The Soverein wasn't entirely sure what brought her down to the south this oh so hot and sunny day. It was very obvious that summer was just around the corner and for a wolf who enjoyed the ice and snow this was certainly a climate change. She ducked under a near-by tree and sighed with relief as she stepped into the cool shade. Even with her fur being its pale shade of silver the sun still warmed her thick coat to the point of annoyance. She settled under the tree, laying down on her stomach. Athena crossed her paws neatly in front of her, making the golden bracelets around the lower part of her forelegs clink together. She stared at the pieces of jewelry and a soft sigh passed her lips. At one point they were a show of a pride for her lineage, a sign that she hoped to follow in her father's footsteps. Now? Is that what she really wanted to do with her life? At the same time she didn't want to get rid of them. They felt like a part of her, something she had gotten at a huge turning point in her life. Maybe one day she would lose her attachment to them, but for now... For now she would continue to wear them with pride. Like it or not she was an Armada and that was something she couldn't change. Lifting her gaze, Athena considered her options of what to do next. Ludicael was nearby, maybe she should go check in with one of her newest friends in the pack world. There was also a good bit of this area of Alacritis that she had yet to explore. Really she just wanted to sit in the shade and wait for the cool of night to travel home. Oh well, maybe the adventure would come to her. Speech Thought Others

His mind had become racked with many thoughts, the majority of them being around Guinevere. Ever since she had told him about her cheating, he had been consumed with different emotions. Rage, guilt, aggravation, and sadness all wrapped up into one big gift made the young man restless and unsure about his future. What if she did it again? Faith and trust were slowly dwindling from his life and he needed to get away from the negative thoughts. His mix-matched paws carried him from his den near the Springs and down to the mangroves. He still couldn't believe that this piece of land was not pack territory anymore. As he walked in the shadows of the long branches, he felt the wind smoothly wave in his direction. It moved under his pelt to touch his skin and he felt his pink dermal layer prickle. Something about the wind was different today...maybe it was because of his worries, or his paranoia...or the fact that someone else was there. Dhiren immediately froze and defenses expectantly rose. He blinked and with perked ears began to sniff the air around him. A female scent, one who was unfamiliar to him, was nearby. Slowly, he began to walk again, each step silent as if he was walking on pillows. Gold and silver eyes searched for anything out of the ordinary, when lo and behold, he saw her. She was silvery gray with black-tipped ears, lazily resting in the shade of a nearby mangrove. Bangles of gold rested on her front legs as she relaxed, obviously not a fan of the heat. He stopped a few feet from her and gently cleared his throat. "Um...hello?" he greeted, still unsure of her status. "Speech" Lineart courtesy of Kaylink on dA - Character belongs to Wynn

As she continued to lounge in the shade of her chosen spot she sighed contently and enjoyed the breeze that picked up, ruffling her silver coat. Her eyes drifted closed as she relaxed, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of her surroundings. Her ears were still alert and she still took note of all the scents around her. She caught the scent of a strange male on the breeze, but didn't hear him approaching so she wasn't too concerned. She figured he either hadn't noticed her or had simply passed her by anyway. However it seemed that neither of those things had happened. Suddenly a voice met her ears and she blinked open her eyes to see a black, white-marked wolf standing a short distance away. She looked him over with surprise, but he didn't seem to want to cause any threat so she didn't see a reason to be alarmed. She chuckled softly and commented, "Well, you're certainly a stealthy one. I didn't even hear you coming." Athena pulled herself up so that she went from laying down to a sitting position, giving the stranger a small smile. From the looks of him she guessed he was pretty close to her own age and it was easy to tell from his scent that he was from Ludicael. It was amazing how much one could gather from a first impression. "I'm Athena. Out wandering?" Speech Thought Others

She responded faster than he had anticipated, making him take a couple of awkward steps back. Her face broke out into a smile and she greeted him by calling him 'stealthy'. Dhiren's troubled face disappeared and a soft smile replaced the external worries. "Oh yes, I have worked hard on not being heard lately." The stranger rose from laying on her stomach to sitting on her haunches. He noticed the soft jingle of golden bracelets upon her wrists. They glinted in the sunlight, tenderly showing off the silvery background of her fur. She was indeed a pretty fae, with manners that met her looks. The young lady introduced herself as Athena and inquired about his doings. Dhiren gave a weak laugh and said, "Yes, actually. I was trying to get through the many thoughts that are raving in my mind. They haven't wanted to leave, though, so it's making the walk defeat its purpose." His smile got a bit wider and he introduced himself as well. "'Tis a pleasure, Athena. I am Dhiren...Dhiren Destruction." His nose twitched as he caught the scent of her lithe form. "I take it you wandered here, too?" Speech, Awesome pic by Seren <3

Athena chuckled as he spoke of his consuming thoughts, nodding in full understanding. It seemed like her mind hadn't stopped spinning since the day she took the position as Isardis's heir those many months ago. It felt like a whole different lifetime ago, but in reality she knew that it hadn't even been a year since that day. It was incredible how so much could happen in such a short time. He went on to introduce himself and Athena took note of his name, memorizing the name with the face. His last name rung a bell, but she didn't comment on it. If she remembered correctly that was the last name of the wolf she had spoken to when setting up the peace agreement with Ludicael, but she wouldn't be surprised if Ludicael was like Glaciem once was with a large part of their population being related. If one family resided in a particular pack for any length of time it was bound to happen. Athena nodded as he turned her question back toward her, chuckling softly. "Yes, it seems we had similar intentions for coming out here, though I would guess that I wandered a bit farther than you did." Her split-tone gaze grew curious and her head tipped to the side a bit as she spoke. "Do you mind if I ask what's bothering you? Maybe we can both make each other feel better," she offered. Speech Thought Others

She voiced her reasons for being there as well and Dhiren couldn't help but gently chuckle. He looked up and around him, taking in the way the mangroves' branches moved in the silent breeze. He also took in the scents nearby, of the fruit that was growing from the branches and then the sounds of the small creeks that wove around the roots. All-in-all, the location was definitely worth the trip. "The mangroves has been here for many seasons and has seen many things...I am sure if these trees could talk, they would." Athena asked if he wanted to talk about what was going on in his mind and for a second, he hesitated. "I don't know if it would be worth your time," he admitted, bi-colored eyes returning to her Christmas-colored gaze. "My troubles are more personal than a high-ranked wolf should carry, especially with how much goes on within a pack..." He took a few more steps towards her and then halted. "Unless, you are certain you want to hear my woes? I don't want to bore you.." Talk like this

Athena listened with a twitch of her ear, a little surprised that he knew her high-ranking in her pack. She hadn't mentioned Bevroren at all, but she knew well enough that he could have easily smelled it on her pelt and she certainly hadn't kept her position a secret before now. She shrugged it off, instead focusing on him and the curiosity she felt toward him. She smiled softly and replied, "In my opinion, every problem carries equal weight. Who am I to say that your worries aren't causing you any less pain than mine? In fact, I often find that problems in your personal life are even harder to deal with than matters of what is more or less your job for a pack. So, I would be happy to listen to what is bothering you." She smiled faintly and waited with curiosity to hear what was on his mind. She had been hidden away in Bevroren for so long that part of her craved to hear what life was like for wolves in other parts of Alacritis. In a way, the young girl deep down inside her was excited to hear any piece of gossip though she hated to think of someone elses tribulations like that. Speech Thought

Her welcoming attitude and gentle words brought a wave of calmness over Dhiren. His mind stopped working as fast, his mood slightly lifted, and he felt as if someone outside his family cared. Even though they had just met and despite having family members to speak with, a faint tug at his heartstrings was made. Slowly, he stepped forward and lowered himself to the ground, stretching his front legs until they were a foot or two from Athena's gray paws. His tail lightly thumped against the ground and around his hind legs as he sighed and began to speak. "Well, there's this girl," he started, unknowingly quoting a sentence from the movie Aladdin. "She has been in my life for almost a year and she lived in Valhalla when we first met. Once the pack disbanded, she came to live with me in Ludicael and since then, she's been a constant." Dhiren couldn't help but smile at the memories. "However, lately she has been acting...different." His ignorance would show itself in his next set of words. "She became a woman and with it, came hormones and stuff I don't really understand..." He sighed again and cleared his throat. "She met someone who consumed her and...satisfied her needs...When she told me, she said her body was frozen but her mind was telling her to leave. She couldn't move and she stayed there..." Dhiren didn't know he was telling the Queen of Bevroren about his personal details, so he continued. "We had a talk and I forgave her, but I don't know if I can trust her wholly again. I mean, what if she finds herself in the same situation like before? What if this man decides he wants to use her for that same reason and come and try to do it?" Anger started to rise in his chest and his silver and gold gaze shimmered with its flames. "I can't bare to deal with another dramatic situation like that. Even though I have forgiven her, I feel like a clown that has been used and laughed at. The way things have been going, it feels like I have been taken for as a fool." Insecurity was Dhiren's weakness. If only he could work on it and become a more confident man. "If something happens like that again, I won't be as forgiving..." The reality of it was more than he could stand. His heart broke at the thought of hurting Guinevere, but he wasn't sure he could handle any more embarrassments. "It's for the good of the pack, isn't it?" He softly asked, wondering if Athena would agree. Speech,

speech,





Athena followed Dhiren's lead and settled onto her stomach as well, getting comfortable and settling in to listen to his story. While he spoke she kept quiet and held back her comments, but she couldn't always control her expressions. Her smile changed to a concerned frown when he mentioned his girl acting different, but understanding flashed in her gaze as he went on. Of course she disapproved of this woman's actions, of her being unfaithful, but he never seemed to call her his mate or even his former mate so she wondered if they had been simply courting or if some actual commitment had actually been made. Although, if she had come to live in his pack purely because he was there once Valhalla was no more that had to mean she had cared for him at some point.

Her brows pulled together with concern as he went on, seeming to get more and more angry at the whole situation he was in. He surprised her a bit by ending it with a question about it being for the good of his pack and she had to pause for a moment to process what he was asking. "Dhiren... I think you really need to think about how this affects you and her and your relationship, not the pack. Once you get your personal life in order, everything else involving the pack will fall into place. But when your personal life is in shambles... I can tell you from experience that it can shake up everything."

She inched forward just a bit so she could rest a forepaw on top of his before she went on, her split-tone gaze meeting his bi-colored one. "From what you've told me, none of this is your fault. You shouldn't feel embarrassed for something that is ultimately her fault. Sure, hormones and all that complicate things and cloud judgements, but there has to be something more going on. If she won't tell you what that 'something more' is... then maybe you need to cut her out of your life. I know that's hard to think about, but you need to put yourself first." Pulling back her paw she tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I promise you that there isn't a single wolf that thinks any less of you because your girlfriend cheated on you. If anything they will look down on her if they find out."

Athena followed him and copied his actions. Soon she was on her belly with her own paws stretched out in front of her silvery frame. She listened with interest and once he finished speaking, she gave her own advice. Dhiren knew his life had been tossed everywhere, but he hadn't considered it being in shambles. A sigh escaped his lips and he thought about all he had to do. He cared for Guinevere, but the fear of losing her again was just too much to take in at one time. Dhiren had only told a couple of wolves about his problem -- his grandfather and now Athena. He wasn't the kind to share his situations with a lot of wolves, so he considered it good that she was the only other person that was aware of his thoughts. Her paw rested on his as she told him that if things didn't work out with Guinevere, then maybe cutting her out would be the best choice to make. Dhiren felt as if someone was carving out his heart. Despite dealing with the trust issues, he did care for the girl and didn't want to toss her on her butt out of her home. She hadn't done anything to Ludicael's members and wasn't a problem to the pack. His eyes moved to her paw on top of his and as she moved it back, he looked up to meet her gaze. "I guess it's a good thing that only two wolves know about this," he weakly chided, ears sliding back at the sad attempt of humor. He gave another sigh and flicked his tail beside his black frame. "I hope that we will be able to work through this. We are still dating, but relationships do need time to be worked on, even when the other has done something wrong." Silver and gold eyes betrayed his thoughts of "What if?", but he didn't care. "Have you been in a relationship that almost tore you apart, Athena?" Dhiren wanted to change the subject. He was tired of talking about himself now. Speech,

Athena simply nodded and kept her thoughts to herself as he replied. She had given her advice as well as she knew how and now it was completely in his paws. She certainly didn't expect to hold any sway in his decisions, she only hoped that in the end he was able to make the decision that would make him happy in the end. He seemed like a really nice guy and he certainly deserved to live a life not filled with worry and distrust. He turned the conversation toward her and she gave a short chuckle in response. "I'm in one now I guess." She stopped and gave a small shake of her head. "No... I don't know, it's complicated. I'm... Well, my mate is my brother. I know, I know, I've heard every line in the book about how wrong it is and every skepticism against it. But he's the only wolf that has been a constant in my admittedly very turbulent life. He's stood by all of my decisions and I do love him. I really do. We're supposed to be married soon actually. It's just..." she shrugged. "We're so young. I'll be two in a few months, but still... How do I know I'm doing the right thing? Marriage just feels so final." Speech Thought

He gently chuckled as she spoke of her relationship. She wasn't so sure about them being married so young and she was pondering if it was right. His silver and gold eyes twinkled as he watched her speak. Her topic swept the thoughts of Guinevere he had under the rug for him to tend to later. As he continued to listen, he pondered if he would ever get married one day. With the way things were going, it was a bleak possibility. "I will admit, it is unusual to hear," he said, tones still filled with warmth. "But, if you love him and it feels right, then you should be with him. Families are all different and your pack, if they object, should realize that your marriage is your personal choice." He curled his tail around his hind legs absently. "Being married is final; it closes the chapter of your single life. But, it's also the beginning of a new chapter and a new door that's opening for you." His eyes shimmered softly as he continued to speak. "Besides...just because you are married doesn't mean you can't window shop." He gave a joking wink, hoping that she wouldn't consider his words wrong. Talk like this