Corvus was a yearling now. Somehow, the first few seasons of his life had passed him by far too quickly. He'd spent most of his life thus far preoccupied with playing with his brother and sister, as well as spending time with his parents. The takeover of Abaven had been one notable event, but beyond that his life had been relatively uneventful. He wasn't bothered by that - he'd much rather a peaceful life without disruption than anything else. Still, that didn't stop him from feeling a bit restless, and so he decided to take a stroll on his own. Not far away, of course, but just slightly north to the lake that he'd been to a few times before.

He was grateful for the change in weather brought on by the change in seasons. Today was a crisp spring day, slightly warm with a gentle breeze. The oversized yearling let out a yawn as he veered toward the edge of the lake, paws carrying him lazily over the flat terrain. Once he reached the lakeside he plopped down to his belly and stretched his forepaws out in front of him, sea-green eyes cast out across the still water. What today had in store for him, he had no clue, but he was hopeful that the monotony of everyday life might be interrupted today on his brief trip away from home.

His large paws lightly drummed against the earth as he moved. His course was set for the lake where he knew he could find some herbs. He had to get his stocks refilled so that he could start his task of trading. Maybe once he began trading he would be able to get others interested in his ideas for a pack. So far he had found vary little interest. Serene had been one he had thought would join him, but she had never returned from her last exploration trip. He had met another, Aranea, but she was already part of a pack and he wasn't looking to steal or convince any pack members to leave their home for him. It was a bit depressing, but the male chose to remain optimistic and keep himself busy both physically and mentally. He was determined to get things done and he would look for other wolves to join his pack, but right now his trading he viewed more important and that meant getting his stocks filled. As he grew closer to the lake another figure came into view. He let out a soft bark announcing his presence so that he wouldn't scare the other. Also it would be to gauge if the other was willing to be social. When he grew close enough he paused, his tail gently wagging to show he was friendly. "Hello," he greeted. "Speech" 'Think'

The interactions that Corvus had had with non-family members was quite lacking, truth be told. He could count on a single paw the number of them he'd actually spoken to, though he wouldn't be so eager to admit that out loud to anyone. Family meant everything, as far as he was concerned... but he also knew that he was a yearling now, and growing up meant stepping outside of his comfort zone. There was so much he had yet to learn, and he knew to better protect his family from whatever the world might throw at them he needed to simply learn more about it.

He huffed softly, though, as he heard the pawsteps of a stranger. The male's scent was not familiar, though he hadn't expected it to be, but Corvus was determined to not judge him before he at least got to speak with him. The yearling tilted his oversized head as Branch approached, offering him a faint smile. "Uh, hey," he offered in his own tentative form of a greeting, clearing his throat as he sat a bit more upright. The stranger was older than him, it seemed, but not by all that much.. not enough that he felt like he was talking to his dad or anything. "My name's Corvus. What's yours?" That was how you made friends, right? It seemed like a pretty alright start..

The male greeted him back and shortly after introduced himself. It was a good start and the male seemed willing to be social. If he wasn't Branch would simply let him be and move on to something else. "I'm Branch, nice to meet you Corvus," he said with a smile. "Relaxing?" He didn't know what the male was doing, but the way he was planted on the lake shore made Branch think he was relaxing. Although he knew he could certainly be wrong but it was a way to make conversation. His blue eyes briefly looked out towards the lake. It was a great spot to relax, with a peaceful view. This also was a good area to hunt, he was sure that this place would be rich in prey. "Speech" 'Think'

Branch smelled like nobody he knew, and nothing at all like Abaven. Perhaps he was a loner? He lacked a distinct pack scent, at least one that Corvus could find. For a moment he reflected on it, deciding it didn't matter either way. In order to grow as an individual, the yearling knew he needed to get used to talking to strangers and interacting with them... whether he particularly wanted to or not. Neither of his parents were the overly social sort, though, which made things a bit tricky.

Well, he was off to a good start, or so he thought.

"I guess so," the boy offered with a slight shrug. "Nice to meet you too. Branch," Corvus added his name, as if trying to stamp it into his memory. Perhaps he'd meet him again, and if so, well.. it'd be awfully embarrassing if he couldn't remember what to call him. "I don't usually leave my homelands much, but figured it was a nice day too. I'm from Abaven," he added, trying to be conversational, and offering a small smile to Branch.

He felt like it had been ages since he had spoken with another and even though so far the younger male seemed a little quiet, it was still a relief to him. He was so used to having others around him all the time that he had discovered how much of a shock it was to go to being a complete loner. He would not remain this way, no. He would get his pack going and he would once again be surrounded by others. It was exciting to him each time he thought about it and it only made his drive stronger. Branch now noticed that this male had more then one scent clinging to his pelt. He had to belong to a pack or at least a small group of wolves. The male shrugged his answer not sounding all that convincing, but maybe he wasn't sure why he was out here. One never did know. Corvus did return the pleasantries and Branch smiled, glad to be talking with another. He then seemed to explain himself better, making Branch understand his original reply. He didn't get out much and when Branch first left home he was sure he felt the same way Corvus did. Outside the boundaries your used to, by yourself, it could be a lot to take in. He stated about Abaven, drawing Branch's curiousity. "A local pack I'm assuming? I apologize, but I'm not familiar with the packs around here, I've been staying in the south which seems to be vary vacant of packs." he said explaining himself as well. Upfront and honest, not wanting Corvus to think he had any ill intentions about asking of his pack. "Speech"  'Think'

Exciting was probably not the word Corvus would use to describe meeting new wolves. Not that this guy in particular was all that bad - no, he seemed nice enough, as far as he could tell - he just wasn't overly social to begin with, so this whole experience was weird for him. His father had casually mentioned to him that Abaven was not the whole world, even if it was their world. He understood too that not everything was permanent, and that even their pack might not exist forever. There was plenty of world to explore outside their home, though he was alarmingly slow to discover it. Corvus nodded to Branch's question. "Yeah, Abaven is directly south of here." He didn't know much about the world beyond Abaven, so he didn't blame Branch for his lack of knowledge. He was, however, curious about him now. "Have you always lived on your own?" He asked suddenly, after a moment of thought. Obviously he'd had a mother and a father at some point, though he wondered if he'd been on his own for awhile or if he had a group of his own somewhere.

He nodded to the Corvus' words. It was good to know the general area a pack had claimed for a few reasons. One he really didn't want to trespass on their lands and two once he started building his relations with packs it was good to know where and how many other packs there was. He repeated the pack's name within his mind for a few seconds, letting it sink into memory so that it would be easy to recall later. His next question was a bit unexpected, but Branch had no problems answering it. "Actually no. I was born into a traveling family clan..... Large family clan," he replied. "Much like a pack, but we never had claimed territories so we were constantly moving." He imagined that would be the easiest for Corvus to understand what the family clan life was like. It was a different set up as far and ranks but practically the same as a pack. Traveling always gave him new sights and new adventures when he was a pup, but there was times he absolutely hated it too. Along the way they always met faces and new friends, but leaving them behind is what he hated the most. "I actually..... Hate being a loner," Branch confessed with ease. "Speech"  'Think'

For a brief moment, Corvus wondered if he shouldn't have given him any information about Abaven. But surely if he meant harm, he could follow his scent back to his pack and know exactly where they were, right? Corvus tried not to let his mind run free on him, but he knew the world could be a dangerous place, but Branch really didn't strike him as the cruel time. Neither did Archon, at least as far as Corvus had seen, but the way he'd taken over Abaven had seemed to unsettle a lot of the older members of his pack. Oh well, he didn't know, but giving some simple information about Abaven didn't seem like such a bad idea.. He nodded to Branch's explanation of the kind of family he'd grown up in. A traveling group, not one that settled in one place. Interesting, but the idea didn't sound totally appealing to him. Maybe he was just naive - no, he definitely was, he could recognize that - but he liked having stability and knowing where to go at the end of the day. He wasn't sure such a life would be fitting for him at all, but it was an entertaining thought nonetheless. He was surprised, though, when after a moment Branch admitting he hated being a loner. "Do you?" He asked, genuinely curious, and he turned to look back at the older male with tightly furrowed brows. "Perhaps you can come stay in Abaven sometime. If you like it, I mean. I'm sure my aunt wouldn't mind another member." ...Right? He wasn't totally sure about that but he felt like offering was polite anyway. Why be alone when Abaven was in need of members? He could only hope Sparrow had similar sentiments.