ooc: Navigation, Tall grass plains. He carefully placed himself onto the plains. Unsure really of the terrain because of his limited vision. He thought he would have gotten used to it by now, but the tall dead strands of grass caught him off guard. Half of his vision gone, things were closer than they appeared - so he had to adjust himself according to that. Quelt's paws spread across the dirt underneath him, nose tickling underneath the grass. Today, he would try to keep his bored mind occupied by exploring. After all, he wanted to study navigation. At least that way he'd know where he was, and where to go just by reading to stars. Now that no pack borders confined him. The large male raised his head, feeling much better now. Even though there was much more to go through in this area. He didn't worry about running into any wolves, though it was a large possibility. It was something these days he'd rather avoid. Interaction socially was crippled with the old male. Reaching up there in years, he supposed he'd stay this way forever. Knowing that he had blood children on the lands - the thought didn't bother him. Shaking his head free of these thoughts finally, he continued to feel out the land. "Talk"

The silence that permeated the plains was deafening. Once a place brimming with life, the changing of seasons had made this place far more barren than she was accustomed to. A regular hunting ground for when prey was not wandering through the Mangrove forest, she was used to slipping away from Fiori's lands toward the plains. The grass had grown much less verdant - still standing tall, but now turned brown and lifeless. They seemed to crunch as she padded through the tall grasses, rather than swaying and partying with the pattern she was used to. It was likely that some prey might be here still, hanging on to the last hope of food until winter came, but it was not nearly as plentiful as it had been weeks ago.

Letting out a breath of air, she continued on, head hanging low as her nose flared to take in the scents of the land. A male was nearby, though not close enough to spot right away. It seemed a hare had passed through recently as well. Picking up on the latter scent, she continued forward, parting the dry grass as she moved. Epiphron only noticed Quelt when she was far too close for comfort - standing a few yards away. His dark fur was easily seen through the foliage, and her posture would stiffen involuntarily as she scoped him out. Though he didn't immediately strike her as a threat, it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

Quelt should have not crossed out the possibility of meeting someone while he was studying these lands. He was easy to spot through the grass of course. Single eye spotting her, his first initial thought was great. However something about her struck him as familiar. Whether it was scent or something else. It made his dark slate ears twitch slightly. The large male kept his head lower, he didn't want her to think he was trying to attack her, as his tail moved around him. He then raised his head a little so that he could speak. "Do you know these lands well Ma'm?" Though she couldn't be too much older than himself. Her appearance was striking, that was never something he really paid attention to these days. The constant regret of jumping into any situation was to blame for that. If she knew the terrain he could ask her for help, then be on his way. "My name's Quelt Rivers." he didn't know what compelled him to say his name. "Talk"

Though his posture was not necessarily threatening, he wasn't the most comfortable beast to be near. His face was scarred and tattered; it was hard not to stare at his single good eye, for the other was mangled and appeared to be useless. Thankfully, he made no move to threaten her - or even to look like he could be threatening. Instead, his head remained lowered, and she would return the favor, keeping her muzzle tipped toward the ground. A single tattered ear flicked, swiveling toward him as he spoke a reply.

Epiphron moved quietly forward, closing the distance between them slightly. The sound of the rustling grass beneath her paws suddenly seemed startlingly loud, and she paused mid-step. "Yes, I do," she answered him tentatively. He, too, seemed vaguely familiar to her, in a way she couldn't quite place. "I live nearby. My name is Epiphron." Once, she'd worn her last name proudly - a badge of honor and protection, but now it seemed more of an afterthought. Not something she necessarily hid, but not something she flaunted either. "What about you, Quelt?"

Epiphron, it was a beautiful name. Quelt couldn't help but to smile kindly. There was no harm in keeping his distance though. He was here to explore the lands, nothing more. Though she answered his question, she would return his own. Making his ears twitch a bit. "I don't live anywhere, not anymore." he stated as he looked away for a moment then returned to looking at her. "You wouldn't be from Fiori would you? I was also wondering if you could spare a minute or two for this man and show him around this place." Quelt would take a chance. As much as he wanted to avoid her, he would stick around. He struggled almost every day with these feelings. Nothing was worth his trust anymore. At least he didn't think he was worth much of it. His paws softly spread on the floor, his muscles still noticeably tense, but not enough to cause any alarm he would assume. Just a nice friendly chat as he explored. That would at least keep his mind off of some things. "Talk"

Epiphron had every right to be wary. She knew that even the kindest wolves would do terrible things if they had to; she knew everyone was capable of more cruelty than they could imagine. Even her, and even this stranger.  His facade was rather pleasant though, and her own would take on a kinder note - losing some of the caution that she clung to so tightly. She would offer her new acquaintance a faint smile, her head tilting to the side as she took in his words.

She was taken aback by his question. How did he assume she lived in Fiori? She was rather close to home, but it still struck her as a strange thing to wonder. Perhaps he'd met a wolf from Fiori before. Epiphron wasn't quite sure what to make it. "I am," she'd answer carefully, her voice taking on a slight edge, posture shifting as she regained some of the stiffness she had abandoned just moments ago. "Why do you ask?" Once she figured out why wanted to know, she would address the second part of his question.. she wasn't sure if he was insinuating he wanted to be shown around Fiori, or simply the plains her. The latter sounded a much better possibility.

Her tenseness was not uncommon. As he smiled gently, of course she'd place her guard up after he mentioned Fiori. Well he did suppose after his reasons were cleared, he could explore these plains with her. He stayed civil, actually feeling a little bit relieved. Though still struggling with himself all the same. "I recently hunted with one of your members, Bright Moon? Lovely lady - and... well I used to be an old friend of Arian Adravendi." his head moved off to the side sadly. "I was once mates to her blood sister Limno, though that was a few seasons ago. So I guess I was sorta family to Arian?" he blinked at the thought. "To be honest, I've lost my home many times due to my own fault. Loner life doesn't suit me well, I was debating joining Fiori. " Quelt let out a small light hearted laugh. Hopefully that explained his situation a little, though he wasn't looking for pity or any sympathy. Simply the male rarely got comfortable enough to share this information about himself. Betrayal went a long way at times. "Talk"

He was a stranger, and she would maintain her relatively composed demeanor no matter how relaxed she might become around him. Epiphron could only hope that his reasons for asking if she was from Fiori were less sinister than she feared. Not only was she at risk by revealing information like this, but her family too. Her children, and her grandchildren. Her lips pursed silently as he spoke. He'd met Bright Moon, someone she wasn't very familiar with, and... had been a friend of Arian.

Her face softened, a slightly pained look crossing her formerly composed face; she fought to keep a sigh from escaping her lips as her jaw slackened. "Arian was my daughter," Epiphron would offer him slowly. Rarely did she preface it with saying she was her adoptive daughter, for it seemed a minor detail to her.

He was also considering joining Fiori. Interesting. "Nor does it suit me," she would add conversationally, offering a faint smile. She had never loved being a rogue, and she had no shame in admitting it. Being alone had never been totally enjoyable for her, though over time she had grown accustomed to it. "You'd have to see my son Leo about that," she explained quietly. "Though the fact that you were a friend of Arian says a great deal about you."

On the subject of Arian, he expected it to make the woman sad. Though discovering that this was indeed Arian's mother. It struck a soft chord with him. He honestly wished he could have done better to those around him. Too many times he had been caught in his own selfish views. He was left with many regrets, he doubted they would leave him when he died as well. A soft chuckle released from his lips as she spoke about loner life not suiting her either. "I'll be there soon, hopefully your son gives me a home. And I can for once, provide some sort of service for my said home. Being raised as the son of a duke, I really have shamed that portion of my life." He then shook his head to her comment about Arian. "You raised a wonderful woman, but I can't say that we ever made up. We had a fight last time we saw each other - but I guess there's no point in fretting over that any longer." Quelt gave a soft sigh. He certainly hoped this wasn't putting too much of a damper on her mood. "Would you mind, showing me around?" "Talk"

Talking about Arian was painful, but things were getting easier as time went on. They were wounds that would never fully heal, though with each season that passed they were burdens far lighter to carry. It was not her fault that Arian had gone - it had been her decision to engage in the fight, and she had lost, just as Syrinx had. It was a risk both of them had been willing to take, and nothing she could've said or done would have changed the outcome. The sad expression that crossed her features, just briefly, lifted a bit as their conversation turned to brighter things.

"I'm sure he will. Leo is a kind man," she offered earnestly, her words accompanied by a slow nod. She had little doubt he would be happy to let him join Fiori, so long as he pulled his weight and was honest in what he wanted from the pack. It seemed he was interested in seeing a bit of the pack, and she would add another nod before speaking. "We can head to the borders," Epiphron would explain a bit tentatively. "Though coming onto packlands without calling for Leo first is out of the question." Perhaps she might feel comfortable letting family in without permission, but not a stranger she'd just met.