.

The clap of thunder over head made her jump a little, instinctively pressing her form tighter to Resin’s despite the flutters in her stomach she didn’t quite understand. Tamsyn tried to distract herself by watching the rain outside, by counting the trees that were in view, by watching for more thunder and lightening... anything and everything to help her not think about how her smaller size fit perfectly against the large warrior beside her. She had never been this close to someone before, not since she was a pup in a pile with her siblings. While she wasn’t one to shy away from affection or touch, this was certainly more than she was used to and caught her off guard. It’s just because of the rain. We’re just escaping the rain, she kept thinking to herself.

She gave Resin a surprised glance when she twisted her body to put her back to the rain, effectively blocking Tamsyn completely from the entrance and wrapping her gray and black form around her. Tamsyn was certain that her cheeks were going to catch on fire with how hot they felt under her fur and it was getting increasingly difficult to ignore her heart that was trying to pound its way out of her chest. As nervous and flustered as it was making her, Tam still couldn’t bring herself to think that she wasn’t enjoying it. “No, no, it’s okay,” she insisted quietly, giving Resin a small, shy smile while her ears folded back against her skull.

After laying in silence for a couple of minutes, she gathered every nerve and daring bone in her body and finally convinced herself to shift so that her head could lean on the fighter’s shoulder, her small body curling in on itself as she tucked herself neatly into Resin’s side. “There... a little more room for you’d like,” she told her, barely meeting Resin’s one-eyed gaze before glancing away again with a shy smile.

It was a good thing that the weather outside was chill since it was getting rather warm inside the tree. When Tamsyn curled her body into the big fae's side and placed her head upon the scarred shoulder, Resins currently warm cheeks burst into flames. Her pelt bristled slightly as goose flesh prickled her skin, but soon smoothed. Tam seemed comfortable, so she attempted to be comfortable as well.

"At least with a storm so heavy we won't be stuck here for long." She attempted to make small conversation, lest the silence be uncomfortable for her companion. It was difficult to deny her sudden attraction for the smaller woman. Resin had always found herself attracted to both genders, but it had been a long, long time since she'd felt anything for anyone. Generally speaking, her most used feeling was disdain. The gruff, older wolf didn't care for most people at all. Had it not been for Iolaire, there was no price someone could pay to make her stay around this many wolves. But... had she not stayed... she wouldn't be in this awkward, yet slightly thrilling predicament right now.

Casting her goading, golden eye towards the one tucked against her, Resin noted a fleck of debris stuck to the bottom edge of one black ear. Leaving forward, the warriors dusty blue nose pushed the fibers of rotting wood off of Tamsyn. This act curled her thick neck over top of the smaller woman in a strange sort of embrace before she settled back once more. "You had a bit of dirt just there," She offered in explanation.

Tamsyn kept waiting for Resin to shift away or make a comment on their closeness and was pleasantly surprised when it never came. Once she got over the initial nerves she felt over making a move like that, she was able to relax a bit more into the larger woman’s side. ”Right, of course,” she replied when Resin mentioned that the storm shouldn’t last long, even though she really wasn’t in much of a hurry to go anywhere. She didn’t know how to describe her feelings in that moment, all she really knew for sure was that being around Resin made her happy and made her feel safe. Anything else was a mystery to the smaller woman who had never experienced things like attraction or love. The best guess she had was some kind of mix between excitement, happiness, and nervousness.

She had just begun to settle and her heart had nearly calmed back to its normal rhythm when the larger warrior’s neck seemed to cover her and pull her into a bit of an embrace. Her warmth surrounded her for a moment and immediately sent her heart into a flutter all over again. Tamsyn couldn’t understand what was making her feel this way and the only thing she could do was chalk it up to the fact that she had never been so close to someone before. It had to be just cause she wasn’t used to this kind of physical touch or affection, right? At least that’s what she kept saying to herself. She felt Resin’s nose at her ear and then just as quickly that warmth was gone and she was looking up into her single golden gaze once again. When she heard the explanation that there had been a bit of dirt caught in her fur, Tamsyn nodded and felt silly for ever thinking it was an embrace or something of the sort.

”R-Right! Right, of course, thank you,” she replied with a soft laugh, trying and probably failing to play it off. She shifted her eyes away from Resin’s while she went back to trying to steady her own emotions, looking instead at her own paws. Just then, an extra loud clap of thunder startled her, making her jump with a surprised gasp. Her paw reached over and held onto Resin’s foreleg right above her elbow until the rolling thunder finally passed and she was able to breathe a soft sigh. ”Sorry,” she apologized with a small smile, her ears flicking back as she slipped her paw away again. “I’ve never liked storms very much.”

The cloud of awkward feelings was elevated when Tamsyn clung to Resins foreleg. It was about to get a lot more awkward too. The ash and onyx fae was a protector at heart. She understood the fear response in her companion and reacted accordingly. As Tamsyn apologized, Resin lifted one big foreleg and easily tucked the small wolf beneath it, holding her against her chest

Well... being protective was easy. This was a feeling that she knew and so, for her, things felt a bit less strange. That wasn't to say that the heat left her face. Her whole body felt as though she'd fallen in a bonfire. Being able to focus on something else though calmed and distracted her. Outwardly, perhaps none of this registered on the woman's scarred face. Perhaps it did. Resin didn't care.

With Tamsyn pressed so tightly against her, she could feel the beating of the ebony dames heart against her. No doubt her heart could be felt as well. She had shoved the woman against her rib cage, afterall. Resin slowed her breathing and thus lowered her heart rate. The cool wind and rain against her spine was soothing and she focused on that for a time. Anything was better than focusing on how out of control she felt.

Resin found herself wishing that Tamsyn would fill the silence. She wasn't much of a conversationalist herself, but she enjoyed listening. Clearing her throat, she tried again to stoke the fires of conversation. "Tell me about yourself. Tell me about where you come from." Not the best topic, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

She felt the monochrome wolf shift and then suddenly she was wrapped in Resin’s embrace, held tightly against the larger wolf. It had been one thing to just be laying closely to Resin’s side, but to be held like this and to be able to feel her heart beat was a whole different thing. The heat that had been burning her cheeks spread to the rest of her body and she began to wonder how she would ever get her emotions and heart rate under control. She couldn’t grasp why she was reacting this way! They were just staying out of the stormy weather and Resin, being the kind protector that she was, was simply reacting to her fear and protecting her. That train of thought held enough logic to help her relax, even though the question of why being around Resin made her react this way still eluded her.

Tamsyn was grateful when Resin prompted her to talk about where she came from. Usually talking about her past wasn’t a pleasant thing, but it gave her a distraction. In a way it made her happy to share more of her story with Resin since it helped them to get to know each other better. ”I used to live in a small valley between a grouping of mountains. It was a forest of mostly oak and maple trees. It was nice during the spring and summer and the leaves were pretty during the fall, but it got pretty barren during the winter... though I guess most places do.” As she spoke she began to relax more and more, eventually convincing herself to ease into Resin’s embrace and rest her head against her friend again. ”If I could have lived there without the other wolves that were there I would. I actually liked the land itself a lot, but I never really got a chance to explore it.”

She found herself talking about details that she usually wouldn’t have considered worthy of saying, but something told her that Resin wouldn’t mind. It felt better to fill the silence and keep the feelings she didn’t understand at bay. ”My family had been there for several generations before I was born. They were all really dedicated to the group of wolves that I was born in to. They weren’t as organized as this pack is and there was no real borders like we have here, but they all stayed together and there was always one older male they called the guide. He was like the leader of the group and made decisions based on the religion they all believed in.” In an absent minded, distracted kind of way, Tamsyn let her paw trace back and forth over Resin’s leg where the scars were scattered over it. ”They all thought that if they didn’t follow everything perfectly then they wouldn’t be able to survive or nature would turn against them. That’s part of the reason my family reacted so... harshly to me not following their rules. Plus, I think my father just didn’t react very well to facing defiance for the first time in his life.”

A roll of thunder made her pause, her motions freezing for a moment and her ears flicking back until it finally passed. She relaxed again with a soft sigh before she continued, ”I had two brothers and I was the only girl in the litter. We were our parent’s first litter. They didn’t have another litter, at least not while I was there. Who knows, maybe they decided to give it another go after I was gone. My brothers definitely have families of their own by now. They both chose their mates a couple of months before... well, before I was kicked out.” She hadn’t thought about her brothers in quite a while or what they may be doing now. She wondered if they had daughters and if their girls would fair any better than she had. The thought made her ears flick uncertainly and her gaze drifted off, suddenly feeling very distant. She silently hoped that if they did have daughters they weren’t as strong headed as she had been since her brothers most certainly learned from their father.

With a small shake of her head she glanced back up at Resin, speaking with a small smile, ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble so much.”

Resin listened as Tamsyn spoke of her upbringing and the land where she was born and raised. The black wolf had begun absently sliding her pawpads back and forth over the scars upon one of the maned dame's thick forelegs. It was strange, but not wholly unwelcome. It was just something that she was not used to. Touch was foreign these days. Rarely did she come into contact with the body of another. Even her daughter and sister didn't receive physical affection from the one-eyed fae. It just wasn't her thing. Tamsyn touching her felt a little different. More welcome than the touches of family.

The dark fae continued to speak and inside, the behemoth was seething. She wanted to destroy Tamsyn's entire pack. The men for being sexist bullheads and the women for being weak cowards. She was proof that women were only weak if they let themselves be. So many males believed that females were inferior. Stay at home. Take care of the pups. Greet them when the came home from the hunt. Lift their tails whenever a man wanted. No. That was not the life for her, at least. Perhaps many females wanted such things, but she never had. Resin had always wanted to cut her own path with tooth and claw. Hearing that there were packs out there that kept their females under paw so much that they would banish them for the smallest disobedience... it lit a fire in her veins.

In time, Tamsyn tapered off and apologized for rambling. Resin gave her small paw a pat. "No need. I asked, did I not?" Lips curled back a bit, exposing the woman's strange teeth momentarily. "I must admit that I would love to watch your former pack burn. Were I younger and more whole, I might do it myself." Nothing had been out of the question years ago. She had been a guardian of the weak. A protector of the less fortunate. How times had changed... here, she was a glorified guard. A nothing.

Inhaling deeply, the woman released her held breath long and low. She decided to share her recent thoughts with the woman beside her. "I've been considering leaving the Armada. I'm not meant to be a pack wolf. At least... not one that lives beneath others. Perhaps I'll lay claim to my own patch of land. Take in those that can't protect themselves. The downtrodden and broken." A light shrug was given and another little sigh followed. "A lot of work is involved in running your own pack. I'm not sure if I'm up for it anymore." She was only seven, but years of battle made her body feel every year of it.