The wheat colored average size wolf hadn't slept deeply in a while. Certainly his first night in a pack that was made up of strangers was not a good place to start. It wasn't tell he had laid down in the barracks he felt something he had not expected. The tension in his body relaxed more. The furs under him preserved warmth and were soft. The sense of others of his own kind around to add protection by numbers offered security. He had planned to remain alert as he did not know the strangers but some part of his subconscious seemed to assure him this was right. Wolves are not meant to be alone, and if they wanted to hurt him they had no need to wait till he was asleep.

The next morning he woke at his normal time, directly before the sun rose feeling rejuvenated. Shock at his deeper sleep was overrun with acknowledging just how good he felt. The day felt fresh and new simply for the chance he had to lower his guard for a few hours. By the stars and moon may this place be a good pack. Let the wolves work hard and take the work seriously. If the pack was strong then Naiche had found a new home.

With a good stretch Naiche left the barracks, and had notions of going to get fresh water. However he found himself instead moving farther into the beach so the water would lap at his paws. With his band and then alone he had been use to seeing new sights. He had never seen anything like this water though. Lowering his head Naiche's nose warned him clearly this wasn't something to drink. There was good water to the north and he would head that way in a bit. For now though his interest was on the brackish water before him and the tree's that grew within it, soaking in both scent and the sight of it.

There was a wind here but no scent of rain for now instead just pulling in more of the scent of the water along with other smells, a number of which were new to him. Naiche was also more use to grass or rocks but the feel of the ground now was likewise different. Naiche flexed his paw feeling how the ground easily moved under it. Not all together unpleasant, just different.

It felt strange to just go back to normal, every day life after her revelation with Resin. The knowledge that someone she loved in fact loved her in return absolutely turned her world up side down in the very best way possible. It put a new spring in her step and new lightness to her whole demeanor. Without a doubt she was "on cloud nine" as they say. When she came to Boreas it had been out of pure desperation and a lack of anywhere else to go. She had gotten close to ending her life again and again. To think about the place that she had been made where she was now all that much more unbelievable. She had a home where she had been able to build relationships and improve her skills to the point where she had been able to earn a place in the higher ranks of the pack. She had thought that had been enough to make her happy, but now that she had someone to care for that cared about her in return... she realized that this was what happiness actually felt like. She trotted along the beach on her normal early morning patrol route. Of course there wasn't a whole lot to defend along the edge of the pack that led into the ocean, but she liked seeing the view from here and it was a way for her to cut across to the far side of the Sea's Plain so that she could continue along that side of the border. It was a nice way to stretch her legs in the morning if nothing else and get her muscles warmed up before she began her training or any other tasks she had planned for the day. However, once she got about halfway down the beach, a scent that was unknown to her caught her attention and made her slow her pace. A pale, wheat colored male came into view and after another moment of investigating his scent she decided this must be a new member that she hadn't had the chance to meet yet. There had been quite an influx of new members lately so she was happy that she had happened to come across him. "Hello there!" she called to him to get his attention as she got closer to get his attention, offering the stranger a smile as her tail wagged gently behind her. She slowed to a stop a couple feet from him and gave him a small dip of her head. "Sorry to bother you, I just noticed you while I was doing my patrol and wanted to take the chance to introduce myself. I'm Tamsyn, I'm the General for the Armada." "Talk" Think

Naiche was enjoying the sense of being more at ease since he had just joined.  This was a feeling he never really had expected again.  The young wolf had assumed that even he joined a pack he would still remain on edge.  It had been hard to see anything different when always concerned with just surviving.  It was embarrassing to admit he hadn't been confident in what might see a simple thing to others, but it had been worrisome to him.  Now... now things were better.

With such thoughts he heard the other wolfs approach.  His head turned to her to take in her appearance and she spoke he twisted his body around to fully face her.  She was a pretty simple black and perhaps just a bit taller than him.  She wasn't a giant though so it wasn't as if he had to actually tilt his head up to not talk to her throat as with some around here.

"General." A polite dip of his neck with his head remaining straight. "It would hardly be proper of me to blame a general for interrupting thoughts.  My name is Naiche.  A pleasure to meet you Tamsyn.  I have to say, the pack seems run very well from the few I've met so far."
"Speech"

The young man seemed incredibly polite as he greeted her with her title and a dip of his head. She knew she was considered a "high rank" in the pack, but it was still strange for her to see someone address her with that sort of respect. She was a little surprised by how well spoken he was for his age. Once he introduced himself she took note of his name and stored the information away for later. The last thing she wanted to do was forget the name of any of her pack mates. A proud grin pulled at her muzzle as he complimented the way the pack was run. She didn't know how much she had done in the way of keeping the pack running smoothly, but she was still happy to hear the compliment all the same. "Thank you, we're quite proud of it. I think everyone here really strives to work hard so that has a lot to do with it." Of course she didn't want to speak for everyone, but she really hadn't seen anyone that actually stuck with the pack lazing around or pushing off their duties. Sirius was good at motivating others - she was a prime example of that. "I actually have a little bit of my patrol left to go - just down the beach here and back around to the edge of the grassy plains. Would you like to join me?" She waited for him to agree before continuing down her path, moving at a slightly more easy, casual pace than she would have if she was on her own. Usually when she was patrolling by herself she tried to get the patrol done as efficiently as possible, but when she had company she was willing to go a bit slower so they could chat. "What brought you to the Armada?" she asked curiously, giving him a glance from the corner of her vision. She felt like her situation had been fairly unique for what brought her to living in a pack so she was always interested to hear other's stories as well. "Talk" Think

Naiche imagined the general was the type of wolf who easily made friends.  She kept a pleasant demeanor to her as she talked to a wolf who had only just joined the pack.  Her smile from a compliment instead of taking it in stride was the sort of thing to attract similar social wolves, or even those less social but needing an ear to talk too.  Of course, this wolf was only a general and they had only met a minute ago. Naiche wouldn’t make too many assumptions from such a few words.  

Naiche bobbed his head at her request, “I need to memorize the landscape anyway.  No time like the present to work at it.” How formal or informal to talk was a thing he still hadn’t fully determined.  Easier to sound less formal later if it wasn’t needed than to be informal in the beginning and lose respect for not showing proper etiquette.  Naiche moved after Tamsyn, keeping a pace equal to hers but a stride behind and to her left.  At her question though he took that as a sign he might as well walk next to her for the conversation.

It seemed a common topic to talk about, the past.  Naiche only wanted to focus on the future.  The wheat-coated wolf remained silent for a few strides as he decided to answer.  He had given a summarized version as he hadn’t expected the warlord to want his time wasted.  The topic also left that bitter sense in his gut.  “I was part of a band of wolves.  One of the alpha’s died in a bad group hunt, the other was injured along with another pack member.”

Naiche kept his eyes on the surroundings as he spoke, splitting up the focus on story and soaking in the surroundings.  No point in walking the territory if he wasn’t going to learn from it.  It was easier to talk of his past when his mind had other things to work on.  The scent of the beach, the sounds of the water and the ground giving to his weight as he walked. “The band broke up with different opinions of what to do.  After a time, I found myself alone.”  It left out a lot of details, but it was probably enough of an answer for her. “Anyway, Sirius met me in the willows and offered to let me join.  After being a loner for a while I had already decided it didn’t suit me.”

Certain moments in his mind still were too sharp and clear.  His mother’s death in the hunt.  Waking up to finding his grandfather had left.  The moment Naiche realized he was fully alone.  The pleasant memories before all of that were bitter in themselves for what was lost.  His sister’s mistake had cost him everything.  He would never forgive her, or himself should he ever be foolish.
"Speech"

At this point she had done this patrol enough times that she really didn't have to pay much attention to the path in front of her. She still kept an eye out for any possible threats, changes, or scents that she didn't know, but as far as actually walking the well worn path - that part didn't take much thought. Because of that she was able to give Naiche a large portion of her attention. This was especially true since this edge of the Armada's territory that led out into the ocean pretty much never had anything of interest going on. She listened to his story about the fairly tragic demise of the band he had once been a part of. She could tell there was a lot that he brushed over and avoided telling the details of, but she didn't mind. She often did the same when it came to her own history before she came to the Armada. "Well, I'm glad you ended up here," she replied after a moment of quiet consideration, giving him another glance and a small smile. She looked down the shore again, her expression thoughtful as she looked over the sands that stretched out in front of them and the slight curve of the land that guided them back toward the Tall Grass Plains. "The Armada has a habit of attracting wolves when they need it most. I'm not sure how, but it does. I'm grateful though... Deciding to stay was a gut decision on my part and it ended up turning my life around." That was the understatement of the year, but she didn't feel like she should be dumping her life story onto this young man. That was good enough to get the point across and it allowed her to transition away from the more somber topics. "What are your ambitions here?" she asked with a smile, giving him another interested look, this time with a bit more excitement. "Are you hoping to be a warrior? Or do you have another skill to use for the pack?" Of course she'd be thrilled if she found out she had another warrior to help train, but she also knew not every single member was going to fall in love with fighting the way she had. Some needed to he healers like Meadow and perhaps some others would want to focus on something a bit more intellectual or hunt driven. It didn't really matter to her since Sirius still required everyone to at least have some knowledge of fighting to protect themselves, but she liked to know who really had a passion for it. "Talk" Think

Naiche enjoyed the scent of the beach but the salt scent from the water could mask subtler scents and distracting just from being new.  While listening to her he tried to pay attention to the small details, not necessarily searching for trouble but just getting to know how things should be.  His eyes drifted up skyward, scenting the weather and what it would bring.  The sun was rising now and the air a bit warmer, though still pleasant.  Higher up in the air and towards the water was some white bird of decent size.

The young wolf nodded at Tamsyn’s talk of the armada bringing in the right sort of wolves.  “I had been cautious on trying to join a pack.  I didn’t want to find myself in one that was weak or heading down that path.  I’m surprised I got lucky with the first pack I ran into.”

“My ambitions..” The words repeated as if to test the word out, deciding how to label it.  “My ambitions are to become as useful to the pack as possible.  As my earlier concern, anyone who is weak has no place in any pack.  They would just be dead weight, and I’ll never allow that of myself. I will be a warrior.” There was no talk of ‘hope’ in it.  Naiche had already determined that.  Naiche turned his head to watch the bird dive to the water and snapping a fish out of it with ease.  That was impressive. As the bird swooped away he looked back to Tamsyn as he spoke, “my skills aren’t that great right now though.  I know how to read the weather, to follow a scent and to not waste energy needlessly.  Things you get from traveling in a band or roaming alone.  Other matters I’m probably just average at best.  But I swear that won’t stop me.”  
"Speech"

As he spoke and shared how he simply wanted to be useful and that he would be a warrior it made a proud smile pull at her lips. Even though they had just met she was already able to see a lot of herself in him. He was what she imagined she would be like if she had somehow managed to get away from her parents and find her way to the Armada at his age. He was young and determined and that's what she liked. She also appreciated that he was willing to admit that he didn't know a lot yet - that showed a humbleness that she was actually a little surprised to see. The only other young wolves she had really been around recently were Mortis and Azure and Azure made up enough confidence for the both of them combined. It was refreshing to see a young man that was willing to learn. "That's alright," she insisted with a chuckle, grinning a bit as she spoke. "As long as you're willing to learn then I can work with that." She looked back out over the water for a moment. They'd reach the end of the beach soon enough and they'd be turning back inland to go along that far edge of the pack's territory so she enjoyed the sun glittering on the water for another moment while she could. "When I found the Armada I hadn't fought a day in my life," she admitted, giving him another glance. "Actually, I really didn't know anything... I could barely hunt more than just a rabbit if I was lucky. It's all about working hard and being willing to learn as far as I'm concerned. Anyone can make something of themselves here if they put in the work." "Talk" Think

Naiche wasn't the friendliest guy these days but there was one sort of wolf he could enjoy spending time with, and that was the wolves who would be able to help him get stronger.  This black wolf was of high rank and willing to help him be stronger.  The concept she had come to the armada with no real fighting knowledge and had become a general suggested good training potential in this pack.  From what little Naiche had seen it would make sense.

"I can hunt small prey," grudgingly admitting his own weakness, "but I've only been on one successful group hunt.  The second one was bad." That was a great understatement.  It made the point clear of limited experience though.  "looking back I realize my parents were a bit over protective and imagined plenty of time for teaching some things." It sucked to face reality of parents weren't as perfect as you imagined them as a kid.

The beach view was pleasant but even more Naiche enjoyed the scent while they stood there.  The salt mixing with the water along with the more subtle scents of the tree's and hidden creatures on the beach granted another way to see the world in front of him.  "As to putting in the work, I have no intention to waste a day in any fashion other than training."Naiche would make sure mistakes by ignorance would not be a concern in the future, nor would mistakes by giving into emotion of lack of practice. Bitter pain was easy to ignore when it was focused instead on goals.  Tragedy had meaning if lessons were learned from it.neighbors.attention."Speech"

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The mention of his parents thinking they would have plenty of time to teach their children made her ear twitch, but she didn't respond other than to nod. She wondered if she would ever forgive her parents for what they did to her and she was fairly certain that wasn't something she was going to ever be able to do. She wished that her parents had even had the thought to teach her anything other than how to be a submissive, broken woman. It was a grudge that ran deep in her veins and as soon as she had learned to protect herself she had vowed that if she somehow ever crossed paths with her family again then she would show them that she was so much more than they had ever imagined she would be... especially her father and brothers. They deserved to feel every pain they had ever put her through. She broke away from her own thoughts when Naiche mentioned putting in the work it would take to train, her gaze finding him again as she refocused on their conversation. "Good," she replied simply with a small grin. He'd be a good warrior one day, she was sure of it - if for no other reason than she was going to make the effort to make sure he got the training he needed. "Lets head back," she added with a motion of her head. "I just need to go along the far edge of the Tall Grass Plains and then my patrol is done and we can head back to the main common area." She started to walk and a thought came to her. "Do you have a den somewhere in the plains yet? I used to live in a den over by the river on the other side of the grassy plains, but I recently moved in with Resin so it's vacant now if you want it. It's not very big, but the walls are nicely renforced." "Talk"

Naiche nodded in assent to heading back.  There was an almost calming presence around the lady general.  She clearly had to be strong and talented for her position but there was no harshness or aloofness that frequently follows in the shadow of those with status.  She was open in sharing of herself, and offering affirmative comments towards Naiche, she would ask about him but not pry into areas he avoided speaking.  How had he managed to find such a good pack?  Hopefully all of its members were as good as the leader and general.

Naiche followed along with Tamsyn, "Until I'm given some other assignment, if you'd like I could patrol with you regularly." It would mean good company, learning by watching and when she was done working he would be right there to try and get in any training he could.  It was spoken with hardly any thought, but even after doing so Naiche couldn't really find any flaw in the offer.

"I found a den this morning, but I just took the first empty one I came across.  It was fine but the one you had being near the river sounds much better." Lucky timing, a good den had just opened up."Speech"