The snows had come in fierce and heavy. She'd gathered up those she could and tucked her brood into a small cave lower in the elevations. It had been her go-to spot after the ice had gotten problematic enough further up the slopes, and this way, it was somewhat easier to make her way to the borderlands to patrol and scavenge fallen prey whenever she was able -- even if staying this low down this often was not really her ideal. Especially not when she had enough else to concern herself with.

After a long, cold restless night, she'd arisen late in the morning (pushing afternoon, honestly) and went to shaking some of the drifted snow out of the way of the small cave's door first. Next, she squinted out into the brightness of it all with a deepening frown. Just about as cold as the day prior, but at least the snows had slowed since the big storm. Maybe, with overhead clouds looking hopeful to break up, they'd see clear skies again soon. She was feeling tired of being so cooped up, and had a good feeling this was not letting her scouting comrades cover much ground either.

Needing a gait with excessive motion to navigate the deep snows, she set out towards the lowest elevations of the mountain's tangled woods to burn her energy before the cold started to set in for nighttime once more.

As she moved over the mountain, she missed all the warmth so badly. The instinctual rush for the arctic cold and the novelty of a landscape all dressed in snow and ice had long since run out and staled; she was ready for spring, and soon enough, it should be on its way back. In all her years, and surely true for any that she'd yet to experience, winter would never have her fancy. She liked her water running freely, not frozen, and her mountainside not only a fortress of stone but one draped in lush greenery as well. These barren spindles and bitter, determined evergreens didn't suit her nearly as much. Undoubtedly, the first blooms would be a welcome sight.

His timing.. overall, was good. She did not know so much about the pale-coated stranger yet. He'd come to them at a delicate time, and maybe, in all of their best interest. It was too soon for her to decide that, although it was with interest that she'd regard Janus, pleased to see him out and about as well. Especially considering she had seen no trace of the other recent recruit, dead or alive.

Angling her head just enough to keep an eye on his approach, her tail soon swayed gently. "Finally," she huffed, a mix of frustration and relief on the word. "And not without plenty to remember it by," she griped alongside a sweeping gesture to all this snow. But it would melt. The sun would come out sooner or later then the days grow a little warmer than the last. Hope was a feeble thing still this soon, but perhaps this would be the last hurrah of the winter. "Of course not," the dark alpha replied. "I cannot say I had plans, necessarily. Other than to be out, to move," she shook her furs and continued for their borderlines, to illustrate her point of just wanting to cover ground. By default, when nothing else beckoned her, that meant she'd pick up something useful there.

It was swiftly clear they were on the same page about this. Amekaze nodded wholeheartedly. She shared the sentiment. Spring couldn't get her soon enough for her. It could bring with it the storms and the bugs, she'd rather tolerate that than more of this bitterly cold frozen misery. "Ufg, really. Over it," she scoffed with similar dismay thick and slimy on her words. Winter had worn out its welcome.

On her daughters, the outlook was a bit brighter so her expression could ease away from the frown winter had put on her. "Doing well as I could hope, everything considered.. but I know the weather is all that can keep them cooped up," she said, shaking her head softly. They were old enough that she could no longer expect to confine them, so she did not. But when the temperatures bit this badly, they had little choice -- no matter how robust a group of juveniles they were proving themselves to be. "Just before the temperatures bottomed out, at least one of them was really taking a hopeful interest in getting to scout out into the flatlands too. This has been no good for that," she detailed. Having Charon and Aria away made it worse. Evidently Alya was doing well to inherit her mother's bad luck at timing. "Have you met any of them yet?" she asked, not remembering it being mentioned from them quite so soon but believing it would have come up.. Which if he hadn't, that was fine too. There was no hurry.