Next on her list brought her close to old Covari lands. She never thought that she would be back here. Standing at the border, she got the idea that the pack was small, only a few distinct smells filling her nostrils. Without hesitation she would tip her back and call once again for the Alpha of this pack. So far things had gone smoothly, the previous pack having been very kind. Haunches would recline, her travels beginning to wear on her. Her paws ached and she wanted nothing more than to sleep for like a week. Thoughts still plagued her mind as she wondered how she was going to tell Cru about her unexpected pregnancy. It still brought a smile to her face when she recalled that day. It had been a day that changed everything. He had announced that he loved her. Giddiness still sent a shiver down her spine. Now she was going to be a mother. She would need to find Falk, and Maija. She knew that both would be shocked. Maija would probably be as upset as Ekko secretly was. Falk...well he was her brother. Amusement danced across her features as her thoughts swirled around in her mind. She waited patiently, listening for the sounds of an approaching wolf. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think The call was not answered right away, though only because it took a minute for Rune to recognize it for what it was. Ever since its creation, Secretua had been a secluded little place, still just as small and family-based as when it had been created and claiming only one visitor to its borders since that time. That sole visitor had been more of an accident truthfully, just a young girl on the search for her family that had once lived here, before Rune and Secretua had come in and inadvertently kicked them out. He had felt bad about it, almost to the point that he was willing to offer her sanctuary within the pack lands, but she had been too pressed to find her family again to hear it and having a strong sense of family himself Rune had let her go. Calls from those who wandered nearby, either gathering their rogue partners together or simply calling to lonely strangers, were rather common, but the purpose behind this call had been clear and distinct. This was not a random call; this was specifically for him. And the realization of it made him wary. His dark paws tread silently upon the ground of the Gulley as he headed upward along its incline toward its outermost edge, following pathways through the densely forested locale that were familiar to him but that he hoped would remain invisible to outsiders. That was the wonderful thing about the Gulley: for all its beauty and welcoming appearance, it was a maze of greenery and vegetation that shielded the pack from unwanted, unwelcome eyes. It had done well in providing the pack with a safe place to house their densite, and Rune hoped that it would protect them as well as it did shelter them. Eventually the slight incline lessened and the thick vegetation shrunk away to leave the burly grey male on flat, open ground, and he lifted himself into the proper posture and authority of the Guardian and Alpha that he was as his pale gaze landed on the stranger awaiting him there. She was seated there just outside of the Secretua border, smiling in an almost carefree manner though her tall stature and strength were not overlooked. The nearer he drew to her, however, the more she seemed to stir some sense of recollection within him, and at first he almost misidentified it. Her coat, that undeniably unique russet shade, reminded him strongly of his own aunt and the vibrant red coat that had solely been hers. But there was something else about this woman, something that mingled with memories of his aunt and the pack she had once ruled, that made her familiar... His pale, frosty gaze had already been narrowed as he approached the unnamed woman, but now his authoritative stance became more guarded and defensive, a low, intolerant growl starting up deep within his chest despite the fact her scent was no longer tainted by that of Covari. Wherever it was Viridiana had disappeared to it was not within another pack, or else he would have assumed to find traces of his aunt here now upon one of those he knew to have been loyal to her. He recognized her fully now, having seen this woman himself during the sole pack meeting he had attended and watched her lose her temper in such a manner that made him wonder why his aunt had chosen to surround herself with wolves who could barely control themselves instead of her own flesh and blood. His tone when he finally stopped before her and spoke held no kindness, nor any curiosity over whatever purpose she might have had in being here. Instead it was cold and flat, asking a simple demand in a voice that brooked no welcome for this unwanted visitor, "What do you want?"

The greeting see received was not one she expected. A growl had filled her ears, turning her gaze forward, resting on the man as he approached. His greeting was cold and harsh. A frown would pull her features down, distaste filling her. Suddenly she would recognize him. He had been at the Covari meeting, it was brief memory, but she had examined each face as they trickled in. But why did he hold such hostility towards her? "I'm sorry?" A brow would lift with disgruntled speculation. She didn't know this man, how could he hold such disfavor for her? Or perhaps he just wasn't interested in being disturbed by anyone? If that was the case then he made for a poor leader. She would sit a little straighter, brushing away her exhaustion, her gaze would harden slightly. "I have only come here to determine friendships or neutrally with the surrounding packs." Her tone would match his, though it was slightly more monotoned. Who peed in his breakfast? At the back of her mind she wished Cru was here beside, his presence was enough moral support. But she needed to be a big girl and do this on her own, pregnant or not. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think He wished he could have taken more pleasure in the fact his inhospitable approach had wiped the smile off of the woman's face, but in fact it did little in appeasing him at all. He simply wanted her gone. It had been surprisingly easy for him to cut ties with that pack that his aunt had once led, when they had practically picked up and moved off around him and his family and left them there in an empty land. Whatever family he had had there, all that mattered to him now were those he had taken under his wing, those who had followed him and formed Secretua with him. The rest...they were on their own. Knowing this woman to have been a part of that brood did not help her case any, not even when she seemed entirely confused and irked by his hostile manner and, brushing away her irritation, went on to claim setting up relations between her pack and those that surrounded it. Rune could not deny the little twinge of curiosity that struck his mind at the mention of it - what pack, exactly, was she a part of? - but it did not change his outlook. Secretua, as far as he was concerned, was still new, still getting on its feet. It had no business getting involved with any of its neighboring packs just yet, not until they were stable enough to defend themselves first and foremost. Self-reliant, that was what he wanted his pack to be. And if he ran off making friends with all the pack leaders without first making sure those under his charge were taken care of, really, who was he helping? "Secretua isn't interested in making alliances, if that's what your friendship means," he answered gruffly, not bothering to add the second part, especially with the likes of Ex-Covaris, which had followed soon after in thought. That, for the time being, was irrelevant. "We're still new, still establishing ourselves. You've come here far too soon." Regardless of the fact he still was reluctant to consider any sort of partnership or truce with the woman, he tried to keep his answers neutral in regards to his true feelings. He might not have wanted anything to do with her, but he also did not want to bring whatever might she might have possessed down on his family by making enemies. "As for neutrality, so long as your pack - whatever it is - doesn't bother Secretua, that can be managed."

Already she had no desire to come to this mans aid should he need it. She would not risk her life or anyone else's for that matter if this is how he handled his affair. He made it loud and clear that he did not want allies, friends, or anything for that matter. So she would rise, her movements fluid despite her irritation. His words went in one ear and out the other. He could manage neutrality. Lips would twitch in distain. "Very well, Solstice and your pack will remain on neutral grounds." She annunciated her packs name clearly before she turned away from him. No goodbye left her lips as she moved away from the borders. Eyes would narrow upon the horizon, her irritation turning into outrage. The nerve of some wolves.... She would pick up trot, her destination was home. She was tired of politics, she just wanted to return to her den, to Cru, and sleep. Her tail would lash back and forth as she moved, her thoughts raging with all the things she would have liked to have said to him. But she kept her mouth shut, allowing her thoughts to run on with conversations that would never be spoken. -exit- Talk like this

Walk | Talk | Think Nothing he continued to say seemed to have any positive effect on the russet colored woman. Not that he cared, but it did make him feel better about his instincts to keep his relations with her pack limited. She may have carried herself with the authority of someone who spoke with a leader's power, the air of someone of influence, but there was something decidedly haughty about her attitude that rubbed Rune the wrong way. Was it the power she possessed that led her to believe he should have treated her with respect right from their first proper meeting, when he had seen her nearly start a fight within the midst of a meeting before? What sort of respect could he have for someone who could barely control themselves, and who now almost seemed to turn her nose up at him because he decided to put his pack, his wolves, before those of another? Gratefully she rose to take her leave, finally uttering the name of the pack from which she had come. Solstice. Of course, it was unfamiliar, its origins lost to the burly grey brute though he could guess where at least part of their leadership had stemmed from. And even after their little chat he was still convinced not to align himself with these wolves of Solstice, with those who had ties with Covari when it had still stood strong. No, he was done with them all, moving on and providing for his family on his terms and no one elses. And if that meant playing nice and pretending that he held no sentiments either way about this Solstice then so be it. He stood there upon his border and watched the woman leave through a narrowed stare, quite certain the fact he did not retreat into his own home and instead watched his visitor depart would probably irk the woman if she knew. He hardly thought her likely to cause any trouble before she left despite the apparent disdain she had toward him for his cold conduct, but it felt proper to ensure that the border was clear before he went back within the Gulley again. Only when he felt satisfied with her distance did he allow himself to turn, growling quietly below his breath at the whole irritating ordeal before he trudged a path back into the heart of the thick vegetation and sought out his family to see how their fared. -Exit Rune-