Trying her best was always Wren's thing.

She didn't like to rest on her laurels if she could help it. However, one thing had been nagging her lately. The lack of space in Armada and the abundant space in the North as a whole. She paced around until it hit her. Her reluctance to let others lead her around. Her ability to pinpoint what she wanted out of life was something... lacking. She didn't want to be a follower anymore. And she knew Armada was too new to her to challenge for a rank - even if she wanted to.

Her fur prickled along her spine when she sensed another's presence. Turning, she saw the Warlord standing there. Pacing Dreamer's Col was probably the worst thing to do during the night. Everyone was sleeping, sure, but she didn't want to disturb them. "Sirius" He didn't like to be called sir so what else would she call him? "did I disturb anyone's sleep? I was... trying to be quiet." Outside of a few quiet grunts, she had been. But Habari and Medusa had kept her up.

The state of the packs she knew... kept her up. Armada seemed to be the normal one. She didn't know much about Valhalla to call it normal though. Okay, so it was mostly Habari that irked her right now. Only cause she had a personal connection with Medusa. Did everyone keep slaves? she thought wildly am I the abnormal one, hating that?

"Speech"

The Warlord had many restless nights. There was an advantage to having a den that nestled above all the rest. He needed only creep out the door and rest on the stone patio, and watch the world below. Seeing his pack secure and safe soothed something restless inside of him, and he found himself often resting on that spot, and watching the quiet pack.

On this night, he caught the form of a familiar tawny wolf as she moved restlessly back and forth, clearly something on her mind. He moved away from the den quietly, careful not to wake any inside as he made his way down the mountain. Paws on the grassy valley, he made his way closer. She sensed him before he arrived, and turned to her, so he nodded his head in greeting as he closed the gap between them. “Not that I’ve heard, I was already awake” He promised her. He hadn’t heard any disturbance from her pacing, and if the patrols had seen her, they had clearly left her to it. “Why don’t you tell me whats on your mind?”


"Sirius Fatalis"

She let out a relieved sigh, half exhaustion and half annoyance along with the relief. Stopping her pacing, she faced the massive wolf. All the alphas she heard about were huge. Granted, they needed to be able to meet challenges and challengers head-on. Using their size was just what they were born to do. "I..." she looked away, feeling sheepish. What had she thought lately? "I've always been a follower."

Not that she wasn't grateful for Basilisk's friendship and Armada's safety, but. "I thought about claiming a land, if there is room" before Sirius could protest, she hurried on. Her voice raised in a slight panic as if expecting him to protest or even get annoyed "I've been a beta wolf before. In the absence of my previous alpha, I helped evacuate people left behind when our world crumbled..." Hurt flashed against her blues.

"I've been forced to make decisions. Bad ones. Good ones. Armada is comfy, but I don't feel pressured to try for a rank in due time" she liked hunting just fine, and there was no higher title for it "point is, I've thought about a leadership role. I'm still young; I got lots of time. I can wait if this goes nowhere. While I can see myself growing old in your pack, Sirius, I also need a challenge. Yanno?" She finished in a flurry but was still nowhere near done.

She had no one to help her. "I... long and short, I sort of want to lead. I've... always followed, trailed... I don't want that any more." She didn't meet his eyes.

"Speech"

The Warlord settled himself down in front of Wren, and gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. When she spoke, she seemed a little embarrassed. I’ve always been a follower. He thought of his own moment where he knew he couldn’t follow any more. Had it been one single moment, or a collection of them? Either way he had an inkling of what that felt like, even if their reasons were likely vastly different. He had done it for Zee, after all. Now he did it for himself, for who he had become, and all those who followed him.

It was clear she wasn’t finished, so he let her speak. She mentioned claiming land, and having experience in leading. He didn’t want to lose her, but nor did he want to disabuse her of the notion. She hadn’t been part of his family for long, but he was fond of her. He considered her words carefully, and when she was finished he reached over. Gently nudging a paw under her chin and lifting her gaze back to him. He removed his paw, and hoped she would keep her eyes up. After all, if she was to be a leader, she would need to learn to look hard choices in the eye.

“Leading a pack is no small thing. You need to pick a land, secure it and claim - of course. But before you do even that you need wolves to follow you. A pack is only as strong as its members.” He continued. But he wasn’t done, not by a long short. “So here's what I propose to you. Let me take you under my wing. I’ll introduce you to some of the Alphas , which will benefit you in future negotiations. Find wolves that will follow you, scout out territories. When you're ready to expand, do so with my blessing. If you succeed, we will consider ourselves allies and you will benefit from the protection of the Armada. Once you’ve grown into your own, Armada will be your closest ally, and we would both benefit from having the strength of a friend to draw upon.” It was a hell of a safety net he was offering her, and while he didn’t want to lose her, he wanted her to succeed all the same.


"Sirius Fatalis"

"You'd do that?!"

She could not help the burst of three simple words. Wren met his eyes at the man's prompting, shock, fear, and excitement and daresay... hope flickering in. Of course, she had wanted to continue a working relationship with Armada. If what Sirius said was true, she did want to claim northern land and continue to work alongside the pack she had been in only a few weeks. The edging of spring was upon them. New life would soon be here, along with fresh-faced yearlings looking for a home.

"I want a strong ally like Armada" she composed herself "I would like a mentor in you" Sirius definitely had more experience leading than many other alphas here, for sure "but most of all, I want a friendship. You don't need to feel like you have to do this, Sirius... but I am grateful for the assistance. Consider... Armada a friend and ally, if this becomes a reality." She dipped her head to him.

And so. "I wouldn't want you guys to travel far if we're gonna be allies. Maybe a land close to your own, until I... grow more confident? Graduate your training? Then I could move this proverbial pack somewhere else" No way was she going to rely on Armada forever. They had their own shit to deal with! "do you know somewhere good in the North?" She frowned, having little experience with the territory right now.

"Speech"

The Warlord inclined his head at her words. Wren was young, and she had much to learn. Did he know what kind of leader she would make? Not yet. But he was willing to invest in her. If her pack failed, she would come back to the Armada and he would be able to draw on her strength as a member within his pack. If she succeeded, the pack she would lead would have close ties to the Armada. In a world filled with packs like the pirates, it was good to know who your allies were.

“I suggest you take time to scout out the territories that could suit your purpose. I can help you go over the ones you pick with pros and cons, if you like.” he offered. It did rankle to know he would lose her from his pack soon. She was a good hunter, and a promising wolf. But at least while she prepared herself he would have time to train other hunters. “Do you have a premise you’ve considered yet for the pack?”


"Sirius Fatalis"

"Yes."

Wren had considered the premise of her pack before. It was something different. When she had been in the sea-dwelling one, they had begun to transition away from a formal pack and into... something else. "A trade guild" it worked for such hardworking wolves, especially someone as busy-bodied as herself "different wolves, with different skills, all working for the betterment of their community and others. We'd be crafters and workers, our skills rented and commissioned."

But she wasn't done. Wren breezed by, but her tone held some passion to it. "We'd be lax and leisurely. Anyone who just wants a safe haven, is welcomed, but they're expected to add to our cache once a season in some way. Participation would be encouraged and not a mandate. I don't like forcing others to bow to me either." She gave Sirius an uneasy grin, knowing he probably guessed that already.

"But most of all, I had... the idea of a Bazaar" Wren added, frowning in thought "of different packs coming and going, in a gentle peace. There would be prizes and events. But most of all, we'd be able to show off what we've worked so hard on before winter" And show strength to others! "everyone would be able to trade and get what they needed, for a profit."

"Speech"

put me out of my misery
THINK MY HEART IS HISTORY
nothing can fix me

The Warlord nodded his head, and then snorted softly in amusement - but he was quick to explain himself. “Aeries consider themselves something similar, their wolves for hire. However they haven't done a great job of making allies, so I believe their premises hasn’t worked.” He spoke of that small pack and its abrasive alpha. Wren wasn’t finished however, so he fell silent to hear the rest of it.

As she finished, his lip twitched in mild amusement. “A little like a market, perhaps?’ his own was too new to have lifted off successfully yet, but he had high hopes for it. “Events could be intriguing. A way to bring packs together” He agreed. “But don’t forget the core of the pack isn’t what it can do for others, but what it means to the wolves that live there.” Through he was sure she could form a tight knit community.

"Sirius Fatalis"

"Mercenary work isn't what I want to do" Wren carefully stated, curious about Aerie and its broken alliances "it's more of a commission. A job to do and then come back. Or if they like it enough, they can stay in that pack. We could also rent wolves out to vagabonds; especially old lone wolves who cannot hunt for themselves. Someone to talk to for a bit. We needn't be sheltered. I've spent a lot of time as a lone wolf... It can be hard alone. As long as the pack would get something for helping, we'll take most any commission. Within reason."

Sirius was smart enough to realize that Wren offered. She wanted to be upfront, direct... She wanted to make allies but also keep her nose clean. She wanted to be able to sleep at night, knowing she did a good job. "I'd never ask any wolf who pledged to me to lay down their life. All commissions would be handled by the wolf who wanted to do them. Voluntarily. I'd give them the freedom to choose their own life and experiences" Sirius also made a point. Wren nodded, agreeing "I want others to be safe."

She paused.

"It may be greedy to say the guild could provide materials, wealth... Profit" she shrugged "experience, training. Room to grow. Food. Shelter. Companionship. Like any pack, I guess" Wren tipped her head to Armada's land "everything you own would be yours. Nobody else's; unless you donated it to the pack. We'd all be equals. We would vote on big decisions. I know our kind craves order and structure, but some rare few... don't." But they also needed a place to sleep at night. Somewhere safe and warm.

"I would give them as much freedom as possible for an alpha" Wren's ocean blue eyes hardened "and we won't tolerate abuse. Wolves should be able to say what they want, without being maimed for it" Sirius was right; she was young, and inexperienced but. She should be able to hear and see things she didn't agree with, to better understand and deal with them "I want to lead, but I don't want anyone to be unhappy. I would be able to change... I would listen to them. I would grow for them."

"Speech"

The Warlord listened patiently as she spoke of the pack she wished to create. When she was done, he inclined his head slowly in a thoughtful nod. “I see you’ve given this a lot of thought.” Her premise was interesting, and he would watch to see how it unfurled in the years to come.

He yawned into the cool air, and shook out his coat. The chill wind was getting to him in the late hours of the night. “Let's move over to the fire pit and I’ll get us some warm drinks.” He suggested. Anyone could see that Wren was too keyed up to get any more sleep tonight. A missed night's sleep was hardly unusual for the Fatalis leader and he got to his own paws, indicating for Wren to follow.

“It would be best to start recruiting first, which will lead to you travelling a lot more. Once you’ve found a few wolves to your cause, I’ll take you to meet some of the Alphas in our circle. If your numbers need bolstering, I’ll give you one of my wolves. I’ll give that some thought and you can let me know if you need them.” He said, drawing a rough outline of an idea, but none of it was ingrained in stone. He left the floor open for her to decide how she wanted to proceed.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Recruitment was definitely not her strong suit. Wren followed after Sirius, to the fire pit. "I'll... try" Now she sounded uncertain "I'm not the best talker. I just talk and don't shut up" She snorted "everyone expects a leader to make grand, flowing speeches" Another snort of laughter "I guess... I won't be a traditional alpha." She sat down, letting her tail flow behind her like the wind.

"Could I recruit though? I already travel Boreas for prey... but I think I've mastered hunting" she frowned "I don't want to shirk duties to Armada" And it'd be nice to hang with Basilisk until she decided to leave "even if I have this idea, there's no telling if it'll work or not" She was just being realistic! "could you tell me about the alphas of this realm, Sirius?" she added, leaving out 'friendly' in favor of 'informal'.

She didn't want to just be told about allies.

"Speech"