Things were unlike what the growing boy had expected, and honestly it disappointed him greatly. He was wasting away here, doing the complete opposite of his goal. So he decided that today he would speak to Rune, clear somethings up and then finally take his leave, maybe check out a new land that had what he was seeking. Paws carried Australis towards the center of the territory, deciding to have this little meeting in the fern gulley. Head lifted up towards the sky, a long summoning howl calling for the Guardian before weening off and going silent. He sat back on his haunches now, ears up and listening carefully, waiting. "normal. speech. thought. you."

Walk | Talk | Think

He should have seen it coming. He should have been making more of an effort in getting the pack settled and organized and arranged as would have made them more productive overall. But circumstance had prevented it. Between the storm, his sister's passing, and his father's challenge, Rune had been too preoccupied to pay enough attention at those under his care, to ensure that the environment they were living in was still meeting the standards it should have been at. Even now it did not cross his mind as he heard the call of his first recruit and padded off to answer it, thinking only that something must have caught the large youth's attention that required his leader's presence.

Oblivious to what was going through Australis's head, the grey Guardian greeted the youth with a quiet chuff to let him know he was there as well as to acknowledge him waiting within the center of the Gulley. For once his expression was not in its typical frown but relaxed, smoothed into something still stern but perhaps more approachable. "Australis," he said by way of issuing a formal greeting, nodding his head at the same time. It had been too long since he had seen the youth, even longer since he had spoken with him on a personal basis. It was something he was disappointed about. But there would be time enough to remedy that later. For now, he was here to listen to whatever it was the brown wolf had called him for, and quietly leaving the floor open to the youth Rune stopped to stand beside him as he wondered how he had been faring all this time.

Without disappointed, not that the Guardian was, Rune would come up and into view in no time. The boy's head turned towards him, turquoise-green eyes following every step. He nodded his head when his name was spoken, allowing the older male to come up beside him before he went on to explain why he had called Rune here. "Rune," he did the same, body straightening up and clearing his throat. "I was considering leaving." He was straight up with the reason, finding no reason to beat around the bush, straying from the topic just to be nice. "I have tried seeking out the others, even sat in the open, yet no one showed." He continued on, and even though he didn't show much emotion most of the time, a hint of annoyance could be seen in his features and heard in his voice. "I appreciate you taking me in, to assist me but I'm going nowhere like this." It had to be the most he had ever spoken in his young life, but it was with good reason. He did appreciate the Guardian allowing him to join his small pack, allowing the boy to grow and become experienced in areas he wished to excel in by time he reached his second year. But, with how small the pack was and people not coming out in the open, it was hard to do anything. The only time he encountered somebody was when he went beyond the borders, but that was simply to spar in the battlefield and to check out a large hole in the ground with another rogue. "normal. speech. thought. you."

Walk | Talk | Think

The teal-eyed boy wasted no time in getting right to what it was he had called the Guardian over for, and Rune was completely taken aback by his admission. Leaving? Seriously? His surprise was evident, his gaze uncharacteristically wide and his hardened stare for once open and apparently shocked. But...this was his first recruit, the single wolf he had been the most excited to bring back to Secretua, the one he had thought would exceed his expectations that he had seen when they had met. And now he was thinking about leaving?

Apparently it was not some random, spur of the moment decision. He had tried to fit in, to make a place for himself within the pack, but it had failed miserably. No one had come to greet him, no one had gone out of their way to make him feel welcome though he had placed himself in instances where it was possible, and for that he had felt isolated. Rune's expression darkened at the news, feeling his own irritation bubble up below the surface of his frown. That was certainly not news he had been hoping to hear. Maybe word would need to be spread throughout the wolves to remind them to do their part to form the cohesive unit Rune wanted them all to be. This blatant disregard for their fellow pack mate was not going to cut it.

Feeling suddenly disappointed himself, Rune hardly knew exactly how he should respond. On one hand, he knew just where the boy was coming from and could not blame him for his desire to leave. Had he been in his footsteps, he was sure he would have considered the same. He had at least had the decency to come and tell Rune to his face for which the Guardian was grateful - he had been unaware until now and at least something could be done about it in retrospect. It was just a shame he had not been able to fix it sooner to keep the boy there.

"I'm sorry your stay here has been like that," the grey wolf answered quietly, irked that he would need to apologize for his pack but understanding that it was absolutely necessary given the circumstances, "I may need to have a talk with the pack about keeping everyone involved again, what happened isn't acceptable." And he certainly would, even if he had to track them all down individually in order to do it.

Again his thoughts returned to the thought that had most been circulating his thoughts of late, of appointing some of his recruits with higher positions in order for the responsibility of the pack to be shared rather than centralized upon his shoulders. His frosty blue eyes upon the brown wolf before him, Rune could not help but feel as if he was missing out on an even bigger opportunity here with Australis choosing to leave. "I wouldn't be too sure about you going nowhere though," he added, revealing his thoughts in a last ditch effort to persuade the kid to stay. "The pack's grown enough now for me to start appointing the Advisory ranks, and if I was being honest I would rather have had you as our Hustsman than the others. You aren't interested?"