Firestone Hot Springs these are the pros and cons of hitchhiking

What?! She had friends who were watching them, right now?!  Rue's eyes widened, and her gaze flicked all round, searching for any sign of a wolfish figure in the steam. If the watchers were the girl's friends, why weren't they all together? Why would her friends simply watch without showing themselves? This whole situation was really damn creepy, and Rue didn't like it one bit. 

"Me too," she confirmed, also meaning no harm and simply passing through.  It was the best answer she could formulate with her mind still nervously churning. It suddenly struck her that perhaps the girl was lying-- fabricating some friends after learning that Rue was a pack wolf. It was a smart tactic that Rue had employed herself several times when she had been a loner. 

With that explaination she was able to relax a little more. Maegi introduced herself, and Rue nodded. "It's beautiful," she offered. "..and the deer are plentiful. Blacktail Deer Plateau is thriving." Perhaps Rue would see Maegi again sometime, if she remembered this conversation later and chose to do some hunting near the plateau. It also wouldn't hurt for her to know that Rue's pack was strong and prosperous. 

"Where are you and your friends headed?" she asked her question conversationally, eyes sweeping her surroundings once more. She hadn't forgotten Maegi's "friends." Perhaps Maegi was bluffing, perhaps not. Perhaps all her "friends" were actually birds, and the girl was talking around this fact in order to make her and her allies seem more threatening.