The kids were growing fast, too fast! Of course that only meant she could busy herself further, finishing with her explorations of the territories near the Empire was high on her list of priorities. It was time she planned to make use of by not only learning the landscape, but further sorting her objectives for the near future once she took charge of the once named "Eclipse" Empire and gave it a new calling to reflect her unique rule. In fact; that was exactly what was weighing on her mind as she entered the bamboo maze she'd only passed through once before while babysitting Pyralis' rambunctious offspring.

Ideas had come and gone, brought up and swiftly dismissed as they didn't fit the bill for what she wanted. A few reasonable choices floated through her mind as she wove her way through the tall stalks of the world's tallest grass. It swayed gently in a breeze that passed high above her head, meanwhile Razi's only relief from the heat of Auster's summer was the shade provided by the bamboo itself. Her dark pelt wasn't a great match up for the sweltering weather, but she had matters to attend to, so she'd ensure she drank enough and simply tough out the blazing heat. If fires became an issue, she needed a plan. Hm, another thing to add to her list of concerns.

Navigation -- Bamboo Maze

The young woman had gone further south than she’d planned and headed all the way to Auster. No Face accompanied her of course though that didn’t feel nearly as welcome as when her brother was by her side. The young woman had confessed her desire to form a pack… but since then she’d felt more unsure about forming the Deliverance. She wanted to make a pack, yes, but were her reasons for forming it right? Could she really make a pack to crusade against the “wrong” and believe they were right? Maybe she had to fine tune where the definition of light and dark was…

It was a concept Philomena had struggled with ever since she found herself in the Risen Empire after her father’s death. What did she want, she asked herself again and again. Her paws lead her further and further away from home, getting her lost. No Face didn’t complain however… until they reached this place of Bamboo. He promised to find Philomena after she got through it… but until then she was on her own.

Philomena had thought little of it at first… until she smelled a scent that was faintly familiar. Her fur bristled a little, and the femme looked around, scanning for the bodice of one of them. She wouldn’t attack, no, not without just cause… but that didn’t mean she had to exactly be happy when she saw this other wolf.

Philly braced herself, willing herself not to let the other sneak up on her… though life didn’t work that way. The other dire could be anywhere within the maze… tracking in a place like this wasn’t necessarily easy.

What even was her list of matters to worry about? Let's see, the impending drought, possible fires, lack of herbs, and a few other hopefully non-weather related items. Most of those were pack related. It made Razi suddenly see how easily and quickly leadership could center her focus quite narrowly around her own pack. An intriguing shift, though not an unwelcome one. As long as they were a small pack she was quite content to keep her focus narrow for a time. Speaking of, she'd nearly been so drawn inward into her own mind that she didn't notice the presence of another wolf. How foolish.

The faint traces of scent drifting on the air as well as not-too-distant pawsteps were what brought Razi out of her mind and back to reality. Staring out through the thick walls of bamboo, she surveyed the area with narrowed golden eyes.

Slipping into stealth mode, Razi lowered her body and moved with quiet grace as she slipped around a bend in search of whoever else was here. Ahead the path split several times into other paths and presumably some dead-ends. It was only chance that she caught sight of a tail she assumed belonged to the stranger in question. Straightening, she called out, "Going for a scenic stroll?" Only then did she note why the scent had a certain familiarity to it. She remembered this girl, from the takeover of Dragoste. Daughter of the alpha, yes, that was the one.

Posture neutral, she waited to see the girl and hear her response. Sure, there were those among her kin were happy to start a conflict, but Razi was a different breed from those individuals especially. Not to mention, it would be best if she got herself back to her kids in one piece.