Leaving Jacques and Rein behind the femme had set off alone early that morning. Memento Mori had been exploring Auster and meeting new wolves ever since her return to the lands. Meme had even returned to the Falls where she’d been born and raised… and, with a sense of calm, she accepted that she had changed. She wasn’t the child her parents had hoped for, she was sure, but she was her own individual now. Her life was hers to live and no one, not Philomena, not her father, not anyone could change that.

Making her way down the steep incline of a canyon Meme decided that this was going to be her newest locale to visit. Nevermind the fact she almost face-planted several times on the way down in a not-so-graceful fall… but she had made her way into the depths and now stood beside the ancient, now shallower river that ran through the area. Her ears perked forward, her tail swishing thoughtfully as she stepped over some of the gray and russet stone at her paws.

“How interesting… I bet this river used to be much larger, years ago.” Her head tilted upwards toward the canyon walls. “Maybe it fills up when it rains in the mountains…” Meme mused to herself, wondering just how far up a wolf living in the canyon would have to den in the walls to be safe from the river flooding.

The sound of moving stones caught the clay furred wolf as they poked their sandy mask out of his den. Their ears perked as he was in full caution mode. Their tail spiked up and flicking to the left. He was quite uneasy about the new approach. Vashou's brown and red muzzle looking over the cliff side to see who had found their way into his area. His gaze finding its way to the white and gold female wolf. He wasn't the aggressive sort so he was unlikely to try and attack anyone without proper reason. He muttered under his breath, "What do we have here?" He paced back and forth slowly on the ledge trying to figure his best approach. The small weasel began to trail behind him quickly. Trying to keep pace with him. However, curiosity soon enough got the better of him as he slowly walked towards a stable enough descending point.
"Here we go," he muttered to himself. Pushing himself forward and scooping up his weasel companion in his maw as he moved forward. Turning his head back and letting the small rodent grasp onto his body. He began his hasty slide downward scattering stones in various directions warning of his approach.

The woman’s musings continued as she padded a few more steps, gaze trailing the walls and across all the stone at her paws. Memento’s tail flicked thoughtfully back and forth, ears twitching as the occasional loose pebble went shimmying down towards the bottom of the canyon where she was. It wasn’t long before enough time passed that more than just a pebble was moving down into the canyon. Pale-blue gaze shifted up to see a femme making her way down the incline herself, and with a little companion of her own. Oof, good thing Jacques wasn’t here. He was rather fond of targeting smaller critters.

Memento Mori smiled a little. They didn’t look like they were threatening as they came down. Truthfully, they appeared to be a little uncertain, perhaps not used to the company in a place such as this. Meme let a grin cross her lips as she watched the stranger. “Careful now! It’s quite the slope!” She meant well though. Perhaps a little extra company today would do her some good.

As they reached the bottom they stopped his dull claws grappling the hard dirt and letting them hold place for a moment. The sudden stop caused Salvador, to flop over Vashou's head leading to him just hanging there for a moment and regaining his footing and returning to the top. However, what Vashou and Salvador weren't expecting was to look up at the rather large female. He always thought he was modestly sized. Not huge but still a descent height. However for a moment they acknowledged they had to look up to make eye contact with the large canine. Sitting down to make things somewhat easier he finally responded, "Wow, you're a lot bigger then I thought." His mind doing a quick pause as he tried to think of something else to say. The size difference was quite obvious. Their eyes wandering for a second before he noticed another of the cream colored stones. He would gather that up momentarily. However, they remained their attention mainly on the other female.

The stranger was certainly an odd one and Memento Mori couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics. Even their little friend, who she could only assume had the intelligence of a companion, had nearly fallen off, comically hanging there for a moment before he regained his footing and returned to the top of the wolf’s head. They were a pair, weren’t they? Meme had to hold back a chuckle, not wanting to seem rude to the stranger or their companion.

They were smaller than her, but Memento Mori was used to that. She had been blessed with larger height, thankfully. But being larger did not mean more powerful, as she had come to learn. The other was quick to comment on Meme being bigger and the wolfess grinned a bit. “You’re not really used to going around Boreas or Auster yet, are you?” Her question wasn’t unkindly spoken but hinted at what the stranger should expect.

“My own parents were even larger than I was. I never met my dad to confirm, but apparently, he was a bit bigger than even my mom, and she was huge.” She tilted her head to the side, noticing how their eyes wandered. Following their gaze Meme took notice of the cream-colored stones. “Oh, those are pretty. Do you collect them?” She asked, her tail wagging a little behind her. It felt nice to have a conversation with another. The boys were great but sometimes a little variety in interactions didn’t hurt, right?

They snapped back when they realized she noticed their wandering gaze. Vashou's own tail shifting as he moved to a seated position. Salvador moving to sit underneath the wolf and give Vashou's neck a break.

Their tail moving in quick motion as their eyes looked back to the wolf. "I barely moved here when I crossed the bifrost at a young age. " My parents lived on the other side. I was walking through in search of a nice hole to make my home. I found a comfortable den here, but, learned rather quickly when it rains the den becomes aquatic life only. So I had to relocate to higher points." He looked to the side acknowledging that the first move was rather frustrating.

He paused a moment noticing her question about the the cream colored stones. "Yes I like how they match my head fur." He said with a tail wag. Sadly finding stones to match the other shades have been a bit harder. " he however paused for a moment, "But I lost alot of my stone collection when the first den washed out. "So I've been seeking out more, however there are alot, you can take that one if you wish."

The stranger said that her parents lived on the other side, which she could only assume meant that this she-wolf was from Boreas. Maybe it was her age then that had kept her from meeting very many others yet and that was why she hadn’t seen the behemoths that walked the lands. Not that every wolf was a mountain of a creature, but it sure felt like there were more giants around than she remembered. Either way, she also went on to say that she had been searching for a place to den when she found this place and, much like Memento suspected when it rained the lower caverns and alcoves got flooded.

“I’m not very surprised at that fact. The walls of the canyon are pretty carved out, something that happens after years and years of water moving past them. I’d imagine that was probably pretty scary though when you first found out about it. At least the flooding wasn’t so bad you got washed away. Flood waters can be pretty powerful from what I hear; take a full-grown wolf down with them and there is little they can do.” She blinked her pale silvery-blue eyes.

“Makes sense to me. It does match it fairly closely. You’d need to find somewhere with clay-colored stone to match your fur better. You might have to travel a bit for that, though.” She lowered her haunches to the earth and curled her tail around her body. “No, no. I’m not much of a collector myself.” Meme smiled gently. “More of an admirer, really. You keep it, it matches you better anyway.” Her gaze traveled down towards the weasel for a moment before lifting back up to the stranger.

“I wasn’t really expecting to meet anyone here if I am being honest.” Meme chuckled softly. “I was born here in Auster, though not in the canyon itself. It’s been nice to come how and wander the lands again. A mix of having an adventure with a sense of nostalgia.” The femme tilted her head to the side and continue to speak. “Though I’m curious what made you want to live out here. I wouldn’t think the steep cliffs are too safe, though I suppose if you’re an adept fisher there is food and water practically at your doorstep.” She chuckled.

“Ah yes, by the way… I’m Memento Mori. Seems we jumped straight to talking and forgot to even introduce ourselves.”

He sat for a moment as she spoke listening to her before saying, "Well, I suppose I like to collect small items that catch my interest. However, clay stone might be a bit stickier and harder to find. He looked to his paw wiggling the digits to let the fur move. Trying to imagine how little he wanted to clean his paws. Especially the middle bits where he knew most of the clay would end up. He paused a moment poking his pad into the small space between his paws looking closer and closer almost getting a bit too distracted by his paw as he looked even deeper into his paw. Before returning to reality and looking up, "Hello" he said as he realized what he was doing. He would pause for a moment as he struggled to think of what he was saying prior. His furrowed expression one of obvious confusion.

Memento Mori chuckled softly at the stranger’s response. “They would be a mess if they were actually made of clay, you’re not wrong. But I was referring to stones like this, just colored that color. Not actual clay.” She could certainly sympathize with the idea of getting her fur dirty and then it being a pain to clean. Especially with white fur, or the thicker hair-like fur on her head. Goodness knows how much of a pain it was to get the mud out of that fur. The femme wasn’t overly fond of bathing, but it was a necessary evil at times. She waited, hoping for the stranger to introduce themselves. It seemed instead that she started to space out, getting lost in her own thought while examining her paw. Meme blinked and quirked a brow as she watched them. Was… it normal for a wolf to get so distracted mid-conversation? Was she boring or something? Meme frowned, furrowing her brow as she watched them. “Are you good? Do you need a healer?” She asked. She was genuinely concerned, her pale silvery-blue eyes remaining on the other. Her ears twitched, hearing more rocks shifting from somewhere higher up. But right now she was more worried about whoever this was. "Talk, 'Think.'

Vashou blinks before realizing they was mid pause. The earthen colored wolf started to shake out his fur. Before quickly appologising, "I'm sorry, my mind tends to wander off the track. A bit too far some times. I don't know if it's normal but so far it doesn't seem to happen when things are serious. So I haven't given it too much thought. He settled in place sitting himself back down in the spot. "My name is Vashou, as for last name I don't really remember my parents or the name they carried. Just tidbits of advice here and there. I crossed the bifrost to get here. Just me and Salvador here." He said as his tail swished faster. "Talk, 'Think.'

The stranger shook out their fur before they apologized. So it had been a space out? Well, so long as it didn’t happen during serious moments, she supposed, it couldn’t be that dangerous. Maybe they just had a short attention span. Speaking of which, as the stranger introduced themselves as Vashou, Memento Mori realized something odd about the other wolf. Perhaps she’d been avoiding it up until that point, somehow, but their scent was off. While there was a more dominantly female part of Vashou’s scent the stranger also bore a male scent too. It was strange, it wasn’t the scent of some other wolf on them, or their companion, Salvador. No, Meme realized, the scent belonged to Vashou alone. “I see.” She blinked her pale-blue eyes with surprise, trying to avoid asking the very rude question; Are you a boy or are you a girl? “You’re a… uh.. A unique one, Vashou. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like yourself. Alone, without family, but also not really remembering them…” Not that she thought the other wolf was lying to her. Vashou seemed strange, but they didn’t seem malicious either. In fact, they just seemed like a friendly loner trying to make a life for themselves. Strange, but she supposed she could seem weird to others too. “At least you have Salvador though. I know having a companion or two can really make a difference when you’re otherwise out on your own.” Then, as if on cue, the sound of sliding rocks and claws clicking down the steep canyon side caused her to look up. Sure enough, Rein and Jacques had followed her down into the canyon, the two jackals holding very different responses to seeing the she-wolf. Rein’s ears were perked forward, tail wagging as he spoke. “Ah, Meme! You’ve made a friend it seems.” He peered around the she-wolf and grinned. “Hello there!” Jacques on the other hand, being the grump that he was, scowled as he glanced over Memento Mori’s other side at Vashou and Salvador. “They smell weird… and they are letting the snack sit between their paws like it’s a friend.” He was referring to the little weasel, of course, his dark eyes watching it carefully. “That’s Salvador,” Memento Mori corrected. “Not a snack so don’t even think about it.” She glanced over her shoulder at Vashou. “Sorry… These are my companions, Rein,” She nodded towards the friendly jackal. “...and Jacques.” She nodded to the grumpy one. "Talk, 'Think.'

Vashou nodded for a moment and looked up to Meme, quietly pondering what they intended to say next. He wasn't upset as alot of their features would be considered unusual. Even though they technically function as a female they have male organs. Neither of which work.

Vashou smiled and nodded in response to her comment about Salvador, "Yeah, he has been a great help in getting me aquanted with the new locale. It would have been quite lonely if I never had him." His tail brushing the air as he looked upward wondering if he heard something. He looked up soon seeing the two Jackal's make their way down the side of the hill.

Vashou paused a moment as they soon confirmed what they heard. The movement of gravel confirming the approach as two others slowly slide their way down the hill. Vashou gave a skeptical glance as they tensed for a moment. Uncertain if he could trust either one as they came down. His eyes turning focused for a moment before his new friend spoke. His tail going from stiff to the unsteady movement as he slowly relaxed himself. Vashou still quite skeptical of the two new visitors. However, Meme seemed to have it under control. Vashou's body mostly relaxed as they said almost forcing the words out, "alright, Rein and Jacques, it's a pleasure to meet you." Still a bit on edge from the rather sudden introduction.

Vashou sat for a moment to regain himself admittedly a bit surprised at the two new visitors. Vashou could feel Salvador making his way to the top of their head and settling down peacefully. Salvador was certainly a bit uneasy about the two standing in front of him. Vashou looked up before turning back to the three in front of him.

So it seemed Salvador had been helping them get accustomed to the new area. That was a bonus in Memento Mori’s mind. A companion who knew the lay of the land could serve to be a great aid… and help keep you out of danger in the end. Sure the weasel was small, but he looked capable enough. Meme had learned a while ago that you didn’t judge someone based on size alone. That didn’t define what they were capable of. Hell, she was easily twice the size of either of her companions, with Rein being just a bit bigger than Jacques… and they were good hunters and even better friends. As Vashou spoke to them Rein’s tail gave a wag of delight. “Likewise! It’s a pleasure to meet you and Salvador. Any friend of Meme’s are friends of mine.” His light was a stark contrast to Jacques who scowled where he stood, choosing to remain silent. Rein shifted on his paws, looking around the canyon with interest. “So you guys live here then? What do you do for fun?” Even compared to Memento Mori he clearly had more energy, walking towards the water as he spoke to Vashou to see if he could find anything of interest within it. Meme chuckled softly at Rein’s antics. He was always one to brighten even the darkest mood. She had picked up on how Vashou seemed to tense a little. The addition of her companions might have made them uncomfortable… they were certainly a pair. Hell, Jacque’s grumpy butt had a presence of his own. Even she had needed to take some time to get used to them. “Sorry Vashou, Salvador. I hope the bigger crowd doesn’t make you feel too uncomfortable. Just ignore Jacques, he won’t do anything.” The male snorted beside her. “I heard that.” “I wasn’t exactly whispering. You were meant to hear it.” She told him cheekily. "Talk, 'Think.'

Vashou sat for a moment and thought about the question Rein presented. Vashou's ears shifting partially down to show he was thinking. For a moment Vashou struggled to think of a good answer.

Vashou licked behind his left paw. It was a small thing that Vashou did when they was thinking to help keep their mind going on one track. It however did sometimes confuse the others who saw them. Making Vashou seem like he was injured. However, the warm tongue on their paw helped Vashou stay on track. Was useful in situations where Vashou needed to keep their thoughts on track.

Vashou paused and said, "I guess I like to gather things, herbs stones plants, even chunks of wood that look neat. " They settled in spot for a brief second the stones seperating and crumbling about as he set himself among them before continuing, "I like oddities like myself. I guess, anything that seems unusual is something I'm fond of. "

Rein waited politely, the jackal observing Vashou as they licked at their paw. The other seemed to be in deep thought, though the behavior was an odd one, typically of an injured creature. Meme, too, had refocused on Vashou while Jacques sat huffing and puffing in response to the female wolf’s earlier cheek. Silence filled the area for a couple of moments, but the wolf and two jackals didn’t try to hurry Vashou’s answer, giving them the time they needed to respond. Then, at long last, they did. They were a collector of things, natural ones, it seemed. Rein couldn’t help but tilt his head curiously. “Oddities huh? I’ve never met a collector like that before. Pretty neat, if you ask me.” Memento Mori had noticed something else, her own curiosity rising a bit. “You mentioned that you also collect herbs. Are you gathering them for healing properties, just because they look pretty, or a bit of both?” Healers had always fascinated her. She had never been overly good with plants herself. She knew how to make a basic poultice to cover her wounds but beyond that she never did, and she only knew that because of the two jackals. Jacques had needed his fair share in his lifetime, given he was more eager to fight than his brother. Deciding to add on to her question, mainly something that had been nagging in the back of her mind about herself, she spoke again. “I’m… also curious about something else. Do you prefer to live alone, well, not alone… You have Salvador… but have you ever considered trying to join a pack or band?” "Talk, 'Think.'

Vashou sat back down for a moment their ears flicking quietly as they considered the questions. Vashou's tail doing a wiggle as he looked around, "Well yeah, I guess I get them for a mix of reasons. The main one being that I like to have things ready. However, I admit I don't generally keep it in an orderly manner. So they may come off a little scrambled. However, I have been taking lessons and trying to learn about the varying elements of each herb. I want to help others and make sure things are fine. " Vashou spoke in a semi serious tone before pausing.

Vashou's expression darkened for a moment, "I suppose I've thought about joining a pack, however, I've heard both good and bad things about this. I don't like the idea of imprisoning others because they're in your turf. So if I was in a pack, I'd prefer to be a warden. " Vashou sat for a minute, "Or a medic, somewhere I'm tasked to watch and take care of others. Specifically those who may have been captured. " He then paused as his mind continued for a moment, "However, I'd have to really resonate with the alpha otherwise I'd leave as quickly as I joined. " Vashou sat for a moment and scratched their left ear while he looked to her, "What about you, would you consider joining a pack." his voice shaking from the sudden roughness of the scratch.

At the end Vashou paused and saw something move in the water. His eyes dead focused for a moment before he jumped in. Snapping his jaw around the shadow. Vashou paddled their way back to the shoreline and put the item they caught down. It was... a large carp now flopping about in Vashou's maw as he put the fish on the ground. Chomping down on its neck to snap it and kill the fish. Vashou kept their bite firmly against it as they grasped it firmly. Vashou feeling a bit more successful wagged their tail at the capture.

“You’re already doing better than I would have. I suppose I could learn about herbs and their properties but it’s a lot to remember. While I like thinking about things, I’d worry about getting them mixed up with one another. Some plants look awfully similar and I’d feel just awful if I gave someone the wrong treatment or too much of one. I know you need more or less depending on the size of the wolf you’re working with, and sometimes the wrong amount can be lethal.” It was a deterrent from learning about herbs ever since she was young. Rein knew some things about healing though, enough for first aid at least, and had kept any cuts and scratches the trio got clean and free of infection. “Oh yeah? I’m no expert on healing things, but I can give you a rundown about certain plants or treatments for sure. If you’re ever curious about one, feel free to ask if we’re around, or look us up. Meme probably isn’t that hard to find with the fiery bits on her coat.” Rein grinned at this as he motioned toward the woman’s orange and yellow marks. As Vashou’s attention shifted to packs, Jacques spoke up first. “Not all wolves will imprison others. Though if they are imprisoned for trespassing, well, that’s kind of their own fault. Alphas put up border scents for a reason. If you’re foolhardy enough to ignore that you kind of deserve it.” Memento Mori frowned at Jacques’ words. She didn’t like the idea of anyone being held against their will either. But it made sense for repercussions if one trespassed onto pack lands. “I know just about any pack would have a medic. Many packs need extra paws to take care of those in need. I can get what you mean though, about resonating with an alpha… It just wouldn’t feel right otherwise, you know?” Memento Mori furrowed her brow as the question was turned on her. “I can’t say I’m… necessarily the most eager about packs either. My mother often shoved the idea of me being some great, noble leader waging war against my family’s enemies down my throat. That sort of stuff turns you away from wanting to try a little bit, you know?” She lowered her gaze. “I can’t say I haven’t considered it though. I’m leaning more toward the idea of a band than a pack. They tend to have looser rules and laws… but I don’t know. It would take something pretty special at this point to have me consider joining a pack.” If only she knew who she’d be running into sometime after this encounter. But then Vashou paused, something seemed to catch their eye. Meme blinked, tail flicking thoughtfully as she watched him. Ah, well that was quite the catch! Memento Mori chuckled softly, impressed. “Well done. That was quite the catch, Vashou!” "Talk, 'Think.'