The lone she-wolf had followed Miksa's scent back to the pack where he resided, though some time had passed since she'd decided to make an approach. She'd spent some time exploring neighboring territories, getting a feel for the east. It was nice, but she hadn't seen the ocean yet, and she longed for the scent of a salty, humid breeze directly off the waves. She had hoped to share the view with her friend, but she wasn't sure if she'd be allowed passage within Threar. She also wasn't sure if she should wait for Miksa to find her again, or if she should just seek out the pack's leaders by herself. Impatiently, she had decided upon the latter. But I should bring them something if I want to make a good impression, she thought with a decisive nod. She hadn't crossed into pack territory yet, she was still further upstream from Sunset Falls. Inhaling the lush scents of a summery forest, it didn't take her long to catch the scent of prey - specifically, beaver. Esarosa knew that there must be a dam close-by. Stalking toward the scent, she quietly parted her way through the undergrowth until the cool air of the stream brushed over her whiskers. She paused, ears swiveling as she listened for the sound of an animal. At last she heard a small splash, and one of the buck-toothed, brown animals slipped out of the water and onto the damp shore, heading toward a partially chewed sapling just up the bank a little. Esa waited for the beaver to leave the safety of the water, then carefully crept forward, until she was closer to the water than the beaver was. Then she plunged forward, and with a mighty leap she overtook the clumsy animal, catching it between her forepaws and dealing a deadly blow to its neck with her jaws. Satisfied with her catch, she picked it up and quickly headed for the border of Threar. She dearly hoped they would see her as a friend. She wasn't even sure what she would say yet, but she was sure she'd figure it out when someone showed up. She came to the edge of the territory and set down the beaver she'd caught before lifting her head and howling a friendly greeting. It had been a long time since she'd heard her own song, and it had been longer still since she'd met with a structured group of wolves - she hadn't yet seen her first birthday the last time she'd been with a pack. She hoped this didn't turn out too awkwardly, and though she wanted to see Miksa, she hoped he wouldn't show for this; what if they rejected her? "Speak" "Listen" Think

As a newly promoted Chapter, Varda felt the need to do better towards her pack, to contribute more whilst satisfying her desire for an abundance of knowledge. Rising up a rank didn't entitle her to slack with her studies, in fact, with demotions now a possibility, she had to keep herself steered well and truly in the right direction. Though surely as a smarter, more respected wolf within the pack, there had to be new roles expected of her. She had to live up to her proud title, perhaps strive even further if she so yearned to achieve a better position. However, addressing strangers at the border certainly wasn't her duty, which was what she found herself doing after having her interest piqued by a foreign, summoning howl close to her location. An alpha she was not, though hopefully the veracious Authors wouldn't mind her taking their job just for this one occasion. After all, they wanted her to gain as much experience as possible, so carrying out such tasks would probably fit under that category. And if the visitor preferred the actual leaders, then the young female was willing to call for them. Within moments of her lengthy strides, she arrived at the edge of the pack's territory where an ebony woman awaited an arrival, and so she approached her with an air of confidence and elegance, smoothly halting by her feet. And...was that a beaver? Interesting indeed. "Greetings," she eloquently acknowledged with a polite dip of her crown. "What brings you to our borders?" "Speech"

Squinting through the growth, Esa could see movement up ahead, a white coat flashing amongst greenery. At first she flicked her ears, fearing it was her friend, but as the wolf drew closer, Esa could see the feminine features of a she-wolf, assuring her it was not who she thought; she wondered who she was about to meet, and hoped they were as kind as Miksa had described them as. The raven-black femme sat and drew her paws together, waiting for the wolf to approach her - the other wolf's stride would quickly bring them face to face, the fresh, plump prey between them. She noticed at once how elegant and graceful this young woman was - things that Esa had been taught in her youth, when she had shown such promise as an heir. But she had long outgrown that role since leaving her family's pack. She wasn't tame like she had been, following the rules and meeting expectations. It showed in her weathered paws and uneven coat flecked with debris from the wilds. To her it was freedom, and a life worth living. But even freedom got lonely sometimes, and that was why she'd come today. She'd met a friend, a friendship which had become dear to her, and she would only find him within the boundaries of this pack. Esa dipped her head in return to the female's polite and eloquent greeting. "Good afternoon," she replied with less formality, "I have a request for the leader of Threar. You see, I met a friend and he's from here. So I guess I'm hoping I might be allowed to visit him from time to time, without dragging him away from home and disrupting his duties too much. He said you can see the ocean from part of the pack's territory... I hoped to see it with him one day." She took a breath after explaining her reasoning for approaching Threar. Then she realized she didn't know who this lady was - she could be the pack's leader for all Esa knew. After all, wasn't it usually the highest ranking wolves that approached potential intruders? "By the way, my name's Esarosa," she introduced herself quickly, dipping her head again, "And I brought a gift... I just caught it, outside of your borders, of course." She nosed forward the fresh prey, then lifted her emerald eyes to reach the duo-hued gaze of the other woman, offering a friendly smile. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Oh, it seemed the charcoal woman wished to see the leader, a little disappointing to the Chapter though equally as understandable. After all, what power did she hold? She couldn't accept or deny outsiders, however now that this encounter had taken place, she found herself inspired to take on such roles. "I'm afraid I'm not one of the leaders," she confessed with her head briefly lowered as a meek apology if interpreted as such, though her vocals grew hopeful. "Although, I can call for them." And so a confident symphony slipped from her lips as she settled on her haunches to await the arrival of her parents, or at least one of them. It didn't appear the woman wanted to be accepted into the pack; only wanting to visit her friend occasionally. Her friend? Now this certainly piqued her interest. Someone from Threar had obviously made friends with a loner, not that she held anything against it though she merely wondered who it was. However, she would politely inquire about this after the woman exchanged her name and the beaver that was supposedly a gift. She dipped her skull in thanks, unsure as of how else she could acknowledge her acquaintance. It wasn't every day loners were showing up with gifts beside them. "Varda," she soon introduced. "And if I may ask, who is this friend of yours?" "Speech"

Varda's call was not one that he had expected, she was obviously at the border summoning him and his heart would race as he thought its meaning over. She sounded very much confident, and he'd wonder if she'd found something interesting or if she had a friend to bring to them. His heart would settle as curiosity overtook him along his journey towards the border. He hadn't been incredibly far away in no time he'd smell the strange wolf and her gift. Holding himself with authority the chocolate Author approached his daughter and the dark stranger. "Varda, who's this?" He'd ask his daughter curiously as he looked to the green eyed she wolf. Since Varda had called him he would refrain from speaking to her just yet.

Esarosa was not disappointed when the she-wolf admitted she was not one of Threar's leaders. She had hoped to get a good idea of what the wolves were like here, and that meant meeting more than just the leader. Before she could say anything, the snowy woman let out a song to beckon the leaders. Esa smiled and nodded her thanks. "Thank you," she said in a friendly tone, wagging her tail, "I was hoping I'd meet a few of the pack wolves anyways, so I'm glad you came." When the other lady sat down to wait for the arrival of the alphas, Esa decided to sit as well, curving her tail around her paws. She could see the awkward uncertainty on the she-wolf's face when the ebony loner offered the gift she brought. Esa shuffled her paws anxiously, feeling out of place; she hadn't been sure how her presence would be received, and she had hoped the fresh prey would make things better. It seemed to just make things stranger. What sort of loner came with a request like she did, bearing gifts and all? Still, she knew she had to be here and give this a try. So she just kept smiling, dipping her head to the fae when she offered her name. "Nice to meet you Varda," she said, her tone pleasant. It was a very pretty name, she thought, sounding quite feminine, powerful and graceful all at once. Ears flicked back for just a second when Varda asked who her friend was. The pack wolf still seemed guarded, though polite, and Esa wondered if she would get her friend in trouble by speaking his name. She'd be admitting that he'd befriended a loner, and she wasn't sure what this pack's laws were regarding such a friendship. Breathing in gently, she decided to answer honestly. "His name is Miksa," she answered, then carried on quickly, "We first met in the North, before he moved here. He saved me from a cave-in at the Northern Mines; he's very brave and a kind friend. Do you know him well?" She wondered if Miksa had made any other friends. Varda presented herself with proper etiquette, but she seemed about the same age. For a moment, the thought that this elegant she-wolf and Miksa might be friends caused Esarosa some unease, though the feeling was interrupted by the approach of another wolf. There was no doubt in her mind that this wolf was one of the leaders she needed to see, and he was definitely related to the she-wolf that had greeted her. The regal male would look upon her with curiosity, at which point Esa would dip her head respectfully, something she hadn't had to do in a long time. She hated the formalities, but knew if she wanted this to go well, she must behave accordingly, even if these wolves were not her superiors. I have to make a good impression, she thought anxiously. The alpha turned to Varda, asking her who she'd met. "My name's Esarosa, sir, and I brought this-" she blurted out, poking at the fresh prey but catching her impulsive blabbing too late - ears folding back and head lowering, she murmured quietly, "Sorry..." Pressing her jaws closed, she waited for either one of them to address her directly, until then she would stay quiet. "Speak" "Listen" Think

At least her appearance wasn't a total downfall, as the stranger wished to meet pack wolves other than the leader. Hopefully Varda was creating a positive impression on behalf of her pack-mates; and the ebony woman seemed fine with how the encounter was unfolding. After dipping her head politely in response to the loner's compliment, she listened to hear who this friend of hers was. Though she wasn't expecting it to be the quiet Chapter, Miksa, she could understand how their relationship blossomed in the first place. They would have had to have met before her father had taken two of his eldest children to visit the North, where they found the pack-less male as a result. It surprised her that the two had kept in contact, even after he had moved to Threar. "In fact, I do know him," she replied with a wink. Brave - that was certainly Miksa. "That's quite an accurate description." Promptly, her father arrived with a query that was soon answered by Esarosa before the alabaster female could part her lips. "Yes," she confirmed to the Author with a nod, finding no need to introduce the female once more. Since her father had just arrived, it was easy for him to make the assumption that the two knew each other and one had been invited to join. Though really, Varda wasn't that friend. "I met her just now at the border..." she trailed off in the hopes that the shadow-like female would explain in greater detail why she had shown up by their territory, though it didn't seem likely now that she appeared to be embarrassed with her sudden outburst. "Speech"