Winter stretched on, long and dreary and far more dismal than any winter she'd ever experienced before. Valdís had taken to keeping to her den apart from occasional patrols around Legions temporary territory. She'd opted to go venturing a little farther into the damaged lands, searching for signs of recovery. The damage had been bad. Still, Valdís hoped that spring would bring the renewal the land needed. She scrambled over the red stones as she skirted along the border of the Wolfpaw Lake. The rocks themselves were beautiful but the gray haze in the sky cast a dour hue over everything around her. Ash coated the land as she ventured farther east but she froze when she saw an unusual clump of ash-covered bushes. She froze, crouching as she sensed danger. Her grey coat blended in well with the burnt and ashen terrain but she couldn't be sure that she'd been moving undetected. Suddenly, the largest bush rose to its feet and shook its coat, sending a spray of ash into the air. The creature stumbled and turned to her with red, blood shot eyes. It looked right at her. As far as she could tell it was a bear but in that moment it looked like some hellish monster. "Talk" "You" Think

Sirius wasn’t expecting to catch the scent of a stranger scampering over the temporary pack lands of the Ashen Empire. He found the stranger first, stalking her through the rocky outcroppings. Marshal flew above him, ensuring him that he hadn’t strayed from his path, and Bast was somewhere behind him, ready to ambush anyone that thought to attack the Titan. He caught up with the trespassing stranger, and in the same moment the bushes before them both would begin to rustle, and his attention would shift immediately from the worrying presence of a stranger, to the much more concerning encounter of a bear. The hellish beast with blood red eyes and a stumbling, violent gait, certainly stole his attention. Breath hissing between his teeth, the Titan turned to the stranger, wondering if he could count on a wolf he would have attacked moments earlier. “There are pups in these lands” he told her, as he took on a defensive position beside her, his animal companion racing from the shadows to stand at his heels. "Speech"

In a second her defenses were set and she prepared herself for battle. Her head whipped around as she caught the approaching paw steps to see a large, well-armored male. His focus seemed to be the bear which was good for her. Valdís had no desire to fight on two fronts. Soon it became clear why the man's focus was so intent upon the bear. There were pups in the lands. She quickly turned back to the bear as it started lumbering forward. "Then we better dispatch of this creature immediately." There was no more time to talk but if they survived she wouldn't mind learning the strangers name. No doubt there was a pack in these lands. More refugees from the volcano. The bear burst forward in a charge, its jaws lancing down as Valdís leapt to the creature's left just avoiding the jaws. She leaped back, angling in as her fangs ripped into the front of the bear's ankle. It was a blow meant to rip and shred and she dove away as soon as the damage was done. She had no intention of keeping her ass in view of the bears fangs. "Talk" "You" Think