Once he had turned away from Octavia he headed down the path the older wolf had cut through their lands. Stark closed in, giving a low call for @Nova Rose to alert her that he was coming. When he had made it a little closer he finally called out to her, "Ma'am?" He hadn't mean to make her angry by suggestion she wait, but it seemed important to be secretive and the pack's safety was more important than his own. 

"I worded that wrong. I didn't mean to suggest you not go - just...once we get closer." He explained. "Sometimes my thoughts don't come out as clear as I'd like them to." The dark wolf said, able at least to let go of his pride enough to tell the woman that. 

Stark gave a nod, watching her to see if she had calmed herself or if she was still worked up from earlier. He didn't want her to be upset, although he could understand some frustrations Octavia was still their Alpha and demanded her respect. "I figured since we're to maintain secrecy it'll be better if I pass the word alone. By the time we find this place I bet the pack scent will have faded even more from me." Stark said calmly. 

"I'll dunk myself in the ocean a bit, we'll figure it out." He offered a goodnatured smile to the woman, shaking his coat out a bit as she spoke. "Oh of that I have no doubt." He said with a toothy grin - the pack had a sense of family, he understood that. "Any chance you're familiar with some of the lands Octavia was talking about?"

"I don't doubt that I can find it, but, since you're familiar with one of the points it'll cut out some of the questions about where it is." He could track, he could find the place, he could scout it out. He was much happier to find the area and save the time though. Stark followed her lead and found his footing easily next to her. "Have you lived here long?" He was curious about her and the pack itself, looking for more information than he had gotten from Octavia and his random interactions with people.

So the pack was brand new. He'd basically come along at the start, same as everyone else. He wondered just what had lead to the rise of the Keep and how Octavia had come along with it too. "Where did you come from before that?" He asked, watching his feet as they moved - his gaze moving frequently to track the terrain as much as his nose was working. "Octavia found me shortly after I'd arrived - it believe it was just after Tambourine was born." He hummed out. "I'd only been here a few days - maybe a full week. Maybe."

Respect was earned. Age didn't entitle you to it, gender didn't, Stark didn't consider those traits enough to immediately give anyone respect. Nova's words didn't quite sit right with Stark in that regard but it he didn't feel like dealing with another outburst so he bit his tongue and said nothing instead. It seemed to him that Nova had a tendency to have a more dramatic response to things, considering how she'd responded earlier. 

"I wasn't aiming to join a pack - I'd told myself I wouldn't burden any of them during the famine." Stark explained. Finding Octavia had been a stroke of luck, specifically because he'd found that hare - he might have kept going if not for that. "The Keep was the only pack I approached, I guess you could say."

"I don't think it the wisest to take in any wolf off the streets when there is no food to feed them. Not unless you're hoping them to succumb to the famine so you can feast." He said grimly. He was confident the only reason that Octavia had accepted him was because he had offered her the hare. It was the little things, like being decent in life, that drove people to their best. Stark's ears flicked back, tail still loose and neutral, even though the grim thought was a very real reality. To sustain the pack was everything and he had been doing everything he could to keep it's Alpha and her young cub alive. 

"I'm young, and willing, and most of my days have been spent trying to scout out food sources. I'm fortunate I had a decent bulk built up before I came here and that I ran into Octavia quickly enough." Otherwise his tale might not have been so happy. If he had joined the other pack he had met, he wasn't sure what would have come from their either. They were more exposed than the Keep - it might mean that they waited longer for their prey to return.

The silence was better than arguing, and Stark could tell that their opinions varied on a number of things. As they made their way across the lands, only occasionally exchsnging words, Stark couldn't help but drink it in. The lands were beautiful, they were without fail gorgeous. He just wanted to explore more. 

The Scout hopeful made sure to track the lands he was in, learning the scents as much as he could for future benefit. It was a sizable journey for someone unfamiliar with the lands and the only thing that kept him from lolly gagging more was the fact he didn't want to let Octavia down.