After receiving what intel he could from his Diplomat, Sirius took the time to make his way down to Auster. Skirting by the border of his son in law and daughters pack as he did so. He gave the castle a fond look, and continued on until it was well behind him. At last, his long journey brought him to the pack borders of a group that had newly sprouted. One that had mostly passed by his notice before now.

He stood by the border and took in a deep breath. Tasting the pack, the alpha and gleaning what he could. He was surprised to realise he had scented this wolf before. Within Wren’s borders, when he had supported the young wolf's rise to Alphaship. She was long since vanished, had one of her followers taken up their own mantle? He raised his head and let out a deep, rolling call to the Alpha.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Though Bellamy had been making her rounds to different packs, there were still a couple of alphas she had yet to meet face-to-face. There was Ashen, of course, one of the packs that Kotori had mentioned when she had encountered him, as well as his own pack. There was also the Armada, far in the Northern reaches of Boreas, back near where she had started this journey on the dying grounds of what was once Menagerie’s lands. It was… funny how far she’d come since she had met Wren. The woman hadn’t been very certain about being a follower of Menagerie, but for the sake of her family, she had been willing to try. And now? Though she had faced some challenges, Bellamy did not regret becoming the Leader of Ethne. She was not naive enough to believe they were truly safe from all threats, but it did feel safer than when they were loners. And she was starting to trust in herself more, the journey to leadership pushing her beyond herself so that she could become a better leader for her people. And as a leader, one’s duties were never done. Bellamy had done a patrol of their borders earlier that day, but rather than choosing to rest, she had taken up a training exercise with her companions. Despite all of them getting older, Ears seemed to learn some new tricks and was even stronger than before. That was good, Bellamy had told herself. They were going to need that strength, all their strength. Manea’s words, and the hidden meaning that seemed to be within them, had sent a warning within Bellamy’s brain and formed a strong opinion of the pack that Ignis ran with. If Manea knew of the pirates and was “familiar” with them as she put it, there was no doubt in her mind they were trouble… and dangerous. Hell, any pack that would knowingly take in a cub that bore some stranger’s scent didn’t sit right with her. And of course with Ignis there that bias of distrust for the pack only grew stronger. A call broke out over the lands and Bellamy’s ears swiveled. It was not a joining howl, though the request for her presence was clear. Another alpha, perhaps? A  messenger?  It was a voice unfamiliar to her but Bells would not take a chance on being slow to show. Seeing that Whiskers was tuckered out from their training, the maned woman opted to only take Ears with her and, with the devil in tow, she made a beeline for the borders of the Falls. A man waited for her at the border, a dire wolf with a strong build and saber fangs. His coat bore similarities to her own, dark with touches of a much lighter color. Her green gaze met his blue one and she took note of the unique slash-like markings over his left eye. While she did not know of the famous Fatalis marking prior to this meeting, she could feel that this wolf was an important one. Bellamy dipped her head to the man, her companion taking a seat silently by her side as he regarded Sirius with beady eyes. “Greetings. You stand at Ethne’s borders. I am its Leader, Bellamy of Foi.” She kept her tone respectful, taking in the stranger’s scent. Her eyes would widen slightly, realizing that the scent that hung to his coat was that of a northern wolf. An Armada wolf? She didn’t know of any other packs that had formed in that region… and though Kotori had mentioned his brother being the one leading the pack at the time of their meeting, this wolf was older. Could this be…? Bellamy’s brow furrowed slightly, and, curiosity getting the better of her, the woman spoke once more. “Forgive me if this is a bit forward, but would you happen to be Sirius Fatalis?” She had only heard about him in passing from Wren, but Bellamy was almost certain that her hunch was correct. But that left an important question. What had brought the Warlord all the way down to Auster, to Ethne? "Speech" 'Thought.'

He wasn’t left waiting long before a wolf of dark base and slashes of white appeared before him. He felt his lips twitch in light amusement at the realisation that this wolf was closer in age to him then any of the other Alphas. It had left him feeling old of late, and it was a welcome change. He was not ready to release his life's work to the younger generations. “Greetings Bellamy of Foi” He returned, and that start of a smile spread to a full one. “I see my reputation had proceed me.” He wondered where she had learned his name - but he had ties with so many packs, including their almost-neighbours, the Hallows. So he could not entirely be surprised.

“Yes, I’m Sirius of the Armada. I’ve come in an official capacity to speak to you about your pack. Ethne has risen newly, has it not? I wonder if you might be able to tell me a little about your pack.” He explained.


"Sirius Fatalis"

The man before her greeted the woman, and Bellamy returned his smile in kind. He indeed had a reputation, with a title like Warlord and as alpha of one of the most successful packs she knew of in Boreas she’d be more surprised if there was an alpha who didn’t at least know of him and his pack in passing. To her knowledge, most alphas seemed more informed on the things going in the world, and this naturally meant other packs as well. She had catching up to do as a leader, but she was willing to put in the work. She had already met with a couple other alphas, made some firm decisions about less savory packs, and she had hopes that the meeting with Sirius could end on a positive note as well. “It is a pleasure,” Bellamy began. “...and yes, you are correct. Ethne is a newly formed pack. My mate and I were once members of Menagerie, under Wren. We weren’t there for long, but we heard of you and your pack through her. And again through a meeting with your son, Kotori.” The woman explained. He hadn’t asked for an explanation on how she had heard of him, but it tied in with their history in belonging to Menagerie at one point. But… had they really belonged there? Bellamy’s smile faltered and faded away. “I am uncertain of what happened with Wren… but with her disappearance it left me, my mate, and my children without a home. I had been pregnant at the time, but I had decided it was time to take matters into my own paws. I searched the lands for a suitable place for us to call home, gave birth, and even went to challenge the alpha of a pack in the west with some wall surrounding them… but unfortunately fate saw fit to pull me from getting the pack that way. I’m sure you are familiar with the Pirates? One of their members walked off with one of my children, and as much as I wanted to secure a place for us, I could not allow myself to risk injury in that battle when I needed to get her back.” A bit of information on why she had left that challenge, needed or not. Was she being too long winded? Probably. But that was her way. “In time we managed to find ourselves here in Auster, and I raised the pack from the ground up and brought my daughter home, where she belongs.” Bells drew in a breath. “That is the history leading to our creation. I have created Ethne with the intent of creating a pack for the different, the misfits and those without family that don’t seem to fit in elsewhere. A place to celebrate our differences and turn them into our strengths. We are a family bound not by blood, but bond. A place where rank is a formality, and we can see each other on the same level, doing what we must to survive. Regardless of rank or belief I firmly believe every wolf is able to pull their weight in some form, for the betterment of themselves and the pack as a whole. Ideally, I would like us to support ourselves through self sufficiency and trade, rather than taking from others. But with the pirates and a pack that believes enslaving a woman’s family in revenge is acceptable, I’m questioning how long we may be able to remain a neutral party of sorts.” The woman frowned deeply. “I would not risk the pack by striking them first, but I will be damned if I didn’t say we wouldn’t retaliate if they came to our door. I am a firm believer in using whatever force is necessary when fighting wolves like that. And as for Medusa, regardless of her reason for coming to this pack, she will be facing me personally in combat on an alpha vs alpha level. Her actions are inexcusable.” Not to mention Ethne didn’t have the numbers to support a proactive stand. Most of their members were children. A fact she couldn’t exactly hide if others came sniffing around their borders. Ethne might have been small, and not eager to start conflict, but she wasn’t sure she’d necessarily call them truly neutral either. They just needed to be smart about how they stood. “If I may, I’d like to ask about the Armada as well, from its Warlord. I am aware of it being part of a larger empire of packs, as well as hosting a public market with quite the skilled blacksmith. One that a friend has said even her daughter would recommend over her own skills. But second hand information, while it can come from truths, is still secondhand, yes?” It was always better to hear straight from the source. "Speech" 'Thought.'

She was quick to clear the air between them about her connection to Menagerie, as well as admitting to meeting his son. Kotori’s pack was doing well, and his son knew the importance of diplomacy. That had been why he had sent Ko to Ashen to learn from Venom for a season.

She kept nothing back, explaining the paths that lead to the creation of her pack. She was not allied with the pirates, but saw them as enemies. As the Armada did. No surprise there, Sparrow hadn’t been making any friends, raiding without prejudice as she had. Her pack was a place for misfits who didn’t belong anywhere else. It was a similar tagline that Wren had given the Menagerie, and likely what had drawn Bellamy to Wren in the first place.

“You’ve made your stance rather strongly.” If a little on the nose. She was careful to mention any tenuous ties she had to the Armada, through Wren and his son, and placed herself as an enemy to his enemies. It was interesting, because it told him that she had done her homework on him long before he reached her borders. “We split from the Empire, but the ties that bind us to Ashen are forged of family and love.” He said. Careful to ensure she did not think that the Empire would be without his protection.

“We moved to the mountains because we found there were far too many packs appearing in the lands around us. The majority of the Armada are trained as warriors, and yes - we have created a market. We are open to the ideas of trade with your people if you have something of interest to us. I have no interest in creating an enemy of you, but nor am I looking for another pack that would look to us for protection.” He spoke with candour, since she had done much the same with him. The Armada was already split in multiple directions with the ties of loyalty that bound them. If he and Bellamy walked away with any sort of understanding today, it would be one made of trade. He would not promise her any more.


"Sirius Fatalis"

When Sirius spoke, stating that she had made her stance rather strongly Bellamy gave a nod of confirmation. Indeed she had - the woman saw no reason to tread lightly around things. If you were to make a decision about a pack or group it was best to make that decision firmly with the information you gathered. As such, Ethne had those it knew better than to antagonize, those they could openly communicate with in a friendly manner, and those to take caution with. The information was just as important to her as Ethne’s Leader as it was to her pack. She was quiet, listening to Sirius explain that they had split from the Empire, but his words made it clear that there were still strong ties between them. That was no surprise to the woman. Even packs that made their own way would still have their allies. “Your own stance is fair, Sirius.” Bellamy told him. “As I’ve mentioned before, Ethne has no intentions or interest in making an enemy of the Armada, or the majority of the packs in Boreas or Auster. I have also come to understand that while a pack can hope for friendly terms and trade options, anything more is far from a given right. That said, I would be happy to offer trade between Ethne and the Armada should there ever be resources on our end you might desire.” A bit winded perhaps but Bells sought to make sure that it was clear she understood the Warlord’s intentions for their meeting. While she wouldn’t go so far as calling the relations between their packs friendly, as she might with Avalon, Elysium, and The Hallows, the Armada was not an enemy. That enough made her feel secure in their stance. Ethne did not need to grow more enemies, especially when they had yet to prove themselves an asset for an alliance to any of the other packs. “At this moment in time our primary exports for trade include local herbs such as Alder Buckthorn, Alfalfa, Boneset, Ginseng Root, Horsetail, Lamb's Ear, Marshmallow, Meadowsweet, Periwinkle, Valerian Root, Watercress, White Willow Bark… my mate is a healer and has an impressive knowledge of the art should such knowledge ever be desired. We’ve found meat, hides, claws, and feathers of Okapi, Takin, Tapir, Dik-dik, Porcupine, Peafowl and some other various birds. We’ve specialized in accessories that aid in tasks and are decorative - bags, baskets, smaller blankets, and simple accessories decorated with feathers specifically. Lastly, we have an item I’ve yet to find elsewhere… a treat we call rock candy. It is incredibly sweet, even more so than honey or berries, and seems to be enjoyed by my own children. Too much seems to result in a tummy ache, however, so it is another item to be enjoyed in moderation.” The woman calmly explained what goods her pack could potentially offer the Armada and kept her gaze focused on the Warlord as she did so to see if she noticed his interest perk at any particular item. “Should any of those interest you and your pack, Warlord, I would like to request trade starting with a particular item from your pack. A dagger, fit for one of the smallest wolves you’ve ever seen.” Though Gavroche was a healer, and not one to favor fighting, Bellamy knew the importance of giving him a way to defend himself should it ever become necessary. She did not want to risk seeing him hurt if she could help it. "Speech" 'Thought.'

The Warlord felt that Bellamy and he understood each other clearly. He was not looking for another enemy, but nor was he looking to tie himself to anything that could drag him and his pack under. With the sheer number of packs and dynamics in the world right now, the Warlord was surprised that nothing more than a few raids had broken out.

Bellamy listed to him a large variety of herbs. He was impressed more by the range than the items themselves. He was not a healer, and did not have the uses for them memorised. It might be wise to bring Halo with him the next time he made this trip. She would know if anything that had been listed was worth bargaining for.

“The parts from your variety of birds, and the rock candy you speak of would be of interest to us. From our mountain home we have pulled an assortment of precious gems. We have these, as well as the expert craftsmanship of our blacksmith, and a few other wolves that have made a living of crafting armour and weapons.” He explained, feeling that the outline of a trade deal could be struck. “As well as what you’ve mentioned, I would be interested in live capture of any unique critters you might have in your lands, to test their merits as companions.”

At her mention of a small dagger, he nodded his head. “If you relay the dimensions, specifications, and decorations, we can certainly work something out” He agreed.


"Sirius Fatalis"

The different birds that could be found within Ethne's lands and the rock candy would be the items that Sirius focused on. He would reveal that their home had provided them with an assortment of gems and they had the expert craftsmanship of not only their blacksmith but other members as well. Bellamy listened attentively, giving a nod as she processed the information. She could ask her son to help acquiring some of the birds… he'd already been able to do something and could likely pass his techniques on to other members.

"I feel like that should be managed easily enough on our end. Live capture will be a unique endeavor, but I'm sure that we can figure something out in that regard." It wasn't something she or her pack had handled before but she felt like it would be similar enough to getting pens for livestock, as Avalon was experienced in. "We'll need some additional time to get our method down. Into summer, if that sounds like a reasonable wait?" She asked. It would give time to acquire the other things as well.

Sirius seemed confident in the ability for the dagger to be made too. Bellamy's expression softened. "I… don't know much about weapon crafting, but I will give what information I can. The wolf it is for is small, very small… fox like." She'd estimate Gav's height with her leg. "He's an adult but fun-sized." A soft chuckle. "So it would need to be lightweight and easy to wield, with an emphasis more on the sharpness of the blade. It will be intended to wear an opponent down through slashing and blood loss rather than brute force." Gav wouldn't be keen on wrestling with the giants of Boreas or Auster after all.

"The metal… something sturdy… maybe a simple, small gem at the end in decoration? Orange would suit him." That would work.

"With the time needed for gathering things and crafting, perhaps it would be wise to set a time to send runners to each other's pack? I'm sure some of my wolves wouldn't mind stretching their legs. That is, if you believe that to be a sound idea." Bellamy was careful not to suggest over Sirius. They were both alphas and she wanted to be seen as an equal. Nothing above, but not below either. With any luck, that would be the end result of their interactions.

The Warlord’s expression grew thoughtful at Bellamy’s words. “My wolves have developed a trapping technique that captures prey without killing it, one of my wolves could show it to you.” He suggested. Potentially another part of the trade, one that would benefit them both. The Ethne leader spoke of the trade happening in Summer. He could work within that timeline, and nodded his head in agreement.

“This dagger you're after, I will deliver it early so you can test the craftsmanship is to your liking. Aside from the dagger, what would you have in trade for parts of birds, rock candy, and live capture?” He asked her. He was happy with what she had to offer, and wished to confirm that she would be as well. “I can send a wolf to deliver the full payment on the first day of Summer, and the dagger a few weeks from today. How does that sound?”


"Sirius Fatalis"

Ahh perfect, so it seemed his wolves already had such knowledge. Bellamy gave a grateful nod. “That would be appreciated, Sirius. I’d like to have a good technique so we can reduce the chance of damage. An injured companion wouldn’t be much use at the start.” Her words were sincere. The knowledge would also be something that could be passed down, and given her hope for Ethne to be sufficient, rather than needing to rely on the protection of some bigger, stronger pack, would be more ideal. Plus a chance for her wolves to interact with other pack wolves. It would still be worth the trip to Avalon, but more knowledge on such things would always be welcomed. Then he turned to the dagger and Bellamy gave a small nod. Ah but yes, what else would Ethne need? She offered a smile. “I’ll have to make a trip to the Armada’s market to answer that question - a task that I can definitely do before summer hits. I intended to look for things to ensure my pack has the right tools for success but I need to see what our members might favor. You’re wolves will already be working on the dagger, I wouldn’t want to ask for too many custom items at once.” Such things took time. “I’ve no doubt that we’ll be able to find plenty of items there that are at the ready and would be suitable for our agreement. I am content with that, especially given the reputation the Armada has.” A gentle smile given. She had no reason to believe that the Armada wolves would not live up to that. “The agreement sounds perfect. Should the dagger be ready when I stop by, perhaps I could save an extra trip and pick it up during my visit. I can even bring some samples of the rock candy with me - they shouldn’t be too hard to manage and carry. Perhaps we could even arrange for your trapper to show me the technique we’d need to utilize to trap the requested critters for the Armada? That way, when your wolf delivers the Armada’s payment, I can send an escort back with them alongside Ethne’s portion?” Have everyone be ready, as well as show the Armada that Ethne would not be a burden on their end of the bargain. She made a mental note to set up a guest location as well. The trip from the Armada to Ethne’s lands would be a long one. It would only make sense to offer them a place to rest until they were ready to return. "Speech" 'Thought.'

The Warlord thought it through a moment, then nodded. "The market might not have the volume required for a pack, but you can place an order once you’ve had a chance to explore our wares." He explained. "The quality and quantity that you ask for will decide how much I in return want in the form of companions and such” It was difficult to give exact numbers without all the information.

As for the dagger.. “If it’s not ready, I will send it with my son. The chance to explore diplomacy will do him good.” He said with a wry smile. Parting on knowledge to their children was a long endeavour, but he would give them what resources he could.

‘We can work out the exact logistics of transport and quantity once you’ve decided what you want. But I believe we’ve struck a deal, Bellamy. It’s been a pleasure. I think our packs will get along just fine.” He told her. That didn’t mean he would deal favourably with her if she turned against him, but they were off to a good start.


"Sirius Fatalis"

It was clear by how Sirius spoke that he’d done this before. She knew that it was also harder to gauge without knowing exactly what Ethne wanted or needed… but he was doing just fine with the information she could give him now. Bellamy found the answer more than reasonable and gave a small nod. It was exciting though, a chance to really get into trading with another pack. How things went in her trades with the Armada would give her knowledge on how to better gauge what Ethne was capable of providing on a larger scale for other packs too. Sirius also had an idea of what to do if the dagger wasn’t ready and Bells gave a small smile. “That sounds wonderful. We’ll be sure to have a den set up so that if it comes to that he’ll have a place to rest. It is a bit of a hike down here from the North. I’m sure my own children would be more than happy to share what they can with him. He would be treated well while he visited.” That was probably without saying though. Sirius seemed like the type of parent to wage war on the world if someone did anything to one of his kids, something Bellamy could understand. Not that she would ever allow harm to come to a child, her own or otherwise. And a visitor might be good for the pack as a whole. “Perfect. I would agree, Sirius, and it has likewise been a pleasure. Here's to hoping that it stays that way.” A dip of her head was given. She knew relations could change between packs for any number of reasons. She had no intentions of angering the Armada, but there was no way of determining what the future might bring. One action could change everything after all. "Speech" 'Thought.'