The gray wolf was rooting around the marsh searching for something that might help her headache. A long time ago a black wolf by the name of @Triell Tainn had taught her about an herb that would help for certain aches and pains. She was unsure of whether the plant would help her headaches, but it was worth a try looking for it.

"Hellebore...hellebore...where are you..." Nari swung her aching head back and forth hoping to find the plant growing someplace in the wet marsh despite the chilly late spring. The mud sucked at her long legs, but just like four long stilts Nari's amazonian legs kept her above the wet and helped her to travel through the muck.

She had traveled from the south end of the marsh northwards for some time before finding a small patch of growing plants on a shallow wet area in the middle of the marsh. As she looked around this wet area Nari was able to spot more patches of bright green new growth in other shallow spots dotting the higher end of the marsh. Nosing around the plants who had not grown enough to grow flowers, Nari growled looking for her hellebore.

She had no idea another wolf was nearby while doing this. The she wolf was too intent on settling the ache in her skull which had dogged her for more than a week now.

"Yes! Finally I found some.." Nari pushed her nose around the base of a hellebore plant glad to know that it was growing this early in spring. The plant was small, only just growing as the ground defrosted and the water was freed from ice.

Taking a leaf into her jaws Nari paused remembering a warning someone had said to her. That plants could kill, but she knew that this was a medicinal plant. The silver queen was simply unsure of how much to eat. Gingerly she sat herself down and began chewing on the end of a single leaf. She waited patiently for something to happen, for any of the pain lancing through her head to go away.

The pain had begun to dull in her skull as a bark brought Nari out of the comfortable silence in her mind. Opening her eyes and turning her silver head quickly to spot the oncoming wolf, Nari narrowed her eyes on a familiar shape traveling over the muddy ground closer to her. The black fur of this wolf coated in silver triggered a memory of Shade and his pack. Yes, this is his... she was a scout for him. Nari thought quietly as the she wolf came forward. Tipping her head up Nari looked over the woman.

"Narimé, is it really you?" Silver's voice echoed out over the stiff grasses and water plants dotting the marsh. Quickly Narime stood up trying to hide her weakness, the head injury she had, and tried to look as strong as she could. Her tail edged into a neutral position while her head rose proudly above her silver shoulders.

"Silver, I believe?" Nari greeted the woman with a curt nod. The other she wolf looked like she had bee dragged backward through a thorn filled thicket. Her fur was unkempt in places and the woman was obviously underweight. Twitching her nose Nari scented the air coming from the darker woman and realized that there was no trace of Pitch Pine Trail scent on her. A sure sign that the pack had disbanded.

"Has life been rough miss?" Nari let her body relax a bit sure that the other she wolf wasn't much of a threat. The gray queen didn't look down on Silver for being one of Shade's subordinates. It was even possible that Silver hadn't known about Shade's crimes. Instead she saw the woman as an opportunity. Silver had been an accomplished scout last she knew. With her pack in shambles, Nari was willing to put her faith in Silver to be loyal. If, the she wolf was even looking for a pack to join.

Nari let a certain calmness take her over as the plant she had ingested finally started to work. Though when Silver sat down and also relaxed Nari craned her head downwards and wagged her tail a bit on the earth.

"I hope your life has been much easier, and the pack is fairing well. Any interesting news to share? It's been a while since we last spoke so I believe we have some catching up to do." Silver's words made Nari's fur bristle a bit. She was still angry that because she had tried to help Shade and Pitch Pine Trail in the beginning she had lost her mate, her son, respect from her pack, and her leadership for a time. Now how to explain that to Silver without making the woman angry?

"My story starts with Shade and your old pack, and even before your pack was started... Do you mind me telling you the whole thing without being interrupted? I would like you to hear this truth from me and not Lady Elettra or some other wolf who would have you killed for an injustice you didn't commit." Narime wouldn't tell the whole tale until she got approval from Silver to go on, because if Silver didn't like what she was saying then the she wolf would have to deal with it.

Besides, telling the whole true story was the only way Nari could tell Silver of the woes she had experienced with her pack. If only to confide in someone so that she could get her frustrations out even.

The gray woman nodded then took a moment to figure out where she was going to start in the story. Should I go all the way back to When Sahde first joined Willow Ridge or no? She thought quietly hoping that Silver would be patient with her.

"About two and a half years ago I first came to Lore and joined Willow Ridge. Shade Slayer and Rosealia, Shades mate, joined shortly after I did and for a long time we served under Elettra as loyal subordinates." Nari started her story while trying to make certain parts of it descriptive but short. She didn't want to lull Silver to sleep with her voice.

"A long standing rule in packs is that only the alpha pair breed, although Elettra granted permission for her followers to take mates even outside the pack." She paused to collects her thoughts before continuing. "Our alpha male position had always been a bit stressed within the pack for one reason or another, and so the alpha male changed twice before Shade was lofted into the lead male position next to Elettra." Shifting her silver body to lean on her left back leg, Nari got herself more comfortable upon the ground.

"Not only did Shade breed with Rosaelia instead of Elettra, but he left the pack completely running over the mountains to escape our leaders wrath." Nari looked to the ground with a sad and angered look flashing through her sparkling blue eyes. She had loved Shade like a brother, and it was still hard for her to think of him as dead.

"I had taken a mate that spring too and asked Elettra if I could leave to start my own family. She granted my wish, and I know that she would have done the same if Shade had also asked for permission to leave. Even as alpha male she would have given him his freedom. What hurt us the most was that he bred and ran away from his duties without telling anyone. It was very much a crime that to Elettra was punishable by death." She snarled out the last word before smoothing out her muzzle once more.

"I didn't know about his betrayal. Shade had only told me that he was starting a pack over the mountains and nothing else. So then he collected members and started Pitch Pine Trail." She moved her gaze to the sky wondering if Shade would be angry with her for telling the truth.

"To Willow Ridge any wolf in Pitch Pine Trail is a traitor, but I only believe that Shade and Rosealia were the traitors. I do not condemn you or any other wolf from Shade's old pack for his crime. I want you to know that Silver... " She let her eyes flow over Silver's form before moving them to a nearby tree for simple courtesy.

"Shade and I spoke about forming an alliance, which you know of, and decided a time and place. However when Shade did not show up for the meeting I got worried. Some time later I traveled on a mission to your pack, though I didn't know the way. That's when I found out Shade had died and that Pitch Pine Trail was in shambles. So I headed back home over the mountains, though the snow was deep by that time. I almost thought I wouldn't make it over." Nari sighed as her thoughts collected themselves and she knew that she was getting close to the bad parts of the story.

"When I got back home Minka had taken over as lead female, which was to be expected because she was second and I had been lost for some time. Though I did warn the pack of my mission before hand I still had to take second position till my health returned." Nari let her hackles rise and fall slowly showing the bit of annoyance she had for Minka's leadership. "Upon returning I also found out about my mates disappearance, my son's dangerous travels, other pack members disappearances, and the fact that a new lead male was standing beside Minka..." Nari paused unsure of how to control the emotions raging across her features. "I lost my mate, the respect of my packmates, my placement, and almost lost a child all during the time of that mission to help Shade which ended in failure anyway..." Nari let a small growl slip past her teeth as she thought of the dark wolf she once called brother. Because of him she had almost lost everything she had worked so hard to get.

"I confronted Elettra about Shades death ready to kill her for killing him, but once I found out about how and why he left the Ridge I had no reason to hurt El. She did almost exactly what I would have done in her situation. I... I hope you understand Silver. Shade was my pack mate, but more like an older brother to me. I looked up to him and trusted him, but to have that happen.. was ..ridiculous. " She confessed slowly while lowering her blue eyes to the dirt. Nari shook all over then realized what she was doing and cleared her throat while standing for a moment to shake her whole frame. After that the queen took a few deep breaths to calm herself and hide away the insecurities that moments ago had been showing plainly for all to see. Holding her head still now and stiffening her body to look calm, Nari continued.

"So... yeah, that's what has happened to me this past winter, and it sucked. Present day problems include two traitors from my own pack named Minka Leigh and Tokino Lagina. I accepted the fact that Minka wanted to leave to start her own pack, and I encouraged it too. Tokino, my uncle, had even stated that he would not be staying for long within my pack, and has many times said he was leaving soon. So when he said he would leave beside Minka as her mate I was also fine with this and encouraged it. " Nari started getting flustered again just thinking about the pair of wolves who had left her own pack. "However they proceeded to stay within my borders to breed and tried to recruit members for their pack from the rest of my own subordinates. THAT I would not accept. I was injured while attempting to drive Tokino out of the territory for being a smart-ass. Then Ash, the lead male beside me now, helped to kick them out while I received care for my injuries. Hence the reason I was munching on hellebore before you noticed me. I was treating the headaches from a concussion I got in the fight." Narime tipped her head to the side trying to indicate the bump on her head. Then she sighed heavily unsure if she had thoroughly bored Silver yet.

"Sorry about that rant.. I had to get that frustration out... It was really getting to me before." The gray wolf then finally shut her mouth and let Silver edge any questions in.