Although it was beginning to ease off, Ame was still on the warpath when it came to the borderlands. The ground was still far too snowed over and frozen for her to even think about tidying up her den for the season, and neither was it near time for her to delegate herself to that kind of chore yet. When it wasn't too cold to get to on her nerves, she was often down the mountain instead, usually making those determined rounds or hunting on their lower reaches—as today, and as she had hoped by now to have caught herself a rabbit or two along the way.. she had nothing to show for her efforts in harassing the usual spots.

Wholly unimpressed with the situation that didn't have a fresh kill between her teeth right this instant, but eager to move forward past it and return to patrol, she went to go chase the taste of failed hunt from her mouth with cold creek water. Now with that done, feeling marginally better, she was looking to regain her momentum..

Huffing to herself, and tired of looking all at the snow piled heavy everywhere, she glanced skyward just to check for more of those flying black menaces that had worryingly made a habit of being around. When it checked out for now, reluctantly, she went back to peering tiredly at the cold scenery along the path. All she really wanted was something fresh to chew on to help soothe her burning anxious stomach. Spring needed to get here fast.

She perked when she heard paws, then saw him--her son, the only one that she knew for now. Her ears turned towards the silvery boy, half in interest, half to appraise what she saw and decide if he tolerable right now. When he brought food, she wordlessly accepted; Charon had probably taught him that one, or maybe he had picked it up on his own. Although he didn't always act like it, she knew he was sharp. She could see it sometimes.

Before she delved into her offering from him, she returned her greeting to him with rough nip at his cheek before he could withdraw from her space. She rumbled fondly at him to show she appreciated it. Her tail waved in earnest to match. While she watched him mainly still, adding a certain expectancy to the weight of her gaze, she went for the fresh meat and let him have her attentions for now.

He straightened his stance a bit, although she could still sense the motion he held back, so she arched a brow at him. He nodded suddenly, and his typical foray of questions began--about his guardianship, about the upcoming puppies, about her. She would only humor so many.. yet, he seemed more thoughtful than before. He asked with gusto, but not obnoxiousness, and sprang from topic to topic within certain reasons--all current, all new to him. Ame squinted at him over her eating and she felt him rein in at the subtle cue--grateful that he caught it, but he did spend time with her well enough to know.. and maybe feel it too.

She marveled silently before she would return with her eventual answers, cryptic as she could make them, while still guiding him true. There were certain topics she had to broach with him should he have his best hope at understanding. Several of these were those.

He could be a pest and she knew it, but the juvenile before her had come far from the little nondescript bean-shape of a pup that had only barely dodged the same fate as his runtier sister. Maybe for one of the first times, and with such certainty, her expectations of him did not feel quite so lofty.