He came back a few days later, having announced his intention to the wolves of Valhalla to scout. While he found nothing of interest, he had come across many different individuals with their own stories to tell. Nothing to be useful to the pack, however. In his jaws was the half carcass of a deer. He had hunted before returning, eating half of the bulk before saving the rest for the others. Depositing it at the cache, he caught sight of a pale form. It was not Aurielle, nor anyone he knew. Curious and somewhat lonely in the pack's land, he approached her. "Lo there" he greeted, stopping a respectful distance away from the woman "m' Torben. Joined a few weeks ago" he added for clarification. Bad timing on his part, as there had been a pack meeting before that. He hoped to participate next time "if ye have time, I'd like to chat. Er, get to know ye and that..." he trailed off, looking sheepish despite his size. "As packmates." Of course, obviously. SPEECH HERE

Saying Caelia hadn't been terribly pleasant within Valhalla would be an understatement - but she was moderately relieved to know she wasn't the only pack member that had been somewhat reclusive these days. It was simply that time of year, or that was what she'd tell herself. Though with spring just around the corner, it was no surprise that she was beginning to see faces around the packlands that she hadn't seen in some time - and some strangers were among those faces too. She dipped her head in quiet acknowledgment of the stranger who greeted her. He was clearly someone who'd been invited to Valhalla though so she wouldn't put her guard up completely, but Caelia was always relatively reserved even to those she knew quite well. It was just how she was. "Pleasure, Torben. I'm Caelia Adravendi," she introduced herself in turn, letting the faintest hint of a smile appear on her lips. "A chat sounds fine to me. I was just headed out to patrol the borders - you're welcome to join me though," she invited him with a sweep of her head, slowing her pace enough so that he could walk alongside her if he chose.

The woman did not mind. He smiled, quiet in words as she spoke her piece. He nodded, sliding up beside her but keeping a respectful distance. "Have ye been in Valhalla long, Caelia?" he asked her, accepting the position to patrol and also grateful for a chat with a new face too "I've not met many folk so far" Torben admitted "s' nice to talk." They moved on, nearing the Druid's Moor border. Torben would pause to allow his scent to waft over the foliage. While he was a new face, he had the scent of Valhalla already. Nobody would dispute this was their land. He hadn't missed Caelia giving her surname too, and he wondered if she was part of an old lineage in Boreas. He seemed to lack a surname even back in his past. His people did not typically use them. SPEECH HERE

"You could say that," Caelia answered with a soft laugh. "I was born here, me and my siblings were. We were called Celestial back then though." Those days seemed so far removed from the present; reflecting on her early life felt a little strange to her, especially when her only immediate family that were left here were Cairo and Viviane. She thought of her other siblings quite a lot, especially these days, but their paths had diverged and there wasn't much she could do about that - such was life. "What made you want to join Valhalla?" Caelia always found herself curious about the sort of wolves that joined and why they chose to stay. There were certainly other choices and she wondered which had been most appealing to Torben. Her own pace slowed slightly as they neared the border, her head lowering to take inventory of the various scents. So far all Valhallan, nothing interesting to note as of yet.

What made him choose the pack? He mulled over it. "The promise I could leave; if this place ain't for me" he said to Caelia honestly "some packs, I heard, make ye fight or keep ye prisoner if ya try" While he didn't know Boreas' packs very well, Torben knew that Ardyn spoke honestly about his promise to release others "I figured... I would do me part here, and if it don't work out? I can leave." Maybe it sounded wishy-washy. He continued to try and explain. "Valhalla's also the name of the gods' hall of me home" A bit of wistfulness entered his tone "it promises drink and feast, comradery and friendship... When work is done in t' mortal realm, one can find rest in Valhalla" he sighed "I wonder if that's the same as this pack, named as it is." Or just a big coincidence? He didn't know yet. SPEECH HERE

Torben's answer was a straightforward one, which she definitely appreciated. Caelia didn't like the thought of not knowing the intentions behind the wolves that chose to call Valhalla their home; he admitted he'd been drawn here because he'd be allowed to leave if it didn't suit him. It wasn't at all surprising that Ardyn had chosen to run the pack similarly to how his mother had, with honor and dignity. She nodded understanding. "Some packs aren't so quick to let you leave, you're right," she mused thoughtfully over his words. "But Ardyn is a fair ruler, and Valhalla a good home. I'd be surprised if you wanted to leave." Though the choice was always there. Though she didn't know him well she sounded quite confident in her assessment. Though she didn't believe in gods herself, she recognized the concept. Perhaps her ancestors had believed in such things; she had no way of knowing. She knew Aurielle had renamed Celestial to Valhalla after the pack her great-grandmother had run, and before that by Caelia's own ancestors, though the origin of the name itself she knew less about. "I can only guess that the original founders of Valhalla either believed in the same gods you speak of, or simply borrowed on the concept. I'm not sure which." Maybe that was sacrilegious to do? Caelia didn't know much about religious concepts, though she figured if such a thing offended Torben he wouldn't have chosen to stay here at all. "I do believe that was what the original founders of the pack intended. A place for friends and family alike to grow and thrive together." She shrugged. It seemed a fitting comparison, but who was she to say?

He would soak up Caelia's words. A thoughtful look entered the albino man's eyes, wondering how loyalty had been given to the High King when Ardyn had only called on him once. The resulting bout had made Torben the winner, and the settler had assumed Ardyn's pride was hurt in the process. Losing to an inexperienced fighter like Torben. "Seems a bit strange t' me" he finally decided to admit, shuffling his large paws "to borrow another's culture and religion. Change it a bit, especially..." He frowned. The Viking culture was different than the Celtic. It seemed an uncomfortable hodgepodge of things to Torben. Slapping on Valhalla because it 'sounded good' and had the same concept they wanted to inspire. Valhalla was different than the land of the Celts. Even their gods and afterlife were different. Why give Valhalla Celtic rank names? Why give Celtic origins a Viking name? It seemed very disrespectful to Torben. But he kept it to himself, mostly. "Aye, but it seems a good concept." He seemed awkward and uncomfortable. SPEECH HERE