Covered in a layer of dusty snow which slowly thickened even as she sat there, Belladonna felt invisible as she hunched next to the lake, staring at the reflections in the icy-cold water as the wind made it ripple and shimmer. Her core temperature was dropping steadily, but it was not unbearable yet. Besides, the knowledge of a nearby warm den was enough to strengthen her resolve here and now, since there was nothing stopping her from breaking away at any point. Part of her wanted to see how long she could last out here with nothing but herself, the snow, and the lake for company.

Absorbed in her admirations, as she so often was, the long beckoning howl of a stranger did nothing more than to cause one of her ears to prick slightly in attentiveness. Even then, a few seconds passed before she realised how close it had been, and almost reluctantly moved her head towards it, some of the snow falling from her fur as she disturbed it. There was no mistake, it had been a call for the pack... Blinking away her meditations and coming back to the present, she stood, a few more soft flurries tumbling from her, and debated going back to the den and letting an adult deal with it. She knew that this happened sometimes, that wolves she didn't know would wander by and, occasionally, they joined the pack, made it stronger. Would this be one of those times?

It was not her place to turn away or accept any stranger, that was her mother and Tlarx's right. But if they were going to get another able body for the winter... maybe another friend... then could it hurt to look for herself?

Quietly she stole towards where the howl had originated from, keeping to the cover of trees and withered foliage, until she saw him, stood where she knew their borders to be. A queer excitement took hold of her as she pressed on, coming as close as she dared before meekly stepping into the open half a dozen metres away, ears forward and eyes bright with curiosity. He was all silvery, so pretty, and not really that much bigger than Bella herself, and even his frame was lean, like her, even though he had the subtle attributes of adulthood. But he was not that much older, she decided, and the thought of a similarly-aged companion was enough to perk her courage.

"Hello?" she greeted, trying not to be foolish, aware that her mother would be angry if she wasn't careful. Ash would be angry too, probably, if she got herself in trouble, but she didn't want to get into trouble anyway, so everything would be fine. Just in case, she had already mapped out an escape route if necessary, through the forest she knew better than herself. She was safe here.

Why was he so distracted? Maybe she should have stayed away and let her mother or Tlarx deal with it. She didn't want to get in anybody's way, that hadn't been her intention. Was it so out of form for her to want to meet a potential new friend? He had called for their leaders, so he was joining, right? So he couldn't be an enemy or anything, otherwise he wouldn't be here. But despite all that...

She relaxed a little when his tail finally moved, and he returned the greeting, absentminded though it was. He was probably on the look out for someone with more authority. That was fine, she didn't mind keeping him company in the meantime. When he asked after her parents, which she thought a perfectly acceptable question, she opened her mouth to reply - only to hear somebody approaching anyway. Thinking it might be her mother, she stayed quiet and glanced in the direction of the newcomer.

Perhaps ironically, it was Naira who showed up, and the restrained ferocity in her approach took Bella aback. Why was she being so hostile? He had called, he was being polite, he hadn't done anything wrong that she could see... Taking a cautious step towards Naira, for comfort and protection, she kept an eye on the stranger and smiled at him, trying to let him know that he wouldn't be met with only snarls and angry people.

Another part of her was slightly worried that it had been Naira to appear, though. Bella was aware of Naira's ranking, and though Bella herself rarely paid much mind to where each wolf stood with each other (mostly because she was too young to fit into the hierarchy herself and felt more like a free spirit, equals with all and simultaneously their inferior due to her age) she knew that it wasn't really Naira's place to make any decision regarding this stranger, not unless he was causing trouble. Which he wasn't!

Worried for Naira and the pretty loner both, Bella waited for the arrival of her mother - of Athena, that was - with growing impatience, not wanting the situation to get any more awkward.