Winter. What a wonderfully strange season this was. Ryland struggled through the snow, occassionally tripping on something unseen beneath and sinking through to leave a fallen hollow. At first the snow was exciting and new, having chased her brothers and father  around to enjoy the falling white that she had never previously encountered. It was probably the most thrilling thing to have occurred in Helidos since she had first explored the territories as a young pup. However, just as everything else had, the snow was now not very entertaining and was quite irritating for making it harder to travel and it's gift of cold was not exactly pleasing. She hummed to herself as she made her way, trying to distract herself from the cold that was biting at her pads and how tired she was on her unprepared limbs.

The young fae felt so much older and wiser now, though compared to the older wolves she was still as clueless and naive. Her legs were still quite lanky for her body but she was seemingly growing taller and more trim each day. It was the strange teenage period of her life, where she was starting to distance herself from her parents and siblings and discover more things alone. The russet and brown toned female knew it was time she decided on what role she would play in the pack and find a mentor. For some time she had thought that the life of a Hunter would suit her; there would be no possibility of being expected to fight in a conflict or having to go near an ill or injured wolf, which a princess most certainly could not be dealing with. Though now naturally she was doubting herself. When she thought about it more she thought Caretaker would be a good position. It wasn't a physically challenging role and she would only be in use for Spring and Summer mostly. The fae didn't really like the idea of being worn out, in case it made her miserable and coldhearted. That didn't mean she wouldn't work hard in her role, she was eager and willing to please her family and pack. This decision would be amongst the biggest of her life: deciding her fate and work within the pack.

Ryland found herself travelling towards the Caretaker's Den. She didn't need to stay there or visit at all anymore but with all the wolves extremely busy preparing for winter she knew there would surely be a Caretaker hidden away here that she could talk to. Caretaker's weren't much of the social sort, and were taking some relaxation time now that their pup duties for the year were over. If there was one thing she hated it was being ignored. So in the absence of something to occupy herself with, she silently hopped into the den entrance and peeped in. Following a little tired sigh she closed her emerald eyes and yawned with a quiet whine. Looking around and sniffing the air, she hoped Alanoth was inside or soon to arrive as she wished to speak with him about what his rank involved. The Lead Caretaker had been in her life for most of it and knew her well. Of course she had asked her parents about mentors and ranks, but Marrok was too afraid to saying anything in case it was a mistake and Juno had explained how it was up to her to be mature and make the choice herself. She had been independent enough to seek a wolf she felt could help her. Alanoth had given her useful lessons and honest advice previously so she was anticipating the outcome to be good. "Hello? You here, Alanoth?", she questioned anxiously and shook the white clumps from her pelt, a hint of desperation showing in her voice.

White, that was actually one of the first things Alanoth had ever seen when he had first come into the world as a newborn pup. It was specifically the white of his mother's fur, that warmth providing white that protected him against the cold of the open air. As such, winter had never really bothered him, his naturally thick coat of fur gave him ample protection from the chill and the white of the snow always reminded him of his mother, even it's softness reminded him of those days when happiness had felt possible easily.

Well things were different now, because although he no longer was in that pack, he had to work for his happiness. Sure, he had Fel for a most wonderful mate, and he had a much more caring and close-knit pack, but it was still hard work. He had to work to ensure he and his mate got to see each other in their very different duties, work to eat, work to make sure the pups are, and work to make sure the pack accepted him for who he was. Some things were still simple, though, such as walking behind a young fae pup silently while watching her progress through the snow with curiosity.

He knew Ryland well enough, he had been her Caretaker along with most of the other pups in Helidos since his arrival. He had not met the other Caretakers much, since they all seemed quite distant, but he felt like he had been the personal Caretaker of each pup. When she called his name into the den and shook herself off, Alanoth had to smile at her determination and endurance. "I am here, Ryland." He said calmly and kindly from a few feet behind her, padding closer and partially into the den. "Why don't you come in? It's much less cold and there is no pesky snow."

A male voice at close range behind startled the sable fae, her head spun around without hesitation before she could even recognise the owner of the voice. Though she loosened up when she saw the grey, white and rust pelt of the trusted Alanoth. Ryland relaxed further a moment later when she realised that the voice had been familiar and she mentally shook her head at how she had not been alert enough. To be fair, she hadn't expected him to appear from behind, she thought he would either be inside or away somewhere. As quickly as she had been surprised, her heartbeat regained it's usual pace. It was then that she wondered if he had trailed her all the way or just happened to appear at the right time, but she didn't question it. When the Lead Caretaker acted in his usual friendly self and moved to go into the den, a gentle swaying of the tail accompanied the small grin on her maw. Journeying here hadn't been a wasted effort it seemed.

"Oh, hi Alanoth". At the invitation to follow him into the shelter she obliged, "Okay, thank you". She trotted quickly into the den, happy to be away from the snow and cold for a while. Setting her rump down in a clear area where the snow had not blown in and close enough to the brute to be able to converse with him easily, she looked around the den as she prepared what to say. Eventually she decided to just start off with something that gave her time to think of how she really wanted to word the next part. "Alanoth, can I speak with you about something? I mean, I have some questions". Her gaze moved to focus on him, for she was intent on getting answers to assist her with making the choice of a rank in Helidos.

It was somewhat amusing with how she reacted to his voice from behind, but he refrained from laughing openly at her. He contented himself with a smile, and padded into the Caretaker's Den before Ryland. He cleared away a space of snow with his paws, then lay down on his stomach and forepaws before him. Ryland on her haunches barely managed to be as tall as him, another source of amusement, though also of fond memories. He could remember taking care of her from the moment she was able to leave her mother, and she had been so small.

She seemed to have something on her mind, and Alanoth patiently waited until she finally spoke her mind. So she wished to ask him questions? Simple enough. "Very well, take your time, and ask away."

Slight nervousness overcame her, knowing that this was truly to be an important conversation, and so her attention on the caretaker wandered to occupy herself temporarily with other things whilst waiting for his response. A faint thump could be heard past the entrance to the den and so the apprentice believed that it had begun to snow yet again. Whilst the depth of the stuff on the ground itself she was not particularly fond of, whenever it fell from the sky Ryland just couldn't contain her excitement. It was new and so much nicer to have on her fur compared to rainwater. In some way she was in awe, entranced by the flakes which could either violently cascade down in heavy clumps or gently flutter and be blown easily around in the breeze, settling a light dusting of white upon every rock, pelt and plant. Often she wondered if it depended on the mood of the forest or whether something controlled the weather from behind the veil of azure. As she grew more intrigued to see what sort had been unleashed, her muzzle peered forward until she could get a glance outside. Disappointingly, there were no flurries at all, only some of the snow that had amounted above the den opening had fallen into a pathetic pile on the layer of relative substance located at paw level. With a slight frown, the sable fae withdrew her emerald eyes from the scene to focus on the wolf in her company , curling her fluffy tail over a hind paw as she brought her head back to its natural position.

As Alanoth spoke, the grey-tipped peaks on her head perked up, finding interest in him once again. The brute always seemed to have the right thing to say and way of interacting for any situation, in this case he was being very collected and passively reassuring. Being a young fae, not quite a year old, she was still reliant on the adults somewhat for their knowledge and Alanoth seemed to take on the wise and caring grandfather role within her pack family, if she happened to know what a grandfather was of course. She was still smaller than the majority of the wolves though in a few months that would surely change. Compared to her brothers now there wasn't so much of a height difference. She took a deep breath and scooted over towards the male, lowering herself to rest beside him. "Okay, well...I just wanted to talk to you about your rank. Like, umm, what is it like being a Caretaker?" Not so long after she had spoken she realised that she should explain why she was asking the question. "It's just I need to get a mentor soon and I'm really confused. I don't know what rank to be", she confessed quickly. Whether this conversation would be any help or not she'd soon see.

He knew she was nervous, that much was evident alone in her scent, and her body language betrayed her. She constantly looked around, losing her focus and becoming distracted more than once. Everything to a young pup her age was something to be explored, discovered, and chased. While Alanoth couldn't remember his own youth very well, he could still remember every pup he had ever looked after, no matter how briefly. Ryland was no different, because he had known her for much longer, being in Helidos as long as he had been. Her curiosity with the snow made him smile inwardly, her curiosity and innocence was one of the reasons he had in fact become a Caretaker, his admiration for pups' ability to view things as wonders, not as mere facts of the world around them.

When she scooted closer to rest beside him, he was touched emotionally. Very few pups had ever returned his Caretaking with affection, so it was a nice change that made him smile. He listened to what she had to say so tentatively, charmed by her bravery despite the difficulty of the task. So, she was interested in becoming a Caretaker? That was an admirable desire, for as far as he could tell, Caretakers provided almost as much protection and safety to any pack's future as did an Alpha wolf. He had to think a moment before responding, noticing a stray tuft of fur on the young Apprentice's fur, which he sorted out with a single lick before speaking. "Well, being a Caretaker is much different than any other role within the pack, in fact it might be one of the most vital. It's not an easy job, and not for the faint of heart at all, but I believe it is the most rewarding. To know that the lives and happiness of young pups-future Alphas, Alphesses, warriors, guardians-lies within what safety your paws can provide. If you are serious about becoming a Caretaker, then I'd be happy to mentor you, no I'd be honored. If you just want to see what it's like, I can help you there, then point you in the direction of someone who could offer you a taste of another pack role.

The young fae returned an appreciative smile at the brute's act of flattening a patch of unruly fur, then proceeded to lay flat on her side, her back pressed to his form as she tried to gather warmth. Unfortunately, little heat escaped his insulating adult pelt, and so she rolled back up onto her stomach, tucking her paws beneath her to protect them from the biting cold and remove their numbness. She paid more attention to his words than she would normally, finding the details of his work surprisingly interesting. It seemed the rank was actually important, which she hadn't believed before and she knew other apprentices didn't think so. The pups thought that caretakers were the adults that prevented fun adventures. However it seemed that was part of keeping them safe.

It was relieving, as her mother and father were betas and her brothers both had aspirations of great ranks with a lot of responsibility, to find that caretakers were an essential rank with lots of responsibilities. Ryland wanted to prove herself to her family, to show that she was capable of doing great things in the pack and she wasn't sure that being a caretaker would help that. Maybe they would see her as a lowly rank, incapable of being a fighter in the warriors or hunting with the hunters. But she would work hard in her role and achieve the best that she could. If only they knew I would be the one to start off each pup's life in the right direction, they would understand how important it is, she thought to herself.

Once he'd finished speaking more questions arose from her maw. "So you teach and protect the pups? How long do you care for them?" Her coniferous eyes stared up at the den roof as she pondered, before returning to glance at the lead caretaker. "I know that it will be hard but I'm ready to work for my food now and I want to prove to my family that I'm grown up and capable of doing things for myself and other wolves. The pack needs more caretakers, right? And I want to help them by becoming one". She nodded her head solidly just once, her ears flopping down momentarily as she did so before they pricked up again. Ryland then proceeded to straighten her slightly slouched posture as she rested, holding herself taller. "Yeah, I want to help the pups of the pack to be the best they can be by the time they're old enough to serve in the pack. Will you be my mentor, Alanoth?", she inquired with a tilt of her grey and tan tinted head, her emerald eyes eagerly looking to his face for a response.

It was time to show she didn't need watching over by anyone anymore. She was old enough now to become an equal, almost, amongst the older wolves, serving with them as part of the Helidos unit.