Glaciem was still a newborn that Odette was learning to take care of. She wanted to make sure she did everything right to ensure her pack's safety and success. One thing she needed to establish was a good list of allies. As she left her home in the North, she headed to the Eastern half of Ala to find the packs she needed to speak with. Her first visit would be to Abaven. She knew that Abaven had been allies with Solstice before, but she didn't know how open they would be to an alliance with her. With bated breath and a twisting stomach, she continued to lightly jog until she came to their borders. The scents were strong, something she knew she herself would have to work on for her own lands. She daintily stopped at the edge of Abaven's land and tossed back her head. A lone howl, meant for the leader, rang in the air for a few seconds before wavering into silence. Odette lowered her head and waited for an appearance. She hoped that he would show without any fuss.  Speech

A call rang out, one that he didn't know. He was curled around his pups, the five tiny bundles all asleep at his belly. He wanted to give Wren a break, the poor woman was tired beyond belief. But alas, duties called. With Motif out traveling again, he was left alone with the alpha duties. He wished she would come home... he really needed her help. He didn't want to leave his babies, he just wanted to stay in this den with his family. But as the moments ticked by, he knew that no one else would go and answer the caller. Sighing, he nuzzled the little ones back to their mothers breast before he pulled himself to his paws, stretching and making his way out in the cold. He shivered, it was such a harsh contrast from the warmth of his den. Taking one last look at his family, he padded towards the borders.

He made his way towards the woman, a brow rose. He didn't recongize her, a new wolf looking to join? No, by her scent she had a place of her own, so what could she be doing here? Oh great... politics. Putting on his nice smile he closed the gap, sitting in front of the colourful woman as he dipped his head in greeting. "Hello, I am Bass Destruction, Azat and ruler of these lands. What brings you to Abaven?" he asked. He was sure that his fur stunk of pups and milk, but he was as much a family man as he was an alpha man.

As the winter winds came with her from the North, she waited through the chill as an unfamiliar male appeared. He was brightly lit with a white pelt, standing out against the snow and making it look gray. However, what drew her attention to him the most was his bright pair of eyes. The way they shined made her wonder if her own opts did such a thing.

Her thoughts were pushed aside as he greeted her with a smile, an easy way to keep any real emotions from showing behind a hidden wall. She dipped her head shortly after Bass did, tail remaining around her hind legs. Ears perked as she cleared her throat and tried to come up with a greeting that would be just as nice as the white male's. Red and blue eyes sparkled as she smiled and respectfully stood to her tallest height. "Good afternoon, Bass Destruction of Abaven. I am Odette Adravendi, Alphess of Glaciem..." She then hastily added, "formerly known as Solstice."

Her smile slightly faded and she felt a tiny bit of her sparkle disappear as well. "Solstice's rulers parted ways after a tragic incident, so they gave me the pack to rule. I made a few changes to it, but its alignment is almost the same as it was before. I came to see if there would be a chance to keep Glaciem as an ally to Abaven...and vice versa." Well, that didn't go as bad as she thought it would. She may have sounded like a nervous child giving a speech, but at least she got it out without running away or fainting.


"Speech"

His smile faltered before it sputtered out and died. Solstice as no longer there? At a loss for words Bass tossed his gaze away from the woman, his head spinning as he tried to get this thoughts together. He felt as if it were only a few weeks ago that Crucifix came and talked to him, about needing help. Had the pack been torn apart? No... it was Kylar who had called the challenge. So why did... She spoke again, answering his question. Ah, so it was something to do with him and Sibelle then. He didn't know the russet fae well, but he had been rather close with Cru. A heavy sigh left his lips, his weight shifting as he moved his gaze back up to the colourful woman. Offering a rather weak smile, he nodded his head. "Of course Odette, I would be pleased to keep the alliance strong. We used to have an alliance with Glaciem as well, when it was in Athena's paws," his voice was thick with emotion, but he tried to keep himself distracted. Athena too had handed her pack over, and now he wasn't sure where they stood with the new leader. So many packs changing around, it all gave him a headache.

"I am glad to see that Glaciem is back. Did you move up to the North then?" he asked, trying to focus on the topic at paw. There was no need to get so emotional, although he had been excited for his friend to meet his five little ones... but now where was he? Clearing his throat, he blinked his golden eyes as he tried to shake the sadness off. Bass was not going to ask Odette where he had gone, it would not be fair to drag her into all of this.

Bass's expressions changed from pleasant to sad. She knew that there would be a chance that he wouldn't be pleased with her news, but they had to come out eventually. It was better to take off the Band-Aid all at once instead of go through the turmoil of slow unpeeling for the skin. He went through the motions and finally agreed to keep up the alliance. Her slightly faded smile returned to full bloom as the conversation continued to run its course. "Athena is a good wolf," she admitted, for she had met the woman before she had officially claimed the Mile-High Woods as her own. "And I did, actually," she said. Her couldn't help but smile at the recent memory involving her, Sibelle, Taurig, and the pups moving to the North over a series of days. After they had reached the Woods to establish their claim, Odette had begun to think of politics (a rather boring topic). "I wasn't sure if the move would do well for the members that stayed, but so far, it seems like a good choice in the long run." "Speech"

He nodded slowly when she mentioned that Athena was a good wolf. Their meeting had been a year ago, when he had first claimed Abaven as his own. It had been awhile since he had seen the two toned alpha, and he heard that her half-sister, Roman, had taken over for her. He had to make his way back up there to see where it all stood... There were so many packs that he hadn't traveled to yet, he should probably get on that... He shook out of his thoughts when Odette spoke again, saying that they did indeed move up North. Ugh, that was such a long journey... As she spoke of it being a good idea, he offered her a small smile, not quite yet shaking the sadness away. "I am glad to hear that Odette, I am sure that you will do well up there," his voice was soft, a tad unsure still. While he was pleased that this woman seemed happy enough, he was still upset that Crucifix vanished without so much as a word to him, and he had thought that they were closer than that. Taking a shuttering sigh, he pushed it away. Bass would need to start guarding his heart... Focusing on the woman before him, he tilted his head to the side. "Did you want to stay here to rest before going back to the North? I know that its a rather long way, and I wouldn't mind if you would like to stay the night and travel in the morning," he offered. He was nothing if not hospitable. Walk "Talk" Think

His words were warmly received, even though it still seemed the news had shaken him to the core. She would let him mull over what had upset him and wondered if he would be all right. Odette was oblivious to the relationship Bass had established with Crucifix, so she had no idea that it was what really made his mind work on overdrive. All she could do was hope that he would get through it. Out of nowhere, he appeared more focused and offered her a place to stay for the night. She was surprised and the evidence was noted in her raised eyebrows and slight shock in her eyes. Odette quickly recovered and slowly nodded. "Why...that is very thoughtful, Bass. I would appreciate that very much." All of a sudden, she started to feel the weight of her recent journey pull through her legs and down to her paws. The way she felt became more obvious in her eyes and she gave a warm smile as she met his gaze. "I didn't realize how far the journey was, to be honest." Speech

He chuckled soft as she noted the long journey, and he smiled knowingly. "I know the feeling. Come on in Odette, I will show you to an empty den," he said softly, turning away from the border and into the plains. There were several empty dens scattered around, but he would prefer to have her close to his own den. Not that he didn't trust her, but so that no one would think that she was trespassing to take a nap. His pack members knew that he was attentive, and that he wouldn't miss the smell of another alpha beside his own den. The walk wasn't long, and soon he was at the empty dirt den. It smelled faintly of his children, they must have been playing around here. Smiling softly, he nodded his head towards it. "Faccia come se fosse a casa sua," he muttered in Italian, the other language flowing off his tongue with ease. "So, I'm just over here if you need anything at all Odette. Please make yourself at home," he said again in English, knowing that she probably wouldn't understand his Italian words.

The Azat led her to an empty den, one that smelled of puppy innocence and warm memories. The scents made Odette smile and as she made room for herself in the den, Bass told her to make herself at home. She met his gaze and she saw the soft smile that graced his features. "Thank you, again, Bass," she said, nodding to confirm her agreement to his words. "I will try to be the best guest you have ever had in Abaven's lands." Her tail slowly wagged behind her as she reclined to her haunches. "Maybe in the future you can teach me how to speak that language...it really is pretty." Talk like this