There was a certain fineness to the cool air of Auster that the female noted. She breathed in, flicking an ear as her gaze searched the plains. Things had been quiet for the femme. She hadn’t been doing much within Talis since the hunt and hadn’t really seen much of her siblings. She felt a bit lonely, but at least she had Bubo for companion. The snowy owl was a constant reminder that the only thing holding her back from obtaining happiness was herself. Her gaze shifted back towards her den, and the woman wondered to herself what it might be like to be in her sister’s paws. To have had two litters… yet not done well with their fathers. It seemed sad in a way. Oracle really wanted to talk more to Avalon about all of that too… and get to know her nieces and nephews better… but would she have that chance? She closed her eyes, a sad smile on her face. Oh how cruel the seasons could be…

Winter in Auster was pretty weird. It wasn't as cold as winter in the North, but it was as equally dreary. Maybe it got colder later in the season, but for now the ground was constantly cold and wet and it felt kinda gross on his paws. He and Kimahri had decided to patrol the plains, though Kimahri eventually went off on his own for a bit to do whatever it was jaguars did on their own. Meanwhile, Dragon went the other way and continued marking his borders, that is, until he saw a sort of familiar figure not too far away. Of all the time his aunt and uncle had been in the pack, he felt bad that he hadn't taken the time to properly introduce himself and actually get to know them. He wasn't incredibly busy lately, and he didn't really have an excuse except for his always being distracted by one thing or another. He needed to get to know each and every pack member. To let them know that they were valuable, wanted, and that they had a place here. A couple members had already left or disappeared, and he didn't want the others to do that thinking they were neglected or didn't belong around here. He appreciated each members efforts (when they were made), and wanted to actually make his first promotions as an alpha. He wasn't sure when or who that would be, but he hoped it would be soon. "Hey! Auntie Oracle, how are ya!?" "Speech"

A voice fluttered to her on the wind, and the femme turned her head to see her nephew, the Drakon of Talis, padding over to her. A smile crossed her lips as she shifted upon the cold, wet ground to face him, letting out a light laugh. “A bit lonely, youngin’. Was just scolding myself for not being more active about the pack… both for friends and duty.” The female closed her eyes, breathing out another sigh. “Guess I’m so used to dealing with things on my own now that I’ve forgotten how to be social… how a pack works.” When she opened them again the golden hues fixed on her nephew.

“But I’ll learn in time I guess. I’m not that old yet.” She gave a playful grin. Sure she might have been seven years old, but Oracle was confident that something good had yet to happen in her life. “…What of you, Dragon? How has the pack been fairing?” Her voice was light, kind, though there was definitely a tone of longing within that voice too. She perked her ears forward, making a mental note that, this season, cold and wet or not, she was going to do a little more with the pack.

"Lonely? Is it because we haven't spent any time together? Sorry about that, Auntie. I didn't mean to." Of course, if she meant lonely in the relationship sense, he had no clue. He had never had a love interest, though he supposed somewhere in the back of his mind he might have had a small crush on Zuri, but he hadn't seen her for a couple seasons. Which actually made him kinda sad and disappointed. He sat down next to her as she continued, apologizing about her lack of duty and the like. He supposed he couldn't blame her too much, she wasn't used to being a pack. He wondered how long she had been on her own. She was a year younger then his mom, had it really been that long ago? "How long has it been since you've been in a pack?" He asked curiously. He'd never been a loner before. He was born and raised in a pack, albeit...maybe about four different ones if you counted his birth pack of Sonticus, Imperium, Ivalice, and now Talis. Maybe he could get a history lesson of sorts from her, and he was about to ask until she changed the subject by asking how he and the pack was doing. "I'm doing okay I guess. Pack's doing fine too...I think." He shrugged a bit, suddenly feeling disappointed. "Honestly, I don't think anyone really see's me as an alpha, let alone respects me. I think some of them still kinda see me as a kid, and I'm kinda dealing with a difficult decision right now." He sighed, half-heartedly smiling at her. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have dumped that out there."


"ROAR"

Oracle gave a weak smile to Dragon. “Not quite for that reason alone. I should be interacting more with my packmates… but I guess in some ways I feel a little lonely in a love sense as well. Your mother has had so many beautiful children already… I guess I’m a tad jealous.” She shook her head. Alas sitting here moping about it wasn’t going to solve anything. She had to start reaching out more and maybe, before she knew it, things could start looking up for her.

“Goodness… I was still quite small when I remember it was just me, Gala, and Aures…” Oracle frowned. “I don’t remember what happened to our parents… but one by one we started to drift apart. Then I was on my own, packless and under a year old…” Oracle shrugged. ”I’ve been with Bubo since around that time though.” She continued to listen to Dragon speak.

“If they still see you as a kid then it is time to prove them wrong, Dragon.” Oracle twitched her ears a bit. “Lay down the laws and get them moving. Issue punishments if they don’t listen.” Oracle reached out, giving her nephew a light lick on the cheek. “…and if you need an extra paw don’t be afraid to ask for help, alright?” Oracle canted her head to the side, getting an idea. “Which reminds me… how has your training been going?”

He listened to his aunt, feeling bad for her about her situation but felt like he couldn't relate. He never had a love life, so he wasn't sure what to say. He had to say something though to try and help her feel better. His gaze hardened slightly when she said she was jealous of her mom, the male shaking his head. "I wouldn't be. My sire pretty much hit and quit. He took off when we were born, and that's nothing to be jealous about. I keep telling myself that if I ever see him, I'd make him pay for abandoning us. As for her second mate, I dunno. I guess they just drifted apart before he died." He shrugged, turning his head away as he stared out over the horizon. While he didn't know his father personally, there was no reason he wouldn't hurt him or whoever made him leave.

He turned back to look at her as she talked about the other family, the only one he had yet to meet was Aures, and Galahad had disappeared at some point. "Mom told me stories about that as well. I wish I could've met grandpa, he sounded like an amazing guy! I wanna be like him, but...I probably wouldn't be able to live up to his name."
He shrugged again, "I'm sure you'll find someone, there's always someone out there for everyone right? I mean, I haven't fallen in love or anything but I know you'll find the right wolf some day, i think so at least." He nuzzled her shoulder, confident that she would find what she was looking for.

He listened to her suggestions about what to do, the male attentive and nodding. He would have to do that, and maybe the pack would hate him for it, but it had to be done. "Yeah I'm thinking of doing that...they may not like me, but it's all part of the job, right?" He gave a light hearted grin, though he knew he had a lot of trial and error ahead of him. "And my training is going fine. Okami is pretty bright, but also pretty shy...she seems to open up to me. I just hope I'm doing it right. What about you?"