Not having her own pups this year meant that Narime could travel farther from her own territory. After being cooped up in Whisper Caverns land for so long and with all the added stresses of this springs dramatic events, Nari had to get away. Even if it was only a short run away from the stress of her life.

However it was always nice to have a reason to be away from your territory, and hers was that Nari wanted to look for any sight, scent, or rumor that her mate was around. Sloane had been missing for a very long time now. Even though most females would have stopped worrying and mated this past spring to bring new pups for the pack Nari had held loyal to her ex. She still wished to find her prince lost among the forests. She still wished to find him heading back home after a long snowy winter.

Her paws steps had brought the silver queen to the wildwood where Nari found herself leaving her head lowered to sniff the ground for any interesting scents. Her eyes flicked back and forth searching the landscape before her for danger while her silver banner lazily waved following closely behind her. The stale scents of rogues and strangers were the only things that had passed the she wolf as Nari flitted between the mix of cedar and aspen trees. While passing an evergreen blackberry bush Nari pauses to nose at the berries beginning to ripen on its branches. Looking at the plant for a moment Nari then turns and begins padding up the flat trodden path once more.

The hollow loneliness she felt while traveling dogged at her heart as she moved quietly through the trees.

"speech"

Her nose scoured the scents among the leaf litter hoping and wishing to scent even a trace of the male she once knew. The silver wolf stopped mid-stride as the tiny ruffle of breeze moved the leaves and brought another fresher scent to her. Yanking her head upwards the queens blue eyes barely needed to scan the area before falling upon the dark figure. A certain sadness filled Nari's sky blue gaze as she realized it was just some dark furred stranger. Her body stayed tense unknowing whether the stranger meant harm or not. She kept herself in a neutral position while noticing his unsure demeanor.

"Hello." She gave the brief greeting while glancing past the younger male and not directly at him. She didn't want to seem rude to this male.

He seemed to be a tad bit shorter than her, but not by much. Her hollow eyes took in his pitch black coat that showed no speckling of gray anywhere upon it. Then her blue eyes for a tiny instant looked up to his eyes just curious as to what color they were. She moved her head an instant later to look at a tree while imagining the bright golden eyes that lay upon a stark black face. He was a looker for sure, but it seemed that many males in the lore were well put together and handsomely made.

Unsure of what to do with herself Nari sighed deeply and realized that she should probably introduce herself, since the male was being kind enough not to attack her. However she was too caught up with inner emotions that threatened to break down the she wolf. Instead she kept her self calm and tried to hide any problems she was having while waiting for something to happen.

Nari felt relief sweep through her as his stance changed to a friendly one. The dark male answered with a "hi" of his own while that black banner swayed slowly behind him. She had met a number of black wolves in the Lore and wondered absent minded if he was related to someone she already knew. That pitch black fur reminded her of Ava, but there was another wolf she didn't immediately think of. However his presence was oddly familiar to the silver wolf.

She saw amusement flash before his gaze before the dark wolf questioned her. Raising a questioning brow of her own as the stranger asked her whether she was comfortable with him, Nari gave him half a smile and began to lift herself to a more confident position so that she would not look like some feeble damsel who would quake in front of men.

"I am used to meeting wolves, but that does not mean that I trust every single wolf I meet." Nari answered in a matter of fact-like tone. Then sighed and gave him a smile, "Not that I don't give strangers a chance to get to know them. I may find trust in you yet..." Narimé tried being nicer though her heart was telling her not to even give this wolf her time. It pulled her to the trails to search for the one male that had meant everything to her. The one who lost her trust with his disappearance.

"My name is Narimé Lagina...Thorben." She added her mates last name pausing before doing so. She wasn't even sure if she should be calling herself that anymore. "I lead Whisper Caverns pack south of here in the hush meadow." Nari tilted her head, a curious light in her sparkling eyes and wondered as to what his reaction would be. She also hoped to get a name out of the male which might help Nari figure out why he looked so familiar to her.

The she-wolf straightened with his words, stirring the briefest hint of a smile upon his roguish lips. At her boost on confidence, the male allowed his eyes to sweep nonchalantly over her form – or what he hoped seemed so – as he took in the sleek silver of her pelt, unmarried. Long limbed with bright eyes, she was a creature to behold, and at such a youthful age, Nios was certainly one to appreciate such a thing.

One ear flickered forward as she spoke, again, this time introducing herself. The pause between her name elicited his attention more closely, and yet unwavering, Nios gave way to no such indication that he was intrigued by the pregnant moment. Was she providing him a fake name? Yet even then, she noted she lead a pack not far from here – and if that were not a lie, she would be easy enough to track had he been the villain she might have pegged him to be. Such games took far too much effort for the younger man.

“Nios Tainn,” he offered in return, his paw lifting in the air to give a light sweep as if offering a grand gesture. “A traveling wolf, though the very lands we stand in was where my father was born.” This was the true reason he was here – not to entice conversation from a pretty girl. Shifting his weight then, the ebony wolf carried himself further to the right, his muzzle bending now as he took in the growth of new foliage – the birth after the great wildfire that had taken his grandparents. “Though it was ravaged by a wildfire.”

Nari listened intently as the dark young male offered his name. Nios Tainn... Yet another one of the great families that live here in this land. She noted remembering the first Tainn she had met. He had looked a lot like this young man. Hotei looks like an older scarred version of Nios. She gave him a puckered smile as the female remembered the burned black wolf who could be considered a friend.

His next words caught her off guard. She didn't know that their had been a forest fire here. Though the signs of it were all around the pair. A lot of new growth that included early succession plants like quaking aspen saplings, goldenrod, numerous weeds, and other unknown plants to the woman were growing in the recovering part of the forest. Another few years and the mid succession plants would take root. Even now young cedars and maples were dwarfed by the larger fast growing quaking aspen and birch that grew firstly on disturbed soils.

So his family had lived here when there was a fire? She thought as the image of Hotei ran through her mind. He had a lot of strange scars that weren't bite marks or scrapes all over his body. Had he been caught in the fire that swept through this forest? She wondered quietly also about how many families in the land who had been here for numerous generations. Much like how her mothers side of the family was doing someplace far away.

"I think I know one of your family, though I'm not sure where he lives or if he is a part of a pack anymore." She paused wondering if Hotei would mind her giving out his name so easily, however that wariness was pushed away after recalling that they were from the same family anyway. "Hotei Tainn was his name. Black as night like you with bright yellow eyes. However he had a ton of strange scars all over his body, and I'm not sure how he got them." She offered up the info wondering if Nios already knew of the older man. Then,becoming comfortable with the situation, Nari sat herself down and half covered her paws with her gray tail while waiting for a good chance to continue the conversation.

Apparently his family name had struck a chord of recognition in the she-wolf, and while he was boastful to be a Tainn and held pride at the name, he felt his lips twitch with a dark smirk to her first statement. “Yes, we’re everywhere – like a bad weed,” he murmured with a sardonic shrug of his broad shoulders. He did not touch further to the topic, though before he truly had a chance to change it, the silver female sprawled out across the ground, slender and regal – a queen that was extremely confident in her crown, and seemingly less nervous of his presence.

While he did not join her at such a level, the young male did settle down upon his haunches, one ear flickering in recognition to her words. He had heard of the name and he had heard his father talk of the male before – thatw as the extent of his knowledge to the dark male. “My uncle,” he offered, his eyes flickering from the depths of the forest that surrounded them and back to Narime, tilting his head slightly. “I’ve never met him – just heard of him.” Ruiko had never gone in to great detail of his family – in fairness, his father never went in to great detail of anything. The name was only mentioned in passing – one of his father’s siblings that had been born in a younger litter and who had been closer to an omega of the pack. Yet in other words.. he also did not know how Hotei had come across his scars, either.

The woman found her eyes trailing over the Tainn in an appreciative way. He was a handsomeyoung specimen. It was obvious before he had given his name that he was of good proud breeding. With strong lithe legs and a coat that shone healthily in the dim sun despite the harsh winter; Nios would one day make a pretty young she wolf very happy. Of that Narime was sure. She wondered dimly of how long the Tainn's had ruled in this land for there to be so many traveling the landscape. Though she was wary of asking such a question. Besides the dark youth had somewhat answered it in his explanation of the land where they stood. How his father had been birthed right in this territory, and how his family was here when a fire came through. Judging by the new growth and the extensive damage Nari guessed that the fire had occurred years ago. Perhaps around the time when she was born.

Nari watched as Nios settled to his haunches in a more comfortable position. She was pleased that he was settling down in her presence. "That's too bad. He is a kind wolf despite his scary exterior." She tipped her head to one side then rolled it to the other debating on what to speak about next. Small talk was general something she had not been good at.Now embarrassing awkward talk on the other paw was something the silver wolf had experience with. Asking questions that shouldn't be asked or accidentally saying something she shouldn't; yeah that was her forte.

"So you're traveling... To where might I ask?" She let one ear sit lightly atop her skull as the other slid down in a curious puppy dog look as the she wolf waited for an answer.

It was strange how simple conversation could escalate so quickly – at least in the Tainn’s mind. For a few moments in interaction, already the female knew the basics of his heritage, linked him to another that she knew, and was now questioning his wanderlust and where he hoped it would take him. IN turn.. all he knew was her name, that she was the leader of a pack he had never heard of.. and she didn’t necessarily trust strangers.

Not bad for a few minutes between strangers.

Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, Nios debated (if only for a second) whether or not to confide in her his plans to reunite with his brother shortly, and in turn, resurrect the greatness that Copper Rock Creek could be – Swift River and Hidden Tree was the heritage of his lines.. but Ruiko and Aeylen had claimed that piece of lands to themselves, and Nios was unwilling to not respond to the calling of his true home. Whether he or Mirren would clash in the future over who would lead.. time would tell. For now, he was simply content to be basking in the silver female’s company, and was quite intrigued by the rather stunning color of her eyes. “Wherever my heart takes me,” he offered in the end, deciding against such personal information.

As if to shift the attention from himself, the swarthy male cast her a bemused look, his eyes glancing to her features briefly before falling upon her cheeks. “And what of you? What brings you out here alone..? Surely, your mate wouldn’t let such a beautiful creature like yourself too far from his eyesight.” Little did he know he was likely to hit a sore spot with what was meant to be a compliment.