Auntie Theo had asked them to spend some one-on-one time together, except Fable had thought she'd meant "won on one," and had zero idea what that meant. When she'd asked if they would be sparring or something Theory had just laughed. Momma and poppa had explained that Theo was very "busy" and had lots of "res-pon-suh-beel-a-tees," but she wasn't sure what that meant either. As they left the clearing where the family den was situation, Fable began to pepper her with questions. "Whatcha do all day? D'you have any friends? Is momma your friend? Is this where you live, too? Did you always live here?"

She was making it a point to spend time with each of her nieces and nephew one-on-one. Although the concept seemed confusing to Fable at first, she caught on quick and trotted after Theory eagerly. In no time at all, the eager girl was asking her a million questions a minute. Struggling not to laugh, she nodded at each question in turn. It was lucky they were following a well-worn, familiar patrol trail, otherwise she'd become so distracted that they might have walked right into one of the snakes that called this place home. This trail was so old it seemed like it had been here long before she was born and would probably be here for a long time after she was gone. Well, that's grim... It was hard not to think about the future with the tiny embodiment of Abaven's next generation nipping at her heels. "I do a lot of this all day - walking and patrolling, checking on everyone and making sure they are happy. Uhh, I have friends! Your momma is my friend - and my sister. Sometimes those things are the same, sometimes they're not. I've always lived here," she laughed. Sisters and friends were not necessarily mutual exclusive. That was a bitter lesson that she hoped Fable would never learn.

Sorin's paws were restless, truthfully.

They carried him from place to place, with no real destination in mind. He was wary of other wolves, especially after his run-in with those individuals who were less than friendly. He supposed the younger of the two hadn't been so bad, but he didn't quite understand what was going on with him. At any rate, he was glad to be away from the male. He wanted to see the world, and the path ahead of him looked promising. The landscape he was coming up on was abundant with green vegetation, it seemed. The grass was tall in some areas, offering the perfect homes for all kinds of critters. Of course, he was careful to steer away from any scent markers seeing as he didn't want to get into any trouble with the local life. He simply wanted to admire their slice of heaven from the safety of the border. Perhaps, if he were lucky, he'd run into some friendly folks who wouldn't mind telling him about the surrounding area.

"Uhhh..." Fable said, sticking her tongue out a bit as she stared into the rustling undergrowth. She was at a different vantage point than Theory, who may have overlooked the sounds entirely. After all, it didn't sound like a big creature. Maybe more like, a really fat raccoon. Or something. Fable sprung to alert and dove into the tall grasses, coming nose-to-nose with Sorin. "Hello!" she said, tail wagging. He didn't smell familiar at all. "Uhhhh! I mean - stop in your tracks! Stranger!" But, of course, her tail didn't stop wagging. Theory hadn't really gotten to this part of being an alpha, or what she was even supposed to do if there was a wolf at the border who wasn't a member of the pack. Sure, sure, momma and poppa had told her to be careful and don't talk to strangers... Oh. She'd talked to a stranger. "Auntie Theo, please don't tell my momma I talked to a stranger!" she yipped.

Before she could even say anything, Fable disappeared between the tall grasses. Crap! How'd she get so fast? The little girl was surprisingly quick on her paws for how heavily built she was. Swearing under her breath, she parted the undergrowth and stepped gingerly after her niece. Luckily she hadn't made it very far, just a few short yards away. Sighing with relief, she greeted the stranger warmly. "Hello there - don't mind her. She's, uhh, learning. And very excited about it," Theo said, smiling wryly. The alpha could see Fable still wriggling out of the corner of her eye. "This is Abaven - I'm the alpha here, but you're welcome to walk along the borders. Clearly we stumbled on you and not the other way around," she added with a chuckle.