Spring had come at last, and with it, the prey was slowly returning. Acere was hot on the trail of a small herd of deer that had likely gotten lost on their way south. Since he had been patrolling nearby, he decided to track them down and not let the opportunity for food pass him by. His foxes had gone ahead to see if they could pinpoint where they were while he followed behind, keeping a bit of distance in the event they spotted him before he spotted them. The past winter season had been pretty harsh on them, but they managed to survive it and thus, he had waited to raid, too. He wasn't about to send his warriors in weak and hungry. But now that the blizzards were gone and resources were slowly returning, it was about that time, he thought. Hopefully if he was successful in this hunt, then perhaps the rest of the season would be just as fruitful. With that in mind, he hunkered closer to the ground and stalked after his prey.

"Speech"

Askan once again found himself up north, having decided that the east didn't suit him at all. There were too many packs all smushed together, up close and personal, and the climate as pleasant as it was just didn't sit right with him. He was a tough and sturdy thing, built for breathing mountain air and enduring harsh climates, if he settled anywhere he was worried that it'd make him soft, weak. Maybe he was making excuses, maybe he just didn't want to stray too far into the unknown but as far as he was concerned this was the right choice to make.

But what then? Was he to just continue wandering around aimlessly in the snow? It wasn't quite as deep as it had been when he'd last roamed the north,  barely reaching his ankles, but it still slowed him down a little as he trudged along, his brows furrowed in thought. He'd never been a very stealthy wolf, always stomping along with his wide, heavy paws. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the wall looming in the distance, or the group of deer who spooked at the sight of him. His ears flicked to attention as he looked over, watching them flash their white butts as they retreated out of sight. The Selwyn thought nothing of it at first, after all he hadn't been the one hunting them, but when he actually took a moment to pay attention to his surroundings his lips turned down in an obvious frown.

He wasn't alone. Just a little ways away there was a wolf, hunkered down low, clearly on the hunt. Or at least they had been. Whoops.

"Oh...My bad."

Askan actually felt a little guilty, that he'd really gone and stepped on the stranger's toes. Usually he'd try to twist logic so the fault wasn't his own, but this was a pretty clear cut case, to the point where even the stubborn Selwyn had to put his paws up and accept the blame. It was only then he took a moment to take in the sight of the stranger, a scarred pack wolf who was much larger and heavier than himself. His coat was pale with the exception of his extremities, which looked as though they'd been rubbed with coal dust, giving them a faded sooty sort of look.

"I wasn't paying attention...and yeah." He flicked his tail, gesturing to the spot where the deer had been before they'd hightailed it outta here.

He was glad that his coat blended in well with the snowy surroundings. He had managed to creep up enough on the deer that he could probably catch one by surprise and bring it to the ground before it even knew what hit it. Though of course, he wasn't the quickest creature. At least, not anymore. Before he could decide on a target, the small herd had suddenly bolted like their life depending on it and Ace couldn't help but smack the snow with his paw and mutter under his breath. Had he underestimated his stalking ability and they ended up detecting them? No...that wasn't it...they had glanced in a different direction before bolting, and as he sat up, he heard the culprit. Crimson gaze fell on a darker coated male and his words. Ah, well...no point in crying about it. "It's fine. Though in the future I advise you to be more aware of your surroundings..." After all, while he nor the pack would starve with this missed opportunity, someone else with worse luck might have. He stood to his full height then as he regarded the stranger. He hadn't seen him around before, and he didn't smell like a pack wolf..."What brings you to the North, stranger? There's not much in these harsh lands in terms of food quite yet...at least not until at least mid to late spring." Any food that was around here had been fiercely protected for the pack until the prey returned from the southern feeding grounds...but he wasn't so sure that this guy was here for hunting. After all, there was better hunting down south this time of year...so he was curious to know if he was just a wandering spirit, or just out for a stroll in the snow. "Speech"

The stranger could say that again. The amount of times Askan had wandered headfirst into trouble cause he wasn't paying attention was far higher than he'd ever like to admit. You'd think he would have learned by now but the Selwyn was stubborn in all things, even breaking habits turned out to be quite difficult for him. But that was neither here nor there. He simply hummed in acknowledgement of the other's words and they moved on.

His question was a reasonable one and Askan didn't have to think long or hard to answer it.

"Honestly, I prefer the climate." He admitted with a shrug. "Went east for a bit to check out the area but I wasn't too fond of the weather, or the locals. So I ended up just walking in one big circle and came back north."

Just breathing normally flooded Askan's nose with the packs scent, an earthy blend of pine leaves and rust.He knew that he wasn't intruding, the stranger wouldn't have taken so kindly to him if he was, but there was something about this pack that just seemed a little off to him. During his stay in Boreas he'd hadn't even heard a peep about them, almost as though they were making a pointed attempt to remain hidden. Meeting this wolf here and now sort of proved that wasn't the case but it wasn't enough to shift the sense of mystery and intrigue. Askan wanted to dig deeper, to get to the bottom of this and so he got all nosy.

"What's it like, that pack of yours?" With a flick he gestured to beyond the wall with a flick of his snout.

"Honestly, I prefer the climate. Went east for a bit to check out the area but I wasn't too fond of the weather, or the locals. So I ended up just walking in one big circle and came back north." He smirked with amusement at the male's explanation. "Yeah, the East can get uncomfortable." He meant that about the weather...and the locals. "It seems there are quite a few that prefer the Northern climate. Crisp, clean air, and nobody to bother you." That was what he preferred as of late. He wasn't boxed in by other packs or crowds of wolves that would try to peek over into his yard all the time. He realized as he got older that sometimes it was better to remain out of the public eye for the most part. And he didn't particularly care for all the gossip that moved from mouth to mouth like a wildfire when everyone was so packed together. That wasn't to say he was unaware of things that happened in the lands...not with his foxes often going out and acting as the pack's information gatherers. They always came back with some interesting things, and sometimes they didn't.

"What's it like, that pack of yours?" Ace lifted his head as he observed the stranger. He didn't smell like a pack wolf, didn't seem to have the heavy scents of others on his fur nor did he smell like any one particular place. A true rogue it seemed..."I suppose that depends what one is looking for. They're a hardworking bunch that know how to survive in the harsher climates of the North, and they're not afraid to try and take what they need, if the need arises. Make no mistake, they're not a bunch of hooligans or marauders that take whatever they want, when they want like some other undesirables that are known to exist...They live by a certain code and try to remain as honorable as they can. Though what counts as honorable is up to each and everyone one of us." After all, not everyone had the same idea and definition of what honorable should be.

Askan hummed in agreement, finding truth in the strangers words. There was plenty of space up here and it certainly gave Askan all the privacy he needed but for some reason or another he felt as though it lacked something too. Or perhaps it reminded him a little too much of home, either way now wasn't the time to dwell on the ifs. Askan listened, curiosity sated as the man went onto explained the merits of his pack and what he believed it represented. It all sounded rather ideological, somewhat vague and optimistic, but Askan supposed that was fair enough. Since very few wolves would go around admitting hard and perhaps bitter truths to wolves they'd just met. Even if Askan wished that was so, he'd much prefer to be given all the information up front, saving him from having to dig through the rubble himself. But that was neither here nor there.

Honour and pride seemed like the name of their game, Askan could respect that. Sort of. Like the stranger, Askan noted that the meaning of honour varied from one wolf to the next. As to what he thought it meant....he wasn't exactly sure yet.

"Hmm, just curious is all. I met some Ashen wolf or another, told me about a few packs but didn't mention yours." The wrinkle of his nose made it clear what he thought of said wolf. In fact he didn't even know it's name. "What's it called?"