Saren had come to the snowy field without much of an idea of what he was here for. He’d felt like he needed to go someplace outside of the pack, even if it wasn’t that far. Spending day in day out working away at his various projects didn’t leave much time for his own thoughts to flow through him. He’d always been a proponent of taking time to stop and smell the roses, to appreciate what the world had to offer. When did he stop doing that? It could have been when he returned from his sabbatical, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He enjoyed working on his projects sure, but you can only do one thing for so long before you grow dissatisfied with it. Maybe he should attend a fighting lesson just for the sake of it; he wasn’t much of a fighter but it might be useful to know at least how to protect himself. To try and see what his packmates did from a different perspective. Thoughts like this were finally allowed to come to him now that he had taken a moment to step away from his work. It almost felt silly what he was doing, sitting in the middle of a field thinking about taking fighting lessons. He let out a small chuckle, if Thalia knew what he was thinking about she’d probably beat him up then and there.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn worked her way south to the Algoma Prairie. It was a gorgeous summer day, and the prairie stretched out before her, carpeted in rich green grass. A small prairie dog town lay to her left, two of the little creatures peeked out at her, chirping at her approach. To her right a hare sprinted off a sandy boulder and dove across past a small herd of half a dozen pronghorn. One looked up immediately and watched her as she made her way through. Off to the north were a herd of bison lazily grazing on the grass. Such bountiful prey! She passed a small patch of yellow flowers as she gazed out at the rich blue sky. White, fluffy clouds dotted the sky, collecting towards the horizon. It was perfect!

———

Too perfect. Jynn woke with a start in the makeshift den she'd made the night before. It was cramped but cozy though the chill air of winter quickly reminded her of where she was. The sun was beaming down into her den but it did little to take the chill out of the air. With a sigh Jynn wiggled out of her den and started out across the snowy field that seemed devoid of most prey. She imagined there were some bison about but she knew she didn't have a prayer to catch one.

As she went on her way she soon spied another living create, another wolf! She made a beeline for him. "Hey there! You live around here?"

Saren about experienced whiplash as he snapped his neck to look at the excited female who came bounding in his direction. “H-Hi!” Who was this wolf and why did she want to know if he lived around here? “uumm, let’s slow down a second. Who are you?” He could tell by the scent that she wasn’t a part of a pack. “My name is Saren Abraxas, I’m a member of Aerie.” He wasn’t sure if the pack name would be recognized, but it would at least mark him as a member of a group that wasn’t in this particular location.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn chuckled at the man's startled response to her sudden appearance. He introduced himself as Saren of Aerie. She didn't recognize the family name nor the pack. "I'm Jynn Tirana. I'm just getting a feel for the territories around here. Is Aerie a pack nearby? If you let me know I'll be sure to go around your border, what are you doing out this way, hunting?" It felt like it had been awhile since she'd last talked to someone and in her excitement the questions just spilled from her lips unrestrained. She fidgeted, pawing lightly at the snow as she uncovered some of the grasses that winter had buried. It was likely these that the deer and bison would eat during the winter. Well, should she ever be part of a band or pack this would be a potential place to keep in mind for hunting.

The girl introduced herself as Jynn, with the enthusiasm she greeted him with Saren started to think she might not have seen another wolf for a while. “Aerie is a pack to the west of here, I came out this way for a walk.” He spoke calmly hoping his demeanor might rub off on the girl. He noticed the fidgeting she was doing and he wondered if she’d rather be running around the place like a pup than talking to him. “If this is your first time in the area I can show you around a little, maybe not physically but I can at least tell you the spots to avoid.” Something told him that he should at least give her a proper introduction to the area if he was the first wolf she met from it. “I can also tell you about the herbs here if that’s something you’re interested in.” He knew not every wolf wanted to hear him talk about herbs but if there was a chance to he wasn’t going to pass it up.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn made mental note of the pack so she could keep an eye out for it on her travels. It wouldn't do to waltz over a packs borders. She knew some wolves could be super grumpy about trespassers and she liked her face attached to her skull. The wind picked up a bit now, sweeping out across the plains and taking a light dusting of snow with it.

The man, Saren, offered to give her some tips about the surrounding territories and she jumped on the offer. "Sure, I'd love to know! As for herbs, well, I'm not a healer but if there are some that are good for a novice I'm up for some more information. It certainly couldn't hurt since she had to rely on herself as a loner.