Traveling was getting rather old and she missed the comforts of knowing a territory in and out. Those brief times in her childhood where she knew exactly where she was going, how exactly to get back home, and really the simple comforts of having a solid home. She loved to get to know new places, but the comforts of 'home' was weighing heavily on her heart. She was realizing that living as a lone wolf was not for her, though she was troubled how Jack would handle the change. Her ears twitched listening for his cawing from afar. He wasn't too far, feasting on some washed up fish. Sighing she laid her head on her paws and allowed the sound of the waves drown out her thoughts. No need to trouble herself now she hadn't been in these lands for too long and still had to find out about the packs. For now she rested taking a much needed break from traveling before she would get started in these new lands. Laying in the sun and letting the combination of the sun and her dark pelt take the edge away from winter's chill. A deep sign was slowly released as she eased into the comfort of relaxation, and closing her sightless eyes to relax and maybe even take a nap. Jack was nearby and watching closely for any danger that might appear, or anyone in general. The large Raven was vary protective of her. "Talk" "You" Think

It wasn't often that he wandered outside of Abaven lands, but now it would seem that he was out a lot more. Since the meeting with his family he had been a little more drawn out. He needed to set up a meeting for his pack now that spring had arrived and wake everyone up from their winter slumber. It had grown quiet all over again, but he knew that he was largely to blame for that. His head just hadn't been in the game as of yet, he was letting the breakup of his family hinder his activity in the pack. Why would everyone else be busy doing things when he couldn't even be bothered to call a training or anything of the sorts? Hardly anyone showed up to the training that Karabela had called, nor the healer training that Vali had called. Had the members of Abaven just stopped caring about what happened in their pack? He sighed, ears pinned back against his skull as he walked through the bay that used to be ruled by his family's pack. He still came here at times, remembering everything that had happened here. There were so many memories in this place, some too painful to even think about. Him and Wren had met on the borders and sang together... but before he could fully recall their meeting he shook his head. A dive into the cold waters should clear his head.

Before he fully reached the ebbing waves, he spotted a dark coated woman a few paces away from him. He hadn't been paying too much attention, but he peered curiously at her. She seemed... distraught. Her head was down on her legs and her eyes closed. She simply could be resting but the aging man couldn't resist closing the bit of distance between them. He stood a mere few feet away, clearing his throat slightly. "Miss, are you okay?" he asked softly, his ears pulling back slightly in concern. He knew crap all about healing, but they were still close to Abaven grounds. He could easily call for Vali for Harmony and they could get here with ease.

"Speech"

Soon her body began to feel numb as her muscles released tension and fully relaxed. She had begun to drift into a slumber, her body finally realizing how tired she had actually been. Even though she never felt the safest being alone, even with Jack, her body gave into it's exhaustion. Her breathing grew deeper as she slipped into sleep, unaware of her surroundings anymore. She had never heard the lighter male approach in fact her mind had blocked out even the sounds of the waves as they crashed against the shore. The beady black eyes of the raven watched the male and as he closed the distance between himself and Storm. The bird took flight, carrying the deceased fish he was feasting in his talons. Flying just past the male's face he dropped the fish then landed on top of it putting himself between the male and Storm. Fluffing up his feathers he turned his head to the left and stared down the male with his right eye, taking in the body language he was putting out. Hopping backwards the bird gently hit the female wolf with his wing until she stirred from her slumber. Then he hopped back to the fish remaining at his post between the two. She came back to, awakened by her companion. Before the male had spoken she was again aware of her surroundings. Her ears flicked backwards catching the movements of the raven and then the words of the male. Her head lifted, sightless eyes opened, and her body shifted while her ears remained backwards the catch any further words from the male. The simple question he spoke echoed through her mind before a light and somewhat weary smile crossed her dark lips. "Yes I'm fine, a little weary from travels, but fine otherwise. Thank you for your concern," her voice was light and soft. She yawned before she moved her position again lifting herself from the sand and turning her body to face the male. Sitting back down she faced the male, sightless white eyes motionless as they looked ahead. Though she couldn't see it was easier to face him so she could better hear and smell the male. Her body still relaxed as she sat there before the male. "I'm Storm Wreckage and the raven is my companion Blackjack, we are both new to these lands and have traveled quite a bit in the past couple of months," she said with a kind smile. "Talk" "You" Think

He was stunned when a large black bird blocked his path, seeming to try to protect the woman behind it. His brows rose, and he took a step back as a sharp beak was aimed at his ankles. Bass eyed the bird warily, wondering what it was doing. Slowly it prodded the stranger, seeming to wake her from her slumber. He gazed around the raven, seeing that she seemed to be unharmed. Ah, that was good. While he waited for her answer, he realized that her eyes were glossy and unseeing. Oh, she was completely blind. He blinked slowly, but made no comment on it. It wasn't that much of an impairment, hearing and scent made up for the lack of sight. She finally spoke, thanking him for his concern. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. Remembering that she couldn't see that, he quickly opened his mouth. "Not a problem, miss," he said softly, kindness radiating through his words. When she introduced the two of them, he gave another wary glance at the raven. The bird looked like he wanted to pluck his eyes out, and he would be keeping his distance from Blackjack. "I am Bass Destruction, I am alpha of a pack not too far away from here. It's a pleasure to meet you, Storm," She had mentioned being weary, and he thought for a moment, his golden eyes roaming over her form. She seemed capable enough, and she had made it this far. But still, he couldn't just leave her out here. "If you like, you could come rest with us. You will be safer within pack borders." He knew it could be a dangerous thing, to offer solitude to a stranger. But she seemed kind enough, and he doubted she would try anything. Plus, his warriors were mighty and would be able to hold their own. That bird though... he was another story.

"Speech"

Blackjack seemed to act like the male wasn't there now, he was comfortable that the male didn't seem to be any danger so he returned to eating his meal. As long as everyone's emotions were calm and there was a safe distance between the two he was happy to do his own thing. The male introduced himself and mentally she repeated the name several times and gently took deeper breaths, inhaling his scent so she could memorize both his scent and his name to recall later on. Ears pricked forward as she took in his next words and her smile changed to a thankful and relieved one. It would just make her more comfortable to be within a pack because the security would allow her to relax and fully recover. Maybe if she grew to like the pack and it's members and if allowed maybe she would stay and have found herself a permanent home. Nodding her head and with a small wag of her tail. "It's a pleasure to meet you and thank you that would be wonderful as long as I wouldn't be intruding on your pack," she replied. "Talk" "You" Think

When he offered to bring her back to Abaven, she seemed thankful for the offer. He smiled, although he knew that she couldn't see it. For whatever reason, he felt really awkward around the blind woman. He hadn't really had much experience with a blind wolf, and it kind of put him on edge. That didn't mean that he was going to leave her here, where she was pretty vulnerable. Although that stupid bird of hers looked like it could hold its own. He looked at the black thing then, sticking his tongue out rather childishly at it. Finch had a bird friend, but Civetta was nothing like that crow. Huffing softly, he turned back to Storm as she spoke. "You wouldn't be intruding at all. We have lots of space for you to relax, and who knows. If you like it there, you could always join us. It's not very far away, only a few territories over," he said softly, taking a few steps away. He had to remind himself yet again that she couldn't see him, and he let out a quiet sigh. "Just come this way, it won't be far at all."

Bass took a few more steps before looking over his shoulder to see if she was following, his tail swinging behind him. "So Storm, where did you come from? Did you grow up in these lands?" He asked, trying to keep the conversation light as he started to walk back. Turning to eye her again, he wondered what she even did for a living. Could blind wolves still fight? He was unsure, and it would be pretty rude to ask. "And what would you say is your best skill? You know, if you were going to join Abaven, what kind of rank would you seek?" Okay, now he was starting to get even more awkward. Mentally cursing at himself, he turned back around and looked forward. He was making a fool out of himself.

"Speech"

Blackjack watched the male as he ripped apart his fish, eyeing him with little faith that the male was as kind as he was portraying. Ripping a long and narrow piece of meat he flipped his head upward allowing the piece to swing and flop right down into his throat, he then swallowed and looked back to the male. When the male stuck his tongue out at him he ruffled his feathers, flared out his large wings and let out a deep throaty kraa towards the male. It was a warning to the male and the bird meant it. When Storm heard this she rose from her spot and moved to step in front of the bird to block his view of Bass. They were two different personalities, but Storm was the overall boss of the pair. The gesture was a calm way to remind the bird to behave himself. When she did this the bird ruffled his feathers again, but settled quickly. Storm smiled again as Bass spoke speaking about his pack again. Her tail wagged lightly at the thought of having room to relax and the offer to join if she found she really liked it. He also stated that it wasn't far away, which made her even happier. It meant that it shouldn't take much to get there. When he took a few steps away, Black jack hopped onto Storm's back, taking a break from flying. When Bass told her to fallow she moved forward at an easy pace, trying to keep close to his heels and fallowing his scent as the went. He then proceeded to asking her about where she had come from, where she grew up, and a few other questions to find out where her skills lie. "No I did not grow up in these lands. I grew up in territories that made up a land called Thule." she answered before he spoke his next question. "My skills reside in the healing field, It's actually a specialty with the females in my family bloodline. And I would seek some sort of rank pertaining to it. I may even be able to do border patrols with Blackjack at my side." "Talk" "You" Think

He kept his eye on the crow for a moment, and he knew that they two of them wouldn't be getting along any time soon. He was nothing like his daughters bird. He let out an awful sound, and Bass' lips twitched slightly. He would bite his little smug beak right off his face. He was interrupted when Storm stepped between them, sending both a message to him and the crow. His pale ears slicked back slightly, quickly turning his head away from the black bird. Stupid thing. The alpha decided that he no longer liked the scavenging birds. But the darker coated woman smiled at him when he spoke of coming with him, and he relaxed slightly. Soon enough he would find out how to deal with someone who was blind, but he was no doubt making it even more awkward for himself. Stumbling and bumbling over his words, struggling to know what to do.

He was glad when she answered his questions without very much hesitation. He almost wanted to let out a breath of relief, but he held it back. She named a land that he had never heard of before, but it wasn't uncommon. Granted, he hadn't come from here either, it would seem that Ardent had become a safe haven for wandering souls. He was very interested when she spoke about healing, his tail swinging behind him. "Oh, a healer! I cannot tell you how excited I am to hear that. Abaven has very little healers right now, maybe if you don't mind you can hold a bit of a lesson?" Was that too much to ask? Oh boy. Bass was starting to feel like that awkward teenager again, even though he was well into his adult years. He chuckled softly, guiding her back towards the pack lands. Starling was still quiet since coming back home, but he didn't blame him. There was a not of things that he needed to fix to get right with his family. He had no idea what happened with Vali either, and Quake was still learning the ropes. Licking his lips, he looked back over at the blind woman. "Of course, if you feel like joining that is. Sorry I'm ah..." he paused, stopping along the beach to focus his gaze on her. His ears were flat and he tossed a look at the bird on her shoulders, wondering if the stupid thing was going to laugh at him or something. "Honestly I've never met someone who is blind before and I um... Well I feel like a gangling teenager trying to do things the right way," letting out a nervous chuckle, he didn't start up walking again until he heard her answer. Did she want to run away from him now? Cause he was being really weird, this wasn't like him at all. The whole thing was just new to him, and he didn't want to offend her.

"Speech"

She smiled at his words and was also slightly surprised. He had asked her if she wouldn't mind holding a lesson, it would be perhaps the first time she had done so, but she was more the willing to share her knowledge with the pack. He also sounded somewhat eager to have another healer in the pack. What harm could it do to join? This male seemed extremely nice and she did want to settle down. If she joined this pack she would get safety for this coming winter and hopefully Jack would become a little more socialized. The bird wasn't the best at being all cheerful and friendly, but she knew he was quite an intimidating sight. (Many have already told her so in her travels) She just hoped the bird wouldn't make others feel to uncomfortable. The male soon backtracked and correct himself and she bit her lip holding back a giggle from a teenage girl. He sure was acting silly, but Storm assumed she knew why. Over the years she had gotten all sorts of reactions from others and anymore she wasn't surprised how others acted. Years ago she had gotten past being offended and simply come to the conclusion others tended to act differently towards her because they didn't know how to act around her. Although she still became amused by how some of the reactions went and Bass' just so happened to amuse her. With his words the female could imagine how his body language was this whole time and it made her smile even more with her tail gently wagging. "No need to apologize your reaction has been amusing and is a relief from other recent interactions. I would certainly be glad to hold a lesson, but it may take me a day or two to prepare I want to make sure I have everything in line and organized" she started. "Do you have any herbs currently stored? If not I can send Blackjack out to get some." Again her thoughts drifted to joining the pack and the more she felt it was a great opportunity for her and blackjack. She paused before bumping into the male, not realizing he had stopped. "I would like to join your pack," she said with a smile. "Talk" "You" Think

She seemed to be amused by how he was acting, which was a huge relief. He let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding, his heart settling a bit in his chest. Good! He had been so worried that he was going to offend her or something, he had no idea how to handle himself in situations like this. He was not acting his age, which was…. Really silly. He was a grown ass man and here he was acting like a teenager. But when she said that it was better than others, he wondered if other wolves had made fun of her for her blindness. It made his lips twitch at the thought, and he almost wanted to ask what had happened. Chewing on the thought for a bit, he decided to drop it. It would most likely bring up bad memories and that wasn’t his goal here. He kept it in the back of his mind, maybe he would ask her at some other time. He was thankful when she asked about herbs, taking his mind off his thoughts. He had to think about that, Finch had said something about keeping up with Starlings supplies. "Some of my kids have been keeping track of it, but I am pretty useless when it comes to plants and stuff. You should talk to Finch or Starling, most our other healers haven’t been around much," Finch wasn’t even a healer, she just liked pretty things. Apparently some herbs were pretty, something that he just didn’t understand.

Bass’ ears perked as his tail wagged at her words. She really did want to join? Oh good, he was afraid that all of his healers were going to disappear. She was blind, she couldn’t go too far. Oh gods, that was a bad joke. He stifled a laugh, instead turning to gaze at her unseeing eyes. "Really? That’s fantastic!" He said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. From their bit of talking he really liked her, more so now that she had calmed him down a bit. But that bird, he wasn’t too set on him. He glared up at it then, baring his teeth at it. Stupid feathered butt.

"Speech"

Kids? How nice it was to have children, it had always been a dream of hers from a young pup to grow up and settle down to have a family. She wondered how many he had and it also made her wonder where his bride was. Shouldn't she be out for a stroll with him on a day like today? Or was she tending to other alpha duties. She smiled her tail wagging again, it was nice to hear he had a family with how nice he seemed she imagined that he was a good father. "I'll have to seek them out after I settle in," she said with a slight nod to her head. "If you don't mind me asking, how many kids do you have?" It would be nice to have more casual conversation as they traveled and for her to get to know her new alpha. Plus if all his children were in the pack it would be good for her to know their names so that is she met them she could recognize who they were when they introduced themselves. It had been a while that she got to work with a group of wolves since she had been a loner for so long, but she felt relieved. It would be nice to have interactions daily. She could sense his excitement and when he spoke she could tell that he was looking towards her since his voice sounded a little louder. Her tail wagged a little faster finding that his excitement and his energy was starting to rub off on her. "Once we arrive I will find a place to settle into and with some rest I should be ready to get started preparing for the lesson" she said still smiling feeling more and more excited about holding this lesson. After being warned twice by his companion the bird had decided no matter how much he wanted to go back at the male, that the best would be to ignore him. So he hopped off the left side of Storm's back and took off to the air, high above the two to keep a look out for what was ahead and what was behind. If he saw any threat he would certainly alert the two of them. "Talk" "You" Think

When Storm asked about his children, he let out a little 'heh' as he grew silent for a moment. "Well, my first litter had five pups in it, and two in my second. Apparently I wanted a little army for my own, haha. But there is no chance of anymore," his last words were a whisper, but he said no more. Walking towards Abaven again he let out a soft sigh. Without Wren in the picture, he really didn't see himself having any more kids. He had been faithful to her to this very day, and it felt... awkward to think about being with anyone else. "My family has a habit of having themed litters. I'm from one with musical names, and all my kids were named after some sort of bird like their mother. The first litter is made up of Lark, Sparrow, Finch, Pipit, and Starling. The second one is made up of Merlin and Sandpiper," He explained as they walked, his tail swinging behind him as they moved along the beach. Soon they reached the first line of grass, getting closer and closer to home.

He really was glad that she was joining, and it would seem that his emotions were bouncing off of her. He turned back to smile at her, his tongue hanging out as he panted softly. "Take your time Storm, and let me know if you need help with anything. I'm almost always around, you just need to howl for me," he was slightly worried that she wouldn't settle in, it would seem like a lot of Abaven was uneasy these days. Being blind, he had a feeling that she was more empathetic to the feelings and tones of voice that others used. It probably wouldn't be hard for her to feel tension. His tail flickered behind them as he looked towards the horizon. The plains would be in view soon, he forgot just how close these territories were. He missed it when his family had been here, making the alpha suppress a sigh. Instead he thought of Quake and the fact that Starling had been rather silent since coming home. "Storm, would I be able to make a request? There is a younger girl in our pack, Quake, who was studying under one of my sons. He seems to be off in his own world again... and I was wondering if you could give her a bit of attention? She's been rather upset over the whole thing, and I think if you taught her a bit about plants and crap she would be her old self again," Bass' tone was soft, obvious concern for the younger woman in his voice.

"Speech"

There was some regret that clouded her thoughts as he had begun to speak wondering if asking about his family was the wrong thing to do at this time. There had seemed to be a slight change to his mood even though she thought it was such a joy to have seven pups, but something was off. His words quieted off at the end of his sentence making her gently bite her tongue. She felt her earlier thoughts about his queen had been answered. Something had happened and it seemed she was no longer in the picture. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew that it would be better not to ask. She didn't want to cause him to be in a sad mood for the rest of their stroll. She liked feeling and hearing him being happy and she wanted their first meeting to continue to go well. "Seven children, my your are quite blessed there. I would love to have had any children at this point in life." she said with a smile as she tried to lighten the mood a bit. He went on to explain about his family fallowing in themed names and she smiled her tail wagging. It was nice to have some similarities with another it made her feel more connected with him. "I can relate there me and my siblings were named within the same theme as my father Hurricane. My sister is Sleet and my brothers are Hail and Frostbite. A storm themed family" she said with a slight chuckle. Once again his voice was louder indicating that he was facing towards her again and her ears picked up the light pant and could feel the light puff of air coming as his tail wagged. Her smile widened at his words glad that he was so willing to help her out and that there was no rush to settle in. It made her feel all the more comfortable with her decision to join his pack. "Thank you I appreciate the offer and I'm sure I will need the help, but I'll try not to be a pest," she joked. His mood seemed to change once more and his words were laced with concern. She understood it and knew how it was important to give a little extra attention to some. She assumed life had been rough for this girl he spoke of and she immediately felt a pull to help her out. She herself needed extra attention after the snake had permanently blinded her which her immediate family was quick to offer, but she knew not everyone was that way and had no problem stepping in to help anyone she could. She repeated the young girl's name within her mind over and over again to memorize it. "Of course I would love to help her out. In fact I'll see if she would be willing to herb hunt with me to prepare for the lesson. I could start teaching her different herbs as we gather them," she said her own voice laced with concern for the girl. "Talk" "You" Think

His head tilted when she said that it was the same in her family, his tail wagging slowly back and forth. He hadn't heard of anyone outside of his family doing that, it was pretty cool! Names after natural disasters was pretty cool, he liked a lot of the names that she listed off. Maybe he could use that if he ever had kids again. Bass chuckled at himself, nodding his head about him saying that he was blessed. He guessed in a sense that he was, but he didn't feel like it a lot of the time. "I suppose, when you look at the big picture. I love my children so much, I wouldn't change them for the world. I just wish they would have had their mother there when they were growing up," The pale man's voice was wistful, as hurt as he was over everything he wished that his kids hadn't suffered. His ears twitched though at the sound of her voice when she brought up children, glancing over at her with a frown. He couldn't imagine not having his pups, but to long for babies without anyone with you must be a very... lonely feeling. Trying to lighten the mood back up, he tried to bat his tail against her shoulder in a teasing manner. "I've got more than enough, you can take some of them!" Bass said with a laugh, his deep baritone echoing across the open landscape.

He grinned when she mentioned not being a bother, his head shaking back and forth out of habit. Even though he knew that she couldn't see him, it was a hard thing to stop doing. "It would be a nice distraction, trust me," he said, muttering slightly. It was rather quiet in Abaven still, helping her out would fill his day with useful activities. He could only walk the borders so many times. Bass was really happy when she said that she would help Quake though, she had been pretty much distant since Starling left. Well... most wolves had been. Stifling a sigh, he turned back as Abaven came into view. "Thank you Storm, I really cannot say that enough. But we're here now, welcome to Abaven,"

"Speech"

She smiled as he spoke glad that he loved his children, but at the same time she was a little concerned as he stated that he wished their mother had been there. She wouldn't pry as to what happened because she felt that if he wanted to tell her he would, but she wouldn't try to push him to tell her. It was not her business nor did she have a right to know. Despite not having her around, she was sure he did the best he could to raise his kids and if they were anything like him then Bass had done a fantastic job. She was excited to meet them and would eventually, but it may not be right away. She was sure he had quite a bit of land that the pack ran on. She found it amusing that he was gently hitting her shoulder with his tail. His next comment made her laugh, a large smile on her face finding his joke amusing. It was such a deep voice yet it sounded so soft. She settled down before his next comment and her smile softened. She was glad he was so willing to help her out and that it would be a nice distraction for him. "Well then I will have to take you up on that offer" She appreciated it, especially since it would take her a little bit to get used to the area. Ears perked as she spoke again stating that they had now arrived at Abaven and she stopped before him, lifting her nose to the sky and taking in the scents. It smelled rather lovely and the women wagged her tail a soft smile still on her face. "No Bass, Thank you in my years of travel I have never met a pack leader so far that is as welcoming as you. It is a great relief and brings hope that my future may be something other then traveling alone," she said. "Once I get settled in I will get started on gathering for the training and I'll look for you to help" She wagged her tail again allowing it to gently hit his rear leg before lifting her head up. Jack knew it was time to look for a good den spot and he let out a deep kraa once more and led the way. Storm fallowed suit, ears pinned forward fallowing the sound of the Raven's beating wings. -Exit Storm- "Talk" "You" Think