Cannival Cannival had done a lot of thinking on the conversation she and Shaye had those many nights ago. The alpha had welcomed her to Abaven fully, asking that she might help rebuild the pack to the best of her ability. The lioness had decided to add her contribution to the kill pile. While she was not exceptionally skilled in the way of hunting, she knew enough to keep herself fed and occasionally to catch an extra helping to share. Today, she'd stumbled upon a lone doe in firefly lake. It was a long way to drag the carcass and Cannival wondered absently why Abaven had chosen their kill pile to be in the furthest depths of their territory- serpent plains. Nearing the rapids, the lioness drew to a halt and gingerly placed the kill upon the edge of the shore. The dark cat wanted to wash her face of the blood before it was to set upon her fur, the last thing she'd want is more misunderstandings with the local wolves if they were to stumble upon her returning from the kill pile with a crimson stained maw. Carefully, she stepped into the rapids where the waters were less ravenous, spreading her legs apart to find some balance against the rushing water. It was more dangerous for a wolf to cross, she'd assume, but Cannival was thicker and larger then they were; she figured it'd take a mighty strong current to drag her under. Dipping her head, she lapped at the water's surface before lifting one large paw to wipe her face clean. "You.""Think.""Speech"

Corvus was finally home. He'd only spent a few days near Winterfell, recovering from his relatively minor injuries, before making the trek back to Abaven's lands. The feeling of shame and guilt that had wracked him seemed to slowly subside - not because he felt it any less, but because he forced himself to think about other things. Would his absence even be noted? It wasn't rare for packmates to spend a few days away, though after a fire.. he was sure he'd made the wrong choice, it was just a matter of who noticed, and if they cared. He wore a sullen expression as he padded alongside the rapids, eventually crossing into Abaven territory. The smell of fire still seemed to hang in the air, though Corvus couldn't help but wonder if half of it was in his head - stuck in his nostrils as if to remind him just how close to death he'd really been. The fur on his front limbs that had been singed away had begun to grow back, slowly but surely, and the raw blisters on the pads of his paws had begun to heal. He knew he still needed to take it easy, but he decided he likely didn't need to see a healer.. thankfully. The oversized male heaved a sigh as he continued on. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hardly saw Cannival until he was right up on her, standing at the edge of the bank where she was wading in the shallow rapids. He didn't know the feline, only knew of her, and he certainly didn't trust her.. though being distrusting was in his nature. He'd been equally wary of Shaye and Rhyme when they had first appeared in Abaven, claiming to be family, family he'd never heard of - and only with time had he grown to trust them to some degree, though even today he still has his reservations. Cannival would likely be no exception. Keeping his distance, he cocked his head as he observed her for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Hey," he started, after a pause, trying to find his words. "Do you.. know if everyone was alright from the fire?"

Cannival Someone cleared their throat, and Cannival's eyes clamped shut tight. An exhale fell from her weary maw, and she took a moment to remain head bent before the water as to steel herself and gather the courage to meet the greeting. "Hello." She responded carefully, lifting her head to meet the stranger's gaze. "Do you.. know if everyone was alright from the fire?" Cannival blinked at the wolf, stepping out from the stream to regard him. He didn't appear to be one she'd seen yet in Abaven, and she didn't recognize his scent beyond that he lived here. He didn't appear frightful or aggressive, and for that the lioness was exceedingly grateful. Maybe Shaye did speak to her pack after all. Cannival's eyes widened in a startle as she realized she hadn't yet responded to his question. No wonder she made Abavenites nervous. She swallowed hard and gave a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was lost in thought trying to place your scent. Scent tracking doesn't come as naturally to me as it does those of your kind." A glimpse of a smile came across her face to punctuate her words with warmth, and then faded as she considered his question. "I wouldn't say they're all... alright. Nobody died that I heard of, and I guess that's something." Golden eyes dropped from his face to bore firmly into the grass. "Honestly, it was chaos. I don't think anyone got away uninjured... I even heard that one of the children tried to use the fire to murder their sister." She thought of Motif, then, and was glad that her friend was safe. Memories of the fire swirled around her and she shook herself- her tail throwing droplets of water as it whipped through the air -as if to chase the negativity away. She cleared her throat, and then looked back up at the male. "You weren't here, then?" Was it typical for pack wolves to be so far from their packs that they couldn't come home during a crisis? "You.""Think.""Speech"

He watched with a wary eye as she reacted to him, moving from the gentle stream - what could normally be considered rapids - to greet him. He offered a clearly forced smile, though didn't seem overly taken aback by her presence. He was simply wary, as well as tired, though intent on keeping his distance all the same. It took her a long moment to answer him, though truthfully he didn't mind... he supposed he could take a lesson from her on thinking before speaking, something he'd never been very good at. "It's no problem. My name's Corvus Destruction. I'm Blackthorn - one of the higher ranking warriors here." The faint smile returned, dipping his head to her as politely as he could muster. She'd been in Abaven for a bit now, but he didn't know her name, or precisely why she'd been allowed here. He supposed that was a question for later, rather than this precise moment. He felt his expression slipping as the feline continued on, explaining that his - their? -packmates weren't alright but there had been no casualties. That was.. something, he supposed. He let out much harder sigh than he'd expected to, letting his body sink to the earth, his hindquarters going first and his front half following soon after. The way she spoke made it sound like quite a few wolves had been injured, and he was no exception. And one of the kids tried to murder their sister? Corvus cringed slightly at the thought. "Wow," he breathed as he tried to think of who could've done such a thing. There weren't many pups in Abaven to begin with.. His own thoughts slipped away for a moment, though her voice brought him back to reality. "I was here," he corrected her, finding it difficult to hide the slightly defensive tone from his voice. "I was sleeping.. and was stuck in my den," he only half-lied. He'd been sulking, only drifting faintly in and out of consciousness.. so maybe it wasn't that much of a lie after all. "That's how I got these," he lifted one of his forelimbs slightly in the air, showing off the scabbed pads of his paw that indicated he'd been burned. "I wasn't sure I'd be much help to anyone limping back like I was," Corvus admitted, shrugging his shoulders, and hoping desperately that she didn't think him a coward for not diving headfirst into the fire like some of his kin might've done.

Cannival Cannival found herself mimicking his greeting, dipping her head to him in return. "I'm Cannival. I, uh, I'm not quite ranked. I was granted sanctuary to live here and help with the rebuild as best as I can." She gave him a shy smile. At some point she'd have to come up with a more compact explanation for her place in Abaven; the more she told others that she was not really a member, the less she felt she belonged entirely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, most run.. or growl." It saddened her to watch the wolf react to the news on his pack, and Cannival frowned as he lowered himself to the ground. "It could have been worse." She added gently, a sigh of empathy slipping from her maw. Carefully, she lowered her body down to lay as well. It felt awkward wrong and awkward to stand there above him. Soft gold eyes looked on him as he gathered his thoughts, giving him time to absorb the news. "I was sleeping.. and was stuck in my den." Corvus said, and the lioness squinted at him in confusion. The burns on his paws said that he was indeed among those injured in the fire, but she did not recognize him as one of those who took to the rapids after evacuation. It was possible what he said was quite literal and he was stuck in his den until the fires burned out, but in that case he'd have to have been very close to the flames to have been burnt. How did he wait out the fire and not succumb to the smoke? Cannival did not wish to judge him however, and she could admit that it was a hectic time. It was possible he snuck past her and made it to safety without catching her gaze, but somewhere internally she doubted that. She could not deny his injuries, however, and if anything that was enough for Cannival to let him think he'd fooled her. "You know, I was told just a few days ago the best course of treatment for burns... but I can't seem to remember what herbs were involved in the ointment. I wish I could offer to tend to your injuries." An apologetic smile crossed her face, and she chuckled softly at her own ineptitude. "I guess you're not the only one who feels they may have let down the pack." It was a presumptuous statement, but it felt right to say. So far Corvus did not appear to hold any aggression towards her, but she could only hope he did not take it the wrong way. "You.""Think.""Speech"

So Cannival was her name, and she was.. granted sanctuary here? Corvus couldn't help but wonder what precisely that entailed, but he wasn't going to bother asking about that right now. Maybe that was a question best left for another time, if she bothered staying here at all. He offered a faint, only slightly-forced laugh to her comment about how others generally reacted to her. "I'm not really one to growl. Or.. run, currently," he added with a slow, weak smile. He'd seen quite a few weird things these last few months, from his cousin randomly disappearing only to show up pregnant - to learning that the leaders of Abaven, two family members, apparently had been.. intimate. The thought even now almost made him cringe - though all the weirdness of his life made a feline inhabiting Abaven somehow less strange. It could've been worse, though, she was right. Things could always be worse. That was something he reminded himself of quite often, which tended to make him feel more dreary rather than optimistic. "Indeed," he breathed with a faint sigh, and nodded slowly in acknowledgement. Slowly he moved to recline backwards, onto his haunches - though lying down on his side would probably be the most comfortable, he was still wary around her and wasn't willing to make himself completely vulnerable. Not yet, at least. And.. especially not when she was looking at him like she didn't believe a word he was saying, or maybe that was just his cynical mind playing tricks on him again. Corvus knew he might have to come up with an explanation to Shaye, or maybe Rhyme, but he didn't feel he owed one to her. Not at all, and so he didn't bother to elaborate. "No worries. I'm doing better. Just.. trying to stay off my paws. I think that'll do it," he explained with a shrug. His injuries weren't severe after a few days of rest, not enough to warrant attention from a healer. The latter comment was enough to draw his attention back to Cannival, gaze snapping toward her as though he expected her to say more - but she didn't. Was it obvious he felt that way? He hadn't meant for it to be outwardly noticeable, but apparently she knew.. and regardless of what he thought of her, he certainly couldn't say she was stupid or lacked perception. "Yeah. I guess not," added with a soft sigh. The comment had been presumptuous enough that he reasoned with himself that he could ask the question that was burning in the back of his mind, even if it seemed somewhat abrasive. "So, how'd you come to Abaven, anyway? You said you've been allowed.. sanctuary?" Corvus couldn't help feeling uncertain of her and how she'd ended up here, but he'd hear her out if she decided to answer him truthfully.

Cannival Cannival was truly glad that the wolf did not need healing and allowed herself to relax as settled into a more comfortable position. So far their conversation was pleasant, and thankfully he did not take offense to her rather bold assumption. To herself she wished that all the Abaven wolves would be as easy to talk to as Corvus. "So, how'd you come to Abaven, anyway? You said you've been allowed.. sanctuary?" He seemed confused, and Cannival couldn't blame him. It wasn't normal to see a lioness living among wolves, especially when she had so very little to offer the pack. Hopefully one day she'd prove more useful to them. "It's a bit of a long story." She admitted sheepishly, giving him a sad smile. "I lived in a pride once, but large cats -" Her massive head shook in disappointment, wishing she did not have to be associated with the beasts. "- They're very, very cruel. They kill cubs." Her voice caught for a moment at the word, and Cannival had to take a moment to center herself. "Like you wolves, sometimes the leaders get overthrown. With lions however, when a new male takes over the pride... well, he doesn't like the competition of the ex-leader's bloodline running around." Golden eyes squeezed shut. "So he kills them, the young. Then the mothers are expected to bear his children, instead." She let the silence wash over her for a moment, trying to regain her composure. It was a hard story to tell, and she'd never gone into it with such detail. To Shaye and Rhyme she'd given the cliff notes, but it'd been so long since she'd spoke of it now. "So, our leader killed my cubs. I left, then. Hoping to find somewhere new to live. I came upon Abaven, and your leaders were gracious enough to let me stay." A fond smile touched her lips, and she added one last thought. "Your pups here are very, very sweet. It's nice to be around children again." "You.""Think.""Speech"

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Corvus wouldn't necessarily consider himself a good conversationalist, but.... he generally said what he was thinking, and currently he was feeling too sore and exhausted from his trek back home to make a big deal out of much. Even a cat living in Abaven, apparently. Weirder things would surely happen - his life wasn't proving to be boring by any means and he didn't think making a huge fuss about something like this would do anyone any good. If Cannival meant any harm, surely they would know by now.. and letting in a stranger was always a risky move, regardless of whether they were a child or a full-grown feline. Her story was either proof she was a damn good actress, or that she really might be different than most felines. Wait - they killed cubs? The thought of killing anyone made him feel faint. He could see maybe killing someone who was threatening his family, but never children.. the thought made him visibly frown. "Wow," he breathed, clearly disgusted at the thought; hopefully it said a lot about Cannival that she'd wanted to leave a life like that behind her. Not only did she disagree with the lifestyle, but... apparently it had happened to her. Corvus looked even more uncomfortable now. He couldn't imagine the pain she had gone through - no wonder she'd wanted to do somewhere near, even if somewhere she might not be fully accepted. Being an outsider was better than losing your own children, he would assume... "Even the kid who tried to murder their sister?" He spoke up without thinking, forcing a grin as if to lighten the mood as he referenced what she's said earlier. Oh shit - maybe joking about children murdering one another wasn't such a great idea when Cannival had just described losing her own children. "But no, Abaven... it's a good place. A bit weird at times, but good," he explained certainly. There was nowhere he'd rather be, even if sometimes he too felt like an outsider of sorts here. "You definitely picked the right place to seek refuge."