He was old. Every time he thought of the season change making him a year older he visibly cringed. He'd never really gave age much thought when he was a kid. As a pup he'd just wanted to grow so he could become as accomplished as his father had been. He'd had goals to rise within the ranks of Celestial and prove himself a capable hunter and warrior. Then he'd watched Creed get murdered before his very eyes and not long after Talis had raided Celestial. He wasn't sure how long the pack had lasted after he'd been taken, but he knew that it wasn't standing now from the intel Sirius had given him. Where had the Ancora family disappeared to? He supposed all over the ends of Boreas, but perhaps they had left altogether like he had? He had been weak. Leaving had been easier to do than stay and face the fact he'd had an absent mother and a dead father. Now... well he felt like he hadn't gotten anywhere with his life. Living in Armada had helped ease some of those thoughts for a time, but now they were back with full force. It was mostly on the lonely days like these where he had no company other than his own mind that he found the thoughts assaulting him. The silence made him long for his dead mate, absent children, and the one who went missing. He had tried so hard to search for his daughter, but with the illness of his mate and others to care for, it had been hard. So hard. Now he was left with nothing but his own strength to keep pushing forward. There were some days where he wondered why he even bothered. Who did he have left worth staying for? To get away from his own head he'd headed out past the borders of the Armada. The pack meeting had brought a flood of feelings back that he hadn't been prepared to deal with. Rather than stay and face them he decided to preoccupy his time with exploring. He hadn't gotten to know much of Boreas the last time he'd been on the continent and he aimed to rectify the situation before he was too old to do so. He let his paws lead the way with no particular destination in site. A part of him wanted to track down Celestial's old lands to see if anyone was there, but he was uncertain if he wanted to face if that had changed as well. He wasn't sure how much of that he could take. So instead he came to rest under a small lonely tree as he stared out at the expanse of snow covered fields. By now they should have been covered in grasses, shrubbery, and flowers, but winter just didn't quite want to let go it seemed. Just one more change he had to deal with. Walk, "Talk" Think

Greed had been idle the past season, or so he felt. He'd been making sure the pack was stocked with what little food he could find, but Spring had been harsh, particularly in the North. With the male getting older, and Avalon gone...her children grown...he felt he was losing a sense of purpose. The woman who he nearly chose as a mate had vanished some years ago, and now he was...lost, in a sense. He was one of Incendium's best fighters, and his years of experience and wisdom were all he really had. But nobody to really share it with. He often kept to himself, only really offering himself to Avalon and her kin. They were his family, after all. Avalon had taken him under her wing when his own blood family had abandoned him. But now...? He didn't know what to do with himself. So he took off to do a bit of soul searching. And for a change of scenery. He wasn't sure where he was headed, but his paws would carry him South...perhaps (and subconsciously), to old haunts. The journey to nowhere was slow with all the snow that still clung to the ground, but he wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. Ignis had been informed he was taking off for a few days, but beyond that? He had no obligations to anyone else these days. Mismatched paws carried him quietly across the lands, icy blue eyes keeping an eye out for any more unusual creatures. But what he found wasn't something unusual, but it also wasn't someone familiar. He supposed he could walk past the black and white wolf, but since his own mind had been lost in thought, he hadn't exactly been paying attention enough to have been able to give a wider berth. His path led pretty close to the male, so he supposed he had no choice but to pass him. That and...maybe a little conversation wouldn't hurt. But what he was curious about as well was a vague scent that he was picking up...not the pack scent, but the blood that ran in his veins...as he neared and saw the man's face, he couldn't help the feeling that he had seen him before...but wasn't sure where, or when. "Sitting here for the scenery?" He quipped as he slowed to a stop. "Talk"

Valor was lost to the confines of his own mind as he stared out and the landscape before him. He wasn't really observing the visuals and instead it seemed as though flashes of his life played like a movie before him. Today seemed like a day to go through past regrets and failures and beat himself up over them. Was it a healthy thing to do? Probably not, but being left alone with only his thoughts as company had left him in this state. He couldn't seem to shake it either. His biggest regret in life had certainly been leading Creed to his ultimate demise. It hadn't been intentional when he'd trekked north without the older man, but he'd still done it all the same. Creed had of course followed him and met his death against the woman who'd attacked his child. Valor still held the scars to his neck from that encounter. They'd faded over time as his fluffy fur eventually did a good job of covering them, but they were still visible if his fur was shifted around enough. It was a painful reminder that his actions had consequences. It was lesson he'd remember to his grave. He missed his mate the most. After suffering through losing both his parents young, she had been the one comfort that brought the life back to his life. They'd had such a cute little family together. There were times when he'd think it was all just a dream and she'd pop her head out from behind a tree and surprise him. Then reality would remind him that she had passed and without her the rest of his children had left too. Unable to stare at the face of the parent who reminded them too much of what they had lost. Grief effected everyone differently. For them it was easier to leave and get away from the pain of their dead mother and missing sister. For him, he'd wanted to pull them all the closer and never let go. He hadn't forced them though and instead they parted ways, unsure if they'd ever see one another again. These thoughts flitted back and forth in his mind until a voice pulled him back from the place he'd been. His eyes snapped to attention as he stared at the black and white colored male. A feeling that he knew this wolf from somewhere nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite recall from where. His brows knit together as he tried to figure it out, barely registering that a question had been asked. "Forgive me, my mind was elsewhere." He murmured a soft apology. "I mostly just came here to sit and think." When he looked at it he supposed it was a nice place to do so, with the large field covered in snow. "I'm Valor Ancora." He introduced himself. "And you look familiar. Have we met before?" Walk, "Talk" Think