With construction very near completion, Theory felt herself drawn to the schoolgrounds more and more. She paced the perimeter, inspecting all entrances to the interior for structural soundness, and admiring the view to the crashing waves below. The classrooms and first set of dormitories were done. All that was left now was to clear away the rest of the materials from construction, excess dirt and debris, and then some thorough cleaning... light touches. That's all that was left. Theory took a long, deep breath and let it all sink in: it was happening. Soon students would trickle in - some were already here - and fill the hallways with laughter and the quiet scuffles of studying between lectures. Her dream was becoming a reality.

The Headmistress sat before the school and let it all sink in.

Corvus had been emotionally distant for awhile now. He was present, always present and willing to help where he could, but mentally he'd been absent and he fully intended to fix that, especially now that classes would begin soon. He'd always had a passion toward teaching and helping mold the mind of Abaven's young, only exacerbated by his own chance at fatherhood slipping out from between his paws before he'd even had a chance to come to terms with it. This school would help him, it would help all of them, he was sure of it.

He wasn't surprised to find Theory at the fringes of the school grounds, and he let out a quiet bark out to alert her to his presence. As he drew closer, a warm smile touched his lips and he gave her a slow nod, though his attention drifted to the grounds as he looked over them appreciatively. They'd done fine work and he was proud of what was being built - and what would be a continued work in progress. "Theory," he greeted her, his posture slackening as he drew closer. Being in her presence always seemed to help lift some weight off his shoulders, no matter how dark he might be feeling. "Exciting, isn't it?" His smile grew as he moved and fell into step beside her.

The grounds were something to be admired. Evening was beginning to fall and the soft light was bathing everything golden, like a good omen. Like something really promising. Theo felt her heart flutter nervously, like a very small bird. Something that was just beginning to learn to fly and hadn't mastered the finer bits. Something frail. It felt like so much hinged on the success of the school. Rhyme and Shaye's memory, Abaven's legacy - her happiness. She had felt so hollow since Thalia's graceless exit and Rhyme's death. An empty vessel, like one of Fable's earthenware bowls. This was meant to fill her up.

A soft bark alerted her to Corvus' presence. Shaking off her reverie, Theo turned to greet him with a warm chuff. "It is," she agreed, perhaps too quickly. For just a second, she felt nothing like her age: she was a child, being sent to Corvus to mentor. She still found herself seeking his approval even though they stood nearly shoulder to shoulder as they surveyed the school yard. There was just the beginnings of grey on her face, more on his. "I hope it's..." she trailed off for a moment, her eyes focusing on something far off the shore, distant and yearning, "I hope it's everything I want it to be." Need it to be. "Do you have any plans for when the first students trickle in?" she added, circling back around to business quickly. Business kept her from crumpling completely.

Reflecting on how far they'd come and everything they'd persevered through had a way of always lifting him up. He couldn't help but feel grateful for what they'd both survived, and though sometimes he feared he was no better for it, he had to believe he was. For all they had lost, there was still so much they'd gained. Briefly he thought of Twig and the love they shared before turning his attention back to the lands in front of him, and Theory. "All of this - it's all because of you," he reminded her lightly, though he realized his words likely held far more weight than intended. Sure, they'd all helped work toward the school's open, but really the idea had been her and her alone.

"It'll take time to get into a good rhythm, but once we do..." he too searched the horizon, giving a soft grin. "I have no doubt we'll have wolves lined up at our borders begging to be let in." He leaned to nudge her lightly with his shoulder. Corvus was definitely exaggerating there but it was a nice thought anyway. He'd be happy to teach any students though, even if it was only a few. "Honestly I haven't thought that far ahead. I find myself wishing I had more practical fighting experience when I was younger though - you know, in a controlled environment," he admitted. Sparring his siblings or random strangers was different than sitting and working on actual methods and tactics. "So I'm sure I'll work out something for my first lessons... maybe breaking down a spar step-by-step, pausing between moves and allowing the students to analyze their moves. What about you, though? What's on your syllabus?"

It's all because of you. The words ran like a phantom touch down her spine, raising the hair as they travelled. She supposed it was true, in the practical sense. These plans that had been put into motion were hers, even if she saw the ghosts of Shaye and Rhyme acting at their edges. Her purpose felt renewed. Together they gazed on the fruits of their labor - of all Abaven's trials and tribulations - this new institution rose in front of them. Erected by paw and claw, but also built from her dreams. "Thank you for saying that," she acknowledged quietly before chuffing at the idea of wolves lining up at their borders. Even thought most alphas seemed agreeable, the teachers, the students they had promised - well, few had appeared. Perhaps there were other things at play on the larger stage of Boreas that she was unaware of - migrations? Changing of hands? Droughts? Famine? Any number of things could keep wolves apart for some time.

"I think that idea sounds excellent. We could all stand to get back to basics, myself included. For some of us, the moves are so ingrained that we barely think. Why am I shifting my weight back to my hind end? Why do I lower myself to the ground, pin my ears? And where do I go from there?' she mused. "The many ways we fight, the minute steps we take before and during battle - there are hundreds of small choices, maybe thousands. A worthy course of study indeed." Her mind wandered as she pondered her own courses. "I'd like to teach beginner healing, absolutely. Starting with a show-and-tell type style of different herbs, moving on to basic poultices - you know, a strong foundation to work from," she found herself daydreaming of lecturing before piles of fragrant dried herbs, rows of eager, young eyes focused on her. And maybe there would be one pair looking back at her, shining blue with those familiar Destruction eye markings just beneath. Theo blinked the vision away.

"More than anything, I find myself thinking about family," she said softly. "It's strange, isn't it? I had such an odd upbringing here, and I was hoping having the school to occupy me would kill the urge, but..." Theo choked, turning her face away from Corvus. He and Twig had suffered such a terrible loss. "Have you ever considered... would you try again? You two would splendid parents, if it was something you wanted."

It truly was nice to find purpose after being stagnant for so long. Corvus had no doubt it would affect his mood even more once classes officially began and word got out about what they were building here. Having something new and exciting to look forward to each day would definitely give him a renowned sense of purpose and he knew the same could be said for the rest of Abaven, Theory in particular. He gave her a small nod of acknowledgment, happy to lather her with praise but knowing fully well he'd said enough as it were. He hoped time would only further prove that what they were doing here had greater purpose than what they were envisioning in the short-term, because he was sure it did.

"Exactly," he mused aloud. "So much is pure instinct, but there's a lot more to it than that, and I think those intricacies could very well spell the difference between winning or losing - or even between living and dying." Corvus let out a quiet sigh. It was a morbid thought and one that he and Theory hadn't necessarily dealt with first-hand, but violence and war was always a looming possibility. Even if far-fetched it was worth being aware of the possibility and preparing for it, even if not vigilantly. "Beginner healing sounds like a good class. One I probably need to take," he joked lightly, giving her a sideways grin.

Family. He wasn't sure he and Theory had ever spoken properly about either of their desires to have children, at least not beyond when he'd confessed Twig had suffered a miscarriage. The topic had been a sensitive one for him for a long while - and while it still was, he felt now he could speak about it without being completely overwhelmed with grief. "I've thought about it. Quite often," Corvus admitted quietly. He hadn't yet had the courage to broach the topic with Twig yet, though still his thoughts often drifted back to the possibility. "But I'm not sure I'm ready." He appreciated the kind words, regardless of his own indecision on the matter. But now he found himself wondering about her own thoughts on having children of her own, realizing he'd never asked, he'd been so caught up in his own loss. "What about you? Children, I mean - have you thought about wanting some of your own?"

Theory nodded astutely - it was true. Just the slightest move in the heat of battle could mean defeat or victory - painting the ground with your blood, or your enemy only getting a mouthful of fur. "Quite right." A light chuckle escaped her as he mentioned wanting to take a beginning healing course. "Well, I'll leave your name on my roster. And that's a threat!" The mood slowly ventured somewhere more serious, silence settling between them as Corvus contemplated her words. Family. It was the logical next step, wasn't it? Even more than that... watching Poem and Sparhawk, watching her nieces grow up before her eyes - oh, it had awoken something in her. A powerful want, something that could easily overwhelm her.

"I think about it often. Especially after... she left me. It hadn't seemed like an option before - at least, not a simple one - and now that opportunity is open to me. And I don't have a single other wolf I'd want to start a family with," she barked a short, bitter laugh. It was an ugly sound, so unlike her. Almost pure bitterness. "But, I'm trying to stay open to the possibility," she added quickly. Theo smiled softly, burying her own pain and turning to address Corvus directly: "I think you'd make a splendid father when you decide that you're ready - and Twig a lovely mother. I mean that."

Corvus let out a low chuckle at her words. She always had a way of making him feel better about things, even without trying, even when he didn't realize he was sorely in need of cheering up in the first place. Soon they'd both be teaching, and no doubt learning plenty in the process too. He was excited at the prospects of their futures, though their conversation quickly strayed to more somber territory. His own thoughts on family and creating life of his own in the form of children was a topic as intriguing as it was heavy. It was a possibility that he hadn't had the chance to begin to explore before it'd been stolen from him, and processing it had taken him a long while. Though he felt now he'd fully come to terms with it, voicing his own thoughts on family and his desire or not for children was strangely complex. It seemed Theory felt the same, which was comforting.

It was a strange dichotomy, Theory expressing she might want children of her own but found herself with no partner - and Corvus, settled down with the only wolf he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, with the possibility having been once torn cruelly from them. "Being open to the possibility is a good thing. If you're ready, I mean," he added quickly. Being truly ready for parenthood wasn't something he knew was possible, but there was something to be said for being as prepared as you could get. "As ready as you could ever be," he added with a quiet laugh.

But the mood then shifted into something a little more serious, and he gave a slow nod, letting his head tilt toward her for a moment as he searched her features. "Thank you - I mean it I think you'd make a lovely mother, too. I see how you've always treated the youngest members of Abaven. They'd be lucky to have a mother like you." He wasn't just laying it on thick for no reason, he wasn't that type - he truly meant it too, and wanted her to hear it, especially if she was entertaining the thought of wanting children in the near future. Who knew when the right partner for her could come along, after all.

"Oh Corvus," she said wistfully, finding her eyes becoming glassy with tears even as she tried to keep them at bay. "I still remember when Shaye assigned you to mentor me. Who would have thought we'd be here now, talking about children and standing before this... this thing we've all built." The years had marched on since then, as time always did, but she still felt the same companionable warmth to her distant cousin. She had been so young and nervous when they'd first met, terrified that he would be disappointed in her. Desperate to please him. "I think I'm ready... but how could you ever know? Children seem to just happen to some wolves, and here we are," she said softly, "dreaming, wishing, wanting." Theory took a long, slow breath. This far away from the Rapids, the world seemed so much quieter. No endless soundtrack of rushing water to ease her racing thoughts. "Maybe it will be something that just happens to us, too. When we least expect it."