Something didn't seem right.

Enrico sniffed warily at the faint breeze as it passed over the ship. The breeze didn't even stir the heavy fog that enveloped everything. It was early morning, and he'd just emerged from his comfortable nest below decks in preparation for a patrol when instinct put him suddenly on edge. Asriel hadn't yet returned from a hunting trip to the west and Enrico couldn't help but wish that he had the cat's claws and teeth to back him up because he knew there was something wrong out there, in the pack's lands, and he'd need to go find out. Alone.

Well, perhaps not alone, but he didn't want to awaken the pack for nothing, just a feeling. So he slipped out without calling for anyone, and set out to discover what was bothering him. Something, some scent on the wind that he couldn't quite recognize but knew instinctively was dangerous. The traces led him away from land, slowly meandering towards the distant place where he knew the ice thinned and water would begin to show through.

It was a pawprint in the slush that began to solidify the alarm. It was no wolf, that was for certain. The massive print was ursine in nature, but not quite the grizzly or black bears he had seen in the past. The edges were blurred and strange, and more alarming was that the print was fresh, no more than a few minutes old. And the size alone told Enrico that the last thing he wanted to do was meet this beast alone, but they couldn't afford to let this particular unwanted houseguest hang around the territory either. Lifting his dark muzzle, he gave a low, cautious howl calling for the pack's tougher elements to gather with him to protect Niente. Though he glanced furtively back toward the ship in the hopes of seeing activity, he kept the vast majority of his attention focused on the direction the print showed the beast moving. With the fog, he wouldn't be able to see if it had turned around to return this way until it was too late.

Valdís was doing her best to patrol in the brutally thick fog that covered  the territory. She had been unable to sleep, plagued by strange nightmares and so she decided to start her day early. She had enough of the vulnerability of sleep.  Valdís felt a light breeze ruffle her fur and she hoped that it would gain in strength and sweep the fog from their lands. It was hard enough to patrol with her sight hindered. Perhaps it was this limit to her sight that had her on edge but she swore she caught the faint traces of a worrisome scent. Bear? She couldn't be sure what kind or even how old it was. At first she decided to ignore it. Other creatures lived in the north and sometimes their territories would overlap. When she caught the low sound of Enrico's call her fur stood on end. That was not the typical call to a meeting or anything casual. Her eyes narrowed. Something was out there. Valdís swiftly abandoned her patrol and headed back to answer Enrico's call. It didn't take her long to get back, she'd only barely begun to start. "Enrico," she called softly, "what is it?" "Talk" "You" Think

Hearing Enrico's worried call roused Asvor quite quickly from a rather restless sleep. Though settling into Niente quite nicely, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing - but what? That feeling was only exacerbated when she heard that familiar voice ringing out across the lands. Perhaps she simply hadn't spent enough direct time with Valdis lately. She knew her friend had likely been busy training, though she too had been busy collecting various herbs and trying to gain what little knowledge she could. Trying to shake that uneasy feeling from her mind, she rose quickly and stretched her limbs before heading toward the source of Enrico's call. The low, dense fog that clung tight to the ground didn't help the feeling. Feeling a bit of worry at the sort of call that had echoed through the packlands, Asvor increased her pace. It didn't take long for her to catch up to Valdis, who seemed to have heard the call too. The woman's ears flicked forward, a question visible on her features as she neared Valdis. Whatever it was, she hoped she could be of assistance, dipping her head toward her friend before focusing fully on Enrico. She caught the tail end of Valdis's question, so decided not to reply it, instead casting their leader a curious look.

Enrico kept himself from hunching over the track with an effort of will. He was hard to spook, but a bear of any sort was no joke, and if his suspicions were correct this particular species of bear was as far from a grizzly as a grizzly from a black bear in levels of danger to wolves. Niente was a small pack. They had fewer warriors, fewer options strategically against a large and dangerous predator. He was relieved when Valdis appeared through the fog, and close behind her Asvor. No other warriors other than Valdis appeared, though, and Enrico took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Very well. He would hope that Asvor had some experience with battle, and perhaps Cepheus would put in an appearance. They could use another warrior to spread out the risk.

"Polar bear," he said tersely, with none of his usual smooth velvet in a voice gone taut with tension. He indicated the fuzzy bear print and the direction it had gone off to. "I know little about them, but we cannot allow it to remain within Niente's territory. Do either of you know what we can expect from it?"

Valdís tensed but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ásvor join them. She shrugged in return to the woman's questioning glance. She had no idea what was up, but something was definitely amiss. Valdís moved to stand closer to Ásvor, finding comfort in the other woman's presence all the while lamenting that they hadn't spent much time together. Both had dived into their studies. Maybe after they dealt with whatever needed dealing with they could find a nice place to just relax, enjoy each other's company, and shoot the breeze. Valdís swiftly turned her attention back to Enrico. "Polar Bear." Valdís felt her blood run cold. A polar bear? She'd heard of the powerful predators and once she had even seen one from a distance but she took great care to give the creature a wide berth. However, the polar bear was in their packlands and dangerously close to the densite. Valdís nodded. "I agree. We can't allow the bear to remain here, it is likely looking to stock up on food for the winter. It's a threat to our food source and stores but I'm afraid I don't know much about them. I've heard stories but nothing terribly applicable. How should we proceed?" "Talk" "You" Think