It was time - ranks had been decided, and he was taking care of the immediate interests in his pack. Now, to establish relations with nearby packs. He was already friendly with Donostrea; perhaps, at some point, they could evolve into an alliance - but not quite yet. Not, at the very least, until he met with the other alphas of the packs of Alacritia.

Imperium was his first thought. He knew his mother did not very much like Imperium, but that... well, he'd reserve judgement. He knew they were a strong pack, and he would not want to upset them - no, especially with the pack only a few members strong.

He would cross the river - oh, how flooded it was! Hard to cross, but he was a good swimmer. The flooding was thankfully starting to go down now that the season was half over. He was now on the border of Imperium; the smells were so strong - so many unique scents, too. The pack was large, no doubt about that. The young alpha would tip his head back and call for the alpha of Imperium, praying that the answer would be swift.

"Speech"

A youthful voice summoned him to the border and as he was wont to do Valentine heeded it with curiosity. Whenever a call for him arose he couldn't help but try to guess who waited for him. The voice was masculine and youthful; that part was easy. But what kind of boy stood at his border and what was his purpose? Perhaps he was a messenger, perhaps a possible recruit. Maybe he was yet another rogue looking for a deal or passage. Perhaps he was worth keeping.

Upon arriving Valentine and laying eyes on the boy he didn't immediately gain insight. From smell he knew the boy belonged to another pack - damn - but there wasn't much else to go on. He didn't seem worried or hurried, so the King doubted he was bringing him news of some kind of conflict or disaster. There were no wares at his side to suggest a trade. So why then was this young man on his border?

He slowed to a halt before the boy and canted his head in a solemn greeting before rumbling, "Welcome to Imperium. My name is Valentine Imperialis. What is your business here?"

It would not take long for the alpha to appear - Valentine Imperialis. To say the man was big was an understatement; Ren felt rather... cowed by it, but he steeled himself on the inside. He dipped his head in a return greeting. "Greetings, Valentine. My name's Ren Agatsuma - I am alpha of the pack to the south of you, Borealis," The boy would pause then, thinking hard on his wording. He was a bit nervous dealing with, well... an alpha like this. Voltage was easy to talk to; Valentine Imperialis not so much. "I've already established relations with he other pack in the south; I desire to meet and begin to know my other neighbor - you," he would finish, praying and hoping he hadn't screwed up.

"Speech"

Ah, an alpha. Why did Ren look so young? Was he, Valentine, really so old? He had kids older than this boy! The revelation that he might be turning into an old fart was irksome. He wasn't an old man. Really, he wasn't, Valentine assured himself. He was just dealing with a kid. That certainly brought questions to mind. How had such a youthful character acquired a pack? Surely... He eyed the brute speculatively. Surely this boy hadn't challenged an existing alpha and won! Perhaps he'd inherited. "It's a pleasure, Ren."

"Established relations" huh? What did that mean exactly? Was he about to get his butt kissed? He was really fond of butt kissery when he was on the receiving end. "I take it that Borealis has only recently come under your rule?" He'd been vaguely aware of a pack establishing itself nearby, but he'd never bothered to check it out and he assumed, since Ren only mentioned one other southern pack (which had to be that voiceless Donostrea) that Ren now possessed what used to be the pack on the other side of the river.

Yes, Valentine really was that old. It was moderately intimidating, really, with Ren knowing how successful Imperium was and how massive this man was to the boy. He would stand firm under Valentine's scrutiny, refusing to seem cowed or awed, even though he was most definitely just a little bit of both. It was hard not to be, really. "Likewise," he would offer in return, a smile touching his maw briefly.

Valentine was not blind, nor dumb, and he'd quickly ask a question of his own. Interesting question, and Ren would nod firmly. He saw no harm in admitting he was... new to ruling. "Yes," he confirmed verbally as well. "It is why I am making this journey to meet with other pack leaders. I want to be at least on neutral terms, though to be on friendly terms, or more - especially with a pack such as Imperium - would require trust that would have to be developed. I'd like to perhaps start to develop that, if you are willing?" Hell, he'd be hard-pressed to accept an alliance from Donostrea, the pack he was closest to.

With a nod Ren confirmed Valentine's assumption. He went on to fish for a neutral standing. This one time Valentine would give the boy a pass, since he was, after all, a boy. The King was of the opinion that first encounters were for pleasantries and quietly sizing up the competition. Hinting at a desire for a friendly standing bellied an underlying insecurity, which was a weakness that could range from pack numbers to the alpha's character. Although with one so young it may not have been the result of a defect, but simply youthful inexperience. "How do you suggest we do that?" Valentine wasn't new to this game. He didn't need to be told how to play it. Did Ren? Before he would even considered "friendly" terms with this pack Valentine wanted to test this new alpha. A lot could be learned about a pack by observing the one who led it. The King was genuinely curious about the new young ruler. Maybe he was worth considering, maybe he was naive enough for exploiting. Valentine had a lot to consider.

The alpha's question was a double-edged knife. Even Ren with his inexperience knew that, and it did throw him off guard. This alpha was cunning, intelligent... strong. He knew that immediately, and it was made even more clear as the man spoke. He would tilt his head to the side in thought. How would he do that? he had an idea, one he wasn't sure would fly with the alpha, but it was worth a shot. "Meeting like this is a start. Perhaps, in time, a competition of sorts? An open competition - not just limited to our packs. Your wolves against mine; other packs against ours." On top of that, it would be an opportunity to observe other packs, and how they did things, but also just friendly competition to create friendships between packs.

Valentine studied the boy intently as he considered the question. When at last Ren answered the King nodded and finally broke eye contact to thoughtfully search the distance. He was rather fond of competing. The chance to show off the prowess of his people was too good to pass up. As well as showcasing their capabilities he'd get a chance to scope out the other packs that participated.  It would be nice to get to know the weaknesses of all of his neighbors in one fell swoop; nice to see which ones were ripe for the picking. After a moment of thought his gaze returned to Ren. "I would consider such an event," he offered. "Tell me," he asked, "What interest do you have in trade?"

After Ren proposed his idea, Valentine would break eye contact - finally. Slowly blinking, the boy would wait patiently, and it would be only a second before the much taller man switched his gaze back to the young alpha, offering hsi thoughts on the matter. An internal sigh of relief - oh, yay. Nevermind the fact that Ren's pack was... weak, the proposition was accepted and it was... good. But soon, Valen would ask about... trade? and Ren's attention would be perked, curiosity lighting up in his eyes. "Truthfully... I do not have experience in trade," he sighed, though the look in his eyes was perfectly clear - he was more than interested in learning trade.

Being new to leadership and so very young, it was no surprise that Ren had no experience in trade. Valentine was willing to work with Ren if he and his pack had resources worth the effort, although what the King considered "working with" others might consider exploitation. His pack was large, almost too large, and his members had needs. If he wanted to avoid being too big of a burden on his lands he needed to start acquiring resources elsewhere. Whether that acquisition was forceful or not had yet to be determined. The more he thought about it the more Valentine was looking forward to the event suggested by Ren.

In response to Ren's statement Valentine rumbled thoughtfully before offering a brief and simple lesson in trade. "If trade is something you might be interested in it would be wise to first think of the things you have an abundance of, things that could be offered in trade. Imperium for instance has an abundance of fruits and berries. Now, I have no use for fruit, but Yfir makes fermented drinks and to make them they need large quantities of fruit. I've tasted these drinks and am fond of them, so it makes sense to trade fruit for drink." He eyed the youngblood carefully. "So when I tell you this what resource or resources of yours comes to mind?"