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It hadn't been a good night for Valerius. He had sought a safe place to rest, away from the sharp eyes of any nocturnal predators that lurked nearby. He thought he had found a good spot, only to have to leave it a few hours later when a prowling cougar came far too close to finding him for comfort. He had moved away as fast and as far a clumsy pup could, knowing that the big cat was far too strong for him to face. It had been a tactical retreat, that was all.

Finally, he had found another spot in a hollow underneath an old, rotting log. It was full of bugs, but it was dry and it seemed safe. He had eventually drifted off into an uneasy sleep, curled up into a tiny dark ball underneath the old tree. When he did sleep, his dreams were full of golden fur and blue eyes: of him. He haunted Valerius even when awake, taunting the pup relentlessly. Valerius had thought of the older, blond wolf as a friend; as someone he and his family could trust and accept as one of them. How wrong they had all been. And how wrong Caradoc had been to betray that trust. He might have been just a pup, but Valerius knew the meaning of trust, loyalty and bravery. He also knew what he had to do to honour the memory of his family, even if it seemed hard now. His father had always told stories of great heros of the pack and how they honoured their wronged ancestors by taking revenge for them.

The dawn was well past, the sun beginning to rise in the sky, before Valerius awoke from his fitful dreams. Unwinding his little body from its curled position, he crawled free from the hollow before shaking the flakes of rotten bark from his brindled fur. He knew there was a stream nearby; he had heard the water gushing by last night. Indeed, he had nearly fallen in it before he had realised.

For the moment unaware that the pale pup was passing nearby, the scrawny pup set off in the direction of the water. His empty stomach growled as he began to walk. Hopefully, he'd be able to find something to eat today too.

Valerius paused for a moment, his ears twitching faintly as he listened for the sound of trickling water. Maybe it was further away than he had thought it was. He had been tired last night, nervous, and in a bit of a rush. He could easily have misjudged his sense of time and distance.

The pup had decided to keep going - to see if the stream was just a little further - when he thought he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Maybe the cougar had tracked him down afterall. He spun around before backing off a step, his mismatched ears laid back against his skull and his demeanour wary. At least he was small - he might be able to lose a predator by slipping through the undergrowth here. It had been stupid of him to not keep an eye on the area downwind of him. Hunters always kept downwind of their prey so that they couldn't be smelled. At least, that was what his father had always told him.

As he spun, he got a better look at whatever it was that was there. The breath that had caught in his throat eased. Not a cougar. Instead, it was another young wolf. He stared for a moment, puzzled, and clearly not expecting what he had seen. Since being orphaned, Valerius had only seen one other wolf pup alone. There were almost certainly more (and bigger) wolves around to chase him off for being on their territory. Perhaps this was where Caradoc was, even. He tested the air and listened for a moment. The wood was silent, and there was no sight of any other movement.

He regarded the white pup for a moment, trying to gauge if she was hostile or not. Well, he'd soon find out, he guessed. And if she wasn't, maybe she'd be able to give him some information.

He took a small step forward, watching her for a moment before eventually speaking. "Is this your land?"

Valerius gazed at Alianne for a moment after she asked her question. Then he drew himself up, standing straight and regarding her levelly. There was a certain puppyish pride to his actions.

"I am Valerius of the Ec-" He had almost said it before he paused, realising his error. His pack didn't exist anymore. Valerius was of no pack now. His demeanour changed a little, abruptly turning altogether more downcast.

"...Just Valerius.." he added quietly, turning his gaze away from Alianne for a moment, watching a shiny black beetle scramble over the leaf litter. The brindled pup paused for a moment. Then he looked back up at Alianne with a quizzical gaze. "..Who are you? What packland is this?"

Perhaps he'd heard of her pack. He didn't think so, but you never knew.

Valerius considered Alianne's words for a moment. He hadn't ever heard of the Black Merchant pack before. He really must have wandered far from his homelands. Well, what used to be his homelands. As Ali commented about his 'lookin' for the peaceful goodies', a wry expression touched his face. That was about as far from the truth as you could get.

"Not quite." There was more than a tinge of irony in his tone. Maybe Caradoc had come here afterall. He was a traitor and a lowlife. "Do you know someone? He might have come here. He's a gold wolf with blue eyes called Caradoc."

His tone changed as he spoke, hints of anger and frustration showing through. It was obvious, just by his words and his demeanour, that he really, really hated this wolf.

"I hope he's not one of your friends," he added after a moment. Despite his young age, Valerius was determined to see Caradoc dead. Even if he did have to bide his time until he was big and strong enough. Even if he had to die himself doing it. Then he could join his ancestors with pride.

He wasn't here either then. Valerius wasn't exactly sure what he could have done if he had been there anyway. Caradoc was older and bigger than he was. Valerius had to learn and grow if he was to have a chance of achieving his revenge. The brindled pup scowled at Ali's question, but he answered freely enough. There was no secret in his goal, and surely it was an understandable one.

"He killed my family. My mother, my father and my sister are all gone because of what he did. He betrayed us to our enemies. My pack is gone, and it's *all* his fault." The words came in a sudden outburst, mingled with rage, frustration, grief and something that may have been a trace of fear. He knew what he had to do, and was desperate to achieve it, but he wasn't quite sure how he would yet. Not just now anyway. It was a big responsibility for a pup to take on.

"...I swear I'll kill him. Might not be today or tomorrow, but I want revenge for what he did to us.." he finished, a little quieter now.

Valerius was silent for a short period after he finished his story, his thoughts weighing heavily on his mind. As Ali mentioned Meskeet, he looked over at her, a hint of curiousity in his eyes.

"...Who is Meskeet?"

He didn't understand exactly how Meskeet had ways of helping wolves to get revenge. His pack had always spoken of revenge as a personal task. If you were wronged, then it was in your right to track them down and fight them. Killing them yourself was the way you regained your honour - the way you avenged a wrongdoing. Nobody else could do it for you.

Unless.. perhaps she could help him find Caradoc. If he knew where he was, then he could take his revenge. That had to be it.

He nodded his head, as if he had just managed to work it all out. He added
"..And how can I find this wolf?" If it would bring him closer to his goal, then he would do whatever he had to do. It wasn't like he had much to lose now.

Valerius looked at Ali for a moment, seeming a little unsure. He knew what a seer was - there had been one in his old pack. Most pups his age had been wary of her - she had been very strange. His sister Breaca had been good friends with her though. Breaca had wanted to be a seer too, but she had been a warrior, without a doubt. Until she was betrayed, that is.

Valerius could understand why someone might be intimidated by a seer though. They were kind of scary. Powerful too, in ways that ordinary wolves couldn't hope to match. He didn't know that you could call a seer just by thinking of them though. He wondered if this Meskeet wolf was very strong.

"...Ok, I'll try" he replied. Screwing his eyes closed, he took a deep breath. He felt a little silly at first, but if Meskeet was a great and powerful seer, then maybe she could read his mind. Determinedly, he began to think of Meskeets name and mentally ask for her.

...Seer Meskeet? Can I talk to you..?