The trek from the springs to the castle had been long and arduous. They'd taken it slow for the sake of the pups. Resin, Indigo and Ulric pulled the heavy sleigh through the snow and sometimes across dry land. There had been one point where the sled was much too heavy to take down a steep path and so they had to unload everything, take it all to the bottom, and load it again once they were there. More than once on the journey she thought that she was going to have to strangle a pup or two. Gods... she hoped this move was worth it. Resin has send Askan on ahead to prepare their new dwelling. The maned woman had seen the structure on her way into the lands and though she'd spent a single night there, she hadn't had much time to explore. It was the little warriors duty to make sure that there weren't any freeloaders hanging around or predators inhabiting the building. If he couldn't run them off, no doubt his goose could. When it seemed like the journey would never end, Resin could see the tall stone silhouette in the distance. The woman stopped, the cart rolling to a halt behind her. She addressed the pack. "Our new home awaits." Seeing their destination gave her a jolt of energy and she threw her weight into the harness, getting the cart moving once more. It was almost done. They skirted the plains; a long expanse of grass where many different herbivores grazed and played. A very good sign. It seemed that they may have timed their journey well after all. The Hallows had outrun the worst of winter, instead drifting back into cool autumnal temperatures. It was much warmer here than Boreas, but it was still rather chilly. Resin didn't mind one bit. She was just glad to get out of the snow. In time, the group of wolves moved into the vine encased courtyard. Greenery had eaten up much of the lower portions of stone, but the upper bits were still grey and proud. Just like their new ruler. Slipping from the harness, Resin turned to address her wolves. "This is our new home. We will claim both this and the plains that we passed. Learn your new home. Leave your marks. Let none deny that this is Hallowed land." Though exhausted, there was much to be done. The cart needed to be unloaded and the food needed to be placed somewhere cold and safe. Dens would need to be chosen within the stone building. There were so many that each wolf would be able to have their own and then some. It would still allow Resin to provide sanctuary for those in need. They lacked hot springs, but they still had much to offer those that might just need a vacation or a break. Turning to Tamsyn, Resin placed a lick upon the smaller woman's onyx cheek. "My lady," she rumbled softly against her lovers ear, a grin on her maw. "I'll allow you to choose a place for us and for the children." Meanwhile, she would locate a place to store the food. Giving Tamsyn another lick to the cheek, the ash and obsidian woman moved into the castle. "Askan!" she called out, her voice echoing on the stone walls. Far off, she thought she could hear the honking of a goose. "Speech"

The news of the move was definitely worrisome to Aranea, it made her a whole continent away from Allegro and her kids. It made her consider Allegro’s offer to live in Abaven more. But she still wasn’t ready. Maybe if she helped one of the pups or just someone else she could mentor, it would make her feel better before considering bringing up her feelings to Resin or Tamsyn. The Hallows still had Luta who was a wonderful healer with great knowledge, but still Aranea wanted her time here to be worth while to herself and to the pack. Being so tiny she certainly wasn’t good for the brute strength of pulling the cart, so she did all she could otherwise. She helped keep the pups together and keep watch through some of the nights they spent. If anyone needed aid she assisted with that. She really tried to show her worth during the move, especially with her absence while she stayed in Abaven. It was weird having all the wolves moving together as a pack, where as she usually avoided most others as a whole. She didn’t like run at the sight of any of her pack mates but she kept to herself for the most part. She was just working through her own inner demons when she joined. It wasn’t long after she returned that the news came that they were moving to Auster. She would have been more happy if she didn’t have ties back in east Boreas. Though if she had never met Allegro and birthed a new litter, she probably wouldn’t have been very happy after all. When they reached the castle, the pack would start to settle in their new territory. Aranea would go to help unload some of the lighter meats or herb stacks that were loaded on the sled. She would then find Sota with a quick sigh and a small grin, "You want to check out the castle together after everything is put together?" Walk "Talk" Think

Dunkan felt neutral with this thing of the move of territory, yes he was somehow curious to see how did the new lands looked like. This was his first time visiting Auster but yet he didn't got to feel anything beyond that. He followed in silence from the group's tail, being there to guard them if that could be explained as that. He just wants used to walk besides others, sometimes he just preferred to walk on his own space but close enough to be talked to. They arrived to the castle, Dunkan looked up impressed but of course, he didn't comment about it. Urasa stood by his side and now a new partner flew around him. A red-tailed hawk had joined forces with them. He looked up. And Kaira the hawk flew down landing near him atop a stone. "Kaira please watch out for any danger." The Hawk nodded and flew off. Meanwhile Dunkan just waited to catch up with the group. "Speak"

Stock by Castlegraphics

Avantika had followed the Hallows--her Hallows--all the way to their new home. It had been a long way, but she had been determined to show that she could keep up. And through determination alone they had made it. Every time the rowdier pups had irritated Resin definitely didn't help. Most of the time, she could convince herself that she was safe, but that couldn't stop the fact that any sign of anger from anyone sent hot chills of fear down her spine. Her instinct was to freeze and fawn. It always had been. But every time, she had shoved that impulse down and continued walking, even if she started creeping a little bit further from the pack at some points, some subconscious guide making sure she was always far enough away to run. She was tired of being a rabbit, scared equally of people and being without them. Her eyes brightened as they finally reached their destination. She was exhausted despite the slow pace, and couldn't tell how much of it was mental. Most of it, she decided, and left it at that. A few moments passed as a few of the adults went about their business. Suddenly a small hawk flew by. Avantika watched as it approached. It came closer. And closer? She ducked as it dove down. She stared. It was perching right on the ground in front of her, its dark eyes looking oddly intelligent. "My dear." A voice, low and elegant like an ice-skating dancer sweeping across the ice. Avantika glanced around, but no one was talking to her. "Wa-was that you?" she whispered, hoping she wasn't going crazy. "Use your inner voice, Avantika!" the voice scolded. "Do you want everybody to hear you?" Avantika frowned. Her inner voice? What could that be? She tried just thinking really hard. "THIS??" The bird flinched, feathers puffing out. "Yes, my dear, but, uh, maybe not--not so loud, next time, okay? It takes finesse, you see, not just brute force. Like talking in general. You don't have to scream to make your voice heard." "Okay." "Avantika telepathy" "Kaata telepathy" "speech"

Askan had never really considered himself to be scout material but Resin had gone and sent him ahead anyway. He'd agreed since he had no interest in helping shepard the pups but after days and days of cleaning and toiling away to make this place at least semi-presentable he well and truly felt as though he'd pulled the short straw. It was hard work and his neck still ached from swishing his makeshift broom about in the never-ending war against dust and cobwebs. But to his credit he'd made quite a lot of progress by the time Resin shouted out for him. Dropping his broom, Askan shot Squanch a dirty look when she attempted to waddle on after him. She could stay here and keep cleaning, thank you very much! Honking in protest Askan expected her to do whatever the fuck she wanted, since that was just how she rolled, but for once she seemed to cut him some lack. Askan counted his lucky stars. His nails clicked against the old cobbled stone as he made his way through the castle, the corridors were thin and narrow, all winding together as they met in the middle of a grand foyer.

"What?" Askan asked, looking more grey than brown thanks to all the dust.

Lúta had taken great care to pack her bag with herbs and supplies. She also took the time to construct a travois for the journey ahead as she had more herbs than could be carried in her pack alone but that was a good sign. The Hallows were well stocked. The journey was a long one, particularly when they hit patches of mud here and there but soon they'd crossed the land bridge into Auster and arrived at their new home. Resin dispersed them and Lúta set off in search of a good place to store the herbs. She hoped to find a cool, dry room that would work for such storage. Slipping out of the travois so she could move more easily she entered the castle. It was a massive and strange stone structure and she sent her companions out to explore. If they split up they could more readily find the best place for herb storage.

Shilah didn't have very much to take with him. He owned few possessions himself so he worked to build a travois to help carry meat and other odds and ends that needed transporting. Ever the explorer, he relished the journey and wished a number of times they could stop and just explore the lands they were passing through. Of course this would have made the journey ten times as long so Shilah just tried to fix places of interest in his memory for later exploration. It was a long journey but eventually they arrived in Auster and then worked their way southward to a vast plain and strange stone structure. Shilah didn't really know what to think of it and he approached cautiously. It was like a cave but stranger and more angular. Likely the work of humans if he had to guess.

Sota was beyond glad for the move, though mainly for his own selfish reasons. Auster was closer to home to him than Boreas ever could be, despite the fact that he'd largely gotten used to the lands he'd explored there. The trek had been long but worthwhile, though he was glad his leg mainly cooperated along the way. By the time they arrived to their new home, Sota was fatigued and limping slightly, though he was sure with a good few days of solid rest he'd be back to normal in no time. The castle in particular intrigued him; he'd explored a similar structure before and he'd quite enjoyed how it felt navigating it, not completely unlike tree-climbing. He'd definitely make an effort to explore the castle sooner rather than later. The grasslands were less exciting for him though he was sure they were plentiful with prey and would prove a valuable territory for the pack as a whole.

He found himself grinning as they halted inside the courtyard. He'd likely find somewhere to den that was higher up away from the others, perhaps harder to reach and thus more secluded. He didn't want to be worried about infringing on anyone else's space, either. Considering this as he moved to help unload some of the smaller items near Aranea, he nodded at her question. "I'd love that. I might need to rest a few days before doing any more.. extensive exploration, but we can certainly go see the lower floors!" Climbing was out of the question at this exact moment but he had no qualms about exploring the sections closer to the ground, definitely intrigued about this structure.

She had been entirely confident about making the move to the castle... that was until they actually began the move. Keeping the pups contained was a pawful on a normal day, much less when they were making the move to a whole different continent. With the help of Blue and Resin's jackals she was able to keep an eye on them fairly well, but not without a few hard, disapproving glares and a bit of scolding when one of them would get tempted to wander off or go chasing after something interesting. It was slow moving and by the time they actually reached the castle she felt a bit frazzled, but seeing their new home did make it feel worth it. The structure was grand and the lands around it felt open and welcoming. They wouldn't have the worry that having so many other packs near by brought and there also wasn't going to be the constant worry over one of their pups falling into the river and getting themselves into trouble. It was always an adjustment whenever she moved somewhere else, but at least the benefits justified the effort.

Tamsyn grinned when Resin licked her cheek, giggling softly as she leaned up to give a little lick to her love's nose in return. "Alright, my love. Hopefully we can find a place that's to your satisfaction," she teased, knowing how high of a standard Resin had for where she lived. The gray warrior always crafted such lovely dens so she was curious to see what she would turn this place into. "Don't work too hard. There's nothing that can't be done tomorrow," she added with the same sort of scolding look she would have given one of the children. With that she turned to find the group of (hopefully) worn out fuzz balls, calling to them, "Come on, pups!" She waved with her paw and ushered them further into the castle, her mint gaze sweeping across the interior of the structure and down the halls as she went in search of a room suitable for the lot of them.

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

Artorias had not been happy for the move. He still didn't understand why their family had to leave their home—the only home he had ever known—to move all the way across the world. Sure, he wanted to travel and explore new lands, but he didn't think that would mean giving up his home in the process. Their parens had been deliberately obscure with the information and reasons behind their entire pack's sudden move, but if it required all of them moving at the same time, if must have been pretty serious... whatever it was. This had all happened so fast, he didn't even have time to process the information before they were gone, let alone say goodbye to anyone. Then again, all of his friends existed within the Hallows. Who would miss him? Briar Fatalis, who only seemed to want to annoy him and fight with him any chance she got? If anything, she'd be happy he'd be gone, and he couldn't say he minded the distance either...

So, with quiet reservation and a dour expression, Artorias had packed up his leather armor, slipped his sword around his body, and set off with his family. The trip had been way too long and way too boring. Artorias enjoyed getting to see all the different terrains they crossed over on their way to their new home, taking in the sights they passed as the cold weather had begun to herald some flurries of early winter snow. Once they passed into the southern hemisphere, the snow ebbed away into much more mild weather. It was still cool, but these lands seemed much more like the autumn they had been exposed to back in Boreas.

The pack saw their new home long before they had reached it. Artorias' eyes spotted the behemoth of a castle from across the plains as they headed towards it. Although he was exhausted and his little paws felt like they were going to fall off at any moment, the bright excitement in his wide amber eyes was unmistakable. The closer they got, the more the boy gaped and awed at the humongous stone structure, covered in vines and foliage as the earth attempted to regain the old ruins. Walking through the main gates and into the spacious overgrown courtyard, Art felt as if he were stepping into a fantasy world, wondering just how this place had come to be. Was this all really theirs now?! As if on cue, Tamsyn called for him and his siblings, the pup's eyes still taking in all of the sights of stone walls, glass windows, and weathered statues even as he meandered back towards his mother. This place was incredible! He already couldn't wait to explore all of the rooms and corridors, nooks and crannies of their new home! "Coming, Mama!" he called as he bounced over to follow her.

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

Rudy wasn’t a fan of cold but playing in snow could be fun.  At least it was fun when he had lots of energy to bound about in it frivolously.  Once he started getting tired it was colder and slowed down movement.   Perhaps the easiest way to make sure Rudy behaved himself was just to keep him tired.  He went from bounding all over and attempts to sneak up and pounce on Art and likely countless looks from his mom’s to quietly plodding along for a time.  Rudy had always been about playing and training hard until he crashed afterward.  Did anyone sleep as soundly as a tired out Rudy? Rudy was glad one of his companions was a hawk, easy enough to keep up with them.  His little Tasmanian devil was another story.  At times he carried it, at times it tried to keep up on its own but shortly after that it normally would end up on the sled.  The little guy didn’t weigh too much after all. Eventually, the adrenaline that comes from curiosity and a determined puppy would start bringing him back to life.  He had a bad habit of forgetting to stay with the others as he needed to go look or scent something in the plains grass, only to have moms bring him back in.  He just wanted to look and sniff for a bit!   By the time they arrived at their new home he was feeling the tiredness like a thick blanket trying to smother him.  The sense clashed completely with the curiosity and desire to explore the new setting.  Looking up at Tamsyn with his tail wagging, “Mamma I think Art and I need a second den for uh, brother stuff!” Training, telling secrets, or whatever else came up!  Proof Rudy was tired came in the form of not trying to sell his idea.  The grey pup was just too tired to put any extra effort into thought.  It was nap time.  His eyes skimmed the area for a good spot to crash until the den was picked out. "Rudyard"

Coming up beside the small, dust covered form of Askan, Resin motioned for him to follow. As though she had been here all of her life, the grey woman chose the passageways that would eventually lead her up to the battlements. Once out on the flat plateau of stone, the scarred fae surveyed her new kingdom. "Report," she asked of her wolf. He had been sent along early to make the place habitable and make sure that there were no squatters. Resin had trusted him enough for this important task, though she doubted he saw it as such. The fae's lone golden eye looked out over the sweeping, green lands that she had claimed for them. Not another pack in sight. Even from here she could see prey animals out on the plains nearby. Yes, this place would do well for them all. Resin could see her children growing here. She could see the Hallows thriving. A lot of work needed to be done to fortify the castle, but there would be time to do it. With all of their paws together, they would be able to accomplish it all. The world was theirs. "Speech"

More and more figures flooded the hall, it seemed as though pretty much everyone had managed to make the trip to Auster unscathed. Which was a good thing, he guessed. He lingered on the fringes of the gathering for a moment, watching as the others went off to find their chambers or explore. They all seemed pretty damn excited to check out their new digs but the novelty had already worn off on Askan, understandable since he'd been working his brown rump off since he got here.
Resin told him to report and so he did just that, though his tone of voice made it seem as though he was complaining more than anything else as they wandered through the castle, eventually making their way outside.

"Aside from some pigeons and a shit ton of rats there wasn't anything lurking about when I checked. Couldn't clear them all out but think of it as something for the pups to do. Pest control." He joined Resin as she looked over the wall, barely able to see over the cobbled stone. Fucking stubby legs.  In all seriousness he stood up a little straighter, brows furrowed and lips pulled taut in a frown. "I'll tell you what though, some wolves have been here. Maybe about a week ago, max. One in particular lingered here for a while, had a good look about. Roamed from room to room from the smell of it, but stayed mostly in that big room to the back. Lot of space and really well lit, the walls lined with...wooden things." He had no fucking clue what a library or books were, sue him. Anyway. "She's gone, but there's no telling if she'll ever come back."

Ears swiveled to listen as Askan told her what had been going on with the castle. Birds and rats could be dealt with. The wolf that had been inside the castle could also be dealt with. Now that they ruled this place, there would be none of that. Whoever was here before would never be here again. Not without permission. "Well, if they return, we'll deal with them then." Casting her gaze back towards the small, earthen man, Resin huffed lightly. "Go take a break. You've earned it." Whatever Askan wanted to do to relax, he could very well do. They would be able to take up the responsibility of clearing out the rats and birds. Resin couldn't help but flash a small grin. "Take your goose with you." "Speech"

Askan grunted in acknowledgment. He wasn't worried about it personally, one wolf vs the Hallows didn't stand much of a chance, but the thought of some stranger lurking around when there were kids about didn't sit right with him. For reasons. Any wolf with a nose would realise that their favourite spot had been claimed, that it was no longer open for taking visitors. And if they had a problem with that then they could go and fuck themselves with something sharp and pointy. Resin was damn right in that he deserved a break, a long one at that, for all the work he'd done. The other's could set up their shit in the castle, Askan had very important things to do elsewhere. Like shaking the dust out of his coat.

And for him to take his goose with him...he wasn't sure where the devil bird had gotten to.

"Sure. If you need anything call me." He turned to leave, letting Resin lord over her new kingdom in peace.