His efforts so far had yielded him no results and the dark male tried not to get too frustrated. It wouldn't do him any good to do so after all, this was just the beginning of what promised to be a long journey. He needed it though. Stretching his feet hadn't been a luxury he'd allowed himself in quite some time and he was sorely aching for the ability to spread his wings a bit. He'd love if it was any other circumstances than a missing child (and Alpha) but he had the drive to find the boy and hopefully it would help to quell some of the tension in his pack if he accomplished his goal. 

He was trying to decide which direction to go in when he heard a howl, it called for anyone - and he qualified as anyone. Stark took a moment, giving a short call in response, before he crossed down through the muck and the mire until he spotted another wolf. He was already dirty up to his paws and he couldn't wait to clean off, but he gave a bob of his head in greeting, trying to hold back the utter disdain for the state he was in. 

Another scout. It did bring a moment's smile to Stark's face but he couldn't give her the information she wanted. "Unfortunately I haven't gone into the muck before - I've been looking for a puppy from my pack." He explained. He was straight to the point, not bothering to apply the pleasantries he'd usually start with. Pippin had been missing for far too long. Weeks now. And he felt responsible even if he wasn't. "I'm out trying to find him, I believe his father is too." Stark said as he crossed a bit closer to her, grimacing every time his paws stuck in the mire.

"I'm Stark." No last name, as he'd never really used it. It felt easier than anything else. "You're just out exploring?" He assumed, since she'd mentioned ranging first and foremost, and looking for information. 

She quickly caught on that he was from the Keep which took a bit of pressure off him. He didn't need to betray the secrecy of the pack to give her information - at least enough to retrieve some of the members of his pack that had gone missing. He bristled as she mentioned Tambourine, the hackles raising along his shoulders and down his spine. Protective to a fault, perhaps too protective, but he was facing a situation he'd never prepared for. "You! He gave an exasperated sigh, looking the female over. "Because of you Octavia is talking about taking Tambourine away!" Stark's ears flattened for a moment and his tail lashed behind him and the wound felt so raw it was like having Octavia in his ear again, screeching her vitriol at him. 

"Now she's gone - but I can't focus on bringing her back with a kid missing." It was a whole fucking mess. "If you see her, send her home. At least to tell her son that she's gone." He hadn't expected to get mad at the woman and he certainly didn't want to take it out on her but there was this blinding feeling in him that maybe it was all her fault. it wasn't. There was no way it could be. It didn't make his hurt and less though. 

It wasn't Valette's fault. It really had nothing to do with her - maybe a little bit of bad timing, but Stark couldn't separate the two from one another enough to really focus on anything else. He frowned when she tried to say that Octavia wouldn't leave her son - she most certainly did. "I hate to break it to you, but, she did. Practically bit my face off then hightailed it right out of the pack lands leaving me one confused puppy." Who honestly wasn't that worse for the wear but Stark couldn't understand the mind of a three month old. 

"I trailed her North a bit but I can't focus on her when there is a puppy missing his parents. When Pippin is home I'll be able to devote more time to tracking her down but I'm hoping she comes to her senses first." A bit of his anger had melted away, leaving behind a more morose, beat down man. Stark didn't like that side of himself, he hated to feel like he was letting people see his flaws. He hadn't let himself be sad about Octavia leaving, about the angry things she said, he'd just tried to push through and focus on what he needed to accomplish. "I'm sorry." He finally grit out. "She mentioned your name for the first time and said she was running off with Tam and then it devolved into her screaming at me and she ran off."  Not much of an excuse for his anger, but, at least an explanation for why he lashed out at her. 

He was still hurting. The raw feeling would never go away, not when Octavia had screamed at him, not when no doubt the entire pack had heard it. Stark bristled, blue eyes looking the woman over with a look that was clearly full of a very raw hurt. "I don't...I don't know. She's been...off for a few weeks now but I thought maybe it was from the famine and then...I just..." He sucked in a deep breath, frowning at the floor because he didn't want a stranger to see him so upset. "I don't know what's going on but she hasn't come back and I don't know what to do with it now." It. Everything. He'd care for Tambourine as he had - like his own but then what about the pack she'd also left behind? 

"I hope they're both home soon." Stark said softly, finally looking up at Valette. "I...I really am sorry for yelling at you." It wasn't like him to lose his temper but still it happened and the woman didn't deserve it. 

When you lose someone you love? 

Stark for a moment didn't even know how to address that. Could you truly love someone that you clearly didn't know? Or was he losing the part of Octavia that he had come to care so much about? Which was it - and how did he get back to where he had been and figure things out? Stark only gave a brief nod because he couldn't even articulate a proper response. "I've been there since he was just days old. Even if it takes her awhile to come home I'm still going to take care of Tam." Stark said gently. There was no way that he wouldn't continue to care for Tambourine just as he had been. He'd continue to feed him, keep him safe, give him as much love and affection as he could. Just day by day the line became more muddled and he wasn't sure when it was acceptable or not. The longer it took, the less he cared about those limitations. 

"If you see her, let her know he's safe. My sister and I have been taking care of him, my friend Rhodes keeps our borders safe." All his basic needs were met and then some. All he needed was for his Mum to come home and let their little family be complete. They could work on fixing things together if Octavia just came home. 

He didn't expect to have her compliment him, to say that he was a good man. He didn't think he was special, not exactly, but he was still happy to hear that someone did recognize that he tried. He was going to keep on until he couldn't anymore - until there was no other option. "Thank you." He said gently. "I don't..I don't see it as anything too special, just being decent." He said gently. He didn't think of himself as a good man he really just thought that he was doing what he needed to and what he should.

Stark tipped his head to look the lands over as she asked about them. "It's where the Taiga and Valley meet, I think. I'd call it the end in this direction - but from what I've heard the forest beyond the mountains close it off that way." He nodded towards the direction of the Sleeping Dragons, out far beyond where they were. "Thank you, Valette. If there's something I could do to help you in the future, let me know." 

A friend. She'd be his first friend outside of the pack. It wasn't a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination and honestly Stark needed to branch out more. "Definitely. And once things settle down some, I'll come out and visit and let you know how it all turned out." He said with a smile. His tail gave a slow, tiny wag behind him, but it was better than when they'd run into each other. "If she comes home, I'll have a messenger let you know." 

Stark was being hopeful, trusting too much in the prospects of Octavia's return and that things would improve once she just made it back. She had to come back. When she did, things would be fixed. He felt certain of that. "Thanks, Valette." He said with a nod before he turned back towards the Keep. "If you need a place to rest on the way home, don't hesitate to come knocking." 

Stark nodded his head, listening as she laid out her plan. He gave a little laugh when Banner was mentioned. "I'll let my sister know I ran into you, then." He said as his tail swayed slowly behind him. "Safe travels." He said with a nod as she departed and Stark watched for a moment until her figure disappeared and he returned to the Keep.