They had been here a week. A full week already. In that time, Resin and those around her had dug a variety of dens at the outskirts of the springs. She had the idea to reinforce them with the clay that she'd found within the springs themselves. Perhaps setting a fire within would harden that clay and would waterproof it against the damp of the sulfur springs. Today the woman was streaked with the greyish clay. She had coated one den entirely. She'd started with coating the ceiling, then she dug down to make the depth of the chamber. After clearing out the dirt, she coated the walls and the floor as well. Then she went to take a much needed break. Padding out of the experimental den, the woman stretched out upon her stomach in a patch of sun. A yawn pulled from her and she gave her blocky skull a shake. There was a lot of work ahead of her, but she was feeling quite confident. "Speech"

By the time Askan was done the border of The Hallows were as familiar to him as the back of his paws. He knew this pack wasn't like the rest, that wolves from all walks of life would be welcome to come and go, but it didn't mean that he could just rest on his laurels in blissful ignorance. If nothing Askan intended to keep an eye on things, to observe any potential troublemakers and nip it in the bud before it escalated. Or at least that was the plan, peacekeeping sounded easy enough in theory but since when was that ever the case?

Slowing to a walk, Askan cut across the territory hoping to find Percy so he could-nag- talk to her. He knew she was having a bit of a rough time settling in but he figured that with enough time she'd find herself and maybe even grow to like it here. For now he just had to brute force his way through her stubbornness till he pushed her to the other side. Again that sounded easy enough but with Percy nothing was ever certain...damn woman. Speaking of women there was the old crone, smeared in clay as she reclined back in the sun, like a goddess past her prime. He approached from her left so she could see him coming, but it wouldn't have mattered much anyway since he was a stomper.

"There's a pair of jackals hanging about the border." Askan explained in lieu of greeting. He's given them the ole "piss off bark" but they hadn't paid him much mind, just a simple ear flick as if to say they'd heard him. Which...was not the response he'd been expecting to be honest.

Black ears perked as paws approached. The woman swiveled her head, her lone eye catching sight of Askan. All business, he spoke of jackals on the border. The ashen woman exhaled softly in humor. "Those are mine, so to speak. They've been with me for years. They eat from my kills and they're an advanced warning of danger." They were decent in a fight, too. The woman gave a stretch, claws digging into the earth. She was a bit sore from all of the digging and craning to coat the den in clay. Once she was finished, she would soak in one of the springs to sooth her sore muscles. That was part of the reason that they were here. The healing warmth of the bubbling waters. "Are you settling in well? I haven't seen your companion in some time." She'd also been incredibly busy. There were a lot of dens that still needed to be dug. Areas laid out for healing and fight training. Wooden walls that she wanted to construct around the various pools for privacy reasons. Resin wasn't one to divvy out major tasks, but perhaps she would have to begin. "Speech"

Ah, that make sense. Compared to most jackals he'd came across they seemed a little less dickheady than most, but not by a lot. If they belonged to Resin then he say no reason to give them grief, though if they tried to take a bite of his meal they'd soon realise he wasn't half as generous as she. Moving a tad Askan settled on his rump and pressed his two front paws together as he sat straight. He hadn't seen Percy around much either and whilst he wasn't one to outwardly fuss or worry he had taken notice. As busy as he'd been with settling into his new role he realised it was about time he checked in on her, as to what he'd say...he wasn't sure yet but that was a bridge to cross when he got there.

"Mm, I have no complaints so far." She surely would have heard them by now if he did. Suffer in silence he did not."She's probably hiding somewhere with her rodent. She'll come out of her shell...probably." And then Askan addressed a thought that had been lingering on his mind for a while, ever since he'd come to terms with the nature of this pack. "But I have been wondering that it's all well and good offering a helping paw but aren't you concerned about being taken advantage of?" By no means did she come across as the naive sort but he knew there were plenty of moochers in this world, deadbeats looking for a free ride.

Askan spoke of his companion hiding and the big woman gave a contemplative rumble in her chest. "I'm sure she'll come out of hiding when she's ready." It took some wolves longer to become accustomed to pack life. Especially those that were damaged. She would give the small wolf time to acclimate, but eventually Resin would expect her to contribute somehow. Earn her keep. The man posed a question and Resin chuckled before giving her blocky skull a shake. "I'm a reasonable woman but I do have my limits. Those that don't contribute will be removed from the pack to make room for someone who will contribute." Up above, a crow called and the woman raised her head, eyeing it with her singular gaze. "Just as those who claim sanctuary unnecessarily will be asked to leave to make room for those that need it." No, she would not be taken advantage of. "Should you have doubts about someone, you're free to tell me so." She was trying to be a woman of peace now, but she would forever be a warrior. If troubles happened to arise, they would be dealt with. "Speech"

Askan wasn't worried by the way. He knew Percy had her...Percyisms she had to work through and that would take time but he just wasn't a patient guy. It was hard for him to sit back and just hope she worked things out for herself. No matter what she'd claim the Selwyn knew being a loner wasn't working out for her, that the Hallows could be a good place for her, if she let it. It was just complicated, confusing in ways Askan wasn't emotionally equipped to understand just yet. If nothing he trusted Resin to keep things on the straight and narrow, if Percy needed a stern talking to the scarred woman was the lady for it.

Whilst it was true his concerns were fair and valid he was, perhaps, a little too eager to start complaining. Thus far no one had taken advantage of the Hallow's hospitality but if that day ever came then from the sounds of it the Aegis would have it covered. And if not she had a few warriors at her disposal, Askan would gladly bite someone on the arse to get them on their merry way.

"Will do." Though now he was talking he found he wasn't ready to stop.  "Though I gotta ask where did you come up with the idea for this place? Most packs I know are pretty self serving." It was then he sat down, curling his tail around his haunches as he squared his shoulders.

The earthen man settled himself. It appeared that he wanted to take their chat further. In time, he asked the question that others had already asked her. It seemed that wolves were surprised when a woman of action with a past of extreme violence chose to settle down into the life of... well.. she would never call herself a pacifist. The maned fae exhaled lightly. "I'm getting old. The joy of battle has begun to lose its appeal." A gentle breeze moved in, swirling the trails of steam into the air. Resin watched this for a moment before continuing. "I've always been a natural protector of the weak. As an agent of war, I am sympathetic to the specific needs of other warriors. Creating a place for the tired and damaged to feel safe and grow old seemed like something that others might be interested in." A slightly mischievous glint entered the woman's lone eye. "Besides, I've never been good at living under the rule of another. It was time to make my own way once more." Black ears flicked forward as she addressed the intent of the younger wolf. "And you, Askan. Why are you here?" She was sure that finding a place for Percy wasn't the only reason. "Speech"

The corners of Askan's lips ticked up a bit at the mention of her old age. At least she was aware. In a sense though he could kind of see where she was coming from, after a lifetime of war and strife didn't it make sense for her to want something else? To heal instead of hurt, to nurture instead of tear down. It was a big change though she seemed to be adapting well, perhaps it was because this was something she had wanted to do all along and had only just realised it recently. Either way, he was glad it was Resin. That she had a good head set upon her shoulders, wise and savvy so that loners couldn't take advantage of her generosity. Probably. Hopefully. From what he'd seen her idea had proved popular so far and more would soon be at their borders, asking to be let in.

At her question his lips pursed. Now wasn't that a good question. He should have considered it sooner really, but it was one of those things he pushed to the back of his head. Out of sight, out of mind.


"Mostly for Percy, to be honest. She was having a rough time and- well I've been a loner for a while and it wasn't working for me. Sort of felt like I had nothing to do, nowhere to go." His words were softer, more earnest than he'd anticipated and he found himself scowling in an attempt to save some face. "Just happened to hear your call really, happy coincidence." There was another concern he had though, more of a gripe really. "I couldn't help but notice though, the south is sort of...packed. Is that normal for Boreas? Where I come from, if a pack settles anywhere near close your territory it's more or less a declaration of war."

Askan seemed to be one of those wolves that acted tough, but had a soft inner center. He claimed that his joining was mostly for Percy, but he went on to say that he'd lived too long as a loner. She knew how that was. When she didn't run her own pack, the giantess spent her time alone in the wild. It wore down the soul. Each time she went off on her own, it was harder to be sociable when she returned to civilization, so to speak. If Askan was going to be earnest with her, she would reward that show of feeling. "You and Percy will have homes with me for as long as you wish. You needn't worry about being alone until you choose to be." It was an easy promise to make. She quite liked the gruff little man. His next question brought a huff and a chuckle. It was pretty crowded here and, honestly, it was something that she didn't like. There was a reason for calling this place home, but she didn't feel as though it would be a permanent home. "We're allied with the Armada as I have family there. Abaven on the other side is a very friendly pack so I don't mind having them nearby. But..." the ashen woman shrugged. "I prefer seclusion. This was simply a move of convenience. With the coming of spring, we may very well move. I suspect we might lose some members, but it's a risk I'll take." Already she had a location in mind, but she wouldn't share her plans until she discussed it with Tamsyn and the wolves that didn't yet know were her council. "Speech"