"Pssst..." Kaija stood at the borders of a pack that was definitely not her own, trying to get the attention of someone who - by her calculations - likely wouldn't hear her no matter how long she stood here and did this. The thick black darkness that hung over the lands didn't help her cause either. It was a damp night, the sort that threatened rain without ever bringing any, and with the sky littered with clouds there was little to light her way. Somehow she'd made it all the way here, annoyed that she'd had to take a rather long detour around another pack's territory, before she caught wind of Ophie's scent. She lived here, she had to! All she could really tell about this place was that it was grassy, like really grassy, and... well, that was it. And Ophie lived here, which was all she really cared about. Her silver gaze swept over the dim plains, trying to decide what else she could do to get her friend's attention.

She was careful to not step paw over the borders, as tempting as the thought was. Like most of her ancestors, Kaija found the whole prospect of lands and territories kinda foolish, but she wasn't stupid enough to push her limits without knowing what she was getting into first. Ophie had told her about her family, how they were hard-working warriors, and Kaija had no interest in starting something. That was why she didn't immediately let loose a howl for her... someone calling in the dead of night was pretty stupid, she knew that, but maybe lurking around in the dark quietly wasn't the best idea either.

Oh well - too late to turn back now. "Psssst, Ophie..... pssst... it's me, Kaija... psssssst," Kaija half-whispered as she continued her trek alongside the clearly marked borders, prowling for signs of life. Worst case scenario she could just wait until the sun came up and try to catch her when she left, the key word being when. Maybe her plan wasn't a fantastic one but she decided to play it by ear, but first she'd walk the whole border and see if she had any luck before moving on to the next plan, which didn't exist yet.

Ophie couldn't explain why, but she was having a real hard time falling asleep. She tossed and turned in her den, fidgeted till her limbs started to strain, all the while racking her mind for whatever was keeping her awake. There was nothing wrong, she was pretty adamant about that, so what had gotten her all antsy and unsure? Blowing the air out over her lips, Ophie glanced up from where she rested her chin on her front paws to see her-not so little- robin take flight. Till he was nothing but a faint orange blur in her vision. Where was he going at this time of night? Heaving herself up onto her paws, Ophie padded along, trying-and failing- to keep pace with her winged companion. Across the Plains he fluttered, making a beeline right for the borders as if there was- oh no. What if the tiger had returned? Her heart began to race, aching in her chest as she swallowed thickly. Common sense told her to call for back up, just to be on the safe side and as to not let history repeat itself. And yet she remained silent as she crept forward, ears tipping forward as she caught wind of a gentle pssst. Followed swiftly by the racket of her oversized robin giving the visitor a tweet or two of his mind. Ophie had to step in now before he tried to poke anyone's eyes out, the last thing she wanted was for him to hurt- OH! Kaija! What was she doing here? "Kaija!" Ophie thumped close, her tail wagging merrily behind her as she greeted her, as quietly as she could manage whilst maintaining an earnest level of enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

Kaija was off on her own now. Sometimes she doubted she'd made the right choice but Aurielle was a nice lady and would let her back if she decided she'd messed up - right? At least that was what she kept telling herself. She knew with the worsening weather as the winter settled in things could be quite difficult for loners but it wasn't proving too difficult yet. No, it was actually pretty fun and she was glad for the freedom to do whatever she wanted, like sitting here and waiting for as long as she had to for Ophie to magically appear. Or maybe she'd get run off first, Kaija wasn't sure how other packs other than Valhalla operated really..

She saw the bird first, unable to register who it was in the darkness. Only when it started screaming at her did she have an inkling that it might be Ophie's companion, but she wasn't sure until her friend appeared in the dim light of night, heading right to the borders. Kaija's face split apart in a wide grin, her tail lashing back and forth quickly. "I came to visit," she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down as much as she possibly could. She knew she technically wasn't trespassing but she knew Ophie's family was strict and she didn't know how they'd take a stranger lurking at the borders in the middle of the night. "I decided to leave Valhalla. For good," Kaija explained, taking a step forward to give Ophie a friendly nudge. They'd talked some about seeing the world and exploring and not being weighed down by responsibility, but she'd finally done it - and she was proud, if not a little nervous. She still had to tell her dad what she'd decided too. "So... I figured... what better way to celebrate than steal you away for an adventure?" It was more a question than a demand, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought. She had no idea where they'd go, but if she wanted to celebrate with anyone it was definitely Ophie.

She'd left Valhalla? But why? The prospect of leaving home was something Ophie had never considered, just thinking about it now was a little scary, but she supposed Kaija was made of sterner stuff. She always had been and Ophie really admired her tenacity, her ability to make up her mind without fussing and fretting all day long. If this was what she thought was best for her then it probably was! And like any good friend, Ophie was happy to support and cheer from the side lines. "Ah that's exciting!" Ophie's tail followed suit, blending into a grey blur as she wiggled, endlessly happy for her friend's change in fortune. Kaija deserved all the best things, of that Ophie couldn't be swayed. Except the now newfound loner went on, stating it was time to celebrate with an adventure. A journey into the unknown. Ophie blinked owlishly. She knew she was allowed to come and go, encouraged to really, but this sounded big and important and-Ophie didn't want to ruin it, you know? Didn't want to let Kaija's new life start off on the wrong paw. That and she didn't want to get anyone in trouble, or make a pest of herself. The Armada was going through a rough patch and the last thing she wanted was to put her family at a disadvantage, whatever it might entail. "Oh um…where too?" She asked, her voice quiet and meek. Hesitant to get too attached to the idea, lest she had to say no.

'That's exciting!' Ophie said, and though she sounded excited she also sounded a little uncertain. She hadn't made a bad choice, right? At the end of the day she wasn't sure it mattered. Surely she could end up back at Valhalla with her tail between her legs, begging to be let back in, if things really went wrong. Unfortunately Kaija was too proud to admit when she made a mistake most of the time, but at least she had somewhere to fall back on, even if it was begrudgingly as hell. She wasn't alone, she'd never be completely without someone to help her if she really needed it. She had to believe in that, at the very least.

She wouldn't dwell long on anything but their impending adventure. "I dunno. I saw some cool trees on my way here - a big forest with branches that reach toward the ground like hundreds of creepy arms!" That wasn't quite what willows looked like but Kaija was happy to embellish her story a little to pique Ophie's interest some, not that she was terribly worried she wouldn't want to join her. But there was always the worry she might deny her - though she rarely thought about how others viewed her, Ophie was her best friend and being rejected would hurt more than she wanted to admit. "Let's go!" With that she sprinted off toward the willow forest, sure Ophie would follow her.

-exit to spooky thread!-