After bringing down the pigs with Basilisk, the golden marked woman offered to take the smaller of the two pigs back while he took the larger. There was no way that she could eat the entire thing on her own and it was better to avoid wasting it. Dragging the heavy pig was no easy feat and the giant boy beat her to the pack border by a long shot.

Dropping the pig at the border, the now exhausted woman took a moment to breathe, then raised her slender, obsidian muzzle to the evening sky and called out for someone to meet her. Though she wasn't from these lands, border markers and their meaning were universal. The midnight fae seated herself and waited.

"Pitch"

The Warlord yawned and shook out his coat as he completed his last circuit of the borders and turned inwards. He knew Basilisk had gone out on a hunt, and Marshal had informed him the boy had returned victorias. Perhaps he should head to the stores, and see if the boy was still there.

As he contemplated that, he heard a howl at his borders, and raised distracted eyes in that direction. He fell into a light trott and made his way up to the grass plains, and the entrance to the pack near the Willows. There he found a dark woman, with swirls of gold in her coat. “Good evening” He said, before he scented Basilisk in her coat, and his eyes found the pig at her paws. His eyebrows slowly raised. Had Basilisk found help on his hunt?

"Sirius"

My, they were all big here. Pitch didn't have to wait for long until a giant of a man was coming in her direction. As he neared, she smelled the same scent on his coat as on Basilisks. Not only were they of the same pack, but they seemed to be related. He neared and greeted her. The dark fae rose to her paws and dipped her crown towards the brute. She then canted her head towards the dead pig nearby. "Your young one, Basilisk," she motioned towards the far off willows, "We hunted together in the willows. I don't need more than a haunch, so I figured you and your pack might want the rest rather than have it go to waste."

With her reason for being here spoken, the dark fae took a moment to look at the large man. He was handsome, rugged looking. She appreciated the marks on his face and the long, saber fangs. They didn't make wolves like him in her homeland. Once her visual inspection was finished, the woman brought her gold and pumpkin gaze up to meet vibrant blue. "My name is Pitch. You've a fine boy in Basilisk," she complimented.

"Pitch"

Confirming his suspicions, she mentioned Basilisk by name. Explaining how they had hunted together, and she wished to share the spoils of her share of the hunt. It was a generous offer, and by the scent of her she was a loner. A good meal could be hard to come by when you were on your own, but the state of her coat proclaimed her ability to hunt.

“That’s very kind of you. I’ve heard Basilisk already returned with a fair share of his own” he cantered his head upwards, where Marshal was circling. The source of his information. “It's good to meet you, Pitch. I'm Sirius. He’s my grandson,” he explained “It’s getting late. Why don’t you have a drink of something warm, and eat your fill by our fire” he suggested gently. “Our healer makes fine tea”

"Sirius"

The big brute commented on her kindness, mentioning that Basilisk was already back. The ebony fae chuckled softly. "I believe it. Such a large child," she commented in turn. Just like the man before her, pups weren't as big where she came from. If she was any indication, the wolves of her land were long and slender rather than big, bulky giants.

Sirius was the man's name and Pitch accepted the information with a gentle nod. He then surprised her a bit by inviting her, an obvious loner, into his territory for the night. The woman almost turned him down. She was more than capable on her own, but then he mentioned tea. "Hmm," she hummed, giving her crown a little tilt, "I believe I'd like that. Thank you." With the invitation accepted, the gilded fae turned, grabbed the dead pig, and stepped over the border into the territory.

"Pitch"

She picked up the pig before the Warlord could do so. His lips twitched in a small smile, and led the way. Leading her towards the centre of the plains, where the communal area lay. He gestured towards the seats by the always-lit fireplace, before vanishing himself into the packs stores to grab them some tea.

As he did so, Basilisk, who had been nearby, caught her scent. The young boy trotted over, and took a seat next to his hunting companion. “Hi” he said as he flopped down beside her. “If you're still here tomorrow, can I show you how to make a net to catch fish? Since you showed me how to trap pigs.” He explained, proud for a chance to show off his knowledge.

The Warlord returned with some cups, and began heating water over the fireplace. “Don’t crowd our guest” he chided Basilisk, but he smiled as he said it.


"Sirius"

Sirius led the woman into pack lands, through the long grass, and towards a fire that crackled merrily. Pitch, not knowing where to place the dead pig, sat it back behind the flattened area that was obviously where the wolves of the pack sat when enjoying the flames. The giant man left her there for a moment and Pitch made herself comfortable, laying on her belly and tucking her paws in against her chest like a cat.

A familiar shape neared, settling down beside her and Pitch smiled up at the hulking boy as he gave a greeting. Dark ears shifted to catch his words and the woman's heart warmed. He wanted to teach her how to fish. Now... fish was Pitch's favorite food. She was an apt fisherwoman, but she would never deny a child the opportunity to teach. The gilded fae dipped her crown in acceptance. "I would be more than happy to be your student, Basilisk."

Sirius returned, chiding the boy lightly, but there was a grin on his rugged features. Pitch patted the boys massive paw with her own delicate appendage. "I'll see you in the morning for our fishing trip," she promised. Gold and pumpkin eyes moved to rest on Sirius once more. Was he going to be the one making tea for her? An interesting practice. Where she came from, only women made tea. Men were revered and it was seen as an honor to make tea for them.

"Pitch"

Basilisk grinned at the other woman, and took her words as a dismissal. He returned her paw-pat and got to his paws. Shaking out his coat. “See you in the morning!” he said and took off at a brisk trot. Likely to go make trouble somewhere else.

As the water heated, the Warlord steeped the tea. He hadn’t been much of a tea drinker in the early days of his life. It was only recently that he had taken to the drink more. The act of making it reminded him of Iolaire, and the scent of it of Halo. The healer had put this mixture together, chamomile and lavender. She had insisted he drink tea more often after learning his age.

He poured them both a cup, and then settled down by the fire. “So where are you from, Pitch?”


"Sirius"

A smile was directed towards the boy as he patted her paw and said that he'd see her tomorrow. A charming child, to be sure. Pitch would be well rested and ready to spend her day with the big boy. Though she was more than a little skilled in fishing, she was curious to see what he would teach her and to see if she could teach him something in turn.

Once Basilisk had gone, Pitch turned her full attention to Sirius as he brewed tea for the pair of them. The two of them existed in comfortable silence until the man placed a dish of steaming, fragrant tea before her. Both of Pitch's paws moved, pads pressing into the sides of the dish, enjoying the warmth that spread through her toes. She inhaled lightly of the steaming brew and released a small sigh of pleasure.

Sirius asked where she was from and the woman's almond shaped eyes shifted, looking to his face. "A place far across the sea. I booked passage on a ship." The gold marked woman gave her dish a gentle twirl between her paws. "I plan on visiting the different packs of this land to see which might be the best fit for me." Her demeanor was light and pleasant as she spoke, her accented tones soft, but smooth. "What is the Armada all about?"

"Pitch"

He could see that Pitch enjoyed the beverage as well. He took the water off the heat before taking a sip of his own cup. The scents of whatever herbs Halo had put into now were familiar to him. As he did so, Pitch began to tell him some of her story. His ears picked up as she mentioned booking passage. His experience of arriving here (many, many years ago) had been far more chaotic. There were boats that charted to Boreas/. That was fascinating indeed.

“There are a decent few right now for you to visit. I could tell you a little of them if you like.” He suggested. “The Armada was originally built as a vanguard, a collection of wolves that were sworn to defend another pack. As the years went on, it evolved and changed. We are something of a place for people to learn the art of fighting. Now however? I am starting to lean in a new direction. I intend to bring some changes to the Armada soon. To give us a different purpose. But our core values stay the same. The Wolves of the Armada learn what they need to to survive, grow, and flourish. I would protect that with my life.”

"Sirius"

Pitch had swished her tea around enough that it was still warm, but cool enough to drink. The woman lifted the dish to obsidian lips and sipped. Gold and pumpkin eyes closed and she released a sigh of pleasure. "This is a very good blend," the fae admitted. "Compliments to your herbalist." Pitch was a bit of a tea aficionado. Tea was very important where she came from and was used in many ceremonies and events as well as consumed daily by the family.

Pointed, midnight ears shifted forward as Sirius spoke of his pack, it's origins, and where it was headed. He was a little cryptic with the last part. "And where is the Armada headed? What direction have you chosen?" Though big and powerful, Sirius didn't strike Pitch as the kind for warmongering. Perhaps he had once been that way, but there was a kindness to him that was obvious. "I would not mind to hear your opinions on the other packs. It's good to see what others might think, though I'll still visit each on my own time." Again, the exotic fae sipped her tea, once more making a sound of pleasure.

"Pitch"

“I’ll pass it along” Seer agreed, knowing his cautious healer would enjoy the compliment. He set his own tea back down, and gave her a slight, amused smile. “Well. I’ll be introducing the idea to the pack before I release it to the wind” he explained, almost apologetically.

“Very well.” He agreed. Knowing his opinion was likely coloured in bias, and knew the importance of finding out for oneself. He would however give her a quick run over them. It would at least give her an idea of how many and where they lay. “To the Easternmost lands of Boreas you have Abaven. That pack seems to have shrunk in size in later years, but their Alpha - Theory, is in the process of turning the pack into a school for all wolves to attend as they please. They are perhaps the least likely wolves to fight in all of Boreas. North of them you have a fairly new pack, known as Elysium. I believe most of the wolves there are part of their Alpha - Maneas - family.” he had spoken to the woman a couple times, but still felt he knew little of the pack.

“A little South West of them lies Habari. Their leader is Recluse, and they originated from Ashen, as we did. To the West directly beside the Armada is Ashen, led by Venom. A very capable young woman. West of them are the Pirates, under Sparrow. A rambunctious, lawless mess of chaos. A little North West of them is Fireside, run by Tyrian. Their pack seems a little small, and their wolves unpredictable.” He would not forget that twice now he had had issues of its members arriving at his borders.

“Further West and into the desert leads you to Aerie. Another small pack. Their Alpha, Eligos, has described them as mercenaries. Wolves for hire. Slightly to the West of that is Valhalla. They are a very isolated pack, I seldom see their wolves in the world. Their alpha is pompous and conceited. Aurielle, easily offended if the one that speaks to her is not an Alpha in their own right.” He dismissed them with a soft snort. Unaware that the recluse pack had changed hands.

"Sirius"

It seemed as though Sirius hadn't announced the shift in pack dynamics to his members yet and begged her pardon as he would not be able to tell her. She could understand that and nodded in acceptance, continuing to sip her tea here and there.

Sirius began to speak, laying out the various packs and his opinions of them. Pitch was a sponge, soaking up the information given to her. A school sounded like an interesting concept but it didn't sound as though the place would be safe from invaders. A family pack sounded more up her alley, but would they accept an outsider with beliefs that no doubt differed from theirs?

Names and locations continued to be given and Pitch would remember them all. She was rather intelligent and well schooled. No doubt an entirely different breed from the pirates that the giant man mentioned. She had noted the disdain in his tones. He seemed the most annoyed by Valhalla and their alpha and the fae made a note of that as well. Perhaps she wouldn't visit all of the packs.

"I have met Eligos," the woman spoke, taking another sip of tea to drain the dish. "He was very kind." The gold marked man had been a gentleman. They'd shared a meal, a little bit of information, then he went on his way. "I've a mind to pay Aerie a visit. Eligos owes me a fish." The fae chuckled softly and curled her paws in against her chest. "Thank you for the information." She assumed that he was finished with the packs, as he had listed quite a few.

"Pitch"

There was a hint of surprise on the Warlord's face as she described Eligos as ‘kind’ he supposed he had only ever seen the face of the man that he would present to a threat to his family. He didn’t necessarily have hard feelings for the wolf, but he had little interest in him regardless.

At her thanks, he inclined her head. “Of course” he said, taking another sip from his tea, which had begun to cool as he spoke. “That is all the packs of Boreas, and the only pack in Auster that I know is the Hallows. They call themselves a Sanctuary. Their leader is one of the most capable I have encountered… but perhaps I should be honest and admit that I helped to train him as a leader. He is my Godson, and one of his mothers - the first leader of the pack, was someone to aspire to be. So he had good roots to start his reign.” there was fondness in his voice, and he grinned at Pitch. “No, I can not describe them without bias. My own daughter is his Queen.” He explained.

"Sirius"

Again, Pitch listened as Sirius continued with yet more packs. The woman blinked as he spoke. This land must be much larger than the one that she came from. Her homeland wouldn't be able to sustain so many packs. Pitch couldn't even imagine the power struggles that might be taking place between the various factions.

Sirius began to smile as he spoke of The Hallows and its leader. It was obvious that he was very fond of the man that led the pack and the reason why came to light. The leader was his godson and his daughter was queen of the pack. Good enough reasons to promote The Hallows in her opinion. Sirius seemed like a well put together wolf so she trusted his opinion, though she would still go to see each of them herself.

"Thank you for the information," the woman spoke, giving a delicate dip of her crown. "I'll remember it when I visit these packs." Perhaps she would head down to The Hallows first.

"Pitch"