The man watched the snow fall from the lake that surrounded the area that he had been sitting upon. The cold nipped at the brute's paw pads, and a small chuckle came over him. It was rather relaxing to say the least, but, a lot knew never to take the snow too lightly; for it could mean calm and relaxation one minute, and death the next if one was not careful. His crimson orbs stood out among the snow as he shifted them from side-to-side, trying his best to perhaps find something he could take down for a small snack. His stomach would growl greedily, but he would ignore it for now as he walked around the lake. He was used to the snow, for his pelt helped him with the cold as well, and he knew how to maneuver around the alabaster sheet underneath him.

"Damn cold," he spoke quietly to himself, but, before he could find a place to sit down and wait out the falling snow, a hare happened to come into view. He managed to stay downwind away from the hare's line of vision and scent. And, with one large, quick leap, the brute snapped down upon the animal as he shook the life from it as the animal lay limp in his jaws. He would turn his cranium to the side, taking the carcass with him, and after walking a couple yards an abandoned tree den appeared. With a small sigh, he walked inside the warm den and placed the hare down in front of him, tearing into the carcass but eating only bits and pieces as he knew he would have to make it last for a bit. The snow droplets continued to plummet down to the ground, soon picking up speed as it was obvious that a blizzard would be forming soon. Shadow was rather thankful for the shelter, but he looked around and watched the landscape around him, waiting out the storm that was coming to the land without hesitation or fear in his eyes.

Ræsa, since emerging from her sickened respite, found that she had grown much larger than most other wolves, even though she herself was not yet full grown. She felt full grown but Katja and the others continued to insist that she was not. She supposed she would have to take her word for it. Bodolf told her to be quiet and listen to the wisdom of her elders but she ignored him. Thanks to her excessive size, she felt no fear when she caught sight of the somewhat smaller male moving along the lakeside before her. Around her snow was falling and in increasing intensity as well. She followed him, quiet and keen on his trail, like her mother had taught her.

She finally saw him disappear into a den of tree roots and earth, likely seeking refuge from the growing blizzard. Ræ had found that she rather liked the snow. Her earliest memories were of the late spring snow, playing with her sisters and one brother. Now she saw less of them, but the memory was no less sweet for that. She came upon the den and paused a few paces away from it's mouth, ever bold in the face of the unknown. She frowned, pondering for a moment before asking "Are you planning to wait out the storm in there? I hope you've eaten something at least." She herself ought to be heading home, surely, or at least heading for shelter. There was no doubt that the man had the right idea but she simply did not feel a need to heed common sense or reasoning. She was for too headstrong for such a logical notion. Snowflakes began to accumulate on the plush plumage of her back and mane.

Shadow would soon jump slightly in shock when he happened to see a young dame approach the entrance to the tree den. Though she was a little bit taller than he was, he would not mind it as he looked to the hare and then back to her, "I would be eating the hare, yes. But, this is only for my friend for she will be receiving the rest when I head back to where we currently reside. As for you, you should probably be taking shelter yourself and heading home once the storm clears." He explained, his crimson orbs would be covered by his eyelids as crows happened to appear on the branches. The dark brute shook his cranium in annoyance to them before howling such a deep howl, some of the crows jumped and flew off without any hesitation.

"My name is Shadow. May I ask your name?" He asked the young wolf, even though he size made him believe that she was older than he was. He usually kept to himself, but ever since he was staying with Maria, he had opened up to her and was happy to call her a friend. Hopefully he could one day call her more, but he believed that he should take it one step at a time and not rush it. "The snow is rather breath-taking, don't you agree?" His voice was rather monotone but still held a kind vibe within it.

The man was very polite, and Ræ allowed herself to relax a bit. Maybe she had a bad habit of coming at things too strongly, but it was nice to know volatile wolves from sane one, right? And that was a good a way as any. Her sudden appearance, while startling, did not illicit any hostility from him. She gave him a small, dry smile. He had a meal already, she had not noticed before. With the whipping of the wind her sense of smell was aswirl with hints of woodland hues, but now that she knew it she could smell the blood, the lingering fear of the kill. Her smile widened. "Certainly more prepared than I, Mister Shadow. My name is Ræsa Finnvi." She bore her family name proudly, a badge of honor here in the North. The daughter of such a formidable woman, Ræ had always felt above fear, as if her blood alone might grant her amnesty to life's tragedies. Her mother often spoke of the gods, their wafting whims, their fickle impulses, but still she had faith in her immortality.

She quirked her head at him. The idea that she need take shelter had been a quiet urging in the back of her mind. She looked around her, her mother's good sense and advice ringing in her ears. Blizzards were a constant winter threat, but Ræ only found herself sighing. How inconvenient. She looked down at the male and quirked a brow. "Might be able to dig out room here beside you, if you don't mind the company." She eyed the tangle of roots beside his own. There was space enough between them to provide a comfortable space; a mess of loose root, lichen, and debris that would not be suited for digging. Perhaps a pace to the side was a hollow dip in the earth just begging to be dug away. she would likely be able to dig in with enough space to house her and the young clouded leopard that travelled with her, and surely the drifting snow would block the rest of the wind before long!

Shadow would keep his focus upon the dame as he listened to her words. He shook his cranium slowly, "You may rest here if you wish and wait out the storm. It does not bother me the slightest," he explained, placing his head upon his paws as he kept his eyes focused on the dame and then back to the snow that began to plummet rather rapidly this time. His crimson optics showed signs of frustration. All he really wanted was to come back to Maria and make sure that everything is alright with her. He had promised her he would not leave her, and right now it felt like he was breaking his promise.

"You seem to be really well at keeping quiet when you need to be. Even I have had issues with that, and my pack has taught me a lot about being stealthy and cunning when need be. Perhaps I may still have a lot to learn," he snickered before looking to the snow, seeing some rodents scurry about for shelter. "Tell me, Raesa, who has been your teacher or someone you look up to?" His voice stayed calm, but still held a kindness within it.

Well, he had a point. Ræ could certainly be a bit short from time to time. It wasn't intentional, only sometimes she just felt like someone else's comment was enough. She never felt a need to explain her thoughts or actions to anyone, and had found herself often in favor of comfortable silences. When he said he would not mind her company, she began digging at once. "I prefer to think before I act, when at all possible. The cat nags me if I don't," she said, gesturing with a nod of her head to Bo. Bodolf, her close friend and clouded leopard hovered just over her shoulder. He gave the stranger a suspicious look, but he was more than used to Ræsa getting in over her head so he refrained from commenting.

It took her a long while to get a comfortable space excavated, and she angled the excess dirt to create a wall of sorts between her in the wind. In the end, with the large tree's assistance, she found her and Bodolf curled up quite comfortable in the stranger's company. He seemed eager to end any awkward silence before it began and asked her of any mentors or inspirations. She frowned minutely, more expressing an effort to concentrate than any manner of negative emotion. He was awfully curious, wasn't he? She inherited her mother's stoicism and so regarded him carefully before responding. "All those in my home pack, Yfir, are worthy of respect. I've learned a lot from them," she replied, someone noncommittal. Because really, she wasn't about to spill her life story to someone she'd just met, right? All things considered, it was shaping up to be a long night.