Travelling in the winter was not Vaken's favourite. He never went too far, especially since Circe and him were sticking together. Visiting his aunt was different though. He had been thinking about it for months, now it was time. The spring would be here soon, and along with it a lot of change. He missed his father. If Nashoba had been alive, Vaken surely would have gone home and left the lore. He wasn't though, so the yearling had no one to turn to.

He didn't realize how close he was until the scent markers hit, forcing him to slow his pace. He wasn't sure what to do. Maybe he should howl? The idea was slightly off-putting. He didn't want to make a big deal out of this. Rather than draw attention, he took a seat. He'd think about it for a few minutes, wait around. He'd leave it up to chance.

Huh. It seemed like the fates were in his favour for once. The yearling had been startled by his aunt's arrival, startled by the swiftness of her appearance. He hadn't expected things to work out so smoothly. Not that he minded- he just hadn't been prepared. He stumbled to his feet with a confused look, unsure if he should be thankful or anxious. It took him a moment to collect himself, his body and face adjusting to hide his shock. "Oh, hey- I-" He sighed at himself, relaxed his shoulders and started again. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

It was a stupid thing to say. This was her pack (or at least it was the last time he was around). Of course she would be in the area, he had come here to see her. He smiled nervously, an unusual gesture for the otherwise confident and smug man. Vaken was not familiar with family. It had been a while since he had seen her. She reminded him so much of his father, he found himself acting pup-like around her, reverting back to childhood. Gross. "I was going to call for you. Must have read my mind."

The warmness of Moonshadow's presence was comforting. Any anxiety the man had was gone. The softness of her voice, with the familiarity of her movements. It felt like home. He wanted to lean into her as if she was his father, ask for advice, but he held himself back. No matter how similar, Moon was not Nashoba. Vaken couldn't fool himself into believing she was. "Figured it was about time," he admitted.

There was nothing per say he needed, except company. His guard was still up, afraid to mention anything personal. It was strange. Moonshadow was almost a stranger to him, but it felt like he had known her all his life. It made it difficult for the scruffy youth to navigate. He wanted to tell her about Circe, his drive for leadership, his spring plans. The words rose up to his throat, but got caught in his mouth and lost their way. "I thought I'd check up on you. See how the pack is doing, you know."