Naiche was getting more accustomed to the place as things moved ahead. He felt rejuvinated and was showing it right now as he was back attempting to find food in the tall grass. There was food he could get without hunting, but for now he didn't plan to take unless needed until he could aid better in hunting himself. Once he could be competent in group hunts then he would fill better about sharing in their kills.

Naiche found the thick grass more challenging than the shorter grass and dirt he had spent more time around for hunting. That was fine though, working was one thing Naiche was good at. Naiche was good with finding food with line of sight and using his nose, but pinpointing exactly where the prey was by hearing might take some more work. Naiche moved through the grass slowly now, being careful to not move without looking at where he'd make the next step, listening and scenting for what was there.

Rabbit! Naiche lunged in for it, but hidden in the grass had apparently been the rabbits den. Clearly Naiche hadn't wanted rabbit anyway. He was going to need plenty of strength for all his upcoming training, maybe looking into what food he could get from the pack wouldn't be such a bad idea. He was determined to help after all, so he'd pay back in service what ever he took.

Naiche took a last look at the rabbit den and earned himself a grasshopper landing on his muzzle. Shaking off the irritant he started to make his way out of the tall grass.

Hanako had gotten into the habit of watching lately, observing the coming and goings of her fellow pack mates. And this newcomer was no exception. Standing downwind and hidden amongst the grass , a pair of curious pale eyes watched the yellow stranger as he tried and failed to hunt. Though by no means was she an expert  herself, Hanako could tell that his actions too loud and clumsy, lacking the effort and proper intent of a true hunter. He was so blase about it, making an attempt but never quite seeing it through to the end, always giving up before he ought to. As to what that said about what sort of wolf he was well...who was Hanako to judge him just yet? Abandoning her snooping for now, Hanako pushed her way through the grass, making her way back to the communal area in the centre the territory. It had been the last place she'd seen Toshi and knowing him he hadn't moved all that much today, lazy thing that he was. Ruri on the other paw seemed to prefer to stick closer to Hanako, soaring above the plains, and once the magpie noticed that Hanako was on the move she swooped down and hoped along by her side, croaking gratefully when the spy slowed down a little so she could keep up.

It was true that Naiche still had a lot to learn about hunting, all the more in deep grass.  Most importantly Naiche was aware of his faults.  He strode on, determining what to make of what was left of the day.  Then his ears told him what his other senses hadn’t.  His head swiveled imagining some larger form of prey.  Instead he spotted a motley looking wolf.  Naiche had imagined at first that Sirius had been the oddity with his large size and the interesting markings.  Sirius wasn’t the only large wolf here, and while this one did not have the insane height the colors were certainly different than what Naiche was use too.  Perhaps Naiche’s family were more like the bland shadows in a brightly colored landscape?  What about other packs?

Where had she came from for that matter? He hadn’t seen her approach from any location, but now she was leaving.  His untrusting mind certainly thought up spying but was he really interesting enough to spy on?  Well, quite possibly.  He was the new guy and perhaps someone would suggest it.  Was she for sure spying?  Naiche bit back his agitation and moved after her. “Hey you,” he nearly questioned the wolf right away but bit down the urge.  If she was of higher rank he could get himself in a mess.  Was he agitated at her, or agitated he hadn’t noticed her earlier.  “How long were you out there.  I didn’t notice see you come up.”

He noticed the magpie but didn’t put any real interest in it.  A bird was a bird.  If it was with her it was off-limits and even if he could catch it there wasn’t much meat there anyhow.

"Speech"

There was bitter tinge to his words, almost accusatory, as the stranger called out to her, as if to stop her in her tracks. Hanako arched her brow as if to say: "what gives?" and looked over him as though this was the first time she'd laid eyes upon him. Perhaps it was rather dishonest of her but she didn't really feel a need to tell him the truth, especially when he seemed so uncertain about it. They were packmates, there was no reason for him to be so paranoid but clearly the thought of being watched had gotten under his skin and Hanako idly wandered if he was indeed up to no good. The bloody coup had all been a test and she held no resentment towards Resin or Sirius but it had planted the seed in Hanako's mind, to keep her eyes and ears open just in case. Besides, another part of her job as a spy was to know things, he really ought to not take it so personally. But none of that mattered, outwardly anyway. "Hey!" She greeted just as friendly as usual, her tail wagging as Ruri croaked a hello of her own. She was polite enough to not call him out for his initial sharpness, more than content to pretend she hadn't even noticed. "Not long, Ruri found something shiny and wanted to show it off. And then..." Her ears flattened, sheepishly as she glanced back at the maze of overgrown grass. It had really grown tall in the warmer spring months. "Well it can get a bit disorienting out there, I got lost and someone wouldn't tell me which was was which. Why?" She asked with an innocent tip of her head, not even a hint of guilt in her expression or posture.

Naiche didn’t believe her on several accounts.  He did acknowledge he was very good at not trusting and worked on weighing logic against his way of jumping to a conclusion.  He trusted once upon a time, but that was when he was naïve and stupid.  Still, he was new and it probably didn’t look good challenging a pack mates honesty so soon after joining.  He still didn’t know anything about her other than his distrust.

“Disorienting huh?”  Naiche didn’t like her, but he was more in control of himself now.  He glanced up to the sky, “You could always watch your position to the sun,” then lowering his head [b]“or use your nose to follow your way back.”   There was no challenge in the tone, simple suggestions, because of course he would trust his packmate, really.  If she did get lost, or wanted to use that story then she might still be relatively new herself?

Ruri was getting ignored, he cared as much about it as the rabbit droppings in the field.  “I’m Naiche.  As you might notice I’m new around here.  So, mind if I ask your name and status in the pack?”  If she was higher rank than him than Naiche was stuck staying polite until he gained rank himself.  If she was a nobody then after a bit of time to not be so much ‘the new guy’ he could more bluntly state his opinion of her.  Still, for now act respectful either way. “Sorry if I sounded rude at first.  I was more angry at myself for not noticing.”  That was a half truth at least.
"Speech"

[/b]

Hanako's ears remained flat. "I guess you're right, I bet you think I'm kinda stupid huh? I've never had to navigate around on my own and- well thanks for the advice! I guess you used to travel a lot before you came here?" By the time he'd asked his next question Hanako had relaxed a little, more than willing to tell him whatever he wanted to know. Maybe then he'd be less prickly. For all she knew he was having a cranky day or this was his natural state of being till he got a little more comfortable around strangers. That or maybe her initial suspicions were correct, maybe he was a sneaky deeky man up to no good. She'd play it by ear either way, maybe tell Sirius if the thought lingered after they'd parted. "Nah it's no problem at all! I'm Hanako, the pack's diplomat." Known to a few as the pack's Wraith, but it wasn't common knowledge at all. Only a handful of wolves were in the know. She wagged her tail again in a couple of short but sweet waves. "Mm don't sweat it, I find a lot of the warriors here are the serious gruff type, don't have time to talk, only biting and training." She waved the notion away, clearly showing how she thought about fighting in general. If that's the path they wanted to lead then good on them, it wasn't for her. "I think you'll fit in well. Have you been given the tour yet?"

Naiche doubted Sirius would let a stupid wolf be in the pack, though she was young enough to perhaps get some tolerance? “Did you grow up in this pack then?” She must have always had someone with her if navigating was not a thing she ever had to worry about.  Unless this was the first time ever that bird let her down?

“Diplomat?” Naiche sat down in a slow deliberate manner, mostly allowing that extra few seconds to work through his thoughts.  What status did that give her? Probably relatively high if she got to speak for the pack at times.  It depended on how much power Sirius would give to a diplomat.  Did she get to make choices or just a fancy name for ‘messenger.’  “Sounds like an interesting job.  I guess you only have to work as a diplomat though when wolves from other packs come here?” The question was asked as curiously as any other but had its own hidden layer to it.  She had just said she never had to navigate around on her own so if she traveled to other packs that brought up questions didn’t it?

Naiche chastised himself again for being suspicious when he was the newest member.  Really, it could just be that his pride was hit for not having noticed her before.  Naiche had to admit to having limited experience in some areas like fighting but he had always thought himself good paying attention to his surroundings.  Yes, pride had something to do with it.  It was also impossible to fully trust those he just met. The other wolves? None of them had managed to surprise him yet!

Naiche did smirk in some amusement at her description of the warriors.  Yah, it kind of fit his style if that’s how a lot of the wolves where.  “A tour? No but I was planning to take some time to get to know the territory.” Did he want a tour? It meant more socializing which was a pain, but he wanted her to prove him wrong.  If he got past his pride was she just some naïve fool who couldn’t figure out how to keep up with where they were? Naiche glanced out further to the north.  His desire to explore was something that had not changed from before that horrible time.
"Speech"

"No, I've been here for about...a season now? Before that I travelled with my wardens, they did all the hard work and I just tagged along for the ride." A rather oversimplified version but accurate enough. She couldn't help but notice how pensive he was being about this, sitting there in thought as she simply handed out simple truths. Sort of. It was kind of amusing, really, that he was so determined to unravel a mystery that wasn't really there, a wasted effort like pawing at the air to catch dust mites. She let him have his suspicions for now as she moved onto his next questions, sprinkling in half truths as she went. "Mm mostly, though I hope Sirius will send me out soon. I really love meeting new people and I just wanna get going, you know? Pull my weight and all that." It was good to know he found her description both apt and a little amusing. If he didn't want a tour that was fine, Hanako had a better idea anyway, one that would likely scratch his productivity itch. With a flick of her tail she gestured for him to get to his feet. "Then how about you join me for a border patrol?"

For just a season? And she had a warden until then? Naiche worked it around his mind then decided to just drop it.  She had surprised him and he felt like there were oddities in some of the things she said but was it really worth it to keep puzzling over?  What was the worst that could happen?  Nothing particularly horrible could come to mind.  She might be a wolf who liked to spy on others, and she might be a liar, but did any of it really matter at this moment in time?

Naiche forced himself to quit over thinking things.  He was new so he would be nice and not act on any assumptions which had no weight to them.  She was even attempting to be nice, didn’t that mean he was being rude? “I’d appreciate that,” it felt awkward aiming to sound polite after having been just trying to pin down if she was a liar or not.  “If there are any areas that are more known for trouble or surprises it would be good if you could point those out for me as well?”  It was a good move, and should help him focus on things that mattered more.

“If you need tips navigating then I could offer you some instruction later if you’d like,” falling back on if she was really clueless or not.  It wasn’t a test or a jibe this time, just throwing out an offer as he strove to act more humble and helpful since he was new.
"Speech"

OOC: Border patrol starts in this post

Hanako hummed in thought, tapping her chin with a paw."Since we share the northern border with Ashen folks don't seem to patrol it as much. " Which made sense, they'd have to get through Ashen's lands first. She hadn't met that many Ashen wolves though, she wasn't familiar with how many warriors they had or whether they were half as competent as those in the Armada. If nothing else they could have a quick look, just in case."But we might as well have a look anyway and follow the border all the way round." Hanako broke into an easy trot, gesturing for Naiche to follow with an elegant sweep of her tail. It took some time for them to head to the northern part of the territory but Hanako was pretty sure they were going the right way, the scent of the Ashen borders lingered on the breeze both familiar and unknown at the same time. "I'd really like that, thank you!" She offered him a smile, keeping it somewhat tame compared to the big and beaming ones she gave to those who seemed to care for her personality a bit more. They neared the Ashen border an invisible line in the dirt that Hanako walked along as her gaze roamed their surroundings. "I'm sure you've already been told but Ashen and Armada wolves are allowed to come and go over the borders. But I've never seen it happen, they sort of keep to themselves." Just in case Hanako pawed at the border, adding her scent to those already layered there.

Naiche stored the piece of knowledge away that the area around Ashen might get patrolled less.  That was a lot of trust to place in a pack that wasn’t your own. He nodded at Hanako’s words, “Sounds good.” With an action chosen Naiche was able to easily put his concerns of Hanako aside for the time being.  His mind having fully shifted to his senses and the task of checking out the border territories.

“No problem.” It was a topic he would enjoy so it really wouldn’t be a big deal and she was pack so it was his job to assist if he wanted it.

He was content to stay quiet while she was during the journey, his attention once more focused on the world about them.  A lot had changed in his mindset since he had left his band but one thing that remained was his extra attention to the smells surrounding him.  It wasn’t that he could smell better than any other wolf, he just seemed to put that extra care in wanting to pick apart and work through all the smells more than some. Enjoying the strings in the tapestry aside from the tapestry as a whole.

He nodded at her statement as they reached the border.  “I heard about it, but the concept of just walking into another pack land seems improper.  I know its not due to some relationship, but the concept is going to take a while to soak in.  Since you’ve not seen it, I assume that also means you have not crossed yourself?  I imagine as a diplomat you will eventually.”
"Speech"

"Nah, I've visited their lands a couple of times. They just don't seem to come our way often, if at all. Too busy maybe." She said with a shrug as she began to walk again, staying parallel to the border as she moved east.  Again she wasn't sure why that was, but she was curious to see what Naiche thought of it. Either way she wasn't going to spill any details, not that she had any to spill. Thus far Sirius had handled all the Ashen affairs, which made sense given his relationship with the Empress. "I think if we're ever gonna have any border troubles it'll be towards the Willows." She continued to explain as she trotted along, her tail swishing all dainty as she took the lead. It took a few minutes of steady trotting but they soon arrived on the scene and Hanako slowed to a walk. She pressed her pale nose to the ground and took a whiff of the scents layered about, as she'd assumed this part of the territory was patrolled the most. Just as before she scratched at the ground, kicking up a bit of dirt just to make her scent all the more potent. The more wolves that marked a border the stronger the barrier was, proving to all to see and smell that this land was not only occupied but defended. "I've only ever been in the Willows once," she admitted, staring out at the trees. "I'm not really sure what's out there so it's best to be prepared, right?"

Naiche was curious at her comment of potentially too busy.  Were they so busy as no time to explore? Did they not feel any need to explore?  Did they find other areas more enjoyable or in more need of attention?  Naiche scuffed up some of the dirt himself, more of an afterthought as he considered the land right next to theirs.  What was the ashen land like?  Once he was more confident in his standing with this pack he would need to take a look at their land since it was permitted.  

“I spent some time in the willows.  I met Sirius there,” Naiche replied mildly.  Admittedly only once but for long enough to sleep and hunt.  Well, he hunted a goose that had been too dumb to fly off.  Still, he had taken time to explore the terrain and had some intention of going back.  Mostly because it did bother him how dangerous it could be there at night.  The shadows that the tree’s could create and already the natural hiding spots.  It was a great spot to initiate a surprise attack, whether an armada wolf started it or a stranger close to their land.

“I agree it’s a good spot for potential trouble.  I certainly prefer the handling an enemy at the border here than out there though.  If they are cowardly they could have a surprise attack planned.” Cowardly or smart, it depended on who was using it for what spin he wanted to give on a surprise attack.
"Speech"

Hanako hummed. It seemed as though the Willows were a hot spot of sorts, something about the abundance of cover seemed to lure folks in. She idly wondered if that was a good or a bad thing, that so many folks from all walks of life seemed to linger there, just outside of the Armada's borders. At least though they were aware of the potential issue, that they had plenty of strong warriors more than capable of holding their own. As for Hanako...well she was happy to patrol but had very little interest in doing any of the fighting. If a scrap broke out she'd let Naiche handle it, warrior in training that she assumed he was. "As for raids...I think the packs will be from the north or west." Which was a little contradictory to her earlier statement, but it still rang true. They wouldn't cut through Ashen, otherwise they'd subject themselves to double the resistance. So either they'd swim over and tire themselves out unnecessarily or loop around to enter from the east or south.  Either way Sirius had chosen well, the Armada, to her eyes at least, seemed easy to defend. "Nothing's set in stone though... it's more of an educated guess. Something to think about." She shrugged as she moved on, following the border as it wove down south.

Naiche would always be ready to do the fighting should something happen.  Of course, he would expect any other wolf of the armada to back him up, including Hanako. “The west? Why is that?” Did she not trust or Ashen or expect someone to skirt around or through them?  Either way, he did need to learn the land around all directions of the pack.  

Naiche followed after her pondering the statement, also reviewing what he had first wondered about this wolf with what to make of her now.  Did she seem to be one who would really know much about these things?  They appeared of similar age and she seemed less educated in navigating the land which made her assumptions likely flawed.  However, that was again an assumption.  Naiche had more assumptions than facts of everything right now.  He would learn in the coming months.  

He would be patrolling the land daily, all of it, and he would learn well what was the best ways in and out by speed or stealth.  That caused a question to come to mind as they moved.  “Have you been in a raid before?” That would be completely new to him, hopefully Naiche would be capable by then.
"Speech"

She'd had a few long talks with Sirius ever since she'd gained her rank as Wraith and he'd told her all sorts of interesting things. Snippets of information she'd patched together to form a tapestry in her mind. By no means did she ever intend to show anyone the whole picture but she guessed a glance wouldn't hurt, especially since he'd be one of the warriors putting his life on the line. She didn't stop to explain and simply trotted on as she rolled her shoulders absentmindedly. "Well there's only a pawful of  other packs on Boreas, right? Seven from what Sirius told me. We don't need to worry about Ashen, obviously, and we seem to be on friendly enough terms with Abaven to the east so that leaves us with five. There are two packs to the north, Fireside and Winterfell, and three to the west, Lirim,Valhalla and Aerie- who we recently raided. " She was almost certain that her words rung true, though she hadn't yet had the chance to look into it herself. For now she was content to rely on her little hypothesis, her reasoning was pretty sound and thus she had no reason not to. "But like I said, it's just an educated guess. You can't ever be certain with these sorts of things. If Abaven suddenly declares war on us take it up with Sirius, not me." His next question had her shaking her head. She hadn't nor did she ever want to, just wasn't her scene, and if they were ever raided she'd find her own way of supporting the pack. "I haven't. I joined just a little before the Aerie raid but Sirius was pretty selective about who went. I stayed home to watch the fort, no one got through on my watch." Not that she'd been all that thorough to be honest, just lucky.

Naiche kept an eye on her as she talked, nodding in agreeance on the number of packs.  Honestly, he hadn’t known the exact number or names of everyone so this was good information.  Apparently it did pay to spend time with the diplomat, she had some information.  Naiche soaked in the information of status’ with the other packs.   “So, it’s Abaven to the east that we are on good terms with?” repeating the information to make sure he got the names right, “Aerie we raided, and the others we have no real diplomatic dealings with then?” Naiche didn’t see himself getting a chance to be in a position where he would use this knowledge but surprises happened, especially if he kept roaming out of the main pack territory. Naiche grimaced at the idea of not being chosen for a raid, “I would hate that.” He seemed to mean it to with the irritation in his voice, “Someone would need to watch the pack, numerous someone’s of course but,” he paused for a few seconds then shook his head, “moons and stars I hope I get to be where the action will be the thickest.” "Speech"  Think

"Mmm." She confirmed, slowing a little to sniff the floor. It seemed as though Toshi had passed over the border sometime ago, perhaps on his endless search for food. He'd turn up sooner or later so she didn't think much of it and continued on. "I heard that Winterfell raided Ashen not too long ago, so by extension they're our enemies now too. But I'm not really sure about the rest," she admitted in an easy, seamless lie.  It was all on a need to know basis, she saw no harm in giving him a gist but her dealings were hers and Sirius' alone. "I can imagine." If nothing Naiche was a bit of an open book when it came to his desires, why else would a warrior join the Armada other than to fight and get strong? "I don't think he'd leave you behind unless you gave him a reason to, so far he seems very reasonable. At first I thought a warrior had to be all big and strong but...well you seem more than capable of holding your own. And if I can see that I'm sure Sirius can too." She gave him a gentle shoulder nudge as she passed him, just to help solidify her compliment a little. By then they were nearing the south-eastern reach of the Plains border. All looked clear from what she could see. "But if you ever see anyone being suspicious, hanging around the borders or what not let me know. Even after the fact." It wasn't an order, rather a soft request but one he'd be wise to heed. Her power came in the form of information, in knowing things, the more she had at her disposal the better she could serve the pack.

Naiche was starting to get a concept of Hanako.  She was the sort that liked to know what was going on outside of the pack, and she probably liked knowing what was going on in the inside as well.  Of course, it sounded like it was her job to know what was going on outside of the pack, was it her job to keep an eye on wolves inside? Including new wolves?  That old suspicion slipping back in, but with less cause for concern at this point.  His pride had been hit earlier and spending time with her and no other causes to get prickly had him settling. Naiche had only just joined, right at that moment he still questioned his own ability and Hanako’s ability to tell.  Hopefully, she was right, and Sirius had let him in the pack after all.  Anyone suspicious? The border part certainly implied those not of the pack but was she also asked about those within? The border had been an addition to the first part and could make them different things. Naiche didn’t know what he thought of Hanako just yet but she had given him plenty of information he hadn’t known prior. “I doubt I’ll get any information you couldn’t get from anyone else, but sure.  As long as its not something Sirius would want to be kept private.” Speech:"Live to fight" Think