His battle with the lion had given him food for thought on what he wanted to make next. Those claws were vicious and sharp. He didn’t think its claws could be made into what he was thinking of, but they had plenty of bear claws built up from just Aurielle’s encounters alone. He was sprawled hipshot by the meeting boulder, examining his paws, toes stretching apart as he considered and eyeballed, considering. Aurielle had something similar… maybe if this worked out, he could make a set for her? He smiled. If it went really well, he could make some for Caelia, maybe even Artur, if his eldest brother would even deign himself to be in Aurielle’s apprentice’s presence. Viviane could use something to wear—she wasn’t a fighter, but he wanted her protected in some way. The best way would be to go out with her when she explored and gathered herbs beyond the wall. A frown creased his features as a wash of horror and anxiety flooded over him at the thought of what might happen to his sweet, innocent, kind sister out there. Surely there’d be a way to make her some armor that would be pretty and practical. Something even she could feel comfortable wearing. Finally, he tore his mind from the worry and dragged over the rolls of hide he’d picked out from the stocks. He’d taken a hide from a bison that had wandered into the lands. An old bull that was too weak to continue his line. Cai and Aurielle had been lucky enough to take it down—it was already weak and injured from a final battle with a younger adversary. With it was a sheepskin from one of the younger sheep that the grizzly Red and Rielle had battled off had harmed. He thought that it might be a nice lining. For the toe pieces, he had sharpened bear claws and one roll of deer hide and rabbit hide. That should be soft enough to form around his toes without hindering his movement, right? A coil of sinew and a curved needle made from a sliver of rib bone completed the tool layout. He lamented quietly that he had no nimble-fingered companion such as Ayodele, or Paladin’s two primate friends. It could be hell working through this with just paws and teeth. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

With the command from his mother for him to meet some of his new pack mates fresh on his mind, Nolan started making his way across the plains in search of anyone he might be able to greet. He knew it was really just to give him something to do while she went to talk to her brother, but if he was going to live here then he guessed it was something he should do either way. Living in something as structured as a pack was completely new to him and he was nervous and excited about it all at the same time.

The lanky young wolf found himself near a large rock in the middle of a clearing and he paused while his pale eyes took it all in. There was more scents mixed around here than he could really distinguish so he had to assume this was where they met or at least where a lot of them congregated. He spotted a chocolate brown, speckled male laying near the rock that had originally caught his attention and he figured he was as good a candidate to meet as any.

Nolan trotted over to his new pack mate with an easy smile on his lips, slowing to a stop a couple of feet away. ”Hello,” he greeted with a small dip of his head. His eyes glanced over the materials that the other man had gathered, his expression curious as he looked over the various kinds of hides and skins around him. ”Do you mind if I hang out with you for a while? I don’t mean to interrupt.” The partially albino young man looked to his new acquaintance again with a smile. ”I’m Nolan, it’s nice to meet you.”

Footfalls brought Cai’s eyes up from his study of his toes and tools and briefly, his hackles lifted—he didn’t recognize the large, pink-eyed youth that had approached him. But then he recalled a howl for the alpha a few days ago. Had this been the caller? He studied the other as he came closer, noting that he was easily as large as Artur. A smile fell on his features as the boy greeted him, asking to hang out. Cai shook his head, nodding to the space across from himself with a grin, bi-chocolate tail tapping the ground as he said, “No, not at all. I’m Cairo Adravendi. Are you new here?” He paused, leaning to pull a hide in his teeth and unroll the leather in front of himself, letting it fall flat on the ground and studying it, deciding where he would make the first marks to cut at. His sapphire eyes flicked up to twinkle at the younger male as he added, “I’m making a set of clawed bracers I hope will give me an edge in a fight.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

When he heard the other man’s name his ears perked with interest. His mother had told him that there was likely to be quite a bit of their family living here - close, extended, or other wise - but he hadn’t expected to meet someone so soon. It did make him wonder how many Adravendi there were here in Valhalla so that would have to be something he kept an eye out for as he got to know everyone. ”Oh! I’m an Adravendi too!” he replied, his tail wagging gently behind him. ”Yes, I’m new here. My mother and I just got here a couple of days ago.”

Nolan settled into the spot that Cairo had pointed out to him and watched as a roll of leather was spread out between them. His head tipped to the side curiously when he heard what the project was. He had never seen anyone wear something in a fight and he wasn’t entirely sure what bracers looked like, but he was definitely intrigued by the idea. Anything that helped them fight better or made them more protected had to be a good thing, right? ”What do bracers look like?” He noticed the large claws among the supplies Cairo had around him and added, ”Are you going to put those on them?”

Cai’s ears perked with surprised interest as Nolan said that he was also an Adravendi. Cai had never met any of his cousins from the East, but judging by this guy’s scent, Nolan must not be of the direct blood. Artur would have a snit in his own cold way hearing this news. Cai grinned as he answered, “Well, welcome to Valhalla. I’m in the War Circle—Nerve, for now. I’d like to reach Sentinel, but I’ve a long way to go.” As the other male settled down and studied Cai’s project, Cairo bent and tugged a stick of charcoal from the pile of tools, putting one foreleg out on the bison hide and leaning forward with the charcoal stick clenched between his front teeth as he traced a wide outline around his leg. He set the stick down and leaned back to look at the outline, humming thoughtfully at Nolan’s question. “Bracers wrap around the legs and below the wrist in some cases. Aurielle’s got a set made with some metal shards instead of claws, but it’s a prototype. If this idea I have works out I may make her a set, too.” He bent and picked up a strip of sinew, carefully looping it as he demonstrated by slipping a toe into the loop, saying, “I want to seat the bear claws into the toe covers without hindering my movement too much. Gonna be interesting putting this all together without fingers and thumbs. Aurielle and Paladin have primate companions and they are really incredible at crafting things.” He cocked his head at the hide and the outline before he grinned over at Nolan, adding, “If you want to try making something, I have plenty of material here—two bracers won’t take much.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Nolan watched with intrigue while Cairo set to work tracing out the shape and size for his bracers. He tried to picture them as they were described and could already see how they would be helpful in a fight. His father would always get him by his front legs somehow when they were practicing and had always always instilled in him how important it was to defend them so he could stay on his feet. Of course he had been just a pup at the time so any sort of more advanced movement had been tough, but he was sure his father had known just how limited their time would be together so he appreciated the lessons he had gotten from him all the same.

He nodded with understanding as his newly found relative described where he would like the claws be to placed around his toes. All of it was such a new concept to him and he was absolutely fascinated. ”Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!” Nolan mentioned when Cairo mentioned how it was going to be more difficult without the primates that some of the others had with them. He wasn’t sure if another set of paws would make much of a difference, but maybe he could at least hold things in place while he assembled or something of the like.

His ears perked when the offer was made for him to make something as well. He grinned and nodded eagerly, his eyes already beginning to scan the various leathers and materials while he tried to wrap his brain around what he could make. ”Thank you, I’d love to! Why don’t I help you make yours and then I’ll make mine? That way I can see how you do it first.”

Cai grinned as Nolan offered his assistance. He had no problem accepting it, especially when he knew it would go even more smoothly with two sets of paws. He’d definitely be showing the result to Red when it was finished, though, just to check if he got it right. “Thanks” And thus he dove in, describing as he went, occasionally asking Nolan to press a paw down on the hide to hold it still as he started cutting with a, “Let me know if I’m off the line.” When the pieces were done being cut, he glanced over at a low, hewn log full of water. Picking up the leather and sinew, he ran them through the water very briefly, then wrapped them around a thick branch that matched his legs in diameter. It was a long, long process, one that took several hours of chatting between tasks that required their mouths, but at the end, there sat the initial set of bracers, lined with the sheepskin and attached to the paw and toe-covers. Finally, he turned to the bear claws, bending to work leather laces through the holes and began to set the claws in the toe covers, occasionally checking the fit on his paws as he went. Finally, they were done – for the most part. He knew he’d be tweaking them – and he beamed at his new buddy. “I’d say that’s good enough for now. I’ll have to talk to Red to see what he thinks and if he has any suggestions. He’s kinda like the pack Armorer.” He stretched, toes stretching apart and wiggling before he grinned at Nolan and asked, ”So! Any ideas for yours?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It was a long process to get Cairo’s bracers together, but it was one that he throughly enjoyed. It was nice to be able to unwind and get to know Cairo a bit more while they went to work on the intricate pieces of leather. He was sure other yearlings wouldn’t find something so slow and time consuming this interesting, but he certainly did. That had always been part of his personality though - feeling older than he actually was and loving to learn anything that may be a challenge.

When Cairo declared that they were good enough, Nolan grinned happily and looked over their handiwork while he continued to debate what he wanted to do for his. ”I think... I want to do something fairly simple for now - just very defensive. My father always tried to drill how important it was to be on the defensive so I feel like he would approve.” He smiled wistfully before turning to the collection of raw materials they had to use with a thoughtful hum.

”I like the sheepskin you did on the inside of yours - that seems like a really good idea. I think I’ll use some of this thicker hide for the majority of it around my legs and maybe something a little softer to cover the top part of my paws just so it doesn’t hinder too much... I wish I had some pieces of metal like you said Aurielle has, but maybe longer, thin pieces... That way I could put them around the front and sides to make them even tougher.” He used one paw to draw out what he meant on the opposite leg, making imaginary shapes over the pale fur of rectangles that ran the length of his foreleg, maybe six in total. ”Maybe I’ll scavenge around after we finish getting settled in and see what I can find so I can add them later. But even just some of this thick leather will be better than nothing! What do you think?”

Cairo listened, ears perked with interest as Nolan outlined his ideas, nodding thoughtfully with a smile. They were good plans, and as Nolan finished, Cai rose and tugged the thicker hide over for better access to the younger male, transporting all the tools in front of his friend and flopping his rump back down in his original spot with a grin. “Only way to see how it goes is to try it, right? Now it’s my turn to help you cut stuff. And if you don’t want to use lacing to hold it all together, I think we have ways to stick them together without them. Come to think of it, Paladin’s mandrill friend said something about boiled hooves making an adhesive. Maybe we could try that later.” He paused, thinking. “Maybe we could find more metal. I’ll keep an eye out for a source when I go exploring next.” His tail whipped up dust as he added, “Heck, maybe we could go look together.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Nolan grinned happily when Cairo nodded in agreement with his ideas and went with him to pull out the materials they would need before settling down to lay his leg across the leather like Cairo had. ”I don’t mind the lacing, at least not for the main part of it. But the adhesive might be a great way to attach the metal pieces later! I think a layer of leather over top the metal could be a good idea too to help keep them from falling off so maybe we can use that stuff to attach that too.”

He began looking for the charcoal to start tracing an outline to cut from, but he paused to give Cairo an eager smile at the suggestion that they go looking for the pieces of metal together. ”Yeah! I’d like that!” He had honestly been a bit nervous about coming to this pack since he didn’t know how it would be trying to make friends with the wolves here, but as long as they were all as welcoming as Cairo then he was sure his worries were all for nothing. He refocused on the project at hand, carefully making the marks they would need and mimicking the motions that he had watched the older male make when they had begun his set. It was a little tricky at first to get the hold he needed on things and figuring out how to cut in a straight line, but he got the hang of it fairly quickly.

He sat back to admire his work, making a couple of adjustments here and there to make sure they were cut properly. ”There we go!” he said with a grin before taking them over to the water to start that part of the process. ”Do you have any siblings?” he asked to make conversation while he wrapped the leather around a branch to shape it, curious to know how many cousins he had just from Cairo’s part of the family. If what his mother had told him was correct, the Adravendi’s seemed like a big tree with lots of branches and he was excited to learn about all of it.

Cai grinned as he made himself useful, holding the leather still as Nolan made his marks and cuts, and doing the same motions he’d put Nolan through when the larger male was helping Cai with his own bracer set, nodding happily as Nolan spoke. He was pleased at the prospect of getting to explore with a new friend, and as the time passed, he idly wondered if there were any places in particular that might hold good resources for this stuff. If they found a lot of it, maybe they could bring a load of it home to try different ways to work the stuff. Nolan’s question brought a smile to his lips as he nodded. “I have four sibs. Artur is the eldest. Then there’s Caelia, me, Geoffrey, and then Viviane. We’re all direct lines from my namesake, Cairo the first. Geoff’s missing, though… and Artur clearly dislikes it here. He believes that only true-blooded Adravendis are worthy to carry the name. I don’t agree. True, there have been some that have made Adravendis seem foolish and harmless, but this branch, yours and Aurielle’s? They’re strong. They are the only ones who have made an effort to uphold the values of the original Valhalla. They have held off a raid, a challenge… I can see why my great, great grandfather gave Erani his surname, aside from finally confessing that he loved her, the day before he died.” He shrugged, chuckling. “I’ve grown up on the stories of my ancestors. Mum wasn’t too keen on the idea of adopted Adravendis herself, but when I listen to the stories told by Regulus and Aurielle, I hear the love they hold for the family. The love they hold for Cairo. These Plains are the original home of Valhalla. My namesake is buried here. And many wolves from that time. This pack probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Erani’s descendants. And who knows… maybe the memory and name would have died out on this end of the continent...” He stretched to his paws as Nolan wrapped the bracers around a branch to shape them and dug through the materials and tools, finding a leather strip and offered it to the other male, intending for them to wrap the strip around the bracers to hold them to the branch for a better shaping. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Nolan listened curiously while Cairo spoke of his siblings, the opinions of the various branches of the Adravendi tree, how his name came from a distant relative... It seemed like there was still so much he didn’t know about their family. Most of it sounded vaguely familiar from the stories his mother told him as a pup, but there was a lot more detail and depth when Cairo talked about it. Hearing that not all his siblings were necessarily happy about his portion of their tree made him a bit nervous to meet them, but he tried to be positive and think that perhaps he could help make a positive impression on them. After all, there was a lot of history, but they were all young and together they made up the newest generation of their family.

He took the strip of leather from Cairo gratefully and used it to secure his bracers to the branch. So far it seemed like everything was going smoothly! He couldn’t wait to try them on and to go out exploring with Cairo to find pieces to add to them. ”I’ve heard a few stories here and there, but not nearly as many as you have,” he replied with a chuckle now that his attention wasn’t being taken by their project. ”I don’t know if my mother is really as knowledgeable about our family as you or Regulus or Aurielle would be. She hasn’t lived here for a long while - until now of course. Plus there was just so much going on this last year that I haven’t really had much of a chance to talk to her about it... But I’d love to hear more of them! I’ve always liked listening to stories and they’d definitely help pass the time.”

He listened to his cousin talk while he continued to work, starting the slow, tedious process of attaching the lining, the toe covers, and making adjustments as he started trying them on for size. They certainly weren’t perfect, but for his first pair he was certainly proud of them. Considering he didn’t even know what bracers were when this whole thing began he was extra proud of himself! Cairo’s tales of their family helped to pass the time just as he thought they would and by the end of it he knew more about the Adravendi’s story and had a new set of bracers. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

”I think these are about as done as they can be until we find the pieces we need!” he declared, laying them side by side on the ground in front of him with a smile, his tail giving a pleased wag.

It felt nice to share the stories about his family’s history. The whole family. Just because Erani’s children were not of actual Adravendi blood did not mean they didn’t have their own incredible stories to tell. Aurielle had, for the time being, given up on Pack Storytimes. No one tended to show up beyond himself, and maybe Regulus or Paladin. The first one had been fun, especially for a pup who adored stories, and he couldn’t understand why no one attended them more often later on. He grinned as Nolan explained the extent of his knowledge of the stories and family lore, and professed an interest in learning more. “You should totally ask Aurielle or Regulus about some of the stories, especially some from Erani’s side. There’s some really neat history back in her line.” They passed the time, working amiably together until Nolan sat back and pronounced the bracers to be almost finished. Cairo smiled, tongue on the verge of lolling as he beamed at the boy. “They look really good for a first piece.” But something had been niggling at him, and his carefree grin faded to a look of seriousness as he asked, earnest sapphire eyes studying Nolan as his head tilted. “What was it like, having a father?” He knew what it was like for Aurielle—she and Regulus were close. But he didn’t know what it was like to be a father’s son. He’d never met his father. Was there someone out there that looked like him? Or Viv? Or maybe Artur or Caelia or Geoffrey? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

”I definitely will!” he agreed when Cairo suggested that he ask Aurielle or Regulus for more stories about his branch of the family. He definitely wanted to get to know Regulus better since his mother had spoken of him so often and that seemed like the perfect way to strike up a conversation with the older male, but it seemed like an equally good opportunity to get to know the alpha of their pack a bit better. He was still learning what it meant to live in a pack and what roles certain wolves played in this whole grand scheme of things, but he was excited to learn and see how his family had lived over the generations.

He was getting ready to take his bracers back to the den to show Baine when Cairo caught him off guard with a more serious question. His pink gaze lifted to meet his cousin’s blue gaze, his surprise easily showing on his expression. Even though his time with his father had been short, he had never considered the fact that he could have not known him at all. It certainly wasn’t something he had expected from Cairo. It took him a moment to form a reply and when he did speak it was with a bit of hesitance. He didn’t want to accidentally say anything that would hurt Cairo’s feelings.

”Well... I don’t know if all fathers are this way, but mine was very protective and was really set on making sure I could take care of myself and my mother. He wasn’t around very long... He passed away before I turned a year old. The band we lived with that he had been a part of before my mother met him - they were all fighters and I think he really wanted me to be too. We practiced fighting all the time. It was fun though, he was never too harsh with me.” He paused while he tried to form some kind of fully fleshed out thought. ”It was really different from how I am with my mother... She’s a lot more gentle, you know? She’s still protective, but in a different way. She’s more... tender than he was.” His ears flicked uncertainly as he looked thoughtfully at Cairo. ”Did that answer your question at all?”

He listened intently as Nolan described his experience as a father’s son, head cocked in thought as he considered it. What might his own sire have been like? As Nolan asked if that answered his question he smiled, nodding. “Somewhat. I know everyone’s experience is different. Aurielle and Regulus are very close and had a good working relationship. But I’ve never met the wolf that sired myself and my siblings. The circumstances surrounding our conception are a little hazy.” His lips twitched softly as he added, “Mum tried her best, but she had alpha duties as well on top of raising us, so… She was still a great mom.” He stretched to his paws and smiled at Nolan, head cocked. “So, what are your plans for life in Valhalla?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Nolan was relieved to hear that his mildly disjointed explanation of his time with his father made some kind of sense to Cairo. It was a weird thing to try to describe. There was a lot that Nolan missed about his father, but he was too focused on spending time with his mother to really consider it too much. His father had made him promise to take care of her before he passed and that was a promise he took very seriously. He logically understood that she was sick and that she would eventually pass away the same way his father had, but only time would tell if his heart was as caught up to that as his brain was. He smiled when Cairo mentioned that his mother was still a great mom despite the responsibilities that she had and he nodded in understanding. He liked to think all parents did their best at being good parents and from the small pool of wolves he knew and had experienced he was pretty sure that was true.

He hummed thoughtfully when Cairo asked him what his plans were for his life in the pack. "Well... I'm still getting to know everyone and figuring out how this whole pack thing works, but... I guess I just want to find ways to be helpful, I guess. Aurielle explained all the ranks and things when we got here and I definitely want to continue training to be a strong fighter, but I like hunting too so I'll probably do a lot of that too." He paused, his head tipping slightly with thought. "I've never really had ranks or anything to work for, it was always just about taking care of each other and surviving. I like thinking about stuff that way better... and if more responsibilities come out of doing that then that'll be a bonus!" Satisfied with his answer he looked to Cairo with another smile, saying, "How about you? What's your plan?"

Cairo listened with interest as Nolan spoke of his plans, nodding with a smile. He liked the younger wolf; his values were much the same as Cai’s own. When the question was turned back on himself, he smiled. “Well, in the long run, I’d like to reach Sentinel, one of the two Beta ranks. The Sentinel handles the fighters and the hunters and such, while the Lodestar handles the fighters as well, but focuses on the healers, messengers and diplomats, and crafters and the like. I’m hoping my sister Caelia will be Lodestar.” He smiled, rolling a stick over the ground beneath his paw as he added, “Really, I only want so high a rank because I feel I can serve the pack and my family best in that position. It’ll be hard work, but I intend to work even harder than hard so, it should work out fine.” His head cocked as he surveyed the armory kit around them as he added, “I wouldn’t say no to running in the Armorer’s Circle when Aurielle launches it, if she’ll let me. I like making armor.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think