Walk | Talk | Think Whatever answer he thought to receive from the dark-colored young wolf, her answer still surprised him. She might have been newly arrived to the region but it did not stop her from already having an opinion of it. And, unfortunately, it was not the most positive. Miksa listened silently, trying not to let her words get to him. The northern region was the place of his birth, a part of the land he felt most connected to and where he currently resided, and Esarosa did not seem to think of it as a very nice place. She spoke instead of a place further south, something warmer and probably more colorful, and though he was partial to this area he could understand at least where her thoughts were. He had been in the south too; it was considerably more colorful and warmer there. His bright yellow gaze had begun searching around him, trying to see the wintry wood through the same lens his company did, but it was near impossible. He liked it here - the cold, the paleness, the quiet - and it altered his view of the place. But at least there did seem to be one positive note to be said about the north, and he was not expecting her answer. She had made no friends in the south? That did not sound quite right to him. The south, to his recollection had been a much livelier place than the north, which felt empty in comparison. How had she not stumbled upon anyone to befriend? But as he turned his head while he walked to catch her looking toward him with a smile, he felt an answering one of his own begin to tug at the corners of his mouth. There was a friend in the north; that was as good a compliment as any that his favored of places could receive. He was still smiling when he directed his attention ahead again, noting that they were growing nearer to the border that marked the edge of Glaciem. He hoped they would be able to find an abandoned den somewhere near it, and that his idea to drag her closer to home would not be for nothing. He would have hated that, though was drawn from the thought as Esa turned the questions back around on him, seeking his opinion on the northern region now that she had given hers. Oh boy, where did he begin? "I was born here," he confirmed, "in one of the territories that makes up my pack's land. Though it wasn't a pack land when I was born." There was an opportunity to branch off and talk about his own stay in the southern region, following the moves he had made as a younger child, but that was detouring too far from the question he had been asked. Maybe some other time, he thought, if there was another time. "I actually really like the north. I'm kind of made for it, so the cold isn't a problem for me the way it is for others." Miksa made sure not to look at her as he said it - he did not want her to think he was singling her out with the remark. "And the snow's pretty when it's not in a blizzard. Those can be kind of scary." Was he doing a decent job of selling this place for all the good points he knew it to possess? Possibly not. "But it's quiet here. Kind of peaceful. If you like that sort of thing." Something told him neither of those traits were on Esa's top ten list. He dropped his gaze as he walked, releasing an airy breath that might have been a quick, short laugh. "I'm...probably biased though," he added with a shrug-like gesture of his shoulders, smiling again in his quiet way. They were close, nearly there now, and just a little he wished they were further out so that the conversation they were having about his home might be prolonged. He was actually enjoying himself much more than he had anticipated to, all things considered.

Esa could see it in his expressive eyes that Miksa was slightly discouraged by her opinion of the north. Sometimes I wish I could just keep my big mouth shut! she chided herself, wishing she'd have thought before letting the words spill out. Had she been in his pawsteps, she'd have felt disheartened as well to hear someone speak poorly of the place she was born. Yet, he still smiled at her in his shy little way, and she couldn't linger on her foolishness for long. It had been so difficult to get a smile out of him, and now it was absolutely entrancing. She had a hard time drawing her eyes away from him. Suddenly his attention was stolen as he gazed ahead with recognition - they must be nearing the pack's borders. Her breath caught in her throat and she paused for moment - she didn't want him to head home yet. She wanted to stop and run the other way, but she forced herself to move and stay at his side. Then he was facing her again, and his voice stole her worries.

As he spoke, it was now her turn to eye up the wintry land, trying to see it as he did. He was clearly fond of the north, and she could see the validity of the points he made. His thick, snowy coat was clearly made for braving the harsh cold of the north, and it removed discomfort from the equation - Esa was certain that if the cold didn't make her ache a little, she wouldn't feel as badly about this place. Although the woods weren't lively like the places she was used to, it certainly had its own beauty about it - the sparkling ice, the unmarred white expanses. She liked the snow when it fell daintily from the sky, each flake dancing delicately until it landed. She wondered what a blizzard would be like when he mentioned it, as she'd never seen one before, but she'd had enough fright for one day. If the blizzards stayed away, she would be grateful. He finished with a statement by saying he was probably biased, and Esa giggled. Wasn't everyone when it came to their homeland?

She was going to ask him about blizzards, but she was suddenly distracted by a short, stout tree. The branches were spread very low and wide at the bottom, and the snow was piled up around the outer edges of the branches. She flicked Miksa with her tail and then dashed toward the tree, hoping to distract them both for a few more moments before he had to leave for his home. She approached the tree and poked her head through the prickly twigs, delighted with what she saw beneath. It was a perfect little hideout; the floor was lined in a thick layer of dry old pine needles, while the snow was high around all of the edges. She would be sheltered against the wind, and elevated by the pine needles above the frostbitten ground. One might think she'd prefer a dark little den, but she knew anything stony would be bone-chilling to curl up in alone, while anything underground would be frozen and potentially damp. She pulled her head out and looked over her shoulder, tail waving, hoping that Miksa would come to see what she'd found. He might think her crazy for her enthusiasm over a tree, but she couldn't help to be thrilled with her find - not every tree had the right arrangement of branches to create a perfect snowy haven like this one.

"I think this is it, Miksa!" she called out to him, "I can definitely stay here. It's perfect!" She snuck another quick glance inside, then looked back at Miksa. She hoped he would approve of the little dry space she'd found. "But... what do you think of iti?" even though she was more than satisfied with her find, she still valued his opinion. After all, he knew what these lands were like, and for all she knew, he had a better idea.