Askan moved parallel to the river, trotting along as a gentle breeze ruffled his coat. He was venturing closer to pack lands than he probably should have. By no means was he squatting over their border and taking a piss, but the scent that lingered on the wind was too strong to ignore. Sirus had told him a thing or two about the packs in these parts but his words weren't much for the Selwyn to go on. He'd only mentioned names, vague directions, nothing concrete or really that useful. A bare bones courtesy if Askan had ever seen one. Askan was curious, there was no denying that, but he was still pondering what his next move would be. It had taken him some time, and some effort to put his pride aside, but he'd eventually come to the conclusion that finding a pack to serve wouldn't be the worst thing ever. At the very least it was an option, if wandering the land with Raelyn didn't work out. Not that he'd seen her in a few days, but whatever, he was fairly sure she could look after herself. Even if she was useless in a fight.

The Selwyn slowed to a walk, then a stop as he came upon a fork in the river. To one side it headed east and the other west. Had he been the sort to believe in fate he would've seen this as a sign, a hint that his life would take a new direction, but instead he thought nothing of it; taking things at face value as he always did. But which way to go? He looked left and then right, his lips pursed and brows furrowed as he poked at the inside of his mouth with his tongue. Maybe he ought to close his eyes and spin in a circle, and whatever direction he faced that's where he'd go? Askan snorted at the thought, as if he'd do something so...uncouth.

The river was too wide, too deep; the current too strong for the winter winds to freeze the deep blue waters into a cloudy blue. Unfortunately, it only meant it was freezing as hell, and the yearling did well to keep her distance. The river was Malalia's favorite haunting place, excepting the willows, and so it was no wonder she found herself walking along its banks now, her mind murky, her tail drooping straight down. Aslatiel surely hated her guts. Sirius had bombarded her with taking Zee on vacation, however soon that was. Azure had actually apologized to her... bearing in mind a very loose definition of an apology. What was the world coming to?

Beats me. It was an honest effort, the attempt she made to shelve her worries and carry on, business as usual. But something was itching under her skin, and she simply had to leave before it crawled right up out of her.

The walk to the river was a familiar one, a path trod dozens of times. In warmer weather, there might be cattails and other plant life, green green green, sprouting up on the riverside, but the earth was covered in snow, the leftover growth the color of straw. She picked her way across the pass, pads crunching in the snow, the rhythm ceasing as the sight and scent of another washed over her. The young man was sitting at the fork of the waters, casting his gaze in either direction. Was he trying to find which way to go?

Malalia dropped her rump to the ground a respectable distance away, head dipping back towards her own home. "East is a good a choice as any," she offered. "Beaches are closer. Plus, we've got hot springs."


"Speech"

Askan huffed a sigh, his ears tilting back in frustration. In part he was tempted to just turn around and head back...well, the way he'd came from he supposed. More often than he'd like his mind lingered on the h word, like it held any meaning here. It was a big chip on his shoulders, splitting into a crack that weaved its way down his spine. But so what? Everyone had their issues, Askan just happened to wear all of his on his sleeve,  written in bright red ink for the whole world to see.

He turned, brows furrowing and eyes squinting, when he heard the muted rustle of footfalls. Sure enough there was a stranger behind him, settled on her rump in an attempt to appear as nonthreatening as possible, he supposed. Pfft. As if he was that weak of heart, or like he needed coddling. He'd been about to say as much, some sort of snarky remark that would out him as the prickly porcupine that he was, but she spoke before he could get a word in. The east? Askan looked to his left, lips pursed in thought. Out of spite he didn't really want to take her advice, after all who was she to tell him what to do? But on the other paw, well maybe he would like to see some beaches and hot springs. It'd certainly break up the monotony of wandering through fields and forests.

"Hmm." Askan grumbled as he planted his arse down on the ground as well.

It was only then he took the time to get a proper look at her. Now this was a kind of wolf that he was used to, tawny and normal, like a breath of fresh air. A glint of silver caught his eye and that's when he noticed the bracelet on her back left leg, it was a pretty little trinket, the sort Askan knew his sisters would have fawned over. Typical women.

He could tell she was a pack wolf, the scent of others clung to her coat, but she didn't belong to the pack closest to the river. The smell was similar, in the same way that leaves were like grass, close but not the same. The fact that she knew the area well suggested that she lived nearby too, which was a little odd now that he thought about it. After all, most wolves were territorial bastards, usually kicked up a massive fuss if a pack settled down too close to their borders. So he couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on here?

"I assume you're from around these parts then, since you know so much."

The porcupine didn't need words. His thoughts might as well have been flashing across his forehead, for all the snark that oozed from his appraisal of her. He took a seat in kind; but kind, he was not, answering her approach with narrowed eyes and a grumble. She hadn't been smiling, but the corners of her lips twitched downwards, then. Wariness, now she could understand that. Caution was the default in this world, as friendly a wolf as she happened to be... but damn if this guy wasn't grumpy as hell. And he obviously wasn't afraid of her.

Oh gods, she hadn't bumped into another Azure, had she? Mala supposed that he wasn't as inflammatory as her brother... not that he could really afford to be. No pack scent clung to him, and a cursory assessment of the area told her that the two were alone.

He didn't need words, but he supplied them anyway, drawing a snort of quiet laughter from her. Okay then. Her ears flicked the sentiment away. "I'm a member of the Ashen Armada," she confirmed. Rank was unimportant for now. "I'm not a native, but I can find my way around."

She smiled lightly, her brighter nature winning out for a moment, and let her gaze wander over him. Dark, sturdy, bright eyes. Not much older than herself. And a fairly normal size, compared to some of the titans she'd met in Boreas, her adoptive father included.

"I'm Malalia, by the by. Malalia Fatalis." Her tail thumped behind her. "Were you headed anywhere in particular? I might be able to point you in the right direction." The grin she wore turned a little wry. "Since I know so much."


"Speech"

The Ashen Armada? In the back of his mind Askan knew that it wasn't fair to make assumptions, to paint everyone with the same brush, but his run in with the Armada's Warlord had left an overly sour taste in his mouth. Bitter and sickly, like he'd eaten a poisonous plant. Sure, the pack could be a paradise on earth, full of lovely, like minded wolves who would welcome him with open arms, but none of that mattered. His opinion of the pack was sorely tainted and being the stubborn bugger that he was, he held onto grudges for a long long time. Was he being unfair? Probably, when emotions got in the way he wasn't always logical, but did he care? Not really.

"I see." He said with a curl of his lip, his disapproval clear. He might as well have been howling it from the hills for all it was worth.

She then went onto introduce herself and out of habit his ears flicked forward to listen. He might not agree with her choice in leadership-at all really, clearly she had poor taste- but the least he could do was learn her name. For future reference if nothing else. There was no denying that Malalia had clever eyes, that if she looked at him too long she'd see him for what he was. Askan didn't like that thought, not one bit.

"Askan Selwyn." He then looked away, watching the river flow to the east, only for his gaze to snap back at her last, witty little comment. Served him right really, but he'd never see it that way.

He really didn't know what to say to her and that frustrated him. Usually he had snappish comebacks of his own, just squirming on the tip of his tongue, ready to be spat. But he didn't know what he wanted, or where he wanted to be. His old life had been full of certainties, with a rigid structure and sense of purpose. It had been stifling, like his Father was choking the life from him, but this wasn't that much better either. The lesser of two evils for sure, but not much of an upgrade in the grand scheme of things.

"Not particularly, just wanted to figure out the lay of the land." That sounded like a reasonable enough response, even though he loathed the fact he had to justify himself. "And you? You out for a jaunt?" He snorted.

Well, the candid disapproval was new. She blinked, quietly registering the change in him. The reaction to naming her pack had been immediate and negative. Had he simply heard tales told of the Armada? Or had one of her packmates bumped into this stranger, and rubbed him the wrong way? ...To be fair, though, it was becoming more and more apparent that this man -- Askan, as he had called himself -- was probably the instigator of such an encounter.

Probably. Mal had no qualms with identifying him as a surly little troublemaker, and the Selwyn played right into that role.

Maybe she should've been a bit more forgiving, but the woman believed in first impressions. It didn't stop a confused little grin from spreading over her muzzle, though, when he suddenly looked back at her. Touchy, touchy. And that little quip was pretty mild.

She exhaled suddenly through her nose, eyes rolling skyward at his snort, his tone. As if the very idea of taking a goddamned walk was an insult. Mala took a couple of heartbeats to look at him again. She was sure they hadn't met before.... but somehow, someway, he was peeved at her very existence. Green eyes narrowed, pegged him with a silent Really? before she moved to her paws.

Malalia crossed the short stretch to the river and took a few laps at the icy surface on the east fork, letting the question hang in the air.

She pulled away, a few stray drops trickling down her chin. "Would it be so bad if I was? There are worse things a wolf can do to occupy her time." More seconds passed before she finally graced him with an answer. "I come to the river to hunt or train or think. Or jaunt," she shrugged. "Sometimes it's nice to get away from everything, pack-wise. If that's alright with you."


"Speech"

Askan squinted at her silent question. What? What was it he'd said that was so out of line, hmm? Was he supposed to be buddy buddy with every wolf he met? Besides, all things considered as gruff as he was with her it wasn't like he'd attacked her or anything, he'd been far from polite but that was aside the point. He was rarely polite to anyone these days, he wasn't gonna roll out the red carpet for her just cause she was a wolf of the Armada. Such a pretentious name for a pack, like they were conquerors to be feared.

The woman moved then, distancing herself till she took a drink from the river. Askan remained where he was, settled on his arse, and watched her with disinterest. To Malalia it would likely seem as though he was glaring at her, but really it was just his face. By no means did he like her, but the scales weren't yet tilting toward loathing quite just yet. She was getting smart with him though, calling him out on his frankly pretty shitty insult. If it could be even called that.  It wouldn't dare say it aloud, lest he give her more ammunition to use against him, but it wasn't as though she was doing anything out of the ordinary. She was reasonable, he was not. It was as clear as day, as blue as the sky and as bright as the sun. But it didn't matter, or at least Askan wouldn't acknowledge that. Sometimes it was just easier to be furious with the world than face what he was hiding within.

Askan rolled his eyes as he set his shoulders a little straighter. "Okay. I didn't ask for your life story."

He stood up then, padding closer to the river side but still a few feet away from Malalia so that she couldn't get all offended that he was up in her personal space. Like he wanted to be, pfft. He then looked to the east, his gaze sharp and thoughtful. It had slipped his mind earlier but now he was standing, breathing in the scents on the breeze he could smell it again.

"There's another pack nearby." He said, turning to look at her. " That's not normal, letting a pack settle so close."

“Good, because I haven’t given it to you, either.” She chuffed softly — ‘didn’t ask,’ her ass. That was a stretch, snark or no snark.

And anyways, this was squarely on his shoulders. “You did ask what I was doing here,” she reminded him, head cocked, ears planing back. “I just answered, or am I not allowed to do that, either?” Her ears flickered forward again, and she slid her gaze to the river.

He could squint at her as long as he pleased, which would be delightfully ironic if it wasn’t mildly irritating. Askan Selwyn didn’t owe her anything — but then, neither did she. As long as he remained his prickly self, she would continue to point it out. Of patience, she had little, and even less for edgy little shits like him. He hadn’t personally offended her thus far — they knew too little of each other for him to take a real jab at her — but gods, if this little interaction wasn’t the slightest bit tiring for her.

And surely it had to be the same for him? Willfully (she assumed) interpreting her every word and movement as something to be sneered at? The man had done plenty to show her his quills, though he’d actually said very little.

But hey, that was a personal problem.

The observation that followed was distinctly snark-less. “I don’t disagree.” It was all she offered in reply, and almost mockingly short. If he didn’t want to hear her life story, she certainly wasn’t about to give him a thesis on pack placement in southern Boreas.

Not at first. She couldn't keep him in the dark for long, could she? "Both are a part of the Ashen Empire," she explained, turning to face him. "The Armada is an offshoot of the other pack, Ashen. A bit of a warrior school, you could say."


"Speech"

Askan rolled his eyes again, so hard they hurt. Lords above she was a whiny thing. He supposed it showed that she had some spine, that she wasn't just taking it on the chin but he wished she'd just shut her trap and let it slide. After all, why did she always have to have the last word? Of course it went without saying that he did the exact same thing; got all pissy and insistent that he had the last word, that he ended the conversation with the upper hand but when she did it...well it was frustrating. Like their conversation had devolved into a tug of war, with Askan yanking in one direction and Malalia in the other.

"Tcch. Now you're just being pedantic. If you want to get worked up over a simple question that's also your choice." No skin off his nose. But of course, yet again he was throwing stones in a glass house. Sooner or later the ceiling would come crashing down on him.

For once she agreed with him, a bit curtly though. He expected her to go on and explain why that was, but she didn't and for a long, frustrating moment she left in in the dark like she'd snuffed out the lights. His brows furrowed as he adjusted his footing, careful to keep his paws out of the water. The moment lingered on and on and he'd been about to press her to continue when she finally turned to him once more. Her explanation cleared things up, he supposed, that the Armada was just an offshoot of another pack. It kind of reminded him of home and The Arcadian Emirate, with its branching subordinate packs that all dedicated their time to being as snooty, and booty licky as possible. Ugh. The more he heard of the Ashen Empire the less he wanted to do with it.

"Yeah I get it."

But then he wondered what sort of wolf would be good enough for The Warlord to want to serve? Not that it mattered at all really, Askan's mind was made regarding everything Ashen.

A simple question, he said -- just like that, turning the tables, absolving himself. And Askan could go on to be as petty as he pleased, but if she simply pointed that out, suddenly she was worked up. "Pedantic." Like he hadn't paired his every response with a little dig just for her, free of charge. Was he oblivious to the hypocrisy, or did he not care? And too, she couldn't say it didn't grate at her, now -- that incredulous idea that any ounce of pushback was somehow just as bad as the first strike.

Her eyes narrowed to green slits, and she studied him for a couple of beats before snorting, brusque and thoroughly annoyed. "Sure. The alternative just isn't as appealing, though."

Not that this exchange was fun, exactly. Privately, she acquiesced that the man did have a bit of a point. No, his attitude wasn't warranted... but it wouldn't have cost her anything to ignore him, really. Except her pride, and unfortunately for her companion, she just wasn't built that way. Askan was the instigator here, and she'd be as relentless as he was moody.

His distaste was pretty apparent, though she couldn't say where it came from, exactly. "I take it you didn't come here looking for a pack, then...?" Perhaps he did, but judging from his reaction to packs in general and his sunny disposition, she wouldn't have thought so.


"Speech"

It wasn't Askan's intention to rile her up, that just came naturally to him, but secretly he felt a little smug at the fact that his reasoning seemed to strike a cord. She looked at him long and hard, like she really had to dig deep for a response, and when she finally did speak it wasn't much of substance. He would have believed her if she seemed to be enjoying herself,  but from all the snorting and eye rolling it was clear that she wasn't. Not that he could blame her really, he was in the same boat; as if he hadn't forced both of them to climb into it.

"Uh huh." He drawled and flicked his ears, making a show of how unconvinced he was.

Askan pursed his lips at her next question though, his tail hanging limp between his legs. His kneejerk reaction was to just flat out deny it, claim that he didn't need a pack and that he was doing just fine on his own. But he wasn't nor would he ever be much of a liar, he wore his heart too brazenly on his sleeve. Besides, that wasn't even what she had asked, she wanted to know if he'd come here looking for a pack, not his general feelings on the matter. Had he come here looking though? In all honesty he wasn't entirely sure, it all sort of felt like aimless wandering, like he wasn't going anywhere fast, but the decision of what direction to go felt heavier than it ought to. Like the path he took might lead somewhere eventually.

Askan shrugged his wide shoulders. "Not here no. But I'm not against the idea of them in general. If I find one that fits... " He furrowed his brows, thoughtful, wondering what such a pack might look like. "I guess that'd be nice."

But he was getting too soft, too hopeful.

"You get a lot of loners pawing at your borders, wanting to join the Armada?" He couldn't keep the sneer out of his voice at the end, not that he'd resisted all that much.

If her eyes rolled any more that day, they'd probably roll right on out of her skull. He didn’t have to find merit in her answer, but Mal hadn’t lied to him. Hadn’t even tried, really; her mood had painted her tone for her, stark as a lone, dark rain cloud marring her clear blue skies. Maybe this kind of back and forth wasn’t so appealing on its own, no, but it was better than keeping her jaws snapped shut, letting his marks slide past unmet.

It wasn’t hard to spot the satisfaction dripping from his mug, now, and wasn’t that the very reason? No doubt he was satisfied with the lack of teeth in her answer, but she hadn’t made it a point to out-edge him, if that’s what he was expecting.

Her question seemed to befuddle him, for a moment. Had she been a mind reader, and he another wolf, the girl might’ve felt a thread of kinship with him. Hadn’t she been that aimless wanderer only a few seasons ago? She knew how lonely that life was, if you hadn’t accepted it for yourself. How oppressive it felt. Her pawsteps had been directed only by convenience, and need. The male was older than she had been, though. Malalia was young enough, green enough that joining a pack was probably her best option, at the time. Was it the same, now, for Askan?

He let a sliver of sunshine peek through, voicing his hope to find a pack that he liked. She nodded, primed to share a bit of her own experiences, but the moment was gone in the space of a breath, clouds encroaching to blot out the sun as the brute laid out another barbed assertion.

...Ugh.

No, no, she really should have expected this by now, right? “We do,” she answered, tail thumping as she turned her eyes on him. They’d had a recent influx of several new members, thank you very much. Now, she wasn’t the haughty type — Mala held no delusions that being in the Armada made her better than anyone — but gods, it felt good to say it to his stupid face and have it be true. That her pack was strong, desirable, even if he didn't think much of the Armada or the ones who joined them.

Besides, she had been one of those pawing loners, once. “We could use the numbers," she went on, "and they could use a pack. Works out pretty nicely... if you ever change your mind and want to check us out."

She hadn't missed the part where he wasn't looking here, but what kind of Reaper would she be if she didn't at least extend the offer? The pack was open to accept new wolves, whether they came to the Armada for a sense of family, for training, or simply a place to lay their heads at night.


"Speech"

Askan frowned and his tail twitched. He somewhat appreciated the sentiment, even if it felt a little insulting, but Askan had no intentions of joining the Armada. Ever. He'd made his bed and he'd lay in it. If he went back on his spiteful words and posturing then what kind of man would he be? Not many folks took him seriously as it was, thought that he was all bark with no bite, like a pup who's teeth hadn't yet grown in. But he felt as though if he did a 180 he'd be seen as a coward, a flake, so eager to please that he'd hold back who he was just to fit in. Askan wasn't the sort to cling onto his heritage and the prestige that it brought but if he sunk that low he'd be less than a wolf and a mongrel at best.

"Hmm. No thanks." At least he had the mind to-somewhat- politely decline.

He moved then, deciding that he'd overstayed his welcome and that he had places to be. Despite their rocky start and not so smooth middle, Askan decided that whilst he didn't like her by any means she wasn't the worst wolf in the world. She was clever and shrewd and her tongue was a little too sharp for his liking, but it wasn't as if he enjoyed talking to slower wolves either. Though he wouldn't admit it meeting these kinds of characters was good for him, helped broaden his horizons a little and gave him some much needed social practice. He hadn't gotten much better, or made any real improvements as much as he could tell but whatever, it wasn't like it was a big deal to him anyway. Or so he'd claim.

For a moment he idly wondered if he'd ever see her again. If he even wanted to. He supposed he'd leave it to fate, or chance or whatever. He looked to the east, recalling the beaches and hot springs she'd mentioned, they sounded as good as a place to start as any.

"See you around. And send Sirius my regards." His smirk was wide, sardonic, and for once his smile reached his eyes, like it meant something.