King Elk Forest Tell me, Grandson
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@Mato set after the eclipse! Hoping for some Grandpa x Grandson bonding <3 (and perhaps I could use this thread for Burke's mentor mastery!)

Burke was looking for Mato. The older male had some important questions to be asked. He liked the idea that he could become a mentor for his grandson. He always liked being a mentor. He had some great lessons in life and could help the younger wolves with his knowledge. That was Burke's mindset. He was really starting to thrive in these new surroundings. At Redhawk, he talked to Malice about his death and what he liked after he died. Yet, ever since coming here he found a new purpose. He couldn't die! He needed to help his grandson, obviously.

The male let out a howl, it wasn't a summoning howl, but more of a 'where-are-you-located?' kind of howl. He hoped to ask about the defense of this pack and how strangers should be met. He also wanted to know about what food was preferable to catch, not that he would hunt with the pack, but he liked to know these things. Perhaps, they could have a verbal spar. He just liked to pick his grandson's mind. he seemed far better than Sebastian. Maybe his good genes skipped a generation. It could be entirely possible.
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Mato’s days were busy, but it is a good busy and the druid relishes in the responsibilities he now bears. Nothing he’s ever had before and it is nice to be able to stretch his proverbial wings, to see if he is as good of a leader as he aspires to be. Tindómë is but an suckling infant and the newness shines from every corner of the forest but he is pleased with the strength they show, despite this. Despite their infancy, despite his youth. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them, Mato thinks, contemplating which of those he falls under ( if any ). He is still contemplating this when Burke’s howl rises through the trees. The druid’s umbra dipped ears perk atop his skull and his path alters without hesitation and takes him in the direction of his grandfather.

“Grandfather,” Mato greets him with a warm smile as he approaches. “How are you and Malice settling in?” He inquires, truly curious as to how the pair are faring in King Elk Forest. Perhaps the empyrean is blinded by the bond of flesh and blood that exist between Burke and himself but Mato refuses to believe in uselessness in any wolf and quietly he still fumes over the audacity of the Caldera. They were nothing without their elders …and why should they not take care of the wolves that spent years taking care of them and laying the foundations? The druid turns bright, apple green eyes to his elder, warmed with affection. He was not close to Burke …but he hoped that he could remedy that now. It was never too late, after all.
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Burke intended to come to Mato but it seemed his howl had summoned his grandson. The older male was kind of pleased about it. He just had traveled miles and his body needed to recover. He had some muscle aches but he wanted to hide that from his grandson. He didn't want to be useless. He was not useless. Burke was keen on proving himself and helping out. He saw more of himself in his grandson than in his own son. Curiously enough, since their mother was one Goody Two Shoes in his eyes. He wasn't telling Mato that either.

"We are settling in well. At least I am, with women, you never know what they think," he tried to joke lightly. Burke joking. Man, he was in a good mood. The male wiggled his docked tail, giving him even more of a square build. "The reason I called is that I'd like to help. I know you are new to managing a pack. I have managed several packs in my prime and all were different. So if you like my help and advice, you have it. I'd like to think it keeps me sharp as well," he stated. At Redhawk, there was an established leadership that didn't trust him. He didn't feel like they deserved or wanted his help. He really had dulled down in his time there but now the fire was back in his pale blue eyes.

<3
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Mato’s candescent, apple green gaze falls upon his grandfather and a soft smile curves upon his lips to hear that he ( and presumably Malice ) is settling in well. “That is good.” He murmurs, pleased. He is glad they find the King Elk Forest to their liking. Age matters little to Mato: so long as a wolf can contribute their skills to the pack, in whatever way they can ( be it small or large ) is all he asks. He will not be a cruel ruler and does not wish to be cutthroat. He knows he cannot allow them to linger without an earned trade after a certain amount of time for that is the whole purpose of Tindómë to be enriched and filled with wolves that have skill sets and put them to use. Trades don’t appear to mean much of anything to other packs ( that he knows of ) and that is fine for them but Mato harbors a different view of the world and has shaped the pack to reflect that. They are all useful, they all matter and they all play their part in the success and failure of a pack.

Burke’s offer does not necessary come as a surprise to him but Mato regards him all the same. “Your council would be invaluable, grandfather,” Mato speaks with a slight lift to his chin. “and I would be honored to have it bestowed upon me.” It is true that there is nothing traditional about Tindómë and he has not given much thought to politics but it occurs to the empyrean that perhaps he should and perhaps that is where to best use Burke’s knowledge. “I seek to focus upon Tindome first,” Mato speaks, glimpsing around for a moment before his gaze once more rests upon Burke. “but what is your opinion on politics. Should we seek to bridge alliances where we can? Or forsake such things and be self sufficient in the face of war?” There is no reason to foresee trouble: but that does not mean that trouble will not eventually show up upon their doorstep. Mato wants nothing to do with war but he does not wish to leave Tindome unprepared for the possiblility ( as slim as he thinks it to be ).
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Burke was extremely pleased with Mato. What he didn't find in his own son he found within his grandson. He was far more eager to help and mentor him. His words were respectful which was always a good thing to make Burke more friendly. He was glad that his grandson showed some Rochester potential. Burke returned a firm and respectful nod to Mato. Since his grandson was mature and respectful he had no problem serving under his rule.

"Naturally," he spoke in return. It was logical that the leader wanted to focus on his own pack first. "Though, it is important to know your standing and how you want your pack to respond to loners and other pack wolves. It must be communicated to all the members so you are one united front," he explained. Especially with all these wolves newly put together. Then Mato would be focussing on his own pack since to him it seemed vital to respond to everyone the same.

"I think it depends on the pack. I served the brotherhood for a long time. We had no alliances with other packs for most of the time. There was a brief period when we did but it ended in a disaster. The brotherhood living in Blackfeather Woods was mostly self-sufficient because they were big in numbers. Often we had 12 loyal adults protecting, attacking and defending. All for their queen. Hence why that pack could afford not having an alliance," he explained calmly to Mato.

"When you look at your father's pack, it is all very different. They were friendly to others, they let strangers in their ranks. There wasn't a defined assertive leadership. When I arrived at Broken Antler, there were hardly any loyal members. It was just your parents and their four kids. You need your members to stand behind you, and I believe some currently do that. I have not met all of them to speak for most of the group. However, due to the friendly nature of Sebastian's pack, he had alliances with the Caldera folk. They did take everyone in while we were all sick of poison. We lived because your father had been respectful and a good bond with a pack close by."

Burke wanted to sketch two pictures for his grandson. As both packs were different they also treated other packs in their own way. "We currently have 7 adults, however, of those adults I am elder and can only advise and protect when I can. That makes 6 abled bodies that could protect, but if one gets injured or some aren't loyal, you are left with fewer adults. So, in your case, I think it would be best if we could keep friendly with one pack at least. And I should say only one. Do not be friends with everyone, then you are serving other packs more than your own. It is easier to maintain an alliance if you can focus on one pack. But you must keep in mind that sometimes other wolves don't keep their promises. Plus you need to think what kind of pack Tindómë will be. To be associated with a pack with the same values an alliance is more likely to succeed."

Burke didn't want this pack to be overly friendly, but also not as paranoid as the brotherhood. But he knew it wasn't his decision, he could only guide his grandson. "You must make sure your members stay loyal to you. That is the most important thing before forging bonds with other packs though. For now, to give you some time to think about Tindómë and its politics, you can send out a scout to look for packs in the area. The scout should be neutral, gathering information and their philosophies. The information that is gathered about each pack can be useful for deciding which pack you want to be associated with," he advised and ended with a firm nod. Perhaps it had been a bit of an information overload, but Burke was confident Mato was smart enough to understand it all. "Do you have someone in mind to be a scout?"
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Mato weighs Burke’s words: the two sides of the coin. A self sufficient pack that does not need to rely upon others and stands strong for it, and then the Fen which had not been strong in numbers but he brings up the point that because his father had been friendly with them the Caldera took them in. Though the druid thinks, tersely, that it came at a price. “Yes but the Caldera’s friendliness came at the price of your life, grandfather. They’d have left you die, they stole food from your mouth for their children. If that is how I can expect allies to act if Tindómë would ever be in a time of need then I do not want any.” Perhaps it is childish of Mato to think this way, to hold this grudge. And yet, he would not let any member of Tindómë suffer as Burke has been made to suffer all because they are the mercy of an overpopulated pack whose leaders kept reproducing when they clearly did not have the resources to do so. No, the wolves of Tindómë were and would always be the starlit king’s first priority and woe to whomever hurt, double-crossed or wished ill intent upon them.

“Eight, we have eight adults.” Mato corrects softly, albeit not looking to be disrespectful. Burke suggests that they get friendly with at least one pack and Mato visibly hesitates at the thought. What the Caldera did to his grandfather is still too fresh in the empyrean’s mind, still too unforgivable and the druid is not so willing to throw his lot in with another pack, at least, not until he irons out something solid. Something that states that all members of Tindómë, young and old alike, are to be provided for in a time of need if it ever was to arise; but he does not seek to dismiss his grandfather’s wisdom. “I will think on it,” Mato speaks, eventually. “first we need to survive out of our infancy.” Mato is not so naive to the world to believe that the hardest part was over. Winter was coming and Tindómë needed to survive it, first. Then, perhaps, he could return to the subject of possible alliances. Perhaps, by then, he’d have a better feel for what Tindómë would need in an ally, or if they did not need alliances at all.

In the meantime, however, he could send out a scout. “Not yet.” Mato replies when Burke inquires as to if he has a scout in mind, but he has plenty of faith that one of his wolves would step up at the chance.
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Burke slowly nodded in reply to Mato. The Caldera had been their survival but once times turned bad they hadn't been as friendly towards him. Then again, he sort of let them take some of the food away from him. He had not been himself. Before he would never allow anyone to take his food but after his illness, he had grown weak. Burke was confident things were going to change now.

The older male saw the hesitation in his grandson's eyes. He took no disrespect in Mato's correction. Burke lifted his muzzle a bit. "Then I'd say we try to be as self-sufficient as possible so we do not need to rely on others. This pack does focus on trades so make sure your middle ranks are well-balanced in trades and skills," he spoke to his grandson. He wanted to be of help and it seemed that Mato was leaning more towards being a pack without allies.

"If you don't know who is your scout I'd suggest you find out who liked to pick up that trade. As the leader of this pack, you need to know the skills of your members so you know of what skill you need more," Burke spoke with a quick nod. "To survive infancy we need hunters and guardians. Also make sure to tell your members if we should be welcoming towards strangers or not," he added. Something else for Mato to think about.
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Burke offers sound advice: to ensure that the ranks are well balanced so that Tindómë is not forced to rely on others. The idea of being anything other than self-sufficient does not, admittedly, sit well with the druid. Yet, he will never force a certain trade on his members: that is their choice and he feels they should pursue their passions. Just as he pursues his own. “I know,” Mato speaks when Burke lectures him on needing to know what trades his members seek to obtain. It makes him feel as if he’s being a sloppy leader, but the problem is, some of his members didn’t know what they wished to do upon the founding and Mato had not seen fit to pressure at that point. “Trajan seeks to be guardian and I work towards the trade and specialty myself.” At least he has something tangible to offer Burke this time. “I will greet strangers with caution, to get right to the point of why they are at our borders and to be especially weary of those that do not rise alarm to their presence. AndI expect my guardians to uphold that.” Tindómë is not a secret and he has nothing to hide but that does not mean he has to ( or has any desire ) to reveal all his cards in one sitting, either. There is a fine line between giving information and giving too much information.
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Burke nodded firmly as Mato spoke about a few members and their aspirations. Guardians were good. Lots of wolves to patrol made the pack look bigger by scent. "Perfect. I am a master guardian so send this Trajan to me for mentoring, might he need it. Same goes for you," he spoke to his grandson. He liked to help where he could. It seemed he could help a lot in this pack. Burke became motivated from it.

"Sounds like a good strategy," he spoke to his grandson.  He knew how to greet strangers now. It was a good tactic. "I can set out patrolling routes if you like that. Or if you already have a few then we should patrol together one day so I can learn them." Not only patrolling was part of being guardian but also defensive fighting. Burke could help with that as well, at least, he liked to help. He was certain Mato knew that.
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“I will, grandfather.” Mato responds with a curt nod, thinking that he might seek Trajan out after this meeting to make the gentle suggestion. “I’m not a fan of fighting,” The empyrean admits so that Burke is well aware of where Mato stands on the subject of violence but the truth is: fan or not, he will take up arms to protect Tindómë and the wolves that call it home, if that was what it took. “I have a few established already. I’d be glad to patrol with you to show them to you.” Mato responds, all business; but aside from showing a master guardian their patrol routes it would also allow them to have more time to get to know one another. They’d never been particularly close when Mato was growing up — but Mato’s companions had mostly been Nova and Sebastian; and Burke had been busy with his own kids. “Have you heard from my uncles at all?” Mato asks cautiously, unsure what kind of territory he was breeching into ( and it was a bit strange, as it's always been, to refer to the two boys as his uncles though they were of a similar age ). Last Mato had been aware, they’d been in Northstar Vale with him but whether they stayed or not …now that was a different matter entirely.
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Burke bobbed his head. He was glad that Mato would refer this other member to him. He was glad to help after all. Burke tipped his head to the side a bit when Mato said he disliked fighting. Perhaps there was some of his mother and father within him. However, instead of being disrespectful Burke knew better. "You must be confused, Mato. Guarding is not always fighting. When one is a mercenary, a warrior, they seek the fight. As a guardian, you defend and protect. It is not always to injure the other." One could also be dominant and stature. To keep his claim. Burke had his size with him to impress but he was certain Mato could be just as impressive.

"I would love to see them," he spoke then. Burke didn't expect for Mato to start about his children with Malice. Vassago and Pyro. He wanted to be a father for them but it backfired. Vassago never wanted to learn from the lessons he gave him. Pyro, on the other hand, Burke didn't invest that much time in as the male felt the sickly pup would not survive the next month. Surprisingly, he did keep surviving the next month until he headed out on his own. "No clue where they are. They both left Broken Antler one day. Or shortly after one another." Burke wasn't sure if Pyro was even alive. He would be surprised if he was. He had much more faith in Vassago. "I am sure they will turn up when they want to be found," he stated, knowing perfectly well how annoying it can be to have someone looking for you when you don't want to be found.
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sorry for this smol, crappy post. :-(

Mato’s ears slick back to rest at half mast atop his skull as Burke corrects him in his thinking in regards to guarding. Even so, it involves the knowledge of how to fight for how can one protect his own claim if he cannot fight? There would be nothing to stop another from waltzing right in; or so this is how Mato thinks, anyway ( even if it’s wrong ). Still, he offers his grandfather a respectful hum, acknowledging his words and wisdom. Mato leads the way at Burke’s confirmation and is sure to keep his pace even and mindful enough as to not tire out the eldest Rochester. There is a flicker of the Morwinyon’s ear and a slight tense of his lips as Burke offers him a long winded way of saying ‘no’. He half has a mind to inform his grandfather that, last of Mato’s knowledge, they’d been in Northstar Vale but as he hadn’t told Sebastian about Nova he holds his silence with Burke and the boys. It’s not his place and Burke didn’t strike the empyrean as all too worried.
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Not to worry! I can wrap it up here if you like? Then we can have a more recent one? :D

Burke noticed that Mato only reacted with hums and nods. He just nodded back in return as he followed his new leader. He didn't mind the lack of verbal communication between them. Plus the male was grateful for the pace Mato kept. It was good for him to follow. He liked to see the routes, and after Mato asked about his uncles, it seemed there wasn't more advise to be given. Nor questions to be asked from his side.
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