Unsurprisingly, Ophelia had no talent as any kind of negotiator. She was impatient and quickly bored with a wandering mind and an obvious lack of attention that was apparently considered rude. Well, if someone wanted her to pay attention, they should at least try to say something interesting. Rather than frustrate her father or insult their allies further, the pale princess chose to wander off on her own.

She walked with a complete lack of concern as if any potential dangers were so far beneath her that they could not even possibly register. Even the slippery cliffs along which she'd walked had been treated like ant hills rather than the unforgiving mountains they were. Each step was taken as if a grass carpet had been rolled out in front of her and she strolled with ease and confidence. Her nose twitched as she caught the heady scent of water that was not at all similar to that of Cut Rock River. Frowning, the pale female moved forward to investigate.

With winter still clinging stubbornly to the Lore, Ophie watched with fascination as steam curled above the bubbly surface of several springs. The girl trotted down to the waters edge and sniffed curiously and gave a cautious lap only to lift her head and tilt it. Warm, she marveled. In this cold? Encouraged that her tongue had at least not been burned, the princess took a tentative step in and hummed with delight before stepping deeper into the spring until water lapped against her sides.

They needed a place like this in Cedarwood! It was marvelous. The girl lay down, fully submerging her back with only her head left above water. Her cheeks warmed delightfully and she closed her eyes. Content to stay right there until her father came looking, Ophelia stretched out her back legs in languid comfort.

Each exhale Ophelia made caused tiny ripples in the water hovering just under her nose. Her soft hums to herself blocked out any chance of hearing the stranger approaching from behind, and even if she had, the princess would likely have been slow to open her eyes anyway. She was enjoying herself. Why should she hurry to have her peace interrupted by some nosy busy body?

So when the question came from far too close, a flick of a tan tipped ear was the most reaction garnered from the pale girl for nearly an entire minute. Finally, relenting to the fact that the stranger was not likely to leave on her own, Ophelia gave a long suffering sigh as she opened her pale green eyes and turned her head to regard the black female.

The Grizzly Hollow pup's gaze narrowed in judgement on the girl. Normally, Ophelia would find some fatal flaw and poke the bear just to get a reaction. But this girl was pretty though she was maybe a little short, it was hardly a good enough bear to poke in the first place. Instead of going with her normal first reaction of teasing, Ophelia cocked her head and attempted to wag her sodden, half submerged tail. The result was a slow wave of the pale banner across the surface of the steaming springs.

"Relaxin', what's it look like?" she wondered without heat. "Water's warm. What's your name?" The number of girls her own age Ophelia actually got to meet was thus far limited to two and both of them had been wild red heathens, though Flair was infinitely more likeable than that Archer girl. It would be nice to make another friend, even if they did live far away.

As the dark, pretty wolf introduced herself, seeming more focused on the water than Ophelia, the young pup lifted her chin a smidge, but there was no hint of annoyance in her pale green eyes. She'd already learned not to expect others to think anything of her right off the bat. It was something she had to prove; a hard lesson indeed for her. "I'm Princess Ophelia Macieo," she introduced, holding her head now regally in a matter befitting one in her distinguished position. "Heir to the Grizzly Hollow Pack," the girl added when Iyes asked if she belonged to the nearby pack.

Daintily, she shook her head. "Daddy - that's Veho Macieo - and I are just visited. Something about family or whatever. Boring adult talk, so I came out to explore." Regarding her new companion with curiosity, Ophelia smiled. "Where are you from? Definitely not the place I came from. Are you part of another nearby pack? That's pretty close, isn't it?" Before allowing the older girl to answer, she had to add, "We live in Cedarwood Forest. It's huge and feels very secluded."

More questions bubbled up in Ophelia's throat - what was her pack like? Why was she out alone? Did she not have many friends either? Could they be friends? Did what little conversation they've had already constitute the groundwork for a friendship? - but the pale princess managed to hold them back behind their teeth to allow @Iyes to speak up and answer the ones she'd already asked. No need to overwhelm her so early on, she supposed.

As her companion shared where she was from, Ophelia's tail continued to sway along the water's surface while steam heated her cheeks. She liked this girl! Iyes was nice in an honest sort of way. She didn't have the same haughty attitude like that one red girl or the frowning disposition of her brother. Odin, she recalled. The girl's name, she'd forgotten if it was ever shared. Ophie hadn't cared to invest any of her brain-space on someone like her! But @Iyes was different.

When the yearling mentioned being able to see the whole world from her pack's location, the pale princess wondered if even Cedarwood could be visualized from such a high perch. How different would it look from way high up on the mountain? Was it the closest a wolf could get to a bird's vision? She would have been happy to ask along those lines, but found herself immediately distracted by the word Guardian. It sounded mystical and exciting when she said it. Nineva was a Guardian, Ophie thought. Or at least she looked over the territory and protected everyone against any wolves that dared trespass.

"Wow," the girl breathed, truly impressed. "You must be really talented to be a Guardian." She didn't add the 'in-training' part. As far as Ophie saw it, everyone was always training for something. Even Daddy. Every day, he was training as leader and getting better.

"Oh, home is that way," she shared, her muzzle jutting westward. "It's a few days journey from here. Maybe you could get there quicker if you had to; we traveled pretty slow though."

The princess stood suddenly and shook out her pale coat. The chill of the air had a hard time penetrating her still-present winter coat despite how sodden it was. "Hey, do you wanna play?" she asked, peridot eyes gleaming hopefully. Since Felix had left, she really hadn't had anyone her age to play with, and now that she and Daddy were traveling, it was even harder to come by. The girl bowed down, her chin just barely hovering above the water now while her tail waved high over her back.

A pleasurable thrill dashed through Ophelia as her words had a marked effect on her companion. To see @Iyes shyly light up brought a grin to the pale princess and she shared a warm smile in return. It was a new aspect of herself that Ophie was discovering; that she could be kind without losing face. And that others would take to it in such a rewarding way was news as well.

When her invitation to play was so obviously accepted, the Macieo youth snickered as the dark girl blew bubbles in the spring. Ophelia stiffened in preparation as Iyes made her charge. When the young Guardian drew close, Ophie twisted away and barked in her face as she stumbled and sloshed through the water that reached her chest. She moved gracelessly through the water, bounding and tripping over the excessive drag she wasn't prepared for until she could angle back towards shore and have solid ground beneath her paws.

The tiny black tip of her tail flagged high overhead as she laughed and raced away, turning it into a game of chase. Barking and laughter filled the air atop the mountain as she led her new friend around and around the springs, leaping and bounding to offer playful nips in turn. "Can't catch me!" she boasted, giddy with the game as a whole. The very thought of being caught was encouragement enough for her to keep up her top speed!