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He had entered a new area. How far this part would reach was still a secret to him but Alphinaud was ready to uncover the secrets it held. It was something he never noticed before, only moons of traveling alone had made him aware of the atmospheres that differed in each part new land he visited. The land breathed with soul and heart, for those who were open to listen to its voice you could hear what tone it spoke. Welcoming, threatening or sometimes so silent if was hardly there. But this land, it spoke of tales. It sung stories he never heard and places he had yet to visit. Above all, it spoke with live. The birds and the herd, scents of insects and plants that had blossomed in spring. The presence of fellow wolves, faint or present but of course none he recognized.

The opportunities, adventures and tales perked his white fluffy ears up to the sky. His tail rose in the air slightly wagging in his own excitement. Of course, lively lands meant more potential dangers. More enemies and more likely claimed territory. Aimless wandering would be ill suited in a place that lived as this land. Once he had made the mistake to be careless in his travels, it had been sheer luck he could continue his own story. So, Alphinaud continued with careful yet excited steps. It was bright red and orange fields that were scattered over a green sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold, one he felt honored to witness. The place eased his cautious posture, let him sniff the sweet aroma of flowers and follow a bee with his eyes. Like a starry sky, the field of red and orange promised him something big. And as he stood there, as a white spot among the many colors he couldn’t count, Alphinaud Lothaire wondered, if he would ever be part of this beautiful secret.

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It had been nearly a week, and he had grown to admire Miskwaa's choice in den location, for he was yet to find another wolf - or any predator, indeed - which travelled close. In that week, the early red buds had decided to celebrate Ziigwan's stay by erupting into a field of soft orange and red, transforming the rise from the green sea to one of flame as if overnight. He had taken some moments to adjust to it, awed, the morning he had woken to find everything ablaze. What a welcome.

On this day he was returning to their minimalist lair with half a pheasant corpse in his mouth, his reward for successfully intimidating its previous owner. Scavenging was easier than hunting alone, when he had not hunted alone for years, and he was finding himself passably decent at it. The wolf's one-track mind was distracted, however, by a flash of white against the red. Their haven was finally being invaded, though that was a strong word for it - glancing up the rise, Ziigwan eyed the spot where he and Miskwaa slept, and it was a safe distance yet. Reluctant to make a path straight for it and potentially draw a rival to their spot and meager food cache, the aged wolf made a split second decision; placing the pheasant on the ground, hidden by greenery, he made a note of where it lay and changed course, heading for the white intruder as if casually. His adoption of this place might have been temporary and still very young, but he had years of trained hostility and caution when dealing with strangers. This barely qualified as any kind of territory invasion, but habits were hard to break.

Once he was sure that the white wolf must have spotted him, Ziigwan stopped, ears up and tail desperate to curl above his rump - but it did not, instead lying stiffly behind him. Standing here getting all puffed up about a hill he'd slept on a few times was ridiculous, he knew, but it made him feel proactive, and that kept him going.

Later he would mentally slap himself for his own carelessness. But right now he just got startled by the sudden presence of this other wolf. In his amazement over this new place he had failed to keep track of his surroundings. It was a stupid beginners mistake, one he should have learned and put in his routine. However at the moment that his own nose notified him of the fact he was not alone anymore, it was already too late to fix his mistake. His head turned after his ears to find another wolf with a dirty grey color. With one look he saw that this fellow wolf was bigger than him, but that was not the primary thing on his mind. Alphinaud gave cautious eye to the stranger. The other’s posture was friendly nor aggressive. It felt like he had stepped into someone’s Den, which Alphinaud was pretty sure he had not. There was no claim, no clearer mark than the last ten passerby’s. Those facts however, would not matter a bit when the other felt like he had to show he was buff and ready to do something completely unnecessary.

In his head, Phin sighed. This place was not worth the trouble nor the effort to make some trouble out of it. Nothing to gain either way to risk a verbal –or not so verbal- fight with a stranger who was not even leader of this area. ‘’Excuse my intrusion. Did I invade your personal boundaries by any chance? If so, I would gladly continue on my travels.’’ Alphinaud kept himself civilized as he let his tail relax in the air. Fire with fire would do no good. If he could actually turn this meeting into something more profitable for both, he might actually try to make this his worthwhile. You never knew where one wolf might end up

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

In Ziigwan's experience, encounters like this typically came in two flavours. The moment the white wolf noticed him and his demeanour changed to weariness rather than hostility, Ziigwan knew which kind this would be. As the words slipped from the stranger's mouth, the grey wolf let his defensiveness fall, for it was even more ridiculous to get upset over an apologetic non-intrusion. Now he truly felt foolish. So long as their den stayed hidden, and there was no reason to suspect this wolf would find it by chance, there was nothing to get uppity about.

"Heh, sorry. Old habits die hard. I'm not used to this lone life - and no, you're not intruding. Forgive my hostility." It kept slipping his mind that he had no allies here save Miskwaa, no Sakima and Nokomis and children to protect, save Miskwaa - and she was capable of looking after herself, porcupines aside. He didn't even have -

Swallowing, he pushed that thought aside and tried to focus on the white wolf in front of him. They may never be allies, but the least he could do was ensure that he didn't make any unnecessary enemies today. He'd have to use this as a learning experience, and try to teach himself temperance where once it was quick, easy and safe to make assumptions. Assumptions were dangerous in this life. He still had so many habits to break.

To closer observation, the passive defending male seemed a bit older than himself. Alphinaud saw the familiar signs of maturing he had noticed in his old pack. Normally grey and white tuffs in a fur full of color was enough said. But this guy was all but grey and white tuffs so it would be unfair to judge him on his natural color. Anyhow, after Phin had introduced himself the other guy’s posture fell like a rock in a lake. Gone was the defensiveness, and honestly Phin would almost raise an eyebrow if he had one. But you wouldn’t hear him complain. This was one step back from a potential threat.

‘When one has to survive on his own, caution is his best friend.’ Alphinaud gave him a testing smile as he shrugged of the apology. He had learned the hard way that not everyone out there was Mister Nice. After having his prey stolen twice, and chased around by his own kind he learned the way of stealth and hiding. Take your feast and move elsewhere before someone bigger and meanier would come to bully you. Now was Alphinaud not the biggest wolf in the pack but he considered himself cunning and fast. Besides he never felt like coming bulky like a moose. Things were fine, this situation was also feeling a bit more comfortable compared to the very moment they met eyes. ‘Alphinaud Lothaire is the name, if you wouldn’t mind I would love to know yours. A familiar face among many unfamiliar ones would be nice.’

Yes, this was better. Solidarity and mutual understanding between wolves who weren't related - who had never met before! - was such a strange concept, but it felt good. With their meeting given a proper air of amicability, Ziigwan took a few steps to close the gap between them (still leaving enough space for both parties' personal spaces to be respected) so to better facilitate the conversation he could just feel was coming. It would be interesting to socialise with someone other than his niece.

"Ziigwan Wanishin," the wolf returned smoothly, inclining his head. With the space between them shortened, Ziigwan was able to smell that this Alphinaud was a loner, just as he, though he did not smell of Fireweed Rise like the grey wolf would. Though his brief concern regarding his den was mostly past, it was still good to know that packwolves didn't frequent this place. That would have been an unpleasant kind of irony. The only thing they had in common was their solitude - and it was something which Ziigwan struggled with daily. Perhaps that would be healthy to discuss, to get out in the open, for this way he would not have to confess his troubles with Miskwaa.  "With packs bearing new young, it is a sad time of year to be alone. What brings you to this land by yourself?" And, in another life, he might have had his own offspring. To think, they had still been young enough, if he had just been able to convince -

No, no, that was not a suitable topic to start thinking about. That was for dark moments when he had nothing to distract himself with.

Well this meeting might actually be pleasant. Alphinaud shifted his weight slightly to his back to stand more comfortable. The grey wolf -Ziigwan, quite original name too- closed the gap between them. Now they were actually two strangers brought together by coincidence, on neutral grounds. Phin had many Ziigwan situations, crossing paths with fellow wolves in his delight. On good days he had another aquaintance, maybe a friend. On bad days he would have to run to avoid another scar in his collection of micro markings.

The scent of Ziigwan was, unsurprisingly, similar to the flowersbeds they were standing in. The fellow rogue obviously had spent more time in this land than Phin had. Not that he was setting the bar very high.
"I would wholeheartedly agree with you. But the days filled with new discoveries makes my heart pound in the same excitement as it would to see new additions to a pack. I do miss pack life, if I can be brutally honest." Spring and summer time, he could had bred in this time. Find a mate and settle down, it was not like he had not met any fine female company over his travels. But early settling had never been appealing in his head. That same feeling still kept his heart for falling for any female till this day. "My heart sought to broaden my tiny world. So far I've been honored to meet many wolves and visit many places. This place -do you have a name for this flower heaven?- came next after I followed the side of the mountain. What about you, Ziigwan, you seem more familiar to this place to be a fresh foreigner like myself."

Ziigwan's tail swept once from left to right at Alphinaud's agreement, pleased to have established more common ground. And it didn't stop there; as the white wolf spoke of discovery and excitement, the older wolf wondered, would this have been him four years ago? He could smell and see Alphinaud's youth; he was probably newly mature this very season. In a new territory, striking out by himself, yes, it could have been him. Well. Ziigwan would not have been alone - and that was the only reason that he had never lived what Alphinaud was going through, not until now.

To have experienced the world so young! Ziigwan almost laughed out loud, but didn't want to startle the young beast. "No," he confessed, his wry amusement working its way into his smile, "I have no idea what the locals call these parts. I wouldn't be able to tell you the names of anyplace for weeks around. My claim to this place is only a week old, I am near as foreign as you." He brought his nose to the red flowers, then, and took a breath, wondering not for the first time what name they must have given this hill. No slope so beautiful would not have its own name.

"I came here searching for my niece, after she left our home in the tundra. I suppose I am like you, only three years too late. Is this your destination, or are you just passing through?"

It's was the older wolf's own amusement that made Phin feel free enough to show a sincere smile. He had always found it easier to bond once the other party cracked up. 'Well then, I guess we both can look forward to great adventures in this place. Do you have any aspirations to venture further north from this place, Ziigwan?' Although Phin admitted this place was wonderful in spring and summer, he did not feel like staying at this particular place for longer than a few days. It had been a while since he had the freedom and chance to find new hunting grounds. Maybe a bit further north from here, he did not want to eat from the prey running around Ziigwan's temporary home.

Alphinaud's head tilted slighty left as he heard the purpose of Ziigwan's travels. Certainly a noble action he could stand for. 'Your niece you say, I hope she did not leave under bad circumstances. Are you any closer to finding your lost family, dear friend?' Family would always play a important topic in his life, grown up from a small family and all. He could appreciate the other's need to find lost family. A rueful smile played on Alphinaud's muzzle. 'No one is ever too for a new adventure. For now I would like to explore this place first. The smell of adventure and opportunities hang strong in the air. Who knows, maybe fate will bring me to the land beyond here. Or maybe I find companion to make the next spring less lonely.'