His pale form could be seen dashing to a fro in front of the old tree. The thing was dead, held up only by sheer force of stubborn will. The giant trunk was held securely into the ground, but Ares was even more determined to tear it down. His jaws struck the trunk with force, his body fluidly circling it as he would dash in and rip the pulp from its hold. He growled mercilessly as his actions started to put an indentation around the tree. His teeth were doing a job on the old trunk. His paws would grip the dry ground as his sprinting took him around and around the ancient tree. With each pass he would lung in for another bite. He knew very well that he could practice his fighting with one of his siblings, but he needed to train on his own. Though the tree was hardly worthy it was much better than fighting himself. He did his best to not taunt the inanimate thing, but he couldn't help but let it slip from his lips. Come on! He yelled furiously as his teeth once again found their mark. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think It felt very good to be considered a Tortugan again. Even that short while the pack had been in limbo - first abandoned, then claimed, then abandoned again - Rune had begun to feel out of sorts, less like he used to be, and it was only with the reinstating of his rank there did he realize why. The pack grounded him. It gave him something to focus on, something to do, and without it, without the stability and skewed companionship that it offered, he had felt more or less lost. There was still a little of that lost feeling that lingered, left over in the aftermath of losing track of his siblings and parents, but knowing his aunt stayed close soothed those worries. If she had managed to find her way back, then the rest of them could. He only hoped they would. Once more free to come and go as he pleased, and now old enough to actually feel comfortable enough to do it, Rune found himself choosing to get reacquainted with the territory rather than wandering off outside of their borders. He wasn't sure whether it was curiosity or familiarity that drove him through the woods, quietly making his presence known as he moved about with careless inattention. Plants rustled, dirt shifted, even the occasional pant was made as he wound himself through the warm wood, the temperatures toward the base of the mountain stronger than they tended to be at higher elevations. But as he padded about, aimlessly relearning the lay of the land, he realized he was not the only one abandoning stealth. There was another he soon realized, slipping quietly through the forest until he found the youth at play. Or war. It was difficult to tell, but something drove the little white creature - a Morphine brat, perhaps? - to repeatedly attack and deadened tree, winding in circles around it and tearing piece after piece from its bark. It was curios work, though not entirely pointless, he supposed. Any practice was still practice. Tuning into the hunter side of himself, he dared to venture nearer, using the pup's inattention to slink forward unobtrusively to join him. Standing by and watching, listening as the youth urged the tree to fight back, the grey wolf blinked his frosty blue eyes before addressing him. "It won't fight back." Of course, the statement was useless; the pup was old enough to know this was true. But Rune often lacked very good ways of striking up conversations, and so always willing to learn how to socialize outside of his element he took it upon himself to say the first line here.

His focus was on the tree, that was all he needed to. Why would he be worried about what was coming upon him whilst he practiced? This was his Morphine's domain. He went where he chose and did what he pleased. At the moment he wished to destroy the tree before him. He let his ears follow the slight sounds of passing feet, and his eyes were able to steal a glance at his observer. A grey being, not more than a year older than himself. He let a smirk fall upon his jaws, undoubtably showing he was Morphine's offspring. "It won't fight back." He let himself slow to a stop as the words left the stranger's mouth. He'd seen him at the meeting, but he wasn't completely sure of his calling. He let his bleached limbs carry him closer to the other male, not letting a response fall from the ivory maw. He tilted his head slightly as he let his haunches fall to the ground, It might not aggressively, but passively it will still hold its ground. His mother trusted this wolf, he knew that much at least. There were few he would give his open respect to, but there was something that told him this would be one of the few who deserved it. I don't remember your name, and I doubt you know mine so, Morphine named me Ares. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think His presence was greeted with a smirk from the younger white wolf as the pup brought his strangely colored eyes to glance his way, Rune meeting them unwavering. The single phrase he had uttered had caused the other to stop what he was doing and take note of him fully, and he was a little impressed for it. Despite whatever thoughts Morphine had been considering about him, he still considered himself nothing more than a basic member of their pack, no one special to take note of or worth more than a passing glance. It all suited him well; the shadows were a familiar place for him and where he tended to do best. But maybe he had been making a bigger name for himself than he had realized? It was a concept he was going to have to give more thought to. The pup answered him with stronger words than he had expected, more so than the words he tended to use when he spoke. Only more proof, he considered, of this being Morphine's child. Surely she would have schooled her kids in the proper way to talk as befitted an influential leader. Wasn't it true that lackeys and followers tended to obey better when directions were given by a charismatic leader? Ah, and there was the last bit of confirmation he needed regarding the pup's parentage. He stated plainly that he was a child of their leader and introduced himself as Ares, to which Rune nodded his as was typical of first meetings and answered, "I'm Rune." As he stared at the youth, a sense of recollection struck, the odd colored eyes bringing him back to their pack meeting. That's right. This was the pup who had spoken up about taking trips outside of the pack in Morphine's name, one of those who had wanted to be an ambassador for their homeland. "So you volunteered to visit the other pack lands too, huh?" he questioned, his tone merely curious and not incredulous to the pup's abilities. If anything, he figured a son to Morphine would be better suited for the task than anyone; he was only trying to make conversation.

There were few he would so easily give his respect to, most of his comments were full of sarcastic malice. Not towards Rune it would seem, he was part of the pack at the least so that gave him a leg up. Ares was glad to hear the sound of the stranger's name, he wouldn't have to continue just calling him 'wolf' because of his bad memory. Not that he ever knew his name in the first place. He spoke not of battle but rather the meeting that was attended not so very long ago, If I hadn't volunteered I imagine I would have been sent anyway. As you saw, our numbers are minimal. He pushed his lips together in a scowl as he took a moment to think, I need to make a trip to the battle field. He looked at himself for a moment, I just wish I were older, there aren't many who take a pup seriously. He looked up at the older wolf, At least until they meet me. His pearly incisors glistened maliciously. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think Ares did have a strong point. With Tortuga just barely starting out, the pack had only a few more adult members than they did pups. And with what Morphine had suggested they do that meant that everyone, youngsters included, would need to be stepping up in order to fulfill the ideas she was ready to set in place. It was a rather worrisome concept, mainly because young ones were typically led to go with their first instinct rather than to consider things from all angles, and most would likely lack the persona necessary for these tasks ahead. He could only hope that Morphine was willing to go about this slowly. No rushing. That way when they finally did go they would be prepared, and adequate time would be given between each visit so that evaluations could be done regarding the success of each and adjustments could be made in the meantime. A little joking comment was made by Ares, to which the grey wolf Rune smirked slightly. "They'll be more likely to take you seriously when they know who your mom is," he added, voicing a bit of the history he knew of the pup's mother. A leader once, he wasn't sure how much of Morphine's past she had divulged yet to her still young pups, but this at least felt safe enough to bring light to. And he felt certain in his words. Surely the other pack leaders would recognize her name and regard the youth before them with a little more respect. With a mother of influential power, guiding a pack once again, crossing her young would not be a beneficial move. Especially when they became of an age to inherit the legacy passed down to them. "What do you think of her plans?" he asked, his inquiries and answering comments beginning to flow more freely as they conversed. Maybe it was only because Ares was willing to give his thoughts on the matters at hand, but Rune found himself eager to listen and learn, to understand more the wolf who would grow and more than likely become an influential member to the pack.

It was true that most of the respect he was given was because of his mother. He took advantage of it, playing off of the respect Morphine had built. It was not all for naught though, one day Ares would attain greatness. Had morphine not been his very well known mother his confidence alone should have warranted such respect. Ares was ready to take on the whole world, and he'd win too. "What do you think of her plans?" Morphine's plans. They were brilliant of course, anything his mother did was as such. He trusted her every decision with out a single drop of doubt. Well except for the one about them staying in the territory... They're perfect,everything mother does is. I don't think she'll send me until I'm older though. A look of discontent grew larger on his facade. Why did he have to be a pup still. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think Ares answered as any loyal youngster would, professing that his mother's decisions - each and every single one of them - were completely sound and carried with them the utmost perfection in their plans. It was such a blind answer, full of the misgivings of youth, and Rune could hardly stop himself from smiling in a sudden flare of amusement. True, the Imperial woman did seem to hold great consideration with each of the decisions and proclamations she announced to their pack, few as they had been thus far, but Ares had not spoken from the standpoint of consistent success. It was pride in his lineage, an unimaginable esteem for the woman, that had caused him to speak so. Rune had felt it too, once, when his parents had both still be with him. It was how he recognized it for what it was. It was not his place to spoil those childish fantasies, however, and so the smile left unexplained, perhaps written off as a mere reaction to Ares' positive response. And then the negative followed, a sure thought that their leader would not think it wise to send her own children off on the missions she had expressed to the rest of them. Rune did have to admit there was some merit to what he said - Morphine's pups were still incredibly young, even if they could manage to talk better than he did. But a part of him knew that a strong pride ran through her as well. He had seen it before, when he had been a pup, and he had seen it again at their pack meeting. It was what kept her back straight, her head up, her eyes glinting with a regal air. She would only accept the best from them all. Which cause Rune to shrug in response rather than agree immediately. "You never know," he intoned thoughtfully, "she could send you with someone to learn." It might not have been exactly what the proud young Ares would have wanted, but it was still a chance for him to prove himself if he wanted it. Of course, it was only speculation, Rune's attempt to think as their Imperial did and try to gauge what her actions would be.

Rune would smile, agreeing with the statements that had been made. How could anyone refute his mother? Though Rune shrugged what he thought the outcome to be off, at least it didn't seem like he opposed the idea completely. He was right too, he would need training it would make sense that his mother would send him with another. Hopefully she'll send me with you and not that red she devil. She thinks she scares me.. He shook his head, But I've had it with talk of politics, I'm getting kind of hungry, want to take me on a hunt? He still hadn't found himself out by himself searching for prey, but he was quickly taking on the task. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think It was near impossible for Rune not to grin widely as Ares spoke out about being paired with Viridiana for the impending diplomatic ventures to the neighboring pack lands, and he gave up fighting back the grin that spread across his face about as soon as he felt it start to form. There was no surprise to him upon hearing this. Aunt Vi had always been a little rough around the edges, but she had tolerated them at any rate, playing a semi-constant role in their lives while hanging around in the background and going about her duties upon their mountain home. But to say that she was sweet and personable always would have been a lie. And he wondered as Ares mentioned Aunt Vi thinking that she was able to scare the pup that perhaps she truthfully did. At least a little. Quite suddenly there was a subject change, and Rune was being asked to chaperone a hunt for the young boy. His frosty blue eyes blinked at first, taken aback by the question. It was one thing to merely keep the kid company while he went about practicing his fighting skill on the Tortugan flora, but it was a different endeavor entirely to lead him off on a hunting expedition, even a little one. "Uh," he murmured, buying himself merely seconds more to think. He did consider his own hunting skills to be acceptable, still in need of work but good enough to get by, but taking someone else along with him... Deciding at the last second to use the chance as a learning experience and as another way to improve upon himself so that he would be that much more ready by the time he was sent off to assist Morphine in her information collection, he drew his shoulders upward in a shrug-like gesture. "Sure I guess," he answered, already beginning to glance around with a quick sniff at the air to scent what was close by in their immediate vicinity. "Uh, anything in particular?" he asked uncertainly, pausing to glance at Ares once with a questioning stare. Hopefully the kid knew what was possible and what wasn't; Rune might have been well on his way to filling out his form but he was in no way capable of taking down large game on his own.

It seemed as though Rune's eagerness to hunt alone was only matched by the younger wolf Ares. He'd seen a few gophers before, when you could get them away from their holes they were much easier to catch than rabbits. Mother has brought me back gopher before, I've chased them a bit and i think they're an easier catch than rabbit. But either will do. He wanted to help the older wolf as best he could, but his practice at hunting was rather minimal. Fighting was always more on the forefront of his mind. Speech,

Walk | "Talk" | Think Gophers. Right. He had forgotten how different the pallet and preferences, as well as realities, of pups were in comparison to older wolves. Though he himself was still young, barely capable of being considered an adult himself, his own tastes had changed considerably. Larger game held the most appeal though smaller game often did the trick just as nicely, mostly for convenience's sake. When was the last time he had settled for something small and snack sized rather than go for something that would fill his stomach for some time after his meal? He almost smiled at the thought, but instead tried to keep himself focused. "Hm," he murmured, the noise made thoughtfully and absently as he rose to his paws and tilted his head back while scenting the air, still trying to detect anything worthwhile and nearby to use as a means for the lesson. "There's got to be something around here," he commented quietly aloud, gaze still staring off around them as if the target for their hunt might simply walk into sight at any moment. If only it was that easy. "C'mon." Without further preamble, he motioned with his head for young Ares to follow and set off into the trees, head low as he led the way through the dense growth in search of a scent to trail. Frosty blue eyes continued to glance about with expectation as he spoke up again, his tone quiet so as to try and retain some semblance of secrecy from the animals in the vicinity. "So rabbit works?" he asked. He had yet to find the scent he was after, but if memory served he was sure of there being a rabbit burrow nearby. It would all be a matter of luck whether or not a member of that family would be out and about and ready to be caught, but at least being able to find the scent and track it would be a good lesson in and of itself.