Since the day he came to the Armada he felt like he had spent little time here. It hadn't been a thing that he had done on purpose, but it was something that he was very aware of. Attending Valhalla's festival had pulled him away for a few days, his brief trip toward the north had taken a couple more. What had really pulled his attention away entirely though was his family. He had fully prepared himself to at least separate himself from his family in the sense that he would no longer be living with them on a day to day basis. When he thought that his nieces and mother would be living with Philomena and Memento's father then he had been content in the fact that they could take care of each other. The moment he found Memento on her own and learned that his sister had disappeared into the night that had all changed. His priorities had quickly shifted gears and the direction of his life felt like it had changed drastically. If he was being honest he hadn't realized how much time had passed and he wasn't sure if anyone had even noticed his mild absence, but it was still something he felt a guilt over. He had wanted to put his best foot forward, but he wasn't sure that he had done that thus far. It felt like it was only right to come clean with Sirius and explain what was going on before any more time drug on and he sank into an even deeper hole. Following the Warlord's scent, he spotted Sirius out among the plains that seemed to be the main gathering place of the pack. Walking over to him, Ulric dipped his head respectfully. "Sirius, do you have a moment to talk?" he asked before lifting his head again. His expression was serious, but he tried to remain relaxed. He didn't expect Sirius to be an unreasonable man, but he also wasn't sure what sort of resolution he was hoping to ask for just yet. "Talk"

The Warlord worked steadily, creating knives from the fangs of a shark. Easy weapons for practice, or attachments to battle armor if his members chose to wear them as such. Ensuring the points were sharp, and fitted into a leather holder took time. He had been at it for some time when Ulric showed. He raised his head as the other greeted him, and responded with a head nod of his own.

“Ulric,” he said in greeting to the woodland wolf. The man had not spent a great deal of time in the Armada since joining. He had been at the festival, but then, so had Zee and his son. His entrance into the pack had impressed the Warlord. It had earned him the slot of Warrior immediately, and bypassed the usual testing Sirius did on new recruits. Since then, what had Ulric been up to. The Warlord wasn’t certain. “What can I do for you?”

Ulric gave weapons that Sirius was crafting a curious glance, but his mind was much too occupied with other things to pay them much mind. Once the Warlord opened the floor for him to speak, Ulric settled onto his haunches and attempted to find a good place to start. There was so much that he felt like wouldn't make much sense if he didn't also tell the backstory behind it, but he also didn't want to ramble on longer than was necessary. "First, I wanted to apologize. I never intended to join your pack only to not spend any time in it. Life pulled me away unexpectedly, but that is still no real excuse so I'm sorry for my absence." That felt like the easy part compared to everything else he was going to have to explain, but it also felt like it was the most important part of any of it in a way. "There's been a couple of reasons why I've been preoccupied, but the biggest one is because of my mother and nieces. They were living with my sister in Auster the last time I saw any of them and I believed that my sister would ensure that they were taken care of. I took care of my mother for several years after my father was killed so I felt like it was her turn to fill that role so that I could step away and focus on my training - as well as find a pack for myself." He gave a soft sigh of frustration and his gaze shifted to the ground between them as he thought of Philomena and the position that she had put him in. It wasn't the first time that she had affected his life in some sort of drastic way and somehow he couldn't believe that it would be the last. "Not long after the festival I ran into my youngest niece. She told me that my sister had abandoned them. I went with her to Auster and it does seem like she's right - it seems like she vanished without a trace." "I brought my nieces and mother back to Boreas and have been spending most of the time I was away getting them settled into the Lover's Mangrove," he explained as he brought his eyes back up to meet Sirius'. "I also met someone that I've gotten quite attached to while I was gone," he added, a slight smile threatening to pull at his lips at even just the mention of Azariah. She truly had made the whole experience more bearable and he wasn't sure he would have been able to work though it without her help. "She has been helping me and is staying with them now while I'm here." Even though he felt like he had been talking forever, it still felt like he had barely scratched the surface. He hoped that Sirius would understand where his head was at - especially since Sirius himself had a family. "I do very much appreciate you letting me into your pack and I still think there is a lot I can learn from you and can contribute to your pack... but I also have an obligation to take care of my family and my love. If I could get permission to keep my den in the mangroves and come here daily to assist the pack, attend meetings, and things of that sort then I would be happy to stay. However, I do understand if you do not want me to stay and have my attention divided like this." "Talk"

He would go on to explain his family situation, and what had been pulling him away. It was a complicated sort of history, and he admitted to obligations that tore at him, and kept him elsewhere. If there was one thing that Sirius could not abide, it was split loyalties. He asked of those that joined him to put the Armada first. It was their home, and life. This was not and could not be the case with Ulric.

He had three choices. Release Ulric. Make him a slave, and bend his loyalty to the Armada through force, or bring his entire family into the Armada. The pack was already becoming full, and it was difficult to ensure that everyone was fed and trained. Taking Ulric as a slave, Sirius felt, would ruin his potential. Break him. He would hate Sirius forever more, and Zee would not forgive him.

So, to release him? He did not allow a wolf to go lightly. It was not a precedence he wished to set for the pack. “I see. You have a lot of potential, Ulric, but I can not have split loyalties within the Armada. You have two options, you can challenge me for your freedom, or you can leave freely, and with my peace. If you take option two, then in the future, you owe me a favour. I will ensure this favour does not go against your loyalties to your family.”

He saw Sirius contemplating the situation for a long moment and he was really beginning to wonder what sort of answer he would get. When the leader did finally explain his options Ulric had to admit they were not the options he had been expecting, but they seemed exceedingly fair. In a way it reminded him of the fact that one day, if he was successful in building his pack as he so desperately wanted to do, then he would have to make these kinds of tough choices himself at some point. It made him wish that he had been given more time to learn from the Warlord and gain information that could potentially make him a better leader in the future. He certainly couldn't use his father as an example to live by and his grandfather's pack had been gone before he was able to see it in its full glory. He considered the two options for a moment, carefully weighing them against each other. On the one hand, he could challenge for his freedom and not have to be concerned with possibly owing Sirius something in the future, but he highly doubted his ability to win. If Azure had been any sort of indication of the level of training that happened within the Armada then he was certain that Sirius would be incredibly difficult to fight - especially since he hadn't yet finished he armor and weapons he was planning to make. On the other hand, he felt fairly comfortable with helping Sirius with something in the future since he had promised that whatever it was wouldn't go against his family, but with his plans to build a pack there was a possibility that it could pull his future pack into his deal. His ears flicked indecisively, but he knew what he had to do. "I understand..." he replied with a nod. "I will promise you a favor in the future." While he still had some hesitation with making the deal, it was only fair to give something in return after failing his duty to the pack. In a way he hoped that this meant the two of them could continue to work together in the future - wherever it was that the future took him. "Thank you for being understanding and fair. Whenever you decide to collect on my debt, you'll know where to find me." He finally let a smile pull across his lips. It would be better this way. He would be able to focus on his family and his future wife and wouldn't have to worry that he was letting down his pack in the process. "Talk"

Ulric remained polite, and the conversation between them civil and fair. He could respect Ulric, and a part of him was sad to lose the capable fighter, and even-headed wolf. However, Sirius knew he could not compete with the man's other loyalties. Just as Sirius could never have put a stranger above Zee and his kids.

“Then I will see you again in the future, Ulric. I wish you well.” he said, proving that even the possessive bastard of a Warlord could be civil and peaceful if the moment called for it. He offered the man a wry grin, knowing that things could have been different, if the other wolf had chosen the more difficult path. He didn’t respect him any less for choosing not to fight the Warlord. It had been the wiser course of action.