Only a few short weeks from turning two, Kassander had all but reached his full height and weight. He had reached his full height a little less than a year ago, but the months since then - many of them full of physical training rather than simply healing as he'd done his first year of life - had packed muscle onto the previously slim alpha. He was far from ponderous, but his shoulders were broader, his legs stronger, and he had clearly matured into a handsome and strong adult. It was more than that though. Even in the short time since he'd made his way across the land, meeting a few of the alphas, he had begun to really grow into his position. He'd learned to accept it, even to embrace it, and the adversity within his own ranks - and the broken state of his siblings when they had reappeared on Ebony's threshold - had forced him to mature faster than if he had simply floated through the months safely cocooned away as he'd allowed himself to be when Val had been the one who had needed to deal with it all. His last trip had failed to acquire any solid allies, though he had liked Valen and Drashiel... had learned a lot from them in their very short meetings. Drashiel's pack had vanished from the north, and Kassander had no idea why or what had happened. Had they simply moved? Disbanded? He didn't know, and he wouldn't find out, or learn about his closer neighbors, by sitting at home doing nothing. He wanted to find Drashiel and visit Valentine, but it was more important that he learn more about the other packs and possibly secure allies. All his talk all those months ago about standing up to the injustices of the world and yet still he'd done nothing. He found himself at the edge of... well, a forest, but the trees grew within water. It seemed a very wet and unpleasant place to live, but who was he to judge? Perhaps the wolves who lived in this pack were simply fond of the water, or maybe they were fishers by nature. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves - he had grown, but he hadn't quite grown out of his discomfort with socializing - he sent out a howl politely requesting the alpha's presence... whoever they were. "Talk" "You" Think

A masculine call, only somewhat familiar to her, echoed through the mangroves. The identity of the creature who summoned her was not immediately discernible but she grew instantly curious, intrigued as to who was calling to her. Her pack was young, and she knew few wolves if any knew of Fiori beyond its borders. It was with grace that she began to move, weaving effortlessly across the gnarled vines of the mangrove trees that dappled the damp earth before. This place, now that many of her children were here, was beginning to feel even more like home. The mangroves were new for her, unconnected to places of her past -- there were no rippling expanse of grass to remind her of her father; no barren fields to remind her of the father of her children.

It didn't take long for her to make her way to the border, eying the apparent caller through the soft shade of the trees above. It was Kassander, the leader of Ebony, who she'd met just last season. Still she remembered how tongue-tied he'd been around her, and amusement flickered in her gaze as she assessed him quietly.

He'd changed since she'd seem him last; his figure was far more toned than she could recall and he looked significantly more like a young adult than a boy. A smile teased the corners of her lips, turning them upward slightly as she quickened her approach to the border. His face was one that she was happy to see, and as she drew closer she let her posture relax, head bowing to the earth in a low nod before raising it and letting her eyes fix on his own stare.

"If it isn't Kassander, King of Ebony," she greeted him sweetly, tail swishing as it curled above her back, eyes sparkling with laughter. "What brings you to Fiori?"

As he waited for his call to be answered, Kassander breathed in the border-scent of the pack. It was new, laid over an old fading scent. A few scents entwined had remained the same, but some were gone and new ones took their place. The scent that overlaid the rest, the alpha-scent, had changed. A challenge maybe? The new alpha-scent was a strangely familiar one, but Kassander couldn't quite place it. Deciphering these scents was, in his admittedly inexperienced opinion, an important part of being an alpha. After all the scents could tell you a lot about a pack - this one seemed to be mostly a family group... but there were two frustratingly familiar sets of scents - the alphas and a couple of scents he knew he had never smelled and yet they reminded him so strangely of his mother... Caught up in these thoughts he was taken by surprise when the alpha finally appeared. And then he was really taken by surprise when he raised his head to see... Epiphron. His eyes widened as he goggled at her, at a loss for words. Hers was that so familiar alpha scent! For the moment he stood tongue-tied, couldn't say a thing. "Talk" "You" Think

If she'd been about four years younger, she would've likely been wildly attracted to this boy; he had an air of seriousness and regality that was surprising for a boy who was but a yearling. In a way, he reminded her of Maverick at his age, though her ex-husband had been far more confident and outgoing, compared to Kassander's own tongue-tied nature. Little did she know, much of that came from the reaction she provoked from him, but it was endearing nonetheless.

His eyes grew wide, seemingly from surprise, and she found herself laughing at his stupor. "Did you not expect to see me here?" she'd inquire gently, tail curling aimlessly about her back as the sweet sound of her amused laughter filled the brief silence that lingered in the air. "Come, walk with me." If there was a single pack she might think to be allied with, it would be his. Invitingly she turned, gesturing with her muzzle as she began to walk, hoping he might join her if only he snapped out of his stunned silence. "To what pleasure do I owe this visit?" Perhaps if she asked again, he might answer her.

"N-no I didn't," he admitted faintly. She was the alpha here. Though that technically put them on equal footing as far as rank, she was the one far superior. She had the experience, the savvy, the confidence... he had none of it, and it was more obvious by the second as he stood there staring like a rube. Chagrined he followed as she invited him to walk with her, but only a serious expenditure of willpower forced him to walk beside her like... equals. As it was he continued to regard her wide-eyed for a moment after she asked her question, before he finally shook himself out of the bedazzled state she put him in. "I uh..." He cleared his throat to buy himself a moment while he pulled his scrambled brains together. "I came to find the alpha here in the hopes of discussing a treaty or even an alliance, but I wasn't really expecting to find you." He could have gladly sunk into the ground just then in embarrassment. But he found his voice again and went on, and slowly the passion and righteousness he felt for his cause shone threw. "We... Ebony I mean... We intend to... stand as guardians of justice, and protectors of the oppressed and... make the world a better place. And I know that may sound naive, and I know that one pack can't change the world no matter how much they try, but I truly believe that someone needs to make the effort to be the good in the world. I want that to be Ebony - I want it to all mean something. And that is going to make Ebony a target. I could use whatever help I can get, or barring that I need to at least mitigate some of the risks to the individual wolves in my pack by making peace treaties with the wolves I trust." The young alpha ran out of words for the moment and could only continue to regard Epiphron with hesitant expectancy. What would she think of his idealism? Of his plans for the future? He knew it sounded silly and a little grandiose but... "Talk" "You" Think

His stunned surprise was entertaining. Kassander clearly knew little about her, for if he had known more perhaps he wouldn't have been so surprised to see her here. Power was something that had always drawn her in, though this time her leadership of Fiori was for the safety and well-being of her children, rather than the allure and prestige that owning a pack inherently bought. The slight smile she wore was playful, teeming with amusement as they began to walk together, her gaze cast to the side as she studied him. Perhaps an ally wouldn't be an awful thing to have, she thought silently to herself as he stuttered over his words.

Quickly he seemed to regain his footing, his words becoming more audible as his voice grew stronger and more clear. Epiphron had never doubted Kassander had a backbone and yet she'd never seen evidence of his courage until now, as he spoke to her with audible fervor and passion, though the hesitation still lingered as he explained his purpose to her. He wanted Ebony to be a pack that could delivery justice, to protect the weak and oppressed and to generally just be good.

His idealism was endearing, and yet she herself was stunned into silence for a moment as she led him through the mangroves. The earth was moist beneath their paws and she moved with ease between the tall mangrove trees, already deeply accustomed to the terrain that she had chosen to remain in.

If it was anyone else, she would've laughed at his naivety -- but instead she would consider his words for a long moment before thinking about how to respond. "There is no such thing as true justice," she would add conversationally, her voice -- normally sweet and airy -- suddenly serious and a bit bitter. Nobody had delivered justice for the murder of her brother, nor for her sister's blinding; there was nothing that could undo the wrongs that had been to her and her family. There was only revenge. She'd enacted her own personal forms of revenge when confronted with Maverick's betrayal and with Azalea's disloyalty. But justice? Slowly she shook her head. The world was unfair, and she found it difficult to picture anything that so much  as resembled true justice. "Justice is merely revenge in disguise, Kassander. Though I will say, it is honorable of you to wish to protect those who cannot protect themselves." A brow would raise as she turned her head to watch him again.

His true point, though, was that he wanted to form alliances with the other packs. Wanting to enact justice would certainly make them a target, depending on how willing Kassander was to delve into the business of other packs; and though she wasn't eager to make her own pack a direct target, a peace treaty would certainly not harm anything. "I'd be happy to affiliate with Ebony," the ivory-furred woman offered after a moment of careful reflection. "Though I'll be just as willing to disavow this alliance if Ebony puts Fiori into danger. Most of the pack is my family, my children and grandchildren, and the last thing I want is for them to mixed up in some sort of trouble." Her words were not of warning, but of simple honestly. "Though I'll assist you whenever possible, if you'll do the same."

He blinked warily at the seriousness and faint bitterness to her tone as Pip spoke of justice. "Maybe not," he replied with equal gravity. "But to act in such a way that would prevent your enemy from harming anyone else any more, to protect more innocents from their depravity, to act from a desire to help others rather than from a desire to cause harm, does that not elevate it over revenge in some way? A mother sending her child to sleep without dinner as punishment for a wrong done in the desire to help them learn not to do it again, instead of a mother who is depriving their child of food because they dislike them or in an effort to cause them distress." It was interesting, exciting, to genuinely discuss these plans with others, instead of telling someone this was what the plan was. He'd felt... isolated from this sort of equality lately, since it was his duty to lead, to take care of the pack as much as their duty drove them to support him and... it could feel lonely. Sigmarr and Sindri were there, but until recently they'd still been broken and scattered from their experience and it had been he who needed to be there for them. They were still hurt, still in recovery, but they were on the road to healing... He gave a nod of understanding at her offer. "I understand," he said tentatively. "Most of Ebony is my family also. My siblings mostly, but some cousins who went through a really traumatic event in my family's old pack that I'd prefer to protect them from if I can. I will do whatever I can to keep Ebony's trouble from your pack. If you ever find Fiori in danger," he added, most earnestly, "you can count on Ebony to be here in a heartbeat to protect your family. That's... that's what I want Ebony to be, after all. But... I can't and won't promise to follow Fiori to war if it's unjust. Not that I think you'd do anything like that but..." He stopped, a bit flustered, the white tips of his ears burning in embarrassment, but it was truth. He couldn't put Sindri and Sigmarr and the others in a position where they might to need to compromise their own morals just because he'd made a bad decision. Trying to move past his embarrassment, he added cautiously, "We'd also be willing to trade learning with Fiori if that's something you'd be interested in. We have a couple healers but I'd like to learn more about it myself, and it would be good to have new people for Ebony's warriors to spar with and learn beside. If you have good navigators, or trackers... We would share what knowledge we have with your people." "Talk" "You" Think

Though he did strike her as naive, it wasn't in a foolish sort of way. Kassander seemed level-headed and insightful, only further proving his maturity as he spoke, defending his beliefs with fervor. He seemed selfless in a way she certainly was not, wanting good not just for his family but for all wolves, wanting to exact justice on the wrong-doers of the world, to prevent them from further harming others. It was a noble cause, though not one she herself cared much for; she had never been particularly altruistic but she found herself interested in his cause and his motives regardless, even if she was not willing to fight for the greater good herself.

"I suppose," she mused softly. "You seem to be an empathetic man, Kassander," Epiphron noted as she tilted her head to gaze at him for a moment as they walked together. "Some wolves will take advantage of that. Don't let them." There was a bit of seriousness in her voice as she spoke to him, knowing that there were wolves who preyed upon caring creatures like him -- and honestly not wanting his character to become corrupt.

He went on, noting his understanding of her unwillingness to put her family into danger, echoing her own concerns, for his own family. "And you can certainly count on Fiori for help if you find yourself in need of it," she told him after a moment, carefully, as though finalizing this alliance they had mutually agreed upon. "Personally, war is the last thing on my mind. I have a pack full pf yearlings and my own children, so you have nothing to fear on that front." Most of them were entirely unfit for true fighting, even if they had interest in becoming true warriors; perhaps someday they might find themselves itching for battle, but today was most certainly not that day.

Kassander's embarrassment seemed to go unnoticed. "I certainly have some solid healers in Fiori," she stated, her mind drifting to her own daughter, as well the the two women that had stayed from Jupiter's rule. "And certainly some warriors that could use some training." Certainly they could share knowledge, could bounce ideas off one another as well as actually use one another for combat training.. the possibilities were numerous, and she found herself feeling grateful that Kassander had shown up today. "You are always welcome in Fiori," she told him tentatively then. "My home is open to you and your pack, if you find yourselves in need of it. These borders are not designed to keep you out. Come as you please." Her tone was serious yet inviting. If she was to have an ally, she knew then Kassander would be it, and she would be happy to have him as a guest whenever he felt necessary; for she knew he was no threat to her or her family.