Using her RE: Spieden, you think you hear your name being whispered in the wind.

Rain dampened fur stuck out in clumps along Spieden's shoulders and back, the drizzle not quite enough to drench but sufficient in cooling her large form. Spieden wasn't much a fan of the heat, tending towards a crepuscular nature to get anything done before the hot summer sun set in. Her pre-dawn rounds brought her first towards the border. She knew those evil wolves were gone, but living in fear for so long made the habit of a thorough patrol hard to shake.

Spieden followed the creek back in, gaze searching through the glittering eddies for any opportunities to fish. Sometimes she would see a dark shadow stir in the deep, tantalizing yet too far to reach.

The leafy branches overhead rattled as the wind sang through the wood. Spieden paused, head lifted and ears cupped forward as a curious noise met her ears. "Sspieee... Ssspieeeden." Her heavy head swayed to and fro as she glanced for the source, utterly unnerved. It was only the wind, wasn't it? She ruffled her pelt about her shoulders, attempting to shake out the sudden chill and continue on her way. A little more alert of her surroundings than she otherwise would have been, Spieden noted a familiar scent. Curious, she branched off of her waterside route, treading an easy pace towards a huge oak. It wasn't until she rounded the other side that she found the male.

She stared a few moments as she tried to recall his name... He was brown, like a... Bear. Simple. Yes. "Ah, Bear." Spieden said, attempting some sort smile but the expression looked rather unnatural on her rugged features. "You been settling in alright?" She asked. She never talked much to her members, and did wonder at times with the wide array of personalities if everyone was happy, or simply just trying to stay out of each other's way.

"Good, good," She said, nodding as he mentioned what he did with his time. At least someone had some optimism around here. It made sense, though, as he was a later addition to their ranks and so had missed the height of woe and drama.

She shrugged, muscular shoulders rolling beneath their grizzled brown shroud. "I can't complain. Everyone's... Well..." She was going to say 'alive' but bit her tongue. That was only true if she didn't look very far back. Silver was dead. She sighed a long huff from her nose, easing her weight from one large paw to the other before settling back onto her haunches.

Nobody really talked to her, either. Triell was quiet, she was sure he had his personal reasons for being so withdrawn, but it was unnerving to have so little support from her co-leader. She was sure Jessie hated her guts. And the rest? Pure indifference towards her. Whatever was holding the motley crew together even Spieden didn't know. If she had known what she was signing up for at the time, she would have turned tail and run far, far away when Triell had asked her to lead in Nayeli's place. But now she was invested in some ephemeral thing that she didn't understand, and stubbornly she could not let it go.

The rain rattled in the leaves above, causing her head to crane upwards and squint as heavy drops smattered down on her head. "This ain't an easy job, I'll tell you that much. I try to make sure everyone's safe, but I can't make sure everyone's happy." She said with a wry twist of her mouth. Her fiery eyes flicked back downward, settling on Beren's orange pair. "I... hope you'll let me know if you aren't, though."

Spieden nodded as Beren's eyes turned to her. He was right. She was thankful to be alive, thankful for every day she moved freely though the territory and beyond, for every day she was not subject to unspeakable cruelty and abuse. As Beren continued she leaned closer, listening intently as he revealed his dissatisfaction. She felt the same, in ways, but his conclusion of the cause was much different than the one she had reached herself.

Spieden's brow furrowed as she stared at Beren oddly. She almost couldn't tell if he was being serious at first. Beren's words had managed to be both completely off the mark and entirely true at the same time. The closeness, the family he spoke of... It did not exist. Nayeli and Triell formed some sort of unit, and Spieden supposed them and their cubs in fact made up a "family", but it was an exclusive one. It seemed more that the pack was simply a bunch of wolves thrown together in the same territory, with little regard or cohesion with each other. She had practically no experience with how a functional pack should work, but she could remember her childhood. Things had not been the way they were here in the Bend. There, family had meant something, but pack meant just as much. Her mother had welcomed all into the fold as if they were her own blood.

A bitter grin crossed her face, a lost flash in her eyes as she looked down to the male. "It's not just you." Spieden said roughly. "I think if she could, Jessie would kill me in my sleep, and the rest wouldn't miss me afterwards." She said with a snort, a sharp exhale that could be construed as a humorless laugh.

Her gaze flicked away, watching the rain drum steadily against the ground. "I want to fix... This. But I don't know if I can." She admitted.