"You must be out your mind!"

Echoes of words spoken so long ago she could hardly recall the voice of the speaker reverberated through her consciousness, eliciting only dull feelings of amusement much unlike the scathing retort she had fired back at the time. It seemed so long ago now that she was finally recalling these memories. Her brow was furrowed as she walked deep in thought. Surprisingly the past seasons had served to improve her appearance, forcing her to seek shelter and focus on caring for herself for once. Her pelt was significantly less filthy, and she no longer seemed as though she would blow away with the wind. Her paws though, they still looked rough. Her claws were ground down at the ends and her pads had yet to recover from all the walking they'd been put through.

A warm breeze was caressing the endless waves of grass, causing it to sway to and fro. She could see the backs of large snorting buffalo when the vegetation surrounding them dipped down due to the constant push of wind. She compulsively licked her lips at the thought of such a large kill. She quickly forced herself to banished those thoughts from her mind. She had no way of catching such creatures on her own. Even if she should enlist the help of Inverno in a hunting expedition she highly doubted they could take down something so large and strong.

Climbing to the top of one of the large hills, she flopped down to watch the world go by, letting out a heavy sigh and stretching out her front legs, letting out a soft grunt of relief.

Faite was about ready to return home after her expedition. She'd done quite a bit of sight seeing on this trip and had had a good time exploring a little bit more of the south. She couldn't quite bring herself to leave Imperium's old lands quite yet. She'd already came across the orchard. She'd noted the fruit that was slowly growing, but she was sad that it wasn't ripe yet. It wouldn't be ripe until the fall so she made a mental note to come back. She could imagine some of the pups would enjoy it. She'd also come across some old strange buildings that caught her interest. They were foreign and she had yet to figure out what they were for. They seemed to be falling apart and in bad shape so she doubted they'd serve as good shelter. She'd stayed to sniff around a bit before she went elsewhere. It was the buffalo that really caught her attention. Celestial had never contained animals as large as it. She was almost envious that Imperium had once gotten to keep these animals to themselves. She could imagine their meat would feed a pack for a long time and that wasn't to mention what use their hides could do. Imagine curling up with that in the winter time? The thought made her grin. A part of her debated trying to hunt one but she knew she'd have no luck. One look at the curved horns on their head told her that they'd kick her ass. Not to mention the size of them. They were absolutely gigantic and her size certainly was nothing to boast about. So she traveled away from them to give them a wide berth before she neared a hill. She scent of another wolf was strong and she, being the nosy and friendly wolf she was, climbed up the hill to see who it was. Naturally it was a wolf she'd never met before so she gave the woman a little bit of distance. "It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" She said after noticing she'd been staring out at the knolls. Walk, "Talk" Think

Stretching out with nothing to do but admire her surroundings was a nice change of pace. She even let out a yawn that seemed to claw it's way from deep inside her and lasted for several long seconds. Tired blue eyes flicked back and forth from the massive creatures grazing nearby to the rest of the magnificent land she had stumbled on. Maybe it was the growing pang of hunger in her belly that drew her eye to the dauntingly powerful prey animals that snorted and grazed so carefree, as if they knew few creatures could compete with their power. She envied such self-confidence, smirking at the idea of a buffalo that knew it was such a force to be reckoned with.

The sound of rustling caused by an approaching creature made her turn, finding another wolf with rather lovely and striking heterochromatic eyes. She didn't bother to move just yet and took a few moments to admire the other woman's pelt. It seemed like wolves here had much more interesting pelts than those she encountered back home...

Her eyes flicked back to the lovely scenery and her lips twisted slightly into a smile, "It really is quite nice. I imagine living here would be amazing. One would certainly never go hungry," She mused, gesturing towards the dark buffalo that had begun shuffling along the valley below her high perch. Slowly she pushed herself up on her forelegs, letting her muscles stretch out and slowly pulling herself into a sitting position.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Caelum."

The woman didn't seem bothered by her approach. Instead she turned to look at Faite and the russet and silver wolf kept her calm and friendly demeanor. She took the opportunity to look the other female over. Pale coat for the most part with black markings to top it off. Overall very simple, though her appearance wasn't displeasing. Her pelt colors almost reminded her of her younger siblings. The wolf looked back to the landscape and Faite's gaze traveled back to the grazing buffalo. An ear flicked in the other wolf's direction as she spoke and she was glad others seemed to have an appreciation for the territory as well. She was sad to see that a pack no longer resided here, but if they had she certainly wouldn't be here to enjoy the view. Trespassing certainly hadn't been on her to do list. "A large pack actually used to live here once. I didn't know any of their members, but their borders were very distinct. I can imagine they ate quite well." She chuckled. She was sure they worked harder to feed themselves, but with the buffalo, and a large pack, it was certain they had enough food to last them. Her eyes would return to the black and white wolf as she rose. Her tail waved softly behind her and she peered at her curiously as she stretched and then sat down. The other introduced herself as Caelum and Faite dipped her head more formally. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Faite." Walk, "Talk" Think

He had been trailing her from a distance, a rather far distance so that he wouldn't be noticed. He hadn't informed her that he would be fallowing and honestly the man didn't know why he felt the need to fallow her. Part of it had to been the instincts of protecting the alpha and part of it was because she was the only familiar face in these lands. He wasn't sure if she would be happy about him trailing her which is another reason he had stayed far back. They had become somewhat of a team and so far had been ensuring each others survival. Like her the male was looking a hell of a lot better then he did before last winter. He had filled out more, rested up, and was in the process of building his muscles back up. He had begun to form a routine again and was beginning to feel like he had a purpose. They were still loners, but the male was beginning to act as though they were a small pack. His days started early each morning getting up and doing a short distance border patrol. No matter where they had moved to he had made an imaginary border where ever they went. This border was traveled maybe two or three times a day to be sure there was no danger nearby. He walked, he trotted, or he ran so he could build himself back up. Soon he would need to start sparring and refresh his fighting skills she he may protect if the need arose. He still wasn't sure where her thoughts lie and there hadn't been much talk as to what they were going to do, but the man was starting to prepare himself for whatever may happen. He slowed his pace as her trail grew much hotter then what it had been This was telling him that up ahead she had spent some more then normal time in, or was still there. Carefully he moved forward, his movements slower until he figured out what was going on. Lifting his nose to the air he took in the scents around until his nose picked up a second scent nearby, another wolf. For a moment his body stiffened as he listened for any sounds of fighting, but there was none. Moving forward the male fallowed her scent. When he came to one of the larger hills and began to climb up it, When he peaked the top the male saw what was going on, Caelum and another female. Both were relaxed so he assumed that it was small talk. The female had an odd striking coat that wasn't hard on the eyes, but definitely different from back home. He moved forward and took a seat beside Caelum His gold orange eyes looking out at the buffalo without a word. Talking & Thinking

It took her a while to realize how long it had been since she managed to bump into someone new. Sure she had company in her dear friend, and she wasn't really starved for interaction. It simply intrigued her to think how large the land must be. One season you might meet a dozen strangers, and the next you might not manage to cross paths with very many individuals at all. Of course she hadn't left this general area since she met Inverno this past fall. She felt a stir of eagerness to meet more wolves like this woman, and to see more of this land that she admitted may become her new home given some time. That thought brought on more guilt though and she winced slightly, turning to distract herself from her own wandering mind by listening to the reply to her previous words.

So a pack had once lived her. She smiled at the thought of a pack of wolves with round, well fed bellies from eating too much buffalo. "I'm not surprised they would choose to live here, hunting wouldn't be too difficult with enough pack members to help things go smoothly," She mused. A pang on envy went through her at the idea of how easy it would be to survive here. Maybe she did need to eat something soon, Cae was focusing too much on the darn prey beasts.

Faite. That was an interesting name, a nice name. It rolled off the tongue in a pleasing way. "That's a lovely name." Cae tilted her head, pondering where to direct the conversation next when she both smelled and saw Inverno approaching. She knew he stuck close to her and couldn't really say she found it all that surprising that he had shown up. Though she still rejected any notion that she was in any way still a leader, she recently had come to accept that she would always have that role in his mind, even as they grew closer as friends than they had ever been as pack-mates she would always be 'alpha'. He took a seat beside her without a word and Cae smirked and nudged at his neck gently in greeting.

Blue eyes returned to gazing at Faite while she contemplated something to say, now including a quick introduction. "This is Inverno. We..." She trailed off, still not sure how to explain things without delving into the past too much. They weren't really a pack now. She wasn't a real alpha now. "We travel together." She finished lamely, glancing at her quiet friend. "So, do you live around here? I haven't seen to much of the land or met many wolves here."

"Oh I can imagine the bison still gave them a hard time." She grinned softly. Her gaze drifted back to the animals and once more she was drawn towards the horns on the creatures. Sure, Imperium must have had a grand time feeding the pack with them. She couldn't imagine taking down on was easy though. If they were anything like deer, the horns alone would be enough to spill your guts where you stood. Hooves could smash your skull in with ease and she could easily imagine one falling on you would break at least a few bones. So she fully believed they'd fight back. They were powerful creatures and she was sure they knew that. "Thank you, but it's not so interesting as Caelum." She said with a smile, her attention turning back to the other woman. She was surprised to hear someone behind them. She turned her head to watch a pale wolf striding towards them. His mood seemed almost lack luster and he was silent as he came to sit next to Caelum. An eyebrow rose as she stared at him hard for a good long moment, but he didn't seem as keen on talking as the female, but they obviously knew her by how easily Caelum accepted his presence. Caelum introduced him as Inverno and she glanced towards the brute to see if there was any form of recognizing that they were even there as he stared out at the buffalo. Regardless she flashed him the same smile she'd offered to Caelum. "Nice to meet you Inverno." She then turned her head to look back at Caelum as she explained that they traveled together. She could see the added benefits of traveling as a pair. They'd be allowed to take down prey easier and had the added bonus of being able to protect each other. It seemed like a good idea. Had she had a traveling buddy she probably would have done the same thing. Instead of commenting on it though she focused on Caelum's question. "I actually live in a pack to the west, though I intend of making my own pack some day soon. I'll have to admit it's harder than it looks." She grinned at her. Finding followers was harder than it looked. Walk, "Talk" Think

Though he never was the type to have much to say he didn't want to interrupt the conversation that was already at hand, so respectfully he remained quiet. His eyes scanned the herd and he began to lightly dig his front claws into the ground. It would be great if they would have enough wolves to take one of those large creatures down, he had never had one of them before and he imagined that the kill would feed them for a while. Right now it was way to risky, even if this female would join them it would be way to risky for them to attempt one of the large beasts. He was thinking it would be time for him to get a meal again and since Cae seemed to look and feel better maybe the two of them could try their luck at taking a deer down. That could feed them for a day or two at least. His attention was soon drawn away, ears swiveling back lightly as Cae nudged him a slight smirk forming on his face as his eyes drew to look at her then over to the other female. Cae was kind enough to introduce him giving an entrance into their conversation so that he felt he would be able to speak now without being rude. His eyes looked to the other female as she greeted him and he respectfully dipped his head to her. "Nice to meet you to," he agreed, his deep voice matching his more taller body. Though the introduction Cae gave was short and he felt it was a proper label for now. No longer a pack you couldn't really say they were pack mates without explaining their past together. They were simply friends traveling and surviving together. In fact he had felt they had been getting a bit closer now then they had been when the pack was together. He was able to have a one on one time with her now unlike before and neither of them were busy like that had been. He had found it somewhat relaxing, but still struggled with what purpose he had now without pack duties. He listened to Cae question finding it sparked a bit of curiosity in him. How big was this land, how many packs resided in it, and how many other wolves were there? They hadn't come in contact with any over the winter and so far yet this year, but that didn't mean that they were the only ones. One towards the west and this female was planning to make a pack of her own, so at least two. The male nodded. "How many more packs are there to your knowledge," he asked. Talking & Thinking

She smirked at Faite's words, nodding in agreement. The beasts would likely give anyone who pursued them whole bunch of trouble if they didn't have the numbers to take one down. Unfortunately for her stomach she had decided such would be the case for herself whether or not she felt particularly brave. Even if Faite was interested in a hunt they wouldn't be able to catch such massive beasts, so she forced herself to put them out of her mind. There were more interesting things to discuss anyways.

She was glad she's taken the opportunity to introduce Inverno into the conversation. He'd seemed like he didn't want to just butt in uninvited, though she could hardly think of a situation where she wouldn't welcome his company, even if she was speaking with someone. Glancing between her companions she paused to listen to their words. So there was at least one existing pack here. Hearing this made her realize how much - or how very little - she knew of the lands she had been staying in.

Eventually she responded to their respective words in a thoughtful tone, "Hm. I hadn't heard of any packs here, though I suppose now that I think about it I've never taken the time to ask anyone about those who live here. What is your pack like, if you don't mind my asking?" Caelum found the whole subject very interesting now that it was on her mind. A sense of gladness washed over her when she considered that if her path hadn't crossed with Faite she might not have had the sense to ask anyone else these questions.

She smiled at the idea of the other woman's ambition to start a pack. It felt like an eternity since she had gone on a journey to do the same thing so many years ago, and though she didn't like to think of it for long she did have to smile at the thought of her younger self, so full of ambition. "Oh, starting a pack is no easy task, I agree. Not just assembling members, but establishing your leadership. It's easy to be a friend, but being an alpha brings a lot of tough choices with it." she mused. Soon her smile darkened though as her own words brought on a memory of one such choice she had been forced to make. Indeed, it wasn't easy to start a pack, and it didn't necessarily get easier as you went.

When Inverno posed the question about how many packs there were she forgot her previous thoughts and nodded, also curious to know about the packs who lived here. Knowing more about where they were staying could only be a good thing.

She found herself eyeing the male again. He seemed to be respectfully quiet and he didn't introduce himself until he found a good opening in the conversation. She noticed the polite dip of his head and his deep and yet quiet baritone voice. She smiled softly at him before her attention would once more flick to Caelum. "Hm. I hadn't heard of any packs here, though I suppose now that I think about it I've never taken the time to ask anyone about those who live here. What is your pack like, if you don't mind my asking?" With this question Faite indulged herself fully into the conversation. She was always happy to explain her pack to others. Even if it was merely to satiate their own curiosity. If she was able to recruit two more wolves then she would be happy, though she had to shove the thought out of her head. They were still rather full, but with Varda taking her leave and Zuriel gone, there was still a bit of space. In the mean time... "Well the one I lead now with my brother, it's... rather quiet really for the most part. Very peaceful, though we pride ourselves on having good healers, some of the best even, and we're doing our best to have everyone learn to fight as well. It's rather well-rounded and I'd like to say the pack is more of a lawful good than anything else. My pack on the other hand... if I can actually get around to forming it, will focus more on free will and teaching." To be honest she was rather nervous about branching off on her own. She loved the idea she had in her head, but she didn't feel like she had much of a "sales pitch" so to speak. Not to mention she would be leaving her family to start her own life. She was only a secondary alpha right now so she new she didn't have exactly the same responsibilities resting on her shoulders like Regulus had. She could only hope that she would be prepared when the time came. Caelum seemed to have some experience. She listened attentively as she explained running a pack was no easy task. She nodded softly and mused over the words. She had an idea of how taxing it would be. She hadn't thought much about the battle between being a friend and being an alpha. In Celestial it was easy. Regulus was the strong arm. For him he seemed to have no problem cracking down on those who were slacking. For her... well she wanted to be friends with everyone, but most of the pack was family so it came easily to her. How would she perform with strangers? "There are four others to my knowledge, though the newest one that resides in the eastern mountains is one I'm not that familiar with sadly. The others I know a bit more about." She explained, rather glad for the subject change. Faite wasn't very fond of worrying and getting cold feet now wasn't exactly on her to do list. Walk, "Talk" Think

The male listened intently to both women, now that he was apart of the conversation he attention was fully on the conversation before him. It was a nice change to be out and to be talking to others. He often wondered if Caelum had decided what she had wanted to do. Did she want to start another pack? Did she want to remain as loners living in a particular area, or did she just want to join another pack instead. He had wondered if she had even thought about it at all. He himself hadn't because right now he was comfortable with how things were. He had a routine again and a companion to help keep him from becoming bored. He had a purpose again and that pleased him. As he listened to her explain her pack he found himself growing vary interested in her concept of teaching and free will. What exactly did she mean by that? He had never heard of it before, but in his defense he was only in one pack in his life. Listening further the male also learned that there were four other packs that thrived in these lands, That was a decent amount of packs, but did they all get along? He didn't know if there had ever been any war or not, but he was sure sooner or later there would be. They couldn't all get along all the time. "If you don't mind me asking what do you mean when you say Free will for your pack because I for one have never heard of it." He remained calm and quiet Talking & Thinking

Listening intently to Faite's words, Caelum found the information provided to be quite interesting. While it didn't sound as if the land was currently at the center of much excitement, or at least she'd assumed that such things would have been brought up fairly quickly, it didn't sound like things were half bad here. A flicker of a question would rear its head in her mind and create a momentary sense of tension. It was intertwined with concern about her inability to make quick choices. Realization consumed her mind, asking in venomous tones if she planned to let opportunity knock and then leave. Whether or not she would join a pack had been the question that haunted her for all of this last season. Here before her was a chance to make that choice. Yet something kept her from making this struggle known to the others present. Be it the pride of her previous alphess self or be it cowardice she could not decide. What was clear was that for now she likely had found her answer, whether or not she chose to acknowledge it.

The bit about free will and teaching was certainly piquing her interest, and Cae could see she wasn't the only one. They both would wait though and hear more about the other packs. So at least five total, and of course likely a future one. Good to know. Caelum hoped she could get just a bit more knowledge from this other woman though, it would be nice to know which lands she would need to step carefully around or what areas pack wolves would most likely be found around.

Inverno managed to beat her to starting the questions, starting with a request for further explanation about what Faite desired for the pack and what it meant. Cae's face plainly betrayed her growing interest in the conversation. Her tail thumped against the soft grass with a few gentle wags; excitement and curiosity growing and escaping through her body as she smiled at Faite, "Yes, I'd like to hear just a bit more about it as well. You seem to have something unique in mind," Cae said. She was glad to have someone new to talk to, and even more glad to get to hear more about the land she was living in now.

Faite was starting to feel a little weird about being the spotlight of attention. Typically it was she who was asking all the questions and it felt a little weird being the one to give answers for once. She didn't shy away from it however and just felt guilty instead. Was she answering their questions to her fullest ability? Judging by the interested looks it seemed like she'd at least captured their attention for the time being. Even if they weren't interested in joining she felt pleased enough that there were at least wolves interested in her idea. Maybe she'd have some luck building her own pack in the near future? She hadn't realized that free will was going to end up being a question. She was a bit puzzled by it before she realized she'd end up having to explain it. "I want to promote every wolf being able to pursue their goals. I've seen some wolves crumble under the weight of having responsibilities in the pack and I don't want it to feel like a burden. I wanna make sure everyone does what they want to do in life, within reason, so they can live to the fullest capabilities. Of course I'd still expect everyone to pull their own weight, but if someone wanted to go off on a short adventure to go explore I definitely wouldn't stop them." She smiled as she thought of it. Her sisters, Baine and Zuriel, especially came to mind when she said this. Baine had hardly been anywhere and had hardly shown that she knew what to do with her own rank. Then there was Zuriel who had already left to go off on her own adventures for the first time in her life. She'd left the pack to do so and Faite felt a little bad about it. She herself had no qualms about leaving when she desired so long as things were going smoothly back home. It was too ingrained into herself to go out and have fun. She wanted others to enjoy their life as well - if that's what they wanted at least. Walk, "Talk" Think