He exhaled the breath he'd been holding deeply, pushing his round ears down to his square head as tightly as he could in anticipation for the freezing wind that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. His eyes were locked on the substance falling a few feet ahead of him, collecting in small white piles just inches from the carved out entrance of the den he shared with his wife and two lovely daughters. This would be their first real winter, one in which they would be able to participate instead of relying on the abilities of their parents for food and safety--eventually both girls would require their own den. He envied how quickly they had grown, as if time were slipping away from him, but to see them nearing their first year pleased him even more, and he hoped to continue the tradition once more with Iopah the upcoming season.

He inhaled sharply, yawning with a wide stretch before turning toward his wife who had joined him in taking the first day off in months of patrolling their heavily scented borders. It seemed liked ages ago since they had time to themselves, and he was certain that it would get shorter with each child their reared together, but it was almost a coincidence that neither of them had important matters to finish with a member from the neighboring land, a loner, or those of the pack. For once, they had the luxury of simply enjoying each other. " I never thought I'd miss the sight of snow..." his voice was low, in hopes of not disturbing one of the girls as he turned his head in the direction he expected his wife to be curled up in. "what about you?" it was an innocent enough question he supposed.

His eyes were lost in the golden hue of his wife and a warm smile crossed his thin lips almost immediately. It seemed like forever since he spent time with Iopah, their duties often kept them on opposite sides of the pack unless there was a mandatory meeting or the event that had ensued with the young dark thief. The fire that burned in her eyes often kept him going, and he had begun to see that same fire in the eyes of his growing daughters too. The smile that formed on his lips left as he yawned a second time, stretching his aging muscles and bones that had begun to ache since the onset of winter. They were growing older but he was content with where he was--he was home, in his home, with his family.

"I'm anxious. We've gotten smaller, and I'm starting to question the loyalty of those who remain." he leaned into Iopah, his support system, his rock and sighed deeply. This upcoming winter will possibly bring in groups of loners in search of relief from the cold and he had become weary, not trusting anyone who attempted to join them. He wondered if Camio and Inkheart would be returning, and what would happen to their growing children, only time would tell for now. "the spring will bring more pups, but we're in dire need of healthy adults. They've become so few and far between and we need so much more for this pack, we need help..." he hated feeling so weak and vulnerable but with Iopah he was free to feel what ever emotions he pleased.

Of the two leaders, Koda seemed to be the most hard to understand. He worried constantly, over analyzed any situation, and cared way too much for the feelings of others to hurt them without just cause, but Iopah, she was the ying to his yang, his opposite, and it was her that kept his rational side completely balanced. He hadn't quite figured out if his wife reacted off of primitive instinct or pure feelings but there had been times when he wondered whether she thought of the pack in the same light that he did. There had been times, on two occasions to be exact, when the wolves who had vowed their loyalty had lied and without a reason disappeared from the land. Disappearing in that way was the perfect way to eliminate his trust. He would sense that Iopah was still expecting them to return to them, while Koda had long ago considered them dead; it was their most viable reason. While in their absence his trust for their mates had begun to diminish as well, expecting them to leave on the same note that their significant others had--thus far he had been wrong, but winter hadn't made its full impact yet.

When she mentioned their loyalty Koda simply nodded his head, a soft "uh huh" left his mouth as he fell in deep thought over their small numbers and just what they were going to do. What could they do, other packs in the area were already well established and the wolves they had were probably more loyal, trusting their leader since its founding. He still had many more moons to go, and already his pale coat was growing lighter, "We haven't exactly been outside of the borders enough to be sure who could help us, at least I haven't..." he had become quite the hermit, but that was never an excuse, he needed to get to know the neighbors and there was no better time then now. "I'm not sure what my visit to Oak Tree Bend did, I'm hoping that they are willing to create an alliance, a place where we can go just in case... he shuddered at the thought of disbanding his home, and the sadness that would overcome his growing girls, "We need to ask more packs, get our name out there. Not enough packs know that we are here." he grew silent, searching Iopah's face in thought. They didn't necessarily have the numbers to send any on a scouting trip... 

And I've met some of them too, He'd expected as much, his activity in the pack had become lackluster at best since the death of his son nearly 7 months ago and each day he beat himself up over it, but his attitude had been repaired since then and he was prepared to begin his travels through Relic Lore in search of those who still respected his friendship. He was also determined to build new relationships with the packs that shared the Eastern land with him. He knew that traveling this late in the year was risky, in fact he was tempted to send another on the trip instead with hopes that they would find their way back, but that was a request he could not bother to ask another, he felt most equipped to represent the Broken Timber Pines pack and knew that his home would be left in relatively safe hands. He trusted that their borders were still heavily scented with the stench of his own musk and he had every intention of returning well before the smell grew stale.

Iopah mentioned a name, Jessie, and he nodded quickly attempting to remember a name that sounded so vaguely familiar--he was certain that a Jessie had been present during the recent visit to Oak Tree Bend. It was only when his wife went on to request that he not leave the packland that he finally found the urge to speak, it was a reasonable request and under normal circumstances the pale male would fulfill it but there was no way that he could sit around any longer while his pack needed him. He knew that without this travel the pack could teeter on a delicate balance of remaining on these lands. "I have never deserted you before and I won't now Iopah. I will return to you, and in one piece." he couldn't quite guarantee that he wouldn't sustain injury while on this travel but he was sure that if he were careful enough, and used sound judgment, he would be okay.

"It only makes sense that one of us has to leave, and the girls would fair better in your care then mine. The trip should not take longer then a few weeks at most." he estimated his total time gone from the pack to be a month at most. He had a lot of ground to cover and a lot of catching up to do. "just promise me that if anything happens, and I do not return on time, that you will not give up searching for me." he would make it his priority to return to them, only a freak accident could keep him frim returning home to his family.

His bond with Iopah was inseparable, her trusted her as she did him; they had sacrificed everything today. There was no turning back now, and Koda had no desire to be anywhere else but with his wife, his family and his friends, but he knew that the pack needed this. The balance of their packs survival depended on this, but that didn't mean he was eager to leave. He would first have to mentally prepare himself for the trip, knowing that miles would eventually separate him from his girls, but it was a temporary departure that could easily be explained once he returned.  "My travels would not send me toward the Western end, I have no desire to set foot that far..." she was correct to worry about their enemies, they were still out there with a thirst for vengeance and pain but Koda knew these lands well and would be sure to leave the allies of Secret Woodlands to their own devices--they were of no use to Broken Timber Pines.

When she confirmed the worry he had been feeling regarding his departure, assuring him that she would never give up, he leaned into her to lick affectionately at the bridge of her nose before touching his nose to her chest with a soft grunt. She was his everything and he was confident that she would always be there for him. He pulled back when she asked him where he would stop first and his eyes searched her in thought. He hadn't quite planned his trip out yet, but he had interest in the packs surrounding them, they would be their closest allies. Thoughts of Willow Ridge had also crossed his mind and he wondered if he could venture to them without losing days on his return, only time would tell. "I would hope to visit the further reaches of the East, perhaps the Southern end as well." his response was broad but he hoped that Iopah could understand that he did not wish to worry her. "I hope to visit @Elettra as well," he'd been worrying over her since last Spring, and only hoped the matriarch was fairing well this upcoming year.