After much consideration Rhys found the perfect cave to claim as his own. The Island was home to most of the Elysian Wolves and he figured it wouldn't hurt to join them. Caves provided a great amount of space and shelter, which is what Rhysand needed. He enjoyed his luxuries such as beautiful pelts, paw-crafted weaponry, and various other bits and bobs he had some sort of attachment to. The male was no hoarder, but he did collect. In his twisted mind material items did equate to some sort of wealth. Wolves had no currency but in his time of being a loner he did learn how to trade. Which is how he managed to gather such an assortment of goods. One of the selling points of joining a pack was to have a place to house his belongings and have the opportunity to expand. It had only been about a week since having joined the pack so his den was not set up entirely to his liking but it was doable. Taking a break from the décor, Rhys found himself in the small clearing in front of the cave. A small log fire was chugging along and a pot of boiling water was sitting atop a a small metal grate. The male moved to carefully take the pot from the fire, sitting it on the ground. With a long thick piece of leather protecting his paw he tilted the pot over just enough to pour some of the liquid into a wooden bowl. The bowl contained a small bundle of cannabis and lavender wrapped in very thin linen, allowing the water to mix with the herbs and infuse all together. As the bowl filled up Rhys nudged the hot pot off to the side and sat before his bowl of soon to be tea. Pale green eyes took in the scenery before him as he patiently waited for his drink to steep.

Climbing is in Ricin’s blood and, despite his height, the blue wolf is surprisingly agile. Whenever he needs to think, the light blue man can often be found treading the small goat paths up the towering mountains of his home. That is where he is now, paws picking their way carefully down from the dizzying heights above the caves when a strange, yet not unpleasant smell, finds its way to his nostrils. Pausing mid step, butt up on a higher ledge than his front half, the crimson eyed wolf casts his gaze around in search of the source. Down, in front of one of the caves entrances, he spies a figure made of cream and slate. From his perch, Ricin observes the male making himself what appears to be tea and, curious to meet the stranger, the blue hued wolf resumes his climb down. Once he is back on flat ground, he turns to where he had seen the stranger and swiftly moves toward. Ricin quickly arrives at the open area and stops a respectful distance off. Politely, the blue wolf clears his throat in hopes to gain the stranger’s attention and says, “Excuse me. I don’t believe we have met. I am Ricin. Would you mind if I join you?” As he speaks, his ruby eyes trail down to the bowl where hot liquid steams in the chilly air. Finishing, his gaze snaps back up as he offers the stranger a friendly smile. "Ricin Dauner"

Steam drifted upward into pink nostrils. The aroma was comforting and before he even took a sip a gentle calm washed over him. Green eyes continuously moved along the landscape ahead. After some time he leaned down to take a hesitant lap at the tea. Heat pinched his tongue but it was not unbearable enough to not sneak another small lick. 'Mm.' And then as his head lifted once more a figure in blue had appeared. Pale eyes had already connected with the stranger as they cleared their throat. Rhysand shamelessly took in those cyan features before allowing his gaze to rest at those crimson eyes. A gentle smile slipped across pale lips as the stranger moved closer. The scent of the newcomer was that of a pack mate. Vocals moved from blue's lips and Rhys offered a nod, "Come come, of course you may." Deep vocals were accentuated with his usual smoothness. "Ricin, it is lovely to meet you. I am Rhsyand." Hs slender head dipped into a polite nod as his tail flicked to curl at his paws. "I've just finished making some tea. Would you like me to make you a cup?" The pale beast was pleased to have his first visitor and deemed it unhospitable to not extend the offer.

Ricin slowly meanders toward the stranger, curious ruby eyes taking in the details of the man and the steaming pot of tea. Their eyes connect and the blue wolf offers a small smile to the slate and cream man, dipping his head in thanks as he joins Rhysand. Moving to the spot across from him, the blue male folds his haunches and comes to sit lightly on the ground while loosely curling his tail around his hip. Another dip of his head is given at the offer of tea and he gratefully says, “Yes, please. It smells delightful.” Crimson eyes watch Rhysand as he moves to pour the tea and Ricin, again, hums his thanks. Once the steaming liquid is poured, the blue male allows it sit and cool, watching the fingers of steam that curl off the surface and lazily wafts up and away. While his voice has finally reached its mature stage and no longer cracks, the blue male still hesitates to speak. Where the cream male’s voice is smooth and deep, the blue wolf feels his is too high and clunky. But, the man was nice enough to offer him tea, so, after a moment, Ricin lifts his gaze to look at Rhysand through the curling tendrils of steam and gently says, “You are new to Elysium, right? I would be happy to show you around or help with anything you need.” The smile he offers is genuine and warm. Leaning down he takes a sip of the tea and hums his approval. Looking back to the cream and slate male, he offers his thanks, “This is wonderful. Thank you… again.” Another, almost shy smile appears and Ricin mentally kicks himself for being so awkward. Clearing his throat, he looks down at his cup and asks, “I hope you don’t mind me asking but… how did you find Elysium?”  The question is simple and Ricin is curious to find out Rhysand’s story but it is also a way to deflect any attention from himself. Ears perk forward to catch the male’s words while the blue wolf leans down to take another, warming, sip of the tea. Another low hum of approval rolls past his dark lips. "Ricin Dauner"

The cerulean male accepted the offering of tea and Rhys' lips curled into a pleased smile. The pale beast was quite generous when he wanted to be, as long as others were respectful of his belongings. Something told him he did not have to worry too much about the seemingly gentle blue boy before him. There was a soothing nature to those crimson eyes that Rhysand could not ignore. But, he did not trust with such ease. Despite being pack mates, Ricin was as close to a stranger as one could get. After preparing the bowl of piping hot tea Rhys nudged it towards his comrade. Tendrils of steam licked at the both of them before Rhys slipped away to sit before his own now drinkable tea. The slender male dipped his head downward to take a few laps at the liquid. A gentle hum of his own could be heard before green eyes flashed towards Ricin. "Cannabis and lavender tea. The Cannabis provides a thick earthy taste and calms the mind and body. Lavender is added for flavor and scent but also aids in soothing nerves." He felt the need to reveal the ingredients in case his pack mate was opposed to the nature of Cannabis. If one is sensitive to the herb it can have an adverse effect. After taking a few more sips of the tea Rhys straightened up to give his attention to Ricin. He extended an offer to show Rhysand around which drew a small nod from the pale male, "I'd like that, thank you. I joined about a week ago." It'd be nice to have an experienced pack member show him the ins and outs of the Elysian lands. Ricin leaned down to take his first sips of the hot tea. There was something contagious about the other male's smile and Rhys felt his own lips tug into a grin in response. It seemed the blue boy was enjoying the tea and that brought him a warm sense of pleasure. "You are very welcome." They both enjoyed laps of their tea in a few moments of silence before blue broke it. Another question left his lips and a pale brow raised in response. There sadly was not much of a story to tell there, "Honestly, call me crazy, I merely wandered my way to the borders and called for leadership on a whim. I selected Elysium at random and it just seemed to work out. After being a loner for a time it grew exhausting and I needed a place to call home on the long term. So, here I am." Rhysand shrugged, "It's been nice so far. I haven't met too many yet since most of my time has been spent up here." Countless hours had gone into perfecting the details of his den. Green eyes flashed with curiosity as he directed a purr of a question towards Ricin, "How did you find Elysium?"

Rhysand pours a cup of tea for Ricin and the blue male softly offers his thanks as the cup is nudged toward him. Pulling the cup toward him, the steam that curls away from the hot liquid steals his attention away from the man but, as the cream and slate male explains the ingredients in the tea, the blue wolf’s crimson gaze lifts to catch Rhysand’s emerald eyes. A soft, warm smile is offered as he muses, “I have never had cannabis and lavender tea. But, from the way you describe the taste, it already sounds wonderful.” Of course, Ricin knows what cannabis is and what the herb does, he just has not the opportunity to try it before. The offer to show the man around is received with thanks and Ricin’s smile broadens for a moment before he leans down to sip the tea. It is as Rhysand had described it, earthy with a hint of floral notes from the lavender and that, along with the warmth that spreads through his body as the hot liquid moves down his throat and to his stomach, helps to warm the blue male. The hum of appreciation that follows comes from deep within his chest as the chill that Ricin had not noticed settled into his very bones, begins to lift. Climbing the peaks of the island is often a chilly endeavor and Ricin seems to have forgotten just how cold he really was. As the talk turns to how the gentleman before him joined Elysium, Ricin listens with rapt attention. A deep, rolling chuckle rumbles past dark blue lips as the male admits he picked the pack at random and he says, “Well, hopefully we can make you feel at home. My brother, Chade, and I are always willing to help. Don’t hesitate to come to us if you need anything.” The soft, friendly smile is back on his lips as he looks at Rhysand but, at the man’s next question, the smile falters and fades. Eyes move down to the tea and the blue wolf decides to make himself comfortable for the tale he about tell. Scooting his butt backward, Ricin lays himself gently on the ground so that the tea cup rests between his blue paws. Taking a long drink of tea to steady his nerves, Ricin than turns his crimson gaze back up to the man’s bright emerald eyes and offers a sad, fleeting smile. Swallowing in a suddenly thick throat, the blue wolf blows out a small sigh before he slowly begins to explain, “My brother and I found Manea and her family long before they were a pack. We were puppies, barely six months old, lost and alone in the world. We actually met Avacyn first; my brother caught her in one of the hunting traps he had made to catch us food.” Another, soft but humor-filled chuckle rumbles out as he remembers Ava’s eyes as the trap snatched her off the ground and held her aloft for the briefest of moments. Waving a paw to dispel his chuckling, Ricin allows the paw to come to rest on the rim of his cup and he absent runs his paw pad over it humming a moment. A warm smile appears and the story continues, “She took us to see her mother, Manea, who was kind enough to feed us and even offered us a place in her band. Chade and I were headstrong and not very trusting of adults so we said ‘thanks but no thanks’.” Head shakes as he remembers how it had been him and Chade against the world. They knew that they could survive without the help of any adults because of everything that they had been though. Oh, how foolish they had been. With a gentle shrug of his bright blue shoulders, Ricin says, “We ran into them again, down in Auster, when a grizzly bear decided it didn’t like us near its berry bushes. Manea… saved my life and brought us back to the band and into her fold. Chade and I have pledged our lives to help the Mendacium family. And that is how we came to be here.” The soft smile is back and he ducks his head under the pretense of drinking more tea but his crimson eyes still watch for the cream and slates man’s reaction to the story. The drink helps to loosen his tongue and soften the sadness surrounding the memories of the beginning of his life. If the man asked him about those early months, the blue wolf would gladly explain why they had ended up alone. Lifting his head slightly, a gentle, yet deep, hum of pleasure fills his chest as the tea continues to remove of the chill in his body. Slowly, he can feel his muscles starting to relax and the tension that he usually carries in his shoulders begins to melt. Absentmindedly, Ricin realizes this is the most relaxed he has felt since… well, since he can remember. "Ricin Dauner"

Rhysand enjoyed watching Ricin take in those first sips of hot tea. Steam licked at the blue boy's face, dampening the fur on his muzzle slightly. Pale green eyes took in ever inch of his comrade's facial features. Watching as the herbal liquid moved down his tongue and warming his throat. A tiny grin tugged at Rhy's lips as the other explained that he and and his brother were always willing to help out. He may need to come up with an excuse in the future to call upon this vibrant male. Rhys was coming to enjoy his company even in the short amount of time spent together. "How kind." Lashes fluttered as eyes slipped down, taking another lap of tea. Ricin scooted back and laid down, to get comfortable for the story to come. Rhysand followed suit as he moved into a prone position of his own. Taking another sip of the tea the pale male listened to Ricin's backstory with apparent interest. He couldn't help but to note the slightly more sorrowful look in blue's eye and as the tale began Rhys figured this was not an easy story to tell. As the story concluded Rhysand allowed the details to roam around in his head. They were saved by the Mendaciums from a Grizzly Bear. Rhys couldn't helpo but to feel impressed, "There aren't many Wolves that have been attacked by a Grizzly and lived to tell the tale." A small smile spread across pale lips. "Impressive." Obviously they had help, but the fact that Ricin was here at all meant that he and his brother were truly survivors. A wave of serenity seemed to wash over the clearing then. Both Wolves now feeling the effects of the Cannabis. That smile remained on Rhys' lips, he was seemingly unaware that it was still there. After a few moments of comfortable silence deep tones moved through the air. "What do you dream of Ricin?" Rhys stretched out gently, letting forth a low rumble of pleasure as he felt his muscles react to the movement. He placed his chin on his front paws as relaxation set in, watching blue for his answer. Did Ricin want to be in Elysium forever? Or did he wish for more?