Tuktu Weir back at one

Before this thread. @Nathaniel

No one had told Queenie moving away from home would be this difficult. Her paws were cracking, her nose was numb, and her tail felt like it might fall off any moment now. Not to mention how starved she was; it'd been a while since her last proper meal (which she now regretted leaving behind). There was a pack not far off, so Queenie resolved to try her luck there and see if maybe, just maybe, someone would be willing to take her in. 

Sighing, Queenie placed her paw onto the frozen water of the small body, watching how she happened to glide over its surface.

Keeping this vague bc it’s set after this yet-to-conclude thread

Seeing his father so suddenly had shaken Nathaniel up more than he wanted to admit. He was taking time to think now-- and time to eat properly, hopefully.
The encounter had reminded him that he could not remain this weak forever. He had relied mainly on his intimidating size for survival for the past week, but even that was beginning to diminish with malnutrition.
Nat approached the lake where he had first found his father, half-hoping to find some small critter trapped on the ice this time around.
Instead, he saw another wolf-- feminine, with foreign but beautiful colors. He briefly wondered what drew wolves to this frozen lake, himself included, before turning his attention fully on the other. Slowly, he drew closer.
Hello there. Nathaniel called out, voice still slightly rough from disuse. He didn’t really want company right now, but here she was, and even he was not socially inept enough to turn tail now. Besides, it was almost as good a distraction as hunting.

Queenie didn't react much to the other's presence. If anything, it might have seemed as though she was ignoring him until he broke the silence. She looked up at him, noticed the details about his appearance, then turned back to what she had been doing. There was a moment before she responded but finally came an, I hate the winter. Queenie figured that hate might not have been the right word since it seemed a bit strong, but she surely didn't count winter as her favorite season. 

Do you? she asked, then looked at the male expectantly.

Nathaniel blinked at the statement, at the she-wolf's forwardness. He had been about to turn away and leave her in peace when she looked up, and then he had been frozen in place, waiting. The words confused him at first; why did she want to know if he hated winter too? But he felt inclined to answer for some reason, perhaps the shock value of the sudden question.
I don't like it much. He admitted. I prefer Spring.

Queenie gave a half smile without looking at the stranger; her eyes were fixed on the glassy surface of the water. The smile quickly faded, though, If you don't like it, then why are you spending it alone? I know I'd much rather be safe behind some borders where my meals were guaranteed, rather than starving out in the open. She did look up at him then to really absorb his expression. I guess we're all different, though, right?

Nathaniel was quickly irritated with the stranger, and his hackles were about to raise when he reminded himself how treacherous his short temper could be. The male settled instantly with that thought, his expression barely budging in the half-second it took for the process to occur. He still wasn't sure why it was any of her business at all, but he decided to answer passively. I'm not alone by choice.
Normally, Nat wasn't inclined to reveal more, but he felt slightly defensive in the face of what he perceived as being judged. The borders of my home are gone-- they died with my pack, far from these lands.

She wasn't sorry. Queenie was never sorry. If his pack had died out, then, Must not have been meant to be. She straightened herself a bit and lifted her chin in a sort of ha! fashion, thinking to herself about her pack had never died. After decades of being at the top, ruling over the region, they were still running strong. Why had she left? 

Papa used to tell us that sometimes God sends us a problem to humble ourselves. Makes it easier to transition between life's phases without thinking that we're in control. Queenie took a deep breath then, flattening her ears back against her skull while she wondered what exactly her next phase would bring.

His hackles did raise, then, and he bared his teeth slightly at the ignorant girl. You have much to learn, if all you can do is spout your father's ignorance. Should you ever suffer the deaths of your own children, your loved ones, I pray someone is there to tell you they were never meant to be, that you were arrogant to think they should live.
Nathaniel spat the last few words with no small amount of venom, then turned and walked away. He did not listen to anything further the girl might have said, nor did he look back. She wasn't worth his time.

Queenie looked down again, a low hmph coming from her closed mouth. I have, she thought, though all she said was a simple, I look forward to it. She watched as the stranger strutted away in all of his angry glory, her mind somewhere roaming on its own.