Refusing to allow herself to be contained on pack grounds despite sisyhR's rage at her little excursion to the willows, the tawny lady stalked towards the edge of the lake. Usually hesitant to swim any more than necessary (with the exception of her dunk in the Swift River), ariaN felt it was high time to shed the last of her thick wintery coat. She would emerge from the water transformed from a creamy and tawny wolf into a lady of golden and silver hues, only maintaining the creamy highlights around her cheeks, belly and paws.

The water was far colder than the streams of her home, but she did not let that deter her, wading out until her paws could no longer touch the bottom. She swam in lazy circles, enjoying the clear sky while it lasted, until finally, beginning to tire, she pulled her large body from the water. To think in the coming months she would swell to near bursting made her legs feel weak, but her melodic laughter filled the air instead. She was being ridiculous. She would do just fine.

Deciding to have some fun with the new recruit she waited until he walked along side and shook violently, releasing a small downpour over the wolf at her side. picking up her feet in a small dance she trotted away from the waters edge, less he chose to retaliate in some form. Her fur sat in damp feral spikes all over her nice clean coat, making her look like more of a hellhound than the regal wolf she attempted to portray to outsiders.

If they were going to be family, they may as well get acquainted. Settling on her behind and lifting her rear leg to scratch at her neck she took a moment to enjoy one of the simplest pleasures in life, tongue lolling from her mouth comically. Once her itch was satisfied she sighed contentedly. "So what brings you to these lands? Tell me story of your family." She loved stories.

The story resonated with Naira, who had come to these lands in search of her own brother. She had come close on several occasions but just couldn't bring herself to actually face him yet, and now? Now it just couldn't happen. She was almost certain he would turn on her for leaving the River wolves, for going against the most basic rule. If you aren't a leader you do not breed.

Her tale so far held almost a bitter-sweetness to it. She had come in search of her brother and had found her love instead. The pups could be her happily ever after or they could be the tragic ending to a sorry story. But she would not let that happen.

There was nothing she could do to cure a kick to the head or deafness but his mention of irritation sparked concern in her. She had been more worried when her brother disappeared unannounced and she settled herself in a small patch of grass to sun herself for a while. Sure she should be closer to the den. But they could see anything coming for a mile away, and she hadn't yet started to show so she was still pretty fast for a wolf of her size.

"You know, I'm slowly growing to love this place..." she admitted after a rather large yawn. "How are you finding it?"

A small smile graced the lady's face at his response. The unspoken was clear in his tone and she dismissed it for now. He would either grow to love their home, or leave. But until he decided one way or another, all they asked for was his loyalty, to fight beside his pack mates and the common sense to keep his mouth shut about their existence.

"I grew up in a dense forrest, far from here. I grew up hunting caribou and moose. Deer less often, and never goats..." laughter clear in her tone and dancing in her eyes. She never would have considered it a meal where she grew up, the odd looking creatures were resourceful, tricky, and not nearly as large as the game she was used to. It would mean they would need to hunt more often, and smaller game was more dangerous to take because of the variation in the terrain. She imagined she would be needed to stock up on ailments for basic sprains, but she had no way to mend broken bones. They would all need to be careful.

A small smile crossed her face at the next question. ”Yes it will. But I’ve tended to many mothers before. Where I lived, game was quite plentiful so there were less restrictions on breeding. We were such a large pack we could support more than one litter. Last season I had to tend to three mothers. Thankfully the litters were small.” Unfortunately their size had been a large part of their downfall. ”There was a drought. We had to split up.”

Admittedly, it was the younger wolves who had dispersed. The core of her family she imagined were still fighting, living and dying in the Yukon forest. Hopefully a lot less of the latter. ”So what about your family Jedd? Why did you chose to leave them?” she questioned. She imagine there was a reasonable answer. Most wolves left their birth packs at around the age of two to make their own way. It was simply the way she had been raised to believe things were done.