Laika dips her head,"You could say that. I never mingled much, I just stayed in the shadows. Listened and observed." Laika chuckles,"Indeed, this will be my first Gathering as an Alpha." Laika turns her gaze on the moon, Ignis Lupi wolves were known for their fiery personality and stubbornness. Laika would have to be sure to make sure the other Alpha's knew that she was the new Alpha and that the Ignis Lupi wolves were as strong and fiery as ever. Laika sighs,"Indeed, I will definitely have to show more fiery personality at the Gathering. And hope my wolves don't accidentally spill that they aren't completely loyal to me."

Ferox nodded, a hint of worry appearing on his face. "I wish you luck with that," he said. "I don't know if I'll be able to pull off the 'tough, experienced leader' expression, though. I'm just too young compared to the others." After a moment, Ferox put on a smile. "But hey, if they invade our land, we'll give them hell," he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Ferox sighed and looked up, closing his eyes. "I can't wait until the Gathering is past," he said. "Just waiting is so stressful. It's probably the waiting that's going to end up being the worst part." Ferox looked back at Laika. "You got any tips on trying to act tougher or more confident?" he asked. "Or maybe even a bit bigger?"

Laika dips her head,"It is a lot harder then some make it seem." Laika sighs before agreeing with Ferox,"We'll give them literally hell, fire doesn't feel so nice." Laika chuckles,"Ask the lion I chased off." Laika flicks an ear,"Indeed, I've always sucked at waiting, it stresses me out a little bit to much." Laika blinks in surprise,"Well... I can try." Laika takes a deep breath,"Well, act confident no matter the situation. And don't be afraid to defend your pack, or anything, and especially don't be afraid to get a little aggressive. Our packs are known to have a bit of aggression, well I guess my pack is known for their massive aggression." Laika hesitates thinking,"Put on a face, never let them know what you are truly thinking and never falter. Yes, think and ponder before you answer. But never let a question catch you off guard and if it does, don't let them know." Laika sighs,"Though I'm sure it's much harder to do, then my mother told me it would be."

Ferox gave a slight chuckle. "Fire doesn't feel great," he agreed with a rueful smile. "I've gotten one or two burns in the past. It must be nice to be fireproof." Ferox tilted his head. "At least, I assume you're fireproof," he said. Ferox listened to Laika's advice, occasionally nodding in agreement. It was easier to be more assertive and act more confident with his own packmates because he had known them all his life, but as all young wolves in his pack, he had been ingrained with a deep sense of respect or fear for the other pack's Alphas, and although he now merited that same respect, old habits remained, and he was still intimidated by the thought of meeting the other Alphas. When Laika finished speaking, Ferox nodded once more. "You Ignis Lupi wolves are certainly more aggressive than the other packs," he said with a joking tone. "But it's probably good for my pack. It keeps them alert." Ferox fell silent and tilted his head. "Your mother must be very wise," he said with a small smile. "Is she the one that taught you all that?"

Laika grunts,"No, it really doesn't." Laika dips her head,"Yes, most of the time we Ignis Lupi are completely fireproof." Laika then chuckles, the Ignis Lupi's tales that the elders liked to tell the youngsters involved nothing but violence and aggression usually. But Ignis Lupi wolves were very loyal as well, well, most of the time. Laika flicks an ear at Ferox's question. "Yes, Seraphina taught me most everything I know. My trainee taught me the rest." Laika smiles fondly at the thought of her old trainee, Gasoline, who had passed a few weeks before Flint had died as well. Laika missed him dearly as he had been a steady and yet firm paw that had guided her through her training.

Ferox nodded slowly. "They both sound like amazing teachers," he said. He shot Laika a smile and added, "And you must have been a good student, which is more than can be said of me." Ferox shook his head regretfully, then looked back at Laika. "Are you mentoring anyone right now?" he asked. He knew that a wolf could not become an Alpha unless they had trained another younger wolf, so he could safely assume that she had already taught someone else, but it was possible that she had taken on another young wolf to train. He didn't know about the Ignis Lupi pack, but in the Terra Lupi pack, the elders encouraged wolves to continue being mentors until they became elders themselves, and even then, and elder would occasionally take on a younger wolf to teach.

Laika dips her head,"Indeed so." Laika then chuckles,"Well, I suppose I was about as good of a student as they could manage to get me." Laika had been a wild one, over time she had gotten better, but she had been rebellious and often went off by herself without telling anyone where she was going or what she was doing. Laika nods,"Yes, I trained Helios before I was Alpha. He was a good student. And I started training Eyre about a day before I was chosen as Alpha, and I am still training her." Laika glances back in the direction of camp,"I plan on training a few more after Eyre as well." Laika looks back at Ferox, studying him,"What about you? Any trainee?'

Ferox smiled as Laika talked about Helios and Eyre. "That's good," he said, nodding his head. "Training another wolf takes a lot of work, but it's worth it." Ferox hesitated to answer Laika's question. "I don't have any right now," he said. "I had one trainee before I became the Alpha. His name was Shale, and he was a hard worker, eager to learn and willing to do whatever I asked. He was a talented young wolf, and like most wolves that age, he was full of energy." Ferox smiled fondly, but the smile faded and Ferox quickly changed the subject. "What's it like to be able to control fire?" he asked.

Laika dips her head,"Indeed." Some wolves were very hard to train, but in the end most every wolf made it. Laika listens to Ferox, noting how it started good then Ferox seemed to shrink back before quickly changing the subject. Laika understood at once, something had happened to Shale, something bad. However Laika says nothing on it,"Well, I guess it's fine. It a natural ability, every Ignis wolf is born with the ability and shows the ability within hours of being born but is taught to control it." Laika flicks an ear,"It's dangerous though, the younger the wolf the harder it is for them to control it making it more likely for them to not only burn themselves but burn others as well." Laika glances sideways then back to Ferox,"But, asking me that is like me asking you what it's like to control Earth."

Ferox listened to Laika's explanation, allowing himself to forget about Shale for the moment. He couldn't help but give a small chuckle at the image that had been conjured up of a pup bursting into flames, and as Laika reached the end of her explanation, he nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, things are very similar for us," he said. In fact, it was far more similar than Ferox would ever have expected. The similarities were almost startling. "Yes, when I was a trainee, the first thing I was taught was control," he said. "My old mentor spent hours trying to teach me the finer points of control before we did anything else. Even hunting and fighting fell by the wayside." Ferox looked at Laika ever curiously. "I wonder of the other packs have similar sentiments," he said.