Since settling back in to her home, Skyfire had made it a regular occurrence to train herself and keep up with her fighting skill. While she had Sirius as a partner, more or less he was too busy with father and alpha duties and she didn't want to get in the middle of that. Instead, Sky wanted to find a regular sparring partner to train with, but it had been so long since she was last in the Armada that everyone was practically someone new to her. Skyfire had been so disconnected that she didn't realize just how much it had changed when Sirius took her in a couple of years ago. Now, seeing things for the first time from a matured mind, Skyfire could really see the strength that the Armada had boasted. It made her feel weak in comparison. Sky wanted to change that -- especially if she was to change her name, the identity that felt false to her anymore. While she would keep her name as sort of an alias or nickname, Sky had a small list of names she could change to. It would be an attempt to create her own identity and leave her past behind. However, being able to keep her name and rise from where she came from would hold more weight to her strength and resolve, so it was a tough situation in her head. To choose whether or not to forget her past and learn from it, or completely forget it and choose a new name, left her with headaches and discouragement most times. In any event, she would make the decision in time. For now, she focused on the winter weather and the snow that draped her pelt. While it had been snowing most of the morning she was on patrol, it seemed to have stopped now. It created this awkward silence compared to the hush whisper from before. Little did others know it, but snow made sound when falling. Similar to the rain as it hit the land, the snow created this soft whisper that sounded like the wind in the distant mountain passes as it came down into the valleys. Or like the whispers of a mothers voice singing a lullaby. Skyfire didn't realize it until she had slowed her mind down enough to become more outwardly aware of her surroundings. The things one missed when they weren't aware while their mind was busy on other things was astounding. In the meantime, since Sky was out in the open, she let out a howl to reach the ears of others. Whether that was a sparring practice or a lesson in fighting, Skyfire was intending on doing something other than patrols today. It had been a while since her muscles had a test and she felt it would be good to get back into the swing of her training -- even if she lacked proper fighting form. You had to start somewhere, right? Skyfire may have been a bit rusty, but at the very least a sparring or lesson would help to clean it off a bit. "Speech or whispers.""Shouting"Thoughts.

Naiche hated snow, hated winter, hated ice, and all other things that had to do with winter.  The thought was a frequent one and was likely to continue until the snow quit continuing.  Thank goodness he at least now was sharing a den with Asla.  Ah shit.  What was he let coming into his mind?  It was warmer sleeping with her though so it should be a perfectly ok thought to have in his mind.  What the hell was his problem anyway?  Naiche couldn't decide if the problem was thinking of Asla more and enjoying her company or the fact he kept wanting to deny it.  Definitely somewhere in there, oh well that was the extent of his inner thoughts for the day.  Inner deep thinking tended to be a waste of time when it came to emotional stuff. He trudged along in the snow, on a patrol of his own, and mind working through more ideas for training the other wolves when he heard a howl.  Well, that was convenient.  The cloaked wolf turned towards the howl and picked up his pace, loping through the snow.  He hadn’t recognized the voice of the howl but the one who had called out surely was part of the pack.  Once he was closer he could smell where it was indeed the armada scent on a wolf he had never before met.  She was a little larger than Naiche but not overly so and a similar enough build. How long had she been in the pack that he hadn’t noticed her? Naiche trotted in closer, offering a quiet nod in greeting at first.  A polar bear fur covered his back with a hood that offered a bit of protection from the snow as well, though only so far as his forehead was covered, the muzzle was at the winters mercy.  The coat underneath the cloak was a wheat-toned golden shade.  His muzzle had a nice deep scar that showed a pink shade of having only recently gone from injury to healed scar.  Upon closer inspection, there was a pangolin head sticking out from under the cloak hood as well.  Pan the pangolin was cold also! “Hello,” Naiche offered after the quick assessment of the new individual, “I’m Naiche, general for the armada.” Yup, it would grow normal at some point, right now he still loved it when there seemed reason to mention his rank.  Of course, he had come to work on lessons but it would be nice to know who he would be working with. "Naiche"

The snow continued to keep the landscape hushed, allowing for various thoughts to flood Sky's mind. The mind didn't like to sit too long without entertainment so it tried a circus of its own, causing a varying display of expressions on her face. Seriously? Was it that bored? Was she that bored? Since coming home, she had been mainly keeping to herself and performing patrols. No attempt was made to meet her other packmates, and that needed to change if she was to defend them one day. Skyfire was wanting to consider herself as one of Armada's guardians. However to gain the title, she needed to earn it. It was all that she aimed for presently. The soft snow couldn't hide the sounds of footsteps as another approached wearing a polar bear fur cloak with a hood. A pangolin peeked out from underneath to see who his companion was meeting. Naiche, the general for the Armada, introduced himself. Skyfire looked him over a bit and noted that he was about the same size as her, maybe a little smaller, and sported a pink scar on his muzzle. His scar was similar in shade to hers as it decorated the white marking on her left shoulder, signifying the separation from her family name and pack. "Good day," she greeted with a respectful bow. "My name is Skyfire. Recently came home to the Armada." Skyfire didn't mention her last name as it was no longer relevant upon her return. Her first name was still a sour taste in her mouth, so speaking it was awkward. However, it didn't phase her as she introduced herself. The attempts at adjusting to this new path she forged herself had shown improvement, but it was still quite rocky and felt unsure. Before, she was used to having her surname and upbringing dictate what direction she traveled. Now, it was based on every choice she made and it was a very scary thing to have before her. "Speech or whispers.""Shouting"Thoughts.

She had recently come home?  Naiche had been part of the pack almost a year now so this wolf had been gone for some time.  Naiche imagined the wolves who had already left in the armada since he had joined. “Skyfire,” the wheat-toned wolf put the name to his memory, “So, are you a warrior? What had her rank been when she left?  She could be anything from a student to a lieutenant for all he knew.  Naiche had a tendency for bluntness but the words had a relaxed note to them, just his way to get to know this new wolf.   “And as to your call, come join me on the patrol.  Tell me about yourself and afterward, we’ll see about in some fun.” A pause before adding on, “fighting that is.”  Naiche labeled fighting as just about the best thing there was but reminded himself not all wolves found fighting such a delightful way to spend the day.   With a wintery spring, Naiche wasn’t sure what to expect on the patrols these days.  Would hibernating animals be out and how would they handle a landscape still coated in the snow?  Some might not be pleased with trying to hunt so perhaps they would be more dangerous?  Then again there might be nothing out there.  So they would either fight each other or if they got lucky maybe something even more fun. The pangolin for its part poked out a bit more, a clawed hand is pulled out to give a wave before the hand is tucked back under.  "Speech"

Sky wouldn't be surprised if Naiche was confused about the statement regarding recently coming home. Besides Sirius, Naiche was the only other one she had met. Him and his little friend, to which made Sky chuckle as he waved. "It must be cold without that fur." she remarked as the Pangolin slipped back under the fur. Naiche asked if Sky was a warrior. Sky looked up to him and gave a nod. "Yes, I am. Or... was at least in training. I had some.. business I had to take care of and Sirius allowed me to depart. I've been gone for a better part of a year and only returned recently." That statement would help to clarify her earlier one about just returning. If he wanted to know more about what she went through, Skyfire wouldn't be offended in the least to explain. Especially since he was the general, Naiche would want to know about potential threats to assist Sirius if the time came to it. More patrols? Skyfire sighed internally, but was hopeful when Naiche mentioned doing something more fun like fighting. It would add a little bit of entertainment to her day at the very least. Skyfire nodded and began to follow Naiche in whatever direction he wanted to go. Skyfire moved forward a bit to begin walking, but ultimately she would follow his lead in the grass plains. The grass, covered by the melting snow, flexed and adjusted with each step and left behind evidence of her travels as any snow would do, but it was a little more wet than usual. Spring was coming around the corner, and it was Sky's favorite time of year. She preferred the blooming flowers over ice and cold water clinging to whatever surface it could grab. The thoughts of the warm sunshine and the booming thunderstorms made her excited. Considering that was where her name derived from; thunderstorms. The lightning flashes and intense sunsets made the sky looked like it was on fire. "Speech or whispers.""Shouting"Thoughts.

Warrior in training? Naiche imagined that to mean she was a student and offered a quiet nod.  Turning he started to walk off on the patrol he mentioned.  Naiche was always one for action over standing around and chatting for very long.   The snow was a constant irritation and it did feel only proper that his companion be one without fur to also hate the cold.   Naiche was curious about this ‘business’ but for a few moments.  If Sirius had allowed it and now it was dealt with there was little reason to ask about it.  If Skyfire wanted to tell him about it though Naiche would listen.  The gold-furred wolf wasn’t much for talking but that did make him good for listening.  A more important question did come to mind though, “How long were you part of the pack before you left?” If the wolf had been a student when she left it meant either she hadn’t been here very long or she had been lazy and not worked hard on her training or was she just a slow learner? Naiche was keeping to a long-legged walk for the moment, nose working to scent the wind.  How he wished he could catch the scent of flowers ready to bloom or hear hibernating creatures popping out of their dens.  His eyes looked up at the sky asking it to show him something promising but in the distance, the dreary clouds offered a different sort of promise.  “If the wind picks up much more there will be a new round of snow to replace what’s melting,” the wolf said with a hint of annoyance. "Speech"

(Sorry for the delay.)

Skyfire had to think for a bit in regards to Naiche's question. While Sky didn't remember exactly when she joined, she did know that she was a member for quite some time. "I want to say for at least four to six months. After that I had.. business to settle." She didn't need to go much further into it. Skyfire continued to follow Naiche as they fell into silence for a while. During their walk, Sky was taking in the scents of the area, noting the different tones as spring began to come to life as well as new sights that she couldn't remember seeing before.

The comment of the new snow coming in from Niache broke her from the thought stupor she was in and she checked the breeze. "Yeah -- as much as I am tired of it too, it seems we can't exactly control it." she said with a frown. "I prefer my nights of star filled skies and warm breezes running through my fur. It will be nice when spring and flowers come back. Means more food also." Skyfire wasn't primarily concerned on eating as much as she was on the concern for stability. Even though she would be a fighter and a navigator, she still wanted to ensure thesupport and survival of her fellow packmates.

There was her description once again of ‘business’.  For a moment he mused over what that sort of thing would be.  Something she didn’t speak directly of could be a fight or a dirty secret or a number of things.  Less than a minute later he quit pondering it.  If it didn’t involve Naiche or the security of the pack it didn’t matter. As Skyfire said how she preferred the terrain Naiche gave a quiet nod.  Who wouldn’t prefer that?  However with each stride through the snow, Naiche felt he agreed with it all the more.  When would it ever end?  They should be running through free green grass with dew every morning.  Ah well.  “This also means the other predators are getting less food also.  We are bound to get more than normal trying to cross the border.  You’ll have to stay sharp on patrols.  We have too many pups here to be lenient.” Right now, as they roamed the border Naiche didn’t sense any close predators though, at least not yet.  What he scented was snow, incoming more snow, and the scent of the many markings from pack wolves who had firmly laid down the scent border of their home.  “We’ve had bear try to enter in the past, and more frequently of course coyotes.  There has been the occasional alligator along the beach as well, not often but I’ve fought one with Mortis and I know he fought another with someone.” The wolf had spent months here in the past so likely knew what predators came by but at the same time perhaps the potential predators had changed while she had been gone.  It was before Naiche’s time after all. "Speech"

{No table today}

"I agree. The predators will get more dangerous with the less food they eat." Skyfire added as she viewed her surroundings. "I have heard nightmare stories of some of the more dangerous ones." Skyfire looked surprised when Naiche mentioned a bear had recently tried to enter the pack to find food. She wasn't too surprised about the alligators or the coyotes since they were always about in the rest of the territory. A bear was a new one for her. The territory that the Armada lived in was about the same kind of home the bear would have made for itself, so maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise. Sky had never come across a bear before and wondered what the fight would have been like.

"How do you fight an alligator? The armor is so thick. I know you need to avoid the mouth for sure." she said, musing on it as her eyes went upward to the sky to watch the clouds roll above them. It was a blanket of silver that blocked out the blue and the sunshine. She hoped that eventually it would clear.

“Teamwork,” It was the first answer that came to mind when asked how to fight an alligator.  Really, most times he had fought the exceptionally dangerous predators it had been with someone fighting alongside him.  “The first alligator I fought was with Mort.  I mostly distracted it while he was able to get at its belly from under the water.” Naiche smirked at the memory, “I was much more of a rookie then, we really just made things up as we went.”  Mort had almost drowned under it.  Back then it was serious and of course, it had been a real danger but now, knowing things had worked out Naiche could find more humor in it. “The second time I was with two wolves I didn’t know.  We teamed up on it.  I found a good thick stick that had broken off the tree in such a way that it was extremely sharp.  Slamming that into the alligator helped that time.  Certainly not creatures I care to fight without a need to.  Best to avoid them if no threat to the pack or the packs land.” Naiche said it now but the truth was the golden wolf loved a dangerous fight.   During the talk, Naiche had kept his senses peeled.  It seemed there would be nothing to protect the land from today.  Once more the pack border was safe.  The moment Naiche had the thought he stopped as a scent came to him faintly.  Naiche trotted towards it and the scent started to grow stronger. Ah, sometimes the day likes to offer up a bit of humor.  Here they were talking about predators and a large bear wasn’t too far off.  It wasn’t in the pack land but its also wasn’t overly far away.  His lip twitched in a small grin the idea of fighting another bear now sounded great.  It would work for testing this new wolf as well. “Alright, Skyfire.  Time to see what you can do.  That bear is to close for comfort.  Let’s go.  We can kill it if need be or just chase it farther away.” He didn’t run straight towards it, looking to Skyfire to see her reaction to the upcoming fight. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Sky was quiet as Naiche explained the fight with the alligators, picturing how it may have happened. The amount of effort must have been serious since half of the body it seemed like was nothing but teeth and the rest of it was armored. The only soft spots seemed to be the underside, and to get there the animal had to be flipped or something placed underneath. Regardless, it was a task best avoided as Naiche had said. The scent on the air was faint, but as Naiche began to react, so did Skyfire. The heck was it? As Skyfire focused and moved closer, the smell of bear was on the wind. Skyfire could see it some distance away from the pack borders, but also close enough to be of concern. Naiche was right, it was too close for comfort. Before she could say anything, Naiche was off, expecting to see how Sky would handle herself. Well, this would be quite the test wouldn't it? Not only for the general, but for herself as well. Without hesitation, Skyfire leaped forward and bounded after Naiche, keeping up with his pace quite well. Skyfire had never fought a bear before even though she had seen them many times. Skyfire was aware to stay away from the mouth and claws, though she also knew that bears were agile themselves even with their massive body size. They could also stand upright which made it difficult to attack the throat or anything important. However, if they stood up, the bear would also fall hard if tripped. Skyfire shook her head, trying to remain focused and not overthink the situation. It would be a fatal mistake if she was distracted. "Speech or whispers.""Shouting"Thoughts.