Kismet hadn't strayed far and that was the first time in a while. Even throughout the horrible storms he had remained close to Secretua and more specifically close to Warja. She could look after herself and probably did better at it than Kismet looked after himself, a fact that he not only knew but admired. Perhaps it was really more for his own sake than hers, just to reassure himself that Warja was ok. More than simply checking in on her however he enjoyed the time to be close to her again. He had always hated the occasions they had been dragged away from one and other and yet for some ridiculous reason he had allowed it to continue just so he could traipse from Northern to Southern Alacritia all the time. Never before had the boy really made a decision for himself, perhaps that was the main reason he had remained a loner, scared to choose between his family and Warja and yet now he had come to realise that this lack of choice simply didn't work. He was lonely those times he was away from them he needed to make a choice and hopefully his family would understand. Secretua. That was his choice if Rune would allow it. Truth be told Kismet was still somewhat wary of the man, not entirely certain what to make of him and equally not sure where he lay in Rune's books. He would take his chance though all the same, though and try. He had to. Though he had darted across the borders several times as of late to spend time with Warja, he would wait at the edges now and let out a call for Rune. He had certainly made mistakes though he would at least try to amend them by doing this part formally. This was what you were meant to do right? He had never before sought permission to join a pack, he had been born in Valhalla and stolen by Glaciem.

Walk | Talk | Think The flood waters had finally receded and the Gulley was looking like its old self again. Though he had already established his family's safety and walked these all too familiar paths a few times already, he did so again to triple and quadruple check that the thickly forested location was indeed accessible from all sides and no longer a maze of waterlogged traps and dead ends. His frosty blue eyes, as pale as they were critical, looked over every inch, noted the debris that had been washed around during the storm and saw clearly how lucky they had been. A few loose trees, a couple new streams that would likely reveal themselves again as it rained, were all they had suffered at the hands of the storm. But that was not to say they had been without casualties. The Guardian's needless scouting doubled as a distraction from visiting his sister's grave site, a place he had not been to since her passing, and as he always seemed prone to he threw himself into his work as a means to forget. Thinking of her in her final minutes, of his distraught nephews in their delicate state, of his father suddenly appearing and demanding a claim over them only managed to sour his mood in the worst way. Everything had gone wrong. Maia should have never died, his father should never have shown up, and they certainly should have never needed to fight for the guardianship of his sister's orphaned sons. It was pointless since nothing he could do within the pack was going to change what had happened, but for now it was better than doing nothing or succumbing to the rage that still burned below the surface. He was not expecting any other distractions to arise but one did. His black paws ended his ceaseless wandering to hold him still as he listened to the howl through attentive ears, taking only a second to realize who it was and why it sounded at all familiar. This was no stranger. Not by a long shot. The boy's friendship with his daughter was no secret, and the fact he had been lingering, even trespassing, in order to see her had definitely not gone unnoticed. Alamea had told him already what she knew of the Adravendi male, and while Rune had yet to get an assessment of his own the manner in which his little mate spoke of the boy urged him to at least offer him a chance to prove his worth. Even if the kid did do a piss poor job of respecting boundaries. With a heavy sigh the burly grey male turned from the path he had been taking and directed himself instead toward the boundary of Secretua along the upper edge of the Gulley, winding leisurely through the dense foliage and navigating paths that he hoped were still tricky to outsiders - though if his father had managed to sneak in so quickly he was beginning to second guess their defense. At any rate, he found the tan-faced boy standing at the edge of Secretua's border - surprisingly on the rogue side of it though he showed an obvious preference for ignoring it on other occasions. He probably could have approached with a nicer, more considerate expression but the combination of his distracted, surly mood combined with knowing of the boy's closeness to his daughter drew his typical frown down even deeper. Regardless of the good intentions of the kid, Rune was still protective of his children, particularly his bold little healer. "Surprised to see you on that side of the border," Rune challenged gruffly as he came to stand before the youth with the authority of a Guardian and father, his low voice edgy and agitated though he had no proper reason to be, "You seemed pretty at home on this side before." Which made him wonder more strongly now why it was Kismet had called for him in particular. He had seemed at home lingering there upon the edges of the pack lands and had stayed there ever since stumbling his way into the pack meeting Rune had called a few weeks prior. Was that no longer enough for him? If it was not, what did that mean for his daughter? "I'm assuming this is something important if you're seeking me out instead of Warja," he added with irritable resignation, sitting himself down and glancing up at the kid across from him. Damn, he sure was tall for a yearling. "What is it?"

Kismet certainly didn't think for a moment that he was on Rune's good list. It was a shame though he knew full well that he had brought this fate upon himself. Of course, blindly the boy didn't realise the full extent that he had wound Rune up, not understanding that his friendship with Warja was another problem in the man's eyes. He was equally oblivious to the fact that other's viewed it as more than a friendship, nor had he realised that they could very well be closer to the truth than Kismet himself was. There was of course no warm greeting from Rune when the grey marked male finally appeared before him. Guilt of course would seep through him at that realisation, it'd take an awful lot he was sure to get any sort of nice reaction from the man. It could have been easier though Kismet had ruined any chances of that, he'd have to work hard now if Rune gave him the chance, allowed him to stay on the pack side of the border. Before he had a chance to point out that was what he wanted, Rune would begin to speak once more, guessing that there was something important upon his mind and prompting him to speak at last. At his height it wasn't easy to stand lower than Rune of course, though his stance was by no means dominant or carried with pride as he stood there before the Guardian now. Truth be told he felt rather like a child again, and he hadn't felt so helpless since his imprisonment within Glaciem. "I wish to join your pack, sir." He certainly wasn't rude in his speaking, though it occurred to him now he hadn't actually spoken to Rune before. Though he'd never used it before, the formal title seemed right. It wasn't a mockery at all, Kismet was completely sincere and certainly trying his hardest now not to make Rune hate him any more.

Walk | Talk | Think Though the tall boy already appeared at least slightly nervous in Rune's presence, the grey Guardian was of the opinion that he could have done with a little more nervousness. His cold, assessing stare did not waver as he continued to look on the tan-faced youth, not even when he noticed the apparent care Kismet was taking with his posture. There was no threat there, nothing to instigate harsh feelings from the pack leader, and nor did he take the bait and answer Rune's comment in any way to paint him in a worse light than he was already viewed under. It might have all been good signs - the blue-eyed father hardly wanted his daughter hanging around someone who could easily lose his temper, or who might have so little respect for others that he would succumb to a little goading - but still Rune was irked. How could he continue not liking the boy if he behaved so respectfully? Unsatisfied, he was almost tempted to respond with a firm and resolute no the moment Kismet got his question out though he was sure Warja would have given him an earful for it. Did he really need to ask now when Rune was bothered by so much else on his plate? Watching a new recruit to make sure he was behaving himself and adjusting to pack life well enough to suit his strict standards was not exactly the top of the priority list. But maybe that meant he needed to start promoting others in order to even out that authority and responsibility. Carrying it all himself was starting to be a little more weighty now that the pack was no longer simply himself, his children, and his sister's family. It was growing, and their top ranks needed to as well. When he finally spoke it was nothing more than a blunt question, one that had settled into his mind and demanded to be asked. "Why?" Why now? Why all of a sudden did Kismet, who according to Alamea had been traveling back and forth to visit Warja for some time now, wish to join Secretua? He had seemed content lingering beside the pack lands, and yet he wished to make his stay permanent. It puzzled Rune considerably, though one suspicion of course rose above the rest. Perhaps the boy's feelings for his daughter were growing to the point he could no longer stay away? Was it anything like what had drawn Rune to being with Alamea all those years ago? He hardly knew enough about the relationship between the two youngsters, had not seen enough of them together to make his own conclusions, but it was something hard to ignore entirely.

Though he hoped he was managing to be respectful enough to the male, there was a part of Kismet that still couldn't help but anticipate an abrupt no to suddenly spill from Rune's lips. There was only silence for a moment, one that seemed to drag on and on as the Adravendi boy sat there awaiting his fate. To get into a pack would have been so much easier if he had gone to his mother, simply asked to join her and the rest of his family but it wasn't what he wanted. Yes he missed them but he couldn't really explain it or understand it himself, he wanted to be here. At last a word would finally be spoken, it wasn't however the yes that Kismet longed to hear nor the no that he had been expecting it was a why something that would require him to talk more and honestly he wasn't entirely certain what to say, at least not what to say to avoid Rune's possible wrath. He seemed on the edge already and though there had not been a no yet, Kismet still didn't doubt that it could easily appear. "I've been a loner for some time now and I don't like it. It's lonely and I need to be in a pack." Kismet began with the simple truth that had inspired him to finally pluck up the courage to request to join a pack. Of course this one had been selected because of Warja but that was probably a given, he didn't really know anyone within the ranks of Secretua other than Rune's daughter. All the same his short little answer somehow didn't feel like quite enough and before he really thought upon it, more words were spilling from his lips. "I was born in Valhalla and imprisoned in Glaciem, I've never had to ask to join a pack before and I'm sorry if I'm going about it wrong. I know I've already made mistakes in all of this, but please just give me a chance." Was this begging? Was he begging? Honestly he was shocked by his own words.

Walk | Talk | Think "Hmph," was all Kismet could get out of the surly Guardian when he first spoke of being lonely. He was a rogue, what did he expect? Most wolves Rune knew chose that lifestyle because they either did not or would not get along with pack life, be it the rules, the other pack members, or because they preferred their freedom. Was that no longer the case for him? And, if memory served and he was not getting his facts mixed up, he was almost certain the boy had family up north in another pack, somewhere that seemed to Rune to make more sense for him to go if he was as lonely as he claimed to be. But again he was bugged by that nagging sense that whatever bond Kismet had developed with Warja must have been something pretty deep in order for him to choose here over there, and suddenly he was less inclined to bring it up. A little more of the story was given, a quick run down of where all Kismet had been during his lifetime. Valhalla. Rune was not entirely surprised to hear it, having already, with Alamea's help, put the boy's heritage into line, but he could not stop the sense of respect that he had for the place from interfering with his thoughts. Irritating as that was, it did not make matters any better when the boy all but pleaded with him to let him prove his worth. God, was he getting soft? Should he not have simply refused the boy on principle alone? But then he had agreed to let Eirik's friend stay already... "What of your family? You wouldn't rather be with them?" He was dragging it out longer than he wanted to, but in Rune's mind it was a valid question, one that he hoped deserved a valid answer.

The freedom aspect of life as a rogue had certainly been a rather appealing point to the boy whether he realised it or not, imprisonment within Glaciem had left him craving such a luxury. There had been no disagreement with the other packs that had welcomed him warmly though, and even the taste of freedom wasn't what had kept him travelling around Alacritia in his isolated life. He'd been stuck whether he cared to admit it or not, unable to make up his mind as to what sort of life he actually wanted; one with Warja or one with his family. They were both important to him and for far too long he had tried to please both ideas, succeeding really in nothing at all but driving himself miserable. His own feelings hardly were Rune's concern and response the man gave him was more than enough to demonstrate that fact. He stood silently, unsure on whether he should try and say anything else to strengthen his case or simply leave Rune to his thoughts, to eventually come to some sort of answer. Kismet feared now more than ever that it could be a no, that the Guardian would deem him unfit for the pack. Even with his poor little speech the Adravendi male doubted he had really done much to put himself in a good light and that was even without knowing Rune's fears for Kismet's close relationship with Warja. He wouldn't be the first to make these assumptions though, many had leapt to conclusions that still hadn't really entered the boy's mind. The pauses between Rune's words seemed to take forever. Eventually he would speak once more, questioning as to why Kismet didn't seek out his family. Truth be told he had no good answer for that. Warja was with her family and living happily, surely he could live a perfectly happy life with his own and they could simply continue to visit each other, arrange meetings in the middle. He couldn't explain it but it wasn't enough for him. Even Soren he had grown somewhat distant from. He was still loyal to his family, would do anything for his brother but there was something about Warja that he simply couldn't find words for. "I'm not a fan of the North." He spoke calmly. In the end that pathetic excuse was all he could come up with. Wasn't that the main reason he had left his family at the border's of Roman's pack? It wasn't simply to go and see if he could find Warja once more or would eventually cross paths with Sarak, he had despised the idea of being in a pack ruled by an Armada, had even feared being so close to Glaciem once more.

Walk | Talk | Think The short, concise answer he received was not at all what Rune had been expecting. He had been awaiting some explanation of a falling out, maybe even of being disowned though he had never known it to be true of the Valhallan wolves that he had met. It was so simple, so downright surprising, that it managed to tickle his sense of humor. Unbidden, unwanted, the gruff male laughed, a quick, short sound of amusement accompanied by a seemingly uncharacteristic smirk. Oh, this was not good. Now the kid was funny. He really was doing a poor job of hating him! Looking away from Kismet, as if the sight of him might elicit more unexpected giggles, the grey Guardian composed himself, smoothing away the smirk and amusement and again falling into a look of seriousness. He still had a decision to make, and there was no way he was even going to be able to take himself seriously if he was smiling through it. Not to mention he knew he seemed less threatening when he did and an approachable figure was not an image he wanted to convey here. "Fine," he answered sourly as he turned his head to fix his icy stare on the tall Adravendi boy. "You'll join Secretua as a Guard. You've got the build for it." Taller even than Eirik, Kismet had the hefty bulk of a defender, and Rune hoped he knew how to carry his weight better than his own yearling son did. With the previous slip up along the border that had allowed his father to sneak past their watch, the Guardian was determined not to let it happen again. "Any objection?" Rune asked, raising his brows in mock curiosity.

Laughter? Kismet certainly hadn't been expecting a reaction like that nor had he been attempting to be funny either. The young man was rather shocked and not entirely certain how he ought to react now either, not even sure if this was a good or a bad sign. Smiles were of course generally good though given the dislike he was sure the elder male had for him and the rather serious expression he usually wore, Kismet was greatly confused by Rune now. Silently he would continue to await the answer, the time dragging on and continuing to torture him. A yes was of course what he longed for though if it was a no Rune was going to respond with then it was cruel dragging it out in laughter like this. And then finally quiet was broken. The serious look had returned and for a moment Kismet wasn't quite sure he was hearing right. Fine? Was that a yes? Could it really be some sort of yes? Apparently so. He was going to be a Guard in Secretua, pleasantly surprised by the revelation he would of course shake his head in response as Rune questioned whether he had an objections to this decision. Truth be told he had no idea what he wanted to do in the pack only that he wanted to be here, though he wasn't about to reveal that to Rune right away. If the man thought he could be a Guard then Kismet would be. "None. Thank you."

Walk | Talk | Think Well, at least all of that was settled now. Rune still could not say how he felt about it all, but just knowing he was done with the interaction would be good enough for the time being. Where Kismet fit into the pack, what strength he had to offer them, and what sort of relation he claimed to Warja could all be figured out later, when he had a better chance to watch the kid and determine things for himself. And at least with him inside the pack's borders now keeping that eye on him would be easier in every sense. Rune nodded his head with finality, approving of the fact there were no further questions or comments. Maybe if the kid was good at taking direction like this then keeping him around would not be as irksome as he dreaded it being. "Well, get in here then," the grey Guardian instructed with a gesture of her his head, inviting the youth into the pack as its newest member. He would have to ensure the kid was settled in, had a den, and knew of his tasks before he would turn him loose, but as he saw it the tasks would only further help him get to know Kismet better. Wasting no time, Rune turned with a flick of his tail and began to tread back into the Gulley proper, heading for the center where the pack shared a den site so that he could get the move in process started. -Exit Rune-