There was a thick haze hanging in the air, with Jack Frost racing with the wind, that left the snow-topped trees shuddering. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were tucking themselves away for the winter months, with their bellies full and their stores brimming. For those animals that did not sleep through the harsher moons, life was going once again become a challenge -- a cycle of survival of the fittest. Being one such beast, Aleksei trotted amidst trees, his thick winter coat keeping the chills from biting at his skin. Still, the sight alone of the freezing fog swirling all around him was enough to make him shiver.

As he pushed on through the snow, following his nose, Aleksei hoped to find some morsel of fresh, warm meat to bring back home. It was his duty as a member of the pack, and he told himself this repeatedly. Perhaps, he was making himself pay out of the nose -- no one seemed too angered with his disappearance ... if anything, every wolf seemed relieved. Giving a deep sigh, the yearling couldn't help but feel confusion. Abandoning the pack was wrong, but why had he received no punishment? Was he not on the level of all others? Beneath his mother and father?

Somewhere above him, a raven gave a shrill cry that caused Aleksei to lift his chartreuse gaze skyward. He could barely see thick grey clouds through the fog, and he felt as though snow fall was destined to fall today. He decided that it was best to get a move on, before it became too hard to track the prey that he was looking for.

Aleksei had always been taught to follow the wolf birds -- they picked at carrion, after all. They could be life savers in winter and summer alike, and to deny their help (be it intentionally given or not) would be a daft choice to make. And so, he lifted a paw from the snow to head off after the winged creature, anticipating the fallen prey that he would hopefully get the prime pickings of. He barely even took a step before the sound of another caused his ears to swivel like satellite dishes. Perhaps he'd spoken too soon about gaining possible ownership to the best flesh of what remained of whatever had fallen. Aleksei twisted his head and squinted through the fog. It was likely that whoever it was attracted by the sound of the raven. He couldn't say he blamed them.

He shifted his posture as he turned in the snow to face the hazy figure -- he decided on the cautious approach and gave a bark of his own to signal that he had heard their approach. "Hello there. Do you need help with something, or ... ?" He waited, perhaps naively, for the stranger's approach, instead taking the time to suss out the scent of his mysterious, misty company. Female, he deduced, given the lack of muskiness on the wind ... but that was all he could make out in this stifling fog.

He glanced over his shoulder for a brief second, frowning. Hopefully, he wouldn't lose the trail of that lone raven. The wind was dragging on and on now, and he was worried the scents might be swept away in the damp air.

She crept closer, like a feline, really, save for that wag of her tail. In response to her friendly approach, Aleksei's own banner waved through the air. As long as she meant him no harm, he meant her none either. She was smaller than him, with a similar agouti coat that almost could have painted them as relatives ... but, he wasn't one to presume and he was certain he knew all his relatives in the Lore -- Baranski wolves weren't the kind to break away from one another. At least, not for long.

"Aha! Yeah, I'm definitely not a tree or a bush." In fact, the yearling was certain he was the furthest thing possible from the dead trees and shuddering shrubs that barely clung to life. He couldn't help the low chuckle, the cautious posture falling effortlessly from his stance. She didn't seem like a threat and, loath as Aleksei was to think such things, he was sure he could handle her if the tables did turn. What a pretentious thing to tell yourself. Trying to be the picture perfect eldest child caused him to dish himself more punishment than he truly deserved.

The woman mentioned the bird and the agouti adolescent found himself faltering. A little part of him screamed at him to lie, to tell the stranger some random direction so he could reap the spoils for himself ... but, no, that simply wasn't in his moral code. "Uh, I think ... yeah, maybe this way?" He pointed, gesturing with his nose as the air tickled his senses. He studied what little scents he could in the wind and furrowed his brow in concentration. All manner of things leapt out of the mess of smells -- coyotes, foxes, long gone deer -- but something caught him unaware, something he just couldn't place a finger on the source of ... it smelt almost meaty.

"Can you smell that?" It was almost luxurious, like velvet for his sniffer.

Her laughter left him reeling, left his thoughts spinning. It was dramatic, unabashed, bold ... and it was undeniably the best laugh that Aleksei had ever heard. Ever. His mouth hung open slightly as she spluttered her explanation, tickled pink with amusement, his chartreuse eyes fixed on her the whole time. Realising he was gawping, his jaws clicked shut and he swallowed to quell the flutter in his stomach. It was laughter that felt real, the kind that exploded from within and greeted the world around it with a bellowed hello, I'm here! In many ways, it was beautiful.

Hurriedly, he mentally gave himself a good slap across the face; get ahold of yourself. Shaking his pelt as if to shoo away the creeping feeling across his skin, the young male was left utterly perplexed -- what on Earth had left him feeling so ... strange? He didn't like that he didn't understand, not one bit. No sir. So instead, he stole a moment to look away from her, sniffing nonchalantly at the air as if nothing had happened at all. Her words caught his attention fully -- not that she had actually lost it, mind you -- and his eyes snapped back to her with a prick of his ears. A treat? Did she know what that smell was, or was it a case of it had lured her into its spell, too? It didn't matter in all honesty.

She was taking off, and he had every intention to follow her. At least, he would if he could remember how to work his legs. He took a few confused, wobbly steps before stumbling into an ungraceful gallop himself. "W-wait!" Her enthusiastic barks spurred him on as he barely managed to regain control of his limbs, practically thundering through the snow after the mysterious, intriguing woman. "Hey! Wuh-heh! Ah, haha!" Her excitement was clearly infectious, as Aleksei found himself laughing at the feeling of the wind tousling his fur.

It was an almost childish emotion that washed over the Baranski adolescent as he chased after this strange and intriguing woman. It was an unadulterated joy, one that stretched from the tip of his nose to the point of his ink dipped tail. This was perhaps the first time he had felt utterly weightless since returning to his family, the burdens of his own internalised disappointment (in himself) left on the spot where he had started sprinting from.

Aleksei kicked up snow and exposed leaf litter with each stride, bellowing a loud "woo" as he almost began to skip along the trail left by the older wolf. It was nice, really, to revel in the simple things in life; chase had been something he had greatly enjoyed as a cub, with Orren and Karina (when she felt confident enough to, or was simply coaxed into it by her silver-tongued older brother) darting among the trees. This, he came to realise, was no different and it could be -- would be -- enjoyed, no matter his age.

He was determined to have fun with this fascinating female.

Yet, he did not miss the smell of coyotes on the breeze and, as his current company wheeled around to face him, Aleksei skidded to a halt, huffing and panting. His tail whipped at the air behind him. "I bet," he agreed, words peppered with heavy breaths, "there's no way some coyotes will beat us. Let's go!" Excitement and adrenaline was obviously in his veins now; he darted forward like a gallant knight atop a majestic steed. Coyotes were cowardly little things where wolves were, but daring. They made no attempt to fight back -- to do so would be their death sentence! -- but they would push their luck. What they needed was a good and proper shove. "GETOUTTAHERE!" Aleksei practically yowled at the small scavengers, who immediately began to scatter in confusion. Yikes!