Having lived for a season in the west, she'd grown accustomed to territory that was dry, bland and lacking in vitality. Having found herself at the Falmer's Dunes, she had hardly noticed the cross from west to south territory. It seemed no different, except that she was sure she caught faint, tell-tale scents wafting from packs that were further south than west. Ah well, she didn't really care where she was, as long as she was seeing new places and not invading on anyone's land. Trotting along, kicking her paws through the sandy ground, she made her way to a high hill. Despite being used to dry lands, it never ceased to her amaze her the lack of rain and moisture in places like this. Mid-spring and there was no rain, and the ground she walked upon was dry as could be. How was anything supposed to thrive? As she came to the top of a rise, she approached a strange, prickly looking plant curiously. She knew she'd better not touch it, as it didn't look too friendly... but she couldn't help it. She had to see what would happen if she grazed it just lightly with the end of her black, cold, wet nose. It took less than one second for Esarosa to regret her curiosity as she felt the fine needles pierce the soft and sensitive skin of her nose. She recoiled with a whimper, wanting to swipe her paw over the end of her snout, but knowing that would make it worse, she left it alone and merely backed away from the cactus, wondering what she would do next. She supposed she would have to go back to Argead and see if anyone could help her, but for now she was quite far from home. Was there anyone else in this barren place? "Speak" "Listen" Think

Oh gooooooddd!!!! It was sooooo hot here...paws scraped lazily across the sands as olive eyes stared angrily ahead. Why on earth had she even come here? Right...a band of rogues decided they wanted her freshly killed prey. Fucking good for nothing bastards! Not only that, but they taunted her as she ran. Were it just one rogue, she would have knocked him on his ass and left him in a coma. But no, it was at least five or six of them...and there was no way she was going to get her ass beat trying to defend her prey no matter how much she wanted to. Her dignity was certainly shot though...She sighed, stomach grumbling as the sun beat down on her. Life as a loner totally sucked. She had no friends...well...except for one. Esa...that was a sweet girl. And of course, Val's mentality that nobody would ever like her stuck. She had gotten it into her head that Esa was just being nice to her because she was different, and perhaps making fun of her behind the scenes. So she had left shortly after meeting her. "Aren't I the world's biggest idiot..." Of course, she knew her mind was overthinking everything. She felt like she was wandering without end, the road she was traveling since being banished, or rather...assumed dead. She missed being in a pack...missed her mother...but it was all gone now. She was still struggling to feel accepted, to accept herself. As her thoughts began to take a different turn, she turned her gaze skyward, and midway up she caught sight of a figure not too far away. Tilting her head as she watched the wolf get a little too close to a cactus, she smiled and chuckled to herself. What a foolish thing to do. She would quicken her pace to a trot, her smile widening when she noticed who it was. "Getting a little too personal with that cactus, Esarosa. Need some help?" "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

As she shuffled her paws around, tossing her head back and forth and trying to back away from the stinging pain in her nose, she yipped in surprise when a voice called out to her. She whipped around to face who was talking to her, coming face to prickly face with Valentina. What a surprise to see her here! How long had it been since they'd first met? Had it... had it already been a full four seasons? She was glad to see the intriguing woman after so long. She didn't see familiar faces often enough. Esa offered a smile, then winced with a crooked grin as the cactus needles pierced deeper into her skin. A sheepish chuckle escaped her when she realized what Val had said to her. "Yea, I really shouldn't have done that," she replied, stating the obvious, "Would you... could you help me? I'd really appreciate it Val." She wondered if the other woman would be able to help her with the fine needles stuck in the end of her nose. Maybe if she was just delicate enough... Esarosa didn't dare touch the needles with her own paws, but perhaps Val could do it. If not, she might have to get someone experienced to tend to it. Maybe Argead had a healer. Oh, maybe they could just go back to Argead together! Wouldn't that be great if she had a friend in her pack! She'd give Valentina a moment to respond and give it a shot at helping her out before she spoke anymore, since moving her lips to talk kinda hurt her prickled nose. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Olivine gaze watched her, a smile beginning to stretch her maw. My my, it certainly was a treat to find someone she hadn't seen in a while. A friendly face at that...someone familiar. She had agreed a while back to accompany the woman, but something in Val made her depart before they had even started. She had gotten scared, afraid to remain close. But after so much time alone, she was craving that relationship with someone else. A friend, if she could call this woman that. An amused laugh bubbled from her lips for a moment, her tail wagging a little as she studied the trouble her friend had gotten into. "No, you shouldn't have." She grinned further, and the creature would playfully roll her eyes with Esa's request for help. "Hold still, dear." Val moved closer, inspecting the needles that she could see embedded in her nose. While she hadn't dealt with cactus thorns before, she had to pull other fine thorns from her own paws. The only thing about cactus needles...they were really fine and thin. She narrowed her eyes as she inspected, and after a moment came to the conclusion she'd have to go up close and personal. "Don't move." She instructed as she began to edge closer. She would draw her face closer to Esa's, her nose inches from the other woman's as her lips peeled back a little. As carefully as possible, her teeth nipped the ends of the bigger thorns and she would gently pull back. It would take only a couple moments before she was satisfied that she got the worst of the thorns out, backing up a little then to give some breathing room. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to kiss you or anything. Feel a little better?" She playfully smirked as she sat back. God was she happy to see a familiar face. "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

Esa was glad for Valentina's playful scolding, even if she felt quite silly and more than a little embarrassed about her encounter with the cactus. She wasn't a pup, she should've known better. At least now she wasn't by herself, and she wouldn't have to walk all the way home just to get these needles out. She held still as Val demanded, waiting patiently and somewhat anxiously as the other wolf got up close, examining the needles closely. It was difficult to stay still with someone so close to her face, and she nodded ever so slightly when Val reminded her not to move. Still, she found herself blinking somewhat bashfully as Val got closer. She had to pinch her eyes shut as she awaited the pain that was to come as the other woman plucked the needles from her sensitive nose. Wincing in pain as the first few needles were removed, she waited for it to be over. It wasn't quite as bad as she thought it would be, but it was still unpleasant. A wide grin came to her face as Valentina spoke again. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to kiss you or anything. Feel a little better?". A chuckle esacped Esarosa. "I don't know, I was kinda worried that might have turned into something," she said jokingly with a laugh, rubbing a paw over her nose - it was much better, "Thanks so much, I didn't know what I was going to do. That's way better." She smiled, her gratitude obvious. Esarosa was glad to see Valentina, but she had a brief moment of wondering where she'd gone after they'd agreed to explore the southern continent together. Well, maybe that just wasn't meant to be. Esa wasn't going to ask. Maybe there was good reason for it. But still, she felt like they could be good friends, and she wanted to keep the interesting lady close. She'd had to find out a little about what had been going on since they'd last met. "So, what have you been up to for all these seasons?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "Speak" "Listen" Think

She certainly liked this girls humor. Val found herself laughing, and it felt good to laugh after all the brooding she'd been doing. And she'd been doing alot of that lately. When Esa thanked her, Val kept her smile as she shook her head a little. "Don't mention it. I'm sure if I was in a position like that, you'd do the same for me. Not that I would try to kiss a cactus or anything." Her tail wagged as she playfully grinned. This would probably be one of those memories she could playfully tease Esa about. And then the question came. Valentina's smile faded a little bit as she looked away. She knew she had made a promise, and she had broken it. One thing that kept her from finding Esarosa sooner was the thought that maybe she would be mad at her for disappearing. But it didn't seem that way at all. Returning her gaze to the other femme, she sighed. "Since we keep running into each other, I might as well confess." She thought for a moment on how to proceed, and decided it would be best to be straight with it. "I've been trying to work through some...issues...and because of my insecurities, I broke my promise to you. I am very sorry for that, and I hope you don't hate me for it. Oddly enough, I would hate to be hated by you...you're the only friend I have." It was then she thought to ask a question of her own. She hadn't noticed it before, but now she did. Esa smelled different now, and it surprised her. Her lips quirked back into a smile, eyes narrowing playfully once again. "Well well. Is that a pack stink on you?" "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

Esarosa smirked widely, nodding her head in agreement as Val said not to mention it. She'd do the same for her in a position like that. That much was definitely true. She'd always try to help a friend in a predicament. Then she blushed again and looked to her paws. Was she ever going to live it down? Peeking up at Val through emerald eyes, she could tell in the vixen's playful expression that she wasn't going to let Esa forget it. "Okay, okay, I get it!" she complained, a playful twinkle in her eyes, "It's like the dumbest things anyone's done.... ever!" She was about to playfully swipe some sand at the other woman, but before she could, she saw Val's expression change in response to her question... becoming more serious, Esa frowned and tilted her head. Had something bad happened? She looked to Valentina's olive eyes as she began to confess what was bothering her, giving reason for her disappearance. Esarosa was thankful for the honest answer - she wasn't sure what Val's insecurities were about - but at least she wasn't trying to make any excuses. She knew that she'd disappeared without a word, when she'd promised to explore the southern continent with Esa. "I can't hate you for that, Val," she assured her friend, "At least you're totally honest." Noticing Val's expression forming back into a smile, she paused, wondering what had caught the woman's attention. Then the question slipped out, and Esa had to grin in return. "Yea, it's weird, but I joined a pack," she said, nodding her head, "It was totally on a whim, because-" Hmm, did she tell Valentina why exactly she had joined a pack? I can be honest with her, too, right? she wondered to herself. Of course she could tell her! Or, at least she could start to mention it. After all, she didn't have anyone else to tell, and it would be nice to get it off her chest. "I kinda thought a certain someone would be there," she confessed, "Although, it's not really working out the way I thought it would when I joined Argead." Before she could say anymore, she wondered suddenly if Valentina needed a home. Was she interested in settling down? Maybe not, but there were some great benefits to this pack, and it wasn't oppressive like so many others. "Hey, maybe you can join too!" she exclaimed suddenly, a playfully cunning smirk crossing her features, "You can make it up to me for being M-I-A so long! You have to come to Argead!" She was curious to see what Val's response would be, tail wagging in amusement. She'd just have to come along, right? "Speak" "Listen" Think

She smiled and nodded at her friends response. And while she had been honest with her, she knew she eventually would be curious about her insecurities. Perhaps in time she would tell her friend, after all, she was still learning how to trust. But she figured that if she spent more time with her and got to know her better as a friend, she would eventually open up and tell her why she was insecure. She was still dealing with the thoughts, and with her past. And Esarosa was someone she knew she would be able to trust in the long run. She just needed time. She smirked when Esarosa told her about the scent she had detected. Argead? An interesting name. She was curious about who it was Esarosa was hoping to find, but she wouldn't press her....for now. Maybe later she would poke and prod, revisit the question if she remembered. If there was one thing about Valentina, she wasn't satisfied until her curiosity was. It was then her friend grew thoughtful, and Val was curious about what was on her mind. She was surprised when she said it, it was clear on Val's face as she continued to speak. Her? Join a pack? While she had thought about it a time or two, she hasn't really found anywhere that might suit her. She had visited imperium on accident, but she hadn't stayed. After meeting the alpha and his lackey who attacked her when she had accidentally crossed their borders while she was hunting, she had decided against staying. They seemed like a rough group, and while she didn't mind rough, she thought that perhaps they might be too rough for her liking. Valentina thought for a moment, wondering if this was something she could do. After a moment or two, she nodded. "Well you got me there. Alright, I might as well check it out. You're very convincing you know. So I'll make it up to you and follow you back." Yes, she was unsure. But she had been a Loner for long enough. She missed social interaction, and maybe it wouldn't be so bad with a friend there too. "Listen to me talk," 'and know my thoughts.'

Esarosa eagerly awaited her friend's response, leaning in with her tail waving; she could hardly stand the suspense, even though it was only moments before Valentina spoke. It would be great to have a friend she could talk to - her pack mates were great, and she enjoyed their company, but she still wasn't very close to anyone yet. Meeting with pack mates was more about duty and obligation, rather than friendship. She was certainly starting to get to know Steel more personally, and was glad for his willingness to spend any time with her, despite the fact that she knew she pestered him a lot on purpose. She liked his adventurous nature, and his willingness to go along with her absurd shenanigans. Still, it would just be so nice to have a female friend, someone she would never have to wonder about nor be shy around. They could talk about girly things, and she was sure they'd have many laughs together. The ebony woman smiled brightly when Valentina agreed to tag along, at least to check it out and give Argead a try. As Val said she was very convincing, a mischievous look glimmered in her emerald orbs, and she winked at her friend. "I knew I'd get you there," she said with a laugh, grinning excitedly, "Well come on, I can't wait to get you back home! I think you'll love it." She turned from Valentina and bounded through the sand, careful this time not to touch any cacti. She'd certainly learned enough about them for today. She looked over her shoulder, waiting for Valentina to follow her - her hopes were high now and she wouldn't let the woman get away from her this time! She looked forward to introducing her friend to Argead. Mithras would surely be pleased to welcome a new member to the pack, and Esa would do everything she could to help her friend settle in. Hoping her friend would catch up with her, she slowed her pace, though she knew they'd eventually have to pick it up a bit. There was no water around here, and it was getting hotter. Her black coat absorbed the heat greedily, and she was sure Val wouldn't be much better off. "The pack is just to the west," she explained - truly, it wasn't very far from where they were now, "There's a beautiful valley, surprisingly it gets enough rain to grow really nicely. It's so much different than all the dry lands in the west. Oh, and there's also a place with willow trees and a big pond. It's perfect!" Though she had been uncertain about pack life in the beginning, she was quite fond of the place she lived now, and she didn't feel chained like she had imagined she would. "Speak" "Listen" Think