They had settled into the Menagerie’s new territory, which marked the start of his training with Beau. He has asked Wren if he could formally take the Mage on as an apprentice. With that wish granted, he had made his way back to the Armada’s market, and barderd for the small white fox he had seen there. The fluffy creature was smaller than his own, but looked well fitted to the cold of the Northern territories.

Now, he stood by the Menagerie’s ship and raised his head, calling out to Beau so he could tell the other wolf about the apprenticeship, and of course introduce him to the companion that would be his. His to train, and to learn, and bond with. Mercury had never had a warrior apprentice before, and intended to do his best by the younger wolf.


"Speech"

The young man had been in the progress of organizing the room he had chosen to den in. It had taken a fair bit of effort but he had shifted the nesting spot away from the window. The darn thing was heavy! But at least now he could sleep in the room without sunlight hitting him directly in the face when the sun started to rise! He began to wag his tail, pleased with what he had accomplished. Trill had been resting at the head of the bed the whole time “helping” her companion as he moved the bed around. At the very least she had given him some company and someone to talk to while he worked. Mercury’s call rose up close by and Beauregard perked his ears. He had last spoken with the man before their move even further North and had hoped to talk with him again at some point in the near future. He wouldn’t turn away the opportunity by any means, giving a nod to Trill before both wolf and jay left the room they called their own. The North was harder on Trill but still the bird fought through it for the sake of the wolf. If he could deal with it then so could she! They didn’t have to go far to find Mercury and, this time, he had a different fox with him. Beau arched a brow as he drew closer to them, but still, the younger wolf smiled in greeting. “Heya Mercury! Have you settled into a room okay?” He asked the other man. He’d been trying to do his part of getting some of the rooms looking nicer and organized though he wasn’t sure if Merc had noticed any of that. They were definitely a lot more rooms that hadn’t been touched yet. The fox that sat near the man huffed a little as another stranger came bounding up. She wasn’t pleased that she had been caught and sold to someone else, but this was her life now. If she ran she’d likely just be caught and enslaved again. Still, these wolves were going to have to earn her respect! She might listen, but they weren’t her friends. Especially not the blue-black one here that had bought her. At least she could be somewhat free, she thought. She was able to move around without a cage or something to keep her from going too far. It was a start! For now, she was quiet, keeping her dark gaze on the cheerful one that had just shown up and the bird that was in the air above him. "Speech," 'Thought.'

“Hello Beau, I have indeed” He agreed. Thinking of the captain's cabin that he and Wren had claimed for themselves. It was still a work in progress, but was already starting to feel like home. Mercury had spent most of his time since they had claimed the ship and pines laying down scents and borders. They would need more warriors before they had a systematic patrol in place, so he had been running most of them himself. The North was filled with dangers, and polar bears were one of his greatest concerns.

“First, I would like to formally ask you to be my apprentice.” He said, reaching out a paw for the other wolf to clasp if he chose to do so. He grinned at Beau, having specifically requested him. “And second, I’d like to introduce you to this little one here” He said, indicating the arctic fox beside him. “She’s a present for you. I’ll give you a chance to bond with her before we start in on further training, but she should help shore up your gaps in fighting companions.” He explained.


"Speech"

Good, he was settling in. He hadn’t noticed anything outside the usual when it came to Mercury hanging out with Wren. The yearling was oblivious to their closeness, but it wasn’t exactly a matter that concerned him. That happy shine entered his eyes again at Merc’s next words, however, and Beau reached out and took his paw with his own. “Yes!” The younger male exclaimed happily. “I’d be happy to be! It’d be an honor.” He already thought highly of both Mercury and Wren, so the fact that the man had seen enough promise in him to formally ask such a thing made the ashen cream male happy. He wouldn’t let him down. Then his gaze shifted to the small creature at his side. “She’s pretty! Kind of tiny compared to us though.” His words weren’t meant to be unkind but the vixen puffed up at his words. “I’ll have you know, kid, I’m a big arctic fox, thank you very much!” Her words came out sharply, her ears twitching as she sized him up. “If you’re going to be my master, you’re going to have to get a few things straight with me. Maybe I’ll start to like you more if you can listen.” Oof. Beauregard’s ears fell a little at the fox’s words. She was uh… spicy… “Sorry… I didn’t mean anything by it, honest…” Nevermind the fact she had completely ignored his compliment in order to snap back at him for the “insult” to her size. He frowned a little and tilted his head to the side. “...and besides… I don’t want to be your master. I want to be your friend!” He managed a small smile again. “I’m Beauregard…” The vixen fixed him with a look. The kid was… odd… but he seemed nice enough she supposed. Better than him being a big old jerk anyway. She flicked an ear and moved to his side before sitting so that she was facing Mercury now. “You may call me Blind. It’s the only name you deserve to know.” She shot a glare at the blue-black wolf and then added. “But given the nature of things… I am yours to work with. How you do it is at your discretion. Maybe I’ll come to tolerate you.” Trill circled down near the fox, giggling. “I think you’re already giving into Beau’s charm. Don’t worry, he’ll treat you well.” Beau’s gaze softened as he watched the two. It’d be a bit of an uphill battle with Blind, but he was sure they’d be alright. His gaze shifted back to Mercury, a warm smile on his face. “Thank you. I’m sure we’ll be just fine before long.” His ears perked forward. “Though I’m curious… when we spared last time you commanded your companions well. How did you learn to do that? How did they know how to respond to you? Is it something you were teaching them before…?” "Speech," 'Thought.'

The arctic fox hadn’t spoken yet, and her sass had gone unnoticed until this point. As the small creature spoke up now, Mercury hid a smile, and silently wished Beau good luck. He had a feeling the other wolf was going to have an interesting time with this companion.

As Beau asked about their previous spar, Mercury nodded his head, and filled him in. “That’s the only battle formation we’d worked on so far. We’d gone over it enough times I only needed a few nodes to give them the timing” He explained with an easy smile. “Work together, and with time and practice you’ll be a smooth team, able to move in sync without thinking about it. Me and the little ones aren’t there yet, but we will be. As I’m sure you will.” He said kindly.

“For now, I just wanted to let you know I’d requested you as an apprentice, and to offer you the chance to work with…Blind here. So take some time to familiarise yourself with her, and we will spar again”

"Speech"

As Mercury spoke Beauregard focused on him. So it had been the only battle formation they’d worked on thus far… huh, interesting. So it could be a good idea to work on some strategies with Blind and Trill, too. The bird was normally circled near his opponent, keeping an eye on things from above, while he handled the brunt of the force and threat in the front. She knew her place in the air when Beau fought, and she was already a good partner, but now they’d have to work on getting Blind into the mix as well. He lowered his gaze to glance at the arctic fox, seeing how Trill kept close to her already. He was sure they’d be fine - a real time in no time, just like Mercury said. “I’m sure we will too.” He said confidently, seeing how the fox swiped playfully at the jay and wrinkled her nose after her. He wanted to know more about her, and the life she’d lived before coming here. He wanted her to know she wasn’t a slave, but a comrade. An equal to him. He twitched his ears thoughtfully and lifted his gaze back to Mercury. “I’ll take her out with me. I’ve noticed you’ve been doing a lot of the patrols. We could help with that.” Beauregard offered. “It’d give us a way to get used to each other’s pacing, even before we got into a fight, and get to know each other a little bit more too.” His tail started to wag eagerly behind him. “I’m going to train hard, Mercury. Don’t think you’ll win as easily next time!” He grinned. “Blind, Trill, and I will become a great team! We’ll give you a run for your money!” At his words the fox and bird looked up, Trill giving a sharp call of approval, whereas Blind arched a brow. “Alright then kid, don’t slow me down then! Make sure you can keep up!” She grinned herself and looked to Mercury as well. “And don’t think you’re getting off lightly from me either! You might have bought me for this kid, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook.” "Speech," 'Thought.'