If only she had come to the orchard just a smidge later, then perhaps Kleio would have been lounging about with a belly full of cooling, juicy fruit, basking in the sun. Alas, it seemed winter was going to take its sweet time departing from these lands; it could never leave too soon. With her fertile season tied to it, she thought it the most dreadful time of year, full of not only scarcity and biting cold and muck but mere energy-wasting irritation that she could never seem to escape. And to top it all off, the season meant she was one year older. Huff. With any luck, she would sleep that night and awaken to the melt.

Until then, though, she strolled beneath the barren canopies of the dormant trees, her eyes scanning her surroundings as her nose continuously sampled the air. Still she could not escape that scent of pack life, but at least here, it seemed she had a little more room to roam. Would she encounter one of these pack wolves? she wondered. Would they have a clue as to the whereabouts of her sisters?

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Having found himself pulled to the orchard more than once lately, Carthage wandered around the area aimlessly, mostly just looking to kill some time. Wanting out of Erovrare for a moment for a little bit of air away from his brother and the others, he appreciated the time he had to take for himself. The scent of another lingered, but Carthage wasn't too concerned. It wasn't a scent he recognized from Erovrare, but it didn't matter. This wasn't pack lands so whoever it was  was safe... for now.

It seemed as though the longer he wandered, the stronger the scent of the other got. By the time he saw the silhouette of the other, he had already decided it was definitely a female, as the scent of stale heat wafted with her scent. It attracted him, definitely, although she was of little use out of season. It'd take a whole year to get her back into season, but it didn't matter. All it meant now was he could have a good time without any consequences, should she let him. When he came closer, he tilted his head a bit and stopped, seemingly waiting for her to notice him if she hadn't already.

Carthage was impatient however, and spoke before he cared to know if she'd noticed. "It's a nice day for a stroll, no?" His words were like slime, smooth but nasty. One could probably easily pick up that he had ulterior motives as he never really hid his emotions, but reading the man's mind was nearly impossible. There was never a real way to know what he was thinking, but with the way his eyes studied her frame, it was an easy guess for even the blind.

There was a stoicism about her features as she weaved her way quietly through the orchard, a simplicity to her gaze as it trailed up the trunks of the barren trees then back down to the ground, where it might have caught a glimpse of the shriveled skin of a once plump apple. Kleio licked her lips absently, perhaps in response to an unconscious craving, and took a moment to scan her surroundings. So quiet, and yet the air reeked with such massive numbers. To the east, even a little to the south, she noticed, though she cared too little to turn and face it fully. Come out, come out, she thought idly. She needed entertainment if she was not to find her sisters.

With a shake of her pelt did she continue her stroll, though it was not long before her effortless prayer was answered with a remark that gave her pause yet again. The voice that struck her ears was a masculine one, as unfamiliar as Kleio had expected it to be but with a...raunchiness for which she was unprepared--and of which she found herself not terribly fond. She could have taunted him with a sway of her tail or whirled around in defense of her privacy, but there were risks inherent in both such gestures. Either she would be assuming his interests, or she would be setting those interests off, and that was not the sort of entertainment she sought.

"Indeed," she hummed, tossing a glance over her shoulder and cocking a brow as her eyes followed his, "but perhaps it'd be nicer if you actually took in some of the scenery?" There was no hostility to her tone--perhaps she was even amused by his transparency--but he would be smart to heed her words as a gentle warning.

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