Silent awoke from a mid morning nap, stretching all limbs as she began to feel the sun filter through her open door. Bright eyes watched the rays shine through numerous branches outside her den, catching the greens that danced on the limbs’ fingers. Every day she awoke to being in Armada, she felt a sense of peace and tangible happiness. Both were unfamiliar to her at first; now, she enjoyed them.

Black frame with silver specs moved out of the den and towards the part of the woods that made her feel most at home. She felt a brisk wind and closed her eyes for a second as it played with the hair along her face. The North brought more cold than warmth, but she liked the contrast. As she got deeper into the woods, she caught the scent of one she enjoyed most in this life. It did not take her long to find his massive, blue frame. “Bronze,” she greeted, tones warm and rich as she slowly closed the space between them. They had gotten closer since joining Armada and that was something she felt was as natural as breathing.

Every day he spent within the Armada felt more and more like home. The feeling was only intensified by the fact that two of his siblings had decided to join him here. He suspected they'd find comfort in the pack but at the end of the day it was their choice if they wanted to remain here. He hoped they would, but he wouldn't push them either way.

Today his mood felt particularly light as he patrolled the forest. At first he'd been uncomfortable at how much leisure time he had, used to spending most of his daylight hours focused on his own survival, but in time he grew comfortable with it and found a routine that he quite enjoyed. Making his usual route around the pack borders, he was pleasantly surprised when Silent found him. It was mid morning, a pleasant day by all accounts, and the wind that whistled through the forest felt invigorating rather than uncomfortable.

His characteristic faint smile appeared at the sight of her. "Silent," he greeted her gently. "Care to join me for a bit? I'm almost done patrolling the edge of the woods," Bronze gestured vaguely around them. "After that I have no plans." Maybe she had something in mind? He was hoping she did, though he'd struggle to admit that out loud.

Armada was becoming more like home to her. With Bronze in her life, it made it all the more comfortable. She did not want to think of a pack life without him and she intended to try her best to prevent it from happening. When he greeted her in his normal gentle tones, her tail wagged once as he continued to speak. ‘Care to join me for a bit? I'm almost done patrolling the edge of the woods…After that I have no plans.’

“I’d like that,” she said, falling into step beside him as Bronze continued to patrol the last bit of the border. Black and blue paws walked in sync as they felt the familiar terrain beneath them. Green eyes gently scanned the trees as they passed, mind slowly going with the flow. “I have no plans, either…I gathered herbs earlier, but I don’t want to pick the pack clean.”

She seemed pleased to join him, and that was enough for him. He nodded understanding as she moved to join him, picking up his pace once again as she fell in  step alongside him. In many ways, Bronze truly was a simple wolf, and he was perfectly content with a day like today. In truth, he'd just spent so long trying to survive on his own that the normalcy of a slow-paced day like this was something to be grateful for. A soft, content sigh fell from his lips.

"What sort of herbs did you find?" While he wasn't all that curious about the herbs themselves, he was curious about Silent, and any bit of conversation was something he found himself grabbing hold of. Anything to get her talking was good enough for him, even though generally he was a wolf of few words.

Having time with Bronze ensured more quality time with someone she cared about. Silent was not one to jump into a random conversation between two people. It was a rude gesture; when she was invited or able to initiate a one-on-one conversation, she was willing to step up. As she strolled with Bronze, he showed interest and asked what her discovery had been regarding the herbs. He made her feel important and she did not disappoint him.

“Some daffodils, a few pieces of lavender, and I’m still on the lookout for a couple of more.” The names had been lost to her, but she figured they would come back soon. Her pace remained even with bronze’s and she returned the favor. “How has training been going with Sirius?” His activities made her curious and she genuinely cared and enjoyed anything Bronze offered to share.

He nodded in acknowledgment, listening to what she had to say. Bronze knew what daffodils were and he'd heard of lavender, though he was much less sure that he could accurately identify it, let alone what it was useful for. He made a mental note to maybe, someday, learn some basics - perhaps it'd prove useful. Though then again he knew the Armada was somewhat rigidly structured in a way that made it clear they had their bases covered. There were plenty of wolves to fight, to heal, to train and to learn. There was no real need for a jack-of-all-trades in such a setup.

"Well enough," he explained, though he couldn't keep from letting a slight grin sneak over his normally stoic features. "Believe it or not, I won our first practice fight." He wasn't gloating but he was proud, and he wanted to share that with her. He knew it hadn't been the same as the sort of fight that might happen in a raid, or some kind of critical battle, but he knew Sirius hadn't let him win and that was enough for Bronze to feel proud of what he'd achieved.

‘Well enough,’ he said, his face breaking out into a rare grin. ‘Believe it or not, I won our first practice fight.’ Silent’s eyes twinkled with a merry glint as she felt pride slowly blossom in her chest. “That’s great, Bronze!” She softly exclaimed, her tail wagging slowly behind her. Hearing that he won his first fight with Sirius proved that he was, indeed, growing and learning.

“How did it lead to your victory?” She was eager to hear it and learn in the process. Anything Bronze did was definitely worth knowing.