Peculiar

Manea raised an interested brow as Bellamy introduced herself and explained how she was on the lookout for a place to form her own pack. It felt like there was a lot of rise and fall when it came to packs these days. The fall of Abaven with Vanta taking its place, the disappearance and fall of the pack that Bellamy had apparently been a part of until recently, and now this woman's attempt at claiming a home o her own as well... It was becoming a bit difficult to keep up with who held power and where these days. She didn't mind, however. She certainly understood the natural cycle of these things and if there were better suited, more capable wolves out there ready to take the lead then why not let them? Is that not what she had done herself? "I do understand that feeling," she said in response with a soft chuckle. "That's not too far off from why I began my pack as well."

As Bellamy went on, saying how she did not expect herself to be a popular alpha, it made Manea look at her curiously. She wondered to herself why the white-marked woman would think in such a way, but she herself had never set out to be popular either. She had worked to create a few close alliances and bonds with certain packs, but other than that she had never gone into this with fame or popularity in mind. She had only wanted a safe place to raise her family and it seemed Bellamy was in the same sort of mind set. It seemed perhaps that there was more in Bellamy's history that motivated her in order to make sure she was never under the cruel rule of another, but that seemed like too deep of a conversation for Manea to dig into on their first meeting.

When the topic turned to whether or not she was a mother and the values that she passed onto her children, Manea smiled a bit and nodded. "I am. I've been blessed with two litters so far... Two daughters and a son." When she spoke of her children there was a distinct fondness to her voice, the way her expression relaxed as she talked about them showing how much joy they brought her. "My hope is that I have passed on my dedication to our family and a drive to build things now to make the future for our family an even brighter one. For many years my family was fractured and nomadic and there was nothing that we could call our own or anywhere that I felt we could live freely and safely however we wanted. That's why I started Elysium—to have somewhere I was proud to raise my family and pass onto them to continue on when my time here is done."

She looked at Bellamy thoughtfully for a moment before she added, "I hope your vision becomes a reality and I wish you and your children well. When your pack comes to be I'd enjoy talking with you again." She smiled a little as she made sure to say "when" instead of "if" in regards to the formation of her new acquaintance's pack, a subtle assurance that she didn't doubt the woman's aspirations and her drive to see them through. "If you find yourself in need of anything, send word to me. I have friends in various parts of Boreas and Auster so even if you settle somewhere far from Elysium I should be able to lend a paw."

"Manea Mendacium"