Jessie’s head snapped around and her grin widened. I’ve got you now. There was nothing that cheered the Rye Queen up more than productive work in the form of hunting. The petite woman’s shoulder blades pressed together as her belly barely skimmed the snowy ground, her eyes pinned on the form of the hare in front of her. You should have stayed in hibernation. Before she could pounce, however, a call for the pack came from the borders.

Had it been someone she did not know, the Tainn woman might have been annoyed. But this was Risaela, the girl she had taken into her care and had not seen since she had left to go back to Hearthwood months ago. Before the mess and drama that occurred with her borders.

The mother’s paws were already taking her towards where Ris’ call originated from, a semi-smile twitching onto her lips. Jessie formed an attachment when the Tainn pup had been under her care for those few weeks. The girl held a certain sense of innocence to her that Jessie wanted to maintain and protect, despite the fact that the world was cruel to the child by taking her only known parent away.

When she arrived at the borders, her face broke out into a grin, emerald cold eyes softening as they landed on the girl, who had grown since her last visit, before they slid over to the stranger. The male stranger. The matriarch’s grin disappeared. A muscle in her face twitched, the only indication that she was perturbed by this intruder. Her gaze returned to Risaela again, a small smiling returning to her lips, “Risaela, it’s very good to see you again.” She finally approached the girl, having paused in her assessment of the boy and offered the girl a bump to the cheek in greeting. The mother’s hardened gaze returned to the man, “Please introduce me to our guest.”

A pleased growl resonated in the back of Jessie's throat as they embraced and Risaela's small voice made the Rye Queen feel as if something was finally clicking back into place. As much as she wanted to spend time catching up with the child, the monochrome woman's eyes were set on the young man that accompaned her former charge. Her gaze was broken when Ris stood in between them. Emerald eyes moved to gaze upon her niece, her eyebrows arching at the introduction. She likes him a lot. The woman's frown deepened, turning her gaze back to the yearling. He was certainly older than her and the two had no business traveling around together. He needed to go.

And just as Aunt Jessie was about to tell him to do exactly that, Risaela cut in again. For a moment, the Tainn's eyes narrowed on the boy, mulling over what the girl had just said before her eyes shifted into what could have almost been called a look of respect. Despite her own desire to travel alone, Risaela was still only a child and having someone else accompany her was not all that bad of an idea...even if he was a stranger. Mako felt the need to explain further and Jessie had no means of stopping him. Yes, let him be uncomfortable. Her gray tail flicked behind her as she returned her gaze to Risaela, eyes softening, before turning back to look at the newcomer. "I see. Thank you for ensuring that she get here safely. I very much appreciate it." She offered him a nod before turning her attention back to the Tainn - who was now even bigger than her. When her jaws parted, there was no hint of shame when she asked, "What brings you back all the way out here?" While the older woman missed the child, she was certainly not expecting a visit until spring! After all, the snow was hard to get through, as had just been mentioned. Was there something else that brought the child back out to the Fields?