With the Raid concluded, the Warlord would take time to speak with some of those that had attended. One of the wolves that stood out in his mind was Halo. the soft-hearted healer had surprised him. Her addition to the raid had been unexpected, and he had allowed it so she could scratch whatever itch had compelled her to join. That she had been the clear victor in not one, but two matches was the most surprising of all. She didn’t have the confidence or experience of a warrior, but perhaps there was more raw talent there then he had first suspected. He made his way to her small den, and knocked lightly at her doorway. “Halo, are you in?” he asked softly. "Speech"

In all, the tenderhearted healer wasn't really sure what she'd expected when she'd thrown herself into the raid. If anyone had asked, she likely would have explained that it was important for her to know exactly what the fighters went through. Learn by doing, and all. It would make her a better healer in the scheme of things, and she'd better be able to support the pups when they were learning new skills too. The real reason? Maybe Halo felt as though she had something to prove. Maybe she needed to really, really prove to the rest of the Armada that she belonged here too. Needed to prove to herself that she belonged here too. It was that last part that Halo was really and truly stuck on.

Coming away with a victory to add to her record books should have felt good... yet here she was. Here she was. Guilt seemed to crash over Halo in waves, coming and going. When she thought of it, especially. Yearlings... she'd had to fight yearlings. The tenderhearted girl still felt terribly about coming away from it having hurt them. Wounded them... with her own hands. She was supposed to do no harm, and here she was... harming them. It made her stomach churn and her sides ache. Overall, just... maybe the worst feeling.

It was those thoughts that clouded her head as she continued readying herself for winter. Herbs needed to be dried, seeds needed to be labeled and stored. For now, she was sitting at the small table in her den, anxiously separating seeds from the waste parts of the plants. Carefully extracting each and setting them aside in tidy little piles, Mr. Raccoon keeping the piles from getting mixed up. The fire in her fireplace crackled merrily, casting a soft glow and long shadows to the reaches of her small den. From his perch on the stool next to her, the pale raccoon leapt down to open the door. "Sirius, come in," Halo called softly. She scoped each pile into a separate pottery saucer, not wanting them to get mixed up or roll of an edge, before joining the raccoon at the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Halo"

Halo’s voice called him in, and he pushed through the door. He eyed it with some satisfaction as he passed through it. The sturdy wood would do much better at keeping out the winter chill then a flimy coat ever could. Turning his attention from the door, and to Halo, he found her moving towards the door from whatever had occupied her. The scent of herbs was stronger with the door open, and her scattered collection of growing things could be seen in every knock and cranny. If ever he pictured what a healer's den ought to look like, Halos would always be the first in mind. “Halo, I just wanted to congratulate you on your performance in the Raid. you did very well.” he explained as he closed the door behind him, and made his way to her fireplace set into the left wall. Making himself at home in his healers den. "Speech"

Sirius made his way inside, and Halo carefully stepped back. "Ah, sorry things are messy right now, I'm getting things stored away for winter. It feels like every time I put something away it only gets messier." She smiled softly, though, moving to fill her kettle from the clean water jar near the window and set it on to warm. From there, the pale creature moved to push a few things farther back onto shelves, doing her best to ensure that the Warlord wouldn't be assaulted by any falling jars or cups should he happen to knock his head or shoulder against the shelves. Once satisfied, Halo tugged free some fish that was heavily flavored with herbs, some tasty ones that she'd dried along with her winter medicinal stash.

"Please, eat, make yourself comfortable." It was a soft, welcoming smile as she hurried about setting out cups for tea along with the snacks. Still, Sirius said that he came to talk about the raid. Halo's smile faltered, though she did her best to recover it. "Thank you, Sirius I um..." Halo bit her lower lip as she thought about it all. "I just, um," why was it so hard? Halo would encourage others to talk about their feelings with every last breath she had, but why was it so hard for her? "I fought two yearlings... they're just... I feel bad fighting kids like that." Right, better to just say it. Though Halo fought with finding the right words to use, her guilt was apparent. Her ears drooped as she poured some mint and lemongrass tea, unable to make eye contact with the Warlord.

"Halo"

Sirius waited patiently as Halo quickly organised some of her clutter. Amused, but polite enough not to tease her about the last time he had knocked his head into the herbs she had drying from her ceiling. He politely settled himself down on the floor, and took the fish she offered. He wasn’t accustomed to it being fresh and flavoured with herbs. He was accustomed to fresh and plain, or dried and flavoured with the preserves he used to help it keep. It was delicious. He finished his mouthful and looked at her as she clearly struggled to speak her mind. He was surprised that it bothered her so. “The wolves, yearling or otherwise, in that raid were trained to fight. They were there because they desired the experience of the raid, and to learn the lessons of it. Would you deny them that experience because they were yearlings? I watched your fight, and you were gentle with them. As I was gentle with the young Sorcerer who came charging out of the Nook to challenge me.” it was clear from his voice that he was proud of that Habari pup, and his tenacity and bravery. "Speech"

Busy. This time of year she was busy, maybe more so than usual. While Halo had been informed that the winters here weren't quite as bad as the ones she'd experienced back home, it was still hard to shake the idea that she needed to get ready. Preparing. Preparing for all the things that could strike them with the coming winter, and prepared to treat everything that could come her way. Nearly an entire year here, and yet, her first winter. Nervous and excited, all at once, Halo would continue to ready all the things she could. What was the phrase? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Halo needed to do all of the prevention she could do, as well as all the preparation, just in case. Maybe it was the anxiety talking.

Sirius had comforting words for the pale healer, and she sighed softly to herself. "I didn't want to hurt them... I was afraid of hurting them," the look in her pale eyes was soft, beseeching on the Warlord. She's a healer, both by trade and by nature. "The experience is important, that's um, that's why I went too... I just worry, Sirius." The guilt was still weighing heavily, as if Halo could reach out and hold it in her hands. Though she knew the weight of the experience itself, it was still maybe a bit heavy on Halo's ethics.

"Halo"

The Warlord nodded his head, and wasn’t entirely unhappy about her outlook. He needed all his wolves to have a grasp on basic self defence, but he wouldn’t have felt very comfortable seeing Halo take on an experienced opponent. Perhaps in the safety of home, but not in a raid. She was small, a healer. His drive to protect her was strong. “I will not ask you to fight in another raid. Only to heal those that do fight in one.” He told her gently “I’m glad you stepped forward and took on the experience in the raid. If you like, we could go and speak to those yearlings you fought, and see how they are doing?” he suggested. "Speech"