All of the reassurances that he had given to Cyprian before he parted ways with the gentle giant were echoing in his head now as he took shelter in one of the gorge's seemingly numerous caves and alcoves. It would have been easy enough to stick close to the former gladiator after the larger male had managed to take him with him after he won his freedom, but Valens couldn't get past the nagging guilt that he had made things more difficult on Cyprian and that he had already asked for so much from him. It had been the first time he had asked anyone for anything more than the basic necessities to live and it had been a substantial ask at that. No, he couldn't keep relying on Cyprian. He had to find his own way now that they were well away from their former captors and now in relative safety.

What he hadn't really considered when he made this decision was the lingering chill of this continent and the heavy amounts of rainfall that he had trudged through so far. His fur was already fairly thin as it was on his bony frame so having the cold rain constantly pelting down on his back was like being hit with pins and needles. He hadn't made much progress and could only travel for short periods of time before he had to stop. He shook out his coat as best as he could before sitting back on his haunches with a sigh while trying to ignore how his stomach rumbled. Glancing back at the cave that stretched out behind him he began to wonder if he might get lucky and find some kind of small rodent or other such prey in these caves, but he had a feeling that with his luck he'd be more likely to run into a bear or get lost in the twists and turns of the catacombs.

"Valens"

Sometimes you just had to walk.

With so many new pups added to the family, the former King of Fenmyre had been a very busy man. Chimera loved his children. He doted on them. So of course he was a very paws-on father, taking up as much of the responsibility as he could. With such a large litter, it had taken it's toll on Aliana, and so he had been caring for her as well, nitpicking and making sure that she was resting while he cleaned and entertained their children. Very housewifey of him, but his pride allowed it for the love of his wife and their brood.

Dalila had agreed to stay with Aliana while Chimera took a much needed breather. The man wasn't used to staying in one place and he couldn't exactly take a giant pile of puppies with him everywhere. With his queens babysitting together, the dual-toned man set off out of Ashen territory to stretch his legs and just walk.

It hadn't been raining when he left pack lands, but it surely was raining now. Spring though it was, the rain was cold and bit into the man's flesh. Soon he was waterlogged and slightly grumpy. Thankfully he knew where he was and so he made his way towards the cave system that would offer shelter until the rain passed.

As he moved, Chimera caught sight of a small, miserable looking man. The smaller brute was eyeing the cave that Chi was making his way towards as though wondering if he should enter. Age and children had made the shark-toothed giant kinder and so, as he moved past the wolf, he spoke. "Best get out of the rain." Chimera continued on, head lowered against the downpour as he passed into the mouth of the cavern. Whether the other man joined him or not was yet to be seen.

Once inside, Chimera shook the water from his black and white coat, the fur sticking out in all directions like spikes. He really had been soaked through. With a grumble, the man began moving about the open space, inspecting for predator scents or anything else that might be interesting information. There were tunnels that broke off in different directions, but he decided that the entry cavern should be safe enough for the time being. With his inspection done, Chi moved back towards the entrance and the muted light that it provided before settling down on a dry patch of stone. Not that it would be dry for very long with a massive, wet wolf on top of it.

"Chimera Klein"

The sound of paws moving over stone tipped him off to someone's approach and he quickly looked up, his turquoise gaze falling on the massive form of a male that seemed to be split in two with dark fur on one side and lighter fur on the other. Valens immediately shied away from the stranger as he drew closer and began to worry that he had mistaken this cave as one that was abandoned. No matter how uncomfortable he was in the rain he certainly didn't want to intrude on this man's home or earn himself the wrath of this stranger for trying to use a space he had set his sights on. He was ready to dart back out into the rain, but the larger male only told him that he should get out of the rain before continuing on into the cave himself with no warning or sign of hostility toward him.

Valens blinked with surprise and only hesitated for a moment before he moved further into the cave with the stranger while still keeping a respectful distance. He hung back closer to the entrance and watched as the man moved around the space as if he was inspecting it. It seemed that the man had the same idea he had about trying to find any traces of scents of other predators, but he was actually brave enough to throughly inspect the cavern rather than cowering by the entrance as he had. Of course he shouldn't be surprised–this man was just as big or perhaps bigger than any of the gladiators he had served. At the very least he matched Cyprian in height which was saying quite a lot.

Once the larger male was satisfied and moved back toward the entrance a bit to settle on a the cave floor, Valens began to relax a bit. He gave himself another shake and moved closer before settling onto his haunches a short distance from the stranger. It was hard to read from the man's expression whether he wanted to be left alone or not, but he felt like it was only right to at least thank him and introduce himself if they were going to be waiting out the storm here. "Thank you for letting me share this space with you, sir," he said after a moment, giving him a small, grateful dip of his head. "I'm Valens... I go by Val if you prefer."

"Valens"

It didn't take long for the smaller man to come closer and seat himself. A moment later, he thanked Chimera for allowing him to be within the cave as well. A soft scoff escaped spotted nares and the brute shook his head. "It's not my cave." He knew what the man meant, however. Chimera could very well have denied him entry; told him to find his own damn cave.

Valens, the name was given. He even went so far as to call Chimera 'sir.' The giant's gaze narrowed for a moment. Already he had his suspicions about Valens. He seemed to know and accept that he was small and weak. "Chimera," the black and white brute replied in turn.

To see if he was correct in his assumptions, Chi decided to question the man a bit. "Where do you hail from, Valens?" It was the beginning of what could very well be a long evening. The rain didn't look as though it would let up anytime soon. Quite the opposite, in fact. It seemed to be coming down harder, the night getting blacker. Thunder rumbled off in the distance, indication yet another storm system on its way. Yep, they'd best settle in for a long night.

"Chimera Klein"

The larger male dismissed his thanks, citing the fact that it wasn't his cave, but Valens doubled down, adding, "Regardless... Thank you." There would have been no hope of him attempting to fight for the chance to use this shelter if the man had decided he wanted this space for himself so whether or not it seemed like a kindness to this other wolf it still felt like one to him. He had no doubt that some of the brutes that he had served before would have kicked hm back out into the rain without a second thought–or would have immediately tried to get something from him in exchange for this. This stranger didn't seem to be doing either of those things, at least not right away, and for that Valens was thankful.

Val made sure to commit the man's name to memory once it was given to him. Chimera. It wasn't as if Chimera was easily forgettable anyway, but he knew next to no one in these lands aside from Cyprian so it was nice to have at least one name and a now familiar face here. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said politely and was prepared to wait out the rain in silence, but instead Chimera questioned him, asking where he came from. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, glancing up at the two-toned gaze of the larger male before quickly looking back at his paws. He certainly didn't want to lie to someone who had been kind to him, just as he was about to speak the thought crossed his mind that this man could know about the place he had escaped from and might try to take him back. Still, he had seen nearly every male that had come through the holding area for the gladiators and had never seen anyone that looked quite like Chimera. He and Cyprian had traveled a long way so what were the chances that he had come from there as well?

"I've lived in a fighting ring for as long as I can remember, sir. I was a servant there," he finally replied after a long moment of silence, picking his words carefully. Servant was perhaps a generous title for himself, but he didn't want to fully admit the station he had carried either. This place was supposed to be a new life for himself–he didn't want to carry his past here even though he didn't know another way to live. "Could... you tell me where I am?" he asked curiously after a moment, glancing up to meet Chimera's gaze once more. "I've traveled a long way, but I didn't have a particular destination in mind so I'm not exactly sure where I've ended up."

"Valens"

Having settled down, Chimera began licking the water droplets from his forelegs. The rest of his fur would be damp, but being within the cave for a time with the breeze gusting about, he would surely be dry before he left. The small man insisted on thanking him again and Chimera simply released a grumbled hum. Acceptance and dismissal of the apology. It was over with.

The hesitancy at answering the question of his origins was well noted and the giant brute stopped grooming himself to fix his full attention on the marbled man. He could understand not wanting to share so much personal information with someone that had just been met, but it made him curious nonetheless. In time, Valens spoke and Chimera listened. A fighting ring. A servant. A land far away. He could see it. The other wolf's demeanor screamed servitude with all of the 'sir' and whatnot that he threw into his speech.

Upon being asked where he was, Chimera gave him the answer. "You are in Boreas. Traveling south will take you to Auster." Chi shifted, resting on one hip with his hind legs stretched out to the side comfortably. "As far as I'm aware, there are no fighting rings here, so you should be far enough away from your former captors." If anyone would know of such a thing, it would be Chimera, the former slave lord.

"Chimera Klein"

The information he shared about the gladiator ring didn't seem to trigger any reaction from the larger male and instead of addressing that right away he instead answered his questions about where he was. That felt like a good sign and soon enough Chimera confirmed his suspicions, confirming that there was no fighting rings that he knew of and assuring him that he should be far enough away from his captors here. While he truly had no reason to believe this stranger or any proof to take his word as fact, he didn't sense that there was any lie in the man's voice or expression. If there was one thing he had gotten good at in his time as a slave it was reading others and judging what their intentions were and he didn't pick up on anything malicious from the brute even with this new information in front of him.

That allowed Valens to breath a slow sigh, the remaining tension in his shoulders slowly easing away. "Good... Good, I'm glad," he replied softly with a nod, glancing away to look outside past the rain. "Boreas and Auster..." he repeated after a moment, tasting the names of his potential new homes and feeling both excited and incredibly intimidated by the concept of having this wide open world in front of him. He had never had an opportunity to decide his own path or chose what he wanted to do and now that he had risked everything to get it he didn't know what to do with it.

He looked back to Chimera after a moment, considering his options. He could go wander back out into the wilds again once the rain passed. At the very least he felt like he should be able to feed himself and patch himself up if he had an injury, but beyond that he didn't really know how to protect himself–nor did he think he would be able to if he tried. Given that fact he felt like it was probably better if he found some sort of group to stay with for at least a little while, but who could he trust? "Do you happen to know of any groups or packs that might need a medic? Or maybe a hunter?" he questioned uncertainly. Chimera had been truthful with him thus far, hopefully he could point him in the right direction of somewhere he'd be safe for a time.

"Speech"

There was physical relief on the small man's face as Chimera told him of the lack of fighting rings. He found himself wondering just what sort of trouble the sand and soot man had gotten himself into in order to be subject to such servitude. Valens then spoke the names of the lands that he now stood within and Chimera nodded in affirmation.

Next, Valens asked after packs and groups that might take him in. How fitting. Chimera chuckled a deep, husky rumble. "I do, in fact." Lips peeled back in the flash of a smile, pulling the curtain away from rows of shark-like teeth. "Chimera Klein, King of Ashen." Ruler of a pack. A group. A place of protection against any that might come looking for him. "A pack can never have enough medics or hunters."

Now that Valens had mentioned entry into a faction, Chimera's thought process changed. He assessed the smaller man silently, thoughtful, considering. "I require that my wolves work hard to master their skills, Valens. Everyone pulls their own weight to the best of their ability. Everyone contributes." The black and white giant's head tilted slightly as his pale pink eye fixed on the marbled brute. "Ashen is primarily a family pack, but we deal in information and various trade." Then he was silent, letting the information soak in and giving Valens time to consider.

"Chimera Klein"

When Valens asked about the possibility of packs or bands that might make use of his help, he never expected that he'd accidentally stumbled into the alpha of a pack. The surprise was obvious across Valens' features as Chimera reintroduced himself as the King of a pack called Ashen. He supposed what he said about a pack always needing more medics and hunters had to be true, though he had little first hand experience to support that notion. He had only learned what had made him useful to his previous captors, but the needs of a group were the same regardless of the purpose of the group it seemed. He wasn't sure how his skills might measure up to other members of the man's pack, but he hoped it might be enough to at least keep him from making a fool of himself in front of these other wolves if Chimera should allow him to come back with him.

He listened attentively as Chimera explained the way that the members of his pack were expected to pull their weight to the best of their ability and master their crafts and Valens nodded with understanding. That much felt self explanatory and the way that Valens mostly expected all packs to function from what little he knew of them. When he spoke of Ashen being a "family" pack he wondered just how much family Chimera had, but that was just an errant stray thought compared to the importance of everything else they spoke of. Perhaps it would have been better for him to get a better lay of the land and perhaps see what his options were here, but given the fact that Chimera was the first soul he had encountered besides Cyprian to treat him kindly it made the choice to try and stay with him an easy one.

"I understand," he said after a moment of consideration. "I would be happy to focus on honing my skills for you and your pack, sir. Most of what I've learned so far has been very basic things–patching up fighters when they came back from the ring and hunting for them when they demanded it–but if there's anyone willing to teach me then I can learn. I'll find a way to make myself useful regardless," he assured the larger man. There was a moment of hesitation before he added, "My duty in my previous life was mostly to be a way for the fighters to... relieve stress whenever they desired so.... if that's a task that can be of use to you I'll be happy to oblige if you're willing to take me in." His gaze had lingered on Chimera's paws as he spoke, but as he finished he finally brought his gaze up to meet Chimera's dual toned eyes, looking to the larger man hopefully. Even though he had escaped the fighting rings in hopes that he might avoid having to use his body to get by, if that's what it took to make himself useful he wasn't above returning to what he knew best.

"Speech"

The small man seemed to have a bit of experience with healing and Chimera nodded. "My queens are healers as well. Perhaps you will learn from them." He had no doubt that Siren and Aliana would share their knowledge with someone that was interested in bettering himself. Especially if he asked them to.

Outside the rain continued to come down in sheets and the behemoth watched it with a pale pink eye. Valens continued to speak of his prior duties and the brute's head turned to look at the smaller man. Used to relieve the stress of the fighters, eh? Though he didn't say it outright, it left little sway in the imagination as to what he meant. Valens had been used by the fighters to slake their lust. A soft huff ghosted through Chimera's speckled nose and, for a moment, he was tempted. "That won't be expected of you in Ashen," he assured him. "You are a free wolf. If you give your body to someone, it will be by your own choice."

Chimera's head went back down to lay upon his paws. "Get some rest, Valens. We'll head back to Ashen when the storm abates." The cave was chilly and damp and, being the thoughtful giant that he was, Chimera spoke again. "If you are too cold, you may lay beside me." He was no prude and his pride had shifted into something else these days. If Valens needed warmth, he would provide it.

"Chimera"