Vereux had no luck with Glaciem, so his second choice was this pack here. He had heard rumors of them, but that was it. There was no basis to go off of besides that he knew he wouldn't survive without a pack. Isolation would cause him to go insane, he had never been a loner before and he didn't plan on having it stay that way. Though he lied when he told himself he'd be fine. His heart still ached for his last family, it would take some healing the same for his body. Because deep down he knew, Amalia wouldn't want him around. It made him sigh, he was still Athena's brother. He had every right to be around her even if it wasn't as a lover. His children, if they wanted to see him let them, it was their choice no matter how young they were. Though, he threw the thoughts away. He bit into his tongue slightly, himself, he had to think of himself. Whatever that family decided was no longer part of his business. The injured and hungry man stopped at the border of the lake. His ribs sticking out, wounds sticking to his slate fur. Single green eye looking inward, it was far different from home in the north. It looked, bright to say in the least. It made him question if he would feel welcome here at all. Vereux had scars, inside and outside, on his neck, his missing eye the one on his left forelimb. On the inside, he didn't trust himself on many things he wanted to help. He wanted to feel 'loved' in all honesty. The thought made him shake his head, seeing others happy was enough for him. If he fell in a ditch that was his own fault. He wasn't strong enough to escape being a slave for so long so what would happen next? He only hoped his life here would spark something new. He raised his head throwing it back to let his voice carry in a call for the alpha. Nervous feelings settled into his stomach as he slightly lowered himself. Paws scraping against the floor, he wasn't impatient he was just, hungry and trying to make it seem like everything was fine. Vereux definitely looked like a loner, if not for the various wounds on top of that didn't look good either. “I speak”

A voice called for him, and Kassander raised his head curiously to hear it. Who could that be? Someone wishing to join? A spark of excitement and curiosity popped him to his feet from where he was sorting out herbs, and the young alpha set off for the border. What he saw there widened his eyes, and he hurried forward. The male laying there was in rough shape, and for the moment it was the healer, rather than the alpha, that came to the forefront. Moving in a smooth, slower manner meant to not startle the older male, he ran his gaze over the slate-and-white wolf's wounds. "Hello," he said, also taking pains to keep his voice low and friendly. "I'm Kassander Xanilov, alpha of this pack. Before anything else though, I also am a healer - would you allow me to examine your wounds?"

OOC: Sorry it took so long to get to this - have had a very busy week. :)

Vereux settled his single green eye on the other male. For a moment it irked him to realize he said he was an alpha and a healer. Man, Vereux couldn't even be a leader let alone the time he tried to learn healing. Though the thought soon died down, it was only because of his emotional state that he was bringing up past memories was all. He sighed a little, here no one knew him, but if they did would they treat him any differently. "I have no objections." he would chuckle to the other. It was painful in doing so, dry herbs that were old and dead fell off the wounds, they had been treated before but since he left her side they had gone under. Same as his weight, the skinny man hadn't had a good meal in maybe weeks. "I apologize for showing up at your borders in such a state, I'm in desparate need of a home." he wouldn't explain why unless he was asked. He didn't mind saying, but, his last name made him fearful of himself. It was like a blood tie, and being so close to Fiori hurt his heart but his home was no longer a home. It was change that was the most difficult for him. That was for certain. ?I speak?

With the other male's permission Kassander moved closer and set to work on the wounds. He alternated studying the partly healed wounds and cleaning them, spitting out the dirt and old herbs as he slowly revealed the extent of the damage. The thin man spoke of being desperate for a home, and Kassander paused to nod seriously to him. "You chose wisely then. Ebony is intended as a sanctuary for those in need. You will be welcome here until you are healthy again, and then you can choose whether you wish to stay or move on as you wish. All we ask is that you help as you are able to when you're well enough to." Quietly he studied the now-bared wounds.

"Would you follow me to one of my herb caches please?" he requested gently, understanding the amount of pain that could be caused by movement when wounded so extensively but also knowing it was necessary. "It's ok if they open up and bleed again - it will help clean it out." He just needed to make sure to replace the blood lost quickly - the male was thin enough that Kassander didn't think he had much to spare. Setting out deeper into the territory he hoped the male was following, and he set a slow pace to allow him to keep near as he sought one of his caches. The one he was leading him to was large, more of a spare den than one of his smaller caches that were only big enough for herbs. This one was meant to house an injured wolf who couldn't, or shouldn't, be moved so it had room enough for him to work around the other wolf. "What's your name?" he asked, keeping his voice soothing as he pulled out the herbs he needed from within the den.

He would slowly nod his head, carefully listening to the male. Vereux didn't entirely plan on leaving. He wasn't used to moving around this would only be his second time in an actual home. He was beginning to realize that maybe being sheltered his own life had destroyed his ability to connect with others well. As the male followed the other he was careful only because he felt the relief of finally having someone to help him. There was a sense of welcome here, nervous feelings were mixed with thankfulness. But he wasn't entirely sure, if he was acceptable as a wolf. Was he reliable, maybe not because of the past. He wanted to be, it wasn't his fault he'd been kidnapped and nearly slaughtered, and his punishment was losing the only family he really felt he had compared to the other armadas. Vereux would look up at kassander. He wanted the male to know. If vereux was not truthful how could he expect them to trust him.

"Vereux armada. I only recently escaped being a slave, I came back to try and rejoin my wife and sons, but things didn't turn out that way. My wifes mate didn't let me in so ive been struggling to find a new life." His tail would flick sadly. Green eye centering at the other. "I have every intention of staying after I recover. Im a hunter but willing to learn everything. If youd have me." Vereux was a little broken and bruised on the inside, but he was willing to give himself time to heal.

Rummaging around in his cache Kassander came up with a pawful of kelp first, which he pushed gently toward the male. "Chew it up and swallow it, please, it will help replenish your nutrients until I finish tending your wounds and can hunt for you." He'd left the salt on it when he'd dried it, so it would help with his electrolyte levels in addition to the iron it ordinarily provided. As he continued to pull out herbs (comfrey, plantain, echinacea, goldenseal, lambs-ear, and a dab of pitch on a stick) he listened to the male as he introduced himself and told a bit of his story. "I am sorry to hear that," he said slowly when the male had wound down. "I myself was kidnapped as a pup, though my captivity was not so bad as this," he indicated the wounds. He added the echinacea to the kelp for the male to swallow, then set himself to chewing thoroughly the comfrey, plantain, and goldenseal into a paste. "I know an Armada," he continued after he had spit the paste into his paw to begin smearing over the wounds. His heart tripped a little at the thought of the gray and tan male, of the bright green eyes. He owed an awful lot of what he was as an alpha to that very brief encounter... "His name is Drashiel. Are you related?" With the wounds thoroughly coated he pressed the lambs-ear leaves against the paste and sealed the edges with the pitch. It'd be awful to clean that out of Vereaux's fur when the time came but he'd come to learn after some experimentation that it was the best way to keep the poultice on and the wounds clean when the wolf was likely to be moving around.

The male was glad the other was listening. For once he felt normal and not so alone, maybe he was just getting used to it. Vereux did as kassander instructed, he recognized the herbs from when arian treated him. If he hadnt had her with him, he would be dead. He knew that to be a fact. As his ears flicked to his brothers name the young male would nod his head. "My half brother. His mate also one of our sisters recently died as I discovered but I was never close to him." Vereux said letting out a sigh. Thankfully his last name wasn't causing him any strife here.

"Thank you, I dont know his bill ever be able to repay you." Vereux smiled at him kindly. Here maybe he could make it maybe everything would be okay. "Have you been the king of this pack a long time?" Vereux asked looking around. He had been a king once, it didn't suit him well.

Kassander blinked disconcertedly when Vereaux explained that Drashiel's mate (one of their sisters? Drashiel had been mated to his sister? what?) had recently died. Oh, poor Drashiel, it must be heartbreaking to lose your mate. That must be why his pack was no longer where Kassander had looked for him. He couldn't imagine wanting to stay in a place that held so many painful memories. "No need to repay me," Kassander reassured him. "Just knowing that you will be well again is repayment enough." How long had he been king? Sometimes it wavered between feeling like the moments had passed in a blink, and feeling like he'd been fighting this fight forever. "I've only been king since this past winter," he explained. "My sister inherited the throne but it didn't suit her to rule. She was always a free spirited type, so she abdicated and passed the pack to me." It seemed like a simple, straightforward way to explain the way the pack had bounced from wolf to wolf as it had for that tumultuous period. His bandaging complete, he settled down beside the male. He'd hunt shortly, probably a squirrel or rabbit this first time since it would be easier on the male's stomach to start with less rich meats, but he would eventually need to add more fat to restore his body as well, so Kassander would need to think about perhaps stalking one of the beavers that lodged on the lake... But for now, he carefully began to groom the male's fur, what wasn't covered by bandages. He'd make sure he was settled and comfortable here first, before he wandered off again. "What about you, Vereaux? Have you any siblings you are close to?"

Vereux was just glad to have this kind of interaction. He had nervousness mixed in with happiness and his depression. Tail curling around his side, kingdoms. His father had been infamous and vereux was part of the first litter. The short time he spent as king made him aware that every trade he became involved in he sucked at. When kassander asked about sibling his mind went on a trip. Irune, she was gone, his ex wife Athena he wasn't close to any longer. His life had revolved around athena.

"I was. Used to be anyway. My former mate was my sister, she and my sons live in fiori. But now that im cut off from them im not close to anyone. She was my life sad to say, I didn't really communicate with others." Vereux explained. "Until now ive only known the north." He shifted a little as the things went on around him. Being hungry was probably the worst thing he had ever felt. So in his mind kassander had saved his life, vereux was forever in his debt.