A whole season had come and was nearly on its way out since her mother gave birth. She had stayed close to the pack lands, rarely leaving their borders since then. It had been a weird balance of staying close to her mother and her new siblings while also avoiding Elias. It had gotten harder and harder to do until she finally started to drift out of the pack from time to time. It wasn't necessarily that she had anything against him. Actually, she liked him more now that he was spending more time with Zuriel and she saw him training her younger siblings. She wasn't sure she could call him "affectionate" per say, but considering she didn't grow up with a father of any kind it was nice to know he was doing that for her siblings. No, what she was avoiding was the trials he had instructed her and the other purgatorians to do. Hunting was something that she could do fairly well and she was sure that she was at least smart enough to figure out the traps he had mentioned... But she was afraid of failing. If the test had been bringing back a collection of rare herbs she would have been trilled, but that wasn't the case. She wasn't sure how she could hunt something as large as herself on her own and she couldn't be sure what kind of traps he had planned. There was so much uncertainty in herself and the unknown that she had been avoiding it all together. It wasn't something she could keep up for much longer... but she would continue to do it as long as she could. Daelos sighed at her own thoughts and lifted her head to look around and see where she had ended up. She had somehow made it into the knolls. She realized then that she had followed the same path as she had the last time she left the pack lands. The sun was high in the sky, shining directly on her back and made the late spring day pretty warm. She walked to the top of one of the hills and looked down at the buffalo that were grazing down in the valley. Her eyes landed on a calf and she wondered to herself if that was big enough prey to satisfy Elias' demands. Could she even get to it without getting trampled by the larger buffalo near by? How would she get it back to the pack? She huffed and turned away so she could go look for some herbs - the one thing she knew to do to comfort herself and make herself useful. "Talk" "You" Think

Kai had been spending most of his time in the eastern regions of Boreas lately. Mount Volkan seemed to be a place to him lately, perhaps because of a few interesting wolves he'd met there.. or perhaps merely because he enjoyed the more rugged terrain, a welcome change of pace from the lands he was more accustomed to. Today he'd made the trip around the southern base of the mountain, careful to avoid trespassing on Ruina's carefully marked borders, and head to the familiar sprawling hills to the west of the volcano. He'd been to this place many times before, and it seemed the wolves he met here always left a lasting impression on him, though... Kai wasn't one that tended to forget anyone he met. They were all special, unique in their own rights, though some simply were more memorable. He hadn't expected to reunite with one of those wolves on this beautiful spring day. The weather as about as perfect as it could get, the sun standing high overhead and casting warm rays down on the earth. Spring was in full bloom now, with summer just around the corner, and Kai was not yet sick of the warmth. He lazily veered to the top of one of these hills, his own silvery gazed fixed on the buffalo below. A good hunt sound did sound quite appealing - the last hunt he'd participated in was with Elias, chasing a goat up the treacherous mountainside in the midst of a spring storm. He'd been invigorated by the hunt, and hoped soon he might find another hunting partner of similar skill. Something in the distance, something that was definitely not prey, caught his interest. A female with a grey coat of varying shades stood on the knoll adjacent to his, and it didn't take long for him to recognize her. Wasn't that Daelos? A wide grin broke out across his lips and he began to navigate down the slope of the hill he'd conquered, heading in her direction. After a few minutes he had made his way near the top, panting happily by the time he verified that it definitely was his friend.  "Daelos," he greeted her with a fluid dip of his head.  "Hyvää iltapäivää." Kai exclaimed, beaming that bright grin of his, his tail flicking behind him.  "That means good afternoon in my family's native tongue." It wasn't often he spoke it, but he didn't want to abandon it entirely, even if he found few who understood him. "How have you been?"

The one thing this late spring weather was great for was for finding herbs. She was able to track down a few of the plants that she had been keeping an eye on the last few times she had passed through here and now most of them were fully grown and flourishing. It made her smile as she nosed through the vibrant magnolia flowers and started deciding which ones she would like to take back with her. The smell of the flowers and her focus on her task both helped her forget about her stress and completely blocked out any signs of Kai approaching her. His voice surprised her and her head popped up at the greeting, pollen from the flowers she had been nosing through coating the top of her muzzle and painting it a faint yellow hue. Once she realized who it was she smiled and her tail wagged gently behind her. "Oh! Hi, Kai!" she said in reply as she turned to face him, stepping away from the marigolds for a moment. Her ears tipped forward with interest as he spoke in a language that was unknown to her, immediately making her curious about it. "Good afternoon to you too," she added with a grin. She had heard her mother speak in the Irish that she had been taught by her grandmother before, but Daelos hadn't really learned it well enough to speak in it herself. "I've been doing pretty well," she answered fairly vaguely with only a touch of forced feeling to her smile. It was hard to go into everything that she had been trying to process lately without launching into a whole lengthy backstory. So instead she simply tried to give a general response and smile so she wouldn't start unpacking all of her worries and stresses on a man that she had only met one time before. "How about you? Still enjoying your travels?" "Talk" "You" Think

He grinned at the sight of her, slightly surprised but visibly pleased to see him, pollen dotting her nose. His own tail began to wag behind him, not bothering to hide the way his cheeky grin widened as she greeted him. She seemed pleased at his unconventional greeting, and he decided right then and there that he needed to make an effort to use his family's native tongue more often - at least to those who either had an interest in learning it, or might merely tolerate it. He had a feeling Daelos would, since he'd gone on that herb collecting mission with him, even though he hadn't been very good at it. As he drew closer to her, something about her scent caught him off-guard. Something familiar, something he'd smelled on someone recently... Tyranis, as a matter of fact. And Elias, if he thought back a bit farther. Deciding to dwell on it for awhile, he stopped sniffing and focused on her answer. She'd been pretty well, she said, though her words were just hesitant enough that he wondered if she hadn't really been that great. Maybe something was bothering her? Kai cocked his head, his smile only softening slightly. "I've been pretty well myself," Kai admitted, without the hesitation she had displayed. "Been spending quite a bit of time around these parts." Mount Volkan in particular seemed to be a place he was drawn near, though he hadn't quite gotten the opportunity to explore the territory itself. Though he thought pack structures and claiming land as a principle quite foolish, he respected Elias enough to not cause trouble. At least... not yet. He quirked a brow, briefly turning to the east and toward Mount Volkan, before eyeing Daelos curiously again. "Say, this might be a stretch, but... do you happen to know the Praetor family?" She'd only introduced herself as Daelos, so he had no way of knowing if she was related, though her scent held a familiar note that told him she at least knew of Tyranis and Elias, if nothing else. Interesting...

Daelos was pleased to hear that Kai was doing well - especially since his status report seemed to be more genuine than her own. If he really had been in this area for the most part she was disappointed that she hadn't seen him before now. To be fair though she really hadn't left the pack's borders much so it made sense that they hadn't crossed paths again before now. She was still happy to see him again none of the less. Seeing him reminded her of the last time they were together and his humorous attempt at helping her collect herbs. The memory alone brightened her smile and her tail wagged gently behind her while she gave him her attention for his next question. When he brought up the Praetor family it caught her off guard and it was hard to hold back the short laugh that threatened to bubble up. For a moment she wasn't even quite sure how to respond. "Yes... I know them. I guess I'm technically part of them." It was strange to think considering the fact that not that long ago she had no idea that they even existed. It was half of her bloodline that she truly knew little about. "My father is a Preator which is why I say I'm technically part of them. I haven't known him for very long, but my family moved in with his when he and my mother reunited." That was the simplest way she knew how to explain the situation. There was a long history that she really wasn't all that educated on, but she felt like that was enough for him to get the overview if nothing else. She chuckled a little and glanced off in the direction of the pack and the volcano that was contained within. "I actually came out here to try and figure out how I was going to prove myself to him... It's just a funny coincidence that you asked about them I guess." Her two-toned gaze settled back on Kai as her expression grew more curious and her head tipped to the side slightly. "Why do you ask about them anyway?" "Talk" "You" Think

Though the northern lands were more familiar to him, he ultimately had not been born in the vast snow-dappled plains like his father had - his heart was torn in multiple directions, truly a wanderer at heart. Lately, though, he'd found himself drawn to these lands, partially because of the wolves he'd encountered as well as the general landscape. The milder weather afforded a more comfortable sort of life, less time spent struggling to survive and more time spent truly living, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't one to question his own choices very much, though, and for now he was simply happy to wander wherever he desired - without trying to analyze his tendency to stray relatively close to Mount Volkan. She acknowledged that she didn't just know them, but she was a Praetor herself. Well, sort of - her father was one. Instantly his mind jumped to Elias, only because he was the sole member of that family that he'd met who could even be her father, wondering if his assumption might be correct. Tyranis had a similar story, admitting he hadn't been part of the group for long. Perhaps there wasn't much emphasis on close fatherly relationships within in the Praetor family, but Kai would be the last to judge.  "Interesting," he mused aloud, his ears flicking atop his head. She admitted she was trying to prove herself to him, a sentiment that he could relate to. Being seen as respectable in his father's eyes was important to him, despite having not seen him in quite some time. "I wouldn't say it's too much of a coincidence," Kai flashed her a mischievous smile, debating on whether or not to tease her a bit before admitting why he'd asked that in the first place. "I met a man named Tyranis the other day, and realized just now you have the same pack scent. I've met Elias as well." He sounded a bit smug about it - as if he had some sort of personal mission to meet every wolf in Ruina - though that goal was sounding more intriguing by the day. "What exactly did you have in mind to prove your worth to him, Daelos?" Maybe he could help her, in one way or another.

Her brows lifted to show her surprise as Kai explained that not only had he met Tyranis, which she believed to be one of her half brothers that she was only mildly familiar with, but he had also met Elias. Sometimes she forgot how small this area could be. It felt so sprawling and expansive at times, but in reality she could cross much of it in the span of a day. It really wasn't all that odd that he had bumped into her relatives since he had been lingering in this area as of late, but it still felt odd to find out that two different pieces of her life had collided. Strangely, she was a little disappointed and a bit relieved at the same time. The fact that Kai was separate from her life in Runia had made him a nice escape from the issues she was having there, but now he seemed more connected to it and she wasn't sure how to respond. On the other hand, maybe it would be easier for him to understand her apprehension of Elias since Kai had met him before. Maybe he would tell her it was all in her head and that could be equally as helpful. Either way it weaved an interesting web of acquaintances and relationships. The attention turned back to how she had planned to prove herself and she sighed in response, a frown forming across her features. "Elias said that he set up an obstacle course of sorts for us to do as a test or I can bring back some kind of prey that's equal in size to me. That's the options I have to earn my place in the pack unless I want to be a fighter - which I don't." Her ears flicked uncertainly and she suddenly wished that they could go back to being silly and picking herbs. "I guess I just wish there was a way for me to do what I really enjoy and what I'm good at. In our old pack there were healers and that was their main job. But Elias doesn't have that. I don't mind hunting, but it's not my favorite thing and I don't know if I'm all that great at it. It just kind of feels like... like he doesn't appreciate healers as much." She shrugged dismissively and glanced down at the grass. "I just need to get over it... but thanks for letting me complain." "Talk" "You" Think

It was a small world indeed, though the fact that he'd run in to so many of Daelos's family wasn't exactly helped by the fact that he'd stayed relatively close to her homelands recently. At least, relatively close, when it came to his own typical aimless way of wandering. He had to admit, despite his deep-seated need to be ruled by none other than himself, it was nice to have some constants in his life. Friends, and knowing exactly where you could find them, was one thing he was growing fond of, despite knowing he couldn't offer them the same thing in return. It was hard to properly decipher her reaction to his words, unsure whether she was pleased by him knowing some of her family members or not. Given that she'd just admitted to getting to know them relatively recently, perhaps he should expect a fair amount of uncertainty? Either way, he wouldn't press the matter further - he doubted he'd ever catch any of them together, anyway, so knowing the three of them mattered little in the long run. He listened as she described her current worry, which was trying to prove herself to Elias.  "Equal in size to you? Hm." Kai raised a brow, trying to envision what sort of prey might fit the bill. She admitted to not wanting to be a fighter, which was apparently the only other option. Kai wondered if all packs were quite so structured, with specific tasks laid out in order to gain position within their ranks, and decided that this was yet another reason he valued his freedom. Taking down large prey seemed a fairly frivolous task, at least in his eyes, and not something that would determine one's worth or true ability.   Daelos admitted that she wished she could simply do what she was good at, and interested in.. which was obviously plants and their various uses. He nodded, wishing he had an answer for her. He didn't mind her complaints, not at all, and shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I have ears for a reason, and part of that reason is listening to complaints from girls as pretty as you." He wiggled his ears slightly comically, chuckling softly, before going back to the topic at hand.  "Mind if I ask, though... are there any rules for these tasks?" Kai flashed her a playful grin, the gears in his mind turning as he scrambled for a solution. "I mean, I could always help you hunt something and you could claim it as your own kill. Or say nothing at all." Kai shrugged. Pack rules were stupid, in his mind, and he had no qualms against Daelos trying to cheat the system if it helped her maintain her rank and continue to focus on what she loved doing.