There seemed to be a distinct gleam in his eyes – one that spoke volumes that her description of how she had reacted was fairly accurate, and she withheld a small smirk of her own regarding the matter. She cared little for the opinion of those outside her pack – in truth, she was mostly satisfied when meeting another and they didn’t try to kidnap her, like in her past.


She gave a small nod to his words, her eyes drifting away from the male now to gaze to the horizon.. not out of trust, but simply to avoid a form of aggression. Her own mind drifted back to their move – how many moons had passed? “Four moons,” she answered after a moment’s pause to consider, the disbelief she felt hidden from her tone. How time had gone by so fast.. it seemed like yesterday her and Fenru had just entered the adult ranks.


This small bout of knowledge did not give her much insight to the other pack, and yet she would not be too intrusive.. only because she did not want the questions landed back at her. The sting of Ice’s leave was still fresh with every breath she took, and the feeling that she was losing herself further in the shadows of the pack was almost overbearing.


Conversation fell to the side then, her eyes falling back upon him. She could question the stranger about his leaders.. inquiring for their names, and comparing notes. Yet she was not sure Triell or Corinna would truly care.. Swift River, after all, had kept out fo the way of their neighbors. Oak Tree Bend would likely not be any different. “Where do you come from originally, Maksim?” It was a half ass attempt at polite conversation, and her tone likely came off almost too pleasant. No one could deny that Kisla Tainn was no social butterfly.

Her gaze followed the silver of his pelt -- so very pale throughout, and yet the gleam of deeper greys and ebony shone through in a perfect agouti pattern. The bright green of his eyes could rival hers, and had she known better, she would have once been curious if the male before her was a relative of her mothers. Of course, she knew better, and as he spoke, her gaze fell to his cheek, not once staring him directly within his eyes, nor groveling to his paws.


The hint of a smirk threatened to place itself upon her lips at the mention of his previous pack. She had of course heard of Grizzly Hollow -- she had grown up with the pack as her neighbor. Briefly, she recalled Fenru's obsession with the pack previously when they had been much younger -- his best friend, the boy, Prosper.. dead. Death would always follow them, it seemed. Yet it was his description of pack heir that held her curiosity -- did he want her to think of him more highly? Boast an impressive title? She could not read the man before her as she did not know him, but if anything, she was intrigued.


"I know of Grizzly Hollow. My pack grew up alongside them.. We claimed the lands of Swift River once," she offered in response, unsure if he had heard of them. Her pack and family, after all, kept mostly to themselves. After a small pause, she flicked her tongue across her lips in thought. "Which would be my birth pack. We came to this side of the mountain and claimed in the Vale." Her voice held little emotion to it. Not because she felt none, but she withheld these thoughts.. did she miss Swift River? More than she had imagined.


Ice had held very intricate details of silver in his pelt, though predominantly ivory. Sometimes, at night when she was by herself, she would close her eyes and she could swear she could still smell him.. the warmth of protection he had brought. “You will find her killers and you will bring them to their knees.” Yes, he had.. and then he had left.


Blinking her eyes furiously for a second, she cleared her throat -- perhaps the only insight to any emotion she had allowed to break. "What brings Grizzly Hollow wolves across the mountain then?"

If the male had any knowledge of Swift River, he did not mention it, nor could she read the emotions that might have flickered across his features. Kade was not a name she was familiar with, but that did not surprise her. She had never met any of the Grizzly Hollow wolves, despite having been neighbored so close to them.


“How interesting that your leaders would choose to escape the plague by bringing them to the side of the mountain it originated,” she mused in a light drawl – not necessarily with a sardonic implication, but more out of curiosity. Giving a slight shake of her muzzle, the she-wolf took a step back, her eyes sweeping over him once more. How interesting it had been that to escape their misfortunes and Rissa’s death.. the Swift River wolves had also come to the side of the mountain’s where she had met her death. For a fleeting moment, the young Tainn could not grasp the logic in either of the situations.


“Do you miss the forest?” She was referring to Cedarwood Forest – a place she had never stepped paw in before, but had heard of its vastness and beauty from before. This side of the mountain lacked the luster her old home had, and with the chance of revealing too much of her desires and troubles, her eyes sought him almost imploringly, willing him to share that last tiny bit of information that she craved to hear.


Perhaps she was not the only one slightly homesick.

Look Out!

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by a bear nearby. +10 Health

His question stirred a smirk upon her features – not of happiness, but of darkened mirth. “No.. My pack was devastated by the sickness, and for some reason my Leaders felt a new start to life would be upon the same side of the mountain.” She divulged the information, and yet withheld so many details. Her sister’s killers had lived south of here, of that she knew. They had found her body north of here. Little Rissa.. so very trusting. Just like she had been when she was a cub. Still, as bitter as it sounded, she had not fussed when her mother and Ice had discussed with the pack. Instead, she had offered her support.


She stiffened slightly at the current topic, despite that she herself had led them both to it. Instead, he addressed missing his previous homelands, and she felt it best to steer the conversation to that direction.. and to leave it at that. “Perhaps you will,” she mused, though as her eyes drifted to her paws, it became apparent it was not Cedarwood Forest upon her mind. Sacred Grove. Home. What a fool she had been, insisting Ice take them away. Had she planted that seed in his mind? Or had it spurned with his need to protect his unborn children in the womb of her mother? The very children he had abandoned.


“It was a pleasure meeting you, Maksim, but I should get back to my family..” She trailed off, studying him briefly. It was strange – she knew nothing of him, and yet the idea of parting left her sullen. Best to cut it off here. Best to leave it as is – she could not afford another friend that would simply vanish to nowhere. She did not truly wait for his goodbye, as much as she desired to. Instead, she swiftly turned, her creamy paws quick as they made to lead her back to her home.