As the weather changed, and the temperatures became much more bearable, Kai seemed interested in traveling south. Áki was beyond content to follow his son's whims - he'd seen enough of the world to last a lifetime, if he was being honest, while his son had so much life left ahead of him. He was happy to travel as Kai wished, and it seems as though he was interested in traveling further south than Áki preferred. Someday, he promised himself, and hopefully not long from now he would find a group and teach Kai the way of their people - they would hunt reindeer together. Sadly he knew the boy was too young for such a thing now, but it didn't hurt to keep it in the back of his mind.

Luckily now Kai was old enough to fend for himself, and often enjoyed time on his own. It was easy enough to find him again, and they tended to stay in the general vicinity of one another. Today, it seemed that he'd found a particularly large stretch of grass before him. It seemed like it had been somewhat barren, but with spring's arrival the grasses were beginning to grow once again. There were few trees here, but the day wasn't hot enough to worry about finding shade. It was early morning after all, the sun barely peaking over the horizon and beginning to warm the earth.

Áki moved through the grassy plains with little thought about where he was headed. What he lacked in grace was made up for in his confident, carefree pose; his tongue lolled lazily from the side of his parted jaws as his red eyes searched the horizon. There was nothing noteworthy here, though this place seemed a rather suitable hunting ground for small rodents. Perhaps he might even find something of more substance here if he was lucky.

The pack was probably as settled in as it was going to get. She couldn't keep putting off the fact that she needed to travel and have her own life. Granted it'd only be a sliver of time that she could devote to doing things for herself. Having kids and being a full time alpha was a full time job now, but she was determined to reserve some time for herself. She needed it, to have some sense of normalcy in her life. Something of her old self that she could keep around. She missed exploring and going on adventures. She was determined to keep doing that even though it wouldn't be as often. The good thing for this trip was that she had an excuse to travel. Karabela and Ivory Ridge were at the forefront of her mind. She didn't know if the woman had traveled to Celestial yet to work out details of their previous plan, but she was hoping that she hadn't. She wanted to tell the other woman of what could be new arrangements and work out some details now that it was spring. The idea of a fun event between the two packs seemed like a good start for Lirim and she wanted to pursue it soon. At least while she had the excuse to travel to the east she could take a detour to look around. The plains wasn't exactly on the way (extremely out of the way really) but she wanted to check out the south again. She wanted to enjoy her short break before she had to return home and she knew she wouldn't have the time when she made the return trip from Ivory Ridge, so the plains would suffice. It was early when she'd gotten there and the grasses were still rather dead from winter, but parts were greener than the previous summer. Much like the valley and the plains where Lirim resided, this place had the same hope for being better. She didn't like the idea of going hungry again for another year. She hadn't come here for food though so she began to sniff around for a bit to look around. A scent on the breeze was soon distracting enough to veer her off course. It wasn't one she'd smelled in a while, but she remembered the man clearly. The little mountain adventure and his interesting tusks and markings were hard to forget. The idea of seeing a familiar wolf in the plains made her adventure a lot more enjoyable so she followed the scent eagerly. It wasn't long before she saw the large gray man's form not too far away and her tail waved softly behind her. "Aki!" She called out loudly to get his attention as she approached. "It's good to see you again." Walk, "Talk" Think

Though Áki often hoped for company, he didn't expect to find it today. It was early in the day, too early for most to be out and about, and he was surprised when he finally heard the rustling of someone in the near distance. Grateful for a break from the monotony of trudging through the tall grasses, slowly the brute turned, gaze cast on the horizon to find whoever might approach. His posture wasn't particularly guarded; he was easily spooked nor was he fearful of what, or who, might be waiting for him.  But only when he caught sight of the culprit did a wide grin break across his features.

He was surprised to see her, and it showed plainly on his rugged features. Joy glimmered in his crimson gaze as she drew closer, his tail waving gently behind him in pleasure he didn't bother to conceal. "Faite!" he'd exclaim, voice low but slightly boisterous nonetheless in his mixture of surprise and happiness. "It's good to see you too," he started, tipping his tusked head toward her as he lumbered closer, a few long strides at a time. "I'm glad to see you in one piece. Must not have been mountain climbing recently, then." He was simply poking fun at her, though it was true that she had almost fallen down a mountain. He'd have to take a trip back there someday, perhaps once Kai was a bit older and he didn't have to worry about him quite as much as he did now. Each day seemed easy to let him off on his own, but he was more protective of him than he had imagined.

Something about Faite seemed different than when he remembered her last, but he couldn't quite place it, and didn't bother asking about it either. "How's life been treating you, though?" Áki asked after giving her a quick look-over. Truthfully they'd spent more time mountain-climbing than having conversation, but he was perfectly okay with that. It certainly didn't mean their friendship meant any less. "Still living in the west, I believe you said?" He'd meant to make a point to seek her our eventually, but he hadn't intended to have a son either.. and it seemed the universe was looking out for him today.

An amused grin spread over her features as she noticed the surprise written all over his face. She hadn't exactly expected to meet him all the way out here. He'd always seemed like a more northern wolf, but maybe it was just because of his large frame and the tusks. Either way it was nice to see him so far south and it showed by the gentle wag of her tail as she helped close the gap between them. Granted he did most of the work with his long strides, but she helped nonetheless. Ears flicked forward at his words and she let out a short laugh at the mountain climbing bit. She certainly hadn't gone scaling any cliffs which was somewhat of a let down. Before Lirim and her children she would have jumped at the opportunity for an adventure, but now she'd stuck more towards her own territories and hadn't done anything exciting. Perhaps it was a good thing though. Almost falling off a mountain once had been enough. Doing it again probably wasn't the greatest idea for her health. "No, no mountains this time.I figured I'd try some safer things that don't involve possibly breaking my neck." She could smell something different about him as well. There was certainly an extra scent on his pelt and she could tell it was someone he'd spent a lot of time with lately. Of course rather than blurt out questions she listened to his own as she settled down on her haunches. There weren't any mountains to climb this time, but a little conversation wasn't a bad idea in the slightest. "Busy. I'm still living in the west with my new pack. Thankfully it's a little farther away from the desert than my old pack." She answered. "How have you been? I'm surprised to see you this far south." Walk, "Talk" Think

Truthfully, Áki wasn't much of a goal-oriented wolf -- he preferred to take each day as it came, without thinking much of where he might end up. Having children had been something he'd always wanted though, perhaps one of the only things he'd ever aspired toward, but he'd still been somewhat surprised when his plan had actually come to fruition. He hadn't lost his love for adventure, nor his need for spontaneity, since having Kai. Instead, his son had learned his ways and kept him constantly on his toes, never knowing where he would want to go or what he would want to do.

He returned her laugh easily, certain that nearly sliding down a mountain hadn't made her want to attempt such a feat again. The thought was tempting, but he would wait until the trek would be less dangerous for Kai, though he was nearly full grown now and had begun filling out his form well.  "Sounds boring," he commented with emphasis on the last word, though the gleam in his eyes showed he was merely jesting. Aki could recognize the importance of staying safe, even if he wasn't lying about it being boring. Still, it didn't hurt at all to prod her slightly about it.

A new pack, hm? He still had never quite grasped the appeal of living in a pack structure, but he knew better than to question it.  "That sounds appealing, then," he admitted, nodding in agreement. He'd always been fond of the more harsh climate of the north -- living in a desert sounded terrible.  "I've been.. quite well, actually," he acknowledged after a moment, grinning broadly as his tail started to wag gently behind him.  "Believe it or not, I ended up with a son since I saw you last. Don't ask me how, surprised me too." Amusement danced in his eyes and he snorted softly.