After their fight, Wren decided to head back up north. It was a quick walk back to the Mile-High Woods, but she detoured a bit east in favor of exploring more. She had said goodbye to the man at the field, walking quietly before steps sounded behind her. She turned, a bit surprised to see him standing there. The other wolf seemed a good sort, so she let him follow her. Maybe the Armada had room for him, if he was looking for a pack? Or, wait... Hm. Maybe she had need of him. But that could wait. "You fought well" Wren said courteously as she neared the entrance of the mines. Walking in silence for a bit, she both hated it and relished it. Gathering her strength and stamina after the spar had been her goal; she didn't want to be exhausted after one fight! "name's Wren, by the way" she added over her shoulder "we didn't exactly get to introduce ourselves." A wry grin appeared on her features. Her fault, totally. "she speaks"

The fight was over but he’d have a little, stinging reminder for a while yet. He’d need to get his neck properly cleaned later and probably at least put some moss on it so that it didn’t get infected, but, thankfully, the punctures weren’t all that deep. Wren had certainly caught him off guard with her tactics as well… though that was what Beauregard admired about her. She had tactics, even if size and age weren’t completely on her side. He was admittedly a tad worried for Trill but he knew trying to find the bluejay now would be a fruitless endeavor. She’d find him when she was good and ready.

He had no idea where they were going, but Beauregard trailed after the woman quietly after their match. At least though their silence was broken. Beau’s ears perked forward at her voice, his pale blue gaze thoughtful. “Thank you,” He spoke sincerely. “You did as well. I’ve… admittedly not had much practice outside my kin. It was an experience for certain.” A smile crossed his lips.

“Wren,” He let her name linger on his tongue. “I am Beauregard Ravenwood, it is a pleasure.” The ashen cream male let out a chuckle. “We certainly didn’t. But it was all in good fun. The experience was more important than pleasantries at the time.” His gaze swept the mines that were looming before them as his ears flicked back. “What… is this?” Beauregard asked, curiosity taking over. “I’ve never seen such a place… are these places common in these lands?”

For a lad, he had a positive and polite attitude. She turned fully to face him. It would be easy for Beauregard to pitch a fit over his loss, but he handled it well enough. "I don't have kin to fight" Wren told him but didn't dwell on it. She moved on fluidly enough "I had been an only pup with a single mother, so my experiences are different. It's good to get different views and learn from losses." Be it personal or not. She frowned briefly before her lips curled neutrally. "This is a mine" she said as she glanced away from Beauregard "you can forage here for items. Sometimes old relics. Sometimes, you're lucky to find a chunk of ore for weapons and armor" She still wore her bracers from the battle. Wren approached the side of the mine, placing a paw on the surface of the wall "but if you're tired and hurt from our fight, I don't think it's a good idea to go further in." Concern laced her tone. She placed her paw back on the ground. She shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know if it's common. But I've seen mines and underground caves before. I'm sorta new here, only been here since the beginning of winter. What about you?" "she speaks"

Beauregard’s smile faded as Wren spoke of not having kin to fight. She had been an only pup with a single mother… that… sounded rough. “I’m sorry.” He said softly. He agreed that gathering different views and learning from losses, as well as mistakes, were necessary. It was what the pilgrimage that his family had put him on encouraged. He would have said more, but the topic shifted to the answer to his question and he allowed his gaze to shift over the rock once more.

“So this is a mine… My aunt talked about them a lot.” He motioned with his head towards the blade in its sheath upon his front right leg. “She said she found this knife in one, actually… Already crafted. Whoever had it before was nowhere to be found though.” His gaze became thoughtful. If he found ore would he really be able to craft things like this too? No, he thought, it couldn’t be that simple. But maybe with the right teacher and patience, he could learn.

“I’m new here in these lands myself. The terrain gave way to our battlefield and I met you,” He gave a bit of a sheepish grin. “So I don’t even know what these lands are called yet, what packs may reside here… nothing I’m afraid.” But as his gaze trailed back to hers he didn’t seem all that worried about it.

“I left my homeland in my birth season when the leaves were starting to fall in mass. It is tradition for yearlings to go on a pilgrimage on the first birthday.” Beauregard began explaining. “You can choose to come back to our homeland, but not until you’ve lived another year alone, or with another pack. I came this way seeking a place to call home.” His gaze softened.

“I was the only pup born to my parents last year, but I was raised with a couple of friends who left the same day. As much as I love my family, my pack, and my friends, I don’t think I’d grow very much if I returned back there.” Beauregard drew in a breath, twitching his ears as they came forward.

“There is a big, wider world… And I want to learn more about it. I want to learn to make weapons and armor, sharpen my skills as a fighter, and hunt the largest game I can find…” There was a light in his eyes as he spoke now. “...and I’m not going to do that if I just sit about idly, will I?” He glanced back at Wren again, a large grin on his face.

“I’d like to start here, if you’d be kind enough to accompany me, Wren! My neck stings from our fight,” He let out a chuckle. “But it’s going to take more than that to slow me down for long. So what do you say? Up for adventure?”

She was polite and listened to him speak. He had a lot to say, much more than she had. It felt rude to comment or interrupt, so she didn't. At last, at the end, she grasped what he wanted. A new life. A place to grow and learn from. She could almost buzz with excitement. Had she found another willing wolf to join her pack? "Beauregard" she murmured, trying to ponder what exactly to say to him "I can't promise excitement or adventure; only that I'd do my best to keep you safe and happy" And if he decided to move on... She'd show him off with a smile "I'll be blunt; I'm making a pack up North." The Gorge seemed a good place to start. "We would be a trade guild, a place you can work on skills and be around others. Contribute as much as you want, bowing to no one - not even your alpha. I wouldn't be a traditional alpha. I'd only want wolves that didn't demand respect from others. Our borders would be lax and welcoming, but thieves are met with teeth" Wren tried not to hurry through her explanation as she told him "you'd be free to come and go as you please. Rope other members into adventure too. We'd take jobs from other packs, meet new folks and expand our horizons." She tipped her head to the young man, wondering what he thought but moved on in her spiel. "If you wanted to join, I can't do it right away. It'd be in spring, when everyone has stopped hiding and is eager to settle down. I already have some members, but we'd welcome you." "she speaks"

Beauregard’s attention shifted back to Wren as she spoke his name. He was quivering with excitement, eager to head into the mines and explore, but her words almost immediately had him intrigued. He tilted his head to the side at her words only to have his eyes widen slightly with surprise. It turned out he hadn’t just battled against a pack wolf, but an ambitious one at that… a wolf who wanted to become the alpha of a pack made in the Northern ranges of the land they were in.

Now he had a whole different reason to be intrigued. Beau quietly listened, ears twitching thoughtfully as Wren went on about the type of pack it could be. It sounded… literally perfect. He could feel his heart flutter in his chest, wanting to scream “yes” before the woman had even finished speaking. The energy was likely felt, however, as the yearling shifted on his paws. He was a little sad to hear that the pack wouldn’t take off until the spring but…

“I would be happy, no, honored to join you, Wren!” His tall had started to wag back and forth wildly behind him. “This guild… this pack sounds like everything I’ve dreamed of. It’d be perfect.” There was a shine to his eyes as he spoke. “Though if you can’t form it until Spring… where should I await your call? I don’t know these lands all that well just yet…” He trailed off thoughtfully. The idea that others were already waiting for this pack as well was exciting. Who knew what sort of friends, what sort of allies he might make once the pack was off the ground?

He seemed eager. Wren noticed the glint of interest in his eyes, smiling when he voiced his words. "Our future ally, Armada, is going to house us" she replied easily, shifting her gaze to point much more north "they've allowed us to use the Cove's caves as a home - until we form" she added "I've picked a location for our base already, so if you wanted to stay there or under Armada's protection..." It was up to him. Either way, she could show him to either location easily. Wren felt like bouncing on all fours, ready to go. Ready to start a new chapter of everyone's life; not just her own. "I'd be patrolling both, so you can always find me. I'm in Armada until I finish training with the alpha" she would add "then he'll release me to make the Guild. I can escort you to the Cove or the Gorge; your choice, Beauregard." She waited, a grin on her features as he chose his path. "she speaks"

A future ally, the Armada appeared to have that part thought out already. Wren gestured further North and Beauregard let his pale blue gaze wander in that direction. While he had never been to a beach, which he assumed would be at this “cove”, he had heard plenty of tales about masses of water that stretched on for what seemed like days worth of travel. He was also curious because Wren mentioned that she had already picked a location for the future pack as well… He was a little uncertain about denning somewhere without meeting those of the Armada first but…

“If you’ll be patrolling both areas, until the time comes you are released to become an alpha,” Beau spoke gently. “Then I’d like to ask to see the Gorge first, if I may. To become familiar wth the territory that will be our home before I do some exploration of my own.” If Wren was eager to move on he could always come back and explore the mines later on. He was sure he’d have some time on his paws while she was finishing her training. And he’d likely run into her again before long if he wandered enough as well.

“...and as we travel, would you mind telling me more about Armada?” He had only ever known his birth pack after all. What sort of differences would those in the Armada have from the pack he was joining? They had to be like minded enough to be an ally at least… but every pack was different.

The Gorge. She nodded, angling her body to prepare herself for the trek. She flicked a tail for Beauregard to follow. "Armada is run by a man named Sirius Fatalis, the alpha who is training me" she continued on with the explanations, knowing it'd be good practice for speeches and the boring things like that "they mostly keep to themselves, and are family oriented but have reach even into Auster." She felt they were good wolves, all things considered. "I don't know much about their past, personally" and Wren felt it wasn't her business anyway "but they have ties to Ashen, another old pack in Boreas" Their origin point, as it was "I think they're still allied together, so any move against Ashen is a declaration of conflict for Armada." She didn't know every single ally yet, but that was Sirius' job as her teacher. The pirates, of course, were a cause for concern... But Wren didn't mention them unless Beauregard knew. Not to withhold information but because they spoke about friendly things. "she speaks"

Beauregard trailed after Wren, off to her side but a step behind since he had no idea where he was actually going. He was definitely excited though; a new pack, a new world, a whole new existence to explore. Everything he’d learned to this point was only a foundation, a stepping stone, to the path he was on now. From here how he grew and what he learned would be in his own paws. He might miss his family, miss his best friends, but he was going to make new friends, form comradery with the pack he’d agreed to join, and he was going to become the best him he could be! His ears swiveled as Wren spoke on the Armada. Sirius Fatalis, huh? He’d make sure to remember the name. At some point he’d like to see the alpha, maybe even chat with him one on one… but he wouldn’t push his luck. Alphas tended to be incredibly busy creatures… yet this man had made time for Wren to train her. Family-oriented and keeping mostly to themselves sounded much like how Abyssium had worked so he could appreciate that. Sure his pack had the pilgrimage, but knowing others had that same sort of mentality was comforting. “Good to know,” Beau commented about Ashen as he padded along. “I’m certainly not looking to start trouble, but better to have an idea on who could stand with our allies and not step on any toes.” A thoughtful look entered his gaze. “Maybe we could see about cross-training with our allies? It could be a good way to expand our bonds with them as well. Not necessarily right away, but in time. I can’t speak for everyone but I think it’d be nice to know the faces of those I can trust outside of the pack I’m in.” Beau furrowed his brow. “...because as much as I loathe to know so… Not every pack will be friendly towards us. Even if we mean well. Some packs… just aren’t.” {{Thread can fade here and they can always talk more or do stuff in another thread down the road.}} "Speech," 'Thought.'

She agreed with Beauregard, and blinked in surprise when he suggested cross-training. It'd be a great way to bond, especially with Armada. Wren dipped her head to the boy, taking the words he said to heart and thought. Yes, not everyone was going to be their friend... She wanted to make sure to protect the ones she had though. A silence, comfortable at that, fell over them as they walked. She felt overwhelmed suddenly, and thankful for the wolves who had chosen to join her so far. It was a lot and a big adjustment. Some were vagabonds. Others were ex-pack, like herself. It was a big step toward home. Both figuratively and not. Wren would make sure to talk with everyone and see how they were doing. In due time, they'd all be friends. Or just allies. She was not so naïve. /end "she speaks"