Alone, always so alone. Her sister had abandoned her after her parents disappeared, leaving her entirely to her own devices. Dea was fine on her own, she simply found it to be boring and pedantic. Tedious, would be a good word for it, if she sat and gave any real mind to it. Truly, she missed her family, but there was no true connection formed there. No real reason to grieve something she couldn't control. Perhaps, it was an instinct given to her by her mother, but she really needed to find a place to lay her head down where other wolves would be up for socializing when the need struck her. There was nothing particularly sentimental about the beast, only a strong instinct to be around others. It was this instinct which drove her from the newly claimed vessel that she had lived in to go south, pushed out by a pack that decided her home was where they wanted to operate. Rudeness was not something she was known to tolerate, even from her family. But, she was a smart girl and knew there were too many for her to fight, and she wouldn't join a pack that took her childhood home without even asking.

She kept her path south, winding her way through the polar sound and across the river. The other side was sheer mountain face, with crags and cliffs that made her dizzy to look up at. Her dark nose twitched as chilled mountain air filled her lungs, the scent of many cloying in the air. She had found a pack, nestled within the most dangerous terrain she had come across in a long time. By their territory she knew strong wolves lived here, ones she may be able to make an ally or two with. It had been a long year, and now that she stood on the edge of a pack, Dea found herself enthusiastic and hopeful. Pink eyes gained a glossy sheen as she stood and stared at the mountain, earthen fur rustling in the frosty breeze that had so often stroked icy fingers into her pelt. She was familiar with the cold, that didn't bother her, it was the height of the mountain and the snow-capped peaks that jogged memories of being trapped. A hunting trip gone wrong, leaving her mother and sister stuck with her, caught in a landslide. This mountain didn't seem prone to landslides, but she did wonder about avalanches. Her white-masked face tilted up as if she would howl, but she simply watched while eagles soared above her. Even though the area seemed dangerous, Dea could see the appeal of living here.

Only strong wolves could survive in conditions like this, with rugged terrain and hard-to-catch prey items and such bone-chilling cold. This also offered its own kind of protection, keeping the unwanted out and making it more difficult for predators to find any pups that may be born. She sat in the snow, taking in her surroundings and waiting as politely as she could. On every outward appearance, she would seem as though she truly had manners, possibly only because she was feeling rather serene with the terrain. Something called to her here, what it was had yet to be discovered. For now, she was content to wait on the edges of the pack, and see what manner of wolf called this place home.

*~~~* "Talking." *~~~* Thinking. *~~~*

The howl chimed sweetly across the cold air of the mountains, no birds to dilute it's presence- it reached the Apollyon with only the pines standing in the way to buffer the sound. Elias listened carefully, his ears standing tall like towers above his crown as he stirred within the citadel. He had been indulging in well-deserved rest, his muscles still sore from his work though he knew his duties and responsibilities, he would not ignore the call.

Curiosity drove him enough that it seemed to cure his fatigue, for the time being, his paws moving with expert grace as they trekked through the snow and left the dust of it in his wake. He made haste, coming to the stranger who sat respectfully on their borders in as little time as possible. He took note of her gaze first, he'd seen that magenta before.. but couldn't recall from where. He did his best to take in her features quickly, to weigh her in the scales of his mind so that he could best assess how to handle her.

"Say your piece," the demand came with little thought. He wanted to know what business she had sitting on the borders of his home before he offered any notion of hostility or welcome.