Surprisingly, in what seemed like a short amount of time, he, Tinaro Lastic, had grown up. He didn't feel any different nor were his spirits lifted by such a transformation. He was an adult, so what? To be honest he was same creature with the same unattractive lanky look to his appearance. By now he was probably way behind with his education and training, seeing as Darrah was missing from the pack. He never took a strong liking to his young mentor, so now the only positive aspect he found with the problem was the fact that had he claimed Darrah's den as his own. His brothers could find their own - he got there first.

Mama would have taught me everything about hunting.

For some unexplainable reason his paws had lead him to the lake hidden snugly within the plain's trees. It reminded him of the time he had once played the game of hunter and rabbit with his brother - and of course he was the one scampering around like a blind rabbit while being chased. Unlike the churning waters of the rapids that laid on the other side of Abaven's territory, the lake was unbroken with only faint ripples created by the cold wind. His mind held the growing urge to plunge himself into the tranquil liquid and disrupt the rather sleepy morning that rested upon the plains. It wasn't his usual self to be timid and quiet, but until his lazy thoughts could be bothered on making a plan for the day, he'd sit by the shallow end dearly hoping an idea would plop into his head the same way a stone is dropped into still water.

The young girl was still learning her way through Abaven and how it was to roll but she found that she was struggling to stay within the borders long enough to learn them. She had wanderlust and it was the thing that had gotten her into trouble all of those months ago when she wandered too far and met Zeus' son. She had been naive back then and she would have liked to say that it had passed. She was a pup still, lacking knowledge and experience to be of any real use but she knew better than to trust strangers, even if they were in her pack. Perhaps that was why everything had been difficult for her. That particular day she had fancied finding a den where she could rest. She loved sleeping underneath the stars and she had done so since she had arrived but she needed to find a sheltered place for the less than preferable conditions she had been lucky to have. She had found one with scents around it but she thought that maybe it was just one of her packmates having walked by or perhaps they too had looked at it or used it. She would enter, her ocean blue pelt being shaken to get all of the loose dirt off of her fur. "Is someone in here?" Her medium alto voice spread quickly through the den as she saw another standing there. "Hello!" She would greet in a cheerful yet cautious tone. Great, another stranger to judge me.

As usual, he had grown bored of the lake and its surroundings, returning to the small space known as his den. Perhaps it was all because his brother still hadn't shown up, which was what he had been waiting for. It was rather peculiar as the two regularly stumbled across each other, however it has been some time since he had seen either of his littermates. They didn't take part in the previous meeting nor did they participate in any trainings. It wasn't that he envied such rebellious behaviour, if anything, he was actually being loyal. Yeah, that was it, loyalty. Too bad his brothers didn't have it.

Moments after he had found himself comfortable within the earthen walls, an intriguing scent tickled his nose. His smell was far from being a developed sense which was why he couldn't tell whose scent his nostrils had caught. Because his brother always hanged around him and was the only close and familiar soul in his life, he assumed it was him. That meant he had come for only one thing: to steal his den. Well, he wasn't about to give up his home so easily and weakly, so in a stern tone he snapped. "You're not taking this den, Alvin. It's mine."
Only a moment after his words had left his mouth, a low feminine voice called to his ears. Wait, that wasn't Alvin? Worse yet, it was a girl? His cheeks heated with warmth over his embarrassed mood as he secretly wished to be swallowed by the soil and never to be seen again. With his rump against the den's wall, he shrunk into the corner with his chestnut fur hopefully camouflaging him with his environment. She approached him until he was certain she could see him and make an arrogant remark over his foolishness. However, she greeted him ever so cheerfully! "Uh, hi." The boy chimed hesitantly in response to her greeting, not daring to meet her gaze. His embarrassment could still be heard in his vocals, which meant he was probably the one to be judged.

Caution had slowly faded as he started to talk to another which confused her. It was just the two of them. He turned to face her and slowly she understood that she was mistaken for someone else - whomever this Alvin character was. He stuttered which gave her an amused smile as she spoke. "I'm Calypsei, not Alvin." The words were light from her tongue as she gave him a confused stare. "Is he a friend of yours?" Curiosity would lace her lips as her cyan rump rested on the ground, her ocean blue eyes filled with a sense of intrigue. The depths of her mind were turning about possibilities as she considered the situation. If this was about a den, and he claimed it as his, then it had to be a friend, a family member, or a lover. Seeing as they were both pups, she ruled out the last one. So the question was: friend or family member.

The pup, noticeably larger yet younger than himself, introduced herself and clearly pointed out that she wasn't Alvin. Well, he knew that now, not before. For one, Alvin wasn't a girl and the last time he checked, they were both the same height (unless he stood on his tippy toes to gain that extra inch). However, he happened to encounter just someone else residing in Abaven, which he didn't mind. In fact, he hadn't socialised much with wolves other than family.

"He's my brother. Usually he's somewhere around me, but I haven't seen him in a while." In coincidental timing, he explained who this Alvin was in relation to himself only a heartbeat after she inquired for it. He added a shrug at the end, losing interest in the subject altogether. His brother was probably trying to be "cool" or had finally decided to leave Abaven now that they were yearlings. As his awkwardness was starting to fade, his words grew more relaxed and confident but with the fear of embarrassing himself yet again towering over him. Seeing that she had settled herself down upon the ground, he copied the same position while giving out his own name. "I'm Tinaro Lastic."

He would explain that Alvin was his brother, making her mind twist and turn as she complimented it for being correct in assumptions, and he explained that he was always lurking around. "Sounds like a tedious situation to live with." She admitted as she gave a swift nod of understanding. "My siblings always liked to hang around me. Eventually, I put them in their place and they didn't bother me." Her words sounded a bit cold and detached as her eyes appeared to almost zone away, the memories cursing her as she referred to Zeus' children as her siblings. "I use the term 'siblings' loosely. They were my captors and wardens." The words were harsh as she shook out the bad memories. "I apologize. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Lastic and I am sorry to have intruded upon you." Feeling like she was no longer welcome, she would rise and turn to walk away. Her eyes were softly narrowed with a certain determination. Tinaro seemed alright, but that was still up in the air. First impressions were important, but not that important. The ocean colored girl would make sure she walked slowly away, keeping her cool as her mind raged a war. She wanted friends. She couldn't have friends. Friends always became casualties in the end.

The girl, who he wasn't able to marvel over her intriguing coat of ocean blues because of the den's dim light, spoke of her own siblings and her supposed troubles with them. He wouldn't call his own brother a problem, certainly annoying at times but far from being a negative influence in his eyes. How she managed to stop them from pestering her remained a mystery, which was why he planned to ask her to share any tactics he could use with his own brothers. Then again, he couldn't do anything with his brothers seeing as they weren't around anymore. However, her following statement happened to confuse him with unfamiliar yet bitter words tossed around. Judging by her surprisingly cold tone, she didn't seem to have a friendly relationship between herself and her siblings. Before he could question this, she made her way to the den's exit and apologised for intruding upon him. Having never been in this situation, he sprang to his feet with his mouth opened and closing as he hesitated over his choice of words. Should he call her back? Had he offended her? "You don't have to go, really, even if you did intrude." Words left his maw without him thinking about them and before he could stop them from leaving, they had already floated through the air. If anything, he was more likely to offend her now rather than earlier."But, it was a good intrusion. I was a little lonely before, anyway."

One thing that Calypsei had yet to catch on to was social skills. She had never needed them because she had done a lack of talking with others in the past. She hadn't needed to talk because she was not worthy to talk. It was all very confusing for her and as she grew older, she was starting to discover that her captors had kept her from a lot. He would call back to her, telling her that she did not have to leave and a small smile caught her face. It had been a good intrusion? She was not entirely sure how that could be because all intrusions, in her mind, were bad intrusions. She would turn her head around, looking at his face for some kind of ulterior motive or even the face of a liar but she did not find it so she shrugged it off. "Are you sure you don't mind, Tinaro?" She tried out his first name and found it was fitting. She could get use to a name like that. Her strange mind decided whether or not to call a wolf by a first name or surname for her while she interacted with wolves. Calypsei overall was just a strange femme. "So... um... how are you?" The words were awkwardly placed as she sat down a small distance away from him. She was not good at conversation unless she knew she had some kind of upper ground.

Tinaro, on the other hand, didn't have so much of a problem with his own social skills. He was a rather chirpy chatterbox, especially around his closest brother (which was quite obvious at this point in time). After his mother had passed away when he was a young pup, the only family remaining were his brothers who had now decided to mysteriously disappear as well. This meant he was left with unfamiliar wolves who he wasn't comfortable with being around. Some were around his age, yes, however he recently uncovered that most of them were somehow related to each other by blood, which only reminded him of the loving, affectionate and tight-nit family he could have had. If only he knew that the younger female wasn't a part of this vast family like himself.
"I don't mind," he assured lightly in response to her concerned inquiry. "but I can't stop you from leaving, if that's what you feel like doing."
Her next query sounded peculiar to his ears. It was an odd question, especially at this time of their conversation. It seemed rather out of the blue and almost hesitant by the way he heard it. However, he still replied with reluctant words leaving his throat. "Good, I guess..." His voice trailed off after his eyes finally noticed the unique shade of the girl's pelt. How had he not seen it earlier? Now that she had repositioned herself closer to the den's entrance, the sunlight managed to illuminate and reveal her true form. His eyes widened as he changed the subject almost rudely if she interpreted it in that particular way. "You're blue! Wait, how long have you been in Abaven? I hope no-one makes fun of you because of that."

She was not sure what to make of his words. He had invited her to stay but it almost felt like he was trying to get her to leave once more. Still, she remained sitting, her head held up as he finally came to the realization that she was, in fact, blue. She laughed softly to herself as she looked at him, one brow raised. He asked her if she was being harassed by anyone as well as how long she had been in Abaven. "No one has made fun of me - why would they? Where I come from, we don't have wolves of your coat but they seem to be everywhere now. Of course, I have a large family of wolves with blue fur. Then there is my captors family which had all red fur, some purple and green mixed in there." She had begun to rambled to herself before realizing it. She stopped, taking a deep breath before speaking once more. "I've been here about two moon cycles."

By the tone of her reply and her use of words, she didn't seem offended over his remark on her fur colour. Maybe no-one else had judged her, which meant she definitely hadn't encountered his brother. Of course, he knew that his brother didn't have the most courteous of personalities and was sure to grasp any moment to harass someone over a difference, especially over something as noticeable as their pelt. Tinaro didn't mind this insolent behaviour because his brother was family, but it could offend others. Almost fortunately, he wasn't really around anymore so he could forget about it entirely.

"I haven't seen any blue wolves here, or green, red or purple for that matter." he stated rather obviously with a shrug as he begun to lose interest in the subject of why she may be bullied because of her coat. It didn't surprise him to hear that blue wasn't the only odd shade that dared to consume one's appearance. If there was blue, of course there would be pink, red and yellow. Why not? "So where do you come from? I don't think you were born here, like me. And, who are these captors?" He was quite a curious fellow who only managed to piece a little bit with the words she spoke. She mentioned that her fur colour, which was rather stunning if he may add, was a familial trait. According to his knowledge, no-one else was blue, let alone a whole family. Then there were her captors, a word her voice had used more than once in their conversation. It was an unfamiliar word, but the closest he could get himself to discovering its meaning was finding that it was similar to capture. Was she captured? Abaven surely didn't capture wolves. No, its definition had to be something different.

He left his question better unexplained which made her wonder if there were wolves within Abaven would dare to try and discriminate against her because of the color of her fur. Her tail lashed from side to side a few times in displeasure from the fact that she was left without an explanation but she would then listen to him. She had just said that no wolves from the area he lived in that she now called home had her colored fur. It must have been cultural differences or something. Maybe he had a hearing defect? Or, perhaps, she was being too critical. No, that couldn’t be it. She had a right to express her opinions. “I grew up in the far north along the borders to an ocean. My family still lives there though they made it clear that I will never live there again. So, I headed south and then Bass found me and brought me here so I could learn how to care for myself.” Her explanation was left vague and she left the word captors out of her last bit because she thought the word was making him uneasy. It was not often that pups were taken prisoner unless it was for some kind of long-term plan. She still shivered whenever she thought of it, chills running down her spine. “What about you? Were you born here or somewhere else?” She would try and keep the conversation going. Twenty questions seemed like an excellent game to play.

Her deep feminine words wove an honest story for his ears to listen to. She spoke of her previous home being situated by an ocean, and only then he realised there was a coincidence between her home and the array of oceanic colours painted across her fur. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence. Perhaps she was an ocean wolf with an ocean family. Well, according to what she told him, it seemed her family didn't want her. Didn't her family like her? By what Tinaro could remember, his mother was a fairly compassionate woman who certainly loved all of her sons despite not being able to be with them until they reached adulthood. However, as different as their family history was, it all ended at the same conclusion: both of their parents were gone. It was that tiny fact that made him feel closer to the girl in some way.

"So, you don't have a family anymore?" he inquired bluntly just for confirmation. His gaze fell to his shuffling paws as his voice spoke in a soft mumble barely audible for her ears. Usually, he wasn't emotionally comfortable with informing others about his parents, but after hearing about an obvious dilemma with her own family, he felt the need to share his own. She was unwanted by her family who may still be alive while he was once wanted by parents who left him unexpectedly. "I was born here in Abaven, just after my father passed away. Mama passed away when I was only a young pup. I guess I was an orphan." He didn't want to darken their conversation by bringing a topic as solemn as this nor did he want her to spend hours sympathising over him. Hopefully this particular subject wouldn't drag on for too long.

The young girl would nod when he asked her for confirmation. "I was kidnapped by my father's enemy when I was only a season old. I was stuck there for so long and I watched my only friend die before my eyes in order for me to escape. Then, when I did find my way home, he turned me away." Sadness filled her eyes as her tone turned melancholy. She hadn't told anyone else about it, only alluding to it. He would then go to explain that his parents had died and she frowned as well. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." Her words were almost apologetic as she spoke once more. "I guess we're like... an orphan club or something." She tried to have some brightness on such a dreary topic but it was not working out like she had planned.

Not only was she unwanted by her family, but she had also been kidnapped earlier in her life by ironically, a family enemy. These must be the captors she mentioned previously in their conversation. He didn't understand the reason for abducting young and innocent children and simply found the whole situation cruel and cold-hearted as he mentally shuddered at the thought. After witnessing a friend pass away in a sacrificial way and escaping, she was turned down by her family. What infuriating madness! "After all that they didn't let you back?" he echoed bluntly with his tone somewhat irked by the mess it all seemed to be. At least her current life wasn't a mess, unless there was something else she hasn't told him.

He understood why she wanted to brighten the rather dull subject that had befallen their discussion like a dark cloud. In fact, he aimed to make a smooth transition into another topic while there was something else that sparked an idea. She suggested that they were like an orphan club, could he build on from that? "Yeah..." he agreed as his head nodded slowly and thoughts gradually sped to life. "I've never met anyone like me. I mean, we're different on the outside but on the inside we're kinda alike." he finished with a warm smile as he was pleased that he found such an individual.

He seemed astonished when she said that she was not taken back. "I was a prisoner of war, Tinaro. I was a piece of meat that my father's enemy could use against my father. I escaped but my brother pointed out that I could be some sort of spy. My father picked the next in line over me. He kicked me out and gave my brother the title of Heir to the Throne because I was stupid enough to fall for a trap." She explained her father's reasoning with an exasperated tone, her eyes holding the sadness she felt. He agreed with her about the orphan club which made her smile a little bit. A real smile. Not some sort of fake smile that she put on her face around those whom she was forced to put up with. "Yes, definitely kind of the same on the inside." She would agree with a small nod from her cyan head. She had never met anyone like her either and it was quite nice. Her siblings shared her blood but she was her own person, her own soul.

It seemed the oceanic girl had already lived an eventful life, despite being noticeably younger than him. However, the hectic past of hers wasn't exactly a peaceful and exciting one. She provided more depth to her story and described the dark experiences that outlined her earlier seasons. Comparing their pasts together, he discovered many opposites yet the same similarity remained. She even agreed with him and added a natural smile that made him feel warm on the inside. For once, he had received somewhat of a compliment, or positive feedback for that matter.
"I've never been quite confident with sharing this information, especially with those I've recently met," the yearling stated, attempting to lead the conversation back onto the lighter and more optimistic side. His words were honest, accompanied with a glowing smile. Even with his own brother, when the subject arose he was prone to staying silent while instantly killing the chat. How he had been able to overcome one of his fears without realisation remained an ominous mystery in his mind. Was it because he had forgotten all about it whilst conversing? Or perhaps he had found comfort with speaking to one with a similar history. Whatever the reason may be, he still felt the urge to express his satisfaction. "but I think this particular conversation did just the trick."

When she had said her words, the back of her head started to lecture her but she forced her worries to the side. She held her smile as she nodded. "I'm glad to have conversations like this, it's just hard to find someone you can open up to. Eventually, you have to otherwise it will tear you apart. Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice." She had no idea what had brought her to say these words. Perhaps it had been some kind of hidden emotional experience or just the need to give advice, but she had said the words. She had nightmares and she was forever haunted by what had happened but she realized that being weak about it would get her nowhere.

Her mature and almost philosophical words made his mind deeply think upon the sayings that she had tossed into her statement. Suffering is a choice; what did that mean? Before today, he was rather weak when it came down to explaining his emotions and past. In a way, it was a choice as he had once allowed his feelings to take control (or tear him apart as she had worded it) instead of choosing the path of strength and resistance. All the facts smoothened into a clear understanding. Not only had she agreed with him once more, but it all made sense. "I can definitely relate to that." he nodded in response to her explanation, enjoying every topic that their conversation had come across. It had been a while since he had a pleasant and intriguing discussion with someone else, and so he was grateful for encountering such an individual. But, how long had their been talking for? It didn't seem like long, however, his aching limbs told him otherwise. His legs desired a stretch while his lungs yearned for a breath of crisp fresh air. With a tilt of his chin, he articulately inquired his suggestion to the oceanic female. "How about we go outside? The weather's nice, plus it's a little cramped in here."

All he said was that he could relate to her words and she would nod in response, acknowledging his words while psychoanalyzing her own. She took a deep and rather soothing breathe when he suggested that they move outside. It was cramped inside the small den and she had never been a fan of walls whilst awake. She would move swiftly across the ground as her blue fur rose from it and she trotted gracefully outside the den that Tinaro claimed as his own.. It was funny how her search for a resting place had brought on such a conversation. It was a good one; one conversation that she had not had the likes of in a while. She supposed that she had sort of had a similar conversation with Lark though he did not show nearly as much understanding as she. The sun shone down on her back as she exited the cave. She allowed herself to breathe in the senses and catch familiar and strange scents across the lands she now called home. "If you don't mind my asking, Tinaro: Were you close to your mother before she passed?" The young girl could very much see Tinaro as being a friend - something she did not find often. Friends were often fake and hard to understand in her mind but something was different with him. She gave him a curious look as she kept in mind all that she had learned in this conversation alone. Of course, he knew equally as much about her and he was free to ask whatever questioned he liked. She had always been curious about ones closeness to family.