She had spent plenty of time thinking about returning to the mainland since her talk with Corvus. Perhaps it was time to bring Abaven back home. The land had settled, the thicket had reseeded, and the rapids were running clear again. This place called to her, just like it did the other wolves who had known this place as "Abaven" since time in memoriam. They had relocated out of necessity, but she couldn't deny that part of her had also chosen to leave because she was angry. She was mad at what the land had taken from them, but that feeling was misplaced. Nature wasn't malevolent. It was pure chance that their territory had been so ravaged. Just as easily a tsunami could have hit the south, or - or, an earthquake the north! At least that's what she told herself. Eventually she had to forgive this place and think of what it could be, not what it had been. Time to think about the future. Theo padded along the edge of the thicket. The sun had begun to go down, but it was that pleasant golden hour that came with the end of summer. Shadows stretched far across the clearing and lent a sense of mysterious to the depths of the thicket. A cursory scout would allow her to take stock of the area and then she would report back to Rhyme and Corvus with her findings. They should move before winter, that was for sure. Putting her nose to the ground, Theory studied the patchwork of scents in the area, keeping herself poised for anything unusual - who knows what could have taken root in this area since they'd last occupied it. "theory speaks!"

Something had changed in Acciona since her most recent escape. It was a small, almost imperceptible change, but it was there. A desire to be something more, to achieve something greater. She didn’t want the world, or power, or riches, but maybe a little bit of happiness. A sense of security that she’d never quite had, even as a pup. Hiding away in dark shadows and constantly looking over her shoulder wouldn’t help her get anywhere though, and while she knew Enno still lurked out there somewhere, she felt a little less afraid. Only somewhat, knowing that he still had the will and the means to carry out Kyros’ wishes, but she had managed to escape twice now. Maybe that was a sign that she stood a real chance at finding whatever it was she needed. Maybe some great force was looking out for her after all. Or maybe she was just really lucky. Either way, she wasn’t going to question it this time.

She knew that the woman, Shiba, who had brought her and Mikko back had family here somewhere, and she assumed that she’d likely return with them. What she didn’t know was where her brother would go. He owed her a debt, but would she expect him to follow where she went until it was paid? And if so, were either of them expecting her to follow as well? She didn’t hate the idea of building a relationship with Mikko, but she had a place here. At least, she did before. That was a matter she was a little worried about. After Sirius had taken her in before, would he be willing to do so again? She had vanished without any notice before, and she had no idea if he knew why. Or if he really even cared. The thought of her disappearance going unnoticed stung, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if it had. She hadn’t been there long, and she’d not done much to get to know anyone in the pack during her brief time there.

She let out a sigh, kicking at the ground, wondering if it was really worth it to go back. Her conscience wouldn’t let her go anywhere else though. Not until she at least explained herself and got a definitive answer. How awful would it be if she ran into him one day smelling of another pack, and he assumed she’d left to go somewhere else after he’d offered to protect her? She would have a new reason to look over her shoulder, and guilt was the last thing she needed to pile onto her shoulders. It was easy to tell herself what she would do, but the thought of heading straight to the Armada’s borders made her feel anxious, and her skin began to prickle. It could wait a few more days.

Quite lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed immediately that she wasn’t alone. A very tall woman was near, and Acciona froze for a moment. "Oh. Hello..." She spoke softly, watching to see what the other woman would do. She’d learned by now that not everyone was a threat, but she was still hesitant when meeting strangers. There was no way to know, really, but she couldn’t start on her new path if she fled from everyone whose face she didn’t recognize.

"Speech."

Theo picked her head up as a new scent flooded her nose. Nope, definitely a stranger. She turned and blinked at the small - almost dainty - female before her. Although her growing family now included some wolves of the shorter persuasion, she still found it odd to look so far down. It made her hyper aware of her own height. Was she too imposing? Frightening, even? Theory offered Acciona a bright, friendly smile in hopes to contrast her intimidating stature. Being large mostly helped in defending herself (except where her agility failed her), but it wasn't always the best for making friends - and Theory much preferred friends to foes. "Hello! I'm Theory - what brings you here today?" She knew plenty about these lands, having grown up here, but it wasn't often that she saw a non-Abavenite flitting at the edges of this territory. Most of the came here for quiet reflection on the past. Of course, it was no longer theirs (for now), so that didn't rule the occasional loner out of the picture. "theory speaks!"

The woman was significantly larger than Acciona, but still not as big as Sirius had been, and she didn’t seem too imposing. The stranger, Theory, as she introduced herself, gave her a bright smile and it was enough to put the girl at ease. She wasn’t completely relaxed, but she’d not encountered anyone thus far who had portrayed themselves as anything other than what they were. Manipulation was not something she had much experience with, so she had no reason to doubt that the woman’s friendly disposition was anything but genuine. "Oh, I was just taking a walk… Thinking about things… I’m Acciona, sorry if I’ve interrupted you." She shifted slightly, ready to move along if the woman indicated that her presence was unwelcome.

"Speech."

Ah. She knew plenty about thinking over things alone. While there was much she felt she could share about how she dealt with leading the pack, the bulk of her interior life she kept private. It felt foolish to worry Corvus or Rhyme with her insipid daily thoughts. She was constantly wondering if the younger members ate enough, if Rhythm was comfortable, if the frequency of patrols was too much for her scouts and warriors - ugh. And here she went on again, while there was a perfectly nice stranger in front of her. Theory relaxed her posture a bit, trying to push her "business" out of her mind. "I also like walks and thinking about things," she said, a bit awkwardly. "Anyway, Acciona, what brings you to this part of Boreas?" "theory speaks!"

The woman seemed to relax a bit, and Acciona tried to do the same, though her habits of remaining hyper alert at all times was a hard one to shake. "I’ve been traveling with my brother and a... uh friend. They’re somewhere nearby, but I just needed to get away for a bit." She wasn’t entirely sure she would call Shiba a friend of hers, but the woman had done a lot for Mikko to keep him alive, and it was easier to just say she was a friend than to try and get into the more complicated details of the relationship. Once she finally figured out what exactly she was going to do, and when she was going to finally do it, she wouldn’t likely seek out the grey woman’s company, though she figured her brother’s debt to her might keep the Klein more involved in her life than she would otherwise choose for herself. "And you?" She wasn’t great at having normal conversations, but she figured that posing the same question that was asked of her would be a good start.

"Speech."

She listened attentively, an inquisitive look passing across her face as Acciona backtracked slightly. ...uh, a friend. Interesting. The girl didn’t seem to be in any trouble though and that was enough to soothe Theo’s curiosity. It was in her nature to want to protect but had learned when it was and was not appropriate to butt in. When Acciona turned the question back on her, she offered a small smile before starting in on her explanation. ”I’m the leader of a nearby pack. We used to lay claim here but the land was devastated by the volcanic eruption. I’m running a cursory scout to see if it’s worth reclaiming,” Theory said. She’d gotten much more accustomed to introducing herself as “alpha” over the past year, in part due to age. No one could really roll their eyes anymore now that she wasn’t a stripling of a thing. Leadership had never come naturally to her, but the need to protect these lands and those she loved always had. ”Well, what do you think about this place? Do you think a pack could thrive here again?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. It would be interesting to hear an outsider's perspective on her home.

Her stumbling explanation was clearly noticed, but the woman didn’t say anything about it, and Acciona let out a small sigh of relief. Conversations were a lot easier for her when the other party did most of the talking, and it seemed Theory was much better at that part than she was. Her eyes widened slightly at the mention of a volcano, and she couldn’t help but look around to see if she could spot any sign of the former devastation. "I wouldn’t have been able to tell that anything had happened, if you hadn’t said so." She paused as she thought about the question. She was no leader, and she’d never given much thought to what a pack might need, so she wasn’t sure how valuable her input would be, but she would voice her thoughts since she had been asked. "I don’t know much about what one would look for in a pack land, but it feels safe here. I’d imagine if a pack was able to thrive here once, they’d be able to do so again.." She liked the tall grass, and the thick foliage, and all the cover it provided. There were plenty of places for someone of her size to tuck away and hide, and while she didn’t think that would be useful to many others, maybe that aspect would be appealing to prey as well.

"Speech."