The cool of the winter was biting for the man used to the desert. He wasn't really built for northern winters even with his thicker coat. His coloration seemed to bounce the warmth of the sun back and he could swear that any wolf that lived even this far north would have to be bulky yeti looking beings. Not that he was 100% certain about that and as he came across a border marker, one he knew he didn't recognize he stopped. His duty was to find out who they were, what they meant, if they stood as any threat to him and Lirim. Torin stopped near the border but obviously keeping himself from crossing too close. Slowly he tipped his head back, his voice rising into the forest and his breath misting around him as it did. It was a call for anyone within the pack who carried authority. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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Sitting atop one of the massive fallen trees that rested in the shadows of it's still living kin, Ignatius was surveying the area around him with the intention of studying the movements of the local herd of elk that tended to wander through the great redwoods. He cut a striking figure as always, the flame-hued pelt easily seen from quite a ways away. Birds chirped and fluttered around nearby while he remained still, watching the clearing the elk normally appeared in at this hour. When the howl rang through his territory, Ignatius hesitated for a moment. Duty always called when he was occupied with other things. Humph. Best not to keep the caller waiting though.

Bounding through the snow-dusted landscape was becoming easier with each passing day. It was like training on sand, only significantly colder. When he finally spotted the grey and ivory man at the border Ignatius approached with a friendly demeanor, tail wagging a few times and expression pleasant as he called out, "Greetings, stranger. What brings you to calling at my border this fine winter day?"

Torin only just managed to keep the surprise from his face as the stranger approached, his brows lifting slighty even against his will. It wasn't so much that he had never seen wolves sporting briliant colors before, he saw his sister and her children often enough afterall. Mostly that he was never not surprised to find out that wolves that resembled Jewell were less uncommon than he had once thought. The man was around his age, and only a slight bit taller. Things Torin quickly noted before the fire and ice stranger spoke. "Torin Adravendi-Valentine." He spoke clearly and with some amount of pride to his tone. "Leader of Lirim, a pack much further to the south." He paused for a moment. "And in truth, mostly curiosity, though now that I'm here I supose also the chance at diplomacy." He would keep it at that for now, curious to learn more about the pack settled so far to the north. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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Ah, another pack he'd yet to learn about. One of these days he needed to get his paws on a reliable navigator to send out so that he could have someone else tell him of all the packs that seemed to crawl out of the woodwork the more time he spent here. He certainly didn't have the time to go searching for them all himself yet unfortunately. "It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow alpha who wishes to be on good terms," Ignatius said warmly, "I'm Ignatius Agnivo, my pack is called Fýri, and I would very much like to work out some sort of agreement with you if you are interested. Alliances are very important to me." He hoped that Torin felt the same way.

"Tell me, Torin, what is your pack like?"

Torin allowed a small smile as Ignatius agreed to at least talk out a potential alliance and Torin nodded as he was posed a question. Of course, he'd asked the same of Branch, he also wasn't about to sign onto a pack he knew nothing about. "Lirim is a pack who's focus is on allowing a large degree of freedom for our members, we don't like the idea of forcing our members to be tied down though we do ask anyone within our ranks to pull their weight, we don't do handouts. With that freedom comes a degree of responsibility we emphasize that anyone who picks fights be able to handle them themselves and we heavily discourage that kind of behavior to begin with." He paused for a moment wanting to make sure he made his next point clear. "Beyond that Lirim has always been designed to act as a refuge for those who need it and we value peace and it's maintenance." He watched Ignatius carefully, wanting to see how much his description moved him, in any way. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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As the other alpha described his pack, Ignatius listened carefully to each word. It certainly sounded like a relatively unique place to live, though to himself he couldn't help but think that it sounded difficult to maintain a pack without a certain level of discipline. Worrying about their ability to handle themselves wasn't his business - yet. It might impact him more if they were allies and this Lirim found itself in conflict.

His face remained largely unreadable for a moment. Whether or not he had faith in the... different sounding style Torin seemed to have, he wouldn't wish to offend the other. Eventually his mask was broken by a warm smile. "I think we have plenty in common then. Conflict is something Fýri is invested in avoiding, we'd much rather make allies than enemies whenever possible given how new Fýri is. We value self-reliance, which in turn provides a certain sense of freedom in it's own way." Already Ignatius had decided that he'd give this man and his pack a chance, after all, he had nothing to lose really.

"Would you like to know more about us? Elaborating unprompted isn't a habit I've gotten into just yet."