Valdís was not meant to be a loner. It was a life that just didn't suit her and since the disbandment of Crew she'd felt as though part of her had become disconnected. Wandering around with Ásvor was a joy. She adored the other woman. Felt for her in ways she hadn't felt for another but the life of a loner just wasn't for her. She found it stressful and far to reminiscent of the tragedies of her early life. So Valdís travelled south as far as she dared in search of a particular pack. She'd remembered the alpha she accidentally ran into some time back and wondered where his pack might be. Honestly it didn't take her long at all to find where she at least assumed it was. She'd started at the Shimmering Shore where she'd met him and then as she walked she noticed the strange mountain in the distance. Upon going to investigate found herself standing on the packs border on a warm, humid, summer night. What did she really have to lose? Throwing back her head she called for the alpha, hoping it wasn't too late at night to call but she really didn't care to try falling asleep on the border of an unknown pack in a foreign land. "Talk" "You" Think

It was hot. It was humid. He was restless...but most of all, he was unable to sleep with the anticipation of the things he planned. He wasn't entirely sure how the pack would feel, though it seemed lately they were surprised or not happy about things. He didn't particularly like to feel like he was forcing things on others, but at the same time he felt that they needed to understand that this was no longer his mothers pack. It hadn't been for a year now, and he had given them the opportunity to leave when he took over. Yet they stayed. Why? He didn't know. Some weren't keen on the idea of a raid last he mentioned it, but it wasn't like they were sieging another pack. He figured raiding was common among packs, and he figured they'd join the fray if only to test their strength when they didn't need supplies. But their first raid? They needed it. Herbs were scarce, wilted, burned from the random fires that burned within Auster, though luckily they weren't a threat to the pack. It was tonight that he stared out of one of the castles crumbling windows, Kimahri lying on top of a chair that was made of red velvet and gold. The stars twinkled above in a clear sky, the starlit plains in view from his position. A warm breeze lightly ruffled his fur, and through the night, a howl would capture his attention. Green gaze narrowed slightly, listening as the howl rang in the air before echoing away. "Who would be around at this time?" He questioned himself, gaze briefly turning to Kimahri who shrugged. "Well, let's go see who it is." He would turn and make his way out of the room, Kimahri hopping off his perch to follow. The pair made their way through the familiar halls, past other rooms and through the large room at the front until they were out the doors. They made their way towards the border. It didn't take long for them to arrive, the earthen male moving swiftly as the caller came into view. For a moment, he didn't recognize her. But as he got closer, Kimahri would speak, "Isn't that the woman from Crew?" Dragon narrowed his eyes through the darkness, gaze zeroing in on her. "You're right!" Now the question was...why was she here? He would approach her, green gaze curious. "Valdis, it's been some time. What brings you to Talis so late?" Did something happen? Was she in trouble? Her pack? He hadn't gotten a chance to go visit and see what her alpha was like, so he wasn't sure what he'd do if it turned out that Crew was in any sort of trouble... "Speech"

Valdís would draw the night air into her lungs, savoring the taste of twilight and the warmth the air of Boreas was devoid of this time of year. Part of her wasn't entirely sure what she was doing but had her gut every truly steered her wrong before? As she hoped it was Dragon and his feline friend that answered her gal. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late. I wasn't sure where to find your pack and I perhaps did not time my journey well. I was wondering… I was wondering if you might have room in your pack for another warrior?" She could've just left it at that but knowing he knew she was from another pack she felt the need to explain. "Crew had disbanded and I'm homeless." She kept her composure as best she could but her voice started to waver on the last word. This was becoming to frequent of an occurence for her liking. "Talk" "You" Think

Her answer wasn't quite something he expected. Last he saw her, she was living in a pack. Now, she was homeless. While he didn't know her very well, she was someone he had met and had no reason to dislike her nor turn her away. She had come seeking him out, though he wondered why he wouldn't ask. There could be a number of reasons, maybe she didn't know anyone else or anywhere else to go. He shook his head slightly, "Don't apologize, it's no disturbance at all. It's not often someone comes at this hour, but it doesn't bother me at all." He offered a small smile to her, reaching forward he sought to touch his nose to her shoulder should she allow it. "It is unfortunate what happened, and I am sorry." Green eyes glinted with the light of the moon, the male standing solid though his tail wagged slightly. "You are welcome to join us, and you can stay for however long you'd like. We could always use a warrior, and I have no doubt you're a good one. If I may ask, what's your experience? I have a variety of warrior ranks, so I'm sure there will be something that will catch your interest." Walk, "Talk" Think

Dragon apologized for her misfortune. "Thank you, I appreciate that." She wasn't angry at anyone for it though. It was just another case of circumstances spiraling out their control and it was something she was well used to. The universe was always shifting under her feet and sooner or later it was going to pull the rug out from under her. Anymore Valdís was learning to keep her balance despite the occasional tumble. "My experience is varied. I was trained as soon as I could walk by my parents and then later by the alpha of Crew. Most of my experience is in one-on-one combat but I do have some experience working in a unit. My birth pack fell on hard times and often had to… borrow from their neighbors. The neighbors weren't exactly keen on the idea." She wasn't sure what Dragon's morality was like and ratting herself out as being reared by raiders and scavengers seemed like a bad idea. "Talk" "You" Think

He dipped his head to her thanks. Though he didn't really know what it was like to lose his home, he could only imagine what it would be like. And he hoped it didn't happen, or at the very least, hoped it didn't happen any time soon. He knew his mother had been displaced a few times, but he and his siblings? Never. Neither had Esarosa and Steel's kids, nor Greed and his brother and...well, all the younger ones, mostly. He listened in as she explained her experience, and so far it seemed she was more than likely more experienced than he was. And he wasn't totally experienced in fighting, but wasn't there something new to learn everyday? The last part though, had him chuckling a bit. "Well, sounds like you have a fair bit experience with it. And don't worry about the "borrowing" bit...we may end up going to borrow a few things soon, so." He cast a wink in her direction, his gaze then finding the stars for a moment as he let out a breath. He wasn't sure how that would go, some of his members were all for the idea, while others were against it. He couldn't cater to everyone, but whether or not they knew or cared to know, it was all a part of pack life. "Anyway, there's about four different fighting ranks, not counting the Crimson ranks which are the higher tiers. Guardian's are like a defending rank, more suited for...well, larger wolves, but anyone can do it I suppose. Crusaders I've had the intention of using as the main fighting force for raiding and the like, y'know, those who don't mind getting their paws dirty and enjoy going in for the first attack. Then there's Knight, the main fighting force, and finally...Talon. That is the most dangerous job, I think. They're the bounty hunters." He brought his head down to study her for a moment, wondering what she'd be interested in doing. "I have to admit though...we have one Guardian, and one Knight. Neither of which are really doing much..." He sighed, hating the fact that none of the pack really seemed ambitious save for Faine. But she was a healer. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that," He trailed off for a moment, his thoughts shifting to what he'd do about them. Hopefully she didn't think the pack weak now, but when things piled up he had the tendency to voice what he was getting fed up with... Walk, "Talk" Think

Valdís was relieved to hear Dragon wasn't to taken about by her packs more brutish behavior and her ears perked with curiosity at the mention of Talis going to "borrow" soon from one of their neighbors. She felt her heart leap a bit at this. It was a chance to prove herself and perhaps climb the ranks quickly! Of course… she had no idea what her overall goal was yet or where she wanted to end up. Her goal in Crew had been to become the Warlord so perhaps something similar here in Talis? She didn't want to seem to arrogant though. One step at a time. Valdís thought long and hard on the ranks but she wasn't quite sure where she would fit. She cast aside the Guardian rank. She was more of an offensive fighter for one and it sounded like she didn't really have the build for it anyway. Crusader immediately grabbed her attention. She was an offensive fighter, keen on getting in the first attack and she didn't mind getting her paws dirty at all. "I'm sorry to hear that your Guardian and Knight aren't keeping up on their duties but of the ranks you've listed I believe I'd be best as a Crusader. If you like maybe I can nip these two in the butt and see if we can get a good game going." She winked lightly at Dragon, feeling much more at ease now that her future wasn't floating up in the air. "Talk" "You" Think

He waited as she took a moment to think about what she wanted to do. The ranking system was easy enough, though it was due for a little revamp, and he hadn't forgotten about what Faine had proposed. Maybe Valdis would have some ideas, and he'd be sure to ask her later. Right now it was late, and he wanted to get her settled so she could go rest. It did sound like she had been traveling quite a lot, especially if her former pack was way in the east and she was now in Auster. Finally, the woman decided, and he was quite amused and pleased with her answer. He slowly nodded his approval, "I'm glad to hear you'll take on the rank of a Crusader, and if you'd like to ahem, nip some butts, please, don't let me stop you. A lot of them need it." He added with a dry humor. Maybe it was time for him to do the same thing. Talis wasn't a pack for softies, unless you were a healer or something...but still, his aunt wasn't doing much, and his brother was kind of lax on things too. "Since you decided to be a Crusader, I'm going to go ahead and mention that there will be a meeting soon for this..."borrowing" mission, if you're interested." He winked at her, wondering if she'd be interested at all. He certainly was excited, and knew some of the members were as well. She seemed the type, and evidently already had the experience from her younger days. Walk, "Talk" Think