The silver woman often found herself among the willows. It was where she felt most at home, the swaying branches whispering in the wind, the dappled light filtering through to litter the ground golden, just like her Grandmother’s home, the place she had first learned to heal. It was nothing like the twisted forest where she had been born, dark and oppressive opening out onto the salt scented lagoon, but it was where she felt most at peace. Unburdened of expectation, free from judging eyes, and so when her garden began to overwhelm her, or Sigrun’s questions became too probing, she would claim to be due for a patrol, or looking for a certain herb that she hadn’t yet located in this place and she would set out, tension leaving her shoulders as soon as she crossed the invisible line that marked the end of Armada territory and the beginning of the weeping woods.

She had passed the scent of Sirius and Azure, and a stranger... Though she was yet to meet the other adversary heir, she knew his scent well enough by now. What she hadn’t been expecting was the coppery scent of blood. Her brows drew together questioningly. Surely if there had been an intrusion some sort of alarm would have been raised, and if either of the giant wolves had needed assistance, they would surely seek out Io, so what had happened here?

Sedna had never been a cautious child, so she didn’t stop to think twice before she set off after the wounded wolf. The Archer-Lyall had been quick to accept a place within the Armada ranks, but now that she was rested she was more inclined to question the way things were run. It was all so different to home. At the sound of movement ahead she sent out a low chuff, her head held level with her spine, tail pointed to the ground. She didn’t want to seem imposing.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Ulric had slipped away to the willows after the spar he went through with Azure just to collect his thoughts and sit on his own for a bit. After being alone for quite a while it was going to take some adjusting to get himself into the mindset of being around wolves again. He wasn't far from the Armada's border, but it gave him enough space to feel like he was on his own for a moment. He settled under one of the willow trees and turned his head to look at the wound that Azure had given him across the broadest part of his shoulder. It wasn't even close to the worst cut he had ever received, but it was probably something he should get looked at just in case. The last thing he wanted was for it to get infected. He licked over the wound several times, cleaning away some of the blood that had collected around it. That'd probably be as far as he could go to take care of it since he had very little skill when it came to healing. With a sigh he lifted his head and looked around the willow tree forest again just as he got to his paws. He passed through one of the curtains of willow branches, moving with the slightest limp just to keep the pressure off of his shoulder and hopefully keep it from bleeding again. A bit of a greeting of sorts caught his attention and he looked up from the ground and turned toward the sound, spotting the gray hued woman a short distance from him. It was easy to catch the scent of the Armada on her so he offered her a smile and a nod before taking a few steps toward her. He still kept a comfortable distance from her, especially since he hadn't been around nearly long enough to have any sort of pack sent mingled in with his own. "Hello there," he told her in greeting, his signature slightly lopsided grin pulling across his lips. "I wasn't expecting to meet another Armada wolf so quickly! This is a nice surprise." He settled onto his haunches partially so he could get off of his front leg, but also so he potentially wouldn't seem as intimidating. It was hard not to be with his size, but he certainly didn't mean any harm. "I'm Ulric." "Talk"

What met her silver eyes when the man stepped forth was another giant wolf, this one with an easy smile and lacking the fangs of the Fatalis line. The smile was answered with a wave of her tail, head cocking to the side ever so slightly, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips, though her eyes squinted at the edges, taking in the fresh wounds that littered his body. As he spoke, cogs turned in her mind and she tried to make it all make sense. At home, they knew it was pointless to shed the blood of allies, best to keep their strength for when it was needed. Time taken resting and recovering was lost strength for all. Surprisingly, the state of the stranger left a bitter hole in the pit of her stomach. What had she really gotten herself into? The Archer-Lyall wiped the look from her face with a full bodied shake, her tail continuing the wave when she was done, jaws restfully parted, tongue happily lolling, her smile more genuine for having heard he was new to the Armada. "I’m Sedna, I’m new here too.".

Knowing they were now pack gave her the confidence to move in closer, to bump her head to the underside of his chin in familial greeting, using the proximity to sneak a closer look at the deepest wound on his shoulder. She pulled back easily, as if she were only doing what was expected (where she was from, it was). "I’m not a designated healer here, but they gave me a garden all the same. I know some tricks from home, if you want to stop that from getting infected.". She was sure with a bit of looking it wouldn’t be a struggle to tack down some goldenrod, no matter what they called it here, and she still had some honey left over from her earlier experiments. "What was it that drew you to the Armada anyway?". She was casually scanning their surroundings, of course she could offer him willowbark if pain was a concern, but from her own experience she’d rather deal with it than endure the bitter taste. He hadn’t taken her up on her offer yet anyway.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

"It's nice to meet you, Sedna," he replied with a dip of his head. He was a bit surprised when she walked up to him after introducing herself, blinking with a confused grin as she bumped her head against his chin. His grin remained though his expression grew a bit more quizzical. He assumed that it was probably some kind of greeting he wasn't super familiar with, but it didn't make it any less odd for him since they had just met. He brushed it off quickly though and when she offered to take care of his wounds he was quick to give her a nod and an appreciative smile. "I would really appreciate that, thank you. I was just thinking that I would go find a healer to take a look at it, but you beat me to it." He chuckled and settled back on his haunches so that he wouldn't disrupt the work she would need to do. The smaller cuts and things he had gotten from Azure's claws didn't bother him too much, but the gash he had gotten in his shoulder was possibly more concerning. He pondered her question about what had brought him here for a moment. There was a long and a short answer and he tired to find something that was somewhere in between. There wasn't a reason to bore her with his whole life story, but just saying that he met a few wolves that lived here felt very shallow. "I haven't lived in a pack since I was a pup and even then it was the one my father ruled and I decided I wanted to give it a try again. I met several wolves that lived here simply because I like to stay in the mangroves that are near here and our paths happened to cross so I figured this one was as good as any. I have some relatives in a pack out west, but... I think I just wanted to strike out on my own for a while and get to know some new faces." The Armada itself as a pack was less important in his decision than it was just to have a pack not led by his own relatives. He loved his family, but he didn't feel like he could learn and grow without some space to do it. "Talk"

The tiniest hint of yellow peeked out at her between the willow branches as she listened to his reasoning, it wasn’t so different to her own, close enough that she allowed herself a wry chuckle. "Our reasons may not be so different then. I challenged my mother for leadership, and she handed me my ass. I didn’t have to leave, but I needed to see who I could be away from her, and the rest of them. I’m not sure following suits me, but Mortis found us, and Sirius offered a home." She gave a non-committal shrug. It was what it was, but that didn’t mean it would always be. She knew Sigrun had come with her, she left on a promise from her brothers Vareth and Odin that they too would follow too, and unbeknownst to the Archer-Lyall, Sigrun’s brother had found his way here too. Who else was yet to follow?

Sedna motioned with her head towards the woody plant with its yellow tinged leaves. "Some say it means good luck, but it’ll help with the swelling and keep infection away if its applied to wounds." Her methods were more rudimentary than some, no thumbed companion to help . She stripped the leaves from one of the low shrubs branches with her teeth, her snout wrinkling with the taste as she chewed. She walked back to Ulric, speaking around the paste that was forming in her mouth, "-is migh- stung a but." It was warm, and moist, and smelled kinda funny, and would probably leave her tongue numb for a while. She used her tongue to push the mixture into the deeper cut on his shoulder, used to suffering growls and nips for her assistance, she wouldn’t falter if he did. Stepping back, she dragged her tongue across her teeth, noting the smaller punctures and deciding as long as they were kept clean they would do on their own, though her muzzle stilled pulled up on one side in sufferance for the bad taste. "I have some honey back at the den that will help too, though this close to the ocean, a daily swim will do you just as well."

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

He listened as she shared her own reasons and he smiled a little in response. "Not that different at all," he agreed. Of course, the main difference had been that he had never actually gotten a chance to challenge his father for the pack or even just inherit it in general. His father had made the wrong type of enemies and had gotten himself killed and lost their pack entirely. Now he had no choice but to attempt to rebuild it from the ground up. It was a idiotic move and a betrayal that still stung all these years later. It wasn't one that he thought of very often, but whenever it did come up he couldn't help the anger he felt toward his father for what he had inevitably done to their family. He was determined to pick up the pieces that he had left, it had just taken him far longer than he would have liked to do it. Her words about the plant she pointed out pulled him away from his own thoughts he gave her a nod in understanding. "Sometimes I wished I knew more about herbs and healing, but every time I've tried to learn all the information has gone in one ear and out the other," he added with a chuckle. He watched as she went over to the plant to collect the pieces she needed and held still so that she could go to work applying the paste. He gave a small nod at the warning that it would sting, but it was something he had already been expecting. For someone like him who had been in quite a few fights and had been injured a countless number of times the feeling of herbs being applied and wounds being treated had become common place. He wasn't sure that was a good thing or not, but it was his reality. The plant did indeed sting while she was applying it, but shortly afterward it became unnoticeable. He listened attentively to her directions and nodded in agreement. "Don't waste the honey on me, I know how hard it is to come by," he replied with a bit of humor as he thought about the contraption he had come up with to gather some himself. "I don't mind taking a swim to keep it clean. It certainly isn't the worst wound I've ever gotten," he added with a chuckle and a motion with his paw toward the scar that cut across his left cheek. He hoped he would never have another wound as bad as the one Philomena had given him, but if he was truly serious about building his own pack then he was sure he'd come across some pretty serious fights in the future. "Thanks for your help, I appreciate it." "Talk"

When he mentioned his attempts at learning herbs she chuckled again easily. "Sometimes, I wish I’d been given the chance to let it slip out of my mind, but it was the family legacy, it was expected, from me at least." It was hard to assess injuries through thick fur, and males were far more likely to hide what they were carrying out of pure pride, though she didn’t get that vibe from Ulric, taking in the scar he indicated to with a nod. "Any other concerns though? Are you comfortable, or do you think you’ll do ok with a bit of rest?" She was never much of a one for doing more than the bare minimum when it came to healing, sometimes too much intervention slowed down the natural processes.

Thanks were a new in the young wolf’s life. Expectations were what she had grown with and gratitude was shown with physical touch and relevant postures, but she wasn’t entirely opposed to this new way of things being done. "It didn’t smell like you’d crossed the borders yet..." Her observation was a casual one, not at all accusatory in its nature. "If you need a den, we have a spare, its not far from here," She wasn’t used to the seperate nature of sleeping arrangements in the Armada, her family all sharing one den and sleeping in a big pile through the coldest nights, and under the open air in milder weather. "My niece, Sigrun and I share a den, but there was one already made, a bit of a squeeze for two but it might suit if you need it." There was no expectation, eventually the plan had been to use it for storage but it currently stood empty. "I prefer to be closer to this place in all honesty, it reminds me of home."

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

He understood what she meant by having family expectations on her, though his were less related to learning a specific skill, but more driven to uphold and continue his family's name. Being a strong fighter and care taker was part of those expectations, but he'd always felt like he needed to behave a certain way because of his lineage. The Adravendi name was well known through Boreas and it carried a certain weight that he was a bit self conscious of at times. Of course, it had a far better reputation than the Hellstrom name did which is why he opted to cut that lineage out of his narrative, but he was still aware of the way some wolves that had grown up in Boreas would react or treat him once they heard he was an Adravendi. It wasn't all bad though - it did also mean he had a wide spread family here and practically everywhere he turned he found a cousin of some sort. "No, no other concerns," he assured her once she asked if he'd be alright with some rest. As long as that bigger laceration Azure had given him wasn't going to become infected then he could handle the rest on his own. He gave her a grateful smile when she offered a den he might be able to take that was currently unoccupied. "Thank you, Sedna, that's very kind. I only just joined the Armada a few hours ago so you're right that I haven't really been within the borders yet or really had much of a chance to settle in. I'll definitely take you up on that offer - at least until I have a chance to look around more and figure out where I want to be." When she mentioned that she preferred to be near the Weeping Willows he nodded in agreement, glancing off to the side toward the mangroves that started just on the other side of this forest of willow trees. "That mangrove forest over there was my home for a very long time so I'm happy that I'm still so close to it." "Talk"

At the mention of mangroves, her ears perked, she had seen them from a distance, but hadn’t get ventured in there, remembering her mothers tales of great toothed lizards and giant fish with teeth larger than her paw. "Have you ever seen any sharks in there?" She couldn’t keep the hint of wonder from her voice. For all that she loved the ocean, it was tales of sharks and blackfish that left her hesitant to wade in too deep. "Ma’ spent some time in Torbine, where our gran’ma was from, an’ she said th’ mangroves there had a big ol’ bullshark that liked ter eat wolves that went swimmin’ in there, there was even one wolf that was missing a whole leg! Could yer imagine? Gettin’ ‘round without a leg for the rest of yer life because y’ went fishin’ in th’ wrong spot?" Her excitement had her so caught up, that she had begun to run her words together in the way her mother did. It was a habit she tried hard not to fall into now she was away from home, but it was easier to speak quickly if you only had to worry about half the sounds sometimes.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Ulric blinked with surprise when Sedna brought up the topic of finding sharks in the mangroves. He'd seen countless number of smaller fish and water-dwelling creatures like crabs and such - especially as you got closer to the ocean - but never anything quite as large as a shark. He was quite amused by the story that she had been told by her mother and the outlandish possibility of getting a whole leg taken off by one of these sharks. He couldn't quite tell how much of it was actually truth and how much was embellishment or exaggeration brought on by time and retellings, but either way he enjoyed hearing it. He liked how a unique accent of sorts came out with her speech as she grew more and more excited by the story. It made him grin in a fond sort of way - the same kind of grin you might give a sibling as they gushed about something that happened to them the day before. "I can't say that I've never seen a shark in there, but I kind of wish I had now! That would definitely add a bit of excitement to my day," he replied with a chuckle. "I've definitely seen the occasional shark fin out in the open water, but I don't think the waterways are big enough through the mangroves here for a shark to come that far inland." While they didn't have the excitement that a torn off leg might have, the Lover's Mangroves did one one unusual feature at least. "Something interesting that does happen there though is at night everything gets a luminescent glow to it. During the day it doesn't really look like anything special, but it's really quite beautiful at night. If you've ever seen mushrooms in caves that glow in the dark or beaches that glow a bit when you walk on them it's a similar sort of thing. I've always enjoyed it since I was a pup." "Talk"

The laugh that left her lips bordered on nervous when Ulric declared that he wished he had seen a shark. The sturgeon that lived in the iridescent lagoon and had some sort of weird thing going on with her mother had been plenty scary enough, and that thing didn’t even have teeth. She had to wonder if maybe this guy had a few screws loose after all...

Even if he did, she wouldn’t hold it against him, she was far from perfect herself, and if he decided to take on large water predators for fun, well, she preferred hers on land, but to each their own.

When he went on to mention the luminescence that glowed in the mangroves her ears turned forward in interest and her eyes noticeably widened. That would be a sight to see for certain. Occasionally, the lagoon would do the same, but it wasn’t an every night occurrence. "I’ll have to check it out," her tail had begun a small wave. "Have you been here long then?" Being very new to everything she had big plans to explore, if he had been here a while, maybe he could point her in the direction of sights worth the journey.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

He smiled when he saw that she was interested in seeing the luminous mangroves from his description. Sometimes he wondered if the things that he found interesting would be just as interesting to others. At least in this case it seemed like it was. When she asked about if he had been here a long time it felt like a more complicated question than she probably meant for it to be. His life in Boreas had fluctuated a lot and he wasn't sure how to summarize that down very well. "I was born here and live here for the first year or or so of my life, but my mother and I left Boreas after my father was killed and we just recently came back here a couple seasons ago after we happened to cross paths with my niece." There was much, much more explanation he could have dived into in order to explain the time line of his life, but there was no need to dump all of these details onto someone that he had just met - especially not since most of it dealt with his fragmented family and that was a can of worms all on its own. "What about you?" he asked, genuinely curious about the wolves that he would be living with for the foreseeable future. "I know you're new to the Armada like me, but have you been in Boreas very long?" He'd gotten to meet several wolves in the Armada before he actually decided to join, but he couldn't say that he knew any of them particularly well - just well enough to that they seemed like a honorable, trustworthy sort and the kind of wolves that he'd be able to learn from. Of course, only time would tell if that was actually the case, but he was hopeful. He wouldn't have come here if he didn't really believe that he could make this work and enjoy it. "Talk"

So this was Ulric’s homecoming, of a sort. The Archer-Lyall had to wonder if she would ever do the same? It wasn’t as if she couldn’t go back whenever she wanted, her mother hadn’t expelled her from the pack despite her open defiance...

"I come from around a place the locals call the wildwood... Although that’s just one territory in all it encompasses, it’s different there... old world, compared to all of this." She was still adjusting to the way wolves functioned here, fighting alongside companions, wearing armour, using wheels and cottages and castles... Sometimes she wondered if she’d ever wake up and find out it had all been a dream. "It almost feels like Mort found us as soon as we’d crawled from th’ sea, then Sirius caught up with us the next day and here I am.". She couldn’t contain a chuckle, her initial shock at the sight of the wings on the child seeming foolish now she knew how good hearted the boy was. "We’ll see how long it lasts," she added jokingly, a small smirk pulling at the edge of her lips. So far, she was willing to put all her faith in Sirius, the fatherly wolf quickly earning himself a soft spot with the silver girl. She had admired his leadership so far, but there was still the question of the injuries the wolf before her had sustained. "How did all this come about anyway?" she motioned to his shoulder with a tip of her head.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

He smirked a little when she mentioned how different her old home had been to this one. In the time that he had spent away from Boreas with his mother he had come to realize this as well. He never actually learned the name of the place where they had resided since they mostly kept to themselves and never bothered to ask, but it didn't seem to matter where they went - it never quite had the same feel or progression that seemed to happen in Boreas. He wasn't familiar with Mort when she spoke of him, but he had to assume it was another of Sirius' sons since it sounded like the Warlord hadn't been far from him. Eventually he would learn more of their names as time went on, but he didn't hold himself to too high of a standard yet since he had just joined moments ago. When she pointed the attention to the injury on his shoulder and asked how they came to be, Ulric gave the wound a brief glance and replied, "When I requested to join the pack, Sirius left the decision of how they would test me to Azure. Azure challenged me to a spar to see if I had the skill that I said I did." He looked back up at Sedna with a small shrug. "I won, but the bone spurs on Azure's elbow caught me during the fight and left this behind. It seemed to impress Sirius at least since he agreed to let me join and made me a warrior. Small price to pay, I suppose." He knew that fights usually led to injuries in one way or another and he wasn't going to shy away from fights to prevent them. Once you start collecting a few scars here and there adding one stopped feeling like such a big deal. That didn't mean he would just throw himself head first into every fight and risk his life doing it by any means, but something like this that would heal up in a short time hardly phased him any more. "Talk"

The explanation Ulric gave for his injuries raised as many questions as it answered, especially since the Archer-Lyall was yet to lay eyes on the other Adversary Heir. She supposed bone spurs might be difficult to live with, and maybe it had been accidental that he had caused such an injury to someone trying to join the pack. Then again, he could have also been a little shit out to prove how big and manly he was taking down a wolf of Ulric’s size... She knew she probably would have gone a little overboard back home, well, until her mother bit her on the arse for getting out of line and necessitating the wasting healing resources on a wolf that didn’t bloody well need it. Playing eternal what ifs was only going to send her fur greyer than it already was though, and she should reserve her judgement until she actually met the boy for herself. After all, Mortis was a lovely kid, maybe it was just an accident after all?

"I dunno," she started with a smile edging her voice, the sly narrowing of her eyes hinting at a dig meant in jest to come, "I didn’t end up bleedin’ when they tested me fer warrior..." Then her comment backfired and the smirk was wiped from her face. "Unless... Y’don’t think they were takin’ it easy on me cos I’m a girl do ya?" It was evident by her widened eyes and slightly slack jaw that she maybe thought that might be exactly what it was, and suddenly she was slightly offended. By all her mother’s old gods if that was what it came down to...

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

A playful grin pulled at his lips when she poked fun at the fact that he had ended up bloody in his attempt to join the pack while she had walked away from her test to be a warrior completely fine. Before he could retaliate with a snark filled comment of his own, he saw her expression change and then heard the concern that perhaps they had gone easy on her because she was a woman. He was very quick to shake his head, denying that possibility entirely. "No, not a chance! Someone like Sirius would only let the best and strongest in his pack, I can tell." Of course he had no way to know that for certain, but from what he could tell so far that seemed to be the case. He thought about the time that he had fought a lion with Resin and she had certainly proven to be an even more ferocious fighter than he was. His grin returned and he added, "When you get as big and heavy footed as me, it's pretty easy to get clumsy and end up falling into sharp things. Plus, I'm an awfully big target." It was a self deprecating joke, but he hoped it would help her understand that it wasn't at all about her or her gender at all - it was mostly just about his inability to dodge and Azure's ruthless fighting style. With a chuckle he pulled himself to his paws, making sure to lean slightly to his uninjured side so that he wouldn't put too much pressure on his recently treated shoulder. "Well, Sedna, this has been wonderful. I think I might go lay down and rest for a while. Thank you again for helping me out, I really appreciate it. Maybe we can have a bit of a spar once I'm all healed up... I promise I won't go easy on you." He gave her a grin and a playful wink, just to drive home that he was poking fun with the comment. "Talk"

Sedna appreciated Ulric’s attempt to make her feel better, even if her own insecurities told her he was just saying so to make her feel better. Her nod was quick when he said he would rest, she supposed he’d feel more comfortable in the mangroves if that was where he had been used to hanging out. "If you decide to make use of the den, head west along the river bank, you’ll probably spot the garden first." She offered with an easy smile. The Archer-Lyall turned with a wave of her tail and headed further into the willows. If Ulric didn’t call for her, she had some gathering to see to.

"speech".

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed