Álarr's attention had turned to gathering and storing herbs for the winter. Not just herbs that would help his pack members but their flocks as well. With his focus on his work his mind didn't have too much time to wander until recently with only a month or so of autumn remaining. He hadn't seen or heard from Pesto in awhile and it was making him anxious. Even though she said she lied about her family throwing her dad into the volcano Álarr knew he'd feel better if he could just see and talk to her in person.

He gathered up a few herbs and items in his pack and set off for where Ashen was located. Or where it used to be. When he arrived to the place he and Valdís had traveled he found it wasn't there any more. His gut immediately sank. Were they even still in Boreas? Thankfully, Brynhildr had spoken with a few birds in the area and between her detective work and his and Afi's, Álarr was able to trace Ashen to a territory in the east. Arriving at the border he tipped back his head and called for Pesto. If he got the alphess that was fine. He wasn't doing anything wrong, just visiting a friend.

Pestilence was confident that the moment she reached her yearling milestone that she'd be out of Ashen and on her way to Legion or Fireside or whatever it was called now. The thought of desertion was the only thing she could think about what felt like half her life, ever since her father died on that volcano. Why was it that now, with freedom available at any moment she wanted, that the youth decided to stay? Whatever it was, it made her feel that much more guilty when Alarr's call rang out. She hurried through the shrine's bleached white trees towards him, trying to ignore the itching feeling she got when she stood on the land her father so desperately spent years trying to claim. Seeing Alarr was a relief, and although she struggled with confusion and decisions to be made she couldn't help but grin at her friend. "Alarr! How'd you find me here!?" Somehow he'd found her even when Ashen had moved territories, and his loyalty surprised her. Would he be mad at her for not showing up at his borders yet as she'd planned? It didn't matter; the excitement she felt at seeing him again wore down the worry about whatever conversation might come next, and the yearling bounded toward him to tackle him into a hug. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Álarr took in the sight of the new territory while he waited. It seemed a bit spooky to him with its blanched white trees and he wondered if they were even alive. Soon Pesto arrived and Álarr grinned, thrilled to see his friend again. "Pesto!" His chest swelled with pride. "I talked to some loners and Brynhildr talked to some birds and we started to piece things together. She talked with a dove that had said a large pack of wolves had moved into this area. When I got to the border I recognized the scent and knew I was in the right place!" He was terribly pleased with himself for putting it all together.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was going ok and that your mom wasn't going to change her mind."

His explanation only made Pesto feel worse, he'd gone through so much effort to find her again and she had hardly even come to say hello. Without the excuse of being grounded anymore she didn't know what else to say in her defense. Except, he didn't seem to be accusing her. Why did she feel so defensive and unsure when Álarr was being as supportive and awesome as he normally was? She realized perhaps she'd lingered too long in her hug, and pulled away flushed and even less certain of what the hell she was doing. "She didn't change her mind." Pesto reassured him, sighing softly. "I've just, been waiting." She stood for a moment and shifted her weight around, wanting desperately for life to be easy so she could just leave without a second thought. "My mom just had another litter, and there's this raid happening really soon." It all just felt like excuses even when the words were true, was this what growing up was? Responsibilities and bullshit? Pesto hated it. "I still want to come to Legion, just after everything settles down." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Álarr listened as Pesto spoke, explaining that there was a lot going on with her mother having another litter and a raid happening soon. He figured the raid wouldn't be against them or Pestilence would've said something. "Great! Um, congrats to your mom to. I'm glad you still plan to join. I've got some exciting news actually. Legion has a new leader, my brother Tyrian! He's cool and he changed the packs name to Fireside but I think he'd still be happy to have you join." Álarr was proud of his brother and also of himself. In his mind they were really stepping up, the younger generation taking over at last.

He grinned. "Guess what? I'm now the Master-of-the-Cure in the pack. The lead healer!"

Alarr offered congratulations to her mother and Pestilence shrugged her shoulders in reply. "I guess so, I'm happy for her but some of the pack isn't." She still struggled to try and understand the drama that had been floating around the pack since her mother bedded her uncle, but tried to focus upon the results instead of the details. Did it matter that it was a little weird and gross to love your brother in that way, if it produced strong Klein heirs for the empire? Pestilence had no idea, but she did know she couldn't imagine having strong romantic feelings for any of her siblings. At his explanation of the changing the pack had gone through, Pestilence's interest piqued. "That's really cool!" If his brother was the alpha, that definitely meant Pestilence would be allowed to join, right? Surely Alarr had some pull over his brother. She considered it for a moment, thinking on whether she'd ever heard the name Fireside or Tyrian before, and then Alarr grinned at her and announced his own news. "Oh, man, Álarr that is amazing! I'm so happy for you!" She knew how much further advanced the boy's knowledge was then her own, even when he was younger he was able to give her lessons in various herbs. It seemed a very fitting ranking for her friend, and Pesto was amazed that Fireside would promote a young wolf into such an important position. While she wondered upon what duties and responsibilities her friend now had, Pestilence began to look a little sadder. "I bet you're really busy now." She tried to still sound excited, and smiled. "Are you still going to be able to hang out with me? I barely see our high tier wolves around they've got so much to do. When I join and I'm just a lowly... whatever, I hope I can still see you all the time." She'd grown incredibly fond of him over the last season, and knew her choice of pack to move to was resting entirely upon the fact that it was where her best friend lived. Would he be too good for her, now that he was the lead healer of a whole pack? "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Álarr's tail wagged lightly at her praise. He was still a bit intimidated by his new rank but with more seasons of practice he knew he'd get used to it. He knew what he was doing when it came to healing, now he just needed to figure out how to help his fellow healers and lead them.

He caught the note of sadness in her voice and frowned lightly. "Yea, it is really busy right now but it won't be like that all the time." He grinned. "Especially when winter arrives I think things will slow down, except for maybe the raid. And don't worry, you won't have to stay in one of the low ranks. I bet you can work your way up fast. Anything in particular you're interested in?"

It was less than reassuring to hear that Alarr was indeed a busy wolf now, though he assured her that he'd still have time to hang out with her come winter and Pestilence could only hope it was truth. The prospect of joining a new pack full of people she'd never met was daunting, and without Alarr to talk to she didn't know what she'd do. "I hope so." She replied quietly, huffing a heavy sigh. "I don't really know how those things work. I want to be a warrior, the strongest and fiercest ever to exist. I've trained so hard, you have no idea... though my pack hasn't moved me up out of the normal basic apprentice rank. How did you get to be the head healer so fast?" Her voice became a little envious, though she knew Alarr was a hard worker and obviously deserved the promotion. He was barely older then she was however, and already he'd rose so high. Could she ever prove herself that useful? "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Álarr's ears flicked forward as Pestilence stated that she wanted to be a strong warrior and she'd been training hard for a rank. He was surprised to hear she was still an apprentice. "That's weird. I don't think that will be the case in Fireside. If you've trained hard to be a warrior and you have the skill I think you'd make a Guard or Raider at least." She asked about his own rank. "I worked hard for it, I trained and studied and my work was evident in our stores for winter. I think in some ways its a bit easier when you have something tangible that shows your skill." Fighting was harder, you had to be there to see a warrior's progress or fight them yourself.

He smiled, trying to reassure her. "My brother's the alpha and he's a yearling so don't worry about your age. As long as you have the skills that's all that matters. Anyway, I probably should get back soon. I can't wait to see you! If another season goes by we might just have to raid for you." He winked playfully.

Alarr didn't seem worried about how or where Pesto would end up in the ranking, and his easy confidence reassured her. If her friend was sure that she'd be able to climb higher in Fireside, then it must have been truth. Pestilence wasn't sure when she defaulted to trusting the boy so much, but it felt right. "I hope so." She repeated, exhaling. When he mentioned needing to leave, Pestilence's lips downturned in a frown. She'd only just seen him again, did he really have to go so soon? A part of her wanted to just up and go with him, though she knew she couldn't yet. "Okay." Her agreement was a little forced, but she returned his smile with her own. "I'll miss you. I'll see you soon, I hope!" His mention of a potential raid blew right past her, overshadowed by his playful wink. While she didn't think it meant anything special she couldn't help the heat flood into her cheeks. Had Alarr always been so handsome? Pestilence backpedaled, swallowed hard and called out one last "Bye!" to him before fleeing back to Ashen. What the hell was happening to her? -attempted exit!- "Speech" "Thinking" "You."