The dark young girl did what she thought was best for the pack. This usually consisted of doing patrols of the borders and hunting whenever the caches looked like they were running a little low. She looked after her brothers, though she wasn’t quite sure they needed looking after much anymore, especially since they were free to roam around the territory. Enia did not quite remember the age her littermates had felt comfortable leaving the territory but the Athesila yearling was sure that it had left their parents flustered, especially with their father ill and their mother left with the task to look after them. The Woodlands had gone through a rough patch but it felt like they were finally getting back on their feet.

While Enia would have preferred to continue her round of the border, the weather seemed to have other plans. A thick fog hung heavy over the thickets and the young girl had no plans to get a thorn stuck in her paw, as she had learned time and time over again as a child. She moved through the thickets, being mindful of the ground below her. A voice ahead made her pause. Light brown eyes shifted up and narrowed. The young Athesila princess would have missed him had he not spoken, she was too focused on where she was stepping.

Her head was turned upwards towards the sky and the girl had to pause, a frown forming on her lips as his words processed in her mind. Wide eyes did a quick sweep of the area, swiftly determining that there was no one else nearby. Is he addressing the sky? Curiosity piqued, the dark yearling stepped forward, swallowing to moisten her throat before she spoke. "Who are you talking to?" she questioned. Enia had never seen him in the communal den and had yet to see him in passing, though as she stepped forward and identified him, she was able to pinpoint that she had noticed his new scent around the territory recently. Who are you?

His eyes were an intriguing color and Enia found that her gaze was immediately drawn to them when he finally turned to look at her. His pale white fur was accompanied with light pink eyes that would draw in any onlooker. The man was larger than her, though that did not say much in retrospect. Enia was the runt of her litter and had remained so when she grew into her adult body. The yearling might have even gone as far to call the man handsome but her thoughts did not venture into that territory because his voice broke her train of thought.

The Athesila peered innocently at the man in front of her as he answered her inquiry. When he turned away from her to face up towards the angry sky, she followed his gaze. The sky was doing something different that day but the young girl simply chalked it up to a bad storm that was coming and that was enough to comfort her. At an early age, Enia had found that storms were something that she liked, the rumble of thunder was something that calmed her and the lights that flashed across the sky would paint an almost eerie picture of the thickets that one couldn’t get any other time.

And then the man apologized, once again snapping her out of her thoughts. Brown eyes landed back on the albino, eyebrows creasing in confusion. Before she could respond, however, he bowed, asked for her forgiveness – in the most gentlemanly way possible – and introduced himself. Enia finally ventured to step closer to him, the smile on his lips calming her nerves and offered him one of her own. It would have been rude to laugh at him, but she almost couldn’t help herself at his question. Instead, her eyes sparkled in his direction, her smile pulling up into a grin as she responded, "You could say that. I’m her daughter, Enia." She licked her lips before continuing, "It’s a pleasure to meet you, but you don’t have to apologize for anything. It gives you…character." Her tail waved neutrally behind her to show that she was at ease.

Compliments were a new concept to Enia – at least when it wasn’t centered around her work ethic. Being surrounded by her family left little to the imagination and little to be said. The dark yearling knew that her family loved her and she did not need them complimenting her physical traits, or her name, for her to know that. What she did appreciate was the feeling of self-achievement received when her parents told her how well she was doing and to keep doing it. It was encouraging. When Pax’s voice greeted her ears, she flushed a deep crimson, her body growing hot. For once, Enia was grateful for her dark coat. Meekly, she uttered a soft, "Thank you", her eyes downcast before she looked back up towards his intriguing paly pinks.

When he chuckled, Enia finally ventured to close the distance between them. He seemed nice enough. Kindness was always the first quality the girl looked for in, well, anyone. The youngest daughter of the Athesila’s sat a friendly enough distance away from the white lad, brown eyes locking with her own pink gaze. Dark ears twitched forward to hear what he had to say, curiosity burning untethered in her gaze. For a moment, her eyebrows creased together in confusion before they shot up in understanding. The dark yearling hadn’t really thought about it much since she had grown up in the Woodlands, but he was right. Pax’s added addition to his question caused light bubbly laughter to escape from Enia’s paw, her head bobbing up and down in confirmation to his words.

A light smile pulled on her lips, jaws parting, "I know what you mean! In my first few months out of the den, I was stepping on thorns left and right." She took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect herself, eyes shining up at the pale man in front of her. She hummed quietly to herself, before continuing, "I guess you just learn from trial and error. You learn t’ watch where you’re stepping and where you’re going at the same time after a while." She had learned quickly. Enia preferred keeping her paws thorn free and being extra observant never hurt anyone. However, another thought occurred to Enia. Her eyebrows furrowed once again, "You’re not gonna leave us, right?" Just because of some stupid thorns. Cinaed had left, what was keeping anyone else from doing the same?

He had a nice smile. The yearling decided then that she would make it a goal to make the older man smile as much as she could. Even at a young stage in life, Enia had yet to find any wrong with the world – aside from her brother’s departure – and was quite innocent to the workings of what happened outside of pack life. Had Pax been a danger to her, the dark Athesila would have been none the wiser. The young girl was glad that her new pack mate was getting accustomed to her though, even showing that he too was comfortable, stretching out in front of her. Light brown eyes followed his movements before settling back on his eyes.

The Athesila was glad that she could offer him some insight into the best way to getting around the thickets, even if it wasn’t really even any advice at all. The pale male took a moment to consider her question and for a moment Enia believed it to be speculation as to if he would be remaining with them or not. It would be disappointing to see him go, he seemed so kind! At his first attempt at a response, Enia’s eyebrows creased in immediate concern. Was loyalty not a primary aspect of pack life? Her father sure seemed to reiterate it throughout her childhood and it was hard to think of a life without such structure in it.

Paschal was quick to reassure her that he did not have any intentions of leaving. The sentiment returned the bright smile to her lips, lighting up her eyes. Her voice was light when she spoke, "I’m glad! I know my father would appreciate that too." Eyes softened onto the pale form of her companion, who she now could consider a friend. While her parents might have thought of Paschal as just another number to their ranks, Enia knew that there was another layer underneath it. He could be valued for something other than the extra paws and scent markings. After all, he was unique in his own way, just as any individual is.