After Zee had given him the silent treatment, he had started to consider how he treated strangers a little more carefully. He never knew exactly what would set his wife off, but he suspected chasing off a wolf who was dehydrated and clearly needed a little help would be one of those things. Even if she had trespassed on his land. It hadnt been malicious, she had clearly been a little delirious from the desert, so for once, he let it pass.

Instead, he gave her the night to rest up and think over his offer of a place to stay, food and shelter for as long as she needed up to the end of the season, in return she would give him something in return. They hadnt worked out the exact logistics yet, but physically labour seemed a likely option. As a newly budding pack, they could always do with another set of paws.

It was early the next day when the large, fanged Titan would make his way to her temporary den, and scratch politely at the wall near the entrance to announce himself. He sat back patiently, waiting to see if she was awake enough to hear his announcement.

The past couple days had been a whirlwind for the young female. Between traveling across a miles of sand dunes and nearly dying of dehydration, to being saved by a Sand Cat, finding a magical watering hole, and meeting not one but two wolves, it was a lot to take in. So when the Alpha of Ashen Armada had offered a play to stay, a safe place, where she could rest comfortably? Of course she took it. His condition of trading such luxurious comfort for... something yet to be decided, was a little concerning but nothing the woman couldn't endure, she was sure. What she couldn't get use to, however, was how massive the Alpha was, or how long and sharp his canines seemed to be. Never before had she met such a wolf, and if this was how most wolves were in this new land, she was going to feel sorely out of place. Much to her surprise, Cordonia had taken a liking to Odette, and had chosen to explore the lands beyond her precious Dunes. The feline laid in a tight ball, curled up against the fawn woman's side, her black tipped tail laying across her paws like a fluffy blanket. Together they slept peacefully throughout the night within a spare den the Warlord had graciously given them.

Odette surely would have slept through the early morning and late afternoon had it not been for the scratching outside the den. Her baby blue irises fluttered open at the sound, taking a brief moment to blink away the sleep from her eyes before truly adjusting. She was confused at first, not remembering how she ended up in a den, until the events of the previous day came flooding back to her like a crashing wave. Suddenly she jumped to her feet, causing Cordonia to hiss loudly from being jerked around the den, her hairs prickling. "Shh! Sorry Cordonia, he's here. I got to go. Go back to sleep." Odette offered a sympathetic smile, to which the feline growled with narrowed eyes. "Canines.." she would mumble before delicately placing herself back into a tight ball on the den floor and drifting back into sleep. Sighing, Odette shook the dirt from her body and slipped her way towards the dens entrance.

Just outside, basked in the early morning light, was the large brute. Odette gulped back her nerves, trying her very best not to tremble with anxiety and instead act in her most professional, and not at all awkward, manner. "Good morning, Sir." She greeted, her voice soft and short as she held back a yawn. Suddenly she cringed inwardly, realizing perhaps 'sir' wasn't the correct way to address him. Perhaps Warlord was more his liking? Or Alpha? Or Mr. Sirius? There were so many options, and they hadn't worked out exactly what was proper. Truth be told, there was quite of bit of information Odette could use, if only she could unleash her arsenal of questions. Instead she bit her tongue, sat at the den's entrance, with her chin tilted down in both respect and lack of self-confidence. Boy, this was going to be hard..

"Odette" "Cordonia"

The Sir just about brought a chuckle from his lips, but he managed to keep an air of professionalism. It brought home just how few underlings addressed him as such. He could have pushed the point, he doubted any that had found a home in his pack would win in a dominance match against him. Perhaps that was pride speaking, but genetics had rather unfairly strengthened his court. Besides, he preferred their loyalty to polite address, and once he got his pack up and running in a mility structure he would ensure the right wolves addressed their commanding offers. Alas, he degressed.

"Sirius is fine" he told the smaller wolf, casting a glance back towards her den, where he assumed her feline companion remained. Perhaps he should warn her not to let it run astray, least one of his own mistake it for a breakfast snack. He decided her intelligent enough to work it out for herself, and got to his feet. "Walk with me, will you?" He asked politely, intending to lead her through the Oasis but not leave it. As much as he would have liked to take her to the home he was building and see if she had any strengths in knowledge she could add to it, it was more then a day trip.

It occured to him, despite her being a stranger, that he could try and sign her up to his pack. He and Zee had spoken only recently about their need for fresh wolves, and the promise of training and safety they could provide to those that might be interested. Perhaps that was a part of the reason he used a gentle hand on the stranger that had trespassed. More then likely, it was Zee and Io rubbing off on him. Zee had made it clear to him that she would leave him if he abused another wolf, and even the taking of slaves she treated skeptically.

Heat had rushed to her cheeks, knowing all to well she had already managed to embarrass herself and the day had only just begun. Of course he would go by his name! "Oh, um.. right. Sorry.. Sirius." She mumbled, practically tripping over her words. It seemed out of all the talents she could possess, making a fool of herself was her specialty. No matter where she went she would trip or make a mess of things, and one way or another become the laughing stock of the whole group. It is why she came to these lands; too embarrassed from her previous life, she came here in search of a fresh start. Much to her dismay, she was already making the same mistakes. Odette was determined however, that this time it would be different.

"Yes, of course, Sirius." She all but jumped at the opportunity to get away from the den, from that awkward greeting, and was quick to follow after the large male. It was impressive, if not completely frightening, how much larger he was compared to Odette. Her pale blue orbs barely meeting the tops of his shoulders, causing her to have to crane her neck back to stare at his face properly. Not like she wanted to, in fear it would be disrespectful to look the monarch in the eye, or even worse... she feared she would openly stare at his enlarged teeth. It was difficult to resist the urge, considering they were so odd to her, and so distracting. In her best efforts, Odette kept her gaze focused on the grounds before them.

Still a never ending nagging pulled at her tongue, begging her to release, just one.. or two.. or a few questions she so desperately wanted to know the answers to. She had traveled to this land without knowing it's name, had travel across the Dunes into a pack she knew nothing about, and was attempting to walk with it's most important figure without knowing any of their culture of customs. If her anxiety didn't cause a heart attack, her trembling fear most certainly would. "Um.. Sirius? I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here... but, I.. well I don't really know where here is. I know you called it Ashen Armada... but I don't know these lands or your pack and I.. well.. Do you.. think you could.. tell me more?" Her voice wavered and trembled, speaking too fast through some words and too slow through others. 

One could practically see her legs shaking as she attempted to follow his long strides, her eyes wide like prey before they are killed. Did she overstep her boundaries? Is she asking too much? For all the uncertainty she faced it seemed only right to try and gather more information, however she did not know where the boundaries laid in these lands, or in the conversation for that matter. Odette was simply so use to messing things up, she knew in her heart something was going to go array and she had been trying so desperately to ensure it wouldn't. But perhaps it was already done. She walked as if she was gliding on eggshells, trembling with her nerves as she chewed on the inside of her lip, waiting for his reaction.

"Odette"

He caught her occasional glance at his prominent fangs. She wouldn't be the first wolf to be in awe of the strange, elongated feature, and he hid a smile. He was almost tempted to flex his paws and unfurl his feline-like claws from their sheaths to bring her something else to gawk at but smothered the urge. He preferred to have an unknown up his sleeve, and didn't advertise their presence. Just as Bast has stuck to the undergrowth for the meantime, his secret weapon any time he approached an unknown. Not that he truly believed Odette to be a threat - it was just good practice for the young cat that was still in training.

They began to walk, and he set them on a route that would circle the tall palm trees and bring them back to the Oasis that was the prominent water source of the territory. It would also skirt the edges of the Ashen Empire, through the scent was mixed enough with the Armada that it might be difficult for an outsider to realise it was the territory of a different pack.

“What do you wish to know? How new are you to these lands? The Landmass your on is called Boreas, this territory is the Illusion Oasis, and temporary holdings of the Ashen Amrada. Next door is Redwater Rocks, which houses the Ashen Empire, the territory our Empress holds. Have you seen the Volcano, its effects on the land?” he asked, looking to the wolf with new curiosity as he wondered just fresh she was to this land he had come to know so well. She sounded so uncertain, so weary, he was almost tempted to swat her and tell her to have a backbone, but he equally wished to tell her he would protect her for as long as she stayed in his territory. So long as she resided in the Armada, she was his and there was a great deal of protection and security that came with that.

Much to her own surprised, Sirius was answering her question, and he didn't seem too bothered by it. She took the names of the lands and would commit them to her memory. Over and over in her mind she would repeat their names; Boreas is the whole land, Illusion Oasis is the territory, Redwater rocks is next door. But when he mention their empress her brows knit together in confusion for she didn't know what an empress was, but assumed it was someone of great value to Sirius to speak of them in such regard. When he had offered her a place here in the Armada, she had assumed she would be an outsider just sharing the space for some quality work. But by the way he had phrased it, she was starting to think she signed up for much more than she bargained for. It terrified her, but she wasn't going to voice that particular concern to him. Not now, anyways. At the mention of a volcano, her ears perked and she finally turned her head to look towards his, craning her neck up while doing so. She had thought, for a brief moment, that he had been joking. But his features showed no hint of amusement, and her fear began to strike it's familiar cords once again.

"V-volcano? No.. no I haven't seen it... don't think I want to." She mumbled, swallowing a terrified lump down her throat as her head shrunk down a few more inches. She had never seen a volcano before, but she heard a wolf speak of it once. Something that could burn down the world around them, turn the sky black, and all with little warning? It sounded like something Odette should stay far... far away from. Their little journey had turned towards large palm trees that stretched upward towards the burning sky, the pair of wolves weaving among their shadows. It was a pleasant walk, which was hard to appreciate the day before when she all but passed out from her nerves. Today it was... easier. Not completely nerve wracking, but the day was still young. Her eyes scanned the area around them, finding it odd there was no other wolves in sight. But perhaps Sirius had done that on purpose. They had barely known each other after all, even she who had little knowledge of the inter most working of a pack could understand the hesitation. Letting a perfectly good strange mingle with those closest to you... sounds like a bad idea to her too. 

"I really only just got here... maybe a couple weeks ago? I.. uh.. came down through the north and stuck to the west coast i guess. I.. don't know... anything really." It was embarrassing to know so little about a land, and to her, it made her look so naive to travel such distance with such little knowledge. But the opportunity seemed too good at the time she learned of it. High potential land with a wide variety of wolves and even more unclaimed territory she could hide in. Obviously, she had stumbled onto the wrong piece of land to hide but, it seemed to have worked out in her favor so far. For once, she allowed the tiniest smile to pull at the very edges of her lips as she peered up at the giant male. "Are there any more packs or special lands I should know about? Or.. or any other wolves I should worry about?" She so desperately hoped the answer would be no, but if there were threats that even this brute worried about, Odette definitely needed to know. She would avoid that creature at all cost. 

"Odette"

“Hmm” he said quietly in musing, casting his glance back down at the smaller wolf. She didn’t know of the volcano? Well, she was going to be in for a shock. “The smoke and ash currently spreads out across all Eastern territories, and many others are still affected by it.” he explained, slowing his steps a little when he saw that she was struggling. He was accustomed to being surrounded by smaller wolves. His own sister was half his size, and some days he feared he would stand on her. Perhaps he should, if only to see the shock on her face.

“The land that will become permanent Ashen Empire territory is further to the East from here, and is affected by the volcano. For the meantime, we claim these two lands, and wait for our chance to take out home back from nature” he explained, as they skirted around the trees, and the rocks of Deathbelle’s territory became more obvious.

“Your lucky you entered Boreas away from the volcano, you would have lost your way in the smoke and starved, I imagine” he said matter-of-factly.not that she had found an easy time in the desert, that had almost killed her too. No wonder she had so easily accepted his invitation to stay in the Armada for a time.

Heh her question amused him, no doubt a few wolves in the land would have warned her away from the Ashen Empire. They weren’t known as the kindest wolves, even if their Empress had a gentle streak a mile-long. “The overly-religious cult in Auster, which is the Island South of here would probably be happy to kill you if you trespassed. Most other packs will give you a warning at least, if not complete help like some of the gentler packs” he explained. “Most of the packs have relocated in the wake of the volcano, and I haven’t scouted most of their new temporary territories” he explained. Probably not the most helpful answer, but he hadn’t taken much interest in the other packs yet. When the Armada was up and running, no doubt Io would insist on making trade alliances.

Just listening to the tales of the erupted volcano had her stomach tensing, and she would turn to face the East, wondering just what horrors awaited in the territories there. Smoke could kill any animal just as easily as drowning, and she could already imagine the charred flakes of ash snowing down on the earth, in a season meant to be in tune with rebirth and hope, causing a shift in the season like no other. Her ears perked at the mention of the packs true home being in the lost lands of the East, a tinge of sadness pulling at her heartstrings at the thought of a whole pack being forced from their homeland due to natures own will. But Sirius did not sound like a male who had lost all hope, instead he sounded more determined than anyone she knew, as if the words he spoke were already known to come true. It was an admirable quality, Odette decided, and she would put a mental tick next to a positive attributes section in her mind for Sirius. Mentally helping her to be less afraid of the giant.

She let out an awkward chuckle hearing how frail her fate was. Sure, she was beyond grateful to have enter Boreas on the right side of the volcanic line, but it also terrified her just how close to death she truly came. "Guess you could call me a Lucky Girl, then." She attempted to joke, which was quite a mile stone for the female. It took ages for her to get use to other wolves, quicker when the time was spent one on one, but still took time. To already be at the point where she was attempting jokes and smiling, well it showed just much she was trying to warm up to the place. Once again she fell silent as she listened, her eyes widening as she slowly turned to look up at Sirius, his warning of the pack south of the Empire striking fear in her heart. "K-Kill me?" She would mumble, more to herself than to him. Mentally she would put up large red signs around the territory called Auster, noting to stay as far away from the land as she possibly could. 

Murderous priests aside, the rest of his information didn't sound so bad. It appeared to Odette that there were quite a few other packs in these lands, and for the most part, if she ran into any of them, they would be reasonable. That brought a small sigh to her lips as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It was as if her fear of deadly wolves was taken off her shoulders, for the most part, a sliver of a shadow clung onto her from those Auster wolves. "It's.. sad. Knowing so many were uprooted because of the Volcano. I'm so sorry. I hope everyone made it out okay." Her voice soft and genuine, and her mind was wracked with visions of burning wolves, screams she had never heard echoing in her ears. Odette shook her crown quickly, trying her best to rid herself of those images but she knew deep down what nightmares would await that night. 

"Odette"

He snorted, amused at her assessment. He wasn’t certain how lucky she could consider herself. If she had entered before Zee’s punishment to the Titan, he would have punished her transgression of trespassing with a kidnaping, and given her to Zee or Io as a bow-wrapped gift. The kinder approach was his attempt to stay on his wife's good side, and when he actually allowed himself to care, the Titan could be marginally less of a bastard.
She didn’t know it yet, but the pack she had stumbled upon didn’t usually consider themselves of gentle temperament.

Once again his head swivelled to look at the smaller wolf, one eyebrow raised as he appraised her. “Other packs might kidnap you, some might chase you away. Trespassing is considered a pretty big crime to a lot of packs. You seem surprised that any would go to such an extreme” he commented.

“A few Ashen wolves went missing after the eruption. Dead, I assume, but then we believed that of Hannibal and he came back to us.” Now, how could his budding pack make use of this fresh meat? She was small, and well he still considered manual labor a possibility, he would rather find out if she had any cunning point of views that would benefit his pack. “Would you come with me to our ash-ridden lands and put your eyes to a few of my projects? I’m always looking for another opinion on what could better the pack” he explained.

Her ears twitched at the snorting sound he made, both amused and shocked by the it. He found her... funny? It was a rarity for Odette and she took pride in knowing she made the large stoic man happy. Though she had only known of the male for a very, very short time, she already felt that laughter and joy was not something he easily displayed. Her joy in the small triumph slowly dissipated as he continued to list all the terrible, horrible things other packs might do if she trespassed on their land. All hopes she had of kind and gentle wolves in Boreas slowly deflated with each word, and her head drooped farther the more he spoke. To go to such lengths as kidnapping, killing, and who knew what else, all of it was overwhelming to the female. In a loner's lifestyle, running into others could be dangerous if you found the wrong scrooge, but most of the time her interactions had been pleasant. Loner's who got along together could hunt larger prey, even if just for a day or two, to get each other strong and then pass by without any malice. Packs... packs seemed to take outsiders with a grain of salt. As if accidentally running on the wrong land was committing murder itself. "I guess.. maybe I am. Taking a life... trapping a soul... I guess I don't take that.. lightly." She was careful with her words, trying not to sound completely shocked and terrified, but the woman most definitely was. 

As if the conversation couldn't get any more depressing, Sirius began to explain that some of his pack mates had not made it out after the eruption, causing her tail to droop. She could not image a pain worse than not knowing, especially when it came to someone so close. Though she didn't know who this Hannibal was, she was happy to hear he did not befall a fate like death, especially because it seemed to give the giant hope in his missing comrades. "I hope you find them." Odette was honest in this statement, peering up at the male and offering a sad smile before letting her face fall flat and focused on her walking. She was definitely appreciative she hadn't trip over the air yet, but she was always focused on lifting her paws high over stray rocks or sticks in fear they might just up and trip her regardless of the odds. Her crown was pulled once more when she heard of his proposal to travel towards the new lands he wished to moved to. Fear struck his favorite nerves as she knit her brows together. "Is it... safe? I just mean... well I thought the reason you don't live there yet is because... well because it isn't safe yet." It wasn't that she would refuse to go, Odette wasn't that stupid. To say no to a brute this size was obviously not going to go over well. "I mean of course I'll go! Just.. um.. I don't know what to expect," she quickly added, hoping she didn't offend the man who was otherwise being kind.

"Odette"

Trapping a soul was a strange way to put it, and he appraised her curiously. He had a feeling she would turn tail and run if he told her even a small fraction of the atrocities he had committed in life. She was lucky, more so then she knew, that Deathbelle was a benevolent queen. Her rulership had begun to carve away some of hard corners of the brute. When her father had been king, it had not been uncommon for him to forcibly turn wolves into slaves, and kill others for upsetting the ruling class. Deathbelle had a much gentler approach in life, one that Zee and even Io seemed to agree with.

Sirius shrugged, thoughts tumbling to Dutch’s brood at the loners words. Had her children died after the earthquake? He did not know, but he had helped her search for them right up until she herself had vanished. Perhaps she found them and took them far away, or perhaps she gave up and left behind the world that held memories of what she had lost. He did not know, but he had not dwelled much upon her.

“It won’t kill us, there's ash in the air which settles over the greenery and kills much of the growth, so the herds don’t hang out there anymore. Huntings lean, and herbs are hard to find - that's about the extent of the danger if we stick to Sea’s Plain. If we go in much further well start getting into trouble” he explained

His words sunk into her like a hefty rock being tossed into the Oasis water, sinking fast into the darkest depths. She felt a chill roll over her spine despite the burning sun moving overhead. Images of ash covered bushes shriveling up and dying, on a mass scale, flashed through her mind. Though she had never seen the land, she could only imagine how death gripped the vegetation would be, how starved the herds would feel. The land sounded like nothing she was remotely interested in witnessing, but she still felt as if there was little to no choice in the matter. "You sound.. familiar with the lands. I'm sure it will be fine." She was trying to convince herself more than anything, giving a light nod of her head when she finally decided on the matter. Her eyes flicked to the heart of the Oasis, noting the green growth spurting out around the water's edge and trying her best to commit it to memory. 

She wanted to remember the way the sun rays made the water shine, the way the golden light washed over the palm trees and brush, bathing them is warmth. Odette needed to remember this if they were going to travel to such a terrifying and depressing land. "When do we head out?" She turned to Sirius as she asked this, hopeful this trip would start soon and be over with just as quickly. This discussion of the Volcano had her nerves rattled, she couldn't imagine what it was going to be like so close to the actual threat. Her body subconsciously stepped closer to the fanged male, her fear of the unknown shadowing her fear of the giant.

He had to smirk at that, he had become all too familiar with both the land, and the passage between this one and the Plains. He had spent too much time going back and forth between them in anticipation for when they could truly move. He was impatient for that day to come, and had collected with Resin stores of grass seeds at the like to quicken the healing of the land once it was clear.

“Now. I see no point in delaying. It’s a fair walk, did you need anything before we left, a bite to eat?” he asked, noting how the woman had stepped closer to him. He didn’t know her well enough yet to feel protective over her, but with the assumption that he could win her over to joining Armada full time. Well, it would mena she was his wolf, as were all that joined in his ranks. His wolves he protected and placed above all others. Perhaps with that in mind, he could spare at least a little comfort to the woman.

The female pondered on his question for a moment, looking about the water and the sand, trying to figure out when the last time she ate and drank. Her thoughts also drifted to Cordonia back in the den. She doubted the feline would want to venture so far from her sand dunes, but if Odette didn't return to tell her they were departing... she imagined such an action would earn her another set of claw marks across her snout. Just the thought had the bridge of her nose twitching. Finally she turned to Sirius with a shy smile. "If you had anything to spare, I would appreciate it... and I should probably tell Cordonia we're leaving too. I don't want her to worry." She thought about turning and leaving just then and there, but thought it might be rude to leave before her superior did. It was then she thought about everything they had talked about, the way Sirius had welcomed her, and realization hit her. Though she had never been a part of a pack before, she imagine this might be what it felt like, and her smile grew just a little more. "Sirius? Does this mean.. am I... a part of your pack now?"

“You tell the cat, i’ll grab you a bite” he concluded, already moving to break away from her. She would be able to retrace their steps to the den she had borrowed. It was still fresh behind them, even if the territory was new to her. He didn’t get as far as another step, before her new question brought him to a halt.

“Hmm.” he said, thoughtful, but hardly conclusive. He had wanted fresh meat, and the idea of enticing her to his ranks had entered his mind. He hadn’t expected it to be as easy as all that, but the excitement hidden beneath her words told him he need only say yes, and she truly would be his. Did he want that? He surveyed her again, looking over the frail cream body of the stranger. “Consider the next day your entry exam - I’m looking to build the pack from the ground up, and well I need bodies, I need them to be the right ones. Lets see how you fit, okay?” he said, not an acceptance, but the possibility of one laid out before her.

“Tell the cat, and i’ll meet you back by the Oasis when your done” she knew the way to the main water source, and if she didn’t she need only follow her nose to the scent of growing things. He flicked his tail at her, a sly grin on his face as he considered how she might face the challenge he set her, and left her there by the tall willowy trees.

Odette would be relieved to hear food was available to her. Outside of a pack, a loner would be lucky enough to find a decent meal once a week, two if they were seasoned hunters. Her stomach danced at the thought of having a good meal before they began their journey, and a small grin would pull at her lips as she thought about it. Her thought were pulled back to Sirius when he spoke about her trial run, and while it wasn't the answer she had secretly been hoping for, she could understand his reasons. "Okay, I'll do my best." She grinned, but her nerves were already crawling back to their center podium. All the fawn woman could worry about was if she would be good enough, if she would pass or fail, and what would happen to her if she didn't make the cut. Would he simply let her walk? Or would she killed for her trespassing and uselessness? With their plan set, the beastly male stalked off to find her a meal, and Odette would be force to turn back to her fading tracks in the sand. Her mind already racing as she thought about her next challenge. Not Sirius's challenge, no, that one would have to wait. For now she had to tell her feline friend that she was leaving, and Cordonia wasn't allowed to come. Odette let out a large sigh, shaking her head as she mumble; "This isn't going to go well."

"Odette"