Azalea stood on the doorstep of Regium's nothern neighbor. This was the very land where she had been held against her will. It was where she had been impregnated. The wilds of this north wood were familiar to her now and looked much like the forest she now called home aside from the wider spacing between trees. She sat down at the border, wondering lightly what Liberty spend most of her time doing. Azalea was learning, trying to get active in her new home and meet the many wolves there. She wanted a chance to meet with Athena as well, to catch up with the girl that she had met what felt like a lifetime ago. The chilled morning air rang with Azalea's call to the Bevroren crown. Speech,

It wasn't too often that she was surprised by a howl at her borders. Leaders from other packs were fairly frequent visitors and every once in a while someone would come looking to join. However, it seemed like today someone from her past would come calling. She recognized the voice easily enough, pinning Azalea's face with the tone in her mind. She smiled softly and quickly turned to head toward the border that Bevroren and Regium shared, eager to answer Azalea's call. Several minutes passed before she finally laid eyes on the russet faced woman and Athena gave a soft bark of greeting at the approached, her tail wagging behind her and a pleased smile touching her muzzle. It was always a happy occasion when she got to see a friendly face. "Azalea! It's good to see you again," she said as she stopped in front of her guest. She quickly noticed Regium's scent on Azalea's pelt and of course the fact that the woman was on the Regium side of the border between the sparse pines and red forest. Athena's head tipped to the side curiously as she asked, "When did you join Roman's ranks?" Speech Thought Others

It wouldn't take Athena long to come to the border, a wag in her tail and a smile on her face. To Azalea it was refreshing to be greeted so friendly, this was after all the happy little puppy who she had entertained over a year ago. The daughter of Argent had grown into a beautiful woman and Azalea imagined she had all the boys fawning over her. "Azalea! It's good to see you again," Came Athena's greeting. She smiled lightly, her own tail waving lazily now. "You too, Athena. You look so well, and I was happy to hear it was you who got the pack in your parents stead." Athena thus far seemed a good leader, at least she hadn't started any wars. Athena looked at her odd now, head dropping to one side. "When did you join Roman's ranks?" Now Azalea's smile grew wider, seating herself before answering the girl. "After Viridiana toppled Valhalla I moved north. I had met Roman a couple times previously and it just seemed like my best option at the time. I have more kids now and they had just been born a few days before so I needed to keep them safe. It was a good choice, Roman is a good wolf and Regium has proved a good home." She smiled to the wolf. "How are things here? You seem suited to your position but you're still so young, don't you ever just want to get out and have fun?" Azalea had zero focus when she was a yearling, there was no way she would have been allowed to be responsible for anything.

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The silver girl dipped her head gratefully to Azalea's compliments, glad to know that there was still someone who believed she was a good fit for this role. If only her own pack members had that same faith. Perhaps now that Isardis had gone and taken the wolves loyal to him with him she could begin rebuilding, but the task felt daunting. It felt good to simply sit and talk with an old friend, even if it was just for a few moments.

Athena followed Azalea's lead and sat back on her haunches as well to listen to her story of how she came to join Regium. She smiled and nodded in understanding. "Roman really is a fantastic wolf," she agreed. "I wish I could spend more time with her. She's the one that encouraged me to work harder to get father's attention so I could become Heir. Of course I never anticipated taking over the pack so quickly, but I have to thank her for making it possible."

At Azalea's next questions Athena scoffed quietly, smiling slightly as tiredness settled on her as she thought of her reality. "I actually forget how young I am sometimes... I try not to think about it really. I have a job to do. If I don't then Bevroren will fail." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "So many wolves disappeared when I took over and when Isardis left to start Indarra he took Argent and Drashiel with him. They were two of my highest ranking wolves, wolves I trusted. Bevroren's ranks just keep dwindling. We're finally starting to stabilize again I think, but there's just so few of us left. It's just been hard. Very hard."