After arriving at the mines Ignatius had decided to settle the group there temporarily so that Cen could rest and he could regroup and attempt to clean himself up a bit, the mud still being thick in his pelt was probably going to lead to his wounds getting infects if he didn't deal with it after all. They'd stood at the entrance for a while, unmoving, before his companion gave him a knowing look and suggested he remain at the entrance while she had a look around. Ig has nodded his assent with a silent look of thanks, settling himself down only just inside the mouth of the mine and waiting with Cendrillion until the gelada returned with a pelt and some old cloth she'd scrounged from an abandoned temporary den inside and set up a little nest for the weary pup.

Once he was fairly sure she was asleep and nothing was nearby, neither predator nor prey, Ignatius relaxed a bit and set to work cleaning his fur to reveal the extent of his injuries and deal with them. His companion sighed audibly as she helped, pulling away clumps of drying dirt and inspecting the wounds with a shake of her head. "You should have been more careful, look at this mess, you'll be lucky to not die of infection you know," she tutted, causing him to wince as she felt none too carefully through his fiery pelt. "Ouch! Some doctor you are," Ig huffed back. The pair bickered for a while as the sun set and eventually settled in to sleep. They didn't have the herbs to treat anything at the moment and Ignatius didn't feel like testing his limited medicinal knowledge at night.

When dawn broke the next day he was up before the first rays peeked over the horizon, continuing to wash his fur in the still silence before the bird were even beginning to chirp their good mornings. He'd taken the opportunity to sit and muddle through his own thoughts before there was any other activity to disrupt him. Sleep hadn't come easy so he was only barely awake as he stewed on what to do next. Sou had mentioned Aurielle, he knew he'd heard that correctly, though he wasn't sure why. Lengthy consideration and straining of his memory yielded the vague recollection that she'd been the leader of a pack. What the pack was called or where it was remained beyond his grasp and he couldn't say why her particular pack might've been the one Sou had wanted to go to. Taking Cen there would perhaps keep alive the fantasy that they'd follow her father's instructions and he might one day return to her, though Ignatius struggled with whether or not that was a good thing. Lying to her, even if she was but a child, didn't feel very right. He also didn't feel terribly equipped to be her guardian and wasted a good few minutes wishing anything else might have happened that left Souzan with his daughter to raise her. The little girl didn't need him failing her on top of whatever else she'd gone through. Given that there was no sign of a mother or siblings Ignatius suspected that the family legacy of a series of misfortunes was still running on to the next generation.

When Arusi came to join him he remained quiet, the pair seemingly silently agreeing to continue assessing his injuries when it was light enough. And so they did, and it wasn't pretty by any means. "Ignatius," huffed the worried gelada. "Oh hush, there was nothing different that could have been done - I was too slow, but at least Lucien is dead." With that light-hearted exchange, Arusi took note of the damaged leather around his neck and set to work removing it. As she peeled the torn remains of the armor away and sent the smell of dried blood wafting through the air, she pulled at the fur and suddenly pushed his muzzle upwards, first startling Ig before he jerked a paw upwards and his shoulders stiffened in pain. "Ow, for fuc-" "Youre an idiot, look at the swelling, gods above, who is going to fix you huh?" snapped his friend with a toothy grimace. Okay so he knew that he'd been bitten there but he hadn't realized the wound was apparently that bad. "It's fine Arusi," he insisted, you know, like a lying fool, "But since you're so worried about it here, I'll go outside and see if theres any herbs just laying around until we can move, okay?" and before he could get a response he jumped to his paws and limped his way out. If she was arguing he ignored it and continued moving unevenly away from the mouth of the mine and out through the mountain hills a little way. Nevermind that he was no healer, he really just didn't want to be fussed over all morning until the kid woke up and he didn't want to talk to Arusi about how he felt about the last few weeks of his life, much less the last two days, either. Search for herbs unsuccessful, he'd just settle near enough the mine to spot any trouble and rest in peace for a while. He needed to take any chances to simply exist and process things that he could get now that he wasn't isolated.

Bronze couldn't deny that the return of Incendium's leadership had made him think a little differently about things. Of course his parents had always ingrained in him the importance of respect, but more than that they stressed that personal autonomy was the most important thing, above all else. Protecting oneself, and one's family, was more important than anything else. He had no doubt his siblings shared the same sentiments, and his sister Onyx speaking out at the meeting only further proved his point - they were training perfectly fine on their own. They didn't need a pack to encourage them, or protect them.. did they? He knew his mother stressed the importance of staying in a pack of like minded wolves but he wondered if they really needed to stay here forever, or if there was more out there they should be seeing. Well - he knew there was plenty more, but her words of warning echoed in his mind. It was safe here, and not everywhere was safe, but Oki's words still echoed through his head from time to time.

'It's like they all read off the same script, if ya ask me.' Maybe he was right about that, but he knew his mom wouldn't lie to him just for the sake of it. The world was dangerous - but at what point was the danger worth the risk? It was a question he knew he wouldn't find an answer to anytime soon. And though he wouldn't pretend to know what he should do, he couldn't deny the slight hint of wanderlust that had begun to settle in his soul. Soon the snow would return in full force and traveling would become more difficult, and he was happy to take advantage of the mild weather while he still could. He'd stolen away from his family before they could notice, and he'd headed south just before dawn broke. He didn't go far, but truthfully he hadn't gone farther than this before. He was cautious about the trail he was taking, keeping an eye on the horizon as the sun slowly rose above it and cast a brilliant cascade of color across the sky. As long as he remembered the orientation of the sun and the direction it was heading, he'd be able to find his way back home, no matter how far he went - at least that was what he was telling himself.

Large paws carried the oversized boy through the hilly landscape, no real goal in mind for his little adventure today. By the time he neared the entrance to the mines, the sun had begun to rise. It was a lovely sight, casting long shadows down all around him, and he paused to take in a deep breath of air. The faint breeze brought with it the smell of a stranger, which wasn't surprising given that he was fairly far from home. Blue eyes scanned his surroundings, trying to assess if he might be in any danger. These were free lands, not claimed by anyone, at least that was what his nose told him - but around strangers he was always wary. He moved more slowly and carefully now, poised as if ready to flee at a moment's notice. Only when a fiery red coat appeared through the underbrush did Bronze freeze, examining Ignatius from a far before making his presence known - accidentally, as he took another step and heard the unmistakable crack of a branch snapping beneath a paw. Dammit.

Eyes sliding shut briefly, Ignatius was happy to take a moment to just breathe. In the open air he was more comfortable than he'd been even sitting in the mine entrance, and comfort was hardly a term he'd been using for the past... Years? He wasn't sure he wanted to dwell on how many of those had slipped by now, it was all too painful. Heart twinging in his chest he'd take a steadying breath and let it out slowly, trying to let his worries go with it and ultimately failing. For some time he'd had no decisions available to him to be made, and now all of a sudden it seemed like he'd faced more than he knew what to do with. If it wasn't for the reassuring - if sometimes overbearing - presence of Arusi he was fairly sure he'd have fallen apart by now. Whatever wolf was removed from Boreas way back when, Ignatius found himself doubting that the same had returned. It was to be expected, but it left a massive knot in his gut as he finally found himself asking - how had she changed?

The pit that started to grow in the middle of his being and swallow him inch by inch in a void of indecipherable but unpleasant emotions beckoned, threatening to devour him in one clean motion. It wasn't unexpected that he'd let his mind jump to the natural conclusions - it had been a very long time. Whether or not it was a voluntary departure, no one knew the truth and they'd probably all think he abandoned them. Why wouldn't she move on?

Fate was a funny thing, and Ignatius was convinced thoroughly that it was real in an instant when a snap of a nearby branch alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone. Red and blue eyes opened and flicked towards the noise, his breath catching when he caught sight of a frosty blue-pelted child. All he could see was blue, the color had drained from the rest of the world in an instant while his mind froze on the image that greeted him. Forgetting to breathe, Ignatius carefully glanced over the young wolf before he forced his body to relax. When exactly had he gone so stiff? Shaking his head, he chastised himself for letting his mind get clouded so. This kid could have come from anywhere, just because he reminded Ig of Kirsi was no reason to lose his composure.

"Hello there," Ig eventually managed to offer, just a bit hesitantly and without really moving. "Out seeing the sights?"

Independence was something he'd been taught early on and he was content to stretch the limits of his freedom now that he was able. He could fend for himself no matter where he went - that was the main thing his parents had taught him. Knowing how to protect himself was more important than anything else in life. No other aspect of survival was as important. Though he knew his mother had lived a troubled life he'd never pried too much, not for lack of caring but simply because he was busy with other things - like beginning to explore the world at his own pace. He'd always make his way back to Incendium and to his family, at the end of the day, but in the meantime there was so much to see. And this stranger certainly fit the bill for interesting sights. He reminded him of the red kids back home, but this guy's coat was even brighter somehow. He knew his own could be quite striking when compared to the plain coats of other wolves but at least he could blend in sometimes. This stranger had no such luck. Bronze frowned a bit when he took a wrong step and alerted the stranger to his presence, instinctively stiffening. "Hello," he answered plainly after a moment. Every sense was on high alert, making sure no one else was nearby. Call it paranoia but when he ran into other wolves he was worried about getting ambushed somehow. His parents had never made it a secret that the world was a cruel place, and strangers could never really be trusted - and sometimes even when you got to know people they turned on you. Maybe they were harsh lessons to teach a kid, but they'd stuck with him, echoing through his head now. "Uh… yeah," came his answer, as monotone as could be. Though he was certainly a child he was not quite so young he couldn't be on his own, and he spoke like a yearling might, despite clearly not being one. "You're injured?" He took another sniff at the air, testing his scent and trying to uncover what had happened to him, though it was impossible given the space between them. Warily Bronze took a small step closer, maintaining a safe distance still.

A slight chill ran through the fire-pelted wolf, causing him to shiver ever so slightly, chalking it up to the cooling weather as winter was fast approaching. It had been a long while since he'd gotten to enjoy the snowy winters here, he suspected he'd not enjoy it as much as he had before if he was being honest. 'Hello' Came the short reply. Not a big talker? That was fine, Ignatius was the same when he was younger, usually until an overly enthusiastic Sephira showed up to drag him out of his shell.

Settling as much as he could on the cold ground above the mine he cast a glance over his own still matted fur when the boy asked him if he was injured. For a moment Ignatius tensed, his mind automatically suspicious of the query, but he soon relaxed again. Of course the scent would be obvious. Casting a glance skyward Ignatius sighed, "Yeah little bit. I've been informed I might need a healer eventually." That might be putting it lightly, he really wasn't looking too hot if Arusi was to be believed but he preferred to lean a little more in the camp of hoping she was overreacting. At least until he had a plan and they started moving again, but, that was a later issue.

The temptation to drop a 'you should see the other guy' sort of comment was present but his better judgement said maybe this kid didn't need the full gist of what happened given the 'other guy' was rotting in a muddy depression somewhere slightly south of them and that wasn't really first chat content.

Something about this stranger intrigued him, though Bronze couldn't quite discern why. His coat alone definitely stood out - he'd never seen anyone with such intricate markings before, from the fiery coat to the icy markings that covered the left wide of his face. Briefly he was fixated on him, unblinking for a long moment as he studied him from afar. "That'd probably be a good idea," he agreed quietly. Perhaps if he was a nicer wolf, or he'd come from a nicer family, he might offer him some help... and while he knew his parents would help this stranger if Bronze asked them to, he simply didn't feel compelled to, at least not yet. Who knew what kind of person he might be? Perhaps his injuries had been well-deserved, Bronze couldn't be certain either way. "What happened, then? Some kind of fight?" His tone had that same levelness to it, tinged with slight curiosity but little else. Bronze wanted to train to be a fighter, and the more he thought of it, maybe it'd be useful to know some healing basics. It was interesting anyway to think of the different wolves that were out there, and he'd rather be prepared for his future, regardless of what it entailed. Some wolves were just plain bad. He wondered if Ignatius had run into someone like that. "My name's Bronze, by the way." If he was digging for information he certainly wasn't entitled to, he figured he may as well introduce himself.