@Albireo

Once again the pale fae found herself in the eerie woods, but it was the first time she'd traveled this way since the passing of Shade. The trees here reminded her of a better time, and yet she wasn't there to reminisce. If she allowed the memories of this place to surface then it would cause her to mourn, and mourning would distract her from her own personal mission. Capella needed to find food, or at least a decently sized herd, it was the only way she could ensure that the rest of the Pitch Pine members could gain a little extra weight before Winter's cold fingers gripped them entirely.

Snowflakes poured down on her from the heavens, touching her coat lightly. It was strange how something so beautiful could be so dangerous. A single snowflake? No, it was certainly the farthest thing from danger. It was the effect snow had on the Earth that was the problem. It forced plentiful herds to drop in numbers, and food to become almost barren. It made hunting much harder as there was no place to hide. Regardless of how pale Capella was, her coat wasn't a pure white. Against the ashen snow her coat stuck out like a sore thumb. It even made it near impossible to sneak up on any creature, for every step was met with a sickening slosh or crunch. The lithe fae had to stop and wonder how a lone wolf could survive the winter. There would be no warmth other than your own, and no one to fill up a cache aside from yourself. How they didn't all just freeze to death under a blanket of snow and ice was beyond her, but it had almost been a reality she'd had to face. Almost.

Another set of crunching came from behind, and she spun to meet the approaching male head on. He was of a decent size, standing just a bit taller than her. His fur was blanketed in various colors from the deepest obsidian, to the palest whites, and his posture suggested that of one who was looking for trouble. He seemed to be trying to sneak up on her, but the fae did not fear him. He must have known that she would hear him sloshing through the snow, or if nothing else catch his scent on the wind. If all of that was true, as she was sure it was, then what were his intentions? Her infinite curiosity once again grabbed hold of her, but she did not act on it. Whereas in the past she might have taken a step forward, this time she held her ground, letting her body fall into a neutral stance. This was not his land, nor was it hers. On this plane, they were equals.

"Hello?" Her light voice called out to him, breaking the silence, and raising at the end to form a question. What did this male want, and why was he here? She could only assume he had the same intentions as her. With the scarce amounts of prey, many were taking to the open lands, hoping to find a stable enough herd to last them the winter. That is, if there even was one out here, since she had yet to find one.

Dull but still relatively bright dandelion eyes met his cold, dark gaze. There was something in his stare that shot red flags through her head, and forced her blood to run cold. Pale ears pricked forward, and she considered taking a step back, but her body wouldn't move. This wasn't right. His brown orbs stood out immensely against the sparkling snow around them. It was as if his very soul had gone from the vessel it once traveled in, leaving behind an empty husk that was still able to function.

After standing to his full height, she thought that everything was going to be alright. She had just alarmed him, which could explain the strange behavior. Then he resumed the pose she had first found him in, and she knew that something was very wrong, but unfortunately her body stood still in it's place, unable to fling backwards in a retreat.

As he began inching forward, he found his voice. Each step brought with it a single word that seemed almost difficult for him to say. Was there something wrong with him? Capella had heard of wolves who had severe speech problems, but would they act like this? Interest piqued she tilted her head, meeting his gaze without missing a beat. "Yes?" Her voice called out into the thick air between them, followed by a cloudy exhale. This winter sure was proving to be an interesting one. Throwing caution to the wind, she also took a step forward, tempting fate.