Step after step - little indents in the snow. A spattering trail painted over with the wisps and drags of tail that wouldn't stay still. The lazy wag back and forth betrayed the interest of the traveling wolf - that and the fae - that and pricked ears tilted forward so far that snowflakes came to rest on their backs. She paused just once, this stranger, to heave a hot breath across the land - watching it swirl and ghost visibly before her eyes. It twisted in the air; an invitation that couldn't be denied. The she-wolf managed to contain herself for exactly six seconds more, before lounging forward - bolting after the vapors, twisting and leaping - hitching up first her hind end then her fore, bounding across snowdrifts and barren stretches. She twirled like the fae she was in more ways than one. Fangs, white despite age, even snapped out at the puffs of breath that followed. The once clear sheen of snow was churned again and again and again - like a herd of deer might have passed with less sign. Erratic as her movements were, there was a grace, a dance to them. And they ended with a seat in a fluffed up heap, as sudden as it was soft. Orica breathed deep, closing her blue eyes to the frozen world, drinking in the scents of snow and ice and stone that never failed to remind her of home and hearth and childhood. Blessed were those days. Days of danger and love, of sages and saints and sinners all rolled together in the struggle of one pack. Of one family. Dear gods above how the time had passed. She had a family of her own now. Beautiful pups that had grown into beautiful adults. Dear Yona had agreed to follow her into these new lands - and no doubt she'd be along when her journeys allowed. In the mean time Orica kept moving. Well... except when she had to dance. Her heart trilled happy and light in her pale breast. Her frame heaved and shook with excitement, but there, below the cliffs striped with such beautiful golds and silvers and whites, she sat for a time. She made those paws - still so pup-like and ready to run - hold themselves still for a time. Everything about this land was somehow familiar and yet so strange. In her time with the nomad pack that had taken her in, Orica had learned to call any land home; learned that all that makes the difference between a den and a hole in the ground is the heart you bring into it. But this? This northern air awoke something in her. Something akin to a happy sort of homesickness. She had to be close. She'd come so far. "Talk."

Orica resisted the temptation to lick the flakes off her nose - knowing that doing such would risk a chapped muzzle and cracked nose, - and wow wasn't it strange to be careful of such things again. All the little ticks and quirks of northern weather that had all been her default growing up. She made a sort of trilling sound to herself, letting her head sink into the fluff and cushion of her own neck fur. A sound of pure pleasure and bliss. Eyes like frozen pools gazed up at the stripes on the walls until she could almost begin to see them move - see them shimmer and dance and run like real rivers. Her eyes glazed as she stared. She had a premonition of something. Some sixth sense that she'd always had - alerting to her things beyond any knowledge she ought to have. It had been something she'd nurtured and worked with, since it was discovered for her by a strange wolf from distant lands who had called himself only "the shaman". He'd helped her hone this-this gift, teaching her to sense its coming and just be still. Just listen. Just watch. And she watched the rivulets of gold and silver - grey and white all fold together and over one another. They seemed to churn like waves - or like legs. Strange markings on a pale white wolf. Gold in the eyes. Gold in the heart. Streaks of dusk over the countures of stone fur. A sound from behind her, had Orica blinking back to herself. The crunch of snow from a paw that was not her own. She turned and looked about - to see what appeared to be a flame, in the form of a young wolf, making its way towards her. This could not be more of her Sight, could it? No. If she questioned it, then it was the waking world. Orica stood, and gave a lazy wag of the tail. "Hail, traveler," the old fae called, in a voice still sweet and high, despite the count of years levied upon it. "Where away do your paws take you?" She was a wolf more than experienced in new faces and new places. No sheltered pack wolf, she. She could converse with a cat twice her size. Or greet a warlord as a common rogue. In fact, in her time, she'd done both. Her ease was a natural, unassuming one, and her interest in a strange, fellow wolf was genuine. If she didn't like her kind, she wouldn't have been a healer - as the strange hide knapsack that slung over her shoulder testified. The scent of herbs rose up from it - a strange sensation in this world of snow.

He felt much, much better after spending a few days with Miss Sora and getting to have a few meals. He was very glad that she had found him. Being hungry all the time was no fun. He was still so curious about this new place though so he couldn't help but wander off for a bit, bouncing along through the snow in playful hops. He left a trail of disturbed snow in his path and his tail was wagging wildly behind him as he did so. He wished stuff that was so fun to play with wasn't so cold! The blue-hued fur on his legs and stomach was wet and clung to him from it and he shivered lightly from the chill, but as long as he kept moving it wasn't too bad. He stopped suddenly when he heard someone talking and he looked up to see a black and white wolf in the distance. It looked like there might be someone else further away on the opposite side of her from him, but the lady was the only one he could see from here. Curious, he shuffled his way through the snow toward her and as he got closer he noticed the bag that was hanging around her. A soft "ooooooh" sound left him and he made a bee-line toward her, quietly padding up beside her and sniffing at the thing curiously. It smelled so good! What was that smell? It was like a leaf smell, but stronger. "Wha's tha'?" he asked as he lightly nudged it with his nose, his amber gaze looking up at her like he had known her all along. "Talk"

ooc note: had Eve's permission to keep posting if someone else came along Orica's ears had belied her. She hadn't heard one set of pawsteps but two - the one closer, but also softer. She'd turned and seen the brighter pelted wolf, immediately assuming there was no one else about. Imagine her surprise then, when she felt another bundle of fur brushing against her - coming up almost underneath her - completely oblivious to sniff at the knapsack. Her head snapped down, her ears like leaves cupped to rain - swiveled about and focused on the newcomer, but her movements were far from agressive. Her body was already melting from the pressure of the smaller one. A mother's instinct, deeper even than a warrior's was cooing and coaxing within her before her eyes even registered upon the grey fured, golden-eyed pup. What can it be doing out here? The fae wondered. What sort of pack is there nearby that lets two of their youngsters wander about aimlessly? And yet she was chuckling to herself - eyes almost going warm in those bitter cold lands, as she watched the little one. As she heard it's strange, pup speak. Curiosity was in every line of its body. A body she didn't much like the look of. A distended belly could mean a recent meal, but also worms and sickness. He didn't smell of den and siblings like he ought to. Her keen healer's eye was quick to detect signs of weakness whether she wanted it to or no. And when he looked up at her - eyes easily alighting on hers like he'd known her his whole life, Orica was most certainly hooked. Like any good mother, she belonged body and soul to the needs of children. If he looked up at her like he knew her, she spoke to him like they'd had many a conversation before. "Those are healer's herbs dear one. Flowers and leaves for when your head or tummy aches or when you hurt yourself." She nosed open the flap, showing an array of dried buds and stems. There was mint and lavender - old standbys. There was mullien and comfrey - or boneset. Everything from amaranth to yarrow, and a bit of dried moss to boot. And yet there was only a small bit of each and Orica always found herself wishing she had more just in case. Ah well, she'd done well with far less. Even as she stood there, she found her mind ticking through what might help the pup or his pack. Was his mother having trouble making milk? She could find borage somewhere. Was the pup having stomach trouble? A little mint perhaps. She wanted to give him a bathe too. But only if he'd let her snuggle him and dry him afterwards. Couldn't risk a chill. Where was Yona? Oh she would love to see this little dear.

Neptune's gaze went back to the satchel as the nice lady started explaining what was inside. "Herbs," he mimicked, feeling the word on his tongue as he pronounced it carefully so it wouldn't mess it up. He stretched his neck up so he could peek inside when she lifted up the flap for him. There were so many different leaves and flowers and stuff in there! He'd never seen so many! His tail wagged behind him and he looked back up at the lady with a big smile. "Tha's cool!" he exclaimed with a little hop of excitement. He'd never heard of such a thing! There were plants that made you feel better? He didn't even know that tummies and heads could hurt! Well, his tummy had kind of hurt when he was hungry, but he didn't think that was the same thing. "I'm Neptune!" he told her matter of factly, still smiling up at her happily. He struggled over the first syllable of his name a bit, but his chest puffed out proudly when he said it properly. "Your eyes are pretty," he added sweetly. He still hadn't paid much mind to the other wolf yet. He was too focused on the nice lady and her nice smelling bag of plants that apparently could do magic and fix wolves. "Do they all have diffen' powers?" he asked curiously, nosing at the flap over the bag again to sniff at them. The curiosity of a pup was endless after all! "Talk"

Orica sat back a little, haunches finding purchase in the snow, but she kept her stance wide, and one paw up a bit so that the pup still had room to worm round and apparently try to fit his head into her knapsack as well. Hearing the words so well known to her coming out of a pup's mouth. Exclamations. Wonder. She remembered the first time she'd watched her pack healer busy at work - pulling green things out of holes in the earth - the only way to keep them good in those bitter cold reaches. Watching her chew them and lick them into wounds. It was magic. Real magic. She still thought so years and years later. But that first wonder? That inborn curiosity? That was something to treasure. As was the sight of a stubby pup's tail wagging back and forth. Neptune. A lovely name. Harking back to the oceans that Orica had come to love so dearly. Oh and he was proud of his name wasn't he? Orica thought she could see that little chest puffing out. It made her smile as well, though she made an effort to keep anything remotely patronizing out of it. Children are as old as they've ever been, even at only a season or two. They're not to be made to feel stupid or less. That's not how they shine. And he was polite at that. The older she-wolf practically bloomed at his praise for her eyes. Whoever had parented this one had brought up a sweetheart. But - the question remained - where were they? Orica was distracted for the moment with the boy's question. Did they all have different powers? "Certainly they do." She settled in. "See that one there? The color of your eyes? That's dried marigold. That keeps wounds clean and helps them heal all the faster. And that one- With the long, soft leaves that have gone dry and crinkly? Lambs ear or mullien it's called. That helps with rashes and blisters if put on the skin, or with colds and coughs if eaten - but only in small doses mind." It was second nature. Aids and helps and cures all rolling off her tongue. Whether it was just the thirst of a pup's knowledge for anything and everything, or a real interest that was sparking that day, she was happy to help it along. "Do you have any cuts or hurts, little one? Or has your mother looked after all of them?"

His tail continued to whip wildly behind him as he stepped a bit closer so he could poke his head into her bag that she kept open for him. His golden gaze examined all the little treasures inside, sniffing at them all curiously. He'd never seen so many different plants and things! His ears were perked forward, giving the nice lady all of his attention while she began to describe a couple of the things in her bag. Marigold and lambs ear. He eyed both of them skeptically for a moment. How could shriveled leaves and flowers do all that? But he was sure she was right! Why else would she carry all these magic leaves with her? "Wow!" he breathed, pulling his head out of the bag so he could beam up at her and give her another bright grin. He was quick to shake his head no when she asked if he had any cuts or hurts. No, he didn't have either of those! His ears flicked back though when she asked if his mother had looked after them. "I dunno where she is," he answered truthfully. "Miss Sora gave me some foods, but I dunno where my momma is. I haven' seen her in awhile." He frowned and plopped down on his butt as he looked up at the nice black and white woman with the pretty blue eyes. "Wha's your name?" he asked suddenly, the smile coming back to his muzzle. She had to have a pretty name too! "I said my name so you hav' to say yours 'oo!" he insisted with a firm nod. "Talk"

He didn't know where his mother was... He rattled off another, unfamiliar name - explaining that he'd at least had food recently enough to look as well as he did. A while he said. How long was a while. How long since he'd had the shelter of a parent? Orica had to stem down her worry - questions like: how was this pup alive? what kind of predators roamed these parts? Was he even old enough to be without milk? (She was a healer long enough to know you couldn't just go by size. Teeth were the best instructor) - No, she didn't want to alarm him. A pup would have no wish to listen to a panicing adult. But the poor thing. She watched him flop into the snow. Heard the question and smiled. "Why you're right. Goodness how rude of me. My name is Orica. I'm a mother myself, you know, though my pups are all grown up."  Her smile dimmed a little. "I would've been horrified if I'd lost one of them. They explored plenty in their day, but they were always back by sundown. How many days have you been on this adventure of yours?" She was careful to keep any sound of reproach or lecture out of her voice. If it was only a few days maybe she could help him find a way back. But there always tended to be more. The biggest missing piece of the puzzle was why the pup's parents hadn't come after him. No matter how fast a whelp might run, it couldn't outpace a full grown wolf, much less a parent. She'd bet her left paw there was more to this. A kidnapping, a predator, another wolf, maybe something had happened to make the others think he was dead. Certainly death would have been the only thing that could keep her away from her children. Actually even then she wasn't so certain. There might be an herb in her bag that could keep her soul around long enough to protect them.

"Nice ta meet you!" he exclaimed as soon as she introduced herself, giving her a big smile. He was pretty good at his manners he thought! His momma had always fussed at him if he was rude and he didn't like being fussed at. He kept his eyes up toward Orica's while she talked about how she was a mother and her kids were all grown up now. She was a momma too then! How cool! His ears fell back against his head though when she said that she would be horrified if one of them went missing. Oh no, was his momma horrified? But he had lost her! She hadn't lost him! Did it still work the same way? And what about his daddy, did he get all horrified too or was it just mommas? His brow was all creased with thought while all of this was running though his head and he was suddenly very, very sad at the idea of making his parents sad. He didn't wanna do that! He almost missed miss Orica's question, but he didn't so he thought for a moment about how many days it had been. "Maybe.... ten days? I dunno, I didn' remember to count! But that was befooooore I left the den. I was in the den by myself for like two days before I left! I tried really hard to wait for my momma and my daddy but I was hungry, miss Orica! Am I still in trouble? I don't like being in trouble. I don' wanna make my momma and daddy sad." He whined softly and looked up at her, his golden eyes wide with worry. "Talk"

(ooc: oh my heart!) "No, darling," said Orica, seeing the pup's distress and resisting the temptation to lick the tops of his ears.  "You're not in trouble. In fact, you did just what you were supposed to do - waiting at the den like that for as long as you did."  Gods... Well, that somewhat answered Orica's questions didn't it? For not one but both of the parents to be gone from their den that long. Maybe, maybe it was a fluke. Maybe one was wounded. Maybe they thought they'd sent someone else. Maybe, maybe they were still alright. Still searching at this moment. ...But the healer had seen enough of the world to rather doubt it. And goodness she hadn't even considered the idea that they might have abandoned the pup on purpose. There were wolves like that, circumstances like that, she knew, but somehow she didn't think that of parents who could raise such a friendly, well mannered pup. Something must have happened to them. "And to go out looking for them on your own," she went on,  "That's so brave! I wish I had been as brave as you when I was your age!" She'd been the runt of the litter, always hemmed in by stronger brothers and sisters and cousins. Her family had kept her safe and close to the dens til she was nearly ten moons old. Not that Glaciem was a pampered place even there. Before she was eight moons of age the pack was attacked by rogues. Killing the healer and a stranger - and very nearly, one of the cousins defending her. The world was a dangerous place.  "You've got a headstart. I'm on an adventure of my own, you know. One of my daughters and I are headed to join the pack here in the north. Some of my family may already be there. It's been very exciting." She kept her tone light and gentle. But the longer she sat there in the snow, the less possiblity there was of her wanting to leave the tike alone to fend for himself. Really, there hadn't been a question of that - not from the moment she saw him. She was a healer after all, and that meant so much more than herbs and scrapes.

Neptune was immediately relieved when Miss Orcia assured him that he wasn't in trouble and that he had done just what he was supposed to. His smile returned then, especially when she told him that he had been so brave looking for them. His chest puffed out proudly again at that and he gave her a big grin. He liked being brave! Well, he liked the praise he got for it anyway! It did kind of seem like being brave just meant being hungry, but maybe that's just cause he didn't know how to get food just yet! Once he learned how to do that maybe being brave would be more fun. He looked up at her with never ending interest and curiosity when she told him how she was on a journey with her daughter to go to a pack where their family was. "Wow! How cool!" he exclaimed, his tail wagging against the. ground and brushing away the snow behind him again. "Tha's reeeeeeally exci'ing." He punctuated his sentence with a firm nod like it had officially been decided that her trip was indeed exciting. "I hope there's lo's of your family there! Like a... a..." His brows furrowed together as he searched for the word. He was pretty sure his momma said it before... "Reunion!" His gaze bounced back up to hers at that, giving her yet another wide smile. "Yeah, a reunion! That sounds fun." Suddenly he remembered Miss Sora and he hopped up onto his paws, looking back the way he came. "Oh! Miss Sora!" He looked back up at Miss Orcia, his ears flicking back. "I forgot about Miss Sora! She's probably lookin' for me!" He gave Miss Orcia a big smile and hopped up on his back legs enough to reach her muzzle so he could give her chin a lick. "Thanks for lettin' me see your herbs, Miss Orcia! I'll see you later!" He turned and darted off then, not registering that Orcia might not want him to do such a thing. "Talk"