Alamea wasn't too sure what she was doing, sitting so close to the border of the pack that had given her and her pack mates refuge. Pack life had been off putting for her as of lately, thoughts of her encounter with her brother plaguing her mind, distracting her from anything other than her worries and fears. Never more had she wanted to curl into a ball and never emerge again. Still she wanted to tell someone, confide in someone but she was scared? worried about what that might mean for her. Might they turn her over to her brother if they learnt that such a male was out there looking for her? What she wanted most was Rune, the male would be there for her surely, would be able to help her, protect her? Right? But how was he to reach her here, she did not know where he was spending his time now. It was possible he had seen the ragtag group of refugees on their way to their allied pack but more than likely he wouldn?t be able to find her, not here anyways. The girl allowed a sigh, suppressing the tears that threatened to rise but indulging in the deep, overwhelming sadness and self-pity. Speech, Goodness gracious great balls of fire, Thank you Seren! <3

Walk | Talk | Think He had gone to the Vericona Plains in search of Alamea but a safe and steady home had not been what he found. War raged, wolves battling and fighting along the territory's outskirts, a wall of chaos that Rune was reluctant to approach. This was not his battle, regardless of whether it was Alamea's pack that was involved or not. And what good would it do him to jump right into the fray and possibly injure himself before he could challenge for his own home territory? But though he did not want to become involved in the fighting he still wished to know that the little white wolf he could not go a day without thinking about was safe and protected from the worst of things, so he had wandered close, looking for another way in. That was when he had caught it. The scent surprised him considering it was outside of Valhallan borders, but it was unmistakably part of their pack, and it led further away from the plains that they called home. Rune had only half a minute before following after the scent, figuring that whoever had escaped had done so out of fear of the fighting, to go to safety. He trailed after it, unknowingly tracing the steps the Valhallan refugees had taken when they had run from their home to seek shelter in Seracia. It was there upon the border of the new pack that he found himself, staring into a wooded region that he was unfamiliar with and quite honestly unsettled by. Was this really safe territory? Was Alamea really okay here? Agitatedly he paced, walking feet from the invisible line that marked the edge of the territory Seracia and the neighboring free lands. Pale, frosty blue eyes peered inward, assessing everything that he could see for manner of protection or guardedness. How large was the territory anyway? Was there possibly more secluded places within? How am I going to find her? Impatience getting the better of him, the mostly grey youth stopped his rambling and leaned his head back to howl, calling forward whoever happened to be nearby in order to find out from them whether the Valhallans had truly come this way or if his keen nose had been surprisingly misled to the wrong location.

As much as the girl was avoiding contact with others it left little more than time for her to be absorbed in her thoughts, which was not the best place for her to be right now. There was very little the girl could do about it right now. Self-pity, fear and self-hatred all swirled around inside of her with every minute that ticked by. How long she sat there she could not say, minutes or hours it made little difference to the broken girl. Then it came to her, a call, a voice. One she knew, one her heart broke for. Almost instantly she was on her paws, moving without really realizing it. She was running, ears forwards to pinpoint the location of the call, pristine paws pounding against the ground. No thoughts were running through her mind, just raw emotions. They all flew by too fast for her to discern them. She did not know the lay of the land and so despite her considerable speed it took a bit before she appeared before the male. Panting she stopped before him a moment, he had suddenly appeared in front of her and no doubt she had done the same for him. Her eyes widened some, not daring to believe it. Then, again without thinking, she was rushing forwards, towards him. She pushed up against him, burying her face in his fur. Wanting to tell him everything and nothing all at the same time. It was only after a moment that she even realized she was crying. Talk like this

Walk | Talk | Think The grey youth's tail gave another irritated twitch as he waited, staring with an intend scowl into the center of the territory. Each second felt like an hour as he awaited a response, and still none came. Were they all busy tending to their guests or possibly hidden somewhere deeper within where they were better protected than by guarding the entirety of the border? His frown deepened as he considered it and many other options, none of which were satisfying to him without someone there to confirm. Willing himself to be calm, to be patient before he simply abandoned protocol and trespassed on claimed territory, the boy made himself draw in a slow breath and release it just as slowly though it did nothing to the steadily increasing beat of his nervous heart. And then suddenly she was there. He heard the rustling first, the announcement of something speedily moving to greet him to which he straightened himself and steadied the scowl upon his face only to have Alamea be the one who materialized out of the woods and stood before him. The rather angry look about him fled instantaneously, a heavy sense of relief flooding through him. She's okay. He had no time to say anything, not even a quick hello - she was rushing toward him already and he was bracing himself to receive her. She pressed against him and he remained steady for her, curving his neck around her protectively and cradling her against him while he nuzzled into her soft white fur, pulling in her scent as if to drown in it. How wonderful it was to know she was alright again, to feel for himself the quick beat of her heart and listen to each breath she took. She was whole and alive and... Crying? Almost he was frowning again, unable at first to determine where it was the tears had stemmed from. Was it the war? Was it being away from him? Was it a horrible mixture of everything and not knowing how it all would turn out? "Hey. It's okay, I'm here," he muttered quietly, gruffly, to her, placing a few consoling licks against her shoulder as he remained curled over her and holding her close while hoping her tears would stop soon. "It'll be okay."

She was a mess; any attempt made by the girl to calm herself down was futile. She knew it was stupid, that crying would do nothing to solve the issues that had already passed but it seemed her tears had a mind all their own, welling up and spilling over with renewed vigor each time she thought she was close to done. Her mind was reeling, half in the present, half in the past, it all blurring together into a big mess. It was only as he spoke that she seemed to grasp hold of the present. He deserved to know, needed to know! Forcing herself to pull away from him she looked up at him, her sobbing turning into weak sniffling. "Just, the fighting going on in the only place I've called home since I was young, and I don't know if it will ever be safe again," Her words were blending together, "and before that I ran into my brother and he tried to- tried to-" The words were stuck in her throat, unable to voice the horror she had experienced that day. Talk like this

Walk | Talk | Think Rune was at a loss. Without knowing what had brought about the sudden waterworks or what he could possibly do or say to stop them, he felt helpless, useless. He was presently doing the only thing he could think to do and that was merely standing there with her and letting her cry against him, consoling her as well as he could with licks and nuzzled while he kept his neck wrapped over hers. Quietly he sighed, staring skyward questioningly. Not even Maia had cried this long when she had been upset. Whatever was bothering Alamea was certainly no small thing. And after a couple false starts she had finally composed herself enough to explain. It was as he had expected. The war had worn on her to the point of making her snap, losing the cool composure she typically possessed and turning her into a nervous wreck. And her worries were sound; if war had broken out like this, who was to say it might not happen again? "Don't worry," he said, his voice lifted though gently to be heard over hers as she confessed to thinking it no longer safe, "it will be." Quietly, to himself, he added, Even if I have to make it safe. He refused to mention to her the thought that had been crossing his mind of late, about how in comparison to her his own plans had started to pale, to mean less despite how set he had been on his goals before, and any doubt that he might have had, any hesitancy, vanished as she hinted toward the happenings with her brother. The fact he had not even known she had a brother was of less importance to the grey wolf as he tensed, brow furrowing darkly. She did not finish what she had been trying to say, but he hardly needed the full explanation. He was already furious, angry that anyone could have harmed her, in whatever manner, to the point that she could barely speak about it. And no doubt it did nothing to her already fractured nerves. "Shh, it's okay," he responded, attempting to keep his tone consoling though it was touched with a sternness that was not meant for her. He breathed deeply before drawing away, shifting just enough so that he could peer into her face. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he stated, gaze fiercely intense as he nearly rumbled his words. "I mean it. From now on, I'm going to be with you. You might not always see me, but I'll be there. You just call and I'll come running. Okay?" Without waiting for her answer, he shuffled a step forward again to wrap his neck over hers once more, surprised a little at himself and contemplating what this would mean for his future. No Tortuga. No home. But was it really home anymore? Placing a lick against Alamea's shoulder as much to comfort himself as to comfort her, he hoped his mother would understand.