as vilkas traverses through the different regions of the teekon wilds, learning their layouts and secrets, he keeps @Lily's offer in the back of his mind. he mulls it over as he explores and meets others — some meetings going more smoothly than others; obviously a preface for the life he would find here. he knows well enough that he will not get along with every wolf he comes across ( in actuality there was a higher probability that he wouldn't given his raptorial and mercurial nature ) he decides to stay in the wilds and after careful weighing of the pros and cons of the offer the inky she-wolf had proposed to him he recalls the directions she had given him and the firebrand sets off.

it does not take the fiery whitemane long to find what he took to be the territory's trademark: a large bolder split down the middle accompanied by the scent of the wolves that maintain it's claim. he keeps plenty of distance from the well-marked borders erring to the assumption that all wolves are as territorial as he is. it's safer that way, he's found. he does not deliberate long, instead, seeking to be direct as he tilts his muzzle skyward and lets out a howl announcing his presence to whomever was in a position of power to greet and either accept or deny him; though a small part of vilkas hopes that the shadow kissed lily of the sanctuary makes an appearance though he does not harken to that small desire, entirely selfish as it may be.

the firebrand's wait was not long and his seaweed green gaze slides over the male that approaches. the male holds a confident swagger that bespoke his rank despite his surprisingly petite and feminine frame, complimented pelage painted primary with charcoal and ash accented with markings of creamish-gold and scars that the vilkas was not noticed from far away. vilkas wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting from the leader but in his mind he perpetually just keeps an image of large, brawny wolves like his brother kodlak in his mind. a terribly stereotype really especially since the guardians and warriors were typically in charge of protecting the pack at it's core. of course despite his first impression based upon the pretty and lithe build of the male before him vilkas would assume that he's a warrior based on the scars that mar his face ( perhaps also a wrong assumption ).

the stranger got right to business, offering a formal greeting to the raptorial firebrand, accompanied by an introduction that stated name, rank and an inquiry. "i met one of yours a few weeks back. lily." he watches the leader's reaction to the name drop but from scent alone vilkas knows she did not lie to him. in fact, the idea had never even crossed his mind despite how he felt about words. easily twisted and manipulated which was why he preferred to communicate with body language; but there were times in which words were a necessary evil for him. "she said you take in all walks of life whether they seek temporary lodgings or something more permanent." vilkas repeats the message he was given. he happened to fall in the latter following his recent decision to stay.

"i fall in the latter if you have the room." vilkas informs the male that calls himself alarian.

the shadow kissed lily makes an appearance emerging on the scene with a presence, calling out his name as she draws nearer. his seaweed gaze diverts from alarian to lily to acknowledge her and the cheeky grin he sees spreading across her lips. "hey," the firebrand offers her in greeting. "looks like i did." he teases lightly with a cheeky grin of his own that morphs that carries as his gaze slides back to the alpha. he offers a curt nod when alarian confirms that they have room.

vilkas is ready to prattle off what he brings to the table as a pitch as to why he should be taken in ( because that was what joining a pack was, wasn't it? selling your skills in exchange for a home? ); he even draws in the breath in anticipation of the question that he expects to follow. except, it doesn't come. instead, he is told he will start in the undetermined rank called cipher and have to earn a formal rank. it was a bit surprising to the firebrand but he's fine with it. he has no qualms about earning his keep. the alpha volunteers lily for the duty of giving him the tour and though this rouses a sort of suspicion within the nord he knows it's not his place to question. vilkas might be many things but he respects authority of his leaders. no doubt, as governor, alarian schedule is endlessly busy and perhaps he simply doesn't have the time to play tour guide, as he more or less states by mentioning a chancellor.

thus, vilkas turns his gaze to lily once more, raising his brows in a silent question of whether she's going to accept the role she was volunteered for or not.

though vilkas does not mind exploring on his own — he's been doing it for weeks now — he's glad that she accepts and does not appear to mind the role she's been temporarily assigned to him. the firebrand follows her as she motions for him to, eyes sweeping to the infamous cracked boulder. in a brief lapse of attention he idly wonders what caused the fissure to form. lightning, maybe? or some force of extreme trauma. vilkas does not spend too long pondering it ( for he's no geologist and those sorts of questions are better left to others ), simply accepting it for as it is. a unique landmark that evidently, according to his dark counterpart that is, marks a cave network where the pack dens.

she mentions that it's like where they first met and adds that it's cozier and the firebrand can't help the low chuckle that slips from betwixt his lips. it's hard for him to imagine any sort of cave as cozy. "i liked the waterfall cavern." he remarks simply, perhaps even with a hint of fondness, unsure if that's what the locals called the inner territory or not. regardless, it was what he called it. his gaze flicks to the rock that she calls 'star rock' and mentions that someone named Korei likes to stargaze there. no doubt, he would meet the others soon enough, especially if he takes the opportunity she just gave him to meet Korei.

the shadows of the yawning cave mouth greedily welcome lily into their arms and vilkas feels a rise of deja vu as he lets out a low, amused snort. like last time, he is rejected by the shadows. not entirely, of course, but he remains a fiery silhouette, like smoldering embers that refuse to die out even as their oxygen begins to deplete. her voice echoes and throws off his ability to locate her based on sound. it's almost disorienting and he keeps his pace steady to the pace he adopted while following her in the light of the day. "you have a particular talent of blending into the shadows, you know?" he informs her in a matter-of-fact tone.

"you'd be absolutely deadly in a fight under the cover of night." he was conditioned to analyze tactical advantages from a very young age and it didn't have an off button. he makes a sheepish noise. "just don't stop because i might walk into you." despite the light tone that could be considered teasing, he's quite serious about accidentally walking into her if she paused. he has no idea how close or how far away he is from her and though it should make him uncomfortable on the premise that he was a warrior alone, it surprisingly doesn't. she's comfortable despite that, in all respects, she is still a kind-of stranger.

she laughs at his analysis and he responds with a likely unseen shrug of his shoulders but he never jokes about his trade. everyone had their favorite trades or skills that they were just naturally good at. she didn't have to be a fighter but he put it out there that she had a natural advantage — several of them if utilized, that is — if she ever considered it. she didn't strike him as the warrior type per say but then again his new alpha didn't exactly fit his mold of what sort of wolf sprung to mind when someone mentioned an alpha. today was a good day for vilkas to learn not to judge books by their covers. "well that's...—" the nord trails off with a contemplative noise. pretty bad is what goes unsaid.

vilkas's steps cease when she announces that she's stopping and he avoids colliding with her as a result. she turns to him and he sees her eyes — glints of sunset orange in the dark — and uses them as a general guide as to the distance between them. if he looks close enough he can see the faint outline — a slight deviation in colors — of her muzzle. aside from the birthing den(s) both jorrvaskr and companions had had communal denning areas with nothing to separate the wolves from one another.

the firebrand side-steps and goes about inspecting the empty denning spaces. he pokes his head into the first one, shouldering his way in to the junction of his shoulders before determining it would be too small for him before he withdraws from it. "i assume ranks are based on primary trades," vilkas deduces, salmon pink tongue drawing across his jowls. this is the most he's spoken in quite some time. "so, what's your rank? what do you do?" while it was beneficial to meet the other wolves of the sanctuary it only makes sense to the firebrand to start with the packmate currently with him.

lily throws a lot of words at the fiery nord who offers her a sage nod, attempting to piece together the ranks and their meanings. he's worked out that governor is the alpha and is left to presume that chancellor is beta. her explanation that the senate advises the leadership helps to smooth his uncertainty on that word ...but these words are certainly no 'kiraan' which was of a language his people called dragon-tongue for variations of 'warrior'. it would take some time getting used to but vilkas is intelligent and surmises that he would pick up on it in no time.

as vilkas rejects the second den — though it is not so tight a fit as the first had been — he offers lily his rapt attention even as he idly moves onto the third den hoping that the third time's the charm. she explains that she's in charge of the well-being of the pack ...like some sort of hybrid between peacekeeper and caretaker. he disappears inside the third den and satisfied that he fits comfortably with space to stretch vilkas exits it and settles his seaweed green gaze upon lily. it's easier to make her silhouette out now — unsure whether his eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the cave or if his mind fills in the gaps, tracing where he should know her shape should be.

"so you're kind of like the pack's caregiver?" vilkas concludes in a partial inquiry and partial statement. he hasn't ever given thought to trades beyond his own but he could see how her role was just as important as say, a guardian's. it makes sense that wolves develop grievances ...with one another and sometimes leadership and going to leadership was a directness that not everyone possessed. not to mention, the leadership couldn't always be expected to deal with every single teeny, tiny blip that caused a wrinkle in a pack member's well being. vilkas favored a more direct approach personally. "that's interesting." the firebrand muses sincerely, thinking that it fits her. he pauses in his next round of questions to glimpse over his shoulder. "i've found a suitable den." so that they could continue with their tour if there was more she had to show him.

"any current or aspiring mercenaries i should know about and make a point to meet?" he inquires of her next. though it made sense to get to know the rest of the pack it was more pressing for him to meet those with similar interests to him as he'd be working with fellow mercenaries closely.

vilkas' conclusion is corrected and lily is patient in explaining that 'caregiver' was more of the body than the mind. he doesn't really get the difference but he's accustomed to believing that caring for mental health is just as much a 'caregiver' as a healer. these words were common, not the dragon-tongue which in comparison seemed so much easier ( as it naturally would if only because it's his native tongue ). vilkas' brow furrows but it is closely accompanied by a curt nod and a brief dip of his head that is almost apologetic for mistaking the trades, offering no further comment; readily embracing the silence that befalls the pair as they move towards the cave's exit.

at first the tunnel is a yawning mouth, plenty wide for them to walk side by side, but the closer to the exit they move it narrows, pressing in on them until vilkas' shoulder steadily brushes alongside the rugged wall as he moved. as lily seeks to move past him to resume the lead the close quarters causes a brush of their fur as she re-claims her position as tour guide. the touch, bare as it was, wasn't intentional but the he gives her a brief hooded look all the same. by the time vilkas follows her into daylight he is composed ...at least until she informs him that he's 'one of a kind' here.

he blinks slowly at her, unsure he heard her right at first. a pack with no guardians? it was a disaster waiting to happen. there was nothing to stop someone from coming in and taking the pack by force. borders, of course, but they have a rather flexible, open border policy. "i understand that the sanctuary has a rather open border policy," as a beast that is largely territorial he cannot help the brief cringe he makes. "but from a tactical standpoint no guardians or warriors is a usurp waiting to happen." in fact, it would probably be easy. alarian might wield the respect of his wolves but he was no intimidating figure, at least by the firebrand's standards ( there he goes again with the whole judging a book by it's cover ). the only thing the governor had going for him that might give someone pause were the scars that mar his face. in fact, it's a bit impressive that they haven't already had to deal with a power-play.

he's tries to figure out how he would tend to his trade duties while respecting the open border policy alarian has set up. it would certainly be a challenge as it more or less goes against every instinct vilkas has. it would be hard to protect wolves when strangers were allowed to wander freely through the territory so long as they didn't cause trouble. yet, he is drawn from his thoughts as lily mentions about hoping if he could help her learn how to fight better. she casts her gaze demurely away. he studies her for a moment, going back to what he told her earlier; and while he's not accustomed to teaching adults he does not think the transition would be that hard. if anything, teaching an adult should prove to be easier than training cubs whom had the attention spans of squirrels ( if he was lucky ).

"i'll teach you." vilkas agrees; because it would be beneficial to the sanctuary and because it gives him an excuse to spend more time with her.

vilkas is surprised that his words, brazen but the truth as he sees it, do not cause her to turn from him; even more surprised that she actually agrees with him. to some, the utterance of the word usurp might be enough to be considered mutiny or could be mistaken for intention. it was risky especially when no one had particularly asked him for his tactical input and given how ...unique and lax the sanctuary's views of 'trespassing' is. vilkas is attentive as lily informs him that both alarian and lanawyn know how to fight 'okay' and that there was a woman whom was a claimed fighter ( as lily didn't sound like she knew for sure ) but that she was pregnant. Warrior or not she wasn't much use to the pack pregnant and vilkas immediately doubts he would find her on the borders now or after the birth ...unless she didn't value the life of her cubs, of course. he doesn't doubt she would be out of commission for a while and the world didn't stop turning just because a guardian was tending to the life she created.

"maybe its's different here," vilkas begins frowning. "but where i'm from power struggles between packs and leaders and aspiring warlords was pretty constant." meaning: he was cut from a very different cloth. silently he worries about how well he'll be able to integrate himself into pack life in the sanctuary. he has to try. for the sake of his pride and because he does like spending time with lily and it would be much easier when they lived in the same pack. he'd work on it, he tells himself. it would be challenging to perform warrior duties when there isn't an actual need to patrol with the open border policy but he'd manage. somehow.

"i'm a good teacher." he promises in a timbre like honeyed whiskey; mellifluous with confidence and raspy in a subtle allure. her enthusiasm is encouraging and the firebrand is pleased for both unselfish and extremely selfish reasons. she peers at him over a svelte shoulder and vilkas grins easily at her as he follows, ears cupping forth to pick up her words. paradise garden and butterflies and if he's seen them before. "yeah, i've seen them before." he assures her but the truth was he's never paid them ...or any other sort of insect really, any sort of mind.

vilkas cannot imagine what it would be like living so ...simply. a pack of just family. a pack isolated. no doubt prey would be plentiful without encroaching packs to scare them off. it almost sounds ...boring. not that he had any intentions of letting her know that. but then again, vilkas is a warrior born and bred. he does not know how to deal with the silence. he thrives off of conflict and war. he doesn't say anything but he contemplates what she tells him with a slight furrow as he tries and fails to imagine the life she had before.

in a unspoken sentiment that would be unknowingly echoed at a later date, vilkas looks to the 'paradise garden' and the myriad of colorful wildflowers that surround it like a fairy's fortress and thinks that it looks like something out of a little girl's fairy-tale. the flowers aren't so bad, he thinks, and even the mixture of floral perfumes is pleasing in lieu of overwhelming. still, the firebrand feels that he seems ridiculously out of place in this particular inner territory. he feels like the fiery copper and rust flame coloration of his pelage might set the picturesque territory ablaze. vilkas listens as lily speaks once more, expressing her genuine admiration for the inner territory and offers her an easy grin but no verbal response.

"not at the moment," vilkas responds before he draws his salmon pink tongue across his jowls. "i might think of something later, though." he answers with a lofty shrug of his shoulders.

with the tour wrapped up vilkas assumes they are to go their separate ways especially because he can't summon any more questions for her about his new life in bracken sanctuary at the moment. he figures he can explore the rest of the territory on his own, learn the layout of the borders so he knows the paths and shortcuts intimately. he categorizes that as a high priority given that their only other guardian is heavily pregnant, according to lily. to his surprise she mentions that she's going to hunt and extends an invitation for him to join. the firebrand contemplates her offer, or rather, pretends to because he's a tease but already knows he'll say 'yes'. because it means a little extra time with her, because he is hungry and because that damn coquettish look she shoots over her shoulder does things to vilkas. his ears taper back and he lets out a small, near inaudible noise; a low rumble that is meant to answer the flirtatious look given.

there's a perplexing moment in which she tosses a 'welcome home' to him. it's so casual that is actually perturbs him for a moment with how routine it sounds: like how a wife might greet her husband when he returns home from a day at work. maybe he's reading way too much into it. vilkas might be well spoken but he prefers the simplicity of body language over the complexities of verbal language because he is always analyzing words and picking them apart to determine the meanings and that's often irritating to him. he's broken out of the rambling of his thoughts as she takes off and seconds after the firebrand joins her on her hunt without trepidation.