Naiche stood near the north-eastern border of the grass plains, head lowered as he lapped at the water from the river. Once his thirst was satiated the yellowish-brown wolf sat down looking across the river at the land beyond, and from there back down to the river as a sparkle of silver caught his eye.  A silver fish was swimming by, and another after that.  The notion of catching one sounded good, the probability of it less likely.  He could try just for the sake of it but Naiche didn't feel ready to waste his energy on it.  Conserve his energy for something he could catch or for anything to be done with this pack.  Naiche was determined to show well from the beginning!

Showing well from the beginning might be hard.  Truth was Naiche knew he was nothing special yet.  The main thing he had to show was his determination and drive to better himself.  The average size wolf was in a pack with at least a few giants from what he could tell and Naiche would not let them see him as some weakling.  Naiche needed to get to know the others in the pack, make connections to strengthen his ability to work with them as a team and to make sure they also had the right mindset.  Abilities hardly mattered if you lacked the desire to work hard.  Naiche was young and inexperienced but he would give no one respect who did not deserve it.

Naiche drank a bit more water, feeling the warmth of the sun against his back then turned to walk back further into the pack's turf.  Sitting by a lake thinking of what he should do would be worthless without action. Today would be useful in one way or another.

Things were getting a little cramped in the Armada lands. Sirius and his brood had invited so many wolves into the territory that the woman was feeling a bit claustrophobic. She understood the reasons for inviting wolves in, but there had to be a balance. Yet again she found herself considering the act of leaving. She wasn't really needed here. Without her, the pack would be fine. She could go back to wandering the world. The woman's hungry paws would appreciate it, anyway. She'd been sticking to the outskirts mostly. It was rare that she moved deep into pack lands as of late. Too cramped. Yes, it was a wide open space, but for one that treasured her solitude, it was much too cramped. She hunted when she could, helping to fill the larder full of beast and bird, but she never stayed long. The giantess was just on her way back from delivering a brace of hares when she came upon yet another new form. Black-backed ears pricked forward as the scarred woman took in the sight of this new wolf. Blonde. Earthen. Small. Would it be a contributing member of the pack or would it get fat on the efforts of the rest of them as some had seemed to do? A low rumble sounded in the ash and onyx woman's chest, but she spoke no words. She wasn't the friendly, bubbly sort. If this wolf had something to say, she would stop and listen. Otherwise, she would continue on to her duties. "Speech"

Naiche moved through the grass working his mind over possible scenarios.  A pack life, one of strangers had him trying to imagine how things would work.  For that matter he wanted to get to know the others in the pack but he wasn't one for idle conversation.  Once, as a pup things had been different.  Naiche imagined to some extent he would need to adapt to a new setting.  There were limits to how much he would change of himself for others, hopefully this pack worked well with how he already was.

Oh..my... Another giant was spotted.  How many giants lived here?  The young wolf was feeling smaller all the time.  This one didn't seem the friendliest.  He stopped walking, watching to see if she would stop to meet the newcomer.  No, it was going to ignore him.  Now, the fact was it would have been fine if he wanted to walk past and ignore a wolf.  But the smaller wolf somehow found the way she acknowledged him irritating.  

So awkward to start a conversation but he would know more of this massive female.  How high up was she in the ranks?  How much did she deserve any respect.  Naiche would of preferred she started the conversation, or at least didn't blow him off.  "Hello" He spoke up watching her.  Even as he spoke he saw more of how well-muscled she was, saw the defining scar  over her eye and how she appeared to be past her prime years.  If for nothing else, such strength and injuries at that age suggested she was never a coward or weakling.  "as I'm sure you can tell I'm new to the pack," his words were said with a formal politeness, he could at least speak that way until he knew who she was, "The names Naiche.  Might I ask your name?"

It seemed reasonable to know the members who belonged in the pack.  Hopefully she wouldn't find it too strange that he would ignore her obvious silence to start a conversation.  No matter.  However she felt, her response would still give her some idea about what to make of this woman.  Though while he was hesitant to toss out respect freely, her body again spoke volumes that suggested he'd learn she was worth it.

Surprisingly, he did speak. Again, black ears swiveled forward to catch the boys tones. He was civil enough, explaining that he was new to the pack and giving his name. Scarred lips parted and a low voice, tinged with a growl due to damaged vocal cords rumbled free. "Resin." She stated simply. Ever a woman of many words, she was. More was expected of her, of course. Being a higher standing member in the pack as well as an elder, it was an unspoken requirement to make new recruits feel welcome, wasn't it. The obsidian maned woman gave herself a shake, the thick layers of muscle and fat swaying after she had ceased. "So you're new to the Armada. What are your skills? We need fighters. Warriors." They had more than enough healers. The idea had been flitting through her mind about splintering off to start her own pack. She would be sure to try and keep the skill sets balanced. Or as balanced as possible. The past proved that she was unable to turn away those in need. No doubt that trend would continue. Fixing her lone, sulfur yellow eye on Naiche, she continued. "I'm one of many that train new warriors." She didn't give out her rank and title. Words were wind and they meant little to her. Actions were what mattered. "Speech"

He got a name, and the next comment was again to question his skills.  Naiche liked that.  If everyone was so interested in skills this would be a strong pack.  Some point he would get use to these large wolves but as shook herself it seemed to only make the perception better of the size difference.  More scars became evident he hadn't seen before earlier.  This wolf had seen plenty of fights! Unless it had been one battle.  What had caused those injuries? Naiche remained still, content to stand in place with his only focus on Resin.

"I want to be a warrior." Naiche spoke boldly, "I can't say I've had much experience at it," once more he was young so it was natural enough, "but thats all I need.  If I can get experience I'll get better.  I won't be some worthless hanger-on to a pack." Once more the question of what his skills were seemed to drive that passion out.  Mistakes cost lives, either his own or of the pack.  He didn't have to like a single wolf here, but it was the strength of the pack that mattered.  

Hopefully she didn't take his words as some pup with lots of bravado and nothing to back it up with.  He knew he appeared small and young to her.  Those sorts of things could lead to imagining one who might just have big dreams with nothing to get them there.  Never.  Never would he stop trying to get better and never would he given reason for any of these wolves to question if he was worth being a member of the pack.  His muscles were tense ready to defend his words if she decided to not believe him.

The fact she was a trainer made him glad he had spoken up.  It was good he'd been heading back instead of staring at worthless fish.  She was one who he would of wanted to meet.  He'd probably even like her more for not yapping about things pointlessly. "When you have time, I would appreciate all the help you can give me."

Standing still for too long bothered Resins bad leg. Since it seemed as though they'd be speaking for a time, she seated herself, haunches folding. Her big, thick tail curled around one hip before forelegs slid outward, depositing her on her stomach. Raising one paw, she swept it gracefully outwards, inviting Naiche to join her in rest.

He wanted to be a warrior, but admitted to his lack of experience. "If you have the desire and the drive, we have the skills to turn you into a first class fighter." She'd helped with Tamsyn, Malalia, Azure, Mort and more. That was only counting the Armada wolves. She'd been helping others reach their potential for ages though. Teaching was something that she enjoyed. She'd passed that down to her daughter, Iolaire.

Naiche asked for training when she had time and the old wolf nodded. "Tell me of your background. Where do you come from? What skills did your parents possess, if you know?" It was more important than once might think; the abilities of ones forebears. If his parents were fighters, it would most likely be easy for him to learn the skills as well. If not, then he would likely have to work harder.

She had been ready to pass him by earlier, but now the wolf seemed more willing to talk to him. It was nice to see she apparently took her role seriously. Naiche waited while she got comfy, waiting for that important answer. On the gesture that he might join her he moved his rump in forward, keeping his front end still as his back legs moved under him. Naiche’s tail relaxed to one side. He honestly hadn’t been sure how much attention she wold give to him.

His background? Naiche wasn’t entirely sure how important that detail was. Honestly a part of him just wanted to be done and over with the past. It had some good points, but all the bitter ones were still to fresh in his mind. An ear flicked back irritably, not at her so much as himself. “I spent most of my time in a small band made up of my family. We traveled place to place. That was nice. I enjoyed seeing different sights.” That part at least had been good. “As mentioned, my fighting experience is pretty limited. There were not many of us after all. Honestly, I think my parents planned to focus more on instructing on fighting, but hey figured there was more time. We had no pack land to protect as one concern down” a bit of hesitation, “at least I think thats why. I didn't question them then, I just blindly trusted they knew best.”

“I learned how to hunt small game on my own. I’ve only hunted as a group twice. One of the most experienced hunters died on the second, the other was injured.” That felt better to say than mom and dad. “anyway, the group split up after that. Shortly after I became a lone wolf. At that point I got my lessons from just working at surviving.” Was all that information more than necessary? Hopefully it was enough. “So, mostly what I learned really was paying attention to the weather, and keeping sharp attention to scents and hearing.” It sounded pretty lame to him. Sounded like way to much talking too. Had he bored her?

Naiche seemed hesitant to share his past at first, but he soon eased into speaking. Resin listened to every word, filing it away. Knowing where he came from and what he had experienced would aid in teaching him. As he spoke she nodded periodically simply to let him know that she was paying attention.

"The situational awareness that you learned while alone will help you greatly as you learn to fight," the woman spoke after he was finished. "It kept you alive then and it will continue to keep you alive. Being so in tune with your surroundings can help you anticipate your opponents moves."

Resin found herself wondering if the boy would be a good fit to train with Aslatiel. She was smaller than him, but fierce. "We can start your training once you're settled in. Have you chosen a den yet?" There were many empty dens scattered throughout Armada lands. Sirius usually made a point to direct newcomers towards them. "Once you're ready I'll have you train with Aslatiel, the warlords daughter." Would he complain about being paired with a girl?

She hadn’t shown any sign of falling asleep on him, nor directly comment on any part of his story itself. Naiche bobbed his head now to her words of what being alone had taught him. He knew the truth of that, he had never worked to be as aware of his surroundings when he had the safety of others to help him and now he was always more aware than he had been. Though thinking on it, since he had been here he had relaxed his senses to some degree. Certainly not as relaxed as the weak wolf with blind trust in family, but neither as on edge as having been alone.

“I was sleeping in the barracks.” It had been considerably better for sure than where he had run into Sirius. Now a personal one? It would mean time to himself if wolves were getting on his nerves. Mmm it meant time to himself if no one rude or no one of higher rank came to his den at least. It would be a long time till he should make much use of one anyway. Naiche would put training as top priority over rest. No mistakes allowed.

Naiche’s ears pricked up a bit at this new wolf’s name, Aslatiel. It wasn’t her name that caught his attention as much as her station, “Warlords daughter? So, she should be a good fighter then I’d assume.” He could not imagine the warlord allowing one of his kids to be week. As long as she didn’t turn out to be some overly young pup. If she was of similar age or older as Naiche she was probably better, but he could be wrong. Had being alone helped him more than he realized? Probably not enough for a honed fighter. Naiche didn’t mind losing a battle if it was against an overly skilled opponent that he could learn from.

A part of him was ready to charge into starting right away but perhaps Resin would like to go finish whatever it was she’d been doing before he had interrupted her. “I can go find a den then be ready right away,” Naiche firmly stated. He’d need to train daily, several times if possible. Not only did he intend to be good enough to prove himself, to be strong and useful to the pack but he would also attempt to not be at the lowest run of the ranking pool. The moment you quit trying to get better was when you start getting worse.

Naiche had been sleeping at the barracks. Not a terrible place for a new wolf to stay, but if he wished for his own personal space, a den would be more ideal. Not that she cared. It was simply an option. Some enjoyed being in the company of others. She had made her own space immediately upon entering the Armada.

Aslatiel's skill was questions and the woman gave a light shrug. "She is younger than you and new to the arts of battle, but she shows promise." A glint entered the woman's sulfur eye and she continued. "Aslatiel is a bit of a wild one, so expect the unexpected." The girl had already participated in her first raid alongside one of her brothers. It was an accomplishment for one so young.

The big woman rose and shook out her thick grey and black pelt. "Take your time choosing a den. I'll arrange training for the pair of you tomorrow afternoon. Meet me at the battle platform by the barracks." Resin began padding off. There was little time for idle chatter in a pack such as this. "Welcome to the Armada, Naiche," she said before throwing herself into a lope. The borders weren't going to patrol themselves.

-Exit Resin-