Gareth began scouting ahead from his brother, venturing off on his own for a while. They tended to drift apart and eventually find each other again anyway so it wasn't anything unusual for the pair of galactic males. Navy dipped paws carried him up the slope along the falls to where he had begun setting up a bit of a campsite for himself. There were some old dens in the area and he picked one and began to clear out any small limbs and leaves that might have blown into it and making himself a quick bed of thick grasses. Eventually he'd have a fur to lay over it as well with the deer he had caught for himself, he'd just need to finish skinning and prepping the hide first.

For now he focused on preparing a dinner out of the meat he hunted. He could have just eaten it as is and most of the time he did, but since he was on his own with nothing else to do he decided to be a bit extra and prep a treat for himself. He gathered some flavorful herbs and cut some of the venison into smaller pieces, ripping apart the herbs and letting the meat rest with the herbs rolled around the chunks of meat while he gathered some wood for a fire. By the time the sun began to creep toward the horizon and began to paint the falls with hues of oranges and pinks he had a good fire going with the meat sizzling on a flat stone at the edge of it. Occasionally he'd use a stick to move or turn over the pieces of venison as it cooked, but otherwise he just relaxed back into a grassy patch and enjoyed the sunset.

They hadn't been in Boreas for long, but so far he was pretty pleased with the lands he was finding. The mountains further north where they had first passed through weren't all that hospitable, but the further south he went the more lovely it became. Of course he didn't know how Bishop would feel about it, but surely his more headstrong brother couldn't argue with warm, pleasant weather and scenery like this. He waited for his dinner to finish cooking and looked out over the land in the meantime with a little smile on his lips. The only thing that would have made this better would be someone to spend the evening with, but he wouldn't complain too much.

"Gareth Sterling Rhydderch"

Venom was trying to take the advice of Plague and very nearly everyone else she had spoken to since Hattori left her. Take some time for yourself, relax, recover… It all seemed useless when her mind swirled with thoughts of him whenever she was given a quiet moment. For having hit her so hard Tori didn’t deserve all of the headspace she was giving him, but the man had become a part of her. Venom had given him a half of her very soul, and now that he was gone part of her would forever be missing. It hurt, and that pain laced its way thoroughly through her life. The Empress tried in vain to hide it.

Today was difficult, the emotions came and went depending on the day and the hour. White gloved paws carried her out of the white trees of the shrine as the sun began to head towards the horizon. She could come and go as she pleased with Plague looking over the bigger decisions right now. Venom didn’t want to admit her weakness and inability to throw herself completely at her work in the Empire, but it was still there even if she would deny it. She was wounded even if the damage couldn’t be seen from the outside.

Her thin frame weaved through the trees surrounding the falls as the sun began to lower and begin the color show of sunset. Venom would have once stopped to appreciate the beauty, but everything looked so dull now. She kept her wits about her, despite the distractions she was aware of her surroundings. The smell of fire and searing meats caught her attention much easier than the sunset.

Wolves were the only creatures here that thought to cook their meals, and Venom’s paws moved towards the scent instead of away as her mind would have taken her. Her monochrome form emerged from the forest into the grassy meadow that led up to the falls. Her sunset gaze was easily brought to the light of fire and the unfamiliar man working over those flames. When her eyes fell on him she realized she hadn’t thought through her actions very well. Caught between personal desire and politeness. She wanted to turn and go, but the proper lady within coaxed her forward to at least offer a greeting after being spotted.

Venom went to speak but her voice cracked, and after clearing her throat she tried a second time. ”Good evening,” she managed. Venom didn’t expect an invitation, and her demeanor said very clearly she would be on her way after a short polite exchange.

As if the universe was determined to fill his every desire, the sound of paws moving over grass drew his pale gaze upward and he glimpsed a woman slipping though the trees into the clearing he had, at least for a moment, claimed as his own. Their eyes met as she stopped several feet away and he thought that somehow her eyes were reflecting back the sunset, but no, he realized after a beat that her eyes simply embodied the colors of the sky around them. She was a stunning wolf, her colors simple and monochromatic but with delicate, beautiful markings that framed her face and body so well.

While she struggled for a moment to give him a simple greeting, he rolled to his paws and stepped around the fire to face her properly, a warm smile on his lips. “Good evening,” he replied in kind, his voice a gentle baritone. His head dipped in a polite nod as he greeted her, though his friendly gaze never left her face. “I’m Gareth. It’s lovely to meet you…?” he added leaving the space for her to introduce herself if she so wished.

With a glance back at the fire, he told her, “If you haven’t eaten already could I perhaps offer you some dinner? Please, I have far more than I can eat myself. I’m used to preparing dinner for my brother and I, but it’s just me, myself, and I tonight, I’m afraid.” He looked to her curiously, wondering if perhaps he would manage to gain a date for his lone dinner tonight. “If not for the food then perhaps for some company and conversation? Though I promise I’m an excellent chef!”

"Gareth Sterling Rhydderch"

Venom nodded her head slightly in response as the tall man lifted himself to offer a proper greeting. Venom got the feeling his actions were from reflex rather than his knowledge of her rank, he wore a warm grin that normally would have easily drawn her in. Venom unknowingly built a wall that obscured much of the reality around her. Still, he was warm enough to eat through her defenses enough to linger for some small talk as he introduced himself and asked for her name.

Uncertainty filled her, but she filtered the emotions with a curious flick of her forked tongue as she hesitated slightly before giving her name. ”Venom, it’s a pleasure.” She replied almost on auto pilot. How far had she allowed herself to fall? She was glad he was a loner, and wouldn’t be bringing this interaction back to any alphas.

None of her odd behavior seemed to affect his hospitality any, Gareth was swiftly off into the next question and inviting her to his hearth to share the meal he was cooking. Venom had assumed her following the scent was more curiosity than hunger, but before she could decline her stomach gurgled and whined softly. She couldn’t really pinpoint her last real meal.

”If you insist.” She finally relented, trying to remember the reason she was out here to begin with. Taking time to herself, and learning other perspectives. At the least she could talk to what she assumed was a nomad like this. ”It smells very good.” She tried to add after she accepted, and suddenly felt completely outside her element. The Empress, who hadn’t specified her title, tried not to let the cracks beneath show as she awkwardly sat down.


"Venom"

Gareth caught a glimpse of the woman's unusual tongue as it flicked while she seemed to be considering him heavily, but eventually she did give him her name and agree to his offer of dinner so however uncertain she might be he still felt a bit victorious as she came to join him by the fire. He grinned happily, his tail wagging gently behind him. "Wonderful," he said in reply as he motioned for her to choose a spot by the fire and once she was settled he went back around to where the seasoned venison was just finishing up cooking. His pale gaze glanced back up to her when she commented on how wonderful it smelled and he gave her a thankful smile in response. "Thank you! I'm glad to hear it." Her expression was difficult to read, but it wasn't hard to tell that whatever was weighing on her was heavy on her shoulders. He looked back down at his work while he started trying to think of ways to help her relax, turning each piece over another time just to make sure he liked the look of it before he started pulling them off of the stone they were cooking on. He passed half over to there and kept half for himself. "Enjoy!"

He settled down near her with a comfortable distance between them as they began to eat, having to give the meat a moment to cool a bit before he could really dig in. He glanced at her curiously as he began to pick at his meal, both looking for her reaction to his cooking and just seeing what else he could notice about her. She had a very regal air about her with how she carried herself and as he studied her a bit more he noticed her other unique traits like the quills that intermingled with her fur on her back and the smooth shape of her paws revealed the hidden claws they carried. She was certainly unlike any other fae he had come across, but she was incredibly beautiful as well. Her scent was intermingled with scents of a pack so it was obvious that she wasn't a roaming loner like himself and his brother, but he of course had no way of knowing her status or importance in said pack.

"Any particular reason you're out wandering on your own tonight?" he asked with a smile in-between bites of his dinner, his pale pink gaze friendly and warm. "It seems like you have a lot on your mind... Does that have anything to do with it?" He certainly wouldn't press her if it was something she didn't want to talk about, but he was always a listening ear, even for someone he just met. He was of the opinion that sometimes those were the best ears to listen since there was no prior bias or emotion to get in the way of giving good opinions and thoughts in return.

"Gareth Sterling Rhydderch"

He was very cheerful, in a way she wasn’t used to. Plague was brighter these days but even he was still her serious brother. This man’s tail wagged without thought, and he grinned at her acceptance of the invitation. She let him escort her to her seat as he took his place back on the other side of the fire. Venom complimented him, and he accepted the words humbly. The Empress tried to focus on the present moment, she had a kind stranger offering her a meal. She had no responsibilities to see or think about, and yet she was still weighed down so heavily. Venom really tried to conceal her emotions, but they were still so strong and overwhelming she couldn’t hide everything.

Still, her host was smiling and was focused on their food, which she tried to be as well. The smell was quite marvelous and she had no doubt the taste would be similar. After fussing for a moment longer Gareth offered her a full half of the meal, being overly kind to her, a random stranger. Her trust in wolves had been shaken badly, but she had been a tad paranoid before anyway. Venom still felt hesitant but as he gave her dinner and went right to his own she took her chances.

The venison was seasoned to perfection, though it was nearly impossible to cook the toughness from a deer’s flesh. This was a great example of what it was supposed to be. Venom used her sharp claws and teeth to carefully pull at the strips of flesh. She consumed the morsels with the hint of delight. Venom was able to let herself enjoy the moment of freedom, nothing mattered but the generous meal. As her mind shifted to her gracious host her sunset gaze glanced up towards him, surprised to find his pink hued gaze upon her.

Even his eyes were kind as he grinned between bites and before he spoke again. His perception was partially hidden behind a broad question, but showed through in his second. By the time he started to speak her gaze had fallen back to her meal. Thoughts of Hattori flared in her mind as he asked her why she was out and alone.

"I have had a lot on my mind,” She affirmed honestly but vaguely, she wasn’t going to make herself a victim in front of this man. She had to rally her strength wherever she could, even if her weakness was impossible to hide. Venom sighed softly and forced herself to look back up to his features, her actions were unbecoming of the Empress that she was. "I am… Empress or alpha of Ashen. I always have something weighing over my head.” She tried to respond somewhat light heartedly but it just fell flat and she sighed again. Her gaze fell to the fire instead of her paws this time. "My… secondary left me out of nowhere a few weeks ago and I just needed some time away.” She decided to reveal softly.

She tried not to fall into the trap of reliving those last few moments with her husband and instead took another bite of the venison. "This is very good, thank you again.” She tried to steer the conversation slightly, but her words had already been said.

"Venom"