Stiff joints stretched as the Gladiator left his den and headed down the mountains. He hadn't slept great, though he was unsure as to why, and decided to take a lap around the woods to wake himself up. If it wasn't nearly winter, he'd take a quick swim to waken up his senses, but each day it was colder than the last so the ocean hardly seemed like the place he wanted to be. Why'd they have to move so far from the hot springs again? Grim chuckled to himself at the thought.

Once he crossed from the marketplace to the forest and became surrounded by trees, the dark man went for stretch round-two. Maybe he needed more sleep? It wasn't something he allowed himself often, and with his patrol shift starting soon it was out of the question anyway. Giving his coat a good shake after the stretch, he carried on despite his heavy lids begging him to go back to bed.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2022 | Art © Kianxiety 2022

The restless Warlord spent much of his days patrolling. He was making arrangements for training and working up a roster. He hadn’t been home for long, but he intended to kick the Armada into gear as quickly as he could. There was much training to do, after their poor showing against the pirates.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realise at first that he wasn’t alone. His attention directed to outside the pack, instead of within. Bast, melting into the woods on his right, came to attention first. The Warlord glanced at his companion, and then into the Mile-High Woods. Hearing a moment later what she did. He surged forward, and caught the scent of Grimshaw moments before he would have launched himself at the other wolf. He slowed his gait, and matched his step to the other wolf instead. “Grim” He said in greeting.


"Speech"

He heard the man coming before he spoke, but he waited until he was side by side the warlord. Sirius greeted him as soon as he matched pace, but Grimshaw could only offer a small smile with a flicker of worry. Had how he been doing since the loss of Zee? He would be the first to admit that he hardly knew the woman, but he still knew what loss felt like. Perhaps he couldn't sympathize with the man in this specific way, but he could to a point. Though he hoped he wouldn't have to. Bringing up feelings of loss never bode well with the young man, but he supposed if the warlord needed someone to talk to, he'd be there to listen. "It's good to see you, Sirius. How have you been?" he asked, slowing his pace to a simple walk from his trot.

"Speech!"

They walked side by side for a moment. Tracing the familiar path along the woodland border. When Grimshaw spoke, it was to enquire about his well being. He found himself grimacing. It seemed a question he could not escape. “There's no good answer to that.” He said, which was the most diplomatic of responses he could come up with. The gladiator didn’t deserve to get his head bitten off for asking a question of genuine care.

“Congratulations on making Gladiator” He said to change the conversation. Bringing it around to the other wolf instead. “You’ve come a long way” and indeed he had, from the wolf he had found on a cliff so long ago. He had shown guts, challenging Azure for the rank, and clearly had proven himself to the Warlord's son. Who did not approve of others easily.


"Speech"

The path he could walk with his eyes closed, asleep perhaps. It might not have been the best path to choose being so tired, but at least with company it would be less boring. Had he chosen another route, perhaps it wouldn't help him at all. He might not prefer the company of other often, but it proved to be useful at times and he could've had a much worse companion this morning.

He knew it was a silly question to ask how he was doing, but with the newest litter he figured he had his paws full. At least he seemed to be holding himself together, but if Grim knew anything about depression, it was how together someone could look on the outside but be completely destroyed on the inside. He kept himself from frowning, but as Sirius congratulated him on his rank he allowed himself to smile at least a little. "Thank you," he started, remembering the challenge Azure had made for him. Azure wasn't an easy opponent, he knew that before and even more so now. "for everything, I mean."

"Speech!"

The Warlord inclined his head to the young gladiator. Glad that Grim had taken the change in conversation in stride. “Of course, you are one of us.” He said softly. He had taken Grim under his wing, and the boy was his. The Warlord might be a little more lenient these days in his claiming. Have learned some of his limits, and what would break if it did not bend. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t possessive.

“So, how have you been, how is settling into the new role?” He enquired, to keep the conversation going. To keep it off himself. More than that, he had a genuine interest in checking in with Grim. It felt like it had been a while since they had talked.


"Speech"

The Armada had been his home for a while, though it had hardly felt like it. The move seemed like it was only yesterday, but he couldn't be more wrong. He was just a kid still when Sirius brought him home, now a grown man with a rank that showed his efforts. He didn't know if Resin or his own mother would be proud of him, but he liked to believe that they did. The thought of joining them rarely left his mind, but he knew that his time would time one day. It almost had when he'd fallen off the mountain, but fate decided against it that day. He couldn't have been more grateful really... he wasn't really ready to die that day Sirius found him, but it certainly felt like his only option at the time.

"It's been an adjustment between shifts and the bar, but nothing too difficult. Now that you're back I assume work is about to really begin?" he mused with a slight smirk, humor picking at his words through his question.

"Speech!"

The Warlord nodded his head in agreement, amused to see that Grimshaw had seen it as well . “Indeed. The pack had clearly suffered in their training since the move.” Their first raid in the Cole had not gone well, and to the pirates of all packs. “Now that you are Gladiator, I’ll be relying on your support with training.” he added. Grim had proven himself capable, and he would need to carry that knowledge along to the next generation.

“If you wish to take on a pupil of your own, that would also be a help” He continued, thinking of his own children, as well as some of the other young or untrained wolves in the pack. There had been a time where he had cracked down on self defence lessons in all wolves, but he felt he had been lax in that regard of late.

"Speech"

Grimshaw had no doubts that he would be needed in the training of the newest and younger members. Perhaps even Sirius' own children if he wasn't doing that himself. Even he felt that the pack needed some work after the embarrassing loss to the pirates, so it was good to know that he wasn't alone in that thought. He mentioned taking on a student and Grimshaw already knew that he wanted to, and had a good idea of one to  start.

"Of course; I'd like to take on Gabriel if that's alright," he offered, having been intrigued by the man since the moment they met. He couldn't place a paw on why exactly, however. "I could also have some classes for the children, if you'd like?"

"Speech!"

Gabriel was a wolf new to the pack, and new to the Warlord. He knew little about the wolf, and inclined his head in agreement. “Very well, assess Gabriel, and train him.” He agreed. The Warlord had taken on one of the newer wolves himself - Bronze - as an apprentice. He trained his children, but different perspectives were also welcome, so when Grim offered the Warlord wasn’t about to turn him down.

“It would be good for them if you could. If you can spare the time, Vanta and Kite could benefit from extra classes as well.” He said. It would be a lot for Grim to take on. An apprentice, and two classes, but it would be a good start in moving things forward.

"Speech"