With a groan and a stretch Valentine got to his paws. Mid stretch he allowed his front paws to slide out from under him and down the tractor's windshield. Once his front paws were far enough down the windshield that he had to lean forward on his hind toes to keep from flopping down on his belly he walked them forward until all four paws were planted on the tractor's hood. The King yawned and then shook out his coat as he debated his next course of action. Relieved of all duty and largely well again he was beginning to chafe under the monotony of nothingness. It was tempting to foster his elder son's growing interest in alphaship, leave the leading to him and go exploring the southern continent, but there was a big part of him that sorely missed leadership. For the past several days he'd tried to figure out what exactly he didn't like about not leading and finally it occurred to him. He missed having a purpose.

After slowly sinking into a seated position Valentine allowed his gaze to take in the horizon. His mind drifted to the wolves who had not too long ago been under his care. He sincerely hoped they were doing well and that none had been taken by the plague that had nearly been his demise. They were all strong people and it was easy to believe that they'd all escaped the illness unscathed.

Valentine's nose lifted as a breeze drifted through the Range and brought the surrounding scents to him. It was a cool, crisp morning. If there had been any point to it at all he'd have gone patrolling, but there wasn't much need for that anymore, was there?

Aki hadn't ventured near these lands for quite some time. He'd been meaning to, for awhile now - the brief time he'd shared with the ruler of the pack that had been here had been memorable, to say the least. His heart was light as he traveled, perpetually content to have no real goal or place to call his own. The freedom filled him to the brim, like a dam bursting at the seams, and he moved with a slight bounce to his step as though today was the best day that ever was. His demeanor wavered slightly when he drew close to The Range. The slight smile he wore faltered, albeit just slightly, for something here had changed. A pack's borders were strong to him, for he avoided large groups of wolves like the plague, usually... and the one here was barely existent at all. Had they moved, he wondered? It didn't seem like Valentine to up and leave his pack, so that was his best guess. Not that he knew the man well, but it seemed a good enough guess. Furrowing his brows as he peered over the horizon, his pace quickened as his head hung low, testing the scents that made up the land still. Not a pack, persay, but a few of the scents seemed to linger. It didn't take much searching to find one, in particular, which seemed recent enough. Curiosity briefly overtook him, pushing him forward until his scent was strong. It led him to one of the strange metal machines, the purpose of which was lost on him. Valentine's structure was difficult to miss, and his expression brightened as he came into view. "Oy, friend!" Aki would call out jovially, though he tried to contain much of his glee - for he was not sure what, if anything, had transpired her - and who knew what kind of mood Valentine might be in? He had to remind himself the male was little more than an acquaintance to him, and he didn't strike him was a terribly predictable beast.

It likely would have been different if the voice calling out to him had been someone he didn't know. The land might not have been officially his any longer, but Valentine would struggle with letting just anyone cross it. Puny or not, if presented with an idiot traipsing across his land, he was going to chase them off. There were just somethings he couldn't make himself tolerate.

Upon laying eyes on the man, Valentine's expression brightened and after a moment his lips lifted in a lopsided smile. "Aki," he said warmly. "I'm glad to see that you're well." He'd heard the plague had been particularly rough on rogues, which wasn't that surprising. There were many benefits to living in a pack. While it was likely easier to spread sickness, the odds of being tended to by a competent healer were pretty good too.

If he had to guess, he would've assumed Valentine would be a King forever - he struck him as somewhat unwavering in that sense.  Truth be told, though, Aki knew little about politics and less about what it felt like to be a leader. Perhaps his wolves had rebelled against him, or he'd been overthrown and the pack had been relocated - perhaps he'd simply succumbed to the pressure of leadership. Who knew, really? It wasn't a question he was planning on asking him outright, either. His own smile brightened, a bit goofy in its enthusiasm, his tail batting rapidly behind him. "As well as always," he offered, not a brag so much as a simple fact. He was not one to have bad days, and he let go of things that bothered him with ease. "But what of you?" His question was earnest, and he gazed at him with an obvious level of fondness as he drew closer, finally reclining to his haunches a reasonable distance from the other male. "I hope life has treated you kindly, my friend."

"As well as always," the tusked man said. Lucky duck. For Valentine life had rarely been so even keel. While it was stressful at times he didn't think, honestly, that he handle life without it. It sounded nice to be good always, but what would he, Valentine, be without conflict? Bored, that's what he'd be. What if that one alpha guy had simply handed Avalon and co. over? What if Bass had been like "meh, she's only my sister. I have others"? He'd have died of boredom by now.

Aki's question was tough. "I don't think I'd use the word 'kindly' to describe its treatment," he said saucily. "As you may have noticed," the King said with a ghost of a smile, "Things have gone to fuckin' hell." Clearly he had noticed otherwise he wouldn't be standing in the middle of formerly claimed territory.

Instead of waiting for further questions from Aki, Valentine went ahead and gave him a rundown of what had happened. "I got sick," he began, "With that plague that was going around. Ended up running for the hills with phantom boogeymen on my heels. My son came after me and while we were gone the sickness spread and the pack...collapsed for lack of a better word." He paused for a second then wrapped his explanation up by saying, "I got better, we came home, and here I am. King of nothing."

He hadn't meant to brag about his own situation, not at all. Just because he was doing well, didn't mean he had to hide it. Still, he empathized with Valentine as he began to speak - seeing those he cared for suffering was unpleasant to him. Sure, he'd only met him twice, but he'd enjoyed those two times quite a bit and his mind had wandered to Valentine since, from time to time. Though glad to see him again, seeing him in a more negative mood wasn't what he'd hoped for. His lips pursed together, ears flicking in Valentine's direction. Things hadn't been well for him. He'd been sick, he'd been forced away from his pack, and he'd come back to nothing. Well, damn. He gazed at him, compassion in his eyes, head tilting to the side as he considered. "Well," he'd murmur solemnly,  "The world does have a strange way of toying with us at times, doesn't it?" The gods were not necessarily cruel gods, but sometimes the world shifted and swayed in ways that could send them tumbling. It was all part of the way things went, and often things did not go as planned. "King of nothing," he'd repeat brusquely, his expression life as he leaned toward Valentine to offer him a gentle nudge to his shoulder, his tusks grazing the other man's shoulder lightly before he pulled back. "But at least you're still a King. Better than being nothing at all. Still impressive to me." His tone was playful and a bit teasing - he did feel bad for Valentine, but he'd always been better at cheering others up than giving them advice on their problems. He didn't know if Valentine wanted of anything of that; if he simply wanted a shoulder to lean on or an ear to vent to, he could do either.