Patrolling had become second nature by now, yet she couldn't deny that returning again to scout the rapids was a little bit thrilling. It felt good to reclaim this place. Last year she had been unsure of ever returning to their previous lands, but nature had been kind to them. The rapids even seemed greener than she remembered, even if all the foliage was growing more golden with each passing day. Lush - that was the word. Everything was very much alive. It was a stark contrast to the ash-choked, trickling stream she remembered just after the catastrophic eruption. Pushing thoughts of the past out of her mind, Theo looked up to admire the cornflower blue sky. Autumn skies always seemed just a bit more blue in contrast of the changing leaves. Her ear flicked backwards and she turned suddenly at the sound of rustling in the nearby undergrowth. "Hello?" she called, her eyes narrowed. Rule one of patrolling: never let your guard down.

Wow so this was Abaven, was it? Ah-bay-ven? Abba-ven? Uh-BAY-veen? Whatever. The glorious land of incest and cousin fuckers, or so it was told. Sparrow apparently had a good number of family out here- and not even just the inbred ones. Funny how it was that HER Destruction and Imperialis blood was clean and yet there was another uh... ex-Imperialis, Double Destruction litter somewhere out there. And even maybe others. There were for sure more destructions, but had her uncle ever banged more than just his cousin? Sparrow couldn't remember the rumors all the way, but it was a story that went around when the drinking got too heavy. Anyway, she had to see it for herself, surely there were other, more reasonable family members around here.

As she skirted around the edge of the pack, Sparrow couldn't help but take notice of the sound of the rushing water nearby and the lush foliage that grew from all around it. Honestly, rapids sounded fun as hell and Sparrow wondered if anyone had tried with any success to float or race down them. Maybe it would be a good task for some unfortunate coyotes.

Suddenly a woman's voice called out and Sparrow popped her head up from the brush, still on the neutral side of the pack borders, "Uh yes, hello there Ab-ay-ven friend! How's the weather in the uhh rapids?"

Her intuition hadn't let her down after all. Theory turned slowly, her ears swiveling as she went. Flouting borders didn't always just mean outright trespassing. Sometimes it meant ducking back and forth, leisurely striding between the border line until it seemed to mean nothing. Theo didn't take too kindly to shenanigans - at least not the kind that insulted her. "Abaven has all kinds of friends," she replied, just a bit tart. She couldn't quite tell if she was being made fun of or if it was just a private joke that she wasn't in on. Either way, it didn't feel good. It wasn't often that she ran into someone taller than her, especially another woman. Theo eyed her up and down briefly. There were parts of her that reminded her of Thalia - her dark coat, the lovely gradient of colors in her fur - but those markings beneath her eyes were unmistakably some kind of Destruction. Interesting. "Weather's fine over here, but you could see that from the other side of the border," she added drolly. "And judging from your scent of Fireside, you probably aren't out looking for a new home. How's Tyrian, hummm?" Theory settled down on the Abaven-side of the border and stared Sparrow down half-politely. They were "allies," sort of, but there was no hiding the bad blood that Rhyme had stirred with that side of the family when he chose to dabble with Shaye. It was a toss-up how this stranger-family-member felt about it - and by extension, her.

The woman snapped back at her, saying she could see it just fine from the other side of the border. Sparrow stamped her foot indignantly, but her face showed she wasn't at all serious, "Hey, I am on MY SIDE thank you very much! Unless you're inviting me over to yours?" she said coyly, stretching out her front leg dramatically as if she was going to cross the boarder, but she never put her paw down. The girl said she smelled like Fireside and asked how Tyrian was. Sparrow threw on a shit-eating grin, "I smell like a fire side? Huh, musta been too close to the volcano, huh?" She egged the other woman for a bit, letting out a laugh before continuing, "Nah, he's doing great- I'm sure there'll be little Tyrs running around in no time and all." She didn't miss the eye dots and destruction marks this woman bore either. Sparrow put her paw down (on her side of the border) and shifted her weight, "How's Rhyme? You one of his?" She asked the question warily, wondering if this was one of the inbreds, but not voicing that just yet.

Little Tyrs. Was everyone just throwing their spunk around? It seemed like puppies seemed to drop quicker and quicker every season. Rhyme's most recent litter had initiated an avalanche of other puppies and Abaven was full to the brim once more. With how Poem looked so starry-eyed at Sparhawk, Theo was sure she'd be aunt soon. What a terrifying thought. The responsibility of it all almost made her stomach clench. Theo wrinkled her nose slightly at the mention of the volcano. She couldn't imagine any wolf treating the subject so lightly, but maybe this impish girl hadn't been personally touched by the disaster. "Little Tyrs? Are they yours?" she teased the obviously not-pregnant female. Theory wasn't sure who was related to whom within the Fireside network. In fact, she knew little of the pack at all except for their roguish leader. Maybe she'd have to fix that. "Yes, Rhyme is my father," she answered plainly. While she loved her father dearly, she knew many others didn't share her sentiment. He was estranged from his own father and she couldn't put a paw on whether or not this girl was close to Valentine. "If you tell me your name I might be inclined to show you around." It was half a joke and half an attempt to redirect the conversation.

Sparrow, in all real actuality, had no clue if Tyr or Alarr or Talon or anyone would have pups soon. Well except the married off uncles. Sparrow could imagine Chaos and Jupiter as great dads but she also didn't want to imagine Jupiter or Chaos as anything other than the cool uncles (wait was one a cousin?) that they were.

The woman asked if Tyr's pups were hers and Sparrow let out a barking laugh so loud and harsh that the whole pack might have well heard it, "Sorry, but this side of the fam doesn't do the whole incest thing. And beyond that I don't do the whole men thing sooo..." Sparrow was coming to terms with the fact that she just didn't LIKE men like that. Maybe some sparkle-toed night in shining armor would swoop into her life, but she just couldn't imagine it.

The woman said Rhyme was her father and Sparrow choked on her own spit for a second, incorrectly assuming this was one of the incest pups all grown up. "Uhh hey I mean you can't choose who your parents are- incest or not you look normal so, y'know, you're PROBABLY fine!" Yes, flawless recovery, surely.

The woman asked for Sparrow's name and Sparrow obliged. "Well I'm Sparrow, but I'm sure you're just dying to know how we all tie together- probably. So uhh I'm Imperialis and Destruction so uhh... Rhythm is my great aunt, Valentine is my granddaddy, and Rhyme is my half Uncle. Which makes my relation to YOU all the more confusing! Sparrow beamed a smile, fully ready to scamper away if the woman got all offended and attacked.

She was so loose-lipped and carefree that Theory was truly stumped. The young alpha had never thought of herself as "uptight," but watching Sparrow take the world head on made her feel like she had a stick lodged so far up her ass that the tip was nestled next to her heart. Theo didn't even know what to say. "Fam," "incest thing" ... it was all enough to make her head spin. Okay, maybe she was a little uptight. "Umm, well, I'm perfectly normal - and so are my sisters," she said, asserting Poem and Motif's place in her life. Theory got by best when she pleasantly forgot about their parentage. Rhyme and Shaye were completely separate in her mind. They were partners in leadership. Nothing else. "But Shaye is only my mother in name. I had a different one altogether." Sparrow had her feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. Why was she defending herself like this? It didn't really matter what this stranger thought of her - or her sisters.

But somehow it did. I don't do the whole men thing. You could just... decide that? Theory was completely thrown. She'd never felt the need to make any claim at all about who or what she was interested in. Most of the time she felt like she was still just figuring it out. It must be nice to know where your interests laid, and to be so brazen about it. Theory was sure it was a freedom she'd never feel. "Sparrow - I'm Theory, alpha of Abaven. I guess I'm something like your half-cousin then? I can't quite untangle it myself. W-would you like a tour?" Maybe some of her lackadaisical attitude would rub off on her.

The woman said she and her sisters were normal and Sparrow let a lax smile fall onto her face, "Good! I've heard things about three eyes and no legs and stuff. Said it can even affect several generations." Theory went on to say that Shaye was only her mother in name, "Huh, I guess Rhyme at least gets around like an Imperialis," she said with a mild shrug. "Imperialis' love their ladies- but I can't judge cause I'm no different." Under her breath she muttered, "Just maybe we don't take it far enough to love family ladies like that, but if they didn't know, but then they did. Oh my god that would be like me and Tyr- y'know, nevermind."

Sparrow snapped her head up, lopsided smile on full display at half-cousin. She asked if Sparrow would like a tour and Sparrow pretended to regard her warily, "This isn't a trap is it?" Her demeanor quickly lifted as she stepped over the border, "Hah! Just kidding- I'd hate to destroy your entire pack." With a quick double take, Sparrow decided to correct herself, "For legal purposes, that was a joke." She tossed a wink at the woman- nothing flirtatious, just an easy reaction.

Sparrow eagerly took in the view from just inside the boundaries. She couldn't imagine living in another pack's borders and it was strange to think that this water-filled area was what someone fondly regarded as home. It looked like a rather exciting death trap- the rapids- but how did they keep the pups out? Sparrow as an adult had the urge to try the waters and couldn't imagine she'd have the impulse control as a pup to avoid drowning herself. The rest of the area didn't look that bad, but the rushing waters were rather loud and... well... rushing. Okay, enough water! "Okay Miss Half-Cousin Alpha Theory, what's cool about this land? I wanna see!"

Whew. This lady was a hoot. Theory could barely keep up with her. Tyrian was much quieter, but he had a similar sense of humor. This side of the family was certainly built different. "And how does an Imperialis "get around"?" she asked, cocking her head. Theo wasn't stupid - she didn't mean the innuendo itself, but she had no idea of the lady-killer reputation. "So it isn't unusual to have a whole herd of half siblings in your neck of the woods?" She could be funny too! Sort of. "Our family tree is definitely less of a tree and more of a thicket." That much was true. While Sparrow's joke about destroying her entire pack was meant in good humor, she couldn't control the stern, older sister look that slipped across her face. Jokes were all well and good, but she'd never joke about Abaven like that.

"Okay, okay, come on over - let's begin!" Theory took off at a trot along the riverside. "And mind your step!" She added, noting Sparrow's look of intrigue and vague dread as she stared at the river. "Promise it's not as dangerous as it looks. There are plenty of rocks just beneath the surface, but there are some deep spots. So just stick with me and you won't drown!" Ha! Was that a good joke?

Theory asked how Imperialis's got around and Sparrow cautiously- but in a way that she could probably recover seamlessly if Theory stepped away... probably- bumped her shoulder with the cousin, "Usually with their legs, but often with their dicks." The other went on to talk about how it might not be uncommom to have half siblings around and Sparrow cackled, "Not even just this neck of the woods. My half-brother that I've never met is off somewhere not even in Boreas or Auster leading a band of pirates! If I see blue, eye dots, or any swishes under the eyes I just stay away romantically. Uh- not that that's a dig at your half-sibling-slash-cousins, just that y'know, Dad taught me I'd better not." Sparrow flashed a half-apologetic smile at the woman for mentioning the incest thing again. Oops, at least this time she really didn't mean to. "I like to think of our family tree like a thorny thicket that ducks and weaves around other brush and sometimes strangles them out. Y'know, warm and fuzzy family vibes."

At Theory's big sister disapproval look, Sparrow airplaned her ears for a moment with a loose smile in an obvious light-hearted apology. C'mon, she had LEG SPIKES, she could obviously take SOME members of the pack.

Theory led Sparrow, telling her to mind her step but also reassuring her it wasn't THAT dangerous. Sparrow kept a little more distance than Theory did, looking at the varying shades of water. They were all moving so fast, how could you even tell where was deep or not? Theory joked about her not drowning and Sparrow shot her a wry look, "If I do, I'm taking you with me out of spite!" After a moment's pause, she HAD to ask, "So... anyone die in there?"

Theory laughed riotously as Sparrow ambled by her side. This was much, much more fun than she'd expected. "I guess this whole family schtick does get a little tangled. I promise I won't go eyeballing anyone in Fireside. I'm firmly committed to not muddying the gene pool any further... and besides, I kind of like girls too." Gulp. The easy going exchange had lulled her into a deeper sense of security. Not that it was anything she was embarrassed of! Just as she was about to melt into the ground, Sparrow pulled her back in with another joke. "Nope. No one's died there, that I know of. But if you want to make up a gruesome story to take home, by all means! It's actually a lovely place to relax in the summertime. Pups even play on the flat rocks." There were sweet memories of her youth closely twined with images of Noir. Could you hate someone and love someone at the same time? She wasn't sure. "But don't drown me. Please and thanks."

Sparrow laughed at her cousin's comment, "Yeah, I'll keep my eyes out of Abaven- at least for romantic partners." The other woman confessed she was into girls too and Sparrow barked a laugh, "Yeah, you might be more Imperialis than you think! I don't know if any of us are ONLY attracted to the opposite gender and in most cases women are more... preferable to most of us anyway it seems."

She explained no one had ever died on the rocks that she knew of, which reminded Sparrow, "Oh uh- hey- did you know I'm actually named after an old Abaven alpha? Maybe you didn't know her- I didn't either. She apparently died in a bear attack trying to save her brother Lark or something. My dad explained it when I was like... a year old and it doesn't really matter much to me I guess cause I never knew her. So my mother would be... The OTHER Sparrow's dad's sister's daughter... uh... so wait I feel like I explained this before." Sparrow flashed a loose smile at Theory, just wondering if she could learn anything more about her namesake.

But about the ghost stories. Sparrow jumped a few paces ahead to be shoulder to shoulder with Theory, "Ooh okay so what if we say someone slipped on.... THOSE rocks and cracked open their skull THEN drowned and that on a CERTAIN night at a CERTAIN time in a CERTAIN place, you can still hear them splashing about trying to get free, desperate to grab any wolf who wanders too close and pull them under with them!"

Sparrow looked across the rapids once more, the water definitely not looking like the pup-safe plaything that Theory made it out to be. If she was a pup here, she'd probably have definitely drowned or maybe drowned someone else. The greenery around her was lush, probably due to the water saturating the area. She couldn't imagine trying to ever fight here and silently reminded herself that if she were to ever try to raid to do it from NOT the rapids- not that she was considering raiding them... seriously... maybe just a little... friendly raid.

"If you're named after a former alpha, I guess we're more closely linked than you'd think!" She grinned, but then frowned - just a little. "I think my cousin mentioned her. Was it just before the Abraxas occupation? Or around then?" Corvus didn't like to talk about it, and frankly, Theory wasn't interested in knowing more after meeting Thalia. Anyway, the family had changed leadership a few times since then. It wasn't like they were the same wolves from back then. Time marched on and changed everything as it went. Maybe one day the two packs would see themselves as alies. It was all she could hope for. "Is that how ghost stories happen? A series of certain coincidences?" she rebutted, flicking her ears back and forth as she thought. There were probably plenty more ghosts flitting around here than she cared to think too hard about. A breeze ruffled Shaye's feather next to her ear, reminding her intensely of just one wolf that may wander these lands at night. Sometimes she swore the feather still smelled like her. "How's Valentine doing?" she asked idly. He was her grandfather, after all - for better or worse. Part of her wished she knew what transpired between him and Rhythm, but perhaps some things were best left in the past.

Theory said she might know a little of the old Sparrow or her sister might have, then asked about an... Abraxas occupation? Sparrow shrugged flippantly, "I dunno. My dad was out leading the pirates mostly and I never really asked. But I have heard of our friends the Abraxas," Sparrow said, catching up with Theory enough that she could see the glint in her eye that was so mischievous is was nearly malicious. "What do y'all know about them? Gods? Stuck up mortals? Baby eaters? C'mon girl, give me the deets." She was blessedly able to avoid mentioning how ONE Abraxas was a rather fiery woman who Sparrow thought was hot and not just as a temperament.

As Theory asked how ghost stories happened, Sparrow spared her another shrug, "Well it's not like the ghosts are gonna tell the stories themselves... Besides, scaring pups is fun- hell, scaring anyone is fun." She flashed the woman a hearty smile, "All in good faith, though, of course." She said. She was lying. She knew she was lying. Theory would know she was lying. But that was half the fun.

Then she asked about Valentine and Sparrow cast her eyes skywards as she hummed in thought. "Good. Old as fuck. He lives around a tractor with a skunk aaaaand I smelled a girl who didn't smell like any pack around his den- take that as you will. It would be a little odd to have Aunts and Uncles would could functionally be my own kids though."

"The pirates?" she chuckled and raised an eyebrow. Pirates and vikings in Boreas? Oh my. She wasn't sure she had it in her at the moment to fend off another raiding party, but it seemed like the pirates Sparrow spoke of lived blissfully somewhere in the past. Good. Please stay that way... or at least stay away from here. Maybe she'd just force Sparrow to be her friend and hope some kind of piratey protection might be extended to her and Abaven. "I don't know much - just that they're a bit stuck up when you first come across them. Definite god complex, although I didn't hear anything about baby eating..." Thalia didn't mention anything about that. But would she? Somehow it just didn't track. "But they're loyal. If you know them well enough. And most of them are are, uh, supernaturally attractive - so maybe there is something to all that god stuff," she grinned cheekily. Could she be raunchy? It didn't quite feel right, but part of her wanted to impress Sparrow. Besides, it was true! Eligos, Felicity, her Thalia - they were a handsome family.

Good. Old as fuck. She sputtered a laugh, her short tail wagging in good humor. "Oh jeez. You'd think at some point, the parts just kind of stop working," Theory giggled, thinking of her own very young siblings. Rhyme wasn't getting any younger but each season that passed in Samara's company seemed to keep him eternally youthful. She supposed it was only a matter of time until more little ones scurried about, especially with their first litter about to hit their majority.

Theory asked what the pirates were and Sparrow feigned a hurt gasp. It was actually shocking for someone not to know the thing she lived and breathed her whole life, but whatever, she'd know soon enough. "Yeah, pirates. They were outside of Boreas. My dad eventually came back here to... retire I guess and that's when he boinked my mom, stole her from Abaven, and lived happily ever after in Fireside." Sparrow flashed a sharp smile, "Don't worry, though! My dad passed down the title of King of the Pirates to yours truly so as soon as I get my shit together, we're gonna have a nice little raiding party." Sparrow paused a moment to make sure she wasn't too close to the water. When she was satisfied with her distance, she cast a coy look to Theory, "Don't worry, you'll get the friends and family discount on all things Pirate- slaves, goods, raids, you name it."

Theory delved into her knowledge of the Abraxas and Sparrow nodded along up until she mentioned they were attractive, Sparrow jumped a few steps ahead to nearly block Theory, her sky eyes searching Theory's own, "Oh. My gods, RIGHT? Why are they like that? It's SO annoying. Like, 'Yes I'd love you to warm my den but also I'm kinda scared you'd tie me up and throw me into the volcano as a sacrifice.' Or like, 'You're SO pretty, like SO PRETTY, but oh my fuck will you STOP talking about higher powers? I'll show you higher power and take you to Heaven if you just follow me to my den please and thanks.'"

Theory then joked about how some parts should just stop working at some age and Sparrow chuckled, "Hey, I hope I'M still getting laid at that age, don't knock it." She let out a hearty laugh. "So what about Rhyme? Oh and Aunt Rhythm?"