Her thoughts were so loud inside of her head that she had not noticed someone sneaking in past the borders, well past the borders to be acceptable by pack standards. It was not until she heard the little voice calling out to her in a mixture of words and yips that the newly promoted hunter realized someone was there. The fact the voice came from a child was instantly startling - the only children she knew to reside in Donostrea were typically much quieter than this one sounded - and looking very obviously surprised Anais stopped in her tracks upon the dark colored beach to turn her head toward the young caller.
The hare she had been carrying dropped to the sandy ground as her jaw went slack and her lemon-gold eyes went wide. One of her nieces! How in the world had she managed to get here? Immediately her eyes darted left and right, searching for any sign of other Donostrea wolves. Had anyone seen the girl? Would they be okay with her being here without prior warning? Nervously, Anais's ears turned back to settle against her head, and forgetting the hare she left it behind to quickly stride forward and intercept her young niece.
She stammered once, struggling for a brief second to recall the girl's name, and found it on her second try. "Nixie! What are you doing here?" Her voice, though friendly, was colored by confusion and worry, and she could not at the moment draw her expression out of its puzzled, concerned look into that of a warm smile. She wanted to express her happiness at seeing the girl, especially because Nixie looked so pleased with herself for being there, but she seemed to have made the trip alone, and Anais could only imagine the worry that Marina and Nako would feel - or were presently feeling - when they noticed her missing. "Is your father with you?" Anais questioned, casting another quick glance around them. Maybe he had come by for a visit and Nixie had just gotten ahead of him? She could not possibly have traveled alone, could she?
* Because he has become her protector, Glacier is allowed into any and all threads that Anais may be in, regardless of how they are tagged.
