With spring came a slew of changed inside of Abaven. She had taken note of those that where active and taking initiative in the pack lands, and was making her way through them one by one. Corvus was a wolf she had only had a decent conversation with a couple of times. He was always polite, and showed an interest in the pack lands. Rhyme had spoken well of him in training sessions, and she trusted her seconds opinion.

She had a feeling he would do well with a change in position, and perhaps he could also learn by teaching. With a spring in her stride, she would seek out the her friendly relative. Catching a scent of him would give her direction, and she followed it until she found him. Her thoughts a swirl of ideas and plans for the future of Abaven, and ensuring everyone had training and options for their future.

Admittedly Corvus's mind had been... elsewhere, for awhile now, but he was still around. He was loyal to Abaven despite his own uncertainties, and though things had been a bit weird for him lately he wasn't shying away from his duties. Still, he was stuck inside his own head a lot of the time and felt a bit neglectful regardless. Today he'd decided to go scout the borders of the thicket, deciding it would - at the very least - prove a distraction from his restless thoughts. Giving himself something to do was always a preferred alternative to sitting and stewing over his own thoughts. It was a decent enough spring day. Summer was just around the corner and he was finding himself growing accustomed to the warmth that the season brought. The lands were quickly growing luscious and fertile, and he was content to veer away from the snake-infested plains to the east for the day. He was so focused on navigating a more dense area of the thicket that he barely noticed Shaye until he was right up on him, and he spun around once he saw her out of the corner of his eye, looking slightly bewildered for a moment.  "Oh hey, Shaye," he finally managed, once he shook his head and gained his composure, forcing a friendly smile.

She would find the man patrolling the borders of Abaven, which just seemed to bring home the point she had already made in hyer own mind. She was certain that a little bit of responsibility would do orvus good. He was reliable, and showed initiative, but he didn’t spend much time with the other members of the pack. Taking on an apprentice might just do him a lot of good.

“Corvus” she greeted him with a smile as he turned suddenly towards her. He seemed more than a little surprised at finding her there. “I’m glad I found you” she said, which showed she was definitely looking for him. “How would you feel about taking on a little more responsibility in Abaven? I would love to promote you to Blackthorn, if you think your up for the challange.” she explained. She could go on to explain more about the rank and responibilites if he agreed to the change.

Though he couldn't help but look at her a bit differently since he'd caught wind of her relationship with Rhyme, Corvus didn't dare let his discomfort be known, let alone ask about it. No, if confronted by her about it he'd already decided he'd feign complete ignorance, though he doubted it would come to that. Instead, he merely forced a smile as she approached. He wasn't disinterested in talking to her by any means, but... he wasn't really the overly friendly type to begin with. His expression grew more genuine when she started to speak, lowering himself slowly to his haunches. 'I'm glad I found you,' she started, and he nodded. She'd been looking for him, instead of simply running into him out here. He wondered why, but as if on queue she asked another question that answered his own, though likewise it opened up a few questions of his own.  "I'd - be willing to do that," he answered quickly, despite not knowing what precisely she meant. He hadn't wanted to try out for the head warrior position, but Blackthorn sounded.. intriguing. "I think I'm up for it. What would be expected of me?" Whatever it was, having something to focus on might do him some good.

He expressed interest pretty quickly, and she smiled warmly at the young warrior. He stood for the young bloods of Abaven, those that would become teachers in their own right in the years to come. He wasn’t the only one she was promoting as she pushed for Abaven to have more leading wolves in its ranks.

He would question what the rank would ask of him, and she thought through the requirements of the rank. “You would have some autonomy to make decisions for the lower ranking warriors of Abaven, assisting in setting up patrols along the borders, and guards for those that wish to seek resources outside of Abaven. Taking on an apprentice to train as well. You would report directly to Rhyme until a Firethorn is chosen.” she explained to him. He would no longer be in any sort of apprentice roll himself. It was the tier she wanted for all the wolves of Abaven to step into one they had completed their training.

Corvus was quiet and his expression thoughtful as he thought over the role's requirements as Shaye spoke to him. Making decisions for younger warriors, setting up patrols, and in making sure those embarking beyond Abaven's borders had guards if needed. That all sounded doable. Taking on an apprentice sounded like the most stressful for him, and already his mind was whirling with the possibilities. Truthfully, he didn't know many of the younger wolves in Abaven well. What about some of the kids born in the winter? He cocked his head as he considered it, deciding he likely wouldn't know right away who might need a mentor. Could he even be a decent mentor? He hoped the slight frown that was tugging at his lips wasn't obvious. "I'll do it," he said finally, after a moment of thought. He hadn't spent much time with Rhyme but maybe if he needed guidance he could suck it up and have a one-on-one with him. His voice lacked conviction, but he somewhat managed to muster it as he thought back to how life had been when he was young. Abaven's future had been in the paws of a stranger, and he remembered how unsettled his parents had been. He understood more now just why they'd felt that way, and he was determined to never let it happen again. "I want to serve Abaven as best as I can. I want our warriors to be strong, to be able to defend our home," Corvus said, his voice stronger now as he cast his gaze away from Shaye and toward the horizon. "I'd happily serve as Blackthorn."

His expression was thoughtful, and the Alpha gave him a moment to think through what she had said. She thought she saw a hint of a frown, but then he went ahead and agreed to the promotion. One more down, and just a few left to go. She realised she couldn’t do everything herself, and needed higher ranking wolves in Abaven to take on some of the responsibilities of leadership. Those members who had been here after Bass had left and leadership became a little less rocky, where definitely wolves she wanted to take part in the promotions. They needed to see that they could control their own futures, after all.

“Perfect, thank you Corvus, feel free to come to me or Rhyme with any questions or concerns you might have.” she told him, and was prepared to give him some time to think over the changes in his life, unless he had further questions for her.

The only real thing holding him back was his worries he might not be cut out for the job, that he might somehow be a let down in this position. But at this point - did it matter? Shaye thought him capable, and he knew he could give more effort than he had been, so he agreed solemnly. Already he was wondering who might want to be mentored by him, if anyone at all, and he was trying to go over what kind of lessons he could teach and what would go into setting up patrols. "No - thank you," he corrected her with a slow nod. Corvus had always wanted to do more for Abaven, and now was his chance. He truly was thankful, even if he wasn't great at showing it. "I won't let you two down." He'd never cared much for climbing the ranks for the sake of it, or even for bettering himself personally - but taking care of his family, and of Abaven, was something he cared deeply about. "I'll catch up with you soon?" He wanted to get back to his patrol, unless Shaye had more she wanted to discuss with him, and to think to himself about his new position and what it meant.