It felt like they'd walked for miles, but Armai had been eager to rid herself of the north for good. Nothing was left there that was good for her. She had the few remnants of friends, but mostly bad memories. It'd been where she was born, lived with a family who didn't care about her, and now it was where she'd lost the second pack she'd ever lived in. So now, with nothing better to do, the pair had set to traveling. They'd certainly put more than enough distance between them, but she didn't see the harm in exploring either. Nox had been by her side constantly and together they'd managed to go all the way to Auster. The temperatures down here were wet, soggy, and mud easily splattered over the road-worn pair. Armai didn't mind, but she could tell Nox wasn't entirely pleased with the idea of being dirty due to the constant grumbling. Originally Nox had been excited about the idea of coming here, but she was less enthused now that it was raining, humid, and slightly cold. She couldn't see, but Nox had already remarked about how grey the sky was and how this had been a bad idea. But they kept going either way. Armai was excited for the whole new set of herbs she could possibly find in the area and Nox's bad mood wasn't going to drag her down. It wasn't until she almost stepped over the pack border that her mood dampened slightly. She'd just managed to pick up on its scent, right before her paw crossed over the line, and she came to a halt. She sniffed the ground again and sure enough there was a pack scent. Her brows furrowed and she let her rump fall to the ground. She could smell all sorts of herbs here, ones that would possibly die off soon due to the cold rains. Her brows furrowed at the thought - she was so close and yet Armai knew better than to cross. It seemed like she'd have to go find herbs elsewhere. Walk, "Talk" Think "Nox"

"I don't know what to do, alright?" He walked along on his patrol, Kimahri walking beside him. "Well you know what i would do about this matter." He retorted. It was the matter on what to do with the brother who abandoned them. Dragon felt conflicted, talked it out with Kharnage, and his sibling was on the same page as Kimahri. He was frustrated, and wasn't entirely sure about what to do. What mostly irked him, was the fact that Lykos stayed away. If his brother was truly innocent, then he would have had some sort of respect to come and seek him out, right? Only the guilty went and hid away...at least, that's what he thought. So was Lykos really innocent? Or was he guilty about something? He would have liked to have a relationship with him...but he didn't think it was possible at this point. At least...not without a lot of work from both sides. He came to a stop, the male staring at the ground as he tried to figure it out. What would his mom do after all this time had passed? Would she have forgiven Lykos and moved on? Knowing her, it was a very strong possibility. But he was stubborn and didn't want to talk to her about it. Lykos seemed equally as stubborn, which is probably why he was nowhere around. Groaning with the weight of indecision, he sighed. When he finally looked up, he noticed he and Kimahri weren't alone. Someone was sitting at his border, someone he didn't recognize. Curious, he went and approached the stranger. The cold mud on his paws feeling uncomfortable, but he ignored the feeling for now. "Hi there, can I help you with something?" He stopped a few feet in front of the pair, unaware that the silver wolf was blind. "Speech"

the colors of my life
are painted in black and white

The girl sat for a good moment pondering where to go next. These lands were unfamiliar, foreign, and overall she was hesitant about exploring. At least in the northern part of Boreas, in certain areas, she's grown used to familiar paths. Now she had to start all over again, assuming she even stayed in Auster for a while, and it wasn't exactly a prospect she liked. Nox had become like a second hand to her - always there, always present, and yet there were times Armai still felt guilty about having her around. She relied so much on her companion that she'd become dependent on it. What would she do if something happened to Nox? It was certainly a good question.

A warning grumble drew her out of her thoughts. Nox had been sniffing around away from the border trying to figure out their next course of action, but she quickly became away of the sounds of a pair approaching. The cat's vibrant red gaze flickered up towards the horizon and quickly spotted the larger brown wolf and the cat that padded next to him. Surprise quickly overcame her before she shoved it down. This was now the second time the pair had come across a wolf and cat together. It seemed as though it was becoming a more common occurrence.

"Hi there, can I help you with something?"

Silver ears flicked back and forth as she tried to pinpoint exactly where the other wolf was. She could smell his companion too - cat for certain, but slightly different from Nox. Her head turned towards him, in what she hoped was the right direction, before she offered the male a feeble and nervous smile.

"I hope I'm not intruding. I came down this way to find some herbs, but I wasn't aware of the pack border until I was right on top of it."

There was something kind of off about the woman, though he wasn't sure exactly what quite yet. He eyed the snow leopard at her side, and likewise Kimahri stared too. Was it common for wolves to have wild cats as companions? His mother had a bird, a big one at that, but this was the only other wolf he'd met with a leopard. It was interesting, and pretty cool! She commented about the borders, and his brows furrowed a moment. He tilted his head a bit, moving his head side to side to see if she was following, but it seemed almost as if..."She's blind, you idiot!" He nearly jumped out of his skin when Kimahri oh so loudly said that. Dragon shot him a glare before turning back to look at the silver woman, embarrassment flooding him. "S-sorry about that!" He apologized to her, head dipping in apology as well before realizing she wouldn't even have been able to see that motion. God, he really did feel like an idiot! Well, so much for making a good first impression. He suddenly felt like he was the laughing stock of alpha's. He definitely didn't have the grace and stuff his mom did, at least not yet anyway. He was still kinda getting the hang of it, and Kimahri was trying to teach him too. Sighing, he looked at her with clear embarrassment, his face heated and a sheepish grin. "Anyway, sorry about that. My name is Dragon Ancora, you said you were looking for herbs? If you want, you're welcome to check around and see if there's anything you need." Was he being too trusting? Was he doing the right thing? What bad could a blind wolf do if any? She said she was just looking for herbs, and the plains had plenty. Besides, he figured if she started any sort of trouble, then she'd have a pack to deal with. But he didn't think he had anything to really worry about in the first place. "I can er...guide you around, if you want. Not really sure what herbs are good to use, we don't have a healer, haven't had one for a while and my brother Arke barely knows the basics. So asides from being a guide, I'm not really sure I'd be helpful plant-wise." "Speech"

the colors of my life
are painted in black and white

Where Armai couldn't see them staring at her companion, Nox certainly noticed and her fur bristled uneasily at the sudden attention. She cat quickly recuperated and began sniffing around on their side of the borders while Armai had her conversation with the alpha and his companion. She wouldn't be needed and in the mean time she was curious about this land. While it was unbearably hot for the thickly furred leopard in Boreas, here the temperatures were just cool enough for her not to complain. She didn't understand the temperature change between the continents and she couldn't help but wonder what else would be different.

"She's blind, you idiot!"

Armai flinched slightly at the words and she could hear Nox snorting in amusement from wherever it was she'd wandered off to. Armai, of course, hadn't see the male move his head back and forth to see if she was following his movements. She smiled rather shyly and nodded. "It's okay. I've been blind since birth so I've gotten used to it. Most of the time others won't notice right off the bat." She explained. Her eye color hadn't changed to a milky white like some since her eyes were never damaged externally.

"My name's Armai." She introduced herself before she forgot. It was all too easy to get wrapped up into a conversation.

She couldn't see his emotions, but judging from his tone he was embarrassed. She grinned slightly, showing that she wasn't upset by it whatsoever. Her smile faded slightly, but her mood had improved since coming across the male. Surprise soon became her next emotion once the male invited her to come look for herbs in the borders. She really hadn't expected that offer whatsoever. His offer to guide her around seemed genuine enough too, though she supposed it was partially to keep an eye on her, not that he'd need to. She wasn't one to start up trouble, though she supposed if she happened upon any of his pack mates it wouldn't go over well to have some stranger in their midst. The fact that he didn't have a healer in his pack intrigued her. She had absolutely no clue who Arke was, but judging from it he must have been pretty young to have such limited experience.

"Well I'm not a part of a pack anymore, so I don't have a place to return to for a while. If you'd like I could train a few wolves in your pack if you'd like?" She wasn't quite sure what compelled her to offer, but With Vyper gone it wasn't as if she had anything better to do. If this male was nice enough to invite her in looking for herbs then staying for a little while wouldn't be too bad, right? She could return his kindness by helping his pack out a little bit.

He wanted to die. To just sink into the ground and be swallowed up. He was so embarrassed he just wished lightning would strike him down now. Well, there was no going back. So when she said it was alright, he wasn't sure if he felt better or not. Nah, probably not. He probably should have guessed from the way her gaze wasn't entirely focused, but the only partially blind wolf he had been around was Vereux, but he was pretty sure the guy was missing an entire eyeball. Now that was obvious. But her? She had two pretty eyes sitting right in her skull. He was so glad for the distraction when she introduced herself, changing the subject. "It's nice to meet you Armai. Sorry about...um..." He cleared his throat, ears flicking as he tried to push away the prior moment. "I've never met someone who couldn't see before," He blurted out. And though Kimahri was watching Nox with interest, he rolled his eyes and shook his head the moment he heard Dragon say that. "You really are an idiot." He growled as he got up and walked away, head shaking.

Dragon sighed. He must really sound like the dumbest wolf alive today. Oh well, you live and you learn, right? "Again, I'm sorry. The only blind wolf I knew was my mother's late mate, but he was partially blind and his eye wasn't even there...ah..." He cleared his throat again, shutting up before he potentially said anything else stupid. What was wrong with him today? He couldn't quite place it, though if there was a word to describe what he was feeling now was...nervous, perhaps? He was more grateful for her response to his offer of guiding her around, though what she said completely threw him off and excited him. She was willing to teach them!? Wow, he had really struck out today! Both in good and bad ways. His embarrassment seemed to dissolve as he straightened up, tail thumping lightly on the ground. "Really? You'd do that? That would be great! You have no idea how much you'd be helping us! My brother Arke aspires to be a healer, and with no one else really knowing about medicine, it's been kind of hard for him to learn. And without a healer, we'd be pretty screwed if something happened."

"ROAR"

[/b][/b]

the colors of my life
are painted in black and white

"It's nice to meet you Armai. Sorry about...um..." Armai's ears flicked curiously as the other wolf cleared his throat. Was he really that embarrassed by the little mishap? "I've never met someone who couldn't see before," Maybe it was because he'd never been around a blind wolf before that he seemed so nervous? It was honestly hard to tell. She was used to the awkwardness - some just simply didn't know how to react in her presence. She didn't expect pity, she didn't want it, and instead would be content with the other acting as though she were completely normal. It typically worked out until she did something stupid like run into a true.

Of course his companion probably wasn't making him feel any better. Armai chuckled as the thing called him an idiot again and she tried to hide her smile as she thought about it. She was glad her and Nox didn't have a relationship like that, but then again perhaps the way they acted around one another was the very reason that they were with each other in the first place? She figured she had time to figure it out if she was going to be sticking around to teach a bit.

He apologized again - yeah he was clearly still quite embarrassed, that much was obvious - and Armai smiled softly again. There really was no reason for him to be so flustered over it. Her smile faded when he mentioned that his mother's late mate had been missing an eye. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she thought about it. What'd the male done to deserve an eye plucked out? She was "lucky". She'd been born this way. She'd never had to go through the painful process of having her eyes completely removed.

"Well I can't say I've ever met a wolf with their eyes removed completely, but then again I guess I wouldn't know unless they told me specifically." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. He seemed so nervous! he continued on, explaining his brother's ambition to be a healer, as well as how bad off they'd be if anything happened without a healer around. They certainly were in a bit of a mess. She supposed it was a good thing that she'd happened to come to Auster. She also couldn't help but wonder what it was that made him so talkative about the predicament they were in. Was he just naturally this way, or did he just feel comfortable talking to her because she was blind? It was certainly something she wouldn't have minded an answer for, but she didn't dare ask.

"Just so long as they realize my methods of teaching might be ... different. I don't exactly know what plants look like so there will definitely be a lot of smelling and going to different locations to point out different herbs. So most likely a lot of traveling if I can't find what I need here." She explained. She hadn't gotten to scope out the plain yet, but she imagined there would be enough to start off with the basics. Anything past that she could make up as they went.

Spirits above and below, let this embarrassment go away. PLEASE! He was glad for now, that she couldn't see him. Because he felt like one hot embarrassed mess with a side of "god i'm an idiot." Spontaneous combustion didn't sound like a bad thing to happen right now, but he'd eventually get over it...or so he hoped. She joked about what he had said, and he supposed she was trying to make light of the situation. "Hehe, yeah I guess you're right eh?" He smiled at her attempt at the joke. He guessed that she was used to this sort of thing, so maybe he shouldn't feel so bad about it? Whether he should or not, he still kinda did simply for the fact that he felt like a bumbling idiot. And he'd probably look like one too if she could see. Shaking his head, he wondered why he was even really talking so much. He put the blame mostly on the fact that he was nervous, though not sure why. And more on the fact that he always felt he should be open, though maybe that could work against him in the future. Kimahri had told him as much, and Dragon seemed to be having difficulty trying to keep information to himself. After all, what if this woman decided to go and tell someone else that they were without healers, and in turn they decided to attack knowing that his pack would be at a disadvantage after? They were open game for stuff like that, especially if it was a consecutive attack type thing. Who knows how long it would take them to recover from their injuries when nobody knew a damn thing on how to heal. What if someone got a broken leg? They'd have such a long recovery, IF they recovered without medical help...he shook his head at the thought. He wouldn't let things like that happen if he could help it. She explained to him what he and the others could expect with the way she would be teaching. He nodded absentmindedly, a small smile showing as he began to forgot about his initial embarrassment and idiocy. "I'm sure they won't mind. Besides, it might be better to learn that way. It gives everyone the opportunity to learn where they might be able to find what they need, and get to know the lands better, don't you think? And I'm sure they won't mind helping guide you around if you need it, though that's probably what your companion is for..." He kind of trailed off when he mentioned her companion, though he didn't really think about that. All he was thinking now was that at least her companion was good for something, like helping. Meanwhile, his companion was being a pain in the butt and embarrassing him. "Speech"

the colors of my life
are painted in black and white

Armai was happy to let bygones be bygones. She certainly didn't hold a grudge against him and she was more than pleased to make jokes to make him feel better, even if they were at her own expense. Her blindness was something she'd lived with through birth and it was easier now to make light of it now that she was away from all the toxic wolves that'd been in her life. She listened as Dragon chuckled and agreed with her joke before she allowed the subject to drop. He'd get over his embarrassment a lot quicker if it was quickly buried under a different conversation entirely. Maybe it'd even be forgotten later on down the road.

Her tail waved softly as he agreed to her going on a little field trip in case she needed to be able to venture out for herbs. She had yet to discover what plants waited for her in the plains, but she had to admit she was excited. She could smell a multitude of them just waiting for her and she could imagine this was like a healer's paradise. She didn't expect to find everything here, but it would be better than anything she'd come across so far and it wasn't in her to complain about it. Of course she wasn't expect anyone to lead her around and as Dragon suggested it she smiled softly as she flicked an ear to her companion who was wandering farther and farther away as she sniffed around the borders.

"Nox mostly helps me if I need it, though sometimes she does wander off on her own when I'm in an area I can navigate by myself. I wouldn't mind the company of another wolf though. Nox is great, but she isn't quite like our species." She explained. She was she he would understand considering he had a feline companion of his own.

Ears tilted forward, tail wagging as she spoke to him. Green gaze watched her sightless gaze, and for a moment he didn't realize he was staring. Almost in a sort of dream like trance. He couldn't quite pick out what he was thinking, in fact, it could be a number of things. Maybe he was wondering about the mystery surrounding the loss of sight, especially if you still had your eyeballs intact. He supposed he'd never find the answer to that, so that thought was quick to flee his mind only to be replaced by another. Where had she come from originally? And why hadn't he met her way before this? Maybe he could have, if he didn't live as a hermit crab in his own little world. The more he stared, the more he felt a little...odd. Her companion was off and away, so he was glad that she wasn't there to probably yell at him for staring at...what? Armai?

It was then Kimahri quietly strolled over and bumped his shoulder, a knowing mischievous look on his face as the young alpha pulled out of his sudden loss of mind. Clearing his throat quickly, he spoke, "That's good that she helps when you need it, and that you still have independence. I'd be more than happy to show you around later if you want." It was a genuine offer, and he secretly hoped that she accepted his offer. "I don't know if you're tired from your travels, but if you'd like, I can show you to a few empty dens either in the plains, or the castle. I myself usually den in the castle, once in a while I sleep out here in the plains. It's...calming." He flicked his tail, a little shy suddenly as he felt like he was rambling or maybe talking about things she might not really care to hear about. Maybe tonight he'd sleep out in the field and watch the sky.