It was getting chillier and chillier with each day that passed. The cold winds were sweeping across the plains and it felt like winter would be upon them soon. The bright side of living in the west opposed to the north was that it wasn't snowing yet and for that she was relieved. While she was glad it wasn't blazing hot anymore she wasn't sure she was quite ready for freezing-your-ass-off temperatures. She could already picture her poor freezing toes once the snow rolled in. It was a crisp autumn morning and her breath came out in tiny little puffs. The frost on the ground hadn't had the chance to turn to dew yet and grass crunched beneath her feet as she exited the den. She yawned and stretched out lazily for a moment finding herself not quite ready to face her duties of the morning. Her mind was occupied lately and it kept flitting between Regulus and her parents to the rest of the pack members. She had to admit to herself that she was slightly worried. Would they be able to help her parents? How had the journey gone? When would they be back. She definitely hadn't expected to have to take over Celestial for so long. She shook out her pelt, trying to shake away all of her worries away, and instead Crucible came to mind. She hadn't really talked to him yet. She still hated his punishment so she padded away from the den to sniff around to see if she could find him. It was about time they talked. Walk, "Talk" Think

Crucible made his way through the plains on this chilly morning, more determined than he had been in a while. His chat with his brother had helped quite a bit and now that he was finally completely over his cold he really needed to get a move on. He wasn't really even sure what that entailed, but he figured talking to someone about how he can help out more was a good start. His large paws crunched through the snow while he tried his best to ignore the ache in this joints that the cold brought. Getting old certainly wasn't his idea of a good time.

He spotted Faite's form up ahead and he he started making his way toward her, deciding that she was a great place to start. If nothing else he'd really like to branch out a bit more and know more wolves around here. "Good morning," he rumbled as he got closer, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smile. He certainly wasn't the most expressive of wolves, but he was too old to change his ways now. "I hope ya don't mind me intruding," he added when he stopped in front of her. He didn't figure she would, considering what he had seen of her had painted her as quite the friendly woman, but he still felt like he should apologize for the interruption all the same. He was sure that running a pack was quite time consuming.

"SPEAK"

As it turned out she didn't need to search for him at all. Instead he ended up coming to her and she turned as he approached. She offered him a warm and welcoming smile along with a soft wag of her tail. "Good morning Crucible." She couldn't help but listen to the accent that Crucible had as well. It was amazing how similar he and Creed sounded and yet, other than some similar markings, they were almost nothing alike as far as color. She was curious to know what their parents looked like, but she decided not to ask. "Oh you're not intruding at all. I was just doing some thinking and then I was actually looking for you." She made sure to keep the smile on her face. She didn't want him getting the wrong impression of why she sought him out (or had tried to at least.) He certainly wasn't in any trouble. She knew both him and Creed were both aging. She was eager to give him the opportunity to get away from the rank Regulus had given him during the summer. It had been more than enough time and she certainly believed in second chances. Walk, "Talk" Think

Crucible was a bit surprised to hear that Faite had actually been looking for him. His brows lifted a bit show show his surprise. She seemed happy so he supposed it wasn't anything bad or that he was in more trouble. "Is tha' right?" He eased himself down onto his haunches. His face remained neutral to hide the ache that came from the movement in his knees and hips. If there was one thing that was more true about him than his general lack of expression it was the fact that he hated having anyone feel sorry for him. The only thing he hated more than that was asking for help. He certainly didn't want to concern Faite with the aches and pains of an old man.

"What'd ya need, miss?" he asked curiously, giving her a small smile. She must have had something in particular she needed from him or wanted to talk about if she was seeking him out. He couldn't imagine that she would take time out of her day just to chit chat. She must be incredibly busy after all. He wouldn't have bothered her this morning if he didn't feel like he really had to for that exact reason.

"SPEAK"

Crucible seemed pretty surprised that she'd been looking for him. She was a little surprised that he hadn't been expecting it. She wanted to give him the opportunity to redeem himself from his demotion. Now was as good a time as any. He was getting old so she wouldn't expect much from him at least. He deserved to sit at Ancestor like Creed. She didn't expect him to be able to pull off some great feat to earn a promotion at least. "I was wondering how you felt about rising to the rank of ancestor? You've been more active since your demotion. You came to the meeting and I noticed you've made a bit more of an effort to be more lively lately." She offered him a smile at this. She was half tempted to ask him to accompany her on a hunt, but that might be pushing it. Would he be up for the task? Could she offer him anything else to do instead? He certainly wasn't a young spring chicken after all. "When Reg gets back I want him to be able to see that you deserve a promotion so I was wondering if you felt up to accompanying me in a small hunt? If you don't feel up to it we can always do something else." Walk, "Talk" Think

Well, he had prepared himself to request a chance to get out of his punished rank, but it seemed that Faite would beat him to the punch. He smiled and he felt a bit of relief when she mentioned that she had seen him around more since his demotion. He knew he couldn't do too much these days, but he was glad that she had noticed that he was trying. Or at least trying to try. Pack life still didn't quite come naturally to him, but he wanted to put in the effort. He didn't want to disappoint Creed. He nodded and replied "I'd appreciate tha', Faite. Tha's actually wha' I was hopin' to talk with ya about."

He hesitated a bit when she asked him about joining her on a hunt. He didn't want to say no, especially not when he was trying to earn back a proper rank, but his joints were bothering him a good bit more than usual this morning. His ears flicked uncertainly and he replied, "I uh... Well, I'd love ta, Faite, but ya see, my legs aren't cooperating with me this mornin'." He tried to grin to play it off, but he still felt guilty about turning her down. "Maybe somethin' a little less... runny?"

"SPEAK"

She was pleased Crucible seemed eager to prove himself as well. She wasn't too surprised that he'd been looking for her for the exact same reason. Of course there was still the fact that he was getting older and she instantly felt bad for asking him to go on a hunt. Would she have asked that from Creed? She might have tried too, but surely he wouldn't be able to? She didn't know what it was like to be old but she was positive it meant aching joints and less energy. His words only confirmed her suspicions. He wouldn't be able to do it and she felt guilty. She should have thought of something else. She chuckled at his mention of doing something less runny. She could come up with something, right? What didn't involve running? Oh! Border patrols were at least something easier on the limbs. The plains were at least flat so he wouldn't have to tax himself on any hills and it'd knock two birds out with one stone. Plus she'd at least have some company for once. "How about a border patrol? We can go at a slow pace and you can tell me when you wanna stop." Walk, "Talk" Think