They were on their way down to Auster to check out one of the packs that were down there, but Greed had suggested they stop and rest before continuing on. They had been traveling for days now, and during this time of year, the journey from the north had been arduous and slow. And they desperately needed to slow their pace, but she wanted to keep going. He didn't know why she pushed herself so much...but he had to admire her tenacity and willpower. No matter how tired she was, she was always looking out for him, first. Though little did she know that he did the same for her. Setting up camp just outside the swamp, he told her he would be right back. He wanted to scout the surrounding area to make sure there wasn't anything unpleasant that could take them by surprise, as well as find some food. The trees in the area made it a little difficult for the snow to reach the ground, which to him, was a good thing. At least they wouldn't have to sleep on completely frozen ground for once which was welcome in his book. He was much older now, the cold ground made his joints stiff every time he slept...and he hated the fact that he was aging. While he could still fight and do the things he always could, it was getting harder to get up in the mornings whenever it was too cold... "Talk"

Remus lounged on one of the furs he had gathered when he first set up his new "home" at the edge of the swamplands that was closest to Ashen's borders. He didn't need much to be comfortable, just a decent sized den, somewhere to store some food, and a campfire to keep warm by at night, but even still... he was going to be glad to move out of the swamplands one of these days. They were boggy and full of muck even in the winter. He couldn't imagine what this place was like during the summer. All of that water and mud must attract all kinds of bugs and snakes. Hopefully he could convince Ike that their fun wouldn't get spoiled by him joining up with her pack before that happened. If not he might have to consider moving around to the other side of the river to the hot springs even though it was farther than he would have liked to be from her. As much as he liked the Ashen princess it wasn't worth dealing with all the bugs.

It was getting a bit late so he decided to get up so he could go gather some firewood, making his way further into the trees so he could hopefully find some fallen branches that weren't too wet. He could cut a few down if he really had to, but he hoped that wouldn't be the case. As he was walking he spotted a figure moving ahead of him and he was genuinely surprised since he hadn't really seen anyone else out here besides himself since he settled in. He had been around the swamp long enough now to know where some of its more troubling spots were and he could see the older male that was maybe a dozen feet ahead of him heading right toward one of those deceivingly solid looking spots he had almost gotten himself caught in a time or two. "Hey!" he called out, trying to get the man's attention. "That's quicksand there ahead of you!"

"Remus Armada"

Hm...he wasn't sure if he'd been in these parts before, and if he had it was a long, long time ago. Things changed all the time though, so he couldn't exactly be sure. So far, everything was quiet save for the eerie chirp of whatever bugs decided it was worth braving the cold, and the muffled sound of his own paw steps. A quick glance back, and he could see his paw prints trailing behind him. Good. That meant he could follow them back to Claire when he was done scouting. He had walked for all of a few minutes before he heard a voice shouting from behind him. He didn't stop his pace but instead looked back to see who the hell it was. It certainly wasn't anyone he recognized, but before he could register what had been said, he was already on it. His forepaws seemed to suddenly get swallowed, causing him to fall forward and the position he found himself in was awkward as all hell. He had practically fallen face-first into the mud, earning him a fresh coat of muck on his chest and the white parts of his face. He scrambled back, but his paws were stuck and the more he seemed to struggle, the more the muck sucked in his paws. His chest was coated in dirt and mud after his awkward faceplant, but at least he wasn't completely trapped...right? He was having a hard time getting out of this predicament. "What the...why is it so hard to get out of!?" He had never dealt with quick sand before, so this was an entirely new experience for him. "Talk"

Unfortunately, his warning didn't come soon enough and he saw the white and slate brute come to a hard stop as he hit the loose, muddy ground only to fall forward right into it. Remus grimaced and trotted over in his direction to help. By the time he reached the stranger he was back out of the worst of it, but his paws had gotten the worst of it and gotten stuck in the quicksand itself. "Hold on, hold on, I've gotcha," he reassured the older man as he got up along side him and reached for one of his trapped forelegs and started slowly pulling it diagonally through the quicksand, slowly moving it toward the surface as it neared the more solid, muddy ground. He made sure to keep his own paws well out of the reach of the tricky quicksand, but it did mean that his light slate blue fur around his toes was getting awfully muddy.

Once one paw was freed he moved around to the other side to help with the next and within a few moments the two-toned man was free again—if a fair bit dirtier for the experience. "Quicksand is tricky stuff, huh?" he mentioned with a chuckle as he moved away from it back onto more solid ground behind them. Once they were well away from the patch he had gotten stuck in he turned his ruby and emerald gaze back toward the other man, asking, "You alright?" It didn't seem like he had gotten hurt, just some mud to the face and chest for his troubles, but he wanted to be sure. "I'm Remus, by the way. Remus Armada. Nice to meet you." He was always the worst about remembering to introduce himself so at least he remembered to this time before he got to far into things.

"Remus Armada"

He tried to struggle against the quicksand, but it seemed the more he struggled, the more it wanted to pull him in. He tried to scramble back using his hind legs, but it wasn't working. He'd never quite been in a position like this, and to say he was frustrated and embarrassed that this happened in front of a stranger was an understatement. "Hold on, hold on, I've gotcha," Heart pounded from the effort of his struggles, but he stopped when the stranger approached him. He wasn't really trusting of others, but he wasn't going to refuse help. Even he knew he'd be a fool to deny any help when he was in a sticky situation like this...he watched and waited as the younger male began to get his limbs free from the heavy muck. He moved his body slightly to give the boy more room, but he also couldn't really move a whole lot in his position. Soon enough though, the young male had freed him and Greed fell back on his haunches, shaking the mud from his head and legs as he huffed. "Er, thank you. I've never dealt with this before, so..." He cleared his throat, trying to hide the embarrassment of the situation. "I'm fine." He muttered as he tried to wipe the mud off of his face. Before he could bid the young man goodbye, the horned male had introduced himself which stopped Greed in his tracks. A flash of recognition in the name, mixed with surprise. "Armada?" It had been a long, long time since he had seen or heard of anyone else with the surname besides him. "Who are your parents? Your grandparents?" Everyone knew about the infamous Isardis, he was sure...he doubted he would know about the guys parents, but anyone beyond that, he would certainly know. "Talk"

"Don't mention it," he said with a smile, waving away the gratitude as the stranger thanked him and tried to explain away his issue with the unusual terrain, seeming embarrassed by the whole situation. "The only reason I'm familiar with it is because I ended up in the same situation one time while I was traveling. My brother was around to get me out, but it's certainly no fun." He was glad to hear that the other male was alright though. He had already been planning on going over to Ashen for help if he needed it since he was sure Ike would have lent them some supplies if he did, but that didn't seem to be necessary.

He honestly thought maybe they'd exchange pleasantries, since that's what polite wolves did—or so he was told, and then they'd be on their ways again, but after he introduced himself the older man seemed taken aback by his name. He had introduced himself to a few wolves since arriving to Boreas the same way, but he hadn't gotten any reaction to his name other than a distant recognition or perhaps a bit of confusion with a pack by the same name. His man seemed to immediately recognize it and he started questioning him on who his parents and grandparents were. Remus blinked with surprise, caught off guard and unsure how to respond at first.

"Oh, uh... Well, my parents are Evander and Iris... The only grandparent I've ever met was Tiburtius Armada, but I know his parents were Athena and Vereux," he replied as his mind caught back up to the situation at hand and managed to get an answer out. He gave the man a questioning look, adding, "Why? Did you know a lot of Armada wolves or something? I heard a lot of stories growing up, but I haven't actually found anyone that's known about them since I got to Boreas." He did look like he was on the older side so maybe that would explain why he actually recognized the name of his family that supposedly had been so prevalent around here once upon a time.

"Remus Armada"

"The only reason I'm familiar with it is because I ended up in the same situation one time while I was traveling. My brother was around to get me out, but it's certainly no fun." Well, at least he wasn't the only one. He was glad that someone had been around to get him out...he would've been even more embarrassed if he ended up having to call for Claire to help him, and knowing her, he would've likely gotten an earful about not being careful, else worse could've happened. But that aside, he was far more interested in the answer to his question. "Oh, uh... Well, my parents are Evander and Iris... The only grandparent I've ever met was Tiburtius Armada, but I know his parents were Athena and Vereux," Remus' parents were not names he recognized, but Tiburtius he vaguely did, and Athena and Vereux he definitely knew. Well...Vereux, at least. He knew that Avalon and Vereux had been together for a short time before he died of an illness or something, but they had had a litter together. He didn't know where those kids (now adults) had gone, but they were likely in the elder range, too. "Why? Did you know a lot of Armada wolves or something? I heard a lot of stories growing up, but I haven't actually found anyone that's known about them since I got to Boreas." Greed heaved a sigh. What were the odds? He never imagined he would find others that were related to him in some way..."Well...I guess you could say that." He cleared his throat as he sighed again. How embarrassing to meet someone like this. Especially a relative... If he had actual hands, he'd be running one down his face. "Greed Armada. My mother was Abelinda Armada. My uncle was Isardis, which I'm sure you've heard all about. I've never met him personally, but I know everything there was to know about him and...just about everyone else." He knew Remus' great grandparents were siblings...but he didn't know if he knew that, so opted not to mention it for now. "I guess were some sort of cousins or something." He shrugged, unsure how to feel about the whole thing. "Talk"

Of all the things he had guessed that this wolf would have responded with, the fact that they were actually family was definitely not something that he had expected. His two-toned eyes widened with shock and disbelief, but as Greed introduced himself and explained his own family lineage Remus certainly believed him. What were the odds of randomly stumbling across a seemingly rare remaining family member of the Armada clan like this?! Remus wondered for a moment if maybe he was dreaming or imagining things, but no, the mud-marked wolf was very much here and telling him about how he knew about Isardis, who was his uncle, and everything else. What a crazy day it had become.

He chuckled with a bit of a grin, replying, "Yeah... Yeah, I guess so!" when Greed surmised that they were cousins in some form or fashion. Many times removed, he supposed, but still from the same beginning bloodline regardless. "Man, I was starting to think that Romulus and I were the last ones in Boreas," he said with a little shake of his head. He realized that they were still just sitting there while mud was drying into this guy's fur and he couldn't just leave family like this, could he? "Hey, come with me, I've got some stuff you can clean up with back at my camp." He motioned for Greed to follow him and walked back across the short distance to where his den was set up, ducking inside for just a moment before he came back out with a thin fur he usually used to dry off whenever he washed up after a hunt. "Here, you can use this. The river is just that way if you want some water to rinse off with."

"Remus Armada"

It was a little entertaining to see the looks of shock and disbelief cross the younger male's face. For years, Greed had thought the same thing. That he was the only true Armada left in the lands, but this young...horned male...was living proof that his kin hadn't completely died out. He mentioned someone by the name of Romulus. A brother of his. So there were two of them, then? "For a while there, I'm sure I have been the only one for the last few years...until now." It was really quite strange...to know he wasn't the last Armada left. He had yet to have any kids of his own, though he wasn't sure if he even really cared much about the Armada name. They had gone down in history, but not for their good deeds. Isardis had been a shadow on the land. As far as Greed had known, Isardis had shown up and caused an upheaval. Causing chaos and leaving ravaged lives in his wake. Still reeling from the thought that he had the chance to meet another blood relative, he had completely forgotten about the mud in his fur until Remus mentioned it. Looking down at himself, he nodded as he followed Remus to his campsite. "Thank you," He took the fur that Remus had offered him and went in search of the river. It didn't take him very long to find it, and as he quickly cleaned off, he thought about what was going on. He wondered now if there were others besides Remus and his brother...though admittedly, while he was still wrapping his head around this, he wasn't sure how to feel about it. The Ancoras had been his family more than the Armadas had ever been. His mother had abandoned them shortly before they were even weaned as far as he could recall, followed by his father not long after. Though his father tried to come back into his life along with his siblings, Greed wanted nothing to do with them. Sighing, he cleaned off the fur as best as he could when he was done, and headed back to Remus' campsite. He placed the fur on a nearby log to dry out, then turned his attention back to the other male. "So I guess the horns have finally caught up to our blood. None of our ancestors had anything like your horns there. I don't know when that started happening to our kind, but one day, wolves just started cropping up with all sorts of features that aren't normal for our kind." He should've been used to it by now, but truth be told, he was more old school. It still seemed unnatural to see wolves with horns and quills and all manner of different things... "Talk"

"No problem," he assured Greed as he took the fur from him and went off to wash up a bit. Remus watched him go for a moment and just shook his head as he quickly threw together the campfire he had been working on before the chance encounter. His mind was reeling with all kinds of questions he wanted to ask the other man, but he didn't even really know where to begin. He had always wondered just how true the stories his Grandpa Tib had told him really were and now he might have a chance to find out more about his distant family. Even his grandfather would admit that he hadn't been as connected to the main family as he could have been since his mother had broken off on her own pretty early in his life so there had to be some things that he hadn't known.

By the time Greed came back there was a small fire going, giving him a bit of light as the night's darkness deepened and some warmth against the winter chill. Remus was sitting by the fire and gestured for Greed to join him as he got close. The older man laid out the fur on a nearby log and then mentioned the horns that curved from his head, mentioning how one day wolves suddenly seemed to start appearing with features that were not 'normal' for their species. He lifted a paw to them, tapping one of them with a little shrug and a slightly self conscious flick of his ears. "Ah... Yeah, I suppose so." He was kind of taken aback by the comment and didn't really know what to make of it. "My father had horns too, but I think he got them from my grandmother." He lowered his paw with another shrug, trying not to think too deeply about the man's observations and the connotation he put with them. "My brother doesn't have them though... So I guess it's a kind of hit and miss thing."

In an attempt to brush off the discomfort he felt, he cleared his throat and gave Greed a slight grin. "So you know a lot about the past of our family, huh? I've heard some things, good and bad, from my grandfather, but it's all just stories, you know? There wasn't many wolves in my family growing up... So I guess I kind of hoped when my brother and I came to Boreas there would be more Armadas to meet. It doesn't seem like there is though." Greed had said himself that it seemed like he was the last one in Boreas until now and it made Remus wonder where they had all gone. Did they all just dissipate to other place the way his grandfather had? It made him curious. "What was it like? Back when the Armada family was huge?"

"Remus Armada"