Walk | Talk | Think While the promotion she had received had been as thrilling as it was rewarding, Anais was feeling the pressure. The job she now possessed went above and beyond the basic requirements of an average hunter and added more responsibility to her plate, more responsibility she was honored to have been given but that she was still struggling to comprehend. What did it really mean for her daily routine? And for the pack? She had been content, more or less, before to simply wander about on her own in search of quick meals that she could add to the pack's cache and contribute in that quiet way, particularly since most of the other members seemed too comfortable with their own routines to become a part of hers. But as a lead hunter of sorts - she still had trouble remembering the exact title of her rank - did that mean she needed to intrude into the rest of the pack's life and draw them in to her role? The thought of doing so was still intimidating. Despite Glacier's best efforts and endless assurances, the golden brown hunter was still unsure of her footing with his family. He seemed convinced they loved her, respected her, and was happy that she was there, but she had never truly witnessed it for herself. Aside from Voltage, she could not really say she knew his family that well at all. It added a certain level of reluctance to her as she considered what to do with her newfound power and status, and continued to make her question what she ought to be doing. While the overall scheme of things still puzzled her, Anais continued to drag in small game for the pack. She made occasional fishing excursions in the shallow, calmer portions of the beach, and frequent trips to the Algoma Prairie like she had done that morning. Currently on a return trip, she carried within her jaws a slim hare, limply swaying with each step she took. Though her expression was somewhat distorted by the task of carting her catch to the pack's cache, her brow was furrowed above her lemon-gold eyes, testament to how seriously she was considering her new position. Was this okay? Could she keep hunting like this? Or would she need to enlist the help of Glacier's brothers and sisters soon? Still unsure, Anais continued her march across the beach toward the pack's communal den so that she could drop off the hare with the rest of their ready-made meals.

She'd done it! She'd escape the evil clutches of her mother's supervision and was now running as fast as she could out of the Gulley. She had spotted auntie Ana leaving this way a few times. And today would be the day she discovered where she always went. Not to mention Auntie Ana always smelled like something she'd never smelled before. It smelled like the taste of the rocks she licked sometimes, so did that mean her auntie had her own special store of rocks that she didn't wanna share!? Racing past the first territory boundaries, she had no idea that Auntie Ana belonged to a pack. Nixie didn't even know what a pack was, but she knew auntie Ana smelled like salt and she wanted to know why. As her little paws flopped about, tongue hanging from her jaws with the effort of running, she would spot a familiar golden figure on the horizon. With a wagging tail and burst of speed, she yipped and yapped to get her aunt's attention. "Auntie Anaaaaa!!!" She would call out, giggling as she drew closer. Boy, her aunt must be proud that she had managed to track her all the way here!

Walk | Talk | Think 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?

Her tail wagged feverishly, the fact that she was in pack lands and the worry and confusion in her aunt's voice going right over her head. She was oh so pleased that she had successfully tracked her aunt all the way here, and the fact that she was alone didn't even cross her mind. As her aunt answered, Nixie dropped her rump to the ground and she stared at her aunt, almost stunned that she didn't know why she was here! "I'm here to see where you hide your rocks! You always smell like salt, I wanna know why you hide salt!" Ok, maybe she wasn't too smart right now. She was a firm believer that her aunt had a stash of minerals that she kept to herself. When her aunt asked if her father was with her, she shook her head pretty quick. A lopsided grin on her face. "Nope! I made it all by myself! Daddy and mommy are back home, I followed your scent!" She hopped up onto her feet, tail wagging harder as she waited for praise. Little did she know that it was definitely not okay to do that. Let alone cross pack lands, not that she knew what it was. All she smelled was salt, so her aunt's stash was around here somewhere...right? ""

Walk | Talk | Think With her anxiety still fired up, Anais continued to look at her niece with unabashed puzzlement. Her search for her brother, the girl's father, had proved fruitless, with no sign of the feathered wolf anywhere. She could not wrap her mind around the idea of the child making the trip from her den all the way here, despite the two locations being side by side to one another. It was dangerous! She could imagine Marina kept a vigilant eye on her children, but recalling how challenging it had been just to keep Espirit out of trouble Anais knew the job of watching three - four - was even more of a handful. Nixie's initial response brought about even more confusion as her aunt tried to understand what she meant. Salt? Anais did not carry around rocks of salt. If the rumors were true, she suspected Voltage might have had one, or maybe even a few if they had a peculiar shape. But rocks were not something that she made a point of collecting, and the only ones that she had managed to keep were the ones Glacier had picked out for the prettiness and had left for her to find in her den. "Salt?" she repeated, feeling at a loss when suddenly it hit her. Salt! The ocean! The scent of the air here must have altered her smell, marking her with the scent of the beach. Recognition dawned with a knowing, amused smile, followed by a soft chuckle. At least she knew how to explain it now. Her sneaking suspicion, however, was also confirmed right after. Nixie had made the trek alone, navigating her way out of the Fern Gulley and onto the Obsidian Beach not only without her parents detecting but also without anyone on the border of the pack lands noticing either. It was actually quite a feat, if Anais was being entirely honest, but encouraging her nieces maneuverability did not seem the best way to handle the situation given the circumstances. She sighed, and reclined back onto her haunches to sit across from the excited girl. "That's...really impressive, Nixie," she admitted hesitantly, "but it's best to let your parents know where you're going if you leave them like this. They could be worried if they don't know." How did she explain the dangers without crushing her sense of freedom with fear? Trying not to sound too incredibly over-protective, though she was starting to assume she was, Anais managed a weak smile and leaned forward to nuzzle her niece's cheek. "I really am happy to see you though." And in one piece.