Liam didn't really have a destination in mind as he made his way north-west of Cour des Miracles on that early November evening. He was in his Optime form and for the first time in a long time there was a hint of a smile on his face as he walked. It was a pretty good day. Perhaps not as far as the weather was concerned but other than the clouds and the evidence that rain was on the way... things were... not so bad. They could always be loads better though. But alas, no one could get everything they wanted in life. Besides, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. That was Liam's mentality lately. Lately he had also been leaving the pack-lands a lot, mostly to entertain himself but also to relax and forget for a little while about everything that was going on at home. With the arrival of winter fast approaching a lot of jobs needed to be done – especially since the war. Homes and other structures needed repairing, meat needed to be gathered before the herds all migrated and... Liam had been promoted to Duke. While he was beyond happy about that, the new responsibilities that rested on his shoulders were overwhelming. It was taking him quite a bit of time to get a hang of everything. He wasn't doing too bad though. Now that was worth smiling about.

He was about fifteen miles away from his pack when he stopped for the first time so that he could snack on the cooked rabbit he had gotten from home before leaving. He had a few other necessities in his rucksack because he didn't know how long he'd be gone for. If he didn't find somewhere to sleep overnight, then he'd probably go back home and arrive at the crack of dawn. It was the negative side of leaving so late in the afternoon. Honestly – he wasn't sure why he'd decided to just go. Maybe he was expecting to stumble on someone? Someone new, someone he had met? He didn't really care as long as something exciting happened. As he continued walking again he recognized the path he'd taken when he'd been going to Aniwaya to fight. It was the same one – just another couple dozen miles and he would be in the pack's territory. The idea still brought chills. Honestly, the idea of Aniwaya in general made him feel sickly. He knew the guardians were dead or gone but he just couldn't help the prejudices. They had hurt so many – damaged so much. They had killed his uncle.

How the hell was the Duke supposed to deal with that without getting a little angry? Sighing, he changed direction. Following the same path that had brought him so many bad memories wasn't exactly good for his sanity. So he walked a little higher north – going further and further from Crimson Dreams and coming closer to Ethereal Eclipse. It was slowly getting dark and Liam knew that in a few hours' time the sun would have been completely engulfed by darkness. He decided he would make himself a little camp site for the night and crash there. He'd continue tomorrow – whether he headed home then or continued west was still up for debate. He walked for another half-mile before finding a nice large tree that would make a good resting place. Along with the pocket knife and lighter he'd brought along with him from home it was bound to make for a decent shelter and good protection. Just in case.

Liam was fumbling about, his padded hands attempting to find the lighter that he'd put in his rucksack. There was so much stuff in there that it was making it hard for him to find anything at all. His medical supplies – he should have left them at Chien Hotel – were taking up most of the space. He had grabbed the gauze and was looking into its many cracks to see if the rusty item hadn't gotten wedged somewhere when he caught the smell of a newcomer and then heard its approaching footsteps. He was caught off guard and instantly got into a defensive position so he didn't have the chance to actually realize he knew this person and would probably trust her with his life if they were to fight again. After all, she had probably trusted him and Robin with hers that day.

It was only when he finally heard her voice that he loosened up, a sigh escaping his lips. His bi-colored eyes rested on the white frame that was now clearly visible. She looked good – sure, battle hadn't done her justice but at least she was walking and talking. He himself still had a couple wounds that hadn't fully healed yet but for the most part he didn't feel any of them. His shoulder was perhaps the only one that was still a little visible. It had been a pretty shallow wound but during the second raid in Aniwaya he'd made it twice as bad. Another week though and everything would be healed – he'd be good as new. He really couldn't wait for that day to come. Finally he wouldn't have any more memories of that awful war on his person and he could finally start to move on! Hey Ayasha! I'm surprised to see you around here this late! he stated with enthusiasm, hoping that she hadn't noticed his momentary freak out.

After giving her a tiny smile he went and looked for his lighter again, finding it half a minute later. He couple rocks together to form a circle and dumped some of the twigs at the tree's bottom into the middle. What are you doing here anyway? he asked curiously, the newly lit fire growing in size to the point where Ayasha's white fur had a orange-y pink hue from his point of view near the earthy ground.

Liam couldn't help but roll his eyes at her – she seemed to be enjoying herself very much at the prospect of seeing him grow tense and paranoid. The annoyance soon rolled over however, replaced with a warmth in his stomach that could only be explained by joy. He was really glad to see his trusted ally – the snowy white female who he had fought alongside with during the first raid no Cour des Miracles. His eyes glanced back down at the fire as the small flames began licking the twigs he had gathered. It was slowly gaining strength and soon would drench the surrounding area in warmth and light.

The news that came with her words didn't have much of an effect on the Catori. To be honest, the last thing he felt like talking about was that horrid ex-ruler. At the same time however, Liam felt as though it was his duty to find out more about the on-goings of his surrounding packs. He was the King's son and while his father was quite busy, he could help out by giving him as much information as possible on what was happening. I hope that's a good kind of crazy? he wondered as he settled in a sitting position, his back against the trunk of the large tree. He watched her for a moment longer, glad that they could finally meet under natural circumstances. For the first time they didn't have to fight a common enemy while in each other's presence.

Then she returned the question and Liam thought about his answer for a while. Same as you – things at the Court have been busy... we're all coping with the post-war trauma... but with winter coming we need to start preparing for that, too. he stated. He paused for a moment before giving her another smile. Do you want to stick around for the night or did you have a specific destination in mind? he asked her, eyes turning to the setting sun. It was getting harder and harder to see its reddish glow as the darkness was taking over the sky.

Liam did not know another Liam so of course he had no idea what was going on through Ayasha's mind – he didn't even know she had her own Liam. To be honest he had always found his name quite interesting and, dare I say, very unique. Both his parents had names that were quite the mouthful. Ayita... Vigilante... and don't even get me started on Amaranth! It was simpler to just call her 'Mara. Charlotte's name wasn't so extravagant either, and neither were Skoll's and Hati's... Liam's though? It was simple and quick and according to him, one of a kind! If ever he met this other Liam that was going through Ayasha's mind, he would probably have a bittersweet feeling in his mouth – on one side of the coin, he had a name buddy! On the other? He had a name buddy. Sad face.

He hadn't really been expecting much with her answer – he knew that his own pack was pretty chaotic, he could only imagine theirs. A part of him had even expected Ayasha to perhaps say she had left AniWaya because of all the trouble it had caused others and how ashamed of it she was. Alas, that wasn't the case. You see, Liam would probably hold a strong prejudice against the pack and all of its colorful bird feathers and tribal-like ways. The war and all of its torment wouldn't go away in the blink of an eye – even if the awful Aniwayan leader was no longer around to cause friction between all of the pack and essentially bring a full on war on the southern lands. Thinking about his father though, Liam decided that not all hope was lost if he was working things out over there. Vigilante had to come back home sooner or later however and that would mean AniWaya would be left to elect some sort of leader. Well for what its worth I hope everything turns out well for you and your pack. he said, deciding to leave out the part about his father being 'his King' as Ayasha had put it. She didn't really need to know that bit of information now.

Good. Liam hadn't realized how much he'd been dreading sleeping alone in this very unprotected place in the middle of nowhere until Ayasha agreed to stay with him. It was as though a weight he hadn't even known was there was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He smiled and went to a nearby brush and snapped off one of its longest branch, which he then used to poke the fire. Its strength was more prominent now as flames swallowed his stick. He brought the hot end of the tall, slim item closer to his face and examined its blackened tip with specks of red. So what do you want to talk about? he asked as he went back to his sitting position on the ground, keeping his stick nearby so that he could toy around with the fire if it started to go out later on.