Admittedly, there was a part of Miriam that was upset… but she tried not to dwell upon it. Harboring resentment was a way she would harbor ill will with the ancesotrs, and that was the last thing she wanted… still, she found herself disheartened that it had been Nadine to locate Jethro and point Finley in his direction. She’d been searching the surrounding territories to the Falls every day and yet it had turned up nary a peep… Nadine had gone out on a jaunt and returned victorious. Some part of her harbored resentment towards the woman for no good reason at all.

Clearly, this had happened for a reason. She should simply be happy the man had returned…

That was what she kept telling herself as she sulked around the border, having just come back from searching the surrounding territories. She figured even though she had not found the former alpha, what she could do was scout out game trails to tip the hunters, and take note of any suspicious activity that surrounded pack lands even if it did not happen on. That had to be her best choice, right?

Miriam had been lost in her own thoughts when a familiar voice brought a nickname into the air, drawing a smile from her as she turned her head towards Chan, a beaming expression on her face as she quickly pushed down everything she had been thinking about in terms of resentment. “Hiya Chan!” She’d greet back with a wag of her tail. She hadn’t been expecting to find anyone else out there, despite it still being within the bounds of the pack.

“It’s a beautiful day! I was just about to go out and do some surveying of the territories just outside of the borders, up near the lake.” Though she was always back for the night, never taking more than a day trip. She didn’t quite feel confident enough in her own paws for it, and her conversation with Finley had indicated she’d grow to longer trips but that she had not yet been at that level. She wasn’t entirely certain what that level was, but she’d know when she’d know, right? “Would you like to join me? It’d be nice to have the company!”

Miriam found it difficult to be anything other than cheerful. After all, she had found Paradise. They had welcomed her with open paws into a world that she had only ever heard about in stories and songs. Jethro Kane had welcomed her, and she had continued to thrive in the promised land that she had only heard about through the spirit’s whispers to the Mother, and her conveyance to the pack. Her pilgrimage had truly taken her to greener and better pastures, and there was little more that she could hope for.

“Yes, we are! We’re tracking game trails outside of the pack territory to the south, to bring back to the pack for action.” She offered, her chipper and bright mood still infectiously reaching into her tone, even if in her inner depths was spite and disdain at Nadine for stealing her thunder. She constantly had to remind herself that it had been a test of her mettle, and that she simply needed to power through and continue proving her worth. The Ancestors could be tricky that way.

A grin caught her features, a slight bounce in her step as she moved. She’d always had a lot of energy, which had been often mistaken as a sign of reverence. It had been mistaken in fear-induced servitude that had her hyper, constantly ready to serve. In reality, it was simply who she was as a person.

At the question she nodded. “Oh yes! I love adventuring, being out in the wilds… and Finley mentioned the need for a scout. I talked to her about becoming a scout for the pack.” She explained to him as she moved about, that bounce still lingering in her step. “She had asked me with keeping an eye out for Jethro, but Nadine found him instead… so I’ve been spending more time looking for plants for Riven and keeping an eye on herds near the pack lands that we could hunt instead.” She tried to not let her dismay that someone else had beaten her to the prize show on her features.

A gentle smile formed on her features to contrast his frown, not thinking anything of the concern in his gaze. “Yes, he figured if I could identify and collect on scouting trips, it was less trips he or others might have to make… killing two birds with one strike, as it were.” She offered up more lightheartedly, not seeing it as an emergent thing, simply another way that she could help the pack which had given her so much.

At the mention of goals, her smile faltered, her paws shifting on the ground to scrape at it for a moment before she took her gaze back up to him and answered truthfully. “She had wanted me to search for Jethro… but Nadine found him before I could.” The disappointment laced her tone, though she would not speak ill about any involved… not even herself.

“I’ve been working on it since shortly after Finley took up the helm of leadership.” She admitted. “I’ve been trying to find some greater direction… I haven’t really done interactions with other packs, but I’ve scouted territories for herds or threats to report back… it’s been the extent, and I haven’t done any longer trips either. I’ve remained fairly close to the Falls the entire time.”