Hunting was not a skill the young girl prided herself of, nor did she have any real interest in that area. But it remained a stable of life as a wolf, pack or not, and it was one of the best reasons for sneaking off and explore the lands beyond the border. Sure she had run off plenty of times without telling anyone, going as far as scaling the mountains at the southern pass, but she'd learned that it was a better move to ask permission first – that way no worried adults, or children, came running to drag her back home to a good scolding – now that she was old enough to be allowed out on her own. And hunting was by far the best excuse for her wanderlust, especially with aunty Io; That way she looked like a good little girl, trying to do her part for the pack and train her skills. Nobody actually expected her to return with anything either, after all she was just a pup. Nalda snorted, a smirk on her russet muzzle, in the end it worked out perfectly for everyone.

Today she'd wandered south, into the ferns. The thick forest fascinated her, no large opening's in the canopy made by fallen trees like at home, and the forest floor, not littered by the rotting logs, instead blanketed in the brightly colored plants. She liked how the red leaves matched her coat, normally she had very little in terms of camouflage, but here she could blend into the underbrush, observing the forest without disturbing the wildlife. So it was like this, lying comfortably beneath the shelter of a broad leaf, that Nalda Zamora spend her afternoon, unbothered by the damp mist hanging above. She relaxed her body, while large ears were attentively pricked, swiveling at any sound. Her nose too was hard at work, separating and identifying each smell born to her on the faint wind. Even her narrow, goldenrod eyes scanned continuously, following every tiny movement in the dense woods. Most were uninteresting, little jerks of leaves as condensed droplets from the fog fell on them, or wave of a branch in the wind. Still, she wasn't bored, observing was her favorite activity, and she could do it for days on end.

A new shift caught her attention, a flash of orange appearing at the corner of her eye. Quickly the pups head turned to find the source, eyes searching mostly barren tree tops for the culprit. There it was, a squirrel, hopping along a branch, seemingly with no special target. Nalda froze, full attention focused on the nimble creature. Even if she had been interested in hunting it, it was much too far out of her reach, but her interest in the animal was much more than its potential as prey. Other's weren't such inclined though. As the pup watched, a similar looking, but more slender, animal came rushing out after the squirrel, clambering along the branch quickly, clearly fixed on the bushy tailed critter. Spotting its pursuer, the squirrel emitted a high squeak, springing forwards in panic. Enthralled by the drama unfolding before her, Nalda kept her eyes peeled as predator and prey went on a chase through the treetops. The squirrel seemed better equipped to jumping from tree to tree than its slim pursuer, but the hunt kept up through leap after leap. Then suddenly, the panicked squirrel seemed to have misjudged a distance, missing the branches of its designated tree and instead spiraling towards the ground. The young observer couldn't hold back a gasp as she saw the critter fall, body tensing as she waited for the inevitable end. However a late stroke of luck saved the squirrel, a large fern leaf catching it before it touched the ground, slowing its decent. In a shivering, russet clump, the scruffy creature landed on the forest floor, its thwarted hunter glaring down from above. Wow!

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So focused on the squirrel-drama, Nalda hadn't heard the others approach, and instead he seemed to suddenly materialize out of the ferns, making her jump, just like the critter at his paws. The squirrel was quick to get away, disappearing among the ferns in a quick scurry, but its wolf watcher was trapped, stared down by attentive, amber eyes. She'd seen him only in passing since he joined in the fall, even more reclusive than herself it seemed, though she couldn't really blame him. Especially considering… Well. Nalda had never really concerned herself much with appearance, which was of course easy when you were born reasonably good looking. She never really cared particularly when it came to others either, it was arbitrary, many wolves looked the same, it was the insides that were different, those were what you needed to know. Sure some might be nicer on the eyes; Like @Arion… But that would've been completely useless, had he not been good company too. In short, she was not half as bothered by the scars as the robust man seemed to be himself, even the way he held his head seemingly designed to hide them. The young girl could only shrug, secretly hoping that nothing ever drove her to try to hide herself in that manner.

Other than the significant scars, the size was the most remarkable thing about this strange young man, a bulk like few she had ever seen build up under his fleece. The coat itself was not unlike her own, though the grey was lighter and less uniform, and the bright mask leaned more towards rust than the deep russet she sported. From the adults, the girl had picked up that his name was Yuka and she knew he had joined along with an older female, though she had vanished shortly thereafter. But that was the full extent of her knowledge about the chap, which in itself spiked her curiosity. What kind of secrets might he be hiding? Why had he come to the Pines? Why would anyone?! Had he simply been in need of a pack the way her parents insisted they had when she was a baby? He wasn't a baby though and as far as she knew he was capable enough.

The young girl suddenly realized that he'd spoken to her, her contemplations making it register extremely slowly. A small smile snuck onto her face before she could stop it, big ears waving; Princess? She kind of liked it, even if it wasn't true. Though if Bracken and Ember could be princesses, then why not her? The rest of his statement was just as confusing, and Nalda tilted her head, a true mirror of the large man, though it was puzzlement that made her do it. Had circumstances been different, she might have made a snide remark, but now instead, there was only confusion in her voice as she asked simply: "Why?"

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He might not have rolled his eyes, but the exasperation was apparent enough to the young girl. She felt a burst of defiance, determined to stay put just to spite him, at least until she got a proper explanation. So she cocked her brows expectantly, squaring her shoulders in silent challenge. Such ready to fight, she was rather surprised when Yuka willingly began to justify his order, her rebellion deflating under his words. The tale made her flick an ear, nose scrunching up for a moment in thought; Fox huh? It hadn't looked that dangerous, couldn't even catch the squirrel. But the burly man seemed quite insistent and Nalda let out a small huff narrowing her eyes slightly. "It do tha' t'you?" She asked, pointing her nose at the broad scars. There was no mock in her voice, just genuine curiosity. The way he had said it sounded like it was no small incident, though it still seemed unbelievable to her that a fox could cause any such damage.

As the hefty man moved, burnished gold eyes followed him closely, the pup spinning along to keep facing the him. Meanwhile, his attention seemed to be split between her and the sly predator, having apparently given up on its squirrel to lurk in the distance. Nalda glanced only briefly at it, her interest caught by the young man who was again urging to move. She still didn't see the point, but he was very insistent and, more importantly, he was offering to talk. Now, the young Zamora was usually not much of a conversationalist, however she was intrigued by this other reserved wolf, possibly the one pack mate she knew the least about. So she decided not to pass up the chance, resolving to comply, just this once; "Okay then." Her voice was unusually chipper, the slightest of wags to her tail as she looked up at the other, waiting for him to lead the way.

Word count: 325

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