The queen had left the pack in charge of her lover and their capable Gamma to clear her mind. She had done so much these past few days, and even in her time off she found herself working. It had all been worth her time and effort though, and slowly she began changing into a totally different wolf. Pack life did her good apparently, as she found her blood lust and high attitude sink away into the ground to, hopefully, never to be seen again. 

The river part that was inside their spooky yet beautiful territory had many bends and arms, and one in particular peeked her interest. She had been North, in the mountains and had even been on the beach all the way to the West part of Teekon Wild, but never had she gone South before. And this river seemed to be leading just that way. Her plan was to travel as far as possible without going so far that she might get lost. Little did she know the river would end in a lake. 

She traveled beside the streaming water, and knew that if she could find the river, she could find home. Her journey had been a few hours, resting once and awhile to get a drink or hunt some critters that seemed to be drawn to the water. This was perfect to ease her mind, releasing stress and resting her vocal cords as they were damaged quite badly. After what only seemed minutes to her, but were actually around 4 or 5 hours, the river ended, now displaying a big lake right in front of her. It was a true discovery, she thought so at least. No-one in MH had followed the river this long to find out what may be at the end of it, and now she knew. Just a big puddle of water. A very big puddle.

She neared the waters, her muzzle almost touching the surface as she was looking for fish. Perhaps her pack could come here in summer to find easy meals, though the journey was quite long. Maybe they had enough food in the forest, but it was good to have a back-up plan. After inspecting the waters, easily seeing fish disturb it, she lay down, her paws tired from walking. She held her ears perked, her nose ready for anything that might come her way.

Now that both of her outriders had returned home, she turned her muzzle out towards the Wilds armed and was solely interested in covering some ground. She was perhaps over-eager to get out and stretch her legs, but it was a urge that had been building slowly for a while now, and one that she usually had an excuse to shove aside lately

But her bear wounds were on the mend, and feeling much better -- so much so that they didn't bother her much. Jace then Floki and finally Wildfire had all returned to the mountainside in one piece each, so that was a worrisome weight lifted in itself. Plus, cold bitter eves spent sharing warmth with her counterpart alpha left her with just a bit more energy in her step than ever before.

There was the matter of Tevinter's clear absence, and as she jogged towards the body of water she knew eventually flowed into the flatlands, she considered the chance of finding any trace of him out here. Very soon after this thought occurred, she decided it was very unlikely. Last scent of him had gone in the general, nonspecific direction of the beach, where she presumed the Bay to be his destination before he never turned back up. Amekaze also decided that she wouldn't spare the effort looking for him at all, since she believed this was of his choice anyway. He was free to go do his brooding elsewhere, as far as she was concerned thanks to her indifference on the topic.

To draw her focus into the present, she pulled up to the lakeside in what she considered good time. Once her paws met the shoreline, she stalked the banks with her nose low and ears pulled forward. Her was content purpose in her stride, of course, because there would be no passing up a good fish dinner should she find the right opportunity for it. Winter fishing on the mountain had been a bit lacking, after all. The thought alone had her licking her lips, but she wouldn't get ahead of herself just yet -- not when sight of another, very unfamiliar, dark silhouette loomed ahead. She approached silently.

The dark queen had just closed her eyes when the sound of footsteps approaching caught her attention. Couldn't she just have a nice day all for herself? She opened her eyes, blinking because of the sudden light, before seeing a black figure nearing the river. The smell that came after was worrying. She smelled like a pack wolf, but not the pack that was called Dark Brotherhood. This was a different smell. Did they have more neighbors? The queen raised an eyebrow, now eyeing the woman that had disturbed her slumber.

Hello there. She called out, a half meant and half fake smile on her muzzle, when she found the other looking at her. If this was not their dark neighboring pack, she wanted to find out more about this wolf and the place where she had come from.

She aimed to represent just a simple passerby, someone logically tracking the water's edge because it was a boundary worth investigating out here among the wilds, so she wore her neutrality plain to see. But even with that, a lax tail and ears tipped curiously forward, she knew there would always be an undertone of her assured confidence, one granted to her by her status and strength of the mountainside combined.

From the stranger, she got a hello first. Amekaze moved in a handful of paces closer, but did not immediately approach the dark female's side. There was no need, since from here, she felt she could split her attentions between the shoreline and the wolf most effectively. But, it would be wisest to attend to the matter of wolf first. Floki told her of new packs, so perhaps this was from one of them.. although she was nowhere very near to either of the locations he had mentioned. Amekaze did not recognize the scents on her, not even now that she was closer, so was certainly led to wonder about her affiliations. "Greetings," she returned. "Am I disturbing anything?" she quipped almost lightly.

As the other came closer, the queen got up into a sitting position. Lying on the ground seemed a little rude and uninterested in her eyes, something she definitely wasn't. If this wolf was indeed from another pack, she needed to be nice. She wanted to prevent any kind of war. All she wanted was a peaceful existence together with her friends and family.

Oh, not at all. She replied cheery, her smile now fully turning into a meant one. A curious twinkle in her eyes could be spotted, but maybe not from where the other was standing. I was simply resting a bit. She explained, not mentioning where she had come from. Now that they were talking, she found it appropriate to introduce herself.

I'm Malice, Malice Lanius, though only Malice is fine. How does one call you? 

She watched intently with a carefully veiled scrutiny as her new company adjusted accordingly. Amekaze was not a swift one to extend outright warmness, but she could be moderately sociable if the situation called for it. "Understandable," she chuffed, for it was a nice place -- and Amekaze could not fault her for it. "It is a peaceful spot," she said. When a question turned back on her, she considered the wording and all that had preceded it.

Malice readily gave surname and all, so comparatively, she may pale in this way. But it was all she wanted to be called, and all she would be called. She may have had several names and a handful of titles over her many moons she'd spanned but this was just all she needed anyone to know. "I am Ame," she nodded and paired it with a simple, amicable-enough swish of her tail. No one needed her surname here; in these lands, it held no meaning and not even her closest confidants knew it. Then again, it was not as if Lanius rung with any particular familiarity to her. "Of Moonspear." she did add, knowing this may be of worth, but it was also to test if that would ring any bells with her.

Malice nodded, agreeing with the stranger. This was one of the nicer places she had been, but nothing topped Phantom Hollow. It was creepy, yet peaceful and beautiful in it's own way, much like Malice herself. Moonlit Hills had found a spirit, a spirit that would guide them all to safety if need be. It was something about the mist that crawled through the trees in the morning that made it so haunting for most members, she knew, but the queen rather liked it. And the quietness, oh, simply amazing. Indeed She chipped, her thoughts running back to Phantom Hollow and all it's grace.

Ame was the name the stranger had given, though nothing after. The queen didn't know if it was unnecessary to mention surnames here in Teekon, though she respected her privacy. Or perhaps the girl had no other names, who could tell? The title after however triggered her interest more. Moonspear, was that the name of their neighboring pack? Moonspear you say... She murmured as if deep in thought. Never heard of it, to be totally honest. She said, her gaze returning to Ame. Is it near here?

Her mentioning Moonspear did apparently inspire some thought, it seemed. Amekaze was not necessarily surprised, despite it having been an established pack since late in the autumn, not all ventured nearer to the mountains. Once there, though, they were hard to miss as the sole presence on this side of the range Moonspear occupied.

"Not too far from here," she explained with a vague gesture towards the mountains across the fields over her shoulder. She was not going to point out which one specifically, but considering the Spear's height compared to its neighbors, it wouldn't be hard to find out.  "Have you been in the Teekon long?" she asked in return. The scents on her suggested that she was established somewhere or another, and likely not purely a traveler as Amekaze occasionally ran into here in the flatlands. But as to where she belonged exactly and for how long she had been there, she couldn't quite discern it yet.

The queen didn't know what was beyond this lake, hadn't even seen all of her own pack's territory. She was not really an explorer. Oh, yes, she enjoyed seeing new things and wandering off sometimes, but to call it her favorite thing to do would not be right. She enjoyed it way more to socialize with people, keeping her pack safe by patrolling the borders. She couldn't care less if there were other packs near theirs, as long as they didn't mean trouble.

Her gesture to the mountains behind her was enough for Malice to get curious of what there was on those ridges and peaks. She had been in the other mountains before, even considered settling there, but that didn't quite work out. The Red Canyon was uninhabitable unfortunately, but now they had like the best spot ever! Even with the brute pack, Dark Brotherhood, so near, it was nice there. And now they had even more neighbors! The queen couldn't wait to get to know them all, but that had to wait.

Ah, I see. I'm the alpha of Moonlit Hills, it's located in Phantom Hollow. Ever been there? She asked, her head tipping to the right. Now that Ame had given her name and pack, what was holding Malice back from doing the same? 

Her question was not a hard one, even enjoyable to answer. Oh, no, I arrived maybe a month or so ago. It's really nice here, much better than the place where I came from. She added the last bit without thought, and almost wanted to slap herself in the face for revealing so much. She was beginning to feel a little too comfortable in this conversation and it was getting to a point where she could brabbel on and on about herself.

Her expression stays steady, but she is certainly curious and making dutiful note of this. Moonlit Hills was not something she had heard of before, even with Floki just reporting two new packs to her. "I have been through, but it has been a while since then," she admitted when asked about the Phantom Hollow. She had tracked a fleeing fox there last time she'd visited, and while it had been very eerie, there was a certain comfort about it -- to the right wolf, of course. She imagined it was just as cloaked as it had been.

Nevertheless, Malice revealed that she was newer here and that meant that her pack was just the same. Amekaze wondered if she had brought transplanted followers with her or achieved a gathering enough to call a pack in such a short span of time. Then again, that would not surprise her based on the amount of loners that seemed to travel through the region and with all the other new packs cropping up, it was evidence of a growing population here. She'd been here long enough to know its cycles and almost understand how nature seemed to work. Or so she believed.

"The Teekon is impressive, I will agree, and I have seen much of it in my time here," she said. From the northern glaciers to southern tip of the Sunspire range, she'd covered some miles. "It perhaps seems like paradise to you then, if your former home was poor enough," she reasoned with a lingering look on Malice's features, wondering what else there was to say on the matter.

While only being in the Teekon for maybe over a month, the queen had managed to form relationships rather quickly. It wasn't hard to find enough loners willing to join her, maybe even too easy as it hadn't been a real challenge. One after another had she met them in the mountains, and all were still with her now. Even the older healer who had said she was leaving them as soon as they had settled. It brought a smile on her muzzle thinking about the cold woman who had treated her like a lower being ever since they had met. Malice didn't mind, and as time passed, she felt like the two of them were actually pretty close.

Did you like it there? Malice chipped. She knew the forest could be haunting to some, even making them restless at night sometimes. But she wanted to know how this individual thought about the land they had chosen. Yes, it was nice everyone in the pack liked it, but that was to be expected. A stranger's approval of one's land was always more fun to hear than the one's who owned it, as the stranger didn't need to live there. More honesty was to be expected, and appreciated.

The words Ame spoke next were intriguing. How long had she been here then? Malice, while not having been here all that long, could tell that the place was big. So, for one to see almost everything, it would take a long time. Indeed it is, my former home wasn't as lively as this place. Not much to hunt, not much to see, almost no water. She said, her head nodding as she complained. How long have you been here then?

She smirked in a moment's consideration. "I would say so, I appreciated its quiet," she said with a slow, thoughtful nod. Amekaze could find herself at relative ease in many types of landscapes, although nothing ever compared to mountainsides and even the coastlines, she liked the eeriness of a quiet, secluded piece of woodland. Maybe if she had made a point to spend more time, she may have more to say about it, but that was her best summary for the time being at least.

"Was it.. north or south of here?" she asked with a cant to her head, curious especially with the mention of almost no water. Also tying into her interest in landscapes and the earth that composed them, she was a dedicated naturalist that had to wonder where that may be. Nevertheless, finding other places as lively was this stretch of Wilds was probably not easy -- especially these days with the wolf population seemingly growing (an effect of the mild winter and good hunting, she theorized) and it supporting more packs than she had ever known it to.  Then, for the question rounded back to here, she thought for a beat just exactly how long it had been. "Ah, just over two years now. I arrived in the winter, and when I first came to the Wilds, there were very few packs in the whole stretch of it that I knew." She remembered lean, trying times in the coldest of days, several packs forming only to disband not long after, and loners having more wiggle room without having to dodge borderlands everywhere, Obviously, times had changed. Resources were plentiful, and she had seen both sides of what the Teekon could offer -- the excess and the limited.

A bright smile covered her already happy looking face. It was a real compliment to her, one that meant something more than the other female probably thought of it. While it wasn't a long summary at all, it didn't have to be. Fun thing is, Malice totally agreed with her. The quietness, especially when she was patrolling the borders, was amazing. It felt like it was a sin to even step on a twig and break the silence. She had nothing more to add on the matter though, so she nodded happily.

The question that came was easy. While she wasn't a scout or something, she knew which way was north and south. She had observed the stars and had noticed how the bright north star was just above one of the peaks of the mountains. She nudged that way while saying: North, just follow the river. Who knew, perhaps some of the wolves from Moonspear would come and visit.

Malice perked her ears, intrigued to hear more about this breathtaking land. It wasn't much, unfortunately, but it was long enough to be interested in. 2 years? That was like 2/3 of her own life! That's crazy long... She murmured, a little amazed. It didn't surprise her to hear that there weren't as many wolves back then. It had been a mild winter, maybe that was it.

Malice felt like the conversation was going into nothing again, and while she liked Ame's company, her feet were itching to get moving again. Well, it has been a pleasure meeting you. Hope this won't be both our first and last conversation. She said, a nice smile on her muzzle. her front paws were already turning back in the direction she came from, but she waited for Ame to say her goodbyes  if she wanted to.

She smirked subtly and did nod. Crazy long was one way to say it. Her stay in the Teekon had not meant to be nearly so lengthy, but it had housed her well over the many moons she'd seen. Amekaze had only considered moving on entirely a scarce few times and even then, her attachment to this place and what it held was always enough to keep her around in one way or another. She couldn't really see this changing anytime soon either, not with her pack doing so well for itself and her bonds with Charon evolving rapidly.

"Ah, likewise," she chuffed after Malice mentioned the opportunity of a second meeting and her tail swayed softly. Amekaze would not be opposed and while she was naturally prickly about the idea of more packs anywhere she knew of, this one was far enough away for her to not worry and just want to keep some kind contact with them. If it could be of the amicable nature with the leader, no less, it would be a win in her book.

Amekaze offered her own farewells and turned to be on her way. She pondered it briefly, but soon gave her focus back to the landscapes passing underfoot.