mile-high woods

She had not.. ventured north before. It was so much more chilly here than it was below, though perhaps chilly was the wrong word. Less sweltering, maybe. It was a comfortable temperature for the yearling, not too cold and not as hot as the plains where she lived. It was so... unique as well, especially with what she was staring at now. she had skirted pack territory - Katja's pack, for the scent of the alpha was quite strong. She couldn't remember the name, though.

Now.... she was staring at a blanket of trees that she could practically walk on, that went into the sky. How did something like that work? How did something grow like this? She appraoched the base of a tree that rose in a gentle slope, intertwining with who knows how many trees. She set her front paws on it; the trunk was wide, and easy to balance on, at least while she still had her back paws on the ground.


speech"Italian"

Out of all the lands she'd been in she had explored the north the least, which was unacceptable with Yfir now comfortably the only northern pack. She did not know why Sonticus had moved, though she knew where, and frankly the why did not much interest her unless it effected her pack. But it did mean that she had expanded her patrols around Yfir to include more of the north, not to protect those lands from intruders but rather to provide advanced warning of potential threats. It was that which brought her beyond Yfir's borders today and put her in a position to scent exactly the potential threat she'd been there to keep an eye on. A southern pack wolf wandering the chilly reaches of the north. A very unlikely threat, since she recognized the scent of Abaven layering the wolf's own scent, but while she did not actively distrust Abaven she also did not trust anyone completely. The scent was, however, a familiar one, and she ghosted up beside the yearling to investigate. Tilting her masked face towards the girl she observed dispassionately, "You are far from home, Abaven." "

Someone would appear, someone she knew and recognized; the girl would turn her head to regard the Yfir alpha steadily. She dipped her head to the elder woman, acknowledging both her presence and words. "Yes," she responded. "I was... curious. About the North." Nostrils would flare as she breathed in the cool scent of Yfir; how had she not made the connection before? Katja had smelled this way before - why could she not tell that the alpha was from the North?

"You live here." It was not a question, just an observation; the yearling would watch the masked women with curiosity in her eyes. "Why here?" she finally questioned, eyes sweeping around the cold land. She could not imagine how cold it got during winter, and she was rather curious as to the why of things.

speech"Italian"

"Yes," Katja answered the girl, though it was a statement rather than a question. She considered the girl's question more carefully, though. She did not trust the youth - after all, Bass' pack was nearly as mercenary as her own, and she would be a fool to trust completely a pack that was such a dichotomous mix of mercenary and paladin... she could not trust that they would not sell Yfir out if the pack did something less than ideal to Abaven's inherent goodness. But the question was innocuous enough, and they were far enough from Yfir itself so as to not matter so much if the girl knew the lay of the land.

"My family has always thrived in the north," she answered finally. "But that is only a small part of it. Walk with me. I will teach you." She set out into the woods without waiting to see if the youth would follow - away from Yfir's lands, of course. "When you look around you, what do you see?"

Lillianna nodded slowly, taking in the information that Katja imparted. Always up north, eh? It was interesting, for Lillianna had never been in the North. She would follow Katja without hesitation, though not without an amused smile crossing her maw. Katja was taking her away from Yfir, where she skirted the lands; she was not surprised. She was, however, excited at the prospect of learning. Her tail wagged, and her head tilted a t the question. "I see... something I am unfamiliar with, but something that is beautiful nevertheless," she answered after a moment's hesitation due to thought. It was an interesting question that was asked, and Lillianna wasn't quite sure if it was a trick question or not.

Katja inclined her head slightly; the girl seemed unsure of what she was asking, and in her uncertainty answered the question from the emotional, rather than physical, side of things. The beauty of a place was irrelevant, though it was indeed that. "The north is an inhospitable place, for those who do not seek to understand it. The winters are cold, and harsh, and the other predators are hungry and dangerous. Prey can be scarce... but see here." She stopped at the foot of one of the trees and scratched at the leaf litter, turning up a good amount of cracked and chewed acorn shells. "Midden - the leavings of squirrels. This land is filled with them. Breath deeply and you will smell both snowshoe hares and cottontails. There are elk, and bear, and deer. Everything you can find in the south, you find here. What you don't smell are wolves, packs, because they cannot survive here. Not like Yfir. The north breeds resilience while the south breeds naught but indolence. Come." She moved to walk along the leaning trunk of the tree, dull claws digging into the bark for balance, striped tail unfurled behind her, and sent a cool silver glance back to the girl. "If you can, a high vantage point will afford you the best knowledge of a land."

She would listen to Katja quietly, nodding in places where it was appropriate - what she was saying was true, from what Lillianna had heard. The North... was a harsh land. Very harsh. Lillianna would peer down at the squirrel midden, before glancing back at Katja. Respect kindled in the yearling's eyes, though the said yearling would bet that Katja cared nothing for the respect of a yearling - yet she had it nevertheless as the messenger followed as ordered.

Ears would prick as Katja stood on the branch, and she'd look closely at the alpha. Her claws were dug in, and her tail was out behind her... much like a battle, preparing to be attacked. She'd once more nod to Katja before leaping smoothly up one of the leaning trees, her own claws digging in for balance, and tail raising to become parallel with her spine as she mimicked the alpha. She'd bend her knees slightly as she scooted forward, attempting to maintain balance as she did so. "And that's because you can see more from high up, right?" she questioned, trying to verify her thoughts.

"Speech" "Italian" "Farrym"

Katja nodded to the girl's question. "Yes, the height allows you to see more of the land than below, but if you climb too high all will be hidden by the tree canopy. Even in winter, then, it will be difficult to see. But if you wish to find a distant landmark rather than something upon the ground, then do you climb above the canopy." She gestured around them. "Here, this place is unique in that it is easy to do this. In other places, not so much. It can be dangerous, for wolves are not built for climbing, but not impossible if the need arises. It is a good skill for a traveler to cultivate. You do not strike me as one who fears the challenge."