It had been some time since the young woman was last in these lands, possibly two seasons already. Blackened paws moved over the terrain, a chill running up her spine at the unpleasant drop in temperatures. Winter was upon this place, covering the land in beautiful blankets of snow. But this would cause trouble for the female, as she did not have enough time to adjust before she had to leave abruptly in spring. For now, she was just thankful that the weather was kind to her, no storms raged on to blind her path. The only thing that would distort her vision to a small degree was the thick snowfall, eerily quiet. By the time she had reached familiar grounds, it had already created a nice layer of white across her pelt, sticking to the ends of her fur.

With a heavy breath, she finally came to a stop a few feet from what she could tell was a border marker. ”I think this is it...” She made a comment to herself, purple gaze sweeping across the territory. The wolf of blue and grey stood out there for some time, unsure whether she should attempt to call the only wolf she spoke to when she first arrived here. Well, the first male, as she met a woman named Ara that knew her grandmother. But would it be strange for her to call him? The girl barely knew the man, yet she was here looking for him? Ears folded back as she thought about the situation, closing her eyes and taking in a long, deep breath. This wasn't his problem, it was her own and she should try to work things out.

”speech”

It was eerily quiet out as the thick snowfall began to blanket the territory. The pack seemed a bit quiet today, which he didn't blame them, if he didn't have work to do he would have remained curled in his warm den. He was pleased with how the pack was fairing so far this winter and tickled with how far he had come since arriving in these lands. As he started off on his patrol he let his mind think about when he had first arrived, the faces he had first met and the work he had started. To see how far things have come had made him really feel happy and blessed. Plus he had quite a few siblings to fallow him here and join him. He easily moved along the border letting his senses slip into alert as he searched for anything out of the ordinary. For wolf sign or any other predators that may be near the borders of his pack. He would even look for the sign of prey moving in and out of the territory. Most of his patrol was quiet, but as he neared the end of his rounds something changed. He at first hadn't caught on, but then as he grew closer his eyes could make out a dark form standing within the snow, facing the borders of the pack. The hadn't howled, but yet he didn't know how long they were there. He moved closer letting out a soft bark to let the other aware he was approaching. When he did make it close enough his blue eyes looked over the familiar coat pattern, then moved to settle on those lavender eyes. Even though they had only met once, Branch was good at remembering others. He smiled, his tail wagging it greeting. It had been a while, but he remembered meeting those eyes at the range. "Loccia," he happily greeted. "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'

Some movement would catch the woman's attention, a mass making its way closer to her position. Carefully her head would rise once more, purple gaze narrowing as she tried to focus on trying to distinguish if it was someone she had met, possibly Branch. There was a prickle of unease in those short moments, feeling her hackles raise lightly. There was always that possibility of an unknown person causing trouble. But much to her relief, it as exactly the wolf she was looking for. A sigh of relief escaped inky lips as she watched him approach, feeling a slight lift in her own tail as he finally was close enough to greet her. ”Good day, Branch. Her sweet voice spoke, blinking a few thick flakes out of her eyes.

A smile spread over her features, but she held onto that strong weight of awkwardness and uncertainty. What should she say? What wouldn't sound weird? Lips pulled back the slightest in a nervous smile, clearing her throat and feeling her gaze drop from his own. ”Looks like my visit took a little longer than expected.” With a light chuckle she seemed to make friendly conversation, wanting him to know she wasn't just flaking on him in making a new friend. A simple explanation, if one was needed in the first place, but she felt that she had to give her side of the story. ”I received word that my grandmother fell very ill, my mother wasn't sure she would make it...” She breathed out shakily, feeling her gaze flicker up to his own then drifting back down.

”speech”

She seemed to brighten up a little when she realized it was him. He remembered that she was suppose to come visit him after their first meeting. It had been a while since then and though she may feel awkward about things, Branch had given her the benefit of the doubt and figured something had come up. Same way he treated Serene when she never came back from her last round of exploration. Branch wasn't upset with her, he was just glad to see that she was doing well and nothing ill had become of her. His features turned to concern as she began to explain why she had grown so late with her visiting. His assumptions had been correct, something had come up, but he was upset to hear that it was about her grandmother. "I'm sorry," he said at first. "I kinda thought something must have come up. I'm glad your finally able to visit." "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'

There was some relief to see that Branch seemed to understand, apologising and voicing an assumption for her absence but also glad to see she was finally able to visit. A part of her was glad that he understood, and didn't think she ditched him. Which was a common fear of hers when meeting someone, whether it was a first time or somebody she has known for some time. It brought a small smile upon her features, ears pulling forward. She wasn't a bad person, just bad things tended to come her way despite her good efforts to help others.

”Thank you.” Her gaze was able to really focus on him, glancing over his frame briefly to see how the land had treated him while she was away. ”You look good... did you join the pack that resides here?” She found herself asking, motioning with her snout to the area he had come from. She didn't recall him mentioning being in a pack when they last saw each other. So perhaps it was newly set up and he happened to join them since he frequented this area? Her thoughts immediately wondered about the place, if they were rather friendly, neutral in standing or perhaps on the rough side. Branch didn't seem like a bad guy though, so perhaps it was a calmer place than most packs.

If it were the case... Would it be possible for her to request a temporary stay for the winter...? It was a rather bold thought but the girl was honestly afraid of how she would fare this winter. The snow only continued to collect in a thick blanket on her coat, giving a light shake to dismiss most of it. She had not stayed long enough to become accustomed to the animals that resided here, to learn about where and what kind of herbs grow in what climates. It would be a hard one, isolated in the snow. Hopefully, things wouldn't get too bad.

”speech”

He nodded as she thanked him. It was no problem at all, but he figured that she would know that already. He smiled as she complimented about him looking good then it turned to a bit of a boyish grin as she asked if he joined this pack. His tail wagging at her question. "Thank you and you look good for traveling," he replied. "This pack? Well this pack happens to be my own pack." Back when he met her he was practically first starting out, it made him realize how much time had actually past since their last meeting. He didn't remember if he had mentioned his plans to her back then or not. "Welcome to the borders of Kesali.... There has been some changes since our last meeting," he said with a light chuckle. "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'

A brow would slowly raise as the young female noted his reaction to her question, the grin that spread over his maw and the wag of his tail. Did that mean he did actually join that pack residing here? Ears swung forward, ready to hear what he had to say. Much to her surprise, Branch announced his position here, alpha to the pack he named Kesali. ”Your pack...?” The words were light on her tongue as she processed this bit of information, not intending to sound doubtful by any means. Had he mentioned that when they first met? Suddenly she was feeling a sense of guilt if he had shared that with her, memory not exactly the best out there.

Clearing her throat, Loccia would smile warmly and dip her skull to the man before gazing back up at him. ”Congratulations, that is a big title on your shoulders.” The title would bring a lot of weight, many responsibilities in keeping your territory and protecting those who lived within its borders. It wasn't all scary though, surely if there was a pack then there were people who trusted his guidance and were willing to give their loyalty and strength. That was something hard to come by these days. She was not here to bring or think on the negative aspects though, so in an attempt to keep spirits up she would chuckle.

In a single smooth motion, the woman would give a little curtsy to the man, dipping her skull to nearly touch the blanket of snow. ”Your Highness.” As she came back up she couldn't help but laugh once more, her tail wagging calmly through the air. ”Will it be, King Branch, from now on?” She attempted to joke with him, raise those brows and giving them a little wiggle to tease the man. It wouldn't hurt or be awkward to be friendly, would it?

”speech”

To him she sounded surprised, which was to be expected. Thinking about it more he was sure he hadn't mentioned it to her the last time they had met. He believed that it was back when he was preparing. He had the idea of the pack, but he was preparing the storage dens and collecting things to fill them. At the time he wasn't ready to be so free with telling others especially after both Serene and Aranea had up and disappeared. Loccia cleared her throat bringing his attention to her once more. A warm smile spread across her face before she congratulated him on his accomplishment, making another smile appear on his face. "Thank you and it is, but I hope to do the title justice," he replied. She was right, it did come with a lot of weight, but he was more then willing to take it on. He wanted to provide a home, a family like pack for those to survive and grow in. Much like the large family clan he was born into, so far things were good and he was keeping high spirits that is would hopefully remain good. He had followers, but he needed to get some activity going within the pack. He was being kind by letting them all settle in, get their barrings, and take it easy over the winter. Spring would be a pack meeting and hopefully some gatherings to help all the members bond with each other and get to know one another. She chuckled before in one swift motion making some sort of bowing posture he had never seen before. Her words had him chuckle, his tail and eyes showing his amusement at being called 'your highness' "It has a nice ring to it," he joked not minding that she was teasing him. "But no, Rom-Baro is my official title, but Branch is preferred." "Branch Talk", & 'Branch Think'