Wren decided to follow east from the Gorge, finding the Red Forest. She found the woodland to be populated with prey, the telltale signs of activity a good sign. She grinned despite her weariness. It was a little thing, a small smile at best, but she felt confident in her goals. Finding Mercury was a good start. They had found each other again after two months apart. Now it was time to recruit other wolves.

But how to go around doing that? She couldn't just walk up to vagabonds and bark at them. "Hey you!" she could say "looking for a pack? What about mine?" No, she needed to be subtle. Confident, too. She fluffed out her ruffled fur and continued to scout the location. The scent of another wolf hit her nose, one she had briefly met before. She didn't remember his name though. Locating his, well, location, she made a beeline to him.

Part of Wren wanted to know how he had been, despite that briefness. They hadn't had much time to talk, and she had moved on before it was over. That was her fault. She always did worry about wolves that she had met, even briefly.

"Speech"

TANELAN

Tanelan felt like he had been in the north for seasons. Frequently he'd been waking up in piles of bones and scraps of fur. He'd shaken off the macbre scene's again and again but as he did he anxiety had increased. He was used to the memory but waking up in the middle of the night after he'd just seen the sun rise had gotten to him the past week. Tanelan shook out his fur he had to continue on! There was more to life than roaming around these damn woods all day. Especially when he wanted the wound on his chest to heal. It had scabbed over who knew when and he didn't know how he got it either. The long thin scrape went from his right shoulder down his chest to his left limb. Tanelan hoped it wouldn't scar.

It wasn't long before he realized someone was looking for him. Specifically only because it seemed the scent was approaching with purpose. Carefully he looked and saw a familiar brown form as he blinked. The Armada girl? His head tilted before he approached. "Hello?" he greeted. Suddenly remembering that they had forgotten to exchange names. After all he had simply asked her for directions and when he felt light headed he'd left in a hurry. Tanelan's tail shifted to the side. "Sorry I ran away last time. I uhh - I get sick sometimes you see really light headed with headaches and it just makes me want to run." he shivered before realizing he didn't really need to give an excuse he had just felt like it. "The name's Tanelan, by the way." He tried to smile wishing his social anxiety away for once. Though he had forgotten about the large scab on his chest almost like it was on display.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

"You're fine."

She said it as confirmation she didn't mind and affirmed that he was indeed alive and well. She could almost laugh with relief. Almost. "I'm just glad you're not lost somewhere, yanno?" she grinned awkwardly, swaying her tail "I'm Wren. Currently of Armada" 'Currently' was indeed the word for it "my, ah, alpha... He's training me to be an alpha too." Mentor, not friend, but close. She looked almost sheepish.

She looked at his wounds from her distance, frowning. "You okay?" Once upon a time, Basilisk had offered Armada's healers to her. But he was a prince, and she was not in the position to do that "I... am not a healer" she cautioned "but I could help clean those!" she added, giving a nod to Tanelan. As for his headaches... She knew some remedies for that, having suffered from episodes herself.

But she wasn't going to overstep.

"Speech"

TANELAN

"You're fine.",

Tanelan blinked slowly at her. She had been coming to... check on him? Something about it surprised him, nobody in his life, nobody had ever come to check if he was okay. Maybe once upon a time but those were times long forgotten to him. His ears flicked shyly lowering his head as he listened to her. "I'm just glad you're not lost somewhere, yanno?" so he really was hopeless. Tanelan was bad with directions and now he had made a stranger believe he was incompetent. Why else would a stranger show interest in him anyway?

"I'm Wren. Currently of Armada" , "my, ah, alpha... He's training me to be an alpha too." there it was. Tanelan was being sought out for something. Somehow this relieved him. He'd been wandering Boreas for a vastly long time almost losing sense of himself in the process. A smile crossed his face for a moment happy for Wren and happy for himself. Was that Selfish? He didn't know. "You okay?" Lan's eyes suddenly slammed to his chest. Self consciously remembering that the long scab was even there. He thought it was healing fine!

"I... am not a healer" - "but I could help clean those!" He shook his head suddenly. "No really it's okay. I got it in an accident a couple days ago it's healing fine." he lied. It had become so easy now though, as he pushed a paw to the wound. He woke up like this sometimes it tended to be when he was more stressed. The bones, sometimes with blood still on his paws he'd never shared it with anyone. He was fine now. "So you came to find me because you need pack members when the time comes?" he asked tilting his head. "I don't mean it as an insult it's just kind of... nice someone actually caring for once." he smiled awkwardly. He was shy normally but he had been so terribly lonely for a long time.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

"I didn't come to check on you cause I needed members" she corrected, smiling just as awkwardly "it's... weird. You'll think I'm weird" Wren glanced away, frustrated at her lack of social cues "I just... worried, that's all. You ran away and I thought it was something I did. I'm glad it wasn't. I don't like to be offensive. I definitely am glad you didn't get lost. It's a whole maze up here in the North!" She chuckled, rolling her shoulders. Tanelan said he was fine, and she was not the type to push.

He admitted it was nice that someone cared. She smiled, forlornly. "I get it... It's hard to be a loner, and make connections... Never seeing folks again cause they're always on the move. You're always on the move" She sighed "Armada is a good pack but I just want to challenge myself" so maybe that was selfish of her "even if I don't collect enough members, I tried. I could put the training the alpha gave me to something else." Sirius' teachings would be held close to her heart for sure. She could always use more confidence in herself.

"But yeah, enough about me. I didn't mean to seek you out and give you that impression... Of course, if you wanted to know more I could tell you. But that's definitely not why I sought you out." She laughed this time.

"Speech"

TANELAN

There he went and made it awkward! Tanelan laughed a bit uncomfortably stretching his shoulders as he decided to get a little closer to her. A part of him twisted a bit some part of him really had hoped she HAD been looking for him. He tried to push the thought away when a soft feeling tugged at him. Almost as if the world around him was fuzzy a little bit out of focus. Taking a deep breath Tanelan steadied himself slowly the feeling went away, just this once he thought to himself. Grounding himself in the moment with Wren.

Tanelan felt strange talking to this girl. Ever since he'd seen her at the wall it was like he was a moth to a flame seeking out its warmth. His ears twitched sadly, but then again having someone around to lead him sounded appealing. Surviving on his own was so tiresome and from his broken memories he could tell he would make a great packmate. That was right 'Wren wants you there' a voice whispered in his head. She seemed very passionate about this and Tanelan wondered what his life would be like with her in his life.

"I mean... it'd still be okay if that's the case. Seeking power sometimes is just some's calling I believe." he did believe that. He sat down his tail quivering slightly. "I'd like to know more. I am no one special, " he shrugged then. "I've been a traveller ever since I could.... kind of remember. I have memory issue's should you know. Sometimes I'm just... walking around the next it feels like I've left my body. After a while in a haze I can wake up on a completely different side of the territory." he explained. "If you can look past that. I'd follow you to this Wren. I would." he couldn't LIE after all. That was What happened to him. He just forgot.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

He seemed to be sad at the moment. It was fleeting, but he talked more passionately now. Almost apologetically. "I don't... want power" she shook her head "I... I want to grow. I want to be better than I am. I think if I cared about people more, helped them build themselves up and contributed to their life... Maybe. I dunno. Maybe I'm being weird again, Tanelan" She shrugged again "if I have to be called an alpha to do that, make sure it's done right, then I'm all for it."

He did offer to join her. A bright grin flashed on her features. "Slow down, man! I haven't even told you about my idea" she joked, wagging her tail "as for your, ah, episodes" She lowered her voice somewhat, sheepish "I used to have, ah, some memory gaps when I was a kid. I'd shake and seize up, but I couldn't remember doing it. When I 'woke up' again, a few minutes had passed." She cleared her throat, focusing on Tanelan again. Sympathetic to his episodes.

"I can look past it, if you don't harm anyone in the pack on purpose" Wren cautioned "we could always have a healer look at you if you're open to it" but "and you don't have to be important to join" She shook her head "family name means nothing here. I plan on making a guild of sorts, where everyone is equal. Everyone has their own pace. If you pull your weight in some way, you'd be welcomed. I guess I'd ask what your skills are?" She tilted her head at the man, not knowing at all.

"Speech"
ooc; wren speaks about epilepsy as a child

TANELAN

He was dumbstruck. Here she was and for a moment his eyes widened in confusion. She was sparkling like the sunlight itself in his head, a light in his cloudy day. Tanelan had to look away before returning his gaze with a soft smile to Wren. "You're just.... so bright!" he blinked in surprise at his satement if he was being honest. His heart felt like it was going to explode for a moment. "Sorry like, you're light a light at the end of the dark cave. A little guiding spirit that shines brighter than the rest." his eyes glittered for a moment before he looked at the ground and his paws. Foolish.

She explained about her fits and he nodded his head. It gave him hope, the prospect of seeking answers to something that affected his life so heavily. It was very very appealing but it almost felt like a dream to him. Was he dreaming? Was he going to wake up near some volcano, or in some tree. He shook the thought away this was real he could just feel it. "I'd never harm someone unprovoked. In fact I tend to avoid conflict as much as possible." he nodded his head. Tanelan hated causing trouble and he often felt like an inconvenience to everyone. His eyes lit up as she finished.

"I uhh.... I can fight pretty well I'd think. Other than that I haven't really explored my skills. I get lost easily so... fighting tends to be the thing that keeps my body fit." he nodded suddenly. "I suppose I can be a pretty good story teller perhaps." he had many fantasies and made up legends in his head that was for sure.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

Wha?

Wren blushed, ducking her head. Surely he was jesting. She was no light, no brightness... She could wave wildly at his compliments, but in the end, she had to keep a level head. This was a lesson, surely, Sirius wanted her to learn. "We've all had it hard for a while" she murmured "it's not easy to find a place to belong" especially right now, with so many packs in this world. All offering different things "I... just know what that's like. I don't want other wolves to feel like that. I definitely don't want to shove anyone around who needs a place."

Power of being alpha? She could stand to be called something else. A Warden of sorts. "I need time to gather wolves" Wren cautioned Tanelan "but I won't expect you to wait. If by the Summer of next year I can't make a pack, then you can carry on. No strings. No hard feelings" She expected it to be a good spring creation if she was being honest "but I don't plan on my guildmates getting hurt over stupid things. Like borders. Your health is more important than pride. We'd have open borders, friends, and not foes. Anyone who comes into our land..."

She paused, focusing on Tanelan. Hoping he understood. "Is to be met with questions, not fangs. But if they steal or harm us, we will retaliate" she tilted her head at him "it's not going to be a traditional pack. If your fighting skills are good, I can make you a guard of sorts to our traders. As for storytelling; we all need a bit of that lately." She chuckled.

"Speech"

TANELAN

Tanelan's ears twitched, the more Wren tried to make herself more humble the more he couldn't deny her. Regardless he knew it was him being rude of his own desires. He didn't like having no direction and the fact that his memory issue's had practically made him lost, well there it was he could probably find out what was wrong with him. Finding a place to belong? Well Tanelan hadn't really actually thought about that. He'd been wandering around for so long he almost forgot what it meant to actually do something then find the next place to sleep and hunt.

She explained and rested her case and Lan regarded her then. As an alpha yes, he could do that. His tail twitched, come summer? His head tilted.... it was winter wasn't it? Lan hoped he hadn't lost sense of that, perhaps he should get out of the north for a while. He hummed for a moment still smiling at her. "Just call. I'll be there." after all he felt as if he had kept her too long. Even if he did, so horribly want to see her again.

maybe it was a small crush....

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

"I'll be up north" she told him, moving away from the vagabond "if you need me before that, Armada is my residence currently" Looking over her shoulder at Tanelan, she grinned "I want to include these woods when the pack is made" Blue eyes glanced around them "so if you can stick by them, do a bit of exploring... I'd be grateful." She nodded and moved further away.

"Thanks" Wren added "and see you soon, hopefully!" With one more member down, she had to tell Sirius. He'd be pleased with how recruiting was going, surely. Tanelan could explore the Red Woods and make sure it was acceptable for a pack to reside. Any threats could be dealt with later. She didn't want to endanger her followers. Hell, she didn't even like calling them that. Friends. Yes. Friends.

/end

"Speech"