They had been living in Abaven for some time now, and Ace was curious to know how the pups were settling in. Well...yearlings now. They weren't exactly pups anymore, but to him they would be in some form. He was finishing up a quick patrol around around the territory, and he had instructed Ignis to watch his prisoner while he tended to his duties. Ignis, so far, seemed happy to assume guard duty. Which in a way, please Ace. The boy was eager to please but even more eager to prove he could do whatever was tasked of him. And he knew that the crimson boy would go far in life. He headed towards the den, wondering where Actaea might be. He didn't want to disturb her if she was attending lessons with Shaye, but it was pretty early in the morning...surely she wasn't studying something right now? Whatever the case, Ace continued to the den site and then called for Actaea. He sat there and decided he'd wait a few minutes. If she didn't show, then he would assume she was taking lessons and he'd try again later. speech action

She was inside the den tending to her new companion. She was getting him comfortable and tucked in to sleep the day away. She was bummed that he couldn't be with her throughout the day, but Lorenzo was a nocturnal creature and she understood that he was sensitive to the daylight. Her and Ignis had found the creature and he was injured, Actaea had been his nurse since they came across him and already she had formed a bond with the young creature. The bond was mostly because the little opossum was abandoned by his mother, just like she had been abandoned by her parents. She hadn't told him this yet, but she would eventually. She still found it hard to actually talk about what Elias had done. It had been no secret that her uncle had taken Ignis for a hunting trip and Elias had decided to disappear while they were away. Elias had left without a word, without telling her what was going on. This had shattered her in more ways then one and she wasn't sure how to really talk about it. She hated the type of emotions she had been struck with that night, the one she hated the most had been the fear. It was almost like everything her father had raised them to believe had turned on her, those demons he spoke of, the appollyon he spoke of. Where were they when the coyotes were closing in? If what her father had spoken of was true then they would have never gotten that close. Ty, Kori, Draken, and the other members should have been around to fight them off. Truth was they hadn't and no matter what the others had thought, they had turned their backs on her all of them but uncle and Ignis. As she moved out of the den she shook away her thoughts in frustration. She did not want to relive those emotions. As she was leaving the den she heard the call from her Uncle and instantly her mood switched to be more upbeat and happy. Swiftly leaving the den, altering her course and going to greet him with a happy wag of her tail. "Morning Uncle," she said with her dual toned eyes bright with life. "speech", 'thought', & action

It didn't take long for Actaea to arrive, her presence causing the titan to smile. In the time they had been in Abaven, he could tell his niece had changed considerably. On the outside at least, he couldn't say for sure about the inside. Her eyes were bright and her entire demeanor seemed to have changed. She looked...happy. Something he hadn't seen on her since Ruina. Ignis seemed to handle it better throughout their ordeal, but Ace wasn't sure if that was just how the boy naturally was, or if he was covering up something deeper. He moved towards Actaea and nuzzled her cheek, placing a gentle kiss on her crown. "Actaea, I thought we might spend some time together, just you and me. What say you?" speech action

Her uncle approached and gently nuzzled her cheek. She closed her eyes, tail gently wagging and her ears gently flattened as he placed a gentle kiss to her head. She liked this attention and affection from her Uncle. She even liked the affection she got from Ignis. She couldn't say she was real fond if others would give her affection, but from uncle and Ignis she loved it. He spoke of his idea, of why he called her and she smiled at his words. "That sounds like a grand idea," she replied. She loved spending time with her uncle. It seemed like the time she spend with him always included Ignis, so this would be a bit different. Different in a good way. She wanted to spend time with him, to learn from him. "speech", 'thought', & action

"That sounds like a grand idea," He smiled, his tail wagging as he turned to lead the way. He didn't have any solid plans, he just wanted to spend time with her and if the opportunity was there, he would teach her some things. Of course, there was always the opportunity to learn. Perhaps they'd do a more casual border patrol and see what she knew. "I thought we could go around the border for a stroll and a chat, if you don't mind. If you don't want to do that, then I'm more than happy to do whatever you wish. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two about herbs, hm?" He glanced at her as they walked, wondering how her training was going. He hoped Shaye was teaching her invaluable knowledge about diplomacy and medicine. That was, after all, what Actaea was interested in right? "How is your training so far?" speech action

As he turned to lead the way she easily fallowed him, trying to stay walking at his side. She was curious at what the two of them could get into and happy for the chance to get some time just with him. He seemed in a good mood which instantly kept herself in a good mood as well. Her gaze looked towards him as he spoke offering what he wanted to do first, but also saying they could do something else if she desired. She smiled at him. "Let's patrol the borders first. I havn't really been at the borders all that much. I would always be happy to teach you about herbs," she replied. He then asked about her training and her smile grew larger. "Extremely well! Shaye has taught me so much already, more then I could ever have hoped for the small amount of time we have been here. I'm also learning from other pack members to, like crafting and creating things." she grinned. "speech", 'thought', & action

She agreed to a border patrol, so he led the way with her at his side. Together, the large pair looked like a formidable force. He dared outsiders to try and 'play' with them. He was confident that Actaea could fight off anyone if she so chose, though he also knew her true path wasn't that of a fighter. Still, he made sure to teach her what he could about fighting so that if the time ever came, she would be able to take down anyone or anything that came at her. She was a smart girl, and he had no doubts at all that she would go far in life. When she told him that her training was going really well, he smiled. Good. Shaye was doing an excellent job as her mentor then, and whatever bit of doubt and caution he had about it melted away. On top of that, she was learning other things from the other pack members. Crafting had become a new hobby of his, and he looked forward to the chance of working with her in the future. "That's great, Actaea. I am very proud of you," He leaned in to nuzzle her neck. Indeed, he could feel his chest swell with pride at her progress. For some time, he was afraid that the events during her puphood were going to affect both her and Ignis, but it seemed they were progressing far quicker then he anticipated. Perhaps it was just him that couldn't let it all go. As they reached the borders, he checked them to make sure all was well. No signs of intruders or predators which was a good thing, so he simply went about walking along the outskirts of the border, marking an area here and there to make sure the scents were strong. "Now you probably already know this, but just in case you don't. Marking the borders is important, now with Abaven having so many members, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to just walk in. But with smaller packs that have a pawful of members, border patrols are extremely important. It's hard to keep the borders secure when there's so few to protect it." speech action