During the daytime, when Clove wasn’t out exploring the neighboring territories. She enjoyed spending her time in the common areas, to participate in the hustle and bustle of castle life. Today, she found herself in the lounge- having collected a bag full of supplies, and setting it down at a table near the roaring fireplace. Pulling a chair up, and leaving another open - just in case someone wanted to join her - she emptied the contents of the bag onto the table. Looking down at the thin roll of tanned animal skin, pens, measuring apparatuses, etc. Was this everything she needed? Moving the items around with a paw, she was lost in thought. Tongue poking out from the side of her mouth, brows furrowed, as she tried to figure out a game plan. After her journey to the bamboo maze, and her wonderful day with Akito. She’d been determined to jot the bamboo's location down on a map.

But how the heck do you even make a map? Maybe she should have asked her mom or dad for help.

"Speech"

The tone throughout the castle was relatively gloomy these days, and for good reason. Sota was trying his best to bounce back, but grieving was a slow process. even for him, as overly optimistic as he was. He saw things that reminded him of Audra everywhere, but he tried to think fondly of her rather than continually remind himself that she was gone. Death was something to be celebrated as much as it was to be grieved, though doing such a thing didn't always happen so easily. He knew in time things would get easier for all of them.

Hopping down the castle steps and making his way into the lounge, Sota was glad that he wasn't the only one there. He recognized Clove, though he'd never quite spoken to the young woman before. A warm smile spread across his features as he drew closer to her, giving his characteristic low bow, head sweeping low to the stone floor of the castle before rising again. Upon further inspection, he noted the supplies she had with her, wondering just what she was up to. "Mind if I join you?" He asked, happy to make his exit if she preferred solitude instead, though her location in the common area told him that was unlikely. "I'm Sota, by the way, if you hadn't caught my name before."

The tapping of claws against the stone floor of the hearthstone caught her attention- ears twisting toward the door of the lounge, heterochromatic eyes following as a silhouette slipped inside. A tiny man, even smaller than herself, by the name of Sota- one of their renowned navigators, who was older than her parents. She didn’t know him personally- in fact, she only knew of him, having seen him in passing and heard stories from her Father. Still, being the socialite she was, she’d never deny company- especially a packmates.

Offering him a warm smile and a nod, she almost giggled when he bowed to her. He was being so proper! “Of course, please do.” She said, motioning toward the empty chair across from her, and silently praising herself for setting it out when she first arrived. “I remember who you are. It’s nice to see you again.” She added, after he provided his name. “I’m Clove- but, you might know that already.” A lightheaded laugh followed, before she turned back to the materials strewn out across the table. She'd gotten lucky to have one of their best navigators stumble across her trying to make a map. And, if he wanted to join her, maybe he'd want to help her while he was here. “You might be the perfect wolf to help me with this.” Warmth spread across her cheeks, as a sheepish expression overtook her face. “I’m trying to make a map, but I don’t know where to start.” Hopefully, Sota would be willing to provide some insight- perhaps it would be good for him too- perhaps give him something to keep his mind off the passing of their loved one, Adura.  

"Speech"

His expression, already quite bright, only further brightened at her attitude toward his potential company. "Oh, splendid," he said softly, moving around the other side of the table and making a graceful leap up onto the chair. Sota was always glad to spend time with anyone who seemed receptive to it, never wanting to even begin to force his company on someone who might rather be left alone. But he always, always preferred being around his packmates when he was able, no matter who that might be.

"I thought that was your name. I try to remember names, if anything," he confessed with a soft chuckle. If anything, Sota was observant and attentive, wanting to know everyone even if they didn't really who he was. It didn't bother him if someone didn't; he'd never cared much for attention, even as social as he could be. His own smile warmed as she explained what she was doing, adding that he might be able to help. "What a good project!" He commented, genuine as his eyes brightened at the prospect of being able to help. "Let's see..."

He leaned forward, sliding his paws up onto the table to get a better look at what she had. His eyes roved over, taking mental inventory of what items she'd collected. She had the right things to start, though he wasn't necessarily skilled at creating maps himself. He hoped he knew enough about navigation in general to be of substantial help to her. "How big of an area are you wanting to map out? Are you thinking about just mapping out the castle and its grounds, or even further than that?" He tilted his head, glancing across the table at the yearling with inquisitive eyes.

Once Sota was settled beside her, Clove beamed over at him, genuinely excited to have his company. She hadn’t interacted with him much, this being their first encounter alone together. It would give her the chance to get to know him better- and if he helped her make the map… double score! The conversation moved in that direction, as he took interest in her problem- stating it was a good project, which made her blush a little bit. “I think so too.” She said, watching as he examined the materials. Analyzing them, shifting things around with a paw, making her wonder if she’d forgotten something important. Leaning forward in her seat, she waits for his analysis with bated breath- a little sigh of relief rushing from her, when he moves onto the task. Good, she collected all the right stuff! At his question, Clove becomes quiet and contemplative- trying to decide just how big she wanted her first map to be. “Well, umm,” She says, shyly looking down at the materials. “I went to my friend's pack- the place with all the bamboo. You know it right?” She’d heard Sota was very knowledgeable about the lands of Auster, so certainly he knew of Tojo-Kai? “I wanted to make a map from the castle to the bamboo.” She’d promised herself she would map out the journey from The Hallows to Tojo- it was important to her, after all. It symbolized her romantic dance with Akito- a memory she’d never forget. "Speech"

Sota didn't think that she'd forgotten anything at all, and even if she had he was happy to make do with whatever materials they had. Making maps wasn't an exact science or anything, anyway. Now that he was sure they had enough to proceed though he was happy to get right into it. Clove admitted she'd gone to her friend's pack, Tojo-Kai, and he nodded in acknowledgment. Yes, he knew of them though he'd never gone to visit them himself.

"Ah, what a good idea. Let's think for a second..." There was a lot in between the two sides of the continent, from woods to hills and fields and everything between. "Since we don't have a good way to measure distance, you'll have to be a little creative in how you lay things out. If you're really wanting to be accurate, you might need to make a few iterations of your map to really get it right. I'd start by sketching what you remember. I'd start with the castle at the top, the bamboo closer to the bottom, and add in any landmarks you remember in between!"

Tail wagging behind him, he reclined a bit and motioned for her begin if she wanted to. "It might be hard to draw landmarks neatly, but I'd consider this first try as a sketch if I were you. If you want some help with the final map, I could ask my lemur friend Kaito to help you. His thumbs help quite a bit with that sort of thing." Even if she didn't accept his offer, he wouldn't be bothered. "I'd even be happy to make the journey with you, if you're wanting your map to be more accurate. Make a little project out of it," he suggested, though at the risk of sounding overly excited he quickly added, "Of course, only if you want. If not, I'm sure the map you'll draw will be just as good!"

Sota sat back and pondered for a moment, and Clove straightened up in her seat, watching him closely. There was a look of contemplation on his face, and his silence was short-lived. He was right, they didn’t have a way to measure distance, so her map wouldn’t be completely accurate. That took an advanced level of skill, maybe even beyond their capabilities as wolves. But they could use landmarks, like he suggested, which would be easier for her. And it would still paint a good picture of the lands between the two packs. “Okay! I’ll try,” She says, grabbing one of the pencils with a look of determination. 

After drawing a sloppy, oval-shaped thing at the top of the map, Clove decided it was best to let Sotas lemur help with the finer details. It didn’t look like a castle at all! “Yeah, I could use his help. But first, lemme just-“ She’s moving the pencil on the canvas again, making another jagged circle at the bottom where she believes Tojo Kai is. Then, she draws a few long lines, which are supposed to be bamboo. “There.” It didn’t look very good- in fact, you couldn’t tell what it was. But Kaito would be able to add the details, so she wasn’t worried. 

At his mention of exploring together, Clove turns to him beaming.“Oh yes! That would be very helpful.” She says, already plotting their journey in her head. “I know about the fields with fossils, and the creepy fog forest.” She was referring to Fossil Ridge and Wraiths Woods. “But I don’t know about the other places in between.” The continent was very large, harboring three separate kingdoms. Their journey would take some time. “When can we leave?” She asks, wagging her tail, overly excited. If it was up to her, they would leave right now!

"Clove Carpathius"

The more he thought about it, the more Sota wondered if he ought to make a map as well. Not of the lands between the castle and the southern edge of the continent, but a more simple map, of the castle layout and surrounding grounds. Maybe it'd give his mind something to do on days when he didn't feel like doing much else. Another way to keep his mind sharp, even as his body began to decline. Not that he was thinking so catastrophically, but it was mere fact that he was getting older and that he couldn't do all the things he once could.

He watched her sketch out some shapes to start with, agreeing he could use Kaito's help to map out the finer details. Sota knew he'd be more than happy to oblige. She seemed just as excited about a journey together to help map it out too, and Sota found himself grinning. A little adventure! Maybe that was exactly what he needed.

"I'd like to check with your parents first," he started. Clove was a yearling, but she was still the child of The Hallows' rulers and he knew better than to sweep her away without making sure such a journey was okay first. "But then we can leave whenever you're ready!" Sota was certain his request wouldn't be denied, especially in the spirit of training Clove on her navigation skills.