The early evening sky overhead was rich with oranges and reds as the day began to draw to a close just as he was finishing up his last patrol of the day. Their new home was slightly easier to patrol since there was far less slopes and hills to deal with and there was no river to cross, but it was more spread out and made the patrol longer over all so he supposed there was a trade off between the two. At least the weather here was much more mild than the winter that Boreas was weathering this year. At this point he was willing to accept any small blessings he noticed and try to find some kind of joy in them.

He reached the center of the Starlit Plains on his way back to the castle and paused, turning to look back toward the sunset behind him. His pups would be expecting him back before they went to sleep so he couldn't linger here long, but it was still nice to take the small moment of silence as he watched the sun continue to set. Eventually he resigned himself to staying here long enough to see the brilliant stars that always put on such a show out here and settled onto his haunches to wait, rolling his shoulders as he tried to relax with a heavy sigh.

His trip to the Lazuli Falls had helped in the end and he felt less weighed down by his own grief, but the gap he felt in his life was still undeniable. After spending so much of his life alone, having someone to share it with had been a welcome change. He didn't want to admit it, but he was lonely with Azariah gone. At the same time, thinking of filling that hole was still far too painful. It put him into a situation with no real solution and felt like a nagging thorn in his side.

With a slight shake of his head, he pushed the conflicting thoughts out of his mind tried instead to focus on the shifting, slowly darkening colors of the sky in front of him.

Walk | "Talk" | think

Walk | "Talk" | Think
Aranea still hadn't found the time to to become social around the pack. She was more worried about other things, like her family back home in Boreas. She still tried her best to pull her weight by gathering herbs and catching what small prey she could. She definitely didn't want to let Resin and her pack down. It was important for her to find and know her place in the pack, and she wasn't willing to just throw in the towel and give up. Of course there was always her family back in Abaven to fall back on, even if Theory didn't have room inside the pack to house her.

She was on her way back from scouting around the territories for herbs, but it seemed some others had the idea of coming to Auster in search of resources. So when she came across some of the local herbs nearby, she would just leave them be. It was at least good to know where they were hiding if anything else.

The sun was setting off the coast, which was just off the other side of the castle, the plains darkening under it's shadow but the silhouette was always breathtaking no matter how many times she laid eyes on it. She took a moment to admire, and just as she relaxed to start her short journey back to her room inside the castle, she would notice that a pack member had the same idea. Or perhaps, his thoughts drifting as he saw the sun setting. It was a scene to make deeper thoughts cross any mind.

She gently went to approach him, if anything just offering to take the walk back home together. It would be more strange to ignore the friendly company of her pack mate than to offer her own. With tiny steps towards the monstrous man, she wouldn't hinder him as threatening. Maybe just a year ago she would have, but not anymore inside the protection of the pack. Her nose reached out in greeting, though she could feel the hidden, or maybe not so hidden harsh feelings that dwelled inside him. The news of Azariah and one of the children wasn't something loud amongst the pack, but it was heard. "Ulric," She spoke as if she didn't really know him because she didn't only his name from Tamsyn and the occasional passing by she noticed. Aranea was quite observant while quiet, but she wanted to change her silence to make her friendliness and welcoming known. "We haven't properly met, I'm Aranea." She wouldn't go forward to the castle until he was ready himself, though she didn't intend to stay out in the plain all night. "Are you fairing well?" Her questioning about the abandonment by his mate she tried to keep hidden and only wanted to ask generally, all out of the kindness of her heart. But if he could sense the slight uneven tone in her voice, she could only hope it wasn't offensive to the man who may have wanted to stay and look as strong and independent as he still appeared to be.

An accented, feminine voice caught him off guard as it pulled him from his deep, contemplating thoughts. The greeting made his ears perk and his head turn away from the view as he looked down at the far smaller woman that had approached him, blinking a couple times with surprise. He hadn't noticed anyone else out here, but he also hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings so that was no surprise. "Oh, yes... Hello, Aranea," he rumbled in return when she introduced herself, giving her a soft smile. He had seen her around the pack fairly often so her face wasn't unfamiliar even though they hadn't directly spoken yet. Even though he already knew that she was one of the healers, he could have guessed it right away from her kind expression and the way she approached him so carefully.

When she questioned how he was doing, his smile faltered for a heart beat before he was able to regain the expression. He did try his hardest to maintain an even keeled, calm demeanor on the surface when he was around others, but he wasn't entirely sure what he had looked like while he was staring off into space letting himself get lost in his thoughts. "I'll be okay," he replied after a moment, repeating the response that he had given when Resin had asked a similar question. He wasn't sure how long it would take for him to recover, but one day he would. Whether that day would come when Azariah returned or when his heart finally moved on was still to be determined.

He glanced away from her toward the ground for a moment while he tried to form some kind of coherent thought before finally just settling on, "Would you join me?" He motioned to the spot beside him before looking back up at the sunset, the sky just beginning to darken enough that the first glimpses of the moon and stars were beginning to be visible. There was a long moment of thoughtful silence, his brow creasing as he tried to find some way to summarize how he was feeling before finally deciding it was impossible. He had experienced grief so often that it had become an old friend in his life and the last thing he wanted to do was bring others in to his pain, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't nice to have someone with him for a moment.

"It's not my first hardship and I'm sure it won't be the last," he assured her, shifting his silver gaze toward her again as a sad smile touched his lips.

Walk | "Talk" | think

Walk | "Talk" | Think
Aranea didn’t know Ulric very well, but honestly if they had met outside without any knowledge of the struggle he was going through, she probably would have overlooked his behavior and tones and not noticed a pain beyond his masked feelings.

"Of course." she gave him a gentle smile before lightly padding up beside him to watch the sky as the stars formed over a red and deep blue sky. It made her wonder why she ever left Auster after her discovery, because though Boreas may have had the same kind of sunsets, here in Auster it always seemed more beautiful. "The Auster sky never gets old."

As they admired the sky she dwelled in her own thoughts, the thoughts of how much she felt she had changed in even just the last year. The help of Allegro and her children played a big part in her new awakening, though she tried hard to be a better wolf after she joined The Hallows. She was so drowned in her depressed feelings of what happened ages ago, and it felt so great to be out of that pit of despair. She wouldn’t say Ulric was there where she was, or even on the dark journey to the pit, but she certainly didn’t wish her sorrows on anyone else. Because she lost herself in all those years she blamed herself.

His reply after a long moment of silence seems to be what she feared, she was growing to look at the better side of things opposed to the bad. She didn’t want to think that she had to suffer through another tragedy, but if she was really honest with herself she felt the same every day. When would her children resent her for not staying and raising them? When would Allegro? It was difficult for her to imagine, and honestly she tried to push the feelings so far back it was like her family nearly didn’t exist unless she was with them. If she thought hard about these feelings, she would go back to her ways before. Maybe there was more wrong with her than just depression.

"I’d like to say I hope she comes back, but I don’t know you or Azariah very well." it was true, something could have happened between them or perhaps Azariah had some unfinished business somewhere or maybe some kind of ailment like Aranea. Maybe even Ulric didn’t know. There was no sense prodding the matter. "My mate abandoned me and stole our son away. If anything I’d like you to know I understand a sense of how you feel and you are not alone." She wouldn’t tell him this is what Azariah has done to him, only share what she was tired of hiding from others. They seemed to have a bit in common relating to their experience. Though Ulric was put together a lot better than Aranea was, at least through his mask. Was it because he was a man? Or maybe it was the support of the rest of the pack or his other children? She may never know. Being older and more realized may have helped Aranea, because she was not used to these hardships back when they happened, as Ulric felt.

Ulric nodded quietly in agreement when Aranea mentioned that she hoped that they would return. He had a feeling that he would always have that wish, even if some day he managed to heal his heart enough to love another. It was strange feeling so hopeless and desperate to have them back while also feeling betrayed at the same time. That wasn’t a feeling he had let himself address since he was still so far into denial that Azariah would ever leave him on purpose, but that possibility stung more than any of the others his over active imagination had come up with.

A frown took the place of that sad smile when the lady beside him admitted that her mate had left and taken their son, his brows pulling together with sympathy. After experiencing a similar scenario he could confidently say that it wasn’t something he’d wish upon his worst enemy. "I’m sorry that happened to you," he replied solemnly, looking thoughtful as he added, "But... thank you for telling me. It’s nice to know there is someone else that knows what this feels like." He hesitated, glancing down at the ground between them. "I just... I wish I knew they were okay. If I just knew they were okay that would be enough. Even if Azariah did leave on her own accord... I just want to know they’re not hurt."

He glanced back at the sky, seeing the stars more clearly now that the darkness of night had begun to fully settle over Auster. "I need to be getting back," he mentioned with a sigh, pulling himself to his paws. "My pups will be expecting me... and gods know they won’t actually get to sleep until I make them." He chuckled softly as he turned toward the castle and glanced back down at Aranea. "Would you like to walk with me?"

Walk | "Talk" | think

Walk | "Talk" | Think
His thought of sympathy for her was touching, considering that she wanted to make this more about his feelings since it happened so recently. And Aranea didn't want things to be all about her, at least anymore. Back in the day when she was falling in love with Tyranis to the point of his abandonment she was very selfish to her own feelings. She had always been giving to him though, and a few other men in her life, but still when Tyranis abandoned the pack she was too drowned in her own sorrows to care for Nuada and it seemed to throw her daughter into a harsh outcome. "I'm a strong believer that everyone goes through hardships in different ways, so I don't want you to believe that we should feel the same way or that I had it harder than you." It was a genuine, gentle statement, and one she felt true to herself now. "I can understand whatever feelings you may have though, and if there was anyway I could know more to help you, I would." Aranea was an avid traveler, and she wished it was as easy as knowing where Azariah and Everlyse were heading. And she was sure Ulric would have liked to track them too, but unfortunately he had more than his mate and one of their children to care for now. It definitely took a sting at Aranea's own heart to think so. At least Allegro and her children knew where she was rather than the other.

The night had settled and Ulric would state he would have to get back to put his kids to bed, "I do understand." She would chuckle slightly, remembering the early nights after her birth in Abaven. Hearing Ulric needing to care for his children made her think of Allegro and how he had taken the difficult task of raising their children on his own. But Ulric seemed to be doing well with it given the circumstances, and though Aranea missed her children dearly, she was growing out of the feeling of needing to be with them everyday. She would be truly unaware of any hurt feelings that Allegro or her kids may have had towards her, even though her and Allegro had talked about her coming back to stay in Abaven.

Ulric offered the walk, and Aranea would move a leg forward to agree, "Of course." Her small grin turning away as they moved forward together. "My room is always open if you need to talk. And I don't ever mind helping to watch your children if you need a break."

Ulric believed that the life put certain individuals in his path at just the right time and this conversation with Aranea was just what he needed. He had been on an upswing after his trip to the falls and his conversation with Resin, but tonight he could feel himself slipping backward. It was helpful to be reminded that he wasn't as alone as he felt and to make another connection here in the pack. He knew that he could go to Resin or Tamsyn if he really needed help, but at the same time he didn't want to burden them when they already had so many to care for. His children did their best to cheer him up, but he didn't want to worry them. If anything, he should be comforting them. There was something to be said about being able to share with someone else that didn't rely on him.

"I appreciate that," he replied to her offer, a slight grin pulling at his lips as well. I'll certainly have to take you up on watching the pups sometime... though they're growing up so fast, they won't need someone to watch them soon enough." It was hard for him to believe that they were just over a season away from their first year. Time was flying by even though it felt like just yesterday that he was watching them being born. They walked in silence for the most part, but it was a comfortable silence that he didn't mind in the slightest. When they neared the castle his gaze catching hers again. "Thank you again... If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He stepped inside the castle and started making his way down the wing where he had his children lived, wearing a soft smile on his lips for the first time in a while.

-exit-

Walk | "Talk" | think

Walk | "Talk" | Think
Ulric seemed to be the kind of guy to hide his hurt feelings well, or even someone that could convince himself that he was fine when anyone going through his situation certainly wasn’t. Perhaps his remaining children gave him life and allowed him to live day by day and he also had the pack depending on him in some ways on top of that. It may or may not have been overwhelming to say the least, but keeping busy was the key to ignore what could hurt him.

Aranea would be in the same boat soon enough, the time flying too fast while she was away from her children. She was missing all the good stuff in their lives, and soon they would be hunting on their own and finding love and making ranks in the pack. She’d be lying if she didn’t say she wanted to be there to see all of it, and while her and Ulric may have been avoiding sad feelings about their life outside of their children, her face through the darkened night as they concluded their walk into the castle would lean more toward a slight saddened frown.

As they came to the courtyard though, and Ulric would give a farewell for the night, she pulled off a small grin with a nod before heading off to her own room. Hopefully she could get her pups back off her mind and try to sleep a little. Sleeping already hadn’t come easy to her and noticing Ulric and his children would keep her mind in the thoughts of Allegro and her own.

-exit Aranea-