Walk | Talk | Think   He had known or at least suspected from the start that something was there between the tan-faced boy and his daughter. Alamea's own speculations and the closeness he had been able to observe for himself had all but confirmed it. Even the fact the boy had decided to join the pack to be near her had drawn his thoughts parallel to a path he had taken himself when he had first recalled his own feelings for his little mate. But no matter the good choices the kid seemed to be making - he seemed far tamer in personality and adventures than did his own Warja - he felt he knew next to nothing about him.  Likely it would have been discouraged if the idea had even remotely been mentioned within earshot of his daughter, but that was not of importance to him. Rune felt he needed to get to know this Kismet better and so as he sat upon the border of the Gulley, between the edge of the thickly vegetated ravine and the prairie opposite, he called for him. His howl was short and concise but not entirely unfriendly, though it was always hard to tell what "friendly" was like for the strict wolf. Trying not to get into mindset that he was going to interrogate the boy - though that seemed such a faster way to get to the facts than idle conversation - Rune tried to keep himself patient and approachable, though he felt he was doing a poor job of presenting both in his appearance as he waited.

Rune, like many others suspected or knew more than Kismet himself did about the relationship with Warja. Needless to say he hadn't exactly grown up with the greatest influences for romance and happy endings hadn't thought about love or matters of the heart at all. Warja was his friend as far as Kismet was concerned, though Rune of course wouldn't be the first to assume that stronger feelings perhaps existed. Indeed she was certainly one of the most important people in his life, the one he felt he could count on more than any other but he failed to read any more into things beyond that, hadn't considered anything even with the odd teasing comment from others. Whilst they had got off to a rather confusing start with Warja's games of make believe bemusing the serious boy, they had quickly become firm friends. The same however couldn't be said for Rune, Kismet simply couldn't read the man properly though he had an inkling of a feeling that the man wasn't particularly keen on him. What he had done to bring on this or how he could change the man's mind he wasn't entirely certain though he still felt a little uneasy every time he was in the presence of the other, almost scared that he would be in trouble somehow or another. No one ever had actually caused him to feel quite so small and child like before the feeling was new and not one Kismet could say he liked, even in such mild doses as he really had. Uh oh. The single thought would run through his head now as Rune called specifically for him. That hadn't ever happened before and in fact he hadn't been alone with the man since his awkward request to join Secretua. Had that come to an end, was Rune finding some way to send him on his way? He certainly didn't think there would be any good news coming from this meeting anyway, he hadn't exactly done anything within the pack to stand out and receive praise or anything like that. Of course he hadn't really done anything to receive a punishment either though the negative thoughts would still reach him when it concerned Rune it seemed. So not to keep the man waiting and give him any reason to be annoyed, Kismet would move swiftly until he at last found himself before the other and came to a stop a respectable distance away. He wanted to ask why he'd been called here, and before it occured to him that such a question might be rude, his mouth had already opened. "You called me?" He still found it difficult to believe that it had really been the case, perhaps the question would simply been seen as seeking reassurance that this really was the case and he wasn't interrupting anything now.

Walk | Talk | Think   To Kismet's credit, his arrival was quick in answer to Rune's summons, though for the waiting Guardian it had felt doubled. He kept needing to remind himself that he was trying to give the kid a chance to prove himself as opposed to offering him every opportunity to mess up, and that he needed to keep his thoughts optimistic rather than negative and critical. For Warja, if for nothing else. She was always so adventurous and bold but no other friend that he was aware of had stuck around as long as this one had, and no others seemed to draw her to them so strongly as Kismet did. And somehow that made him...special.  Which was why when he finally spotted the tall boy walking toward him he made a point to force himself to relax and get a better control of the expression on his face. Naturally his default was to scowl, to stare and judge and add some sense of value to his pack member, but he was not doing this as an alpha and he needed to separate that part of himself from their interaction. Though his frosty blue gaze was still rather intense, he did not scowl, did not frown, and did not attempt to draw himself up tall where he sat to signify rank and status. He could tell even at a distance that the poor kid was nervous and making him even more so was definitely not going to get their conversation far.  Calmly as the boy stopped and addressed him, Rune rose to his black paws, his gaze only momentarily drifting away before it settled on Kismet again. "I did," the grey Guardian answered, possibly confirming the kid's fears from the look of things. It would have been too cruel to smirk in satisfaction over knowing he intimidated the boy so much so he kept it off of his face, though likely some of that amusement was visible in his stare. "I was wondering if you'd care to join me on a patrol." It was an innocent enough request, nothing more than a walk along the border, but though Rune suspected it was far from what would have made Kismet comfortable he still held every confidence that his simple request would be accepted without any complications.

To be completely honest Kismet wasn't entirely sure what it was about the man that put him on edge. He'd certainly met far nastier characters in the world, given others a piece of his mind and yet Rune had this strange power to silence him with no words or actions at all. Perhaps it was simply that other than the impression that the grey male disliked him, Kismet simply struggled to get a rid off of the rather serious and grumpy man. Perhaps it also had something to do with Warja, though that was a route that Kismet certainly didn't consider personally. He had been summoned and the reason was soon given, one that rather surprised the russet marked boy and one that he wasn't sure whether was progress or punishment. Kismet knew there were duties to being in a pack, he wasn't a prisoner or a pup he was a Guard with responsibilities and one of those it seemed was to patrol the borders. With Rune though, did he really have to patrol them with his alpha? Of course he did, he could hardly turn around and say 'Nope, see you later.' Well he was perfectly capable of saying that but it was likely to get him into more trouble than it was worth. "OK." He responded simply with a small nod. What else could he say?

Walk | Talk | Think   As anticipated, the boy nodded in the affirmative to Rune's request, agreeing to a patrol without any telling hesitation or reluctance. His acceptance was reassuring to the Guardian who took from the gesture to mean that, despite obviously showing more signs of loyalty within the friendship Kismet had with his daughter, his loyalties also extended to the pack as well. He might have been there for Warja, might have joined because she was here and maybe she even asked him to, but it spoke of good character to Rune to see him so willing to step up and pull his weight with duties, even if it meant doing so alongside him.  Unsure and a little irked that he could find no fault with the boy's behavior so far, the grey wolf nodded his head in return and began to lead them, walking slow and purposeful along the upper edge of the Gulley, clear of the thick line of vegetation so that both of them could see beyond and around their home territory and what surrounded them. That was where the true danger hid anyway. Rune's own frosty blue eyes surveyed the landscape outside of his domain through a narrowed, searching stare, satisfied that things were, for the time being, seemingly calm and quiet.  Which was all fine and dandy for his intentions. He could hardly carry on a conversation with Kismet if they were jumping away from the border every so many yards to chase off encroaching rogues. Directing his attention ahead rather than away from their path, Rune cleared his throat lamely before he tried to strike up talk between them in a voice that was purposefully neutral and yet vaguely curious. "How is Secretua treating you?"

If he had known Rune was searching for faults in him, Kismet probably would have been even more worried by meetings like this with the man and of course had the reasoning for his initial wariness confirmed of the alpha confirmed. It was rather difficult to be buddies with someone determined not to like you after all. He remained clueless though fortunately and simply did what he could to stay out of trouble for the most part. Perhaps the adventure to the Southern continent with Warja wasn't exactly counted as staying out of trouble, though to be fair escorting healers as they gathered things was part of his job, he hadn't chosen the destination. It was a very quiet patrol, both the lands and the two males walking alongside each other. To be honest as Rune cleared his throat and began to speak Kismet wasn't entirely certain which option he preferred, the silence or what was surely bound to be an awkward conversation. "It's treating me well, I guess." The Adravendi boy responded. He certainly wasn't being treated badly, even if he did fall somewhat awkward around the very serious Guardian. Of course given his time within packs was as a pup in Valhalla and a prisoner in Glaciem, he really didn't have a lot to compare to anyway.

Walk | Talk | Think   The pack was treating him well. He guessed. The answer was rather noncommittal in the eyes of the stern Guardian, though he recognized that it did not outright paint Secretua in a poor light. He supposed it was a general consensus between those of the pack who were not related to him considering the bonds that he shared with his mate and children were not nearly so tight as those shared with the wolves who had either asked him to join or who he had convinced to join himself. It was not exactly how he wanted his pack to be viewed - he wanted all of them to feel close, to trust one another, to be strong as they stood together - and he realized then that it was something he needed to change.  And was now not the perfect opportunity for that? Kismet might not have been his first choice to try warming up to in order to make him feel more at home here, but he was the first to bring the necessity of it to his attention. Not to mention they were stuck together now on this patrol for a while. Rune knew it was his fault more than anyone's - he was the leader, he needed to set the example - but he wondered how possibly to do it. "You're settling in okay?" he asked with a sidelong glance, still leading them along about their patrol. It was probably too simplistic a way to ask the question, and maybe a little too late, but Rune was curious. He had already lost one prospective youth because the boy had not felt at home within his pack, and since Warja seemed attached to this one he figured he ought to make an effort to keep him around.

Kismet certainly hadn't intended for his answer to cause Rune to believe there was something wrong with the way he ran his pack. Though he barely knew the man and was frankly a little wary of him, he was certainly ranked high on the list of alphas that Kismet had known. Isardis was obviously at the bottom in his opinion, though Rune was far above even his own mother. A good alpha didn't suddenly disappear on her pack leaving the members, and even her own children homeless. No he didn't really have any complaints at all about Rune, but honestly taken aback by the question, hadn't really known how to reply. That would not be the end of question time though it seemed, another similar question soon falling from the Guardian's lips after another of those pauses. Honestly Kismet felt in some ways he preferred the silence rather than this questionnaire. "Yes." He answered. Secretua was certainly becoming a home to the boy, perhaps it never would quite replace the importance that Nephilim island, Vericona Plains or Wolfpaw Lake held in his heart though it was certainly homely here. He had found himself completing tasks as well, participating in things, though the top of that list was certainly the little mission with Warja. If he was honest less for the responsibility and more for the sake of adventures with Warja.

Walk | Talk | Think   Short and succinct answers. This whole conversation thing was turning out to be more difficult than Rune had anticipated. Though in all honesty the answers were not discouraging. Having Kismet fit into the pack and feel comfortable here, even if it was all because the one wolf he felt most comfortable around just happened to be the Guardian's daughter, was good news. Any other answer might have actually been concerning. "Good," he answered simply, not wanting to press and make things more awkward by asking for specifics and attempting to content himself with this positive feedback.  But how to get the kid to open up a little more? If he was going to learn anything about him, he needed to get Kismet talking, and the single questions about the pack were doing nothing to stir that tongue into loosening. As much as he was averse to the idea, he supposed extending the olive branch by speaking up first himself might make it a little easier, and maybe if he was honest it would prompt the boy into being so too. "I've had others not be so lucky," he stated matter-of-factly as he walked, "and they've left because of it." It was by no means a proud fact about his pack, but a fact nonetheless, one Kismet was entitled to know if he wished. "I think Warja would be disappointed if the same happened to you."

What a wonderful conversation this was proving to be, they truly were quite the talkative pair. To be fair to Rune was certainly trying to make an effort, Kismet's short answers were hardly giving the Guardian much more to go from. The boy had no idea quite what he was meant to say though, he wasn't about to go into detail with his responses it simply wasn't in his nature it seemed for starters and secondly he certainly didn't want to make some sort of wrong step here still feeling awfully put on the spot. Somehow though Rune would still manage to find more to say commenting on the rather unfortunate fact that others had left Secretua after failing to settle into the pack at all. What would surprise Kismet however was the additional detail, the fact that Rune believed Warja would be sorry to see him leave. He of course figured that much for himself, the friendship wasn't one sided but to hear Rune admit it was certainly a little shocking. Whilst Warja liked him, never had he got the impression that Rune did and whilst it seemed the man would accept that fact it didn't seem that he would openly admit it was true at any point. "I guess some packs just aren't for everybody." He commented upon the had certainly found that to be true in his life so far. Liberty choosing Glaciem over Valhalla, his own decision not to join Regium with his family, the younger siblings opting to follow Sarak rather than stick with either of the elder ones, Soren's choice to wander rather than give Secretua a chance. Each example probably made such little sense to anyone on the outside, though the person making them evidently felt it was the right thing to do for some reason or another. He hesitated before commenting upon Warja's potential disappointment if he were to leave. Honestly he was sure she'd survive, they'd spent so much of their lives apart now that she would certainly cope perfectly find without him. He certainly had no plans to leave her though. "I'd never want to disappoint her." In the end he chose to confirm it out loud. It was certainly spoken from the heart, he truly cared about the girl more than he himself even realised it seemed.

Walk | Talk | Think   His comment about his daughter seemed to work better than he had expected, earning an honest confirmation from Kismet that he was concerned with Warja's thoughts about him. That was certainly an interesting little tidbit of information to keep. He had known they were close, that they were friends, but this was a little different, at least in his eyes. He saw again small signs of his own relationship with his little mate and could not shake that something might have been here between this boy and his daughter. But neither acted on anything other than friendship; it was hard to tell. "I'm glad to hear it," he answered, leaving it at that. There was no need to go on explaining how duty-bound he was to make sure that his daughter stayed happy, which included righting wrongs if one occurred. But Kismet seemed to be a quiet kid, calm in comparison to his rambunctious girl. He was beginning to wonder if there was any room to worry here at all. "And I'm sure you won't. You seem like a responsible kid." Or maybe that was his quietness giving off that serious impression instead.

He was clueless, Kismet saw it still as nothing more than a friendship. Others had read further into he and Warja's friendship though their suspicions still hadn't been proven either correct or incorrect. The boy wasn't even fully aware that many people assumed they were anything more than friends, it was almost laughable really how unaware he was about everything. Responsible. That single word stood out to him. Kismet was under the belief that Rune disliked him though right there was a positive viewpoint and a pleasantly surprising one as well. He'd never actually been called responsible in his life ever before, but then again had any action ever really caused him to deserve such a description in the first place? Probably not really. He wasn't sure how to respond to the comment, certainly not vainly agreeing with it. He would fall silent instead allowing Rune to move the conversation on again if he wished.

Walk | Talk | Think   Whether he surprised Kismet or not, Rune did not know. He refused to outright look at the boy but instead kept his attention fixed forward and away, watching the border as he continued to lead the pair of them along their patrol. It might have been an awkward silence between them, what with the comment that could easily have been a compliment hanging in the air, but Rune felt his irked feelings about the boy losing their fire. Kismet's close relationship with Warja still might have been something almost threatening to the happiness and established stability within his family, but he had never once wavered in his friendship with the girl, going out of his way to see her even when they were far apart. There was something to be said for that kind of dedication, and even Rune could find no fault in it. There was promise here, a reliability that he hoped would continue to spread into the pack, and that, for the time being while the kids sorted out their feelings, was good enough. He said nothing for a time, merely continued on in thoughtful silence, though after a while he did begin to wonder how the Adravendi boy was taking it. Surely it was not the most comfortable of tasks he could have been doing in the pack, and after realizing that nothing of great importance or excitement was going to happen there along the border Rune figured it was time to turn him loose. "Looks like everything's quiet on the border," he commented, pausing in his steps to cast a more searching glance out and away from the pack lands. His blue eyes shifted back to rest upon Kismet with a hard but respectful stare. "I can finish this on my own, if you've other things to do."

Kismet wasn't entirely certain whether he preferred the silence or the talking to be perfectly honest. The conversation had certainly taken a slightly pleasant turn, resulted in a far better outcome than he had originally intended. To be frank he had thought himself likely in trouble of some sort to earn this one-on-one time with Rune and yet it seemed that wasn't quite the case. Things were hardly perfect between the pair of course, they weren't about to become buddies but at least Kismet no longer had the impression that Rune outright hated him. When the silence was finally broken again it was for Rune to acknowledge how quiet the borders were today, that Kismet was no longer required to help. A little more at ease around the Guardian he wouldn't be quite so hasty to take the escape route suddenly offered to him though that being said he probably still would have stuck around in hopes of trying to impress the man, something he hoped to achieve now. Maybe it was because he was Warja's father, or maybe it was had something to do with the fact that he was now Kismet's alpha, either way he sought some form of approval from him. "Are you sure? I can keep helping?"

Walk | Talk | Think   To the boy's credit, he did not immediately take the out offered to him. Whatever reservations Rune had supposed Kismet to have regarding their patrol together had either been allayed or abandoned entirely after their conversation, a fact he was glad of. As an alpha, he wanted all of his pack members to feel comfortable around him, and those same feelings had been stirred here for this lonesome youth after getting over the initial unease at his closeness to Warja. But one promising youth had already been lost because of a lack of effort and follow through, because he failed to feel like he was wanted and welcomed inside Secretua's boundaries, and Rune did not want to see that happening again. There was definitely approval in Rune's bearing as he cast another quick glance out and away, searching one last time for anything that might be pressing enough to keep the boy there longer since he had asked. But with so little happening here he figured he would just be wasting his talents on a task easily completed on his own. "I believe I can handle the rest of it," he assured Kismet with a firm nod of his head, deciding to make the boy's renewed freedom final. "If you would like to, you can scout the border opposite this one on the other side of the Gulley. Maybe you can even give Eirik a nudge and make sure he's out contributing too," he suggested. He hardly knew what type of the relationship the two Guards had, if any, but at any rate he figured having someone make sure his son was pulling his weight was good. Not to mention the fact Eirik was a friendly sort just as Warja was, and maybe the commonality there with Warja linking them would open the way for further friendships to keep everyone happy and comfortable.