There was a lot to keep them busy these days. Winter was in full force now, and it was their turn to care for the pack's offspring. @Felix and @Joan were little information sponges, and @Ophelia's antics kept everyone on their toes, making a pupsitter's job an active one. On top of the responsibilities that fell upon every adult's shoulders, the two yearlings also both had roles to strive for, lessons to undergo, hers most often with Veho and @Deacon. Her visits to the Woodlands had grown more distant in between for these reasons, but still she made them, refusing to allow too much time to pass and miss the sessions of catch up she so adored with her brother @Korrin and Duckweed. With everything else to worry about, the adventures she so loved to take received the least attention.
It didn't much matter that she saw Tomen regularly throughout the day, whether crossing paths on errands or running them together, teaching and playing with the children or just curled up against his side at the end of each night. Ventures outside of the bounds of Grizzly Hollow for simple enjoyment were so rare that she now strove to drag her best friend along with her every time so that they might both take a breather and talk about things that weren't so duty centered.
It was unwise to travel too far through the drifting snow, but the Cedarwoods were plenty big enough, especially when one went East. The mountain loomed ahead, overtaken by its snowcaps and almost indistinguishable from the bleak white sky. Flakes drifted lazily through the air, and Jack frost was nipping at their noses, but there was a serene kind of beauty to it all and Nineva inhaled each frigid breath happily. While others might shudder and glower, wishing for Spring to bring back warmth, the season had done nothing to intimidate the young woman. Despite their steady loss of numbers, she was certain that they would be wassailing over their fortitude by the end of it.
"So anyways, dad eventually found us and pulled us out. Boy was he mad. Poor Korrin, we were always dragging him into trouble like that," she concluded her story with a wistful smile and a shake of her head. While she did not wish for them back, intent on always moving forward, Nineva would always miss those days when her family was still together and where it belonged.
"Well, I guess it was mostly me. Rose was always a--hey!" she stopped dead in her tracks as something caught her eye, muzzle swinging upward to point it out to her friend. A plant clustered amongst the needles of one of the many tall cedar trees was the target of her attention, the sight striking up another memory. Kenelm had taught her about it last winter. Normally her mind was a trap, but it was taking a few seconds for the information to come back to her.
"Oh, geez, what is it called again... ?"