The other wolf seemed to match her actions, which to Volkan, was a sign that she was taking this new pack question very seriously. The intensity with which the other displayed friendly actions was almost unnerving, though Volkan stood her ground, reminding herself that Rebecca had stated that she'd only recently learned the ways of submission and dominance. That was apparently what had caused Indru to exile her from Swift River, and apparently, a similar scenario had taken place at Grizzly Hollow. Then, she realized: this wolf wanted, needed desperately, to be in a pack. And for the moment, she had nowhere to go.

Very interesting. At last, head at an inquisitive angle, she narrowed her icy eyes at the female, tail giving a swish at her ankles as she inhaled to speak. But, what to tell her? The new pack couldn't be taken lightly; she couldn't just go around broadcasting that information to everyone and anyone. After all, what if they told the wrong wolf? Their situation was nothing if not precarious. Just as she knew Kinis had worked to make himself trust her, Volkan knew she needed to do the same before she discussed their plans with another wolf, much less a stranger with a less-than-positive reputation, no matter how friendly she did seem.

"I'm not sure yet," she responded, her expression pleasantly blank. "There's a rumor that there will be a new pack forming south of here, before the winter." That much was true, save one minor detail, the location of the pack. If she had to lie to protect the pack from someone she didn't yet know if she could trust, it certainly wasn't any skin off of her back.

Her words caused a very unexpected reaction in the other wolf, and at her visible signs of aggression, Volkan instinctively raised her defenses. Impulsive though she might have been, the trained warrior, though out of practice, had been bred to stay calm under the pressure of a potential attack. Now it was clear, at least in Volkan's mind, why this wolf had been exiled; if she had acted so unpredictably and aggressively in the presence of a leader, she would've been attacked. Whether or not she would be attacked would remain to be seen. Volkan wasn't about to make the first move, but if Rebecca wanted a fight or felt it necessary to attack, Volk would certainly give her what she asked for.

Her head lowered, spreading her limbs to anchor herself better to the ground in case the other wolf charged suddenly at her, claws rooting her to the soggy earth. The silvery ears atop her unkempt head flattened in distaste, though she did not snarl, only kept her gaze trained on Rebecca to watch for any sudden movements. Slowly her chest rose and fell, remaining calm, though her voice was tinged with aggravation. "You ruined your chances with Swift River. Don't make the same mistake with me," she said slowly, deliberately, maintaining her defensive posture, ready for anything. Hopefully she could talk her way out of this, but quite honestly, she wasn't about to try for very long; patience wasn't one of her strong points, and if this female's behavior persisted, Volkan wouldn't mind earning a few bruises in the name of "protecting the pack."

Stance still defensive, Volkan watched incredulously as the female lowered herself pathetically to the ground in a purely submissive move. As this happened, the yearling's posture softened as her irritation began to give way to confusion, icy eyes never leaving Rebecca, brows knit. The other's eyes darted around frantically, almost maniacally, and Volk could see that something was very wrong here. It was as though this wolf's mind was giving up on her or something, like she was losing it, right here and now. Yet through this craziness she managed to choke out a few words, and the would-be River wolf listened with trained ears.

...Rumors? That's what this was all about? What had been a pretty arbitrary choice of words for Volkan had completely set Rebecca off into a spiral of fear and panic. Quickly the rugged silver female abandoned her defensive stance, for it was clear that this wasn't a battle of dominance or even respect. This was something different, something that reached deeper into the dark female's mind that Volk knew couldn't begin to comprehend. After all, Volkan herself had demons that haunted her, relics of her recent past that were never far from her mind and had caused her to "freak out" like this not long ago at Lost Lake. Whether or not their experiences were similar, she did not know, and did not care to find out. In her list of problems, there was no room for the anxiety of strangers.

Perplexed, Volkan stood for a moment, unsure whether to stay or leave, staring. Finally she huffed, expression blank, brows raised simply to display her lack of care. "Look, I dunno what's wrong with you," she admitted after a second. This was not her problem. She had her own shit to deal with. "But I do know you're going to have a hard time finding a pack if you let your fear control you like this— so if I were you I'd get myself off the ground and quit worrying. It's hard, but nobody wants to deal with bullshit, trust me." She'd been through it before.

Turning to leave, she looked over her shoulder at the other female, a stern expression controlling her peppered features, yet a contradictory softness in her pale eyes. "The leader of the new pack's called Ruiko. If you find him, he might give you a chance," she finally revealed, a sigh accompanying her words, words she hadn't wanted to say about information she hadn't wanted to disclose. "But," she added, paws carrying her swiftly away before she could get herself into more trouble with this exiled wolf, "That's not a promise."