The littlest Mizuno was finding her own inclination to roam. With confidence gained by being surrounded by the supportive, loving Grizzly Hollow pack - and her siblings with Nauja and Tyne along with them - Pip had started coming into her own. Out from under the abusive jaws of her aunt and other members of her old pack, the mute girl was learning things far rapidly than anyone had ever given her credit for. Back in Bella Coola, her inability to speak was seen as being unable to learn, unable to hunt, unable to thrive. She was a burden to the pack, sneered at whenever her siblings' backs were turned. Pip had seen even her own mother watching her with disapproval, though the woman had been quick to look away whenever she caught the pup peering at her.

Now, she was a valued member; a talented fisher and a budding hunter as well. She was learning to track, learning what creatures were good for food and which ones to avoid at all costs (beavers included!!). Even Veho had entrusted her with a task as a runner in a great time of need when Oula was giving birth to her three pups. Here, she was useful!

Knowing it had the little female standing a bit taller. No longer did she slink under their gazes and quiver whenever their eyes remained on her for too long. The only quivering now came from over-excitement which was generally tolerated well as she showed the correct submissive behavior throughout. A lift of lips and barely bared teeth was the only message she needed from her packmates that she was getting a little too out of control and she would immediately calm for them.

Of course, her confidence around other wolves was unchanged. Pip was incredibly slow to trust unless given good reason to do so - as with Kjell when the loner rescued her from the beaver. Thankfully, she'd come across none in her wanderings today.

A quick visit to Frog Chirp Creek had fulfilled her puppy-need to chase after the amphibians there, but a new sense of wanderlust had her looking beyond the familiar play place. The farther north she traveled, the more new scents she found. One she came across belonged to a rather sturdy looking, but long squirrel-beast. Its tail was quite bushy, too, but didn't curl up like she was used to seeing.

Eventually, she found herself in a large field of colorful wildflowers. Delighted, she bounded through them, chasing after grasshoppers and butterflies and anything else she could flush from beneath the pretty petals. All in all, it was a beautiful, sunny day!

Back in Bella Coola, Pip would spend her free time off on her own chasing sea gulls down the beach. She'd not found such playful company in the more forested lands of Relic Lore, but the butterflies were prettier to look at! Their patterns were so many colors that her orange eyes couldn't help but be drawn to them. A peaceful smile left her tongue lolling before she gave a mighty leap - for such a petite thing - in the air after one such butterfly.

As she landed, her shoulders shook with silent laughter until she realized the butterfly was actually caught on her tongue. She shook her head, but its wings were caught fast in her saliva and she was forced to paw it off. The little female frowned down at the butterfly and nudged it with her nose when it didn't immediately take flight again. She saw its little black legs crawling along the ground, but one wing was irreparably bent, though Pip wasn't one to understand such a thing and continued to encourage it back into flight.

Maybe if she left it alone...

Her gaze tracked up and she froze. Directly in her sights was another wolf. How long had he been standing there watching? Was it his territory? Should she leave? Wouldn't he have chased her off by now if it was, though? Thinking back, she couldn't recall crossing any marked borders but Grizzly Hollow's as she'd passed over.

Nervously, Pip pinned her ears back and lowered her small frame towards the ground. Unable to call out a greeting, she relied on the male's body language to tell her whether to run immediately or stick around and maybe try to make a new friend. She held her breath and waited.

It had become habit for the little wolf to submit first and wait for answers later. Since arriving in Relic Lore without knowledge of how she'd come to be there save for a dim recollection of horrifying two-legged deer without antlers, the reaction had served her well enough. This time did not disappoint either.

Red ears flicked forward as the male spoke haltingly with apologies. At his admission of being unable to turn away, Pip felt her cheeks growing warm beneath her fur with embarrassment. Couldn't look away because I had a butterfly stuck on my tongue, she thought, closing her eyes and shaking her head a little as if to scrub the image of what she must have looked like from her mind's eye.

Meekly, her orange gaze traveled back up to meet the stranger's again and she offered a timid wag of her bushy tail. Flowers were swept from side to side in the long arc behind her, but the stems remained unbroken and were otherwise unharmed by her presence. The same could not be said for the butterfly she had forgotten by now which was no longer moving. Perhaps it was best her attention was pulled away, for its death would have saddened the otherwise bright girl.

Cautiously, Pip stood. Her short height kept her head well beneath the taller male's. Regardless, he easily weighed twice as much as she did so she could only hope he felt no threat from one as small as her. If he meant to make an example of her, she was well beyond the boundaries of Grizzly Hollow and far from any help she knew. She thought she may be able to outrun him if it came down to it, but her confidence in that was alarmingly low.

Hopefully, a nervous smile and the wagging tail would be enough to prove she was no one of consequence.

He'd come to visit for his parents' sake? Pip smiled sweetly, finding the action as charming as his need to explain himself. She knew her lack of speech caused many to feel uncomfortable and could only hope the male would work his way through it readily enough. Her red ears perked as he spoke of Grizzly Hollow.

There was a moment of complete and utter shock that was clearly seen in her gaze. Her orange eyes had widened and her head pulled back a little. But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced again by a kind smile. It shouldn't surprise her that others knew of Grizzly Hollow; it was really a lovely place, a lovely pack! To hear that he used to be part of the pack let Pip feel some kind of kinship for him. And to think, they could have been packmates!

She nodded at his question before her head tilted in a silent question of her own. If he had been part of the pack, what had caused him to move on? Pip saw no reason to ever leave, though she knew her siblings were anxious enough to be on their way.

For her, they stayed. Or so they said. Part of her felt they - Blitz especially - were only waiting for the path back to Bella Coola to be revealed to them. Well, she wasn't going back. As much as she loved the ocean, she felt no need to ever return back to the pack who had caused her so much grief and emotional turmoil. No, she was better suited to this forest and its rivers. She was learning things here and not stagnating back on the beaches.

But what had caused @Renier to leave? Was it on good terms or bad terms? Mmm, maybe she should have worried about that first in case he wasn't happy with them. But his posture spoke of no ill will and she pushed the worrisome thought away. He was a friend to the pack. At least, she thought so.

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Mirroring him, Pip took a seat herself in the flowers. Behind her, butterflies continued to fly on, unaware of their fallen brethren already forgotten by its accidental killer. A stiffer breeze parted the mute girl's thick fur along her chest leaving her to close her eyes protectively for a moment until it passed. Her smile returned in full as Renier successfully guessed what she was trying to communicate. She was impressed! It wasn't many who could catch on so fast. Only her siblings had ever been so spot on before. The little female nodded in encouragement, wiggling excitedly in place.

She could almost feel normal. Not like the oddball she was, but really normal. Having a friendly conversation with a stranger without worrying about being thought less of. It was a nice change. Of course, she'd had quite a string of good luck with the loners she met recently. Fondly, her mind strayed to @Kjell. She wondered if she'd see the wolf again and hoped he would return to the area soon. Whenever he was around, she never felt she had to worry about anything.

The light in her eyes dimmed a bit. A sickness? One so bad it forced an entire family to leave? It was a miracle the wolves of Grizzly Hollow still existed then! She frowned a little as he mentioned a brother. Did that mean he had a brother still in the pack? Subtly, she sniffed at the air a little, trying to pick out his scent from the noxious flowers. It was hard to tell, but from what she did smell, Pip supposed it did seem a bit familiar.

At his last question, she smiled and shook her head. Not long. A few months. She remembered it was the middle of winter when @Yvly first found her alone and frightened in the middle of a forest she didn't know.

Looking back towards Hollow territory, Pip tilted her head before returning her gaze to Renier. Did he...want to join her, maybe?